I had a hard time with this puzzle. There were a few easier clues that got me a foothold but those quickly faded out and after a few hours I gave up and just cheated my way through this. There a lot of clueing devices I've never seen before and had to research origins for and then a few answers that new words for me too.
I appreciate the crisp style and lack of waffling link words. The clues have a very simple, clear style. It first looked like a short puzzle but it has 28 clues which is the average. It wasn't too difficult to suss out the definitions either, which was a much needed kindness. I had to hit the dictionary and thesaurus hard. As I use the Fifteen Squared solutions, here's a link to their page and Eileen's solutions . Here's my pic:
1A - Soldier's plot to be a freeloader (8)
"Freeloader," is our definition and "soldier" = PARAtrooper, not the usual GI we're used to, and "plot" = SITE as in "the site of the new garden." to give us PARASITE. Off to a good start! 5A - Tory leader taking part in hunt is virtuous (6) "Is virtuous," is our definition and "T ory leader " = T which will be "taking part in " or going into a word for "hunt" = CHASE to make CHAS(T)E. 9A - Offered and was inclined to embrace soldier (8) "Offered," is our definition and I got this with cross letters. "Was inclined," = TENDED which will "embrace" or be split around a two letter word for "soldier" = ER...ER? Have I seen ER as a short for "soldier" before? I can't find anything from a quick google. I have asked my good friend who is in the military to tell me if he knows what ER could stand for in reference to soldiers. He tells me ER = Enlisted Rank. Thank you Jason Mackay! His google is better than my google.10A - Block major road going through eyesore? (6) I liked this clue! "Block," is our definition and the "major road" = MI for the M1 motorway which is in the UK and also here in Victoria as The Monash Freeway - that was a convenient coincidence! MI will "go through " or be inside a word for "eyesore" = STYE to make STY(MI)E. 12A - Use up change aboard ship (5) I got this from definition and cross letters. I had "use up change" = SPEND but can't understand where the "aboard ship," part comes in. Fifteen Squared offers " P [penny - change] in [aboard] SEND [ship] It was a real ‘doh’ moment when this finally occurred, just as I was dropping off to sleep after staying up to solve the puzzle after midnight. Looking at the clue again this morning, I can’t think why it took so long: ‘change’ means the same as it does in the surface reading – but then we’re not used to that! And, of course, seeing the familiar ‘aboard ship’ led me initially to enter S???S. " Ok I get this now "change" = P enny = P (more steps than I'm used to) then "aboard" is a container signpost telling us to put the P into "ship" = SEND like this: S(P)END. 13A - Heave when swallowing fish supplement (9)"Supplement," is our definition and "heave" = SURGE which I had to double check because that's not how I've ever heard the word heave used but it is there in the thesaurus so hooray for new definitions! "SURGE when swallowing fish," where "swallowing " is a container signpost telling us a type of "fish" = CHAR will go into our word SURGE like this: SUR(CHAR)GE. 14A - Be pessimistic about weather — frost is widespread (4,3,5) "Be pessimistic," is our definition and " weather frost is widespread ," is fodder and anagrind to make FEAR THE WORST.18A - Athletes wrongly appear to be the outstanding performers (5,3,4) "Outstanding performers," is our definition and "athletes wrongly ," is partial fodder and anagrind meaning we need a four letter word for "appear" = SHOW to make: STEAL THE SHOW. If you need an example just watch Kevin Kline in A Fish Called Wanda . 21A - No writer got into a row for a utensil (3-6) "Utensil," is our definition and "no writer" = NO PEN which will "get into " a word for "row" = TIER , (how many words for an argument did I draw a line through - I won't confess), to make TI(N OPEN)ER. 23A - Band of Greek publishers (5) "Band," is our definition and I got this from definition and "Greek" = GR where we use the country code for Greece. Our answer is GROUP and I needed Fifteen Squared to explain the OUP part "GR [Greek] + Oxford University Press [publishers]
24A - Limit relationship with knight (6) "Limit," is our definition and with cross letters I could get "relationship" = RATIO but I couldn't understand "knight" = N which gives us RATION. A google on abbreviations shows me it's the chess abbreviation for the knight piece which must be to set it apart from the King . 25A - Taro cooked — hunger for drug (8) "Drug," is our definition and "taro cooked " is partial fodder and anagrind, "hunger" = PINE to give us ATROPINE . 26A - Vessel for a service in church (6) "Vessel," is our definition and I was lost from beginning to end. Well that's extreme, I knew the end was "church" = CE as it usually does I just didn't know what to do with it. Fifteen Square says "A RAF [a service] in CE [Church of England] " I'm taking to mean "a service" = a military service = A RAF (Royal Air Force) going inside the CE to make C(ARAF)E. 27A - Master villain to suspend a meeting (8) I could see "to suspend a meeting" was the definition but how to work "Master villain" into that, with the cross letters was beyond my skill so I cheated. "Master" = PRO and "villain" = ROGUE to make PRO(ROGUE). I'd not heard of this word before so that was good to get a new word in a fairly straightforward clue. I just balked and cried "cheat!" 1D - Pawn books when hospital supplies chemical compound (6) "Chemical compound," is our definition and I couldn't get all the bits. "Pawn" = P as the chess piece abbreviation, "books" = OT (Old Testament?) and I didn't get this bit because I don't have a Bible brain, "when" = AS, and "hospital" = H to give us POTASH. 2D - Warden initially registered indignation (6) "Warden," is our definition and "initially R egistered" = R and "indignation" = ANGER to give us RANGER. 3D - Despatch spring flower (9) "Flower," is our definition and I didn't get this and then found the answer hard to crack too. I could see "spring" = WELL but "despatch" = SPEED and then why those were reversed I cannot discern but the answer is SPEEDWELL . Maybe I'm too pampered in my newbie solving ways. 4D - Confident Barbarian enters the fun of the game (8,4) "Game," is our definition and I got this from cross letters and a childhood at summer camps. Breaking down the clue is a harder task. I think "confident barbarian" = SURE HUN and that "enters" a word for "fun" = TREAT to make TREA(SURE HUN)T. 6D - Drawback for couple (5) Double definition: HITCH as in "There's a hitch to our plan." and to get "hitched." 7D - Rob's more awkward in a hat (8) "A hat," is our definition and "rob's more awkward " is fodder and anagrind to give us SOMBRERO. 8D - Fundamental principles of weather (8) Double definition: ELEMENTS. Weather meaning like to be exposed to the "elements" and then like every writer's handbook The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. 11D - Speaker keeps royal box for the organiser (12) "Organiser," is our definition and "speaker" = ORATOR which will "keep " or hold "R oyal" = R and "box" = CHEST put together like this: O(R)(CHEST)RATOR 15D - Miscreant forced Roger down (9) "Miscreant," is our definition and "forced roger down " is anagrind and fodder to give us: WRONGDOER. 16D - Store ice produced in secret (8) "In secret," is our definition and "store ice produced " is fodder and anagrind to give us: ESOTERIC. I've always used esoteric to mean nebulous, abstruse, unnecessarily complex. All that overly complicated waffle "Inner-Lectuals " use to keep the average Joe out of the conversation - we'll chalk that up to being raised American in a culture of anti-intellectualism. 17D - Smirk when taking in this month in Ireland (8) I had no idea. None. Even after cheating I didn't know what was going on. Fifteen Squared says " LEER [smirk? - I'm struggling a bit with this] round INST [this month] " Well I guess I've read enough romance novels to know a smirk from a leer. This makes our answer: LE(INST)ER. I don't understand why "this month" = INST I know it as "instant" or "instrumental" but wiki tells me, under it's " List of Latin less common abbreviations " that INST means instante mense which is Latin for " this month." 19D - Walk round Oxfordshire town is transfixing (6) Another one well out of my skill set. I defer to Fifteen Squared again where there is a lengthy discussion about this clue in the comments, " GO [walk] + RING [round] to give a double definition of an Oxfordshire town [which Wikipedia defines as a large village and I found it in a gazeteer of Oxfordshire villages: I hadn’t heard of this [Goring-on-Thames] but I knew Goring-by-Sea, so it was a plausible place name] and transfixing " I had to double check the "transfixing" part of this double definition but it's there, meaning to pierce. I've just never heard the word used this way. I'm beginning to feel like I live in a cave. 20D - Spanish leaders present in province (6) Back to where I can participate! "Province" is our definition and "SP anish leaders " = SP as "leaders" is plural we want more than one letter, "present" = HERE! ah, the days of roll call, we put them together to make SPHERE. 22D - Penny's covering evidence (5) Not much to work with here but it gets the job done nicely. "Penny's" = P as we often take the first letter of proper nouns. A "covering" = ROOF to make PROOF our definition for "evidence."
And we are done! This was the hardest challenge this week so far and I've not yet seen Friday's offering *quick peek* oh an Enigmatist. I've not done one of their puzzles before. I also have our own DA today in The Age that I like to work through every Friday with the group over at The D.A. Trippers. I have my work cut out for me this weekend.
Wishing you a nice start yours. Weekend or puzzle, whichever or both.
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