I feel a little surer of declaring this on the easier side today, particularly after a tough week of QCs thus far. Only one piece of fairly esoteric General Knowledge got in the way of an ‘easy’ assessment. I think this should encourage most of our newbie solvers and produce some fast times from the more experienced hands. It took me just inside 10 minutes (at the easy end of the Rotterometer scale). I’m sure you will let me know if you disagree with my assessment.
SIGNATURE was my FOI, KEYPAD my LOI, and my general impression was one of quiet satisfaction and steady progress throughout.
Yesterday, we saw what our friends across the pond made of the inauguration of the new POTUS. I really hoped for calm and quiet, but feared that may not have been the case. As it happens, as I write this, my fears were unfounded, and things seemed to go smoothly enough, and I thought that Biden's message was appropriate, and, hopefully, conciliatory. My big fear was that we would see something alomg the lines of what happened on this very day in 1793 (see the number of this puzzle), when, after being found guilty of treason by the French National Convention, Louis XVI of France was guillotined in Paris as a consequence of the French Revolution. I sincerely hope that no such violent uprising follows in the USA, and that Biden can do what he appears to be promising, and that the US population get behind him in that endeavour.
Politics over, let's get back to the crossword!
Across
1 Certain to include bizarre giant identifying mark (9)
SIGNATURE – This is an anagram (bizarre) of [GIANT] inside SURE (certain).
6 Copper, British – he’s young (3)
CUB – CU (copper, chemical symbol) and B{ritish}. Could be either a young boy scout or any of many young male animals.
8 In from France, joke with editor, busy (7)
ENGAGED – EN (French for ‘in’) with GAG (joke) and ED{itor}.
9 Delay sales booth (5)
STALL – Double definition.
10 Not bright, extremely dopey, to cross Welsh river! (5)
DUSKY – D{ope}Y (extremely means take extreme letters, first and last) surrounding (to cross) USK (Welsh river). My first thought was DOSEY, but I couldn’t think of a River Ose!
12 In truth referring to supporter (6)
REALLY – RE (referring to) and ALLY (supporter).
14 Be wet – then area unfortunately showing effect of climate (7,6)
WEATHER-BEATEN – Anagram (unfortunately) of [BE WET – THEN AREA].
16 Set of buttons important at home (6)
KEYPAD – KEY (important) and PAD (home). My Last One In, misled by the cryptic definition of a KEYPAD.
17 Some bikinis and shorts in beach area (5)
SANDS – Hidden answer (some) in {bikini}S AND S{horts}.
19 Australian individual, a gas! (5)
OZONE – OZ (Australian) and ONE (individual).
20 Indicate approval of a Parish Priest and Archbishop (7)
APPLAUD – A (a) P{arish} P{riest} and LAUD (William LAUD, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 until arrested and eventually executed in 1645). I think the General Knowledge regarding William LAUD is a step too far for a QC, but the answer is definitely biffable.
22 Northeastern team’s first score (3)
NET – N{orth}E{astern} and T{eam’s} (first letter). To NET is to score in a number of sports, including football, basketball and netball.
23 One with leading role moved fast to trap a bird (9)
SPEARHEAD – SPED (moved fast) trapping (surrounding) A (a) and RHEA (bird). SPEARHEAD as a noun is the front of an attack, defined here as ‘one with a leading role’.
Down
1 Resign from raising pets, not happy (4,4)
STEP DOWN – STEP (pets, reversed or raised) and DOWN (not happy). To STEP DOWN from a post or position is to resign it.
2 Performance of US serviceman, good (3)
GIG – GI (US serviceman, derived from Government (or General) Issue), and G{ood}. Whilst very common these days, GIGs were unheard of in my youth, where we referred to them as a HOP, DANCE or a SHOW.
3 Furious article on golf railway (5)
ANGRY – AN (article) on G (golf in the Nato phonetic alphabet) and R{ailwa}Y.
4 Student’s unusually guarded nature (13)
UNDERGRADUATE – Anagram (unusually) of [GUARDED NATURE].
5 This guy Sue, uplifted, thanks before Church (7)
EUSTACE – SUE reversed (uplifted) to give EUS, followed by TA (thanks) and CE (church, i.e. C{hurch of}E{ngland}).
6 Cleaner brought over the French bronze – a fake (9)
CHARLATAN – CHAR (cleaner) ‘over’ LA (French for 'the') TAN (bronze).
7 Frank, off to protect learner (4)
BALD – BAD (off) around (to protect) L{earner}.
11 A pact goes wrong – he’s blamed unfairly (9)
SCAPEGOAT – Anagram (wrong) of [A PACT GOES]. SCAPEGOAT has a biblical origin (Leviticus 16) and refers to a goat, on which, once a year, the Jewish high-priest symbolically laid the sins of the people. The goat was then allowed to escape into the wilderness, which I find rather poignant.
13 With a team completely on top? Indeed so, for a change (3-5)
ONE-SIDED – Anagram (for a change) of [INDEED SO].
15 Poor leaders in his August papers – like every silly season? (7)
HAPLESS – First letters (leaders) in H{is} A{ugust} P{apers} – L{ike} E{very} S{illy} S{eason}.
17 Wonderful evening meal: one starter of prawns less (5)
SUPER – SUP{p}ER (evening meal dropping one p – starter of P{rawns} (less)).
18 Rent but not from Royal Navy (4)
TORN – TO (not from) and R{oyal} N{avy}. Nice to see the Senior Service getting a mention.
21 Part of pay, especially? Yes (3)
AYE – Hidden (part of) {p}AY E{specially}.
Yours Aye! (as we used to say, or sign-off in the RN)
Rotter
