There will be jubilation in certain quarters when I say that I honestly have no time to say anything this week except:
1. Medium difficulty
2. FOI: 5A
3. LOI: 13A
4. COD: 1A
Many thanks to Hurley for another entertaining cup of tea.
Definitions are underlined in italics. Everything else is explained just as I see it in the simplest language I can manage.
| Across | |
| 1 | Country girl’s examination (7) |
| PERUSAL - PERU (country) + SAL (girl). | |
| 5 | Signify average (4) |
| MEAN - double definition. | |
| 7 | Traitor oddly missed in port (3) |
| RIO - miss out the odd letters of tRaItOr. | |
| 8 | Aware lad’s suffering unfair treatment (1,3,4) |
| A RAW DEAL - straight anagram ('suffering') of AWARE LAD. | |
| 10 | Got the odour of fish (5) |
| SMELT - double definition. As in 'I smelt the smelt'. | |
| 11 | In natural movement edit books, English, on return (3,4) |
| EBB TIDE - EDIT + BB (books) + E (English) all reversed ('on return'). | |
| 13 | Doorman’s endless resilience (6) |
| BOUNCE - remove the end from BOUNCEr (doorman). | |
| 15 | Genuine in path one’s taken (6) |
| HONEST - hidden word: patH ONES Taken. | |
| 17 | Start to notice, we hear, area away from land (4,3) |
| OPEN SEA - OPEN (start) + SEA (sounds like SEE (notice)). | |
| 18 | Excellent protest at noon (5) |
| DEMON - DEMO (protest) + N (noon). DEMON can be an adjective as in 'a demon card player' or 'a demon driver'. | |
| 20 | Tess welcoming European I’d at first engaged in regional area (8) |
| TEESSIDE - TESS 'welcoming' E (European) + ID (I'd) + E (at first Engaged). | |
| 22 | Originally filed under national merriment? (3) |
| FUN - first letters ('originally') of Filed Under National. | |
| 23 | Colour clash? Yes, in part (4) |
| ASHY - hidden word: clASH Yes. | |
| 24 | Frantically lug a new section of boat (7) |
| GUNWALE - straight anagram of LUG A NEW. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Abroad, broke, a shop providing help for translation? (6,4) |
| PHRASE BOOK - straight anagram ('abroad') of BROKE A SHOP. | |
| 2 | With new start, shone in river (5) |
| RHONE - give SHONE a new start and you could get RHONE. | |
| 3 | After fight, thanks copper and son, leader of revolt (9) |
| SPARTACUS - SPAR (fight) + TA (thanks) + CU (copper (chemical symbol)) + S (son). | |
| 4 | Gloomy field retreat (6) |
| LEADEN - LEA (field) + DEN (retreat in the sense of study). | |
| 5 | Foolish mother supported by daughter (3) |
| MAD - MA (mother) 'supported by' (i.e. 'on top of' in this down clue) D (daughter). | |
| 6 | Greed, a bad habit, ensnaring artist on rise (7) |
| AVARICE - A VICE (bad habit) 'ensnaring' RA (artist) reversed ('on rise' in this down clue). | |
| 9 | Relevance of net price uncertain around northeast (10) |
| PERTINENCE - anagram of NET PRICE ('uncertain') around NE (northeast). | |
| 12 | Barn, abode, unusually for this vegetable? (5,4) |
| BROAD BEAN - straight anagram ('unusually') of BARN ABODE. | |
| 14 | Stupid plea to economize? (7) |
| USELESS - a plea to economise might be USE LESS. | |
| 16 | Darling, left out as reckless (6) |
| DARING - hardly needs explanation: take L (left) out of DARlING. | |
| 19 | Criminal organisation’s aim to take in footballers all round? (5) |
| MAFIA - AIM 'taking in' FA (Football Association) 'all round', i.e. all reversed. | |
| 21 | Catch sight of Bond perhaps (3) |
| SPY - double definition. | |
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