Today's is a real tough one. Lot of Google help and guesses from my side
ACROSS
1 - Famous Russian ballerina snubbed (6) – PAVLOV(-a)
4 - A titled lady penning plot for novel (4,4) – {A}{DAM {BED}E} Result of a google search
9 - List of charges resulting from quarrel about a rook! (6) – T{A}{R}IFF
10 - Make good stock abroad (5,3) – CARRY OUT [CD]
12 - Film pub champion (5,4) – LOCAL HERO [CD]
13 - Nothing charged for fruit (5) – {O}LIVE
14 - Singer's bar number, by Otis Redding originally (12) – {COUNTER}{TEN}{O}{R}
18 - A tart? Not this bride's attendant, surely! (4,2,6) – MAID OF HONOUR Anno pending. How is Tart connected? My answer is based on the crossings.
21 - Ring any number in region (5) – ARE{N}A
22 - Mend set eccentric American brought in? I can't avoid doing it (5,4) – NEEDS M{US}T*
24 - Tea, good, about to be gathered in before the usual time (4,4) – EARL {G}{RE}Y
25 - Girl full of sex appeal (6) – LOLITA [CD]
26 - Small tree is close to oak by river (8) – {TAMAR}{IS}{K}
27 - Attempt to surround target with it (6) – TR{END}Y
DOWN
1 - TV programme showing trophy presented to chess player (3,5) – POT BLACK [CD]
2 - Girl on sea trip reportedly leaving Mexican port (8) – {VERA}CRUZ(~cruise)
3 - Refuse pound to support old king (5) – OFFA{L}
5 - Act with reluctance in Grease, often worried after touch of dissent (4,4,4) – {D}RAG ONES FEET*
6 - Famous Venetian taking bow in second game (5,4) – {M{ARC}O} POLO
7 - Amorous Italian has broken heart, is upset (6) – ERO{TI<-}C<- )
8 - Respect eastern power in speech (6) – {E}{STEEM}(~steam)
11 - Chorus girls under bright lights (5,7) – MERRY DANCERS Anno pending. Result of a pattern search
15 - Battle flag a tar at sea raised, initially (9) – TRAFALGA*{R}
16 - Way out of compound (8) – SOLUTION [DD]
17 - Composer we hear, unknown in French region (8) – (~britten)BRITTAN{Y}
19 - Special ability revealed in story (NT) (6) – {TALE}{NT}
20 - Embarrassed over odd Aintree winner (3,3) – RED RUM [CD] Google search result
23 - Hunt through scrub (5) – SCOUR [DD]
A tart is a prostitute ("bad woman", as my RC Prof of English used to say when the word 'whore' cropped up in Shakespeare). A maid of honour can never be this.
ReplyDeleteNot that tart, but "maid of honour" can be a cake!
ReplyDeleteDid a google search and found this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maid_of_Honour#Food
I had provided the link to Maid of Honour in the original post but did not go down further in the same wikipedia page, to see that Maid of Honour is also a small cake!!
ReplyDeleteThere is also the possibility of looking at that clue as a two-def. One, bride's attendant. The other, a cake, as 'maid of honour' is also the name of a 'cake' or 'pie'. You can get the recipe on the Internet for your Sun morning special!
ReplyDelete"Cakes in the Queen's Service?" might be a clue for MAIDS OF HONOUR as was seen once in a ET/Daily Mail crossword.
Sorry, I was called away while typing my Comment. Hence the duplication.
ReplyDeleteThe northern lights are also called the merry dancers. This definition is from a google search which led me to a site www.bartleby.com
ReplyDeleteCol,
ReplyDelete6 - Famous Venetian taking bow in second game (5,4) – {M{ARC}O} POLO
Second = MO?
7 - Amorous Italian has broken heart, is upset (6) – ERO{TI<-}C<
Heart = CORE?, and Italian= IT? Why the reversal?
Hi Raghunath
ReplyDeleteJust a second = just a moment = MO
Upset is indiacting reversal of both Core and IT
Italian = IT
has broken = Inclusion indicator
heart = CORE
Italian hsa broken heart = C{IT}ORE
upset = ERO{TI}C = amorous
When you say CD does it mean a straight definition of the clue. Look at following clues:
ReplyDelete25 - Girl full of sex appeal (6) – LOLITA [CD]
I, at first thought it was LOL{IT}A, but there is no definition for the IT to be inside LOLA (Or is there?) Hence you cannot annotate. But in the following:
12 - Film pub champion (5,4) – LOCAL HERO [CD]
Pub= Local and Champ= Hero and in:
20 - Embarrassed over odd Aintree winner (3,3) – RED RUM, Embarrassed = RED and Odd = RUM are classified as CDs. Should we not provide the annos in this way. Just a suggestion.
@raghunath: You're right - 12Ac and 20Dn are charades.
ReplyDelete25Ac is LOL{IT}A &lit.
girl = LOLA, full of = c/c ind, sex appeal = IT. The whole clue is the defn for LOLITA (the character from the novel).
Raghunath & Shuchi,
ReplyDeleteLOLITA did originate from the novel but is now accepted as a term for the definition provided in the clue
see LOLITA