ACROSS
1 Pitch is good on all sides (6) GROUND {G}{ROUND}
5 Rumble about ruddy monotony (7) BOREDOM {BO{RED}OM}
9 Novel of witless Archer ending abruptly in one line (2,3,4,5) AS THE CROW FLIES*
11 Content to censor a dialogue coming from the centre (6) RADIAL [T]
12 Small sharp source of light caused alarm (8) STARTLED {S}{TART}{L.E.D}
13 American's being old having no yen or hunger (5) GREED
14 Rosette I've made out of ordinary paper napkin (9) SERVIETTE {R
16 Short report of novel, science fiction hit (9) NEWSFLASH {NEW}{SF}{LASH}
18 Canvas describing English rule (5) TENET {TEN{E}T}
20 Tar to blacken paving? Fair to say (8) SEAFARER (~fair){FARE} in {SEAR}
22 Reflecting on following proper textbook (6) PRIMER {PRIM}{ER<=}
24 Band showing promise (10,4) ENGAGEMENT RING [CD]
25 Done with mostly breaking limit (3,4) TIE DOWN {DONE+WIT
26 Needle to come to a rest going from south to north (6) NETTLE (-s+n)NETTLE
DOWN
2 Author in a hurry to stop working (7) RUSHDIE {RUSH}{DIE}
3 Outrageous and initially unbelievable forehand shot (7-2) UNHEARD-OF {U
4 Remove or drop anchor (4) DOCK [DD]
5 Arc circling left to right over 100o hot burner (9) BLOWTORCH {B{L}OW}{TO}{R}{C}{H}
6 Mention about fine monarch (5) REFER {RE}{F}{ER}
7 Bird going over obstacle in a small stream (7) DRIBLET {DRIB<=}{LET}
8 Married ones nowadays risk failure (12) MISADVENTURE {M}{1'S}{AD}{VENTURE}
10 Perhaps free agents do procrastinate (4,4,4) DRAG ONES FEET*
14 Political leader immediately means corrupt? (9) STATESMAN {STAT}{MEANS*}
15 Cold season beginning to let up periodically, perfect to see in a different light (9) INTERPRET {
17 Argument with right perspective (7) WRANGLE {W}{R}{ANGLE}
19 Insignificant traces of venom in a lizard (7) NOMINAL [T]
21 Past containing gross violent behaviour (5) AGGRO {GR} in {AGO}
23 Aware of local smuggling ring (2,2) IN ON {IN {O}N}
13 American's being old having no yen or hunger (5) GREED GREEDy
ReplyDeleteGREyED
Great interpretation!
DeleteIsn't the American spelling GRAYED?
DeleteAs per Chambers it is.
DeleteFar easier offering from Buzzer..but in his inimitable style...
ReplyDeleteAs the crow flies with Archer(Jeffrey) in it almost made me think its an &lit clue but witless retracted that..
Loved the clues
5D:Blowtorch: no role of degree in 100o?
ReplyDeleteCould be a reference to Centigrade ?
DeleteWe always write so many degrees centigrade/Farenheit/Kelvin...but the question was no role of degree in wp only for surface reading?
DeleteYes, it should be. Without the 100 being qualified by the centigrade symbol the surfce reading will suffer....Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteSuperb xword from Buzzer.. very clever surfaces on many clues..i particularly enjoyed 20a - the use of paving as container indication - lovely surface. is 9a an @lit? i dont remember the book well enough - did it end abruptly in one line? :) btw is there a literary theme on this xword - i read 100degrees as 1000 and that put me off the solution for a while :) but overall enjoyed.. thanks Buzzer..
ReplyDeleteLovely crossword Buzzer, thanks! Have the same doubt for 13A - I thought the American spelling should be grayed and not greyed.
ReplyDeleteis it a grey/ gray area?
ReplyDeleteAre all political leaders statesmen? Can't be. But the reverse is true. It leads us back to the logical fallacy-" All crows are black, but everything that is black is not a crow"
ReplyDeletewonderful x'ie.smooth surfaces.well-set clues &looks like reassembled knocked down blocks eg: 12,24a ; 3,8, 23d But nothing can be singled out as 'buzz'er word. All are equally appealing. Thanks Buzzer.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the crossword Buzzer!
ReplyDelete