Saturday, June 14, 2014 — Suspect Detective

Introduction

Today's puzzle from Cox & Rathvon should not be overly taxing. However, as I recall, the TV detective at 14d was not a detective at all.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Falcon's Experience ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐ ███████████████████████████████████ └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘ Legend: █ - solved without assistance █ - incorrect prior to use of puzzle solving tools █ - solved with assistance from puzzle solving tools █ - solved with aid of checking letters provided by puzzle solving tools █ - solved but without fully parsing the clue █ - yet to be solved

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue
	Primary indications (definitions) are marked with a solid underline in the clue; subsidiary indications (be they wordplay or other) are marked with a dashed underline in all-in-one (& lit.) clues, semi-all-in-one (semi-& lit.) clues and cryptic definitions.

ACROSS

1a   Place to wash a brass horn (4)

TUB|A — TUB (place to wash) + A (†)

3a   Paper clips ruined dessert (5,5)

APPLE CRISP — anagram (ruined) of PAPER CLIPS

9a   Intimate state discussion (7)

PAL|AVER — PAL (intimate) + AVER (state)

11a   Fierce fighter's defeat around part of a ring (7)

BE(ARC)AT —  BEAT (defeat) containing (around) ARC (part of ring)

12a   Gale, Mort's upset (5)

STORM — anagram (upset) of MORTS

13a   Georgia has a temper tantrum in parking places (7)

GA|RAGES — GA (Georgia) + RAGES (has a temper tantrum)

15a   Word nun changed in summary (7)

RUNDOWN* — anagram  (changed of WORD NUN

16a   Bad day, in a poem (7)

A(D)VERSE — D (day) contained in {A (†) + VERSE (poem)}

18a   Empty article back aboard a ship from the Orient (7)

E|A|STERN — E (empty) + A ([indefinite] article) + STERN (back aboard a ship)

21a   More correct author in speech (7)

RIGHTER~ — sounds like (in speech) WRITER (author)

23a   The Mexican bent and jostled (7)

EL|BOWED — EL (the Mexican; Spanish word meaning 'the') + BOWED (bent)

25a   Poems trashed English racetrack (5)

EPSOM

* — anagram (trashed) of POEMS

Epsom Downs^[7] is a Grade 1 racecourse near Epsom, Surrey, England. The "downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs, a ridge of chalk hills in south east England. The course is best known for hosting the Epsom Derby, the United Kingdom's premier thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old colts and fillies, over a mile and a half (2400m). It also hosts the Epsom Oaks for three-year-old fillies and the Coronation Cup for all ages over the same distance.

27a   Unusual street in front of mountain chain (7)

ST|RANGE — ST (street) + (in front of) RANGE (mountain chain)

28a   Casters cast cast member (7)

ACTRESS* — anagram (cast) of CASTERS

29a   Risked finale, ticked off (10)

END|ANGERED — END (finale) + ANGERED (ticked off)

30a   Chief guy takes interest (4)

MA(I)N — MAN (guy) containing (takes) I (interest)

DOWN

1d   Displays of weaving in striptease dancing (10)

TAPESTRIES* — anagram (dancing) of STRIPTEASE

2d   Everyone in favour, rise (7)

B(ALL)OON — ALL (everyone) contained in (in) BOON (favour)

4d   Model dad with tattered clothing on (7)

PA|RAG|ON — PA (dad) + (with) RAG (tattered clothing) + ON (†)

I must say that I think "tattered clothing" would more appropriately clue RAGS.

5d   Where Spaniards are found after 50 land in Africa (7)

L|IBERIA—  IBERIA (where Spaniards are found) following (after) L ([Roman numeral for] 50)

6d   $100 put up on the wall for tennis player Michael (5)

C|HANG — C ($100) + HANG (put up on the wall)

Michael Chang^[7] is an American tennis player. He became the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17 years and 4 months.

7d   Canine relative, in dimension or in sound (7)

IN|CIS|OR — sounds like (in sound) {IN (†) + SIZE (dimension) + OR (†)}

6d   Kitchenware depot returning (4)

POTS< — reversal (returning) of STOP (depot)

10d   Leave volume with a big lug (7)

V|A|MOOSE — V (volume) + (with) A (†) + MOOSE (big lug)

14d   Changing sermon, pray for a detective on TV (5,5)

{PERRY MASON}* — anagram (changing) of SERMON PRAY

Perry Mason^[7] is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction written by American author Erle Stanley Gardner (1889–1970). The books inspired an American television series by that name which ran from 1957 to 1966.

Of course, Perry Mason is a lawyer — not a detective. It is his associate, private investigator Paul Drake who is the detective.

17d   Virginia visitor is least certain (7)

VA|GUEST — VA (Virginia) + GUEST (visitor)

19d   Cut piece of corn in farm building (7)

SH(EAR)ED — EAR (piece of corn) contained in (in) SHED (farm building)

20d   Not anyplace, and now in this place (7)

NOW|HERE — NOW (†) + HERE (in this place)

21d   Ad Peter altered in bureaucratic mess (3,4)

{RED TAPE}* — anagram (altered) of AD PETER

22d   Piece ol a mosaic found in potentate's seraglio (7)

_TES|SERA_ — hidden in (found in) potentaTE'S SERAglio

24d   Sprinter Johnson, in African country (5)

BEN|IN — BEN (sprinter Johnson) + IN (†)

Ben Johnson^[7] is a Canadian former sprinter, who won two Olympic bronze medals and an Olympic gold medal, which was later rescinded. He set consecutive 100 metres world records at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics and the 1988 Summer Olympics, but he was disqualified for doping, losing the Olympic title and both records.

26d   Land among Mussolini's legions (4)

_IS|LE_ — hidden in (among) MussolinIS LEgions

Benito Mussolini^[5] (1883–1945) was an Italian Fascist statesman, Prime Minister 1922–43; known as Il Duce (‘the leader’). He founded the Italian Fascist Party in 1919. He annexed Abyssinia in 1936 and entered the Second World War on Germany’s side in 1940. Forced to resign after the Allied invasion of Sicily, he was rescued from imprisonment by German paratroopers, but was captured and executed by Italian communist partisans.

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[11] - TheFreeDictionary.com (Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary)

Signing off for today — Falcon