23513 – Mixed nationalities

Solving time : 13:54

Israelis, Czech, Latvian, Turkey and Anglais appear in answers. Not to mention the Nova Scotian (mis)described as an islander.

I could complain that indicating “totty” as “attractive women” in 22A is not entirely politically correct, and perhaps should have been described as “slang” or “informal”. But it made me laugh.

Across

1 NIGHT WATCHMEN – Two meanings, from cricket and art
8 OVEN – indirectly hidden in (Aix-en-Pr)OVEN(ce)
9 PINNED DOWN – Two meanings. Not sure about the canvas one, but my guess is that it is a wrestling reference
11 HEARS + T(imes) – reference to Randolph Hearst. I am not sure about “is informed about” meaning “hears”. They can both mean “learns”, but I cannot yet think of a sentence in which they can be naturally substituted. (I am just irritated that I was determined that the “about” must be a containment indicator.)
16 TRAP – two meanings. The words “when driving” are not needed for the cryptic reading – I am not sure if they are a reference to speed traps or sand traps – but they stitch the surface together neatly.
17 DISC, being IS in CD(rev)
18 (s)TALK TURKEY
20 ENV(ironmental foot-sold)IER – clever. I was sure it was going to involve GR(e)EN or G(ree)N for longer than I should have been
24 MA IN SPRING – meaning that with early graduation one doesn’t have to wait until Summer to get one’s MA. I find this a bit odd, as I think of graduation as meaning getting a first degree, typically a B rather than an M. Even in the old Oxbridge system where earning one’s MA involved merely paying a fee, it is the BA that one would have got in the spring by graduating early
27 OLD BOY NETWORK, being NET (= profit(v)) in BLOODY* + WORK

Down

1 NOVA SCOTIAN, being (ON VACATIONS)* – this took me far too long, as I didn’t have Nova Scotia categorised as an island. And now that I have checked, I find that most of it is a peninsula.
2 GENOA, being G(ood) + (A ONE)(rev)
5 CZECH (= “cheque” and =”check”) – two homophones for the price of one. Stupidly writing in CHECK slowed me up a little.
6 MAD HATTER, being THAT* in DREAM* – Great &lit. I haven’t checked just now, but last time I looked, there was little support for the once popular theory that this character was so named because milliners were often deranged by mercury fumes
12 STAGES + TRUCK – took me a while (after finishing) to work out that “into” is part of the definition rather than a link word
15 SITS TIGHT, being (IT’S T(ime)) in SIGHT
19 LATVIAN, being VALIANT* – I was surprised to see a definition (“recently liberated state”) that seemed to embody a political view, but on reflection it is hardly a controversial one
23 LENT + O – I like O being clued as oval. My Os tend to be ovoid or elliptical rather than circular
25 ADO, being the first, last and central letters in AnnOyeD

16 comments on “23513 – Mixed nationalities”

  1. 8 across strikes me as an extraordinary clue – an indirect hidden word? I thought of 3 Aixes – Aix-La Chapelle, Aix-en-Provence and Aix-les Bains, though didn’t form a menatl picture so didn’t spot OVEN, thogh I was sure the answer was OVEN or OAST. All I can say is that I hope this doesn’t start a spate of similar clues. Where does it stop? Indirect anagrams next, I suppose.
    Very nice misdirection in 20 across. I was pretty sure “disheartened environmental” did not indicate GR(E)EN since “green” was in the clue, but I was fixated on OR for foot-soldier, so it was one of the last clues I solved.
    1. Luckily, Aix-en-Provence was the second Aix I thought of. (On seeing Aix, I can’t help but think of the place from which one brings news to Ghent. I think that is Aachen or Aix La Chappelle.) While agreeing it is slightly outrageous, there is no hidden indicator in the clue, and so I think it would have to refer to an “Aix-en-” rather than an “Aix La” or “Aix Les”.

      Good point about 20A already containing the word “green”. That makes me feel even more stupid about spending so long trying to squeeze it into the answer.

  2. 8 across strikes me as an extraordinary clue – an indirect hidden word? I thought of 3 Aixes – Aix-La Chapelle, Aix-en-Provence and Aix-les Bains, though didn’t form a mental picture so didn’t spot OVEN, thogh I was sure the answer was OVEN or OAST. All I can say is that I hope this doesn’t start a spate of similar clues. Where does it stop? Indirect anagrams next, I suppose.
    Very nice misdirection in 20 across. I was pretty sure “disheartened environmental” did not indicate GR(E)EN since “green” was in the clue, but I was fixated on OR for foot-soldier, so it was one of the last clues I solved.
  3. Having read the link I understand the concept of nightwatchmen being sacrificed in cricket but still can’t work out why the word “rabbits” is in the clue. Am I missing something?

    I guessed Nightwatchmen and Oven and failed on Envier putting Antiar out of desperation as it vaguely fitted a couple of elements of the clue. Other than that it seemed easier today than of late.

    1. The Chambers I have here defines “rabbit” as “a persistent but incurably inferior player at lawn tennis or other game”. And there seems to be a more specialised meaning in cricket terminology.
      1. Thanks for the explanation. Now that you mention it I have come across this before, and I’m afraid to say it was within the past year with reference to an earlier Times puzzle. I now remember corresponding on the matter at the time. Brain like a sieve these days, I’m afraid!
  4. I bet the setter got Nova Scotia and Newfoundland confused. The latter being a very large island.

    Thanks for the cricket sacrificial wordplay on 1A — though I have to say that “rabbits” did help me by confirming plural NIGHT WATCHMEN (at first I thought night watchman). Peter I don’t think this term is in your cryptic cricket tutorial!

    1. The main point of the tutorial is to cover the sort of stuff that comes up in wordplay often and baffles non-Brits – on=leg, duck=0 and so on. If I included all the exotic language of cricket I’d need a whole website!

      The Nova Scotia mistake was unfortunate – its V makes the controversial OVEN a doddle. Perhaps there was some confusion with New Caledonia…

  5. OVEN as (invisible) hidden is unusual. A particular Aix is in Provence and OVEN is (cryptically) in PrOVENce. So it’s “like Aix”. But only that particular Aix. I did not think of this when solving but got the answer right. On the borders of fairness.

    By coincidence the letters of DISC appear successively in 17 Across, but I don’t think there is another “hidden” controversy. Could not see how CD (DC) is “new backing” but, again, got the answer right.

  6. According to Martin Gardner in his Annotated Alice, there is good reason to believe that Tenniel adopted a suggestion of Carroll’s that he draw the Hatter to resemble Theophilus Carter, a furniture dealer who was known as the Mad Hatter because of his top hat and eccentric ideas, such as an “alarm clock bed” that woke the sleeper by tossing him out on the floor.
  7. And also mentions the bizarre remsemablance of the picture to Bertrand Rusell. I thought the dream bit was just about the fact that at least one of the ALice stories turned out to be a dream. Timed at 7:25 today.

  8. Despite being hopeless on art I got off to a flyer with 1ac, but finished in a disappointing 9:05 with a dreadful finish on HEARST, which I didn’t know, thanks to (like Richard) having written ‘check’ at 5dn and failing to spot it for ages. I would never have understood OVEN but for this blog.
  9. Doesn’t this sort of mechanism open up all sorts secondary options for all those place with “in” in them?
    Morton (in the Marsh) => “hem” .. etc. …must be loads more… possibly.
    Having said that, though, I like it. I’m not one for straight edges and neatly defined boundaries when it comes to cryptic crosswords. It’s all about misdirection and boundary blurring. Solvers should groan and moan as they work their way through for me. If a solver can get the answer then complaining it’s unfair doesn’t wash. It’s a puzzle not accountancy.
    — Smillsy
  10. I’d like to give a big thumbs-up to the OVEN clue (and those for ENVIER and STAGE-STRUCK). All in all the most enjoyable Times I’ve done in a while (not that that implies displeasure with the others 🙂 )
  11. I echo the comment by fgbp – this was fun with some innovative clues. There are some omitted “easies” that are still fun for us x-word rabbits, plus one apparently incorrect definition – how exciting.

    10a People in republic throwing king back in river (8)
    IS RAEL IS. King Lear sitting backwards in a sunken Oxford punt?

    13a (Carol I sang)* badly, as alto member of family (3,7)
    COR ANGLAIS. Nice anagram but Wiki says that the Cor Anglais is generally regarded as the Tenor oboe and the Oboe d’Amore is the alto one. Just sayin’.

    22a A line I used, swallowed by attractive women as a whole (8)
    TOT ALI TY. As Richard says, the Totty is not PC. Does this bring to mind any of the current setters?

    26a Part of speech negating international group (4)
    NO UN

    3d Excellent means of access to attic (3-6)
    TOP FLIGHT

    4d Failure to recall men stupidly invading East (7)
    A MNE SIA

    7d Japanese acts on wife’s present (3)
    NO W. No or Noh is a type of Japanese Theatre quite commonly used in x-word land.

    14d Disposed of lots of uranium, carried out, kept outside (9)
    A U CTIONED

    21d What’s concerrning expert? It’s a copy! (5)
    RE PRO

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