Apologies for the marginal lateness of this – a BT network outage, though one that was fixed just after I’d finished typing – inevitable when you’ve sent a text message and warned about a sub possibly needing to stand in.
Solving time: 23:02 (after 6 other puzzles and a report on the day’s events)
I think this was the hardest of the prelim 2 puzzles, but not quite as hard as my poor time suggests.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | REP = agent, A/C = account, K = thousand – “prepare to leave hotel” is the def – you must have packed once to go there, unless you’re someone like the Major or batty old ladies at Fawlty Towers |
| 4 | A, C.C. = cricket club, OUTRE = like eccentrics – if you don’t know the answer you may be able to back-form it from accoutrements |
| 10 | IN THE SOUP – 2 defs, one with stock as a foodstuff rather than an investment or produce in a shop |
| 11 | LAP UP – which would give you “pal” if this was a down clue. If you wonder why they didn’t just turn the grid round and make it a down clue, the answer is “look at the surface meaning!” (or almost certainly the fact that the rotated grid isn’t in their stock set). |
| 12 | BEAT = strike, NIK = rev. of kin=family – here, “A on B” means B,A rather than A,B – apparently it never means A,B in a Times crossword across clue. |
| 13 | TYPHO(id),ON = “in an advanced state” – as in “time’s getting on” |
| 14 | today’s omission – routine wordplay, and the checking letters allow nothing else |
| 15 | MOLECULE = atomic group – clue* in MOLE |
| 18 | PLUM DUFF – “plumb” = completely, DUFF = worthless – as this report would have been if we had to call in a sub because the BT engineers were still working on the outage at lunchtime |
| 20 | CO.,PRA(gue) – copra = “shell offering oil”. Nicely done clue, with “shell” masquerading as one oil company, and the phrase “oil company” needing the “lift and separate” treatment. Or it would be nicely done if the facts didn’t get in the way – see the late anonymous comment below |
| 23 | F(LEAP)IT |
| 25 | EPI(c),TOME |
| 26 | EPODE = lyric – initial letters of “every performance of Duke Ellington” |
| 27 | IN C(R)EMENT |
| 28 | DANSEUSE = (and uses)*,E – an all-in-one/&lit |
| 29 | FLU(N)KY – one of those words you might quite reasonably spell with an -ie at the end. ODE doesn’t have that, but does have -KEY |
| Down | |
| 1 | REIN BACK = check (a horse) – you need Chambers to find this in a dictionary, but it’s very easy to understand. C = clubs, in break-in* |
| 2 | PIT = part of theatre, FALL = season on Broadway – lift and separate again for “theatre season” |
| 3 | CLEAN = completely as in “clean forgot”, ROOM = rev. of moor = open land – clean rooms are used in making precision equipment |
| 5 | CAPITAL OF FENCE = “dodgy dealer’s wealth”, and robbery was once a capital offence |
| 6 | (b)OX,LIP – OXLIP is today’s new plant, assuming we all know that box is used for hedging |
| 7 | TOPS = mishits (golf), O=ball, both being round, IL(l) – “where grass grows” is the def |
| 8 | EXPAND = spread out – A |
| 9 | ROCKY MOUNTAINS = (Yank consortium)*, with “American syscrapers” as a groany def |
| 16 | CO(CHINE = meat joint)AL |
| 17 | T(APES = “gibbons, perhaps”, (fores)T)RY – “still hanging” must be the def., eliminating the remote possibility of motion pictures on arrases |
| 19 | LIED = Romantic song,OWN = now* – “Romantic song” is a bit flowery but adds the “lie=romance” connection to interfere with your wordplay analysis |
| 21 | P(HONE)IN – “pin” as used in describing chess moves (or sticking posters on notice boards, I guess) |
| 22 | A,FIELD = sphere = area of activity/competence |
| 24 | P(i.e.)C,E – “computer key” suggesting ALT, TAB, ESC (or END or DEL, though I can’t remember meeting those in clues yet) is another bit of “wordplay noise” |
Away from competition, I thought there were some great clues in here TYPHOON, FLEAPIT and MOLECULE being favourites. I thought DANCEUSE was a slightly iffy cryptic definition both then and now: thanks for enlightenment.
Do others derive pleasure from a repeat performance? And do others find it quite so easy as I apparently I did to forget the answers to clues solved under pressure? Could the Times save on compiler fees by reprinting old puzzles in the hope that we’ve all forgotten?
I thought this was a clever crossword, some very nice surfaces here
I always think of FLEAPIT as a cinema or possibly a theatre rather than a hall.
Much delay early on with IN THE STEW at 10ac. No idea why, so just carelessness I suppose.
IN THE STEW – perfectly logical, just not such a recognisable phrase. Maybe you half remembered “in a stew”.
PS
Being convinced that TYPHUS was the disease minus the last 2 letters I was thinking that OON must be Scots for an advanced position).
As most of us are capable of both falling into traps and being stumped by a difficult puzzle, the idea that a near-miss non-qualifier was in the “wrong prelim” might be illusory.
COD to FLEAPIT – I still remember the one in Sunninghill where I cried my way through Born Free nearly 45 years ago.
I had particular problems with the dual unknown crossing of COPRA/COCHINEAL, and then at the end it took me ages to get ACCOUTRE/OXLIP (another unknown plant). Very pleased to have got there in the end.
Among several very good clues I particularly liked the wordplay for LAP UP.
Bravo!
🙁
As a puzzle done at leisure it was thoroughly enjoyable, though had I been in the 2nd round this year, I don’t think I’d have enjoyed it quite as much.
Cracking puzzle. Thanks setter
I didn’t get CELLO (thought it was COMBO – the COMB “instrument” on O giving the small group combo) so didn’t get PITFALL and also blundered with PLUM PUFF, COCOA, CLOSE IN and AROUND (not AFIELD). Atleast I got the unknown-to-me ACCOUTRE from ACC????? / accoutrements.
We’ve had COCHINEAL before and that was my first thought there before confirming it with the wordplay.
ROCKY MOUNTAINS was my favourite clue/answer.
More like this please!