25667 Boxing day bubble and squeak with cold meat and with ginger (and a spliff on the side?)

Author   ZabadakPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Completed in 27′ 34″ but with one wrong, which looks as if it might be my advanced spelling of GAL-NGALE, a plant which I have definitely eaten in Thai restaurants. Perhaps if I find out during blogging how to parse the thing I’ll learn the setter’s preferred spelling. Otherwise I found this rather slow going, and needed the wordplay to sort out 1ac.
Let’s see how we go. Corrections welcome!

Across

1   CLOSET DRAMA Clearly an anagram of A MODEL CAST + R(ight) but what? A play title (Castle- looked promising)? No, it’s a
    generic play, read rather than acted. Nothing to do with coming out!
7   AGE Nice ‘n’ easy, hidden in manAGEment. But a smooth clue – there must be a “how to” book with that title.
9   BONAPARTE The little corporal clued by B(ritish) ONE keeping APART (separated). The cryptic grammar strictly needs
    “keeps” but the surface grammar will have to suffice.
10 SAT UP…and took notice. After a day, SAT, write in UP for in court (up before the magistrate).
11 CHRONIC Pants, with its flexible approach to anything meaning not very good, is represented by another slang usage.
     R(ight)-ON “wears” CHIC for stylish.
12 ANYROAD Nice one this. 42nd Street not only a musical, but also just a street in New York, or A NY Road. Has a Yorkshire
    or rural flavour to it, often followed by “up” to mean however, anyway.
13 ARGUE Row for definition, (B)ARGE goes round U (-bend)
15 INCORRECT One for all you hummerphone lovers out there. Allegedly our “False” answer sounds like INCA WRECKED. Discuss
    without using the word schwa.
17 COLCANNON Officially an Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage, In our house it’ll be based on leftover spuds
     and brussels. Yum. Chopped raw gives you COL(d) and the banger is the remaining gun.
19 BASSO Deep male voice found in every other letter of aBbA uSeS lOw. Take a chance on me.
20 TANTRUM Outburst the definition, short T(ime), worker ANT, weird RUM the wordplay.
22 RHOMBUS definitely a shape. Medical Officers of Health haven’t been seen since 1974, but it’s their initials, after SUB for
    deputy and before R(uns), all reversed, that give the wordplay.
24 ROACH Double definition, fish and cock-variety, but not the whacky baccy.
25 CELANDINE Akin to the buttercup, anagram of NIECE “potting” LAND (soil).
27 EYE Whichever way you look at it, still look.
28 MONEY LENDER Just about cryptic definition. Move along, there’s nothing (else) to see here.

Down.

1   COB Comb (groom) with its M(uch) missing.Another nut-related horse to go with yesterday’s chestnut.
2   OWNER “One who has”. A depressing experience is a downer, knock off its head
3   EXPENSE One time money is EX PENCE The soundalike suggested by “quoted” works just fine.
4   DIRECTION   The definition is “tenor”, not the singer but the general one of a conversation. Disastrous performance gives
    you DIRE ACTION, the A, the top “note” of ACTION, goes missing. On a clear day, I can get a top B.
5   ARENA “Ana” for “gossip” is worth remembering: linked to the -ana of Victoriana, on its own it can mean a collection of
    table talk or gossip and so on. It embraces ‘ER majesty and the whole reverses for a generic Olympic venue.
6   ASSAYER I’m not aware of SS meaning “sailing ship”, but I suppose it can. Anyroad, it reaches the port of AYR with a
    E(uropean) on board for an our analyst.
7   AUTHORESS  An anagram of Art houses (“republished”). Agatha Christie belonged to an age when lady writers were not
    common authors.
8   EXPEDITIOUS “Quick”. Expedition loses its N(orth) and gains the U(nited) S(tates of America)
11 CHARCUTERIE Our household refers to the out of date section of the supermarket as the chuck-outery, but this is the
    posh meats section. “Shop” the definition. IE (that is) is preceded by CHAR(woman) for cleaner and CUTER for more
    attractive. Nice, smooth clue.
14 GALINGALE still with a health warning, but the best I can do for this alternative spelling is “first and foremost” IN (as in
    “elected), “protect” LAG, upwards, both within GALE for high wind. Galangal is the gingery root found in oriental
    cooking, and that’s the way I’ve seen it usually spelled. Sticking an E on the end, however, is not consistent with any
    of the four given spellings. I know that now. Too late!
16 CENTRALLY  “Chiefly” the OK-ish definition, CENT RALLY the money market headline wordplay.
18 ABRAHAM. Two hackneys for the price of one. A BRA (support) HAM (usually bad actor) for honest Abe’s given name.
19 BROWNIE Anagram of I BREW NO. Everything up to that point is definition, after it anagram indicator.
21 MACON A French city more famous for its wine, If it’s raining, you’ll need a mac on (and not some French word for
    umbrella. Though there’s one of those umbrella thingies over the A in the proper spelling of the name)..
23 BAIRD Today’s homage to a great inventor, John Logie Baird, responsible in his own way for so many of the
     ills of the present age. AIR for broadcast in the outskirts of B(aghda)d.

28 comments on “25667 Boxing day bubble and squeak with cold meat and with ginger (and a spliff on the side?)”

  1. … 26:40

    Much more enjoyable than yesterday’s strange stuff. Got going well with CLOSET DRAMA, the cinematic version of which is a MOTION PICTURE. (Too many cracker jokes yesterday?)

    “Pants” = CHRONIC will be a trouble for non-watchers of Terry Thomas and his gen.

    No probs with the homophone at 15ac. (I shall, as ordered by Z8, refrain from using the word “schwa” and all other forms of Irritating Vowel Syndrome. When in quotation marks, “”schwa”” is a mention, not a use.)

    But the cd at 28ac? Don’t think so. And … not the support again (18dn)? Thought we’d discouraged that enough by now.

    Came adrift in the SW with the strange words and the stranger wordplay. Is COLCANNON like the Greek dish … Bubble & Squeak? The ODO tells us:

    ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from cole; the origin of the second element is uncertain but it is said that cannonballs were used to mash such vegetables as spinach.

    “It is said …”, by whom, one wonders.

    Did anyone ever have brownies with tea as a regular accompaniment? If so, no one I know.

    1. So it is. There’s a reason. When I print out my solution, I usually reduce the print size to avoid getting the inevitable one clue on page 2. Today I didn’t – we were making rather merry yesterday, sir, it is but once a year!

      Ah, here it is:

      26 ERR Terence in popular parlance would be Terry. Remove his tips there you have your 3-letter lapse.

      To all at this festive season: regardless as to whether this human erred through ignorance, weakness or his own deliberate fault, you have the opportunity to forgive and thus be touched by the divine. Go on, be blessed on St Stephen’s Day!

  3. I shouldn’t have tackled this last night after a long and very tiring day but I did, and paid the price so I won’t own up to a solving time on this occasion.

    Unknowns were GALINGALE, the MOH element of 22 and CLOSET DRAMA despite my life-long interest in all things theatrical. Before I looked it up I assumed it must be a US term for ‘farce’ in which the plot often relies on characters hiding from each other on stage, rushing in and out of doors etc. Didn’t understand ANYROAD but now it has been explained I think I have seen the device used here before with reference to Broadway.

    Viewing yesterday’s blog away from home on my phone I noticed for the first time a “Go to mobile version” option for Live Journal so I gave it a try and found the alternative layout much easier to follow. But one thing that puzzled me was that all the contributions had user pics except my own and mctext’s whereas both appear in the normal view. Can anyone explain why please?

    Edited at 2013-12-26 07:41 am (UTC)

      2. Indeed! I wondered if perhaps we were the only contributors who do not have a default user pic set up, but I think that’s unlikely.

        I meant to add that I have a potentially even longer and more tiring day ahead of me today and may not feel up to tackling Friday’s puzzle until after a full night’s sleep, in which case the blog may not appear until much later than is my normal custom.

        Edited at 2013-12-26 07:50 am (UTC)

  4. No great problems with this one made easier by the sun shining outside – first time I’ve seen the old currant bun for some time. 20 minute stroll.

    I think 6D is Inca Wrecked (which I winced at). SS means steam ship not sailing vessel. And blaming poor old Baird for the dreadful way TV has developed is a bit hard. I liked 12A although like Jack I have a feeling I’ve seen it before.

      1. They absolutely do, in a general sense. The SS Great Britain (Brunel designed) had both sails and screw propulsion. It’s worth a visit if you happen to be in Bristol and have time.
  5. 17 mins. I had the most trouble in the NE and the ARENA/ANYROAD crossers were my last ones in. I also didn’t know, or couldn’t remember, the “MOH” element of 22ac so thanks for that, but the answer was obvious enough. I put in GALINGALE without full parsing as well, but that’s the way I have always seen it spelled and I wasn’t aware of “Galangal” so I didn’t have to consider an alternative spelling.
  6. A sluggish 48 minutes, but quite glad to find I can still solve a crossword after Christmush Day. 11 ac. is painful with its signal of recognition to a couple of ghastly slang terms; 15 is aurally painful; and I have a hangover to boot. Didn’t know colcannon nor the term closet drama. Liked anyroad. On edit: I suppose the ‘False report…’ of 15 redeems it. Partially.

    Edited at 2013-12-26 10:33 am (UTC)

  8. Not really the point. SS is a recognised dictionary supported abbreviation for “steam ship” – the setter can’t clue that as “sailing vessel”
    1. I see your point Jim, but I don’t agree. A steamship can set sail as well as any other vessel, at which point it becomes a vessel which is sailing, ie a sailing vessel. In crosswordland, anyway.
  9. 11:06 – never heard of a closet drama – sounds a bit crowded!

    Now back to the Jumbo – I may be some time.

  10. I like it best when I learn a new word or usage having worked backwards from the wordplay, so today was happy with CHRONIC PANTS, CLOSET DRAMA, and COB. and, thank you to Z8, for MOH. Another doctor. Needed aids for both plants, but then I almost always throw up my hands when I see “plant”. Agree with DJ regarding SS.
  11. Chambers gives GALINGALE, GALANGAL and GALENGALE, In my cooking hat (if you see what I mean) I use GALANGAL but of course it does not fit. A nice start to the day. Having done the two jumbos, the Guardian and the Indy, I might now have to stir from my chair and do something.
  12. I think the currect (sic) parsing of the plant is (GAL)rev IN(as in during) GALE. The “first and foremost” is the positioning indicator for the recidivist lag. Apologies if that’s been said already. Otherwise I’d never heard of COLCANNON so a DNF for me.
      1. That works too. I quite liked using first and foremost to generate “in”, but wouldn’t defend it to the death. It didn’t help me to solve the clue!
  13. Happy Boxing Day. About 25 minutes, ending with the plants. I was not pleased with the CHRONIC = pants, but I’m in the holiday spirit so I won’t complain. Never heard of ANYROAD as ‘however’ either, but the clue is clever. Regards to all.
  14. Didn’t know ‘galingale’ and also made a spelling error, so not a brilliant performance.
  15. “Leave the straight[sic] and narrow,taking tips from Terence (3)” If a path is straight we do not err and stray from it even if it is narrow. The expression is “strait and narrow.” But what does this have to do with Terence?
    1. There’s a touch of the Book of Common Prayer about this one: “we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep”. Terence is only present to provide the wordplay fodder by which we deduce ERR when the diminutive version of his name is topped and tailed.
      You are strictly correct in reminding us that the KJV version is indeed strait and narrow, but straight has become the more common, if erroneous, usage.
  16. 21:56 .. solved a day or so late. I’m rather pleased with myself for working out the unknowns COLCANNON and GALINGALE. I suspect either would have stumped me a couple of years ago. It’s all down to the good influence of more analytical solvers in these parts.

    ANYROAD my favourite, but INCORRECT made me smile, too.

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