26158 To be taken at arm’s length

Author   ZabadakPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
This one seemed to get harder as it progressed towards the SE corner, and I didn’t stop the clock until 25.36 had passed. There didn’t seem to be many candidates for biffing, save for the long one down the middle where the numeration rather gave it away, and there were quite a few where taking the time to pay close attention to instructions for putting the clue together paid off. The surfaces were, without exception, of the smoothest and most readable kind, natural phrases and sentences many of which created brief flights of narrative fancy: what did happen to that groom who collapsed under the strain? Did they sort ot the unrest at the school where Nick Grimshaw was silenced? Did the one-time addict benefit from giving up medicine? I think we should be told.
Only two relative unknowns for me: the cutting implement at 16 and the physician at 18 (probably to my shame), though the aforementioned instructions were generous enough to allow fearless entry.
My workings:

Across

1 GALE  wind
A confidence boosting easy start: ALE tagged on to G(allon). Apparently, the statement is true especially of weaker brews.
4 SEDUCTRESS  Siren
Think Odysseus lashed to his mast rather than some ghastly foghorn. These are the bits: initially sounded: S, before ERE, channnel: DUCT, ship SS (as in Grape Written in Bristle). Assemble.
9 DISCOUNTER  one reducing price
Menu item without H(ot) is DIS(h), Bar provides COUNTER
10 MINI Garment
A well hidden “hidden” for what became an easy fill in once the two Is were in place: heM INItially.
11 REFUSE  Deciline
With a second whimsical definition giving re-fuse
12 HEADREST  Support
Place HEAT (pressure – if you can’t stand it…) and DRES(s) for your brief groom.
14 IDEA Belief
Initial letters of Inspired Deputy Editor’s Awesome
15 TRANSISTOR  Radio
My grandad had one of the very early miracles of miniaturisation, packed full of wonderful multicoloured knobbly things. Take 1 away from TRA(1)NS or schools, and add an unseemly mix of RIOTS,
17 MALEFACTOR Troublemaker
Back your LAM for strike, add E(nglish, and tack on FACTOR(y) missing its last.
20 ROLE  part
Working class, or what not to call a Downing Street copper, especially one prone to telling lies. That’ll be PROLE. Knock off the P(ower).
21 PLAYED ON  exploited
…and not what English openers are prone to do confronted with proper quick bowling. Or maybe it is. The bits are Amateur: LAY, gym: PE, teacher: DON. Assemble
23 SELFIE  shot
My LOI, because I didn’t spot that it was just an anagram of I FEEL plus S(on). What’s it all about…  Is it just for the moment…?
24 TOGO part of West Africa
Journey provides the prosaic GO, preceded by (initially) TO
25 SKIRMISHES  Encounters
The bits are: Young lady: MISS, male: HE, S(mall) and drink KIR. Assemble.
26 HARMONISED  Agreed
Leg and ON are synonymous in cricket, add IS, and damaged provides HARMED with which to wrap them.
27 WINO  Toper
How do you show you’re a complete loser? Why, WIN 0

Down

2 ANISEED BALL  Sweet.
The bits are: dance BALL,  a requirement A NEED, one’s 1S. And of course that caraway seed* in the middle once you’d sucked off all the sugar.  Assemble. Without the caraway seed.  * I remember it as a caraway seed: maybe it was a different sort.
3 ENCOURAGE  Support
Officer is of the Non Commissioned variiety, and Brussels storm is the commonplace EU RAGE. Wrap one in t’other
4 SOUREST Most resentful
Older readers will remember the SOU, 100th of a Franc, which you place on a REST, or holiday.
5 DUTCH EAST INDIES: Old part of Asia
Approximately Indonesia. An anagram, if you need it, of EACH STUDENT IS and ID
6 CARCASS  bones
Well, sort of. Mostly break is CRAC(k) which you reverse, and add an ASS, undoubtedly an animal. Don’t try spelling the result wth the alternative E. Doesn’t work.
7 ELITE cream
Last part of wholesomE plus LITE for low-fat.
8 SHIFT
An excellent triple definition. Keys are much less often A-G, and much more likely to be right in front of you. Right now.
13 STOOL PIGEON  grass
A teller of tales. Now this clue looks like an anagram, which it is (of EG TOPLSOIL) but you need the extra ON for over.
16 SCROLL SAW Cutting implement
WAS picked up (reversed, not “heard” filled with C (100) ROLLS. Jamais couché avec.
18 ADDISON Physician
With at least two conditions named after him. Wiki helpfully says “Not too be confused with Thomas Eddison”. Well quite, Neither the wordplay or the crossing letters would work. “Treat” ADENOIDS to a proper mix up, after first performing an Eectomy, because the end of patiencE is missing.
19 RESUMED Recovered
Addict provides the reversal fodder for RESU, and add MEDicine.
21 PITCH
Potty idea. CH(eck) under PIT for bed: Chambers says it’s an informal equvalence.
22 AUGUR  Predict
A GURU, or teacher, with the final U promoted.

46 comments on “26158 To be taken at arm’s length”

  1. No problems here except I needed all checkers for the two answers also unknown to our esteemed blogger. As it happened I had heard of ADDISON’s disease without knowing anything of its nature, so I recognised the correct answer once I’d thought of it.

    For those who enjoyed yesterday’s Quickie and may have not visited the TftT blog since the morning, I’d mention that later in the day the setter, Noel, called in and pointed out that there was even more to the puzzle than we had already spotted and discussed. It really was extraordinary and the more so for using the smaller grid whilst attempting to keep things within the solving range of newbies and less experienced customers.

    Edited at 2015-07-23 06:01 am (UTC)

    1. I, also, am still reeling at the brilliance of yesterday’s Quickie (Obviously the Setter would not have used those words) Let’s hope we don’t have to wait until Christmas for more.
      1. Having now gone to see what the fuss was about, it is for sure a superb one. Comes very near to crossing the quickie with the *istener.
        1. If we’re talking about Wed.s Quick Cryptic, I can’t for the life of me see anything special in it. (Nor in the Times2 for that matter.) What am I missing?
          On edit: been to the site and seen what I missed. Clever stuff. I’ve always been amazed the Q.C. clues need explaining; surely those who don’t find the answer only need the answer to see how it all works? But I guess everyone needs to talk.

          Edited at 2015-07-23 01:59 pm (UTC)

          1. The quick cryptic is my level. I am able to finish most days like today. There was one answer I was not able to parse and the blog helpfully pointed it out.

            This is a friendly site and I have hesitated for some time but your last two sentences are patronising.

          2. Joe,

            Here’s a comment from today’s QC blog that clarifies why it’s a great idea to blog the QC comprehensively:

            “So fantastic to be able, when going mad trying to understand those last few clues, that here, in extremis, SOMEONE cares enough to make sure the answers are always there. On behalf of all those of ordinary intellect, but who enjoy the challenge, THANK YOU!”

            As a for instance, one commenter didn’t see where the “U” came from in a clue. Without Jack’s valuable blog to clear up that “for everyone” equates to a U film certification, how would a novice stand a chance?

            Edited at 2015-07-23 07:10 pm (UTC)

  2. I threw in MINI because I was tired of staring at the screen and I had the two I’s; never saw the hidden (not seeing hiddens is something I’m quite good at). My error was ‘carpals’; which at least had the merit of being bones, although that was the only merit. Never thought of CARCASS, even though that’s how I spell it. Spent a lot of time on 18d with DR and MO etc., finally saw the anagram. I suspect, Z, that you have slept with 16d; I’d bet big bucks that we’ve had it in a cryptic not that long ago.
    1. I think your big bucks are technically safe: the ever-reliable search engine on this thing says we had SCROLL SAW in Jumbo 941, September 2011. I say we, though the record shows me innocent of any connexion on that occasion.
  3. Bang on the hour, with DISCOUNTER (after ENCOURAGE) last to fall. Couldn’t get ‘gale’ – again – out of my mind for the last four letters of the latter. Nice, even puzzle.

    Cycling is not the only sport that needs drug-testing judging from some times being reported from Down Under…

    Edited at 2015-07-23 04:18 am (UTC)

  4. No, really. A rare sub-Z for me. Probably because the setter managed to avoid my many blind spots, such as plants, classics, the Bible, French….you know, clever stuff.

    DNK (and have not knowingly slept with a) SCROLL SAW. COD to SELFIE.

    Thanks setter and blogger.

    1. Still scratching my head and wondering what Zed gets up to in the boudoir and how Kevin knows about it.
          1. Catholic Relief Society, I think. What happens in my boudoir stays in my boudoir. I hope.
              1. The circles you people move in! I don’t think I’ve ever been in a boudoir.
                2. A quote from a late 80’s episode of Doctor Who (!) sprang unbidden to my mind: “Of course, if she was a real lady, I wouldn’t be in her boudoir…”
  5. 24:43 … STOOL PIGEON last in by some distance after I finally spotted a misspelt transistEr. Gawd bless the transistor radio and long may the digital switchover be deferred!

    Another fine daily puzzle. Hard to pick a winner but REFUSE made me smile.

    jackkt – thanks for the steer to the further level of brilliance in yesterday’s Quick Cryptic. That’s the full Listener experience minus the hours spent ploughing through the dictionary. Great stuff.

  6. After the delirium of completing all this week’s so far, I was feeling really pleased with myself at finishing today’s after quite a bit of mental wrestling when…. oh dear, CARPALS.
    Ah well, there’s always tomorrow.
    1. CARPALS was my first shot but I couldn’t make the wordplay work. I had much the same trouble with CARCASE (absence of “animal”) and was relieved to find CARCASS was ok as an alternative spelling. It still worried me a bit since, in my book, a carcass is not just bones: indeed, bones aren’t even the most significant bits.
  7. I spent almost 20 minutes struggling to get this half done and after returning from an errand finished the rest in less than 5 minutes. Maybe the unconscious did a lot of the work. PITCH last in and COD in a good field.
  8. No distinction for me today… the most that can be said is that I did finish inside a half hour. But this is still better than all the off-by-ones I managed to submit earlier this week!

    For anyone who’s worried about me and my obvious deterioration, all this is because I’m experimenting with early bedtimes and doing the crosswords first thing in the morning. I think, on the evidence, it can be said that “early to bed and early to rise, makes verlaine healthy, wealthy and much, much worse at solving the Times”…

  9. A shade under 25 minutes. Don’t know why I struggled to spot DIS(H)COUNTER and REFUSE both of which were at once biffable and gettable from wordplay (on a good day). Good time Galspray.
  10. Nice puzzle with some excellent surface readings – especially liked STOOL PIGEON with its misleading surface and well hidden definition.

    Sadly not keen on CARCASS because (a) its not a synonym for “bones” – Chambers defines it as “a dead body of an animal especially one to be used as meat” and (b) I only knew “carcase”. Thought of “carpals” but eventually went with wordplay despite poor definition

    I can say on record that I have no knowledge of Z8’s boudoir and hope to keep it that way

  11. 17m. Another that seemed to get harder as it went on.
    I have always spelled CARCASS this way, and in fact I remember getting caught out in a puzzle where CARCASE was the answer and I just couldn’t believe it was right. But I was also puzzled by the definition. I suppose a chicken carcass is pretty much all bones, and they are certainly the important bit if you want to make stock.
    Nice puzzle: even I managed to notice some of the very smooth surfaces.
  12. 31:16. I struggled more with the right-hand side – the simple MINI last in when I finally spotted it was a hidden word. The triple definition at 8d my clue of the day.
  13. Struggled with the SE corner, DNF after 30 minutes as had to head out to some so called seaside attractions. Also had put in SARI for the garment ending in I, until eventually saw the miniskirt idea. Liked WINO, suprised not seen before, knew Addisons disease, the rest was moderately easy.
  14. 28 mins, so back down to earth after yesterday’s flier. I finished in the SE and had real problems with three clues. SELFIE was the first of the three to reveal itself, and I was going to call it a Dean Martin until I saw that Z8 struggled with it too. That led me to RESUMED, where it took me a while to be happy that it was synonymous with “recovered”, and then SKIRMISHES was my LOI.
  15. 12:23 with the STOOL PIGEON/SELFIE combo being my last two in.

    Anyone else thinking of reliving their youth and popping out to see if aniseed balls are still for sale?

    1. My research (see below) led me to an article in the Daily Mail from 2009 saying that Waitrose were going to begin stocking them (albeit white rather than red to get around their self-imposed “no artificial ingedients” rule).
    2. They are mostly now used by the fox hunting (sorry, drag hunting) fraternity/sorority?
  17. 14:23 so no problems here. I think I’d spell carcass that way because that how it looks it should be spelled. Wevs, I didn’t even consider carcase or carpals, but, curiously, it was my LOI. Addison and the saw were “unknown”.

    Is this the first time we’ve had selfie since it wormed its way into the dictionaries?

    Nice puzzle & blog. Z, you piqued my curiosity about what that little thing in the middle of an aniseed ball is. Wiki has the following to say:
    “In the centre of the ball is normally a whole rapeseed, which is used for forming layers of sugar around, although other nuclei are sometimes used, for example a sugar crystal.”

        1. Sugar Boy on line sweet shop “Dark reddish brown marble sized sweets with a highly polished exterior. A strong aniseed flavour which dissolves slowly leaving a tiny little seed of anise in the mouth. “
          1. I was going on memory alone, with a seed in the middle the right size, taste and shape for a caraway seed. Rather unpleasantly, Wiki says it’s usually a rapeseed. I’d rather not believe that.
  18. This was a fun and challenging puzzle, though I didn’t need to be reminded of the awfulness that was ANISEED BALLs. Needed wordplay for SCROLL SAW, MINI was wonderfully concealed, lots of good clues and misdirection!
  19. Fun puzzle. LOI was the well hidden MINI. I didn’t know what an ANISESEED BALL was, or the ‘baps’ leading to the SCROLL SAW, but the word sounded like something which could refer to rolls, but only after all the checkers were in and the possible range of answers was reduced to manageable size. STOOL PIGEON was very good. About 25 minutes. Regards.
  20. 14:17 for me, held up a couple of times trying to justify REFUSED for 19dn (should have remembered we’d already had REFUSE) and CARPALS.

    Some nice clues, though I’d probably have enjoyed them more if I’d been feeling less tired.

  21. Just over the hour for me. Started like a bullet on Thursday with 10 clues going in within 5 minutes. Thought I was in for a record time, but then reality hit and I came up against an utter brick wall.

    Picked it up again today and had to grind it out to a finish. Togo/Augur went In on a bit of a half understood wing and a prayer and LOI was Selfie as I had difficulty accepting that it was a “proper” word, despite being the only answer that presented itself.

    Ultimately very enjoyable puzzle, if hard work. Very enjoyable blog, also!

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