Sunday Times 4510 (4 Nov 2012) by Tim Moorey

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 76:42 – with two mistakes

Not a very good effort by me this week. The mistakes were both genuine and couldn’t be blamed on typos. I found it tough going, but probably fair overall. Some good stuff in here – I particularly liked the anagram at 1d, although it took me ages to spot it – I’d made the mistake of taking STATION out as the second word. It was only when I got 8d that I realised that this was unlikely.

cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this

Across
1 SEALSKIN = SEAL (close) + KIN (relative) about S (small)
5 T + ERROR
10 AGGRAVATE = A + GATE about GRAVe
11 C + A + PR + I
12 SP(L)AT – This was one of my mistakes – I put SPLIT, never having come across a SPLAT as part of a chair.
13 CORK + S + CREW
14 EA + STRIDING
17 WIldLY – this is the other one I got wrong. I’d gone for AIRY, being LAIRY without the L, as being the best I could come up with at the time. Although I was unconvinced about all three of the components.
19 AWOL = LOW (mean) + A (adult) all rev
20 SETS ALIGHT = (GHASTLIEST)*
22 RATION ALES
24 A SCOT
26 OPALS = SLAP rev after O (disc)
27 DERRING-DO = ERRING in (D + DO)
28 THE MED
29 DESSERTS = STRESSED rev – I’ve come across this neat reversal before. I believe it’s the longest English word that can be reversed to make another, although no doubt someone will now offer a longer one.
Down
1 STANSTED AIRPORT = (SAD TRAIN-SPOTTER)* – I liked this one a lot. I guess you’d call this a semi-&lit. Very entertaining.
2 ANGEL = A + N + LEG rev
3 START + URN
4 ISA + AC
6 EXCUSE = EX + SabotagE about CU
7 REPORTING = PORT in (NIGER)*
8 RAILWAY STATIONS = (IT’S A SLOW TRAIN AY)*
9 BEARINGS = onE in BARINGS (bank that’s lost)
15 SHORT WAVE – dd
16 DIEHARDS = (HAD RIDES)*
18 F(LEAP)ITS
21 MOUSSE = US in (SOME)*
23 EY(RiminI)E
25 CIGAR = (I + C) rev + GAR (fish)

3 comments on “Sunday Times 4510 (4 Nov 2012) by Tim Moorey”

  1. 50 minutes with the last 10 spent on 19ac. Another hugely enjoyable puzzle, with 1dn as an exceptionally fine clue amongst a load of really good ones.

    There has been some dissent in the Forum about the use of ‘southern’ in 28ac. I don’t feel strongly about it one way or the other but unless there’s an aspect that I haven’t considered, perhaps it might have been better avoided.

    Edited at 2012-11-11 05:11 am (UTC)

  2. I don’t know how long this took me; something like forever, mainly, as I recall, because of 19ac and 17ac. And I only got 19ac post hoc, after inferring from a response to a deleted posting on the forum. But it was enjoyable, although I do think the ‘southern’ was unnecessary.
  3. I saved this for today. All good fun. A slowish but steady solve with no major hold ups although 17a went in from definition alone after I had wrestled in vain with the cryptic. I thought the second word of 1d would be STATION and spent some time trying to make sense of the anagram until I gave up and started again from scratch. 43 minutes Thanks as usual to the Sunday blogger. Some of us do appreciate your efforts. Ann

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