Times Cryptic 29310 – Sat, 16 August 2025. G-Nashing of limericks.

12 comments on “Times Cryptic 29310 – Sat, 16 August 2025. G-Nashing of limericks.”

1. Another Saturday in the true spirit of the Times cryptic – reasonably conventional, but entertaining and innovative at times as well.
   Amusement greatly assisted by the blogger’s Nash example for 24ac.
   Quite a few straight out favourites like 8ac TROUSERING and 17d STUTTER. Also some that required savouring, such as 25ac EYESIGHT and the more involved 5d AGGREGATE. Also liked 19d APROPOS although was not totally convinced it equalled ‘incidentally’.
   Thought ‘possible’ a bit of a stretch for one meaning of EARTHLY 4d. Had to come here for the ‘does’ equals CONS part of 15ac CONSENT – should have seen? But biffed from meaning and ENT. Quite innovative deletion instruction for 11ac SPINDLY.
   Still not completing in times that are worth publishing – yet.
   Well done setter and branch.

2. 17:00 WOE
   One stupid error: I unthinkingly typed in OFFENSE, even though I’d parsed the clue. A good time shot to hell. DNK ‘tonk’, but that didn’t matter.

3. Far easier than the previous Saturday one and welcome relief after some very tough Friday puzzles recently.

4. 34 minutes. Nothing more to report other than this puzzle helped a little to restore my recently shattered confidence.

5. 40 minutes. My only question is over POTAGES: if it’s ‘pot’ (cookware) and ‘ages’ (significant time), how does the ‘in’ justify putting the latter under the former?

   Thanks branch and setter.

   FOI Orbital
   LOI Spindly
   COD Consent

   1. It is AGE in POTS.

      1. That makes much more sense. Thanks!

      2. Thanks. Fixed.

6. Pleasant outing, as already mentioned.
   At 1dn it is AGE (significant time) in POTS (cookware).
   As for Mr Lear, best known nowadays for the Owl and the Pussycat, his limericks may not enthuse today but they were pretty much the first of their kind. I’m not sure if he invented the form but he certainly popularised it:
   He reads, but he cannot speak, Spanish,
   He cannot abide ginger-beer:
   Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish,
   How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!

7. 32 minutes, quite a reasonable time for once on a pleasant crossword, but I would say that it was pleasant, wouldn’t I. Edward Lear is remembered more for his limericks , which were not the greatest I agree, than for for his other stuff. The Owl and the Pussy-Cat is a classic, and who knows but he was probably more involved with his painting and illustrating, which would surely have been enough on its own for him to be remembered.

   1. Lear might be remembered more for his limericks, but perhaps more for the quantity rather than quality. The repetition of most of the first line in the last renders them rather flat to modern ears that have got used to examples of the form which don’t follow that convention and thus have more scope for (bawdy) humour. In contrast, I think his ‘other stuff’ has stood the test of time rather better – you mention ‘The Owl and the Pussy-Cat’, but there’s also ‘The Jumblies’, ‘The Dong with a Luminous Nose’ (no sniggering at the back!), ‘The Pobble who has no Toes’ and, delightfully poignant, ‘The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo’. And he is indeed rightly known today as an important artist and illustrator.
      I was fortunate to find ‘Edward Lear’s Nonsense Omnibus’ (Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd.,1943) in a charity shop or secondhand bookshop. It is copiously illustrated with Lear’s own illustrations and well worth seeking out, imo.

8. I forgot to note my finish time. Between 30 and 45 minutes in all. Liked the wordplay in 11ac.

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