Times 27544 – joyous boxing everyone!

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 8:29.  Since I got started on this pretty much bang on mignight GMT I was surprised to see that I was the second time in, but neilr was up and alert and a few second faster than me.  Both of us finished well under our average time, so I expect this is considerably easier than yesterdays, which I found pretty difficult.

It is Christmas evening as I write this up and there is a tense Test match streaming on my phone (that came in handy at one point), some drinks to be poured as soon as I get this written up and cheer and happiness all around, so enjoy yourself and don’t forget there is the traditional Boxing Day Jumbo too!

Across
1 Seek a man out who may be confused with another? (8)
NAMESAKE – anagram of SEEK,A,MAN
5 How to make quotable list for Shakespeare role (6)
BANQUO – fun clue!  if you BAN the letters Q,U and O then QUOTABLE becomes TABLE(list)
9 Sailor finds girl endlessly old hat (9)
TARPAULIN – TAR(sailor) and PAULINE(girl) missing the last letter
11 Supporter very obviously just started cheer (5)
BRAVO – BRA(supporter), V(very) then the first letter of Obviously
12 Joined a military formation with one film director (7)
FELLINI – FELL IN(joined a military formation) and I(one) for the director Frederico
13 Restrict prisoner very well (7)
CONFINE – CON(prisoner), FINE(very well)
14 After theatre job, work at ENO, say, with a lot of musical backing? (4-9)
POST-OPERATIVE – POST(work) at the English National OPERA(ENO) followed by the musical EVITA missing the last letter
16 What takes warmth out of screwy Gen X heartache (4,9)
HEAT EXCHANGER – anagram of GEN,X,HEARTACHE
20 No bridge partners lead all the time (7)
NONSTOP –  NO, then N and S(bridge partners), TOP(lead)
21 Doctor allowed to conceal operation tear (7)
DROPLET – DR(doctor), and LET(allowed) containing OP(operation)
23 Name area outside India’s northern region (5)
TAIGA – TAG(name) and A(area) surrounding I(India)
24 Magazine panel used in cut-and-paste operation (9)
CLIPBOARD – CLIP(magazine as in ammunition), BOARD(panel) – referring to the computer usage of memory to store text or an image
25 Note with iron put in farm structure for protection (6)
SAFETY – A(musical note) and FE(iron) inside STY(farm structure)
26 Authorise English member to cut meeting (8)
DELEGATE – E(Engliash), LEG(member) inside DATE(meeting)

Down
1 Advise if Tony is spinning (6)
NOTIFY – anagram of IF,TONY
2 Extra large mushroom (5)
MOREL – MORE(extra), L(large)
3 Disease suffered primarily by heartless taxi drivers (7)
SCABIES – first letter of Suffered then CABBIES(taxi drivers) missing the middle letter
4 Curiously I’d oil peacocks giving wonderful colour effects (13)
KALEIDOSCOPIC – anagram of ID,OIL,PEACOCKS that I am stunned that I spelled correctly on the first go
6 Country regularly involved in an Ionian-Balkan uprising? (7)
ALBANIA – alternating letters in AnIoNiAnBaLkAn reversed
7 Question a long-term prisoner about one person becoming fit? (9)
QUALIFIER – QU(question) A LIFER(long-term prisoner) containing I(one)
8 European motored about — this could prove it (8)
ODOMETER – anagram of E(uropean) and MOTORED
10 Trivial American — a bit more than a bit? (6-3-4)
NICKEL-AND-DIME – how’s your Americana?  a BIT (as in shave and a haircut, two bits) is a half a quarter or 12.5 cents. So a NICKEL AND a DIME would come out to 15 cents.
14 One in court with simple argument (9)
PLAINTIFF – PLAIN(simple), TIFF(argument)
15 Mounted demo one hour shortened as a result of cold? (8)
RHINITIS – reversal of SIT IN(demo), I(one), HR(hour)
17 Clipping a run, getting caught before time (7)
EXTRACT – EXTRA(a run in cricket), then C(caught, also in cricket), T(time, which cricket takes a lot of)
18 See you bargain soundly (7)
GOODBYE – homophone of GOOD BUY(bargain)
19 For example, Dorothy’s served up filling food (6)
STODGE – EG(for example), DOT’S(Dorothy’s) all reversed
22 Brad brought up a climber (5)
LIANA – NAIL(brad) reversed then A

36 comments on “Times 27544 – joyous boxing everyone!”

  1. A little delay at the end for TAIGA (wasn’t 100% sure it was a word but I had a feeling it was tundra-like) and RHINITIS, since starting RH wasn’t very likely. The wordplay meant that I spelled it correctly once I realized what was going on.
  2. I should’ve taken one more stab at parsing the clue for BANQUO, but I’d begun to nod off…

    Edited at 2019-12-26 04:21 am (UTC)

  3. As with yesterday’s puzzle I attempted this before bed but after a great start in the NW corner I gave up with only about a quarter of the grid completed.

    On resumption this morning I still struggled but eventually finished other than TAIGA on which I gave up and resorted to aids. I knew the word and it had been the tip of my tongue but just wouldn’t come because I was thinking of proper names for wordplay rather than the generic TAG.

    TARPAULIN as a hat was new to me but the answer went straight in.

    Edited at 2019-12-26 05:32 am (UTC)

  4. I’m still staggered that I beat Kevin Gregg’s time, and by some margin. That is a great rarity!
    I was also surprised to find three anagrams that at least started out life in the NW corner.
    Yes, BANQUO was fun. It was having the A and the Q that really helped.
    I remembered TAIGA from ‘O’- and ‘A’-Level Geography but am almost surprised that the setter didn’t employ the homophone tiger in the clue.
  5. 28 mins pre-brekker.
    Knew Taiga, but Rhinitis took a while.
    Mostly I liked: Banquo.
    Thanks setter and G.
  6. 10:10. The answers FELL IN quite quickly after 12A was my FOI. I was worried my literary ignorance would trip me up with the Shakespeare role, but I studied “The King of Scotland” for O level English and remembered the ghost. LOI DELEGATE. COD to BANQUO.
  7. 11’52”, pleased after a stupid error yesterday. RHINITIS/TAIGA LOsI.

    Today’s QC took nearly as long due to an unknown phrase.

    COD to BANQUO.

    Thanks george and setter.

    Edited at 2019-12-26 09:26 am (UTC)

  8. A rather disheartening sea of pink today, entering HEAT EXTRACTOR without bothering to check the fodder properly (if at all) which corrupted KALEIDOSCOPE, which, like George, I was pleased to have spelled at all, and leaving 18d to be TROUBLE as the only word to fit. Something to do with “see you Jimmy”? Lets blame it on an excess of goodwill, and hope for 20/20 vision soon.
    Enjoy the feast of Stephen, everyone.
    1. Somewhat late to the party but, prompted by the comments about KALEIDOSCOPIC, I thought you might be heartened by this quote, that I came across only recently, from one of the Pooh books, attributed to Rabbit: “You can’t help respecting anybody who can spell Tuesday, even if he doesn’t spell it right”.
  9. A breezy 25 minutes today, mostly bottom-to-top with a couple of leftovers to come back to, appropriately enough. FOI 1d NOTIFY LOI 15d RHINITIS. Glad I remembered both LIANA and “brad” from past encounters.

    I think brads must have changed over the years—if you try to find some to buy using Google, you don’t see much that fits the ODE’s “a nail of rectangular cross section with a flat tip and a small, typically asymmetrical head”…

    Anyway. Have a good Boxing Day, everyone!

  10. A storming top half flattered to deceive as I spent what seemed hours staring at the RHINITIS/TAIGA corner. The result was a slow time of 46m that almost doubled my aspirational 6V (not helped by Verlaine’s lightning 4:34 time) and yielded an ugly WITCH of 151. COD to BANQUO. Thanks setter and George for the excellent blog.
  11. Got off to a flying start with NOTIFY and kept going at a reasonable lick until I was left with 5a, 13a and 8d. ODOMETER came after I biffed BANQUO, and CONFINE finished the job. TAIGA remembered from a previous puzzle. KALEIDOSCOPE very carefully entered, double checking fodder and checkers, as I got it wrong last time. A pleasing 19:15. Thanks setter and George
  12. This is the first time I’ve gone sub-10 since switching to the club site to solve about 3-4 months back so evidently a straightforward puzzle. My only slight hesitation was on TAIGA which I thought of earlyish but was unsure about so left until last in case anything else’s came to mind. Thankfully nothing did.

    Plenty of time now to crack on with the Jumbo…

          1. I’ll be going for session 1 next year, so I can slope off to the George before the semifinals (or before I go home if I have a bad day !)
  13. 10:01. I started really quickly on this but slowed down in the second half. I remembered TAIGA from previous puzzles, where it’s been clued as a homophone. The nail is also familiar notably from puzzle where it was combined with another obscurity (SHAW for a small wood) to clue BRADSHAW, a book of railway timetables last published 11 years before I was born. Not my favourite clue ever but I remembered all the words!
  14. Whizzed through this in 20 minutes during the lunch interval, until coming to a long halt over 9a and 10d, didn’t know a waterproof sheet was also an OLD HAT, and couldn’t for the life of me think of nickel and dime for an age. Once I did, I bunged in TARPAULIN from the endless girl wordplay, hoping it was right.

    “Grandad, why are you always watching cricket and tennis on your computer instead of doing stuff ?” Good question.

    Hope the rain stops (yes, it’s back), we need some fresh air on Hampstead Heath. And daughter wants her daily dip in the Ladies Pond. It’s 4 degrees. Very bracing.

  17. Looking for a result of the cold which fitted _H______, I found myself tempted by a George Costanza-esque SHRINKAGE (Seinfeld fans will know what I mean). The tricky RHINITIS eventually suggested itself along with the TAIGA, which it was nice to see being clued as something other than “sounds like tiger”. Otherwise, no hold-ups, and all pleasant and appropriately low key for an overcast Day of Leftovers.
  18. Most of this seemed quite easy but I failed to get four. I had SHIVERED for a time at 15d until NONSTOP emerged. The best I could manage for 23a was NAIRN -some of the right letters not in the right order. DEFEND was clearly wrong at 25a but cold sausages and turkey are waiting so am in a rush. And EXTRACT eluded me somehow. I think my mind was on the food.
    David
  19. ….a NONSTOP solve, and I’ve recommended it on the QC blog.

    FOI NAMESAKE
    LOI NICKEL-AND-DIME
    COD BANQUO
    TIME 8:00

  20. 12:48 with a beer (building up the courage to watch Leeds v Preston later). I made a right hash of 4d, starting with KALEIDOSCOPES, suddenly spotting that there weren’t enough Ss in the fodder and “correcting” it to KALLEIDOSCOPE mistaking I for l (upper case I (i) for lower case l (L)) and then having to look at the clue properly once I got Fellini.

    For anyone doing the Jumbo look out for my blog in a couple of weeks 🙂

    1. I will look out for it. Some of the clues were not so easy today. I suspect our editor is the setter and he loves to tease, I think.
  21. 15:48. I got off to a quick start, nothing too taxing in the top half though tarpaulin was entered from wp. Slowed down a bit in the bottom half with Taiga and Rhinitis requiring a bit of thought. Pitched just right for a relaxed Boxing day solve.
  23. Looking at glheard’s time and seeing he wasn’t even first to finish, I am not worthy. Took me 20 minutes not helped by sticking with post operation due to not actually reading the clue properly. 5 ac was my favourite followed by 15 down. Maybe I need to reduce the alcohol intake for the rest of the holiday to get to peak performance- not…
  26. Some days late on this one – christmas-interruptus. Learned about Tundra and TAIGA at Russian O-Level…
  27. Not easy unless you are a cheat. If you don’t cheat you simply know the answer so these dummies ain’t solving nothin.

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