I found this puzzle in general of about average difficulty, but the last few answers were sufficiently tricky as to drag my solving time into the “harder than average” category. Some interesting constructions and pleasing surfaces. I suspect I’m missing something in 9A.
This time, I’ve included the clues in the blog. I think this is helpful for those like myself who struggle to remember much about puzzles that appeared two weeks ago in the dim and distant past, and it requires no extra effort on my part.
Solving time: 19m 51s
Definitions are underlined, * = anagram, dd = double definition, cd = cryptic definition, {} = omission
Note for bloggers: I’ve written a bit of dodgy JavaScript that enables you, after solving a puzzle on the Times website, to create a skeleton blog for it from within your browser. It requires little in the way of technical knowledge and works for jumbos, normal cryptics, quick cryptics, and Mephistos. You can find the process on my LiveJournal blog here: http://mohn2.livejournal.com/2201.html
| Across | |
| 1 | Expedition runs across male rodent (7) |
| HAMSTER – HASTE (Expedition) + R (runs) around M (male) | |
| 5 | Work’s bound to be available in this store (8) |
| BOOKSHOP – cd, where we need to read the surface as a reference to a bound work of literature rather than a guarantee of employment. | |
| 9 | Those in packs, with red cards dismissed, clubs chucked out (6) |
| SPADES – I spent quite a while on this one, where the checkers and general tenor of the clue seemed to be screaming the answer, but I couldn’t for the life of me see what the parsing was. The best I could come up with is that it’s a cd, where if you removed the red suits (hearts and diamonds) and the clubs from a pack of cards, you’d be left with SPADES. I can only assume that the surface reading is intended to make you perhaps think of bad behaviour on the rugby field leading to a team being expelled from a tournament. No doubt there’s a better explanation … | |
| 13 | Novel offer I see about next (6,2,3,5) |
| TENDER IS THE NIGHT – TENDER (offer) + I + SIGHT (see) about THEN (next), for the work by F. Scott Fitzgerald | |
| 14 | Gallery showing the work of Monet, say, one European’s removed (6) |
| LOUVRE – L’O{e}UVRE, where the French word for work is l’oeuvre, hence “the work of Monet” | |
| 16 | Involvement with community, having dismissed a head without right (8) |
| OUTREACH – OUT (dismissed) + EACH (a head, i.e. per head) around R (right) | |
| 17 | Sly look that could be repeatedly said to give top dog annoyance (4) |
| PEEK – three homophones of PEEK are peak (top), Peke (dog), and pique (annoyance). | |
| 18 | Aquatic animal trapped by river barrier in port (9) |
| ROTTERDAM – OTTER (Aquatic animal), in R (river) + DAM (barrier) | |
| 20 | Messenger carrying tea’s first to see royal attendant (8) |
| COURTIER – COURIER (Messenger) around T (tea’s first) | |
| 21 | Spread as rumour one is maltreated by a woman in US (5,6) |
| NOISE ABROAD – (ONE IS)* + A + BROAD (woman in US). Not sure I knew this expression. | |
| 24 | Useful program about vehicle, one that carries fruit (9) |
| APPLECART – APPLET (Useful program) about CAR (vehicle) | |
| 25 | Emerging from hotel, even though it’s after ten (8) |
| ELEVENTH – hidden in hotEL EVEN THough | |
| 26 | Ring me for royalty on piano composition (4) |
| OPUS – O (ring) + P (piano) + US (me for royalty – a reference to the royal we) | |
| 29 | Making short work of a part of ship workers finally refit (11) |
| ABRIDGEMENT – A + BRIDGE (part of ship) + MEN (workers) + T (finally refit) | |
| 31 | Extremely severe examination for doctorate, perhaps (5,6) |
| THIRD DEGREE – a reference to a doctorate being the next qualification after a bachelor’s and master’s | |
| 33 | Made known about one daughter being scared (11) |
| INTIMIDATED – INTIMATED (Made known), about I (one) + D (daughter) | |
| 36 | Reason for agony column’s piece being misplaced (7,4) |
| SLIPPED DISC – kind of a cd encouraging you to think about newspapers rather than spines, though the spinal reading probably requires a comma that would ruin the newspaper surface | |
| 38 | Herb that makes a lot of money (4) |
| MINT – dd | |
| 39 | Charm explorer found, crossing large island (8) |
| TALISMAN – TASMAN (explorer, i.e. Abel Tasman), around L (large) + I (island) | |
| 41 | Against the rules, I run then pull back in behind (9) |
| IRREGULAR – I + R (run), + reversal of LUG (pull back) in REAR (behind) | |
| 44 | Reform disrupted by constant argument (11) |
| ALTERCATION – ALTERATION (Reform) around C (constant) | |
| 45 | An extra payment given to husband performing church music (8) |
| ANTIPHON – AN + TIP (extra payment given) + H (husband) + ON (performing) | |
| 48 | It’s very steep price, at first absurd, then reduced by sovereign (9) |
| PRECIPICE – PRICE* + P{r}ICE. Tricky parsing. | |
| 49 | For Dior, you reproduced very short garment (4) |
| TUTU – TU (For Dior, you – a reference to the French fashion designer Christian Dior, rather than one of the Stewards of Gondor) repeated | |
| 50 | We’ll fire haphazardly, showing ability to make decisions (4,4) |
| FREE WILL – (WE’LL FIRE)* | |
| 52 | What’s inappropriate when one’s dog-tired? (6) |
| CATNAP – never sure how to describe clues like this. It’s not really a cd but rather plays on the contrast of terms involving two traditional enemies. As keriothe notes below, the main thrust of this clue is that a catnap (short duration) would be inappropriate if you were dog-tired (very weary). | |
| 53 | Learning about boy with car running badly (16) |
| MALADMINISTERING – MASTERING (Learning), around LAD (boy) + MINI (car) | |
| 54 | Seat is arranged for rest of the afternoon (6) |
| SIESTA – (SEAT IS)* | |
| 55 | Godless people engaged in robberies (8) |
| ATHEISTS – AT (engaged in) + HEISTS (robberies) | |
| 56 | Child’s father is ahead of time as unconventional painter (7) |
| DADAIST – DADA (Child’s father) + IS + T (time) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | What one gets out of this case goes to one’s head (6) |
| HATBOX – cd, with the surface possibly hoping you’ll think of wine instead of headgear | |
| 2 | Occupying very little space and not much time (6) |
| MINUTE – dd | |
| 3 | So available to support English (9) |
| THEREFORE – THERE FOR (available to support) + E (English) | |
| 4 | New in career, ain’t switched and put in another form (11) |
| REINCARNATE – N (new) in (CAREER AIN’T)* | |
| 5 | Use your head aggressively, and save time (4) |
| BUTT – BUT (save) + T (time) | |
| 6 | Too serious about den needing attention internally (11) |
| OVEREARNEST – OVER (about) + NEST (den) around EAR (attention) | |
| 7 | Mad scientist trapping cute koala initially, creature hard to spot in tree (5,6) |
| STICK INSECT – SCIENTIST* around C{ute} K{oala} | |
| 8 | Alternatively, love is embraced by the right couple holding hands (9) |
| OTHERWISE – O (love), + IS inside THE + R (right) + WE (couple holding hands, i.e. West and East in a game of bridge) | |
| 10 | Book from expert, such as “Eats, shoots, and leaves” (8) |
| PROVERBS – PRO (expert) + three examples of VERBS. The surface is a reference to the Lynne Truss book about punctuation/pandas. | |
| 11 | Constable inferior to French artist — competitors for 19th century title (5,11) |
| DAVID COPPERFIELD – COPPER (Constable) below DAVID (French artist, i.e. Jacques-Louis David), + FIELD (competitors) | |
| 12 | Proceeded with course cooked a certain way (7) |
| STEAMED – dd | |
| 15 | Was witness at trial heartlessly examined? (8) |
| ATTESTED – AT + TEST (trial) + E{xamine}D (heartlessly examined) | |
| 19 | It’s reflected in setter’s position — most amusing (8) |
| WITTIEST – IT + TI (it and its reflection), inside WEST (setter’s position – a reference to the sun). Took me a while to get this one as I was expecting the “reflected” to simply mean a reversal, but it should have been biffable. | |
| 22 | Ain’t mass travestied in this? (8) |
| SATANISM – extended definition clue, with the wordplay from (AIN’T MASS)* | |
| 23 | Where masked man uses knife to good effect (9,7) |
| OPERATING THEATRE – cd | |
| 27 | Stupidly censored something likely to yield profit later (4,4) |
| SEED CORN – CENSORED* | |
| 28 | What’s done is done, lacking working editor (4) |
| DEED – D{on}E (done, lacking working, i.e. the word “done” without the “on” (working)) + ED (editor) | |
| 30 | Broad conclusions from said data inform judge (4) |
| DAME – last letters of saiD datA inforM judgE, with our second visit stateside for a word synonymous with woman | |
| 32 | Begin succinct account of visit to restaurant? (8) |
| INITIATE – interpretation of IN IT I ATE | |
| 34 | Like play in which I act badly after a little drink (8) |
| DRAMATIC – (I + ACT)* after DRAM (a little drink) | |
| 35 | Show possessor’s property tax after time (11) |
| DEMONSTRATE – DEMON’S (possessor’s) + RATE (property tax) after T (time). Not sure how common this usage is overseas, but in the UK an annual property tax is often referred to as “the rates”. | |
| 36 | Newspaper at my side exchanged for another (6,5) |
| SUNDAY TIMES – SUN (Newspaper) + (AT MY SIDE)* | |
| 37 | Appears hard — convoluted, in other words (11) |
| PARAPHRASED – (APPEARS + HARD)* | |
| 40 | I can sound off about Eastern traveller (9) |
| ITINERANT – I + TIN (can) + RANT (sound off) about E (Eastern) | |
| 42 | Spiritual instruction he’s set up, embraced by virtuous leader of flock (9) |
| GOOSEHERD – reversal of RE (Spiritual instruction) + HE’S, inside GOOD (virtuous) | |
| 43 | Paintings, poem, and play as result of human creativity (8) |
| ARTIFACT – ART (Paintings) + IF (poem) + ACT (play). I’d probably spell this with an E but both spellings are acceptable – the I version is mentioned as American in ODO, if not in Chambers or Collins. | |
| 44 | Sources of wool articles, including cape, found in mountains (7) |
| ALPACAS – AA (articles) around C (cape), inside ALPS (mountains) | |
| 46 | British couple in Rome clothing family in swimwear (6) |
| BIKINI – B (British) + II (couple in Rome, i.e. 2 in Roman numerals) around KIN (family) | |
| 47 | Attachment to missile part of Air Force left in battle (6) |
| FLIGHT – two definitions, the first referring to a stabiliser on a dart or arrow, the second a unit equivalent to an army platoon, plus some wordplay for good measure: L (left) in FIGHT (battle) | |
| 51 | Responsibility borne by both setter and solver (4) |
| ONUS – ON (borne by) + US (both setter and solver) | |
Some excellent clues in this crossword, such as 7, 10 & 11 dn
Edited at 2016-05-15 08:51 pm (UTC)
I read 9ac in exactly the same way as you. Obvious perhaps but I saw 52 as partly just a straight definition, since if you’re dog-tired you need more than a CAT NAP.
I arrived at the same conclusion as you at 9a: while it looked for all the world that there was some fancy wordplay going on I think it is just a CD that tries not very successfully to sound like something to do with indiscipline on the rugby field.
Thanks for the link as well John. My actual next blog is due up next weekend but I suspect that being away at a conference until Friday and collecting my daughter from uni on Saturday might make it a bit tricky to try out the script this time around.