Saturday Times 26262 (21st Nov)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
13:50 so not too hard. I’m really pushed for time today so apologies for the brevity. I might come back and fill it out a bit later.

Across
1 Dutch artist not initially covering my day in the sun? (8)
SCORCHER – (e)SCHER (Dutch artist not initially) around COR (my).
9 Maybe GSCE candidate recalled marks cut in English repeatedly (8)
EXAMINEE – M(arks) + AXE (cut) reversed, + IN + EE (English repeatedly). I guess the exam must be a General Secondary of Certificate Education!
10 French spy head of MI6 detained for a bit (8)
FRAGMENT – FR(ench) + AGENT (spy) around M (head of MI6).
11 Opening of rail transport link (8)
RELATION – R(ail) + ELATION (transport).
12 In Victoria, say, after six, I will make call (10)
VISITATION – STATION (Victoria, say) after VI (six) and around I.
14 WW1 commander, hard and daring, ignoring the odds (4)
HAIG – H(ard) + alternative letters of dArInG.
15 Ship’s officer tours central area of large holiday resort (7)
MARGATE – MATE (ship’s officer) around (l)ARG(e).
17 Thought Tory record should be defended by court (7)
CONCEPT – CON (Tory) + EP (record) inside CT (court).
21 Fish fillet, unappetising portion (4)
TUNA – hidden in “filleT UNAppetising”.
22 Hope countryman managed to keep educated woman in higher education (10)
RURITANIAN – RAN (managed) around RITA (educated woman) inside UNI (higher education).
23 Poor 15Ds travel aimlessly, briefly taking trails round heart of Nottinghamshire (4,4)
ROAD HOGS – ROA(m) (travel aimlessly, briefly) + DOGS (trails) around H (heart of NottingHamshire).
25 Plant collections that female coffee shop employee displayed? No way (8)
HERBARIA – HER (that female) + BARISTA (coffee shop employee), minus ST (no way).
26 Bothers about protecting river in Croatian region (8)
SLAVONIA – AILS (bothers) reversed around AVON (river).
27 Approved example of Lonely Hearts Club’s success? (8)
MANDATED – “MAN DATED”.

Down
2 Female drivers upset over an oil change (8)
CAROLINA – RAC (drivers) reversed + (an oil)*.
3 Editing what’s penned for speaker (8)
RIGHTING – sounds like “writing” (what’s penned)..
4 Dickensian decapitated farm animals (4)
HEEP – (s)HEEP.
5 Learn new skills as son getting out of control (7)
RETRAIN – RESTRAIN (control) without the S.
6 Disagreeing with female fit to drop complaint (7,3)
FALLING OUT – F(emale) + ALL IN (fit to drop) + GOUT (complaint).
7 In time I marry close friend (8)
INTIMATE – IN + T(ime) + I + MATE (marry).
8 Names included in top party (3,5)
HEN NIGHT – NN (names) inside HEIGHT (top).
13 Periods of daylight hours bad for one’s tan (10)
AFTERNOONS – (for one’s tan)*.
15 One drives miles with old traveller, avoiding sharp bend (8)
MOTORIST – M(iles) + O(ld) + TOURIST (traveller), minus the U (avoiding sharp bend).
16 When turning up in part of airport, takes flight (4,4)
RUNS AWAY – AS (when) reversed inside RUNWAY (part of airport).
18 Wide-screen presentation American directed specially (8)
CINERAMA – (American)*.
19 Bet tiny fellow visits gym when work is over? (8)
PLAYTIME – LAY (bet) + TIM (tiny fellow) inside PE (gym).
20 Old English financier good on forgery (7)
GRESHAM – G(ood) + RE (on) + SHAM (forgery).
24 Designer of buildings with reduced monthly charge? (4)
WREN – W(ith) + REN(t) (reduced monthly charge).

9 comments on “Saturday Times 26262 (21st Nov)”

  1. I spent quite while wondering if the setter was being very clever in writing GSCE instead of GCSE. Similarly, I had the head of MI6 as C for a long time. 53m 52s
    1. I checked Google and got 358,000 hits for GSCE (most of which were typos for GCSE) against over 20M hits for the correct version. There are also a lot of Wikipedia pages about various schools where pupils can sit their GSCEs. Mass dyslexia!
    2. Nice avatar Martin, I remember driving past that sign years ago and enjoying the cheesy moment.
      1. Thanks, Pip. When we have visitors and take them to Honfleur, we sometimes return via Camembert just so they can be photographed with the sign.
  2. My print out scribble says this was fun and only took me 20 minutes, easier than most Saturdays. Didn’t notice the GSCE typo, or parse the HERBARIA.
  3. I managed all but 19dn and 26ac in 32 minutes but cheated and used aids as the hour past to fill the gaps. Mental block.
  4. So definitely an easy Saturday for me. Fortunately, I’m sufficiently unfamiliar with the GCSE, not to mention the GSCE, that I didn’t notice; I don’t suppose anyone was slowed down much. DNK 8d, and actually toyed with ‘bun fight’, but not for long.
  5. Yes, pretty gentle for a Saturday. Not too much over half an hour for me which is almost unheard of for a Sat. puzzle. I missed on SLAVONIA. I thought I was being very clever in remembering ‘ea’ for a river, and with ‘annoys’ reversed I had Seayonna. Not a very Croatian looking word I admit and no such place, alas. I liked SCORCHER and RURITANIAN and VISITATION.

    Thank you to setter and blogger

  6. LOI 22A Rarotongan
    Was hoping it would be a countryman of the Cook Islands …. Had all the checkers!

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