Saturday Times 25903 (27th Sept)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
I took a while to get going with this one for some reason, even though the first two acrosses went straight in, and stumbled over the line in 16:33. Looking at it again today I can’t see anything too tricky, so I’d better find some form from somewhere in the next fortnight if I want to reach the Championship final again!

Across
1 Fanatical Muslim leader briefly put the wind up country (10)
MADAGASCAR – MAD (fanatical) + AGA (Muslim leader) + SCAR(e) (briefly put the wind up).
6 Fire and pillage (4)
SACK – double definition.
8 Spot roughly covered with emollient (8)
LOCATION – CA (circa, roughly) inside LOTION (emollient).
9 Dim doctor lancing boil perhaps (6)
SOMBRE – MB (doctor) inside SORE (boil perhaps).
10 Brute’s disposed of first wife (shot up) (4)
GREW – (o)gre (brute, minus the 1st letter) + W(ife).
11 Regulator‘s tasteless articles on working mothers (10)
THERMOSTAT – TAT (tasteless articles) next to (mothers)*.
12 In discomfort from joint and rich tart I cooked (9)
ARTHRITIC – (rich tart I)*.
14 Heads of state leaving Aachen need German for informal talk (5)
SLANG – initial letters of “State Leaving Aachen Need German”.
17 Guardian of public rights bans a Parisian race (5)
TRIBE – TRIBUNE (guardian of public rights), minus UN (a Parisian).
19 Time to replace wicket in ground Down Under not reached by foot? (9)
UNTRODDEN – (Down Under)*, but with a T for time in place of the W for wicket.
22 Fathead’s veg? (6,4)
BUTTER BEAN – BUTTER (fat) + BEAN (head).
23 Medical man with drill — result, misery (4)
MOPE – MO (medical man) + PE (drill). I checked – MOPE can be a noun meaning someone who mopes.
24 With supporter back in, sell copy (6)
CARBON – BRA (supporter) reversed inside CON (sell – as a noun meaning deception).
25 Bond’s second assignment one’s overlooked (8)
OMISSION – O (Bond’s second letter) + MISSION (assignment).
26 Leap from plane needing parachute ultimately (4)
JETÉ – JET (plane) + (paracht)E. A leap in ballet.
27 Feast laid on for team of speakers? Not main course (4,6)
SIDE STREET – sounds like “side’s treat”.

Down
1 Destructive insect crossing north African country further up (9)
MALIGNANT – GNAT (insect) around N(orth), all underneath MALI (African country).
2 Democrat here is French and least likely to succeed? (7)
DICIEST – D(emocrat) + ICI EST (here is, in French).
3 Who’s crashed air taxi with five aboard? (8)
AVIATRIX – (air taxi)* around V (five). Kind of a semi-&lit, in that the definition relies on the surface of the clue without being defined by it (if you see what I mean).
4 Time-saver for busy ladies (or gents?) (11,4)
CONVENIENCE FOOD – Cryptic definition which for me only gets you the first word (although there aren’t many choices for the second).
5 Proceed again with total parts always mounting (6)
RESUME – SUM (total) inside E’ER (always) reversed.
6 Houses having rank smell liable to spread gradually (4-5)
SEMI-SOLID – SEMIS (houses) + OLID (having rank smell).
7 Fifty taken from dock, a certain number for hanging (7)
CURTAIN – CURTAIL (dock) minus the L for fifty, + N (a certain number).
13 Husband of limited talent fit for home (9)
HABITABLE – H(usband) + A BIT ABLE (of limited talent).
15 Carrots in biscuit form? (6,3)
GINGER NUT – double definition, the first as a nickname for a redhead.
16 Little orphan’s behind a couple of grumpy old women (8)
GRANNIES – ANNIE’S (little orphan‘s) after GR(umpy).
18 Youngster lured in by libertine a tasty dish (7)
ROULADE – LAD (youngster) inside ROUÉ (libertine)
20 One farm animal that’s died violently outside compound (7)
DIOXIDE – I (one) + OX (farm animal) inside (died)*.
21 Tries to make drier with bands (6)
WRINGS – W(ith) + RINGS (bands).

9 comments on “Saturday Times 25903 (27th Sept)”

  2. 14 mins. UNTRODDEN was my LOI after SEMI-SOLID. I didn’t write any other notes so I must have thought this was a very straightforward puzzle, but when I read the answers through again this morning I smiled when I noticed CARBON OMISSION.
  3. 36 minutes, which came as a welcome relief after a run of four hard dailies. Wasn’t sure about “feast” = “treat” but Collins Thesaurus has it.
  4. 43 minutes. So not at all easy for me. I spent far too long not getting 1a and 1d. Ann
  5. 47′, with a question mark by ‘resume’, where I think of ‘mount’ as going on rather than going in. However, a visit to Oxford shows that the mounting of a photo fits the bill.
  6. Last weekend was a gentle one for me, especially compared with this one. I was glad to see that Andy was also wondering about MOPE–I certainly had never seen it as a noun, but there’s no telling what those Brits may come up with. Like Jack, I questioned feast=treat; unlike him, I’m not really satisfied with a thesaurus: I don’t know Collins, but thesauri generally seem to throw in anything they can think of. COD to GREW or TRIBE.
    1. I also wondered about ‘mope’ as a noun but it’s in all the usual sources. I share your concerns about relying on a thesaurus but I usually take the view that I’m probably missing some nuance of meaning and it’s probably okay.
    1. I’ve only known one person who had that nickname, but it was definitely Carrots, not Carrot.

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