Club Monthly 20155 August 2013 – endangered species edition

Solving Time: I rattled through this in just over 40 minutes, very quick for me so I guess this one must be on the easy side. Jason and Magoo I notice managed to complete it in under 24 minutes. Although replete as always with the more distant reaches of the alphabet, it is not quite a pangram as it lacks a G. But it is as good as ever, my favourite crossword of the month.

cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(–)

Across
1 sheep scab – SHE + EPS + CAB. The English Leicester is, like most things properly English, an endangered species nowadays
9 rouleau – O(LD) in RULE, + AU = gold. A familiar word from (eg) From Russia With Love, in which Bond was given a briefcase with rouleaus of gold sovereigns sewn into the lining. How he was supposed to use them to buy things, remains a mystery.. imagine the scene in Asda
10 astatki – hidden: (D)IKTATSA(LREADY) rev.
11 telex – (PA)TE(NT) LEX. Youngsters might struggle with the concept of a telex, once the ruling method of supplying business intelligence. I well remember sitting in the RAC Club, feeling well-informed because of their telex output.. usually wrongly as it turned out
12 kilohertz – *(FOLK ZITHER), with the F(OLK) removed.
13 excudit – something to chew on = CUD, in retirement = EXIT
15 yakow – W(IFE) + OKAY, rev.
17 dosha – money = “the necessary” = DOSH + A(NSWER). Ayurvedic medicine is to real medicine, as astrology is to astronomy
18 sucky – capitals = U(PPER) C(ASE) in weather = SKY. Sucky is a slang Americanism. The sky is where weather tends to come from, but so do lots of things.. not an elegant clue
19 etyma – MY rev. in Homeric (ie Greek) character = ETA
20 insculp – IN(CHE)S, + L(ENGTH) + in trophy = CUP
23 yohimbine – look at me = YO, + the guy = HIM + climbing stem = BINE. The ODO says of yo: “used to greet someone, attract their attention, or express excitement…” – not by me though. On the face of it it seems to be another Americanism. I am aware that GW Bush used it, hardly a recommendation..
25 zimbi – M(ARKET) in I BIZ rev. Zimbi is an unusual word in that it defeats both Wikipedia and Google, though not Chambers (or Collins) which says it is: “a cowrie shell used as money”
27 vinasse – N + ASS in strive = VIE. Sugar after all the useful bits have been removed.
28 Imhotep Imhotep, from the 27th century BC, was a truly remarkable man, possibly the first person in all history who was recorded as being valued for his intelligence. I won’t insult him by parsing the clue, but ask if puzzled..
29 yacht club – a cape = AC in *(BUTCHLY).
Down
1 skanky – unknown = Y + talent’s = KNACK’s, without the Cand rev.
2 ecthlipsis – ECT + H + LIPS + IS. ECT remains a shameful blot on the medical landscape. To this day we still do it, a powerful electric current through the brain, without even the most basic idea of what we are actually doing to the most complex part of the body. Wikipedia says “Its mode of action is unknown.” Sometimes it works for a short while, and that is all the justification there is… not surprisingly, it is never done privately. There is a real scandal here, waiting to happen, hopefully sooner rather than later.. pseudoscience in spades
3 pitahaya – bread = PITA + cattle food = HAY + area = A. Pita was unfamiliar to me but is a US spelling of pitta, according to ODO. There seem to be more and more US spellings creeping unacknowledged into our crosswords
4 chirr – singers = CH(O)IR + R
5 breezeway – “BRIES” + “WEIGH,” to make another pure Americanism
6 fustoc – *(CUTS OF)
7 jell Joo joo EyebalL + L. Unusual to see the required letters spaced so far apart. Since “joo joo” is not in the OED or Chambers the clue seems a little laboured.
8 quixotry – doubt = QUERY, with the E replaced by TOXI(C)
14 dickcissel – LES + SICK + CID, all rev. Wrens and goldcrests must be relieved at having fared so much better in the naming department..
16 keepy-uppy – KEE(N) + Y(EARS) IN PUPPY. Keepy-uppy is a game all sorts can play
17 daidzein – I(SLAND) in cutter = ADZE, in row = DIN
18 salmonet – (legal) tender = MONE(Y) in sailor = SALT
21 ubiety – *(BUY TI(M)E)
22 reverb – well, I think this one is long note = BREVE + R, then all rev.
24 havoc – bible edition = AV in HOC. My Latin is rudimentary in the extreme but I did know “Hic, haec, hoc.”
26 mohr – short time = MO + hour = HR. “Mohr” defeats Wikipedia, but Chambers has it as an alternate for Mhorr. That is a species of African gazelle, the critically endangered Dama Gazelle. Another one for the ever-expanding list of gazelles, antelope and deer that crop up in crosswords..

Author: JerryW

I love The Times crosswords..

4 comments on “Club Monthly 20155 August 2013 – endangered species edition”

  1. I thought I’d have another stab at one of these – emboldened by Jerry’s comments – and was going along quite nicely for a while. As chance would have it, I had dragon fruit – the local word for pitahaya – after dinner tonight.

    Sky is in Collins as weather, so I’m happy with that clue (even if it’s usually used in the plural in that sense). Thanks, J, for the ones I couldn’t find via aids!

  2. I’ve only just got round to this: I’m a month behind. I’m even further behind on Mephisto: I just don’t have time for these things when I’m on holiday.
    This took me just over an hour, slowed down enormously by the fact that DOSHA isn’t in Chambers, which made me discount it completely. I don’t know why – perhaps just because it’s the reference for Mephisto and Azed, where the clues are similar – but I’ve always assumed that Chambers was the reference for these puzzles. Clearly an incorrect assumption!
    1. I know just what you mean keriothe.. I seldom have time for Mephisto these days. So far as I know, The (weekday) Times will not tie itself down to specific dictionaries beyond saying that they do use the Concise Oxford and Collins. But many definitions do appear to be lifted straight from ODO. Dosha is in ODO..
      1. Ironically I do usually find the time for them, but only when I’m working. My job involves a lot of travel, which in turn involves a lot of dead time in aeroplanes.

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