How exciting – a new setter! A big welcome to Bubbles.
A very enjoyable debut puzzle from Bubbles. I didn’t have too much trouble apart from a few inexplicable hold-ups such as for the not very difficult 14d. Four homophones, none of which I thought were very controversial. I finished in 10:12 but should have been a bit speedier.
Thanks and look forward to more from Bubbles.
Definitions underlined in bold, deletions marked by strikethrough.
| Across | |
| 1 | Beg to be included among Jobcentre attendees (7) |
| ENTREAT – Hidden (‘to be included among’) ‘JobcENTRE ATtendees’ | |
| 5 | Look to carry on in recession (4) |
| PEEK -Reversal (‘in recession’) of KEEP (‘to carry on’)
Possibilities from the P_E_ entered by crossers were the usual suspects for ‘look’ of peek, peer and peep, with the first coming up trumps. |
|
| 7 | I triumphed in broadcast (3) |
| ONE – Homophone (‘in broadcast’) of ‘triumphed’= WON
ONE for ‘I’ as either the Roman number, or when used in a formal, archaic sense as the first person singular subject pronoun. |
|
| 8 | Scoff at bear repeatedly (4-4) |
| POOH-POOH – Winnie the POOH (‘bear’) and again POOH (‘repeatedly’) | |
| 10 | Poem about the cinema (5) |
| ODEON – ODE (‘Poem’) ON (‘about’) | |
| 11 | Bishop and I plugging nobleman’s sparkling water (7) |
| PERRIER – RR (‘Bishop’) I (‘I’) contained in (‘plugging’) PEER (‘nobleman’)
Very appropriate for our new setter. I wonder if a similarly effervescent clue for each puzzle will become a Bubbles trademark. A brand name – tut, tut – but seen commonly enough nowadays in Times puzzles. RR is an abbreviation for Right Reverend, another term used for a Bishop in the Roman Catholic or Anglican Church. |
|
| 13 | Broadcast by single politician causes damage (6) |
| IMPAIR – AIR (‘Broadcast’) preceded by (‘by’) I (‘single’) MP (‘politician’)
‘Broadcast’ not used as a homophone indicator here. I parsed this with ‘(to) damage’ as the def, as ’causes damage’ doesn’t fit the wordplay and would suggest the answer should be IMPAIRS. There may be a better explanation. |
|
| 15 | A place to go for moles? (6) |
| AGENTS – A (‘A’) GENTS (‘place to go’)
No, nothing to do with a furry creature’s habitation; ‘moles?’ as a definition by example for “spies”. A ‘place to go’ in the sense of “a place to urinate”, a crossword chestnut. |
|
| 17 | Curse I heard after returning as it happens (4,3) |
| EVIL EYE – Homophone (‘heard’) of ‘I’= EYE following (‘after’) a reversal (‘returning’) of LIVE (‘as it happens’) = EVIL | |
| 18 | Some exile murdering a Madagascan native (5) |
| LEMUR – Hidden (‘Some’) in ‘exiLE MURdering’ | |
| 20 | Obese top celebrities: one accepting of his lot? (8) |
| FATALIST – FAT (‘Obese’) A LIST (‘top celebrities’) | |
| 22 | Turning tail, sailor is a traitor (3) |
| RAT – Reversal (‘turning tail) of TAR (‘sailor’) | |
| 23 | What cat does in street (4) |
| MEWS – Double definition, the first a non-cryptic hint
I thought of MEWS as more of a yard but the ODE and Collins both have ‘street’ as part of the definition. |
|
| 24 | Backing inexperienced leader, an explosive sort (7) |
| WARHEAD – Reversal (‘Backing’) of RAW (‘inexperienced’) = WAR then HEAD (‘leader’) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Cut expenditure — on comedies possibly (10) |
| ECONOMISED – Anagram (‘possibly’) of ON COMEDIES
Looks like it’s been happening quite a lot recently. |
|
| 2 | Article about yours truly making comeback? That’s an idea! (5) |
| THEME – THE (‘Article’) containing (‘about’) a reversal (‘making comeback?’) of ME (‘yours truly’) = EM
A theme as a recurring idea. Can’t see one in today’s crossword. |
|
| 3 | Dear wife no longer brooding (9) |
| EXPENSIVE – EX (‘wife no longer’) PENSIVE (‘brooding’) | |
| 4 | Acting companies on tour, did you say? Or soldiers? (6) |
| TROOPS – Homophone (‘did you say?’) of TROUPES (‘Acting companies’) | |
| 5 | Little dog running up and down (3) |
| PUP – Palindrome = the same word reversed (‘running up and down’) in a down clue | |
| 6 | Eastern nation upset rival to boy at Harrow? (7) |
| ETONIAN – E (‘Eastern’) then anagram (‘upset’) of NATION | |
| 9 | Disappointed engineer trusted RAF (10) |
| FRUSTRATED – Anagram (‘engineer’) of TRUSTED RAF | |
| 12 | One in charge of large tour abroad (9) |
| REGULATOR – Anagram (‘abroad’) of LARGE TOUR | |
| 14 | Soldier being discreet (7) |
| PRIVATE – Double definition | |
| 16 | Look back at satirical show on radio (6) |
| REVIEW – Homophone (‘on radio’) of REVUE (‘satirical show’) | |
| 19 | Detective Inspector, horny creature having change of heart (5) |
| MORSE – MOOSE (‘horny creature’) with the middle letter O replaced by R (‘having change of heart’)
No indication as to what the ‘change of heart’ letter should be, but not difficult to work out. |
|
| 21 | Girl losing her head, the idiot (3) |
| ASS – |
|
I was heading for (me) a swift 20 min finish but nobbled by Agents. Couldn’t parse Peek, so thanks BR.
COD Fatalist – made me grin
I do hope bubbles has some connection with the mighty Euro-glory hunting Hammers ⚒️
24:32
Nothing too tricky but a long hold up for PEEK and had WARLORD for 24ac which held me up for 5 minutes before I realised the DI was MORSE and I finally got LOI WARHEAD.
17 minute DNF ☹️☹️☹️
So yet another week blown. Why am I not surprised?
A dire performance for 2 reasons.
First, I put PEER rather than PEEK – an unforgivable mistake in my book, caused by trying to get a good time. I knew it didn’t parse but was too time-focused to stop and think. When will I learn?
Second, my LOI (AGENTS) took 7 minutes. That’s the second day in a row I’ve been held up like that, and demonstrates my severe limitations as a solver.
This was the easiest QC I’ve seen in ages and I should have achieved something under 15 minutes today. Instead it’s an ugly and dispiriting failure, so you’ll forgive me if I’m not in the frame of mind to join in the general bonhomie.
I take nothing positive from today and feel embarrassed at my inability to finish this one.
Thanks for the blog BR and well done to those of you who had a good time today. I’ve forgotten what that feels like.
Dear Mr A,
I’m currently running a day behind, so I have only just tackled Bubbles’ QC.
Hard luck on your (very) fast DNF. However, I doubt you’d have wanted to swap places with me. I finished successfully, …. but in 59 minutes. Ridiculously slow. Mrs R rubbed the salt in with her time of 12 minutes.
At least you completed it, Mr R! That beats a DNF, however long it took, so credit to you for your perseverance.
Huge congratulations to Mrs R. An excellent time. 👏👏👏👏👏
Welcome Bubbles. You beat me this time but I look forward to a return match.
COD AGENTS.
According to Collins online dictionary won and one sound the same.
Oh dear! I’m a day late and pretty much the only slow time here. All correct in 59 minutes, which is around twice my usual time these days.
Almost nothing went in on my first pass and I finished with AGENTS, EXPENSIVE and IMPAIR.
Many thanks to Bubbles and BR.