This was a straightforward puzzle with only a couple of non-standard bits of vocab, specifically 1A and 19A. There are plenty of charades in the clues – a charade is where the answer is built up from two or more parts added together, e.g. 9A, 10A, 12A, etc. I wasn’t particularly moved by any of the surfaces, but I appreciate that pleasing surfaces aren’t necessarily high on many solvers’ list of requirements.
Definitions are underlined.
[A note for other Quicky bloggers – I was able to find today’s puzzle in advance without too much trouble. Last week’s puzzles had a URL number mainly around 1550 and the week before around 1220, so I crossed my fingers and guessed that I needn’t start looking for this one before around 1880. OK, it still took me until 1966 to find it, but that’s not much searching compared to previous weeks. Of course this could simply be down to good luck and there may be random leaps in the future …]
[Edit: I can’t currently access this puzzle from the Times website so if you’re having the same problem then the link is http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20150330/1966/]
| Across | |
| 1 | After meal recirculated Port Said plan (12) |
| POSTPRANDIAL – anagram (recirculated) of PORT SAID PLAN. This is the kind of word that I can’t imagine anyone ever using except in a medical or jocular sense. | |
| 8 | Attempt to contain resistance is of limited duration (5) |
| SHORT – SHOT (Attempt, as in “I’ll give it a shot”) around (to contain) R (resistance) | |
| 9 | Opposed to introduction of agreed profits before time (7) |
| AGAINST – A (introduction of agreed, i.e. the first letter of “agreed”) + GAINS (profits) + T (time) | |
| 10 | Unacceptable charge for going away (7) |
| OUTWARD – OUT (Unacceptable) + WARD (charge, in the sense of guardianship) | |
| 11 | Recall some sledges, retorts, abrupt (5) |
| TERSE – hidden reversed (Recall some) in sledgES RETorts | |
| 12 | English like the Italian boy ultimately without difficulty (6) |
| EASILY – E (English) + AS (like) + IL (the Italian, i.e. a word for “the” in Italian) + Y (boy ultimately, i.e. the last letter of boy). That’s a lot of pieces of wordplay for a 6-letter word. | |
| 14 | Cheerful as pub refurbished, adding seats internally (6) |
| UPBEAT – anagram (refurbished) of PUB, + EAT (seats internally, i.e. the letters inside “seats”) | |
| 17 | On return steal one’s man? (5) |
| BORIS – reversal (On return) of ROB (steal), + IS (one’s) | |
| 19 | Song about ungentlemanly guy in rural setting? (7) |
| ARCADIA – ARIA (Song) around (about) CAD (ungentlemanly guy), for an idealised region where a blissful pastoral lifestyle can be followed. The concept derives from the eponymous Greek province and has been a popular artistic subject for centuries, e.g. Poussin’s painting Et in Arcadia ego (which inspired the name of the Duran Duran side project that gave us Election Day.) | |
| 21 | Quiet home doubly good greatly admired (7) |
| SHINING – SH (Quiet) + ININ (home doubly, i.e. “in” twice) + G (good) | |
| 22 | Embarrassing display noticed, we’re told (5) |
| SCENE – homophone (we’re told) of SEEN (noticed) | |
| 23 | Being knowledgeable, remind fellow going wrong (4-8) |
| WELL-INFORMED – anagram (going wrong) of REMIND FELLOW. This was clued in almost exactly the same way in the Guardian a week ago via: “Being knowledgeable, remind fellow that is distracted” | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Awful pass, note: footballer George over the hill? (4,4,4) |
| PAST ONES BEST – anagram (Awful) of PASS NOTE, + BEST (footballer George, i.e. the late Man Utd and Northern Ireland footballer George Best) | |
| 2 | Starts to sense trouble, objections, about the weasel-like mammal (5) |
| STOAT – initial letters (Starts) of Sense Trouble Objections About The | |
| 3 | Become tiresome about computers following unexpected difficulty (7) |
| PITFALL – PALL (Become tiresome), around (about) IT (computers) + F (following). I think that “pall” perhaps deserves a place on the list of non-standard vocab used in this puzzle, however between the definition, checkers, and the rest of the wordplay there aren’t really any other options for the overall answer. | |
| 4 | Mother turns up with article for girl (6) |
| AMANDA – reversal (turns up) of MA (Mother), + AND (with) + A (article) | |
| 5 | Doctor brought over a paper – preliminary outline (5) |
| DRAFT – DR (Doctor) + A + FT (paper, i.e. Financial Times) | |
| 6 | After beginning of August change entire course (7) |
| AINTREE – A (beginning of August) + anagram (change) of ENTIRE, for the racecourse perhaps best known for hosting the Grand National steeplechase. | |
| 7 | Ways a teacher is far superior (7,5) |
| STREETS AHEAD – STREETS (Ways) + A + HEAD (teacher). This was clued similarly in Quicky 137 last September via: “Vastly superior ways shown by a school principal” | |
| 13 | Act of worship where sermon’s half missed out – quite a failing! (7) |
| SERVICE – SER (sermon’s half missed out, i.e. just the first half of “sermon”) + VICE (quite a failing) | |
| 15 | Artist in biopic as son (7) |
| PICASSO – hidden (in) in bioPIC AS SOn | |
| 16 | Prohibition ended, almost? Exactly right! (4,2) |
| BANG ON – BAN (Prohibition) + GON (ended, almost, i.e. “gone” without its final letter) | |
| 18 | Salesman’s talk, special, that is lame principally (5) |
| SPIEL – SP (special) + IE (that is) + L (lame principally, i.e. the first letter of “lame”) | |
| 20 | Cherished hope of daughter in relation to time before midday (5) |
| DREAM – D (daughter) + RE (in relation to) + AM (time before midday) | |
Edited at 2015-03-30 11:31 am (UTC)
Eventually abandonned it and finally got 21ac, and then, Bang, got it.
I couldn’t find Friday’s Quickie blog. I only mention it because I missed it and I know how sometimes the guys putting in all the effort don’t realise how much we neophytes value it.