Filling in for Cedric this week as he swans about the globe, and he was kind enough to leave me with quite a manageable offering from Asp. I say that on the basis that I did it pre-coffee in around my median time, and on review I can’t see anything too alarming.
I look forward to reading your thoughts on it. And importantly, if late in the day we’re still talking about the crossword then it means we’ve had a seamless transition to the new hosting site. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Johninterred and others for the work they’ve done on this.
(In the clues, definitions are underlined and anagram indicators are in bold italics. In the explanations (ABC)* indicates an anagram of abc. Deletions and other devices are indicated accordingly, I hope).
| Across | |
| 1 | Idly, I cut off ability to think clearly (8) |
| LUCIDITY – (IDLY I CUT)* | |
| 5 | Assist Elizabeth to some extent (4) |
| ABET – Hidden (to some extent) in elizABETh | |
| 8 | Horrible to leave me filled with regrets (8) |
| GRUESOME – GO (leave) + ME “filled with” RUES (regrets) | |
| 9 | Banned university club making a comeback (4) |
| TABU – [U (university) + BAT (club)] reversed (making a comeback)
More commonly rendered as taboo these days. Apparently the tabu spelling reflects the word’s Tongan origins. |
|
| 11 | Show disapproval: it set back everyone playing (5) |
| TUTTI – TUT (show disapproval) + TI [IT reversed (set back)]
Italian for “all” or “the whole lot” but specifically used in music to indicate that everyone (the whole choir, orchestra, cast, whatever) is involved. |
|
| 12 | Uncouth learner is hard to keep out (7) |
| LOUTISH – L (learner) + IS + H (hard) “to keep” OUT | |
| 13 | Put right tune on Queen record (6) |
| REPAIR – AIR (tune) on [R (Queen) + EP (record)]
R stands for Regina, latin for queen. As it does for Rex, latin for king. |
|
| 15 | Neglect to illegally copy contract in the end (6) |
| FORGET – FORGE (illegally copy) + T [last letter (in the end) of contracT] | |
| 18 | Idle act mangled speech (7) |
| DIALECT – (IDLE ACT)* | |
| 19 | Unfashionable party cap (5) |
| OUTDO – OUT (unfashionable) + DO (party)
Cap as in to surpass or outperform. |
|
| 21 | Wickedness, as it happens, is returning (4) |
| EVIL – LIVE (as it happens) reversed (is returning) | |
| 22 | Complaint by senior teacher lacking in empathy (4,4) |
| HEAD COLD – HEAD (senior teacher) + COLD (lacking in empathy) | |
| 23 | Herb dip to go with last of meze (4) |
| SAGE – SAG (dip) + E (last of mezE) | |
| 24 | Lock up mischievous child with wrong irons (8) |
| IMPRISON – IMP (mischievous child) + (IRONS)* | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Less serious match? (7) |
| LIGHTER – Double definition
The question mark for match is there because it’s a DBE (definition by example) |
|
| 2 | Nobleman is important briefly (5) |
| COUNT – COUNT |
|
| 3 | Passed round whisky for one feeling down (10) |
| DISPIRITED – DIED (passed) round SPIRIT (whisky for one)
“for one” because it’s an example of a spirit. |
|
| 4 | Acrobat scratching bottom in awkward fall (6) |
| TUMBLE – TUMBLE |
|
| 6 | Reporter’s revealing attitude (7) |
| BEARING – Homophone (reporter’s) of BARING (revealing) | |
| 7 | Come into contact with tip of trident? That hurt! (5) |
| TOUCH – T [first letter (tip) of Touch] + OUCH (that hurt!) | |
| 10 | Not working and disorganised: unacceptable (3,2,5) |
| OUT OF ORDER – Triple definition
Ah, the nuances of the English language. |
|
| 14 | Quietly putting down orchestra’s performance? (7) |
| PLAYING – P (quietly) + LAYING (putting down)
P = Piano = soft or quietly in musical notation. |
|
| 16 | Trampled rodent running round bottom of bed (7) |
| TRODDEN – (RODENT)* round D [last letter (bottom) of beD] | |
| 17 | Type of power harnessing river current (6) |
| STREAM – STEAM (type of power) “harnessing” R (river) | |
| 18 | Compulsion to remove uniform clothing (5) |
| DRESS – DURESS (compulsion) to remove U (uniform) | |
| 20 | Implements terms officials offered loan sharks originally (5) |
| TOOLS – First letters (originally) of Terms Officials Offered Loan Sharks
A verb in the wordplay becomes a noun in the solution. |
|
5:38
Straightforward.
It should have been easier, but I was slow to see obvious ones like head cold and lighter. But it is very helpful when answers like gruesome pop into your brain unbidden. I put several wrong biffs for 1 across, and then waited for crossers, so it was nearly my LOI.
Time: 7:55
My thanks Galspray for taking this on for me: I can just about manage a comment on my phone while travelling, but a full blog would have been too much. Even without the change of blogging procedures brought about by the new crossword style.
And yes, Asp in more friendly mood than sometimes. A 10:57 finish, though I failed to parse LOI GRUESOME, and wondered a bit about HEAD COLD – is this a term, is it just what I call a cold? COD to SAGE for the very smooth surface.
Renewed thanks, and a good weekend to all.
13 minutes, delayed a little by HEAD COLD although I have heard the expression.
34:47 (average: 38, target 31)
I thought this was a really nice puzzle with a good mixture of standards. Initially thought I was going to finish under 20, but the last three TABU, GRUESOME and DISPIRITED took the rest of the time. For TABU I’d never seen it spelt like that before and the other two had some trickier wordplay. DISPIRITED was my COD for its clever misdirection on “whisky for one” which is a perfect lesson in wordplay to get from a QC. Really enjoyed this one.
Thanks Galspray, Johninterred (for hopefully my last 500) and Asp.
10:30. No problems.
LOI the second word in HEAD COLD. I’ve heard this expression, but what’s the point of the HEAD modifier? You can’t get a COLD anywhere else. What next, “mouth toothache”?
It’s a bit like horse back riding….
And eye glasses
A steady solve with my only issue being an inability to parse BEARING as I couldn’t figure out what ‘reporter’ was doing in the clue.
Started with ABET and finished with DISPIRITED in 8.14.
Thanks to Galspray and Asp
10 minutes for an easier than usual Asp. Slower than it should have been but I wasn’t too fussed. My dear old Mum was very particular about her COLD(s) – HEAD, chest or if it was a really bad one, both at once – so no problems with that as a term.
I liked the ‘Reporter’s revealing attitude’ and our poor old ‘Trampled rodent’ friend running around in the bedroom.
Thanks to Asp and galspray
A chest cold? yes – best avoided at all times…
Heading toward first sub 10 — then DISPIRITED we were –for embarrassingly long.
Thank you ASP and GALSPRAY – and today, thanks are especially directed to John Interred.
Biffed COUNT thanks Galspray for the clarity. Middling difficulty for me. No sting in the tail, but certainly felt squeezed.
Thanks Galspray and Asp. Will try to post without another 500 error.
I seem to be in the minority today, as I struggled with this one, landing well inside the SCC when I entered the last answer. In retrospect, there was nothing overly challenging in the clues, but I guess I was on a different wavelength today.
Pi ❤️
Lovely offering from Asp. Sadly my own head cold seems to have slowed the little grey cells. The TUTTI/DISPIRITTED crossing took way too long and pushed me into the SCC to enjoy a leisurely coffee.
16 mins…
A fairly easy puzzle from Asp considering some of the previous offerings. Only real debate was 9ac “Tabu” and working out 22ac “Head Cold”.
FOI – 7dn “Touch”
LOI – 22ac “Head Cold”
COD – 3dn “Dispirited”
Thanks as usual!
DNF TABU (not seen that spelling) and the COLD part of HEAD.
Liked many inc GRUESOME, PLAYING, DISPIRITED, LOUTISH.
Thanks vm, Galspray.
And indeed to our hero John.
Like Pi, I was on a different wavelength today. Not unusual for this setter; I was deep into the SCC for most earlier Asp offerings. I’m afraid I just don’t get on with his style.
At least I avoided the SCC for this one and would have had a better time if I had not been delayed by BEARING, LOUTISH, and my LOI FORGET. I don’t know why – they are not tough clues.
I enjoyed LUCIDITY, GRUESOME and TUTTI but was frustrated by my slowness.
Thanks to both.
Many thanks to JohnI (and others) for sorting out the move to the new hosting site. Much appreciated. Fingers crossed!
Well and truly stung by Asp today taking 53 minutes for a DNF: could not solve TABU and it’s not a spelling I’ve ever seen.
DISPIRITED, GRUESOME, BEARING, LOUTISH and FORGET all gave me trouble too so perhaps I’m off form today although I solved many others on the first pass.
COD to TUTTI which I rather enjoyed.
Thanks ASP and Galspray.
Reasonably quick (for me) on the east side followed by the south west. North West was a bit sparse. 19 in all.
Thanks A and G
7:58
Fairly plain sailing until the last three disconnected answers – FORGET fell first, followed by HEAD COLD, then finally DISPIRITED.
Regarding HEAD COLD, in my first job out of school, I worked in the equivalent of HR for the civil service. One of my tasks was to apply paper sick notes to personnel files. My impression was that, for those serially sick, to avoid writing the same complaint on each note, it was important to embellish, so ‘cold’ becomes ‘head cold’, ‘headache’ becomes ‘migraine’, and ‘stomach upset’ is upgraded to ‘gastroenteritis’. I did also see ‘churchyard cough’ appear, but sadly no ‘Montezuma’s revenge’ or ‘Inca quickstep’.
Thanks Galspray and Asp
Very excited about the migration; many thanks indeed to John and others for slaying the Error 500 beast.
Nice easy puzzle which is just as well after a rather interrupted night. Plenty of espresso to compensate though. I did enjoy the acrobat’s bottom and the whisky which wasn’t W, but COD to the trampled rodent.
All done in 06:02 for a Very Good Day. Many thanks Asp and super-sub gallers.
A bit sluggish today possibly caused by the relocation from home to the holiday cottage in Skipton and a convivial session in the site clubhouse. COUNT (which I was out for until quite late this morning) was FOI. DISPIRITED brought up the rear. 9:34. Thanks Asp and Galspray.
12.06 Mostly straightforward but I spent five minutes at the end on FORGET and BEARING. Thanks galspray and Asp.
Well, we can ponder the whereabouts of flying pigs later, but this was the first time I’ve thoroughly enjoyed an Asp puzzle. The sub-20 might have had something to do with it, but I also thought the clues were well pitched, with just a smattering of rabbit holes – it seemed churlish not to explore Lucifer for 1d, and Tabu looked odd, but otherwise plain sailing.
CoD to loi Dispirited, in a strong field. Invariant
9:57 for the solve. About a minute and a half at the end starting at the DISPIRITED checkers.
Asp has come in for criticism in the past for failing to please many here and while one or two above have struggled, I felt this was a good offering and hit the spot perfectly. Couldn’t really see what was brief about COUNT(s) because if you count, you matter/are important. COD to TUMBLEr scratching their bottom.
I’m sure I saw TABU only a couple of months back on here but perhaps it wasn’t a QC. Search engine says “No”.
Parksolve coming in at 32:26. Opening km of 4:11. Opening clue was LbOI.
Thanks to Galspray and Asp.
I think it’s just that the word COUNT (nobleman) is shorter in length than COUNTS (is important).
An entertaining puzzle that amused me for 15:04. LUCIDITY should have been a write-in but I didn’t have any. Stumbled on HEAD COLD, LOUTISH, GRUESOME, and TUTTI. I seem to be in backwards mode today, getting the wrong end of the clue whenever possible. It’s a good thing I didn’t need to know what “meze” means. DIALECT my favorite.
Thanks to Asp and galspray.
Edit: heavens, no 500, are we already migrated? A thousand thanks to John!
No complaints from me. A perfectly good QC done in 8:01. DISPIRITED was LOI: a neat clue and, as Templar suggested, good not to have the more usual W for whisky.
And many thanks to those who worked on the site migration.
14:23 MER at Tabu anthropological Bearing sums up my troubles. Tabu not listed in Collins except as alternative (Tongan thanks G) spelling under taboo. Ho hum has a bit of the ibidems about it…imho
Ta GAA
6.12.
I’ve managed to sort out the grid problem by signing into the Club site separately from the main site – more proof (were any required) that the Times app is barely fit for purpose.
The puzzle was mostly straightforward.
FOI LUCIDITY
LOI DISPIRITED
COD HEAD COLD
TIME 4:31
6.03
GRUESOME was nice (if you know what I mean)
Thanks Asp/Gallers and of course John. I can only imagine the time/work needed.
Slow but steady for me, an enjoyable plod as there were no lengthy holdups. Thanks to Asp and galspray.