Time: 13:45
A bit harder than usual for Teazel and I struggled to get going.
The answer to 2d described my (e)state well as I started this crossword. An enjoyable solve which was tricky enough to make me feel more up to speed at the end.
Thanks to Teazel
Definitions underlined in bold, deletions and letters in wordplay not occurring in answer indicated by strikethrough.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 7 | Relative from America coming into a little money (6) |
| COUSIN – US (‘America’) contained in (‘coming into’) COIN (‘a little money’) | |
| 8 | European country’s condition (6) |
| ESTATE – E (‘European’) STATE (‘country’)
Entered from wordplay, not definition. I couldn’t think of ESTATE for ‘condition’ so had to look it up for the blog. In Oxford Dictionaries, this sense of ESTATE is noted as “ARCHAIC or LITERARY A particular, state, period or condition in life” with the example given being “the holy estate of matrimony”. Recognisable and not too obscure. |
|
| 9 | Legal transaction restraining remarkable achievement is frustrated (8) |
| DEFEATED – DEED (‘Legal transaction’) containing (‘restraining’) FEAT (‘remarkable achievement’) | |
| 10 | Ring put down to be returned (4) |
| DIAL – A reversal (‘to be returned’) of LAID (‘put down’) | |
| 11 | Pair of female creatures get a bit wet (6) |
| DAMPEN – DAM and PEN (‘Pair of female creatures’)
PEN for a female swan. |
|
| 13 | Mostly unaccompanied beginning to get forward (5) |
| ALONG – ALON |
|
| 14 | Short cloak and headgear (3) |
| CAP –CAP |
|
| 15 | Beat, plus wild energy (5) |
| PULSE – Anagram (‘wild’) of PLUS then E (‘energy’) | |
| 17 | Opening to pacify angry robber (6) |
| PIRATE – P |
|
| 19 | I don’t know the answer, but get through exam (4) |
| PASS – Double definition | |
| 20 | Predict crest of a wave (8) |
| FORECAST – Anagram (‘wave’) of CREST OF A
Simple but effective, with a novel anagram indicator which I don’t remember seeing before. |
|
| 22 | A horse falling off the boat? (6) |
| ASHORE – Anagram (‘falling’) of A HORSE | |
| 23 | New weapon is limited (6) |
| NARROW – N (‘New’) ARROW (‘weapon’) | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Nothing to like particularly (4) |
| LOVE – Double definition | |
| 2 | A small piece of fruit skin lifted out (6) |
| ASLEEP – A (‘A’) S (‘small’) LEEP, a reversal (‘lifted’) of PEEL (‘piece of fruit skin’)
One up to Teazel for hiding the def so well. Looks nice and simple now but this fooled me and was my COD. |
|
| 3 | Popular position, for example (8) |
| INSTANCE – IN (‘Popular’) STANCE (‘position’) | |
| 4 | In part of garden, a tiny ball (4) |
| BEAD – A (‘a’) contained in (‘in’) BED (‘part of garden’) | |
| 5 | Boss with one old workshop (6) |
| STUDIO – STUD (‘boss’) I (‘one’) O (‘old’) | |
| 6 | Direct view taking in paintings upside-down (8) |
| STRAIGHT – SIGHT (‘view’) containing (‘taking in’) TRA, a reversal (‘upside-down’) of ART (‘paintings’) | |
| 12 | Appreciation of a seal pup swimming (8) |
| APPLAUSE – Anagram (‘swimming’) of A SEAL PUP | |
| 13 | Like some heirs to be easily understood (8) |
| APPARENT – Cryptic hint as in the term “heir apparent”
As intended, I spent a while wondering how an ‘heir’ could be a PARENT. |
|
| 16 | What may help some clueless ones? (6) |
| LESSON – Hidden (‘some’) in Very good; you could argue either for just ‘What may help’ or the whole clue (a partial &lit) as the definition. |
|
| 18 | String again in unprecedented quantity? (6) |
| RECORD – RE(-)CORD (‘String again’)
CORD here as a verb; a link with BEAD at 4d. |
|
| 20 | Illness mentioned, left the ground (4) |
| FLEW – Aural wordplay (‘mentioned’) of FLU (‘Illness’) | |
| 21 | Appear musical, for one (4) |
| SHOW – Double definition, the second a definition by example | |
A pretty tough and slow 16:42 for us. That meaning of ESTATE felt like an unknown – thank you, BR, for the familiar example. Thanks also for the parsing of BEAD, our LOI because we couldn’t see how it worked. COD to ASLEEP with its well hidden definition. Thank you, Teazel.
Maybe because I’ve just driven home for an hour in thick mist, but my vision was particularly clear here and found it straightforward in just under 7 minutes. There were a number of vague anagram indicators and definitions that I thought marginal, but I have come to learn that this is to be expected in virtually every Times crossword, and you have to accept that and get on with it. One person’s NHO is another’s write-in.
Failed on ‘None’ for LOVE, ‘Recede’ for RECORD, therefore did not get NARROW, and saved up SHOW in case it was ‘Solo’. So sad not to complete, I do like toughy old Teazel!
18 minute DNF.
Put SEED for BEAD. How the rest of you all saw the correct answer is beyond me.
3 short on 15 x 15. No doubt it was easy for most.
Totally fed up with these constant failures. I cannot make any progress with this no matter how hard I try.
That’s another week in the dustbin. All that practice and I remain incapable of solving a week’s worth of QCs!
I was pretty attached to SEED for BEAD too!
Glad it wasn’t just me. It did fit (sort of).