Here’s the link to today’s puzzle currently missing from the Times button: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20140630/195/
This is Flamande’s 8th puzzle and after his (?) first three I had him down as one of the more demanding setters. However, either I have got used to him or he’s reined things in a bit without becoming too easy, and this very enjoyable offering took me 11 minutes
Across |
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1 | Boat Race competitor, argumentative sort (5) |
ROWER – Two definitions, two pronunciations | |
4 | Think bishop and priest should accompany first lady (7) |
BELIEVE – B (bishop), ELI (priest), EVE (first lady, allegedly created from Adam’s rib). Eli, the priest who teaches Samuel in the Book of Samuel, is worth remembering as he crops up quite a lot in cryptic puzzles. | |
8 | Old man swallows an excellent type of medicine? (7) |
PANACEA – PA (old man) encloses [swallows] AN + ACE (excellent) | |
9 | Outstanding victory secured by own goal (5) |
OWING – WIN (victory) is enclosed [secured] by OG (own goal) | |
10 | Lots of people know that present CEO has become corrupt (4,6) |
OPEN SECRET – PRESENT CEO is given the anagram treatment [has become corrupt] | |
14 | Healthy drink team in anger knocked back (6) |
ELIXIR – XI (team) in RILE (anger) reversed [knocked back]. This is interesting and a little unusual as depending on which ‘I’ is taken to belong to ‘XI’ the reversal can be applied just to RILE or to the whole thing, thus: ELI (XI) R or EL (IX) IR. A recent clue in the main puzzle actually incorporated a similar alternative parsing into its wording; something I had never seen before. I note we could have had that priest again here! | |
15 | Fruity part in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? (6) |
QUINCE – references to the fruit and to Peter Quince, the carpenter in Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ | |
17 | Foreign currency I obtained in French airport normally (10) |
ORDINARILY – DINAR (foreign currency, used in several North African and ME countries) + I inside ORLY (French airport) | |
20 | Skimpy garment sported in marathon generally (5) |
THONG – Hidden inside maraTHON Generally | |
22 | Serve first part of dinner, I yell (4,3) |
DISH OUT – D |
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23 | Irish county visited by girl (7) |
DONEGAL – DONE (visited, as a tourist may ‘do’ somewhere), GAL (girl) | |
24 | Recalled US university runs a sort of race (5) |
RELAY – YALE (US university), R (runs, in cricket) all reversed [recalled] | |
Down |
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1 | Rhubarb not initially ready for eating (4) |
RIPE – |
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2 | We hear farm wagon lose power (4) |
WANE – Sounds like [we hear] ‘wain’ (farm wagon). ‘Wain’ is not a word used much these days but it’s still known with reference to the John Constable’s famous painting ‘The Hay Wain’ | |
3 | First class wedding meal? (9) |
RECEPTION – Two definitions, the infant school class and the wedding do | |
4 | Bright start to break? Drizzly afterwards (6) |
BRAINY – B |
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5 | Fellow the French love (3) |
LEO – LE (the, French), 0 (love, zero in tennis) | |
6 | One settling elsewhere – German, it turned out (8) |
EMIGRANT – Anagram [turned out] of GERMAN IT | |
7 | A round number? (8) |
EIGHTEEN – Cryptic definition, the number of holes in a round of golf | |
11 | Egalitarian’s goal, maybe, removing crown from real squire in revolution (9) |
EQUALISER – Anagram [in revolution] of |
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12 | Passed on the left in grass (8) |
REPORTED – PORT (left, in naval jargon) inside REED (grass) | |
13 | Gale subsided – relax (4,4) |
WIND DOWN – WIND (gale, but pronounced ‘wined’), DOWN (subsided) | |
16 | Newly-wed’s free to take part in brief dance (6) |
BRIDAL – RID (free) inside BAL |
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18 | Excessively large implement (4) |
TOOL – TOO (excessively), L (large) | |
19 | Don’t move, guy (4) |
STAY – Two definitions, the second referring to a ‘guy rope’ or ‘stay’ which supports a vertical structure such as a flagpole or a tent | |
21 | Ultimately I’ll leave musical concert (3) |
GIG – GIG |
Favourite today DISH OUT.
Susie
Thanks jacket, today’s blog was particularly informative. It helps me understand the answers better when the blogger includes the whole clue in the explanation. Also, I particularly relished the fuller explanations as I often need them to understand where the answers come from!
Well done fellow novices who are making progress and condolences to the anonymous person who says they won’t bother any more. Speaking from experience, it does get better if you can afford the time.