Saturday Times 24275 (11th July)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time 6:59 – I wish! I was solving this from the paper while enjoying a pint last Saturday, and stopped the clock to refresh my glass. When I got back I forgot to restart it. Actual time probably 15 minutes, give or take. Unusually, the two long across answers were pretty much the last two to go in, and the two long downs had to wait for plenty of checking letters too.

Across
1 SPOUSE – OPS rev. + USE
4 SCAVENGE – ENG inside S, CAVE (French for cellar)
10 WHITE VAN MAN – VAN inside WHITE + MAN
11 NUT – double def. NUT = National Union of Teachers.
12 RED ARMY – D in REAR + MY.
14 FOOTAGE – O TAG inside FOE
15 GREEN-FIELD SITE – this refers to Henry V, where on his deathbed Falstaff “babbled of green fields”.
17 EMILY DICKINSON – L(ine) inside (ink my decision)*. One I couldn’t make head or tail of until all the checking letters were in.
21 SLIMMER – L in SIMMER.
22 REVENUE – EU NEVER reversed.
23 AUK – A + UK
24 SHED LIGHT ON – double def, sort of. Good clue.
26 ENTOMBED – (men to)* + BED, &lit although it doesn’t really work as such.
27 HERMIT – HER MIT(t)

Down
1 SEWERAGE – EWER in SAGE
2 OBI – first letters of “on back? It’s”.
3 SWEAR IN – WE in SARIN
5 COME FULL CIRCLE – CIRCLE being one of the London underground lines.
6 VENDORS – V(ery) + ENDORS(e)
7 NON-PARTISAN – (as inn patron)*
8 ESTHER – (the res)* [ Right answer, wrong reason. Actually hidden in “eclipsES THE Rest”, which I didn’t spot at all. Thanks to Mr. Anonymous.]
9 LADY WINDERMERE – (lawyer reminded her)*
13 DREAM TICKET – DREAMT + (w)ICKET. The same answer appeared in last week’s Jumbo too.
16 INTERNET – INTERNE(e) + T(ime)
18 LUMP SUM – ‘UMPS inside LUM (chimney)
19 IN VOGUE – INVOICE with IC replaced by GU.
20 ESCAPE – double definition.
25 TOM – TO (almost closed) + M(otorway).

12 comments on “Saturday Times 24275 (11th July)”

  1. 45 minutes. I now have to go back two weeks to Saturday 4th, to find a puzzle I solved in under 30 minutes, but at least I completed this one correctly and without resort to aids of any sort.
    1. “Some film of enemy containing no label”. There’s not much else that even fits with the checking letters. FLOWAGE? FROMAGE?
  3. A fastish Saturday – unlike today when I am bogged down – under 20m, did not really enjoy it much. Not all white van drivers are like the stereotype, and a number of clues managed to irritate – 18d, 9d, two clues with shortened words (6 & 16) etc.
      1. I thought today’s was excellent, a real challenge. Definitely worth persevering with, but some of the wordplay was brilliantly well disguised. Whoever set it was on top form.
        1. Aside from Monday’s puzzle, this has been a very tough week for us beginners on the Times crossword circuit. Looking forward to one I can complete next week!
  4. If my memory serves me correctly, “Esther” is also hidden between two words?
    1. I stand corrected. I parsed it as an anagram of “the rest”, minus the final T (which also works), relying on eclipses as the anagrind. On reconsideration, that doesn’t really cut it. I’m surprised it took so long for someone to correct me!

  5. 10A WHITE VAN MAN

    2D OBI

    20D ESCAPE meaning ‘key’

    But filling in the grid was easy enough.

    John in USA

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