Saturday Times 24365 (Oct 24)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time 18:48, after a quick start that allowed me to hope for sub-10 minutes. The bad finishing has continued with me all week. Nearly every day I’ve had 4 or 5 at the end taking as long as the rest of the puzzle.

Across
1 WHACKS – “wax”
5 BUST A GUT – BUT (bar) around U (posh) STAG (men only).
9 SVENGALI – S(aint) + (leaving)*. Originally a character in the novel Trilby by George du Maurier.
10 COUSIN – COIN around US. I wasn’t aware of that meaning of the word before.
11 MAJOR PIECE – J(udge) in ROAM rev. next to PIECE (passage (of music)). Another one I hadn’t heard of, a major piece in chess is the queen or the rook.
13 VIEW – VIE + W(ith)
14 MACE – C(onservative) in MAE
15 NOSY PARKER – (pry or sneak)*. One of those brilliantly apt anagrams, I don’t think I’ve come across it before but I kind of doubt it’s original.
18 FLEA-BITTEN – F(emale) + LEAN around BITTE(r)
20 PIPE – PI + P.E.
21 PLEA – PLEA(sure).
23 INCOHERENT – (not nice, her)*
25 RWANDA – R(o)W + AND + A
26 MAINTAIN – double definition
28 EDITRESS – (resisted)*
29 PINTER – P(a)INTER. Playwright Harold Pinter, who died less than a year ago. I wonder how soon after a person’s death Times setters are allowed to use them?

Down
2 HAVE A BALL – double definition
3 CONDONE – CON + DO (two tricks) + N,E (bridge opponents).
4 SPA – SPA(in)
5 BAIZE – “bays”. I was a bit dubious about the definition, but there it is in Chambers under bay²: the space between two columns, timbers, walls etc.
6 SUCKER PUNCH – SUCKER + PUNCH
7 AQUIVER – QUI (Parisian who) inside AVER.
8 UNITE – (r)ETINU(e) reversed. Clue of the day for me.
12 PONTIFICATE – (fact I point)* + E(very)
16 SET – quintuple definition! Customary/scenery/a TV/series/declined.
17 EXPENSIVE – EX PENSIVE
19 AGAINST – GAIN in A ST.
20 PURITAN – PUN around RITA
22 LOWED – “load”
24 CAMUS – C(hapter) + AMUS(e)
27 IMP – hidden in “playgrouP MIschievously”.

15 comments on “Saturday Times 24365 (Oct 24)”

    2. It’s rubbish. Probably an April Fool joke that the letters editor misplaced until now – you know how inefficient the Times is!
      1. I too have written to the editor about this nonsensical letter. I can only assume it is some sort of heavy-handed complaint about football coverage. It will be interesting to see the responses.
          1. And I’ve just had a reply from Sally Baker, the Times Feedback editor, who confirmed that it was a ‘light-hearted joke’ about the football headline but said that she too was bemused by it and that they could have done with a bit more clarity.
    3. The headline on Page 74 (the one opposite the crossword) of The Times on Tuesday was: “United risk deep potholes while carrying many with fares to pay”. The letter-writer is making a sarcastic comment about the impenetrability of this extended metaphor by comparing it to a cryptic crossword clue.
      1. Ah, that explains it then. Quite witty really, but a bit unfortunate that the enumeration was (8,8) in a 15 by 15 grid. Kind of made it look a bit ridiculous.
  2. Looking now at my solution to this puzzle I can’t remember solving it. I have no remarks, question marks, ticks or anything else on the sheet – just a completed grid. I don’t even remember if I noticed the PINTER point. Clearly something of an anodyne affair (or old age is beginning to take its toll).
  3. 20:56 .. I did tick a few – WHACKS, PLEA, RWANDA (which held me up) and 8d UNITE which, like linxit, I thought the best of the day.

    One the downside, I thought MAJOR PIECE a little weak.

  4. 12:11 here for an enjoyable puzzle. I particularly liked 22dn (which was probably the clue that held me up the longest). I quite liked 11ac (MAJOR PIECE) as well – I’m not sure what the objection to this would be.
  6. 7:32 in my post-holiday catch-up. Surprised that the letter was so unclear, as the last time I wrote to the letters page I had a phone call from the letters desk asking for a bit of explanation because they didn’t quite understand me. We edited my letter together so that it made more sense. Very sporting of them as it was rather critical.

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