Saturday Times 24532 (May 8th)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time 9:38. It’s not often I go under 10 minutes, especially on a Saturday, so this was another easy one. Having said that, last week somebody mentioned they thought it was pretty tough, so maybe I just got onto the setter’s wavelength early.

Across
1 PICKLED – L(itres) IN PICKED
5 FITNESS – FATNESS with the A changed to I (current). People often ask why current=I, so I’ll tell you. Ampère called the unit l’intensité du courant électrique, which was shortened to I for intensité.
9 FIREWATER – FIRE WA(i)TER.
10 QUAKE – QUA(d bi)KE. Don’t often see a removal across two words like that, although it’s a common trick in barred-grid puzzles.
11 IROKO – I + (rook)*. An African hardwood similar to teak.
12 REMAINDER – A in REMINDER. Is this ever clued any other way?
13 CONSIDERATION – CON + SIDE + RATION
17 SWEET-TEMPERED – (we met pestered)*
21 AUTOMATON – AUTO-MAT + ON
24 DECOR – DEC(k) + O.R.
25 IGLOO – G(rand) inside 1 LOO
26 STITCHING – STING around ITCH
27 ESTUARY – cryptic definition. Dartmouth is an estuary, but you only hear Estuary English around the area of the Thames Estuary.
28 EARNEST – double definition, the two meanings coming from different roots entirely.

Down
1 PUFFIN – PUFFIN(g).
2 CARTOUCHE – TOUCH inside CARE
3 LOW-DOWN – a “low down” would be a hill of less than average height.
4 DETERMINE – DETER (discourage) + MINE (working). Chambers only gives “workings” as the parts of a mine where work has been carried out, although Collins just says “often plural”. Still only part of a mine rather than the whole thing though.
5 FORUM – M(inutes) underneath FOR U
6 TEQUILA – QUIL(t) inside TEA
7 ELAND – E + LAND (Austria is divided into nine Länder).
8 SWEARING – S(on) + WEARING. Another quibble – the only definitions I can find where “wearing” means “leading in” are either Scottish dialect or archaic.
14 EXPANSIVE – EX PANS (w)IVE(s).
15 INDUCTIVE – (invited U C)*
16 ISLAMISE – (a missile)*
18 TOMBOLA – TO + M(illions) + LOB rev + A.
19 REDUCER – SEDUCER with R for the S.
20 BRIGHT – B(ishop) + RIGHT.
22 TO LET – hidden reversed in maTELOTs.
23 TESTY – TEST(if)Y

9 comments on “Saturday Times 24532 (May 8th)”

  1. In 8dn, I think “using” gives “WEARING”, the def being “bad language”.

    I have lost my notes but this was just a hit and giggle. Today’s on the other hand….

    1. Revisiting some old ones – after 6 years they seem much easier. I’m sure don’t remember any of the clues, so probably getting better at solving.
      re: 8dn “Son’s leading in using bad language”
      I had ‘IN’ as wearing, led by S, and the def as “using bad language.” For what it’s worth.
      Rob
  3. I found this very easy for a Saturday too – something like 5:25.
  4. I found this very easy too – finished in 13 minutes, which for me is very fast indeed.
    Glad to hear someone else is struggling with today’s though. After yesterday I was starting to feel I was going backwards.
    1. Yes, today’s took me over half an hour too – although I wasn’t helped by a wrong answer that I’d convinced myself was correct, which made the last couple impossible to get until I’d corrected it. More about that next week…
      1. In my case for “over half an hour” read “all day”! I had to put it down and come back several times but got there eventually. The jumbo isn’t exactly a walk in the park either.
  5. As for everybody else – barely finished my toast before completing the puzzle. 24538 is a corker.
  6. Going through book 18. I rarely finish a Times xw but did all of this in 76 minutes – much quicker than any other before, so it must be easy.

    I like on = WEARING

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