Saturday Times 25652 (7th Dec) – placeholder

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Xmas shopping takes precedence today I’m afraid, but I’ll have plenty of time to do it this evening. Watch this space…well, sorry, that didn’t work out as planned, but here it is anyway (very brief as I still don’t have much time). Solved in 13:55, so on the easyish side for me.

Across
1 CHAPATTI – CHAP + ATTI(c)
6 AT HOME – (Housemate)* without use.
9 CURSER – (p)URSE inside CR(edit).
10 SOFTWARE – OFT WAR inside S(impl)E.
11 STEP – P(ressure) next to S(e)T(t)E(r).
12 INFORMALLY – I + NORMALLY around F(emale).
14 MAGRITTE – MATE around GRIT.
16 VEST – hidden inside inVESTment.
18 DOZE – DOZE(n).
19 CLANNISH – CLASH around INN reversed.
21 CONTRIBUTE – CON(servative) TRIBUTE.
22 EACH – (t)EACH.
24 WISH LIST – (W(ife) IS L(eft) THIS)*.
26 REEFER – REF, E’ER reversed.
27 STOLEN – STOLE + N(ovember).
28 YACHTIES – CAY reversed + H(oist) + TIES.

Down
2 HAUNT – H(ospital) + AUNT.
3 PAST PERFECT – double def.
4 TURN INTO – TURN (fit) + IN + T(he) O(lympics).
5 IT’S A FREE COUNTRY – (E France touristy)*
6 AFFIRM – “A firm”.
7 HAW – H(alv)A + W(ith).
8 MORALISTS – (most liars)*
13 ADVANCEMENT – CEMENT underneath AD VAN.
15 APOLOGIST – AGIST around POLO.
17 BALEARIC – ALE inside BAR, plus IC(y).
20 MINION – MINI ON.
23 CREWE – CREW + E(nglish).
25 HAL – HAL(e).

7 comments on “Saturday Times 25652 (7th Dec) – placeholder”

  1. 35 minutes. A perfectly straightforward puzzle with no unknowns or over-complicated wordplay. Just what I needed at the end of a tricky week.
  2. Not too hard, but a couple I had a devil of a time parsing – YACHTIES and ADVANCEMENT (my, but that’s cleverly put together).

    I also liked the short but perfectly formed DOZE.

  3. A gentle puzzle. I had never come across 28A but good to see 26A doing sterling service as the solver’s inevitable jacket.
  5. 18 mins. CONTRIBUTE was my LOI after MINION. I thought the BALEARIC/YACHTIES crossers were difficult.
  6. Mostly straightforward, as others noted, 30 min including breaks for cooking/turning/checking. Which helped – came back from one break and immediately saw the last two which had held me up: CONTRIBUTE and MINION.

    APOLOGIST 15 dn looks all wrong – I’d spell it AGEIST, which Oz Oxford has as prime spelling. I see agist and think rent out your land for grazing.
    Rob

  7. Sorry Australian Rob, but as a fellow countryperson, I have to disagree. In my experience as a subeditor for over 25 years apologist has only ever been spelt just so! And the Macquarie – Australia’s national dictionary – agrees. Have been a daily lurker for a couple of years now but our getting the puzzle almost a month late means it’s not usually pertinent to contribute – but just couldn’t let that pass! Thanks to brave and brainy bloggers. Kate S.

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