Saturday Times 25675 (4th Jan)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time 15:33, with a couple of minutes at the end spent puzzling over 11ac and 5dn. Good to be back to normal with only a week between puzzle and blog. Quite a lot of literature and popular culture in this one, but nothing too obscure I think. I like the CD at 10dn, so that gets my COD.

Across
1 PAIL – sounds like “pale”.
3 OCEAN-GOING – ONGOING (current) around alternate letters of “crew as”.
9 FLATTEN – i.e. FLAT 10.
11 SHATTER – HAT (bowler) inside STER(n) (back having reduced). Definition total, as in to wreck.
12 PAIN IN THE NECK – cryptic definition.
14 SWEDE – double definition.
15 AEGEAN SEA – E(nglish) inside AGE (time) + (m)ANSE (heading from clergy house) + A.
17 RURITANIA – RITA (girl) inside RUN (race), + A1 (excellent) reversed. Fictional European kingdom created by Anthony Hope.
19 DOMED – DO (create) + MED (a body of water).
21 TRANQUILLISER – QUILL (old writer) inside (trainers)*
24 RETINUE – RUE (regret) around NITE (evening) reversed.
25 TITANIA – AT IT (busy) reversed, + (in a)*.
26 WORLD-WEARY – (lad we)* inside WORRY (plague).
27 MYTH – hidden in “dreamy this”.

Down
1 PUFF PASTRY – PUFF (dragon) + PAST (finished) + R(eall)Y.
2 IMAGINE – double definition, the second for the John Lennon song.
4 CONSTRAIN – CONS (criminals) + TRAIN (vehicle).
5 AISLE – PAISLEY (material), minus the first and last letters. Last one I got.
6 GRAVEYARD SLOT – (lavatory dregs)*.
7 INTAKES – IN (popular) + [K(ing) in SEAT (throne) reversed].
8 GARB – BRAG (crow) reversed.
10 TOILET-TRAINED – cryptic definition.
13 BALDERDASH – BALDER (god) + — (dash).
16 GLADIATOR – GATOR (snapper) around (Dali)*. Film from 2000 starring Russell Crowe.
18 ROTATOR – definition + description. Not really a cryptic clue, is it?
20 MASONRY – SON inside MARY.
22 QUEUE – sounds like the letter Q.
23 BROW – R(ight) inside BOW (front).

9 comments on “Saturday Times 25675 (4th Jan)”

  1. 30 mins but this was another Saturday puzzle during which I was falling asleep. The AISLE/SHATTER crossers were also my last ones in. It took me way too long to see 3ac, 21ac and 6dn, and I’m blaming my tiredness.
  2. Another very slow solve for me. I used aids on a couple of clues once an hour had passed. I didn’t know the god at 13dn so didn’t understand the wordplay or have energy left to look it up as I was sure I had the right answer.
  3. I really enjoyed this but can’t remember the time taken. 20dn has to count as my favourite crossword clue to date. Thanks setter.
  4. I’m with Chris regarding 20d. The SW went slowly here, as I bought into the misdirection for SOBER (very British plus some European Region assembly I didn’t know) at 22d with high certainty, and gleefully remembered the queen/cat at 25a, already having the crossing second T. It took quite a while to extricate myself.

    Edited at 2014-01-11 12:06 pm (UTC)

  5. 27:14 .. I enjoyed this hugely. A different feel to it, and a very satisfying one to complete. Mary cradling her son is indeed rather lovely.

    Wasn’t entirely sure about BALDERDASH until Googling it après solve, but I was vaguely aware of Balder the god (whose Achilles’ heel was mistletoe, of all things).

    Like Andy B, last in were SHATTER / AISLE.

  7. Baldur (as I would spell him, or Baldr at a pinch)is one of the more entertaining Norse gods, and had a difficult life. All the other gods shot at him for sport, having been told he was invulnerable.. Read the Wiki link provided, and also the further link to Ragnarok. They don’t make religions like that any more, though come to think about it, a fair amount of shooting still goes on
  8. 24:08 on the club timer. I was held up for ages by 11ac, because I considered and rejected early on the possibility that “bowler” might give HAT: I was sure such a clear DBE would have to be indicated in the Times. Not that I mind DBEs particularly , but my “knowledge” of this rule made the clue difficult to solve.
  9. 78 minutes for a good puzzle. Had ‘prow’ for BROW, mind….

    COD to ShATTER, for the reminder of what I did to my first company car. I neither give a fig for DBEs nor recognise them.

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