Saturday Times 25915 (11th Oct)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time 11:34, so quite an easy one. This week’s will probably be another kettle of fish entirely. Maybe it’s just nerves, but I always find the Saturday puzzle on Championships day to be extra-tough. Just to unsettle the eager contestants before the main event, make them think they’ve lost it. I probably won’t be around to answer any queries today, but we’re not all headed for the Tower Hotel so someone should be able to help if I’ve made a mistake.

Across
1 Solutions left one with things to chew over (7)
LIQUIDS – L(eft) + I (one) + QUIDS (of e.g. tobacco).
5 Saw British returning after Test (7)
PROVERB – BR(itish) reversed after PROVE (test).
9 Traditional girl is enthralled by military leader almost completely (9)
CLASSICAL – LASS (girl) inside CIC (Commander-in-Chief, military leader) + AL(l) (almost completely).
10 Merman, say, coming in to traverse the lagoon (5)
ETHEL – hidden in “traverse the lagoon”. American musical comedy actress Ethel Merman.
11 I’d worry badly about wife following subject matter in this operetta (3,5,5)
THE MERRY WIDOW – (I’d worry)* around W(ife), all after THEME (subject matter). Semi-&lit, given the title! Well-known operetta by Franz Lehár
13 Network backed call to block regulation (8)
RETICULE – CITE (call reversed) inside RULE (regulation). Bit of a cryptic definition, as this is a handbag made of netting.
15 Particular person long enthralling editor (6)
PEDANT – PANT (long) around ED(itor).
17 Someone having siblings put into street has you looking askance (6)
SQUINT – QUIN (someone having siblings) inside ST(reet).
19 Source of magic forbidding passion, restricting love (8)
GRIMOIRE – GRIM (forbidding) + IRE (passion), around O (love). Anyone who’s read HP Lovecraft will know what this is!
22 Create difficulties: request foreign currency with little time in hand (3,3,7)
ASK FOR TROUBLE – ASK FOR ROUBLE (request foreign currency) around T(ime).
25 Trail fighting men, heading off on return (5)
SPOOR – TROOPS (fighting men), minus the first letter and reversed.
26 Tory involving a Liberal with it, I observe at the outset? (9)
COALITION – CON (Tory) around [A + L(iberal) + IT + I + O(bserve)]. Good attempt at a topical &lit, but it wouldn’t get my vote 😉
27 Brown jelly having zero fruit (7)
TANGELO – TAN (brown) + GEL (jelly) + O (zero).
28 Cunning attempt to secure pound off small quantities of paint (7)
TRICKSY – TRY (attempt) around LICKS (small quantities of paint) without the L for pound.

Down
1 Forward, notice, avoiding header (4)
LOCK – CLOCK (notice), minus the first letter. A forward position in rugby.
2 Skill needed for one in piano chamber group (7)
QUARTET – ART (skill) replacing I (needed for one) in QUIET (piano).
3 Problem occurs? Runs from stable (5)
ISSUE – IS (occurs) + SURE (stable) without the R for runs.
4 Instant deposit finally accepted by bank in confidence (8)
SECRETLY – SEC (instant) + (deposi)T inside RELY (bank).
5 Sorry partner appearing before judge (6)
PALTRY – PAL (partner) + TRY (judge). My last one in – although I thought of it earlier, I was hoping for a better explanation. Maybe that was the subtlety of the clue, and the setter’s a genius!
6 Finished with nautical steering in swamp (9)
OVERWHELM – OVER (finished) + W(ith) + HELM (nautical steering).
7 Exotic creature beginning to haunt one in wild dance (7)
ECHIDNA – H(aunt) + I (one), inside (dance)*. The spiny anteater, something of a one-off in the animal kingdom.
8 Tom, perhaps, getting soppy over that female trendsetter (10)
BELLWETHER – BELL (Tom, perhaps) + WET (soppy) + HER (that female).
12 Radio: greet second and latest broadcast (7,3)
CRYSTAL SET – CRY (greet) + S(econd) + (latest)*.
14 Hall not for lectures? (9
CONCOURSE – CON (against, so not for) + COURSE (lectures).
16 Conceited and brazen, holding progress up (8)
ARROGANT – ARRANT (brazen) around GO (progress) reversed.
18 Variable, currently supporting end of taxation in UK (7)
UNKNOWN – NOW (currently) + N (indefinite number), underneath [(taxatio)N inside UK].
20 Flower under rocks revealed by Alpine tool (3,4)
ICE PICK – PICK (flower, i.e. best) under ICE (rocks, i.e. diamonds).
21 Economies upset firm producing wall covering (6)
STUCCO – CUTS (economies) reversed + CO (firm).
23 Betty’s opener: “I love flipping pancakes” (5)
BLINI – B(etty) + [I + NIL (love), all reversed)].
24 Finger, not tip, stained thus? (4)
INKY – PINKY (finger), minus the first letter.

10 comments on “Saturday Times 25915 (11th Oct)”

  1. 19ac did for me. Never heard of a grimoire before (and never read any Lovecraft).

    Edited at 2014-10-18 05:09 am (UTC)

  2. I echo Kevin’s experience and comment. And today’s puzzle was a totally different kettle of fish. But a very elegant kettle.
  3. Jack Vance’s books are excellent for magical terminology.

    Good luck today all entrants! See you there!

  4. 15 mins. My last two in were LOCK (slow to see the definition) and ISSUE (slow to see the wordplay). Despite Andy’s reservations I thought the clue for COALITION was pretty good. I didn’t have a problem with GRIMOIRE even though it was only vaguely known because the wordplay was clear enough.
  5. A few unknowns (or had forgottens) turned this from a quite easy puzzle to one that was hard to finish off. GRIMOIRE, RETICULE as ‘network’ and being sure of ICE PICK were the main stumbling blocks.

    Edited at 2014-10-18 09:00 am (UTC)

  6. 15 minutes or so, easier than usual, no arguments. Good luck to all you happy entrants; wish there was a way to enter online from here.
  7. Just 2 minutes over the hour.
    I knew GRIMOIRE from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, where the grimoires in the library of the wizards’ university are chained to the shelves, not to stop anyone stealing them, but to prevent them attacking unwary readers.
  8. I see that I thought that this was a pleasant and somewhat quicker stroll, probably because I was solving on treeware. However, I have not yet started today’s so things could change.
  9. Well as a weaker would be solver, I found this anything but easy. I hadn’t come across the quids meaning in 1a, ethel merman, the word reticule,grimoire, spoor , tangelo, tricksy (tricky yes, tricksy no) , echidna and while I think I’ve heard of stucco and blini they were well buried.
  10. DNF because of errors at 1ac Liquors and 6dn Overwheel (duh!) so was never going to get 3dn Issue or the unknown-but-gettable-from-wordplay 19ac Grimoire.
    Thought Coalition was superb!

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