Saturday Times 25986 (3rd January)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
First one of the new year, and we’re off to an easy start. 11:10 for me on the Monday morning train, and 4th of the journey after Monday’s Times and Guardian and the Sunday Times, so perhaps I was running out of steam by then! Magoo did it in 3:20 and came in ahead of some of the Neutrinos on the Times leaderboard, and the top 100 were all under 10 minutes (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before). Not that it was a bad puzzle (5D was brilliant, although possibly not original?), but there might be howls of protest from some quarters over the two non-rhotic homophones. No complaints from me though – in my accent they sound the same!

Across
1 Crime, irrational and indecent (6)
PIRACY – PI (an irrational number) + RACY (indecent).
4 Level prepared for dramatic backdrop (5,3)
STAGE SET – STAGE (level) + SET (prepared).
10 Chaos in opium den, man getting stoned (11)
PANDEMONIUM – (opium den, man)*
11 Back four relying on headers (3)
FRO – initial letters of Four Relying On.
12 Work surface close to cupboard, kept so poorly (7)
DESKTOP – (cupboar)D + (kept so)*.
14 Tip of nose acquired tear, that involves swelling of head? (3,4)
EGO TRIP – (nos)E + GOT (acquired) + RIP (tear).
15 Observation post observing conditions on area with test ground (7,7)
WEATHER STATION – (on area with test)*
17 Waste taps are not steady (4,3,3,4)
BLOW HOT AND COLD – BLOW (waste) + HOT AND COLD (taps).
21 One’s tied bird on front of boat (7)
BOWKNOT – KNOT (bird) next to BOW (front of boat). I’d have had this as (3,4), but Chambers agrees with the setter.
22 Flipping criminal, furious current flooding in — so homeless? (7)
NOMADIC – CON (criminal) reversed, around MAD (furious), I (current).
23 Eggs done, by the sound of it (3)
OVA – sounds like “over”.
24 Language student class accepting prayer, apparently, around chapter one (11)
SEMANTICIST – SET (class) around [MANTIS (prayer apparently) around C(hapter), I].
26 Capital, sixty percent below standard (8)
BELGRADE – BEL (60% of BELOW) + GRADE (standard). Capital of Serbia.
27 Light injury to face? (6)
SHINER – double definition. I’ll mention that it’s a word for a black eye, in case that’s UK-only usage.

Down
1 Sing bass? Shut up! (4,4)
PIPE DOWN – PIPE (sing) + DOWN (bass).
2 Manage to escape (3)
RUN – double definition.
3 Hear ‘rat’ for ‘cat’ (7)
CHEETAH – sounds like “cheater”.
5 Going practice? (6-8)
TOILET-TRAINING – cryptic definition, and a good one.
6 Thick stew obviously tasteless for starters — it’s rubbery! (7)
GUMBOOT – GUMBO (thick stew) + first letters of Obviously Tasteless.
7 Item of furniture has to travel between revolving doors — no mishaps yet! (2,3,2,4)
SO FAR SO GOOD – SOFA (item of furniture) + [GO inside (doors)*].
8 Company relocating to Peru (6)
TROUPE – (to Peru)*.
9 Reliable policeman proved successful arresting pair of terrorist leaders (6-8)
COPPER-BOTTOMED – COPPER (policeman) + BOOMED (proved successful) around TT (pair of Terrorist leaders).
13 Butterfly settling down on dog (11)
SWALLOWTAIL – SWALLOW (down) on TAIL (dog).
16 Carriage finally ahead of old silver and gold coach (8)
EDUCATOR – (carriag)E + DUCAT (old silver) + OR (gold).
18 Earn medal, right royal! (7)
WINDSOR – WIN (earn) + DSO (medal, Distinguished Service Order) + R(ight). The Queen’s family name.
19 Run to embrace politician, one that’s quite wet (7)
DAMPISH – DASH (run) around MP (politician), I (one).
20 Digest the sphere of a sailor? (6)
ABSORB – A.B.’S ORB.
25 Tavern where some gain notoriety (3)
INN – hidden in gaIN Notoriety.

14 comments on “Saturday Times 25986 (3rd January)”

  1. First time I’ve ever completed a Saturday offering successfully in under two hours, so a feeling of satisfaction notwithstanding it was at the easy end of the spectrum.

    Only blemish was on the parsing of 1ac. Not being familiar with the concept of an irrational number (other than in the context of sales targets I have been set in the past), I’d justified the PI bit via that hoary old cryptic chestnut PI for very religious and then taken a Dawkins type view… Thanks for putting me straight Andy.

    As well as the outstanding 5dn, also liked 26ac (had not seen this device before – maybe old hat to some here, but new to me) and 18 dn.

  2. 10 mins. After a run of trickier Prize puzzles this was very straightforward by comparison, but as Andy said it was an enjoyable puzzle nonetheless. SEMANTICIST was my LOI after EDUCATOR.
  3. An apparently glacial 12.58 for me, with the excellent potty clue my last in. I think I like my CDs to be short and pithy, and unmistakeable when the penny drops.
    This one sparked a bit of debate on the Club on the Saturday practice of entering online post solve on paper – in my view forgiveable because there’s always the chance you’ll win the prize. On this occasion, with (as observed) no times above 10 minutes, those of us who entered later in the day had no way of knowing whether we had an all correct. There were a few typists who kindly apologised for messing up the leaderboard stats, but it still looks as though there are 100 people who could mix it with Magoo: 20 of them ahead of his time. There may be hope!
      1. After a run of weekend puzzles where I’ve managed a majority of single error entries, I’m not sure I’d want to!
    2. At the top of every page of the Crossword Club website there is a series of tabs, one of which is called “My Profile.” Clicking on that takes you to a page that highlights your score, for your most recently submitted crossword. Below that is a list which gives every score for every crossword you have ever submitted.
      So it is quite unnecessary to use the leaderboard at all if you don’t want to compete on it
  4. On my print-out I see I noted 18 minutes, although not in any particular rush against the clock, I like to savour the Saturday challenge and this (and today’s) seemed easier than the usual fare. How Magoo can do any 15 x 15 puzzle in 3 minutes odd is beyond me, he must write with both hands.
    1. I’m a reasonable typist and I know from past experience (iffy wifi) that I can type all the answers into the grid in under two minutes… if I already know them all. So if Magoo can type a bit that gives him a whole extra minute to work out the answers!! Extraordinary.
      Just under ten for this. I liked 5dn too.
  6. Oh well, I was pleased with my 29 minutes making 3 under 30 in a row. I can see how ‘bass’ = ‘low’ but am having problems thinking of a context in which it can substitute for ‘down’.
    1. I guess the question mark makes it ‘sing lower’ rather than actual bass. A little whimsy in the long lights, ‘weather station/blow hot and cold’, copper-bottomed/ toilet training’?
    2. I almost mentioned that, but my elaborate explanation was turning into an essay – and as you know from years of experience, I prefer to keep my blogs short and sweet 😉

      It’s more like “PIPE DOWN” = “sing low” i.e. bass, rather than PIPE=sing + DOWN=bass. I guess I should have included the whole explanation after all – there was I thinking I’d got away with it!

      1. Don’t worry about it, it was just me being dense and not for the first time (or the last). I’m pretty sure I understood it as explained above when I solved last week but it eluded me earlier today. Anyway a blog can’t be expected to cater for every eventuality and those reading can always ask if something’s not understood.
  7. A PB for me, first time under ten minutes. And half-watching Mad Men at the same time.

    Thanks setter and blogger. Happy day.

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