Saturday Times 26112 (30th May)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 19:06. Yes, I struggled a bit with this one, not sure why after going through it again for the blog. Yesterday’s felt harder, although this one had its moments, e.g. the definition for 16D. This was also the last one I solved on paper – I’ve been “between gigs” (as we IT contractors say) this week, so I started solving online instead of from printouts, and the improvement in solving times was remarkable – I’d hazard a guess at 3-4 minutes quicker per puzzle, so it’s not just about typing being faster than writing.

New job starts on Wednesday though, so I’ll be back to solving on the train with all the usual distractions of snoring, tinny music from headphones, annoying ringtones and loud conversations in the background. No wonder you rarely see people doing crosswords on the train these days!

Across
1 Very large sandwiches turned up with plenty of bubbly — terrific work! (6,4)
MAGNUM OPUS – OS (outsize, very large) around PU (turned up), along with MAGNUM (plenty of bubbly).
7 I kept retiring without husband, which is pointless (4)
IDLE – I + HELD (kept) reversed, minus the H for husband.
9 More brawny student getting to grips with arithmetic, say? (8)
STURDIER – STUDIER (student) around R (arithmetic, one of the “three R’s“).
10 Make profession once that was painful after Virginia’s rejection (6)
AVOUCH – OUCH (that was painful) after VA (state abbreviation for Virginia) reversed.
11 Sweep, apart from area in church where toddlers may play (6)
CRECHE – REACH (sweep) minus the A for area, inside CE (church).
13 Makes resolute attacks going round Cambridge area (8)
STIFFENS – FITS (attacks) reversed + FENS (Cambridge area).
14 Worldly commander’s grouse about petty officer settled (12)
COSMOPOLITAN – CO’S MOAN (commander’s grouse) around PO (petty officer) + LIT (settled).
17 Revised rules in place the cause of reduced illumination? (5,7)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – (rules in place)*.
20 They frequently appear rather posh with males around (8)
HABITUÉS – A BIT (rather) + U (posh), inside HES (males).
21 Local ruling by part of UK briefly overturned (3-3)
BYE-LAW – BY + WALE(s) (part of UK briefly) reversed.
22 Dissolute son primarily hooked on strong oriental drink (6)
RAKISH – S(on) + H(ooked), next to RAKI (strong oriental drink).
23 Australia’s opening pair, turning, run one extra bye (2,6)
AU REVOIR – AU (Australia’s opening pair) then R(un) + I (one) + OVER (extra), all reversed.
25 Made a call and spoke (4)
RUNG – double definition.
26 Retreating military detachment, 50 lost, subsequently hit back (10)
RETALIATED – DETAIL (military detachment) minus L for 50, + LATER (subsequently), all reversed.

Down
2 Rising, smoker fell over in chamber (8)
ANTEROOM – ETNA (smoker) reversed (rising) + MOOR (fell) reversed (over).
3 In addition, not taking mark off standard (3)
NOR – NORM (standard), minus the M for mark.
4 What’s said to be West’s staple food? (5)
MAIZE – sounds like MAE’S. Haven’t seen her around for a while, but I doubt if she’ll ever be killed off…
5 Friend’s clothing certain to come up for inspection (7)
PERUSAL – PAL (friend) around SURE (certain) reversed.
6 Stone cutter finally abandons creative figure (9)
STATISTIC – ST(one) + ARTISTIC (creative) minus the R (cutter finally).
7 Innocent doctor in film fines five wayward nurses (11)
INOFFENSIVE – NO (doctor in film) inside (fines five)*.
8 Brilliant clue not edited — nothing must go! (6)
LUCENT – (clue not)* without the O (nothing).
12 Finding fault on the way round flat (11)
COMPLAINING – COMING (on the way) around PLAIN (flat).
15 Someone like Cratchit an assistant in swan-upping? (3-6)
PEN-PUSHER – two definitions, one cryptic. Bob Cratchit was Scrooge’s clerk in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and swan-upping is the traditional practice of rounding up and marking swans on the Thames.
16 At a function, having tasteless stuff to eat (8)
ASTATINE – A SINE (function) around TAT (tasteless stuff). “At” is the well-hidden definition, being the chemical symbol for the element.
18 Support craft get into action again (7)
RESTART – REST (support) + ART (craft).
19 Part of Sussex — an adulterous ruler took his pleasure here (6)
XANADU – hidden in “Sussex — an adulterous”.
21 Bachelor with melodious instrument tipped to get the girl (5)
BERYL – B(achelor) + LYRE (melodious instrument) reversed.
24 Half a dozen initially allowed through (3)
VIA – VI (half a dozen) + A(llowed).

13 comments on “Saturday Times 26112 (30th May)”

  1. From memory I found this easy to start and harder to finish.. I never did satisfactorily parse 21dn, not spotting “tipped” as a reversal indicator so thanks for that Andy
    Wondered why the bubbly in 1ac, given that a magnum is much more likely to hold red wine than it is sparkling wine (says someone who got back home this week from St-Emilion!)
  2. Must have been on the wavelength here, as managed this in about an hour (which for me with a Saturday offering is positively supersonic).

    Much to like about this one, particularly enjoyed 16dn – excellent (and brought back happy memories of a Cookham-centric love affair many years ago) – and some nice surfaces (e.g. 19dn & 21 dn).

    Thanks for explaining 16dn, which was one I could not parse, not being familiar with the chemical symbol. Good luck with the new gig Andy.

  3. 18 mins. I must have been on the setter’s wavelength because I noted that I had been drifting off during the solve. IDLE was my LOI after LUCENT, and I noted that HABITUES was tricky. I saw the definition for ASTATINE and how it worked relatively quickly.

    Even though it isn’t a common word AVOUCH was my FOI. I saw the definition as “make profession once” rather than “make profession”.

    1. I agree about AVOUCH, and that’s what I meant to do with the underlining, so I’ve amended the blog accordingly.
    2. I agree on the definition for AVOUCH. ODO, Collins and Chambers all have it as archaic.
      18:27 here, so a bit tricky. ASTATINE was my last in and it took me a while.
  4. A really excellent and enjoyable solve and a good puzzle for biffing or otherwise guessing without fully understanding how everything worked, however I enjoyed returning to it later in the week and savouring the finer details.
  5. I think the editor should allow MEILE at 4d.
    OED has MEILEas an accepted variant of MELE – to sing (as a bird) or:
    ” 2. [v] trans. To say, tell; to speak, utter; to discuss; to address; to account for.”
    Meal would be a staple food in the west (shifting from the actress to a location and with the said doing &lit duty as both definition and homonym indicator). not quite as clean, but still Ximenean I think.
    Who’s with me?

    Otherwise,,thanks for the blog. I liked the puzzle, had difficulty for an unknown reason with the middle part – cosmopolitan and inoffensive. Liked pen pusher – but probably because I was pleased that I knew swan upping.

    1. This is just my opinion, and I’m not the editor, but I think you’d have no chance of getting it accepted in a competition.
    2. It’s not in Chambers nor in my two-volume Shorter OED, but the online version of OED has it as a mediaeval word, and a variant spelling at that. But it’s only a verb form, and your reading of the clue would require it to be a noun.
  6. I expect you’re right Andy – you have relevant competition experience and, I’ve noticed, a pretty clear view of solutions. Of course, I won’t stop thinking it works correctly as a dd – (I am using meal to mean a general (staple) grain, not lunch or dinner).
  7. Fast for me, oddly enough given Andy’s (for him) slow time. I biffed ASTATINE, and only thought of it because we had it not too long ago. Couldn’t get the NO in INOFFENSIVE, so thanks for clearing that up. DNK RAKI. I liked VIA for its smooth surface.

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