Saturday Times 26196 (5th Sept)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time around 18 minutes, half nodding-off on the train on Monday morning. Looking back through it now a lot of the clues that gave me trouble seem like they should have been write-ins.

Actually I should revise my opinion of this puzzle, as judging from the few comments here and those on the Club Forum, most others found it hard too. So I should give both myself and the setter more credit! When I was writing up my blog post, knowing the answers already, most of the solutions seemed obvious – but they obviously weren’t, so full marks to the setter for a puzzle full of subterfuge and misdirection.

Across
1 Copy, published, that is dividing family (10)
TRANSCRIBE – RAN (published) + SC (short for scilicet, that is), inside TRIBE (family).
6 Spat hard, not having succeeded (4)
TIFF – STIFF (hard), without the S for succeeded.
10 Reveals opinion and beams (7)
BETRAYS – BET (opinion) + RAYS (beams).
11 Tearful end for England, lashed by savage batting (7)
MAUDLIN – (Englan)D inside MAUL (savage) + IN (batting). Who’d have thought the surface would be so far from the truth in the Ashes!
12 Old coin, almost flawless, not available as part of range (9)
ANNAPURNA – ANNA (old coin) + PUR(e) (almost flawless) + NA (not available). Himalayan mountain in Nepal, 10th highest in the world.
13 Draw up fair treaty, leaving odd parts out (5)
ARRAY – alternate letters of “fair treaty“.
14 Start of scene with prisoner outside I shoot (5)
SCION – S(cene) + CON (prisoner) around I.
15 Way artist turned bunk and chair (9)
MODERATOR – MODE (way) + RA (artist) + ROT reversed (turned bunk).
17 Collection of creatures, mass — strange to include badger? (9)
MENAGERIE – M(ass) + EERIE (strange) around NAG (badger).
20 Comfort left in bar (5)
SALVE – L(eft) inside SAVE (bar).
21 Flap over oxygen restriction (5)
TABOO – TAB (flap) + O(ver) + O(xygen).
23 Constant in aim, ruler not normally unpredictable (9)
MERCURIAL – C(onstant) inside (aim ruler)*.
25 What’s first? It’s filling crossword in, always (7)
ORDINAL – hidden inside “crossword in, always”.
26 Figure caught back in retreat (7)
DECAGON – C(aught) + AGO (back) inside DEN (retreat).
27 Hold back supporting part (4)
STEM – double definition.
28 Avoid love in religious house, not one for expressing commitment (10)
PROMISSORY – MISS (avoid) + O (love) inside PR(i)ORY (religious house, minus the I).

Down
1 Part of skeleton from sloth, part upside down (5)
TIBIA – AI (sloth) + BIT (part), all reversed.
2 Shelter received by people wanting new treatment (9)
ATTENTION – TENT (shelter) inside (n)ATION (people minus an N).
3 Patch up gang in storm that’s dispersed and died (8,6)
STAMPING GROUND – (up gang in storm)* + D(ied).
4 Old play having run on stage (7)
ROSTRUM – O(ld) + STRUM (play), underneath R(un).
5 Dismal collection raised pound (7)
BOMBARD – DRAB (dismal) + MOB (collection), all reversed.
7 Layabout getting stripped weirdly out of shape (5)
IDLER – anagram of eirdl, i.e. stripped weirdly.
8 Unattached, imagine leading resistance in charge (5-4)
FANCY-FREE – FANCY (imagine) + R(esistance) inside FEE (charge).
9 Dry up after jocularity about article concerning small workforce (5,9)
HUMAN RESOURCES – SEC (dry) reversed, after HUMOUR (jocularity) around AN (article), RE (about), S(mall).
14 Problem with trade union in soup terribly costly (9)
SUMPTUOUS – SUM (problem) + TU (trade union) inside (soup)*.
16 Time ahead of leader in voice for lecture (7-2)
TALKING-TO – T(ime) + KING (leader) inside ALTO (voice).
18 Cautionary signal about lake after river rose? (7)
RAMBLER – AMBER (cautionary signal) around L(ake), after R(iver).
19 Noble status signified by medal or otherwise (7)
EARLDOM – (medal or)*
22 Device damaging empty grate (5)
BADGE – BAD (damaging) + G(rat)E.
24 Thin side short of force, unknown quantity (5)
LANKY – (f)LANK (side short of force) + Y (unknown quantity).

6 comments on “Saturday Times 26196 (5th Sept)”

  1. I went through all sorts of mental contortions with 1d, with ‘part’ suggesting (to me) a hidden, until finally I remembered the sloth. I also wasted bags of time with 5d, my LOI, thinking that ‘dismal collection’ was an anagram of ‘dismal’. Aside from that, however, it took me forever.
  2. Glad I wasn’t alone, Kevin. I took forever too, though it was slow but very steady progress so I never doubted I would finish without aids other than to check the sloth existed re my last one in.

    Edited at 2015-09-12 09:33 am (UTC)

  3. 26 mins. This was my second straight sleepy prize solve, and I didn’t even note what my LOI was. The only note I made says that I’d biffed HUMAN RESOURCES but I can’t remember if that was because it was so obvious once a few checkers were in place that I couldn’t have been bothered to. I’d come across the AI in another puzzle not so long ago so 1dn didn’t pose a problem.
  4. Thanks, Andy. Don’t really know how long this took, as i did it in 3 min here, 5 min there – but there were a lot of 3 and 5 min – and I never properly finished the NW. Wish I had remembered the sloth – it should be a giveaway when it’s mentioned, shouldn’t it?
  5. Just noticed: Andy, you’ve got a typo at 14d–AUM should be SUM. (Of course, in Japan AUM definitely is a problem.)

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