Saturday Times 26232 (17th Oct) – Championships day sweetener

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time 10:38, a lot quicker than expected. In previous years the finals day puzzle has been an absolute stinker, as if deliberately devised to discourage us before the competition begins! This one had a few tricky clues but nothing that struck me as unfair in the slightest – you might not have known what a Bannsider is, but the answer’s hidden in the clue. 22dn was the only real puzzler, but even there the answer was obvious. So, a good warm-up instead of a spirit-sapping horror show, and I at least managed to qualify free for next year even though I was way off the pace for a final spot.

Across
1 Bullet hit big swallow (4)
SLUG – triple definition.
3 Judge foils a few wayward makers of emergency cuts (4,2,4)
JAWS OF LIFE – (J foils a few)*. I was surprised a lot of people on the Forum said they’d never heard of these. It’s actually a registered trademark for a brand of hydraulic cutters commonly used after car accidents to rescue trapped people.
10 As in scare, distressed (7)
ARSENIC – (in scare)*, with the chemical symbol for the element hiding in plain sight as the definition.
11 Writer‘s happy event, having book out (7)
LESSING – BLESSING (happy event), minus the B for book. Author Doris Lessing, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007. I thought she was still alive, but she died almost 2 years ago.
12 Wild Formentera night? You’ll pay for it now (3,7,5)
THE MORNING AFTER – (Formentera night)*, semi-&lit.
13 Hunter getting room to cut kill back (6)
NIMROD – RM (room) inside DO IN (kill), all reversed. A few crossword setters appearing today (see 2dn) – this is one of Times setter John Henderson’s pseudonyms.
14 Worthy place of banishment: duplex facing west (8)
LAUDABLE – ELBA (place of banishment) + DUAL (duplex), all reversed.
17 Write epithet about military base (8)
PENTAGON – PEN (write) + TAG (epithet) + ON (about).
18 Letter introducing narrow religious person (6)
MUSLIM – MU (letter) + SLIM (narrow).
21 Former migrant who doesn’t pull his weight, a brute European working (9,6)
PASSENGER PIGEON – PASSENGER (who doesn’t pull his weight) + PIG (brute) + E(uropean) + ON (working).
23 Message from ref’s signal having extended play where first couple are sent off (7)
EPISTLE – WHISTLE (ref’s signal), with EP (extended play) replacing the first two letters.
24 Mulch possibly decayed in hours (7)
NOURISH – (in hours)*.
25 Short of time, begins with unknown, to stop celebrity casting (4,6)
STAR SYSTEM – STARTS (begins) without a T (short of time) + Y (unknown) + STEM (stop).
26 New style recalled something dull (4)
YAWN – N(ew) + WAY (style), all reversed.

Down
1 Greek once affected by austerity? (7)
SPARTAN – double definition.
2 What is in Paul’s term a name for Bannsider? (9)
ULSTERMAN – hidden in “Paul’s term a name”. Bannsider is Times editor Richard Rogan’s pseudonym when setting for the Independent. It’s also the nickname of Coleraine FC apparently (in the plural). Then there’s Paul in the clue too – which is Times setter John Halpern’s pseudonym in the Guardian.
4 Contrasting detail in brogue (6)
ACCENT – double definition.
5 If I’ll see you later, when? (2,4,2)
SO LONG AS – SO LONG (I’ll see you later) + AS (when).
6 Lent, say (plus maybe stole), debt markers with much excitement (4,3,7)
FAST AND FURIOUS – FAST (Lent, say) + AND (plus) + FUR (maybe stole) + IOU’S (debt markers).
7 Clot I spot containing iodine (5)
IDIOT – I + DOT (spot) around I (iodine).
8 Egger-on resorted to stuff with fluid (7)
ENGORGE – (Egger-on)*. Not sure what the word “fluid” is doing there.
9 Crazy old man let into home is doing his job? (2,4,8)
IN LOCO PARENTIS – LOCO (crazy) + PA (old man) + RENT (let), inside IN (home) + IS. Edited following Barry M’s comment
15 Dancer has a passion mounting after dance (9)
BALLERINA – AN IRE (a passion) reversed after BALL (dance).
16 US legislature apparently opposed to progress? (8)
CONGRESS – the idea is that CON-GRESS could be the opposite of PRO-GRESS.
17 Youthful canine moods manipulated people (7)
PUPPETS – PUP (youthful canine) + PETS (moods).
19 Options list with brief advice for musician (7)
MENUHIN – MENU (options list) + HIN(t) (brief advice). Violinist Yehudi Menuhin (1916-99).
20 British eleven in Vincennes producing sports award (6)
BRONZE – BR(itish) + ONZE (French for eleven).
22 Hindu god against breaking 18 days of mourning (5)
SHIVA – V (versus, against) inside SHIA (18ac, MOSLEM). Looks like the setter couldn’t make his made up what definition to use, so went with two of them sandwiching the wordplay!

9 comments on “Saturday Times 26232 (17th Oct) – Championships day sweetener”

  1. Like most of last week’s solves I was tired when I attempted it, but this time I was struggling to concentrate right from the start and nodded off with only three or fours answers entered. When I woke up and snapped out of it I got through the remaining answers very quickly, which suggests it was as straightforward as Andy found it. From start to finish it was 29 mins including zeds. JAWS OF LIFE was my LOI and you can count me as another who hadn’t heard of them. PASSENGER PIGEON wasn’t a problem because I’d read about the tragedy of what happened to them and the story had stuck in my mind.
  2. 13:49. Anyone with children of Fireman Sam age will know what the JAWS OF LIFE are. I didn’t know what a Bannsider was (other than a crossword editor’s pseudonym) but that didn’t cause a problem. I wonder if this puzzle was telling us who set the three puzzles in the final.
  3. For what it’s worth (i.e. very little) I found this the most difficult Times cryptic in recent memory. After an hour I had less than half of it solved and I abandoned it until the next morning. I then finished it off in 15 minutes which probably suggests that I shouldn’t have tackled it just after midnight. DK JAWS OF LIFE or PASSENGER PIGEON
    1. I heard a documentary about the PASSENGER PIGEON on the radio recently, or I don’t think I would have known it either. They went from being the most abundant bird in North America to extinction in the space of about 50 years.
  4. A neat and straightforward Saturday set. Wasn’t familiar with PASSENGER PIGEON but JAWS OF LIFE OK. ULSTERMAN recalled Rosie and Mick McCann from the banks of the Bann, star of the County Down and captain of The Irish Rover respectively.
  5. I found this easy going. Liked the cleverness of ARSENIC and the aptness of CONGRESS. I’m with Vinyl regarding the Pentagon. Military, definitely, but whatever else it is (an HQ, office, even location) it isn’t a base.
  6. Given the lateness of this posting I hope one of you sees it and can pass my thanks on to all. In Australia, we get these in The Australian newspaper some three or four weeks after you. As I like my paper version I don’t think I will ever be with you on the day.

    I would like to thank every one of the bloggers and contributors who have helped my development at doing these.

    Having started tackling these in my retirement some 18 months ago, it has been a journey through using aids but then being able to abandon them some 6 weeks ago. I am now able to solve at least one in three and come close with the others. I could not have done this without help from this site.

    For instance, got today’s in a number of sessions between (and including) breakfast and lunch. While this is nowhere near your times I am pleased to be getting there. For example, Dorset Jimbo’s advice to put it down and come back to it (when stuck) I find invaluable.

    To the blogger, thanks for the explanation of 22d. Put it in and meant to come back to it but didn’t. At that stage didn’t have 18a, so now I get what the 18 was doing in the 22d clue.

    Can I be bold enough to suggest that the parsing for 9d is old man=pa and let=rent, not old man=parent.

    Would also like to thank the setter for this crossword. For example 9d was unknown to me but lurked in the back of my mind. The parsing of the clue was spot on. Better than the transvergitate or whatever it was of a couple of days earlier. Also 10a. One certainly builds up a better knowledge of the table of elements by doing these!

    Thanks again to all.

    Barry M.

    1. Hi Barry,

      Thanks for your kind words. Thanks also for the correct parsing of 9d – I’ve edited the post.

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