Saturday Times 26244 (31st Oct)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solved online in 11:57, so fairly easy despite the high GK content. I suppose it’s one where you either know the words or you don’t, as there was also some tricky vocab (KABADDI, SERAI, BDELLIUM), what must be a near-record 4 people (KEPLER, LISZT, NIXON, YEATS) and two plants (LEYLANDII, GENISTA). Still, I’d expect most regular solvers to know most if not all of them, and there were quite a few faster genuine times than mine on the leaderboard. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it’s also a pangram, so thanks to smicks1 (and congratulations on the run of good form, keep it up).

Across
1 Contact sport Islamic judge holds undesirable (7)
KABADDI – KADI (Islamic judge) around BAD (undesirable). I remember seeing this on TV years ago (maybe World of Sport on ITV, or early Channel 4). Very popular in India and Pakistan, it’s basically a game of tag, where players from each side take it in turns to try and touch one of the opposition and return to their half, without taking a breath and saying KABADDI-KABADDI-KABADDI all the time.
5 Reveal in error using grams for tons where one may be caught out (3,4)
LEG SLIP – LET SLIP (reveal in error) with the T(ons) replaced by G(rams). A cricket fielding position.
9 Forecast of programme numbers is to follow (9)
PROGNOSIS – PROG(ramme) + NOS (numbers) + IS.
10 Nothing working for disgraced politician (5)
NIXON – NIX (nothing) + ON (working). American president brought down by the Watergate scandal in 1974.
11 Provide last with no end for cobbler (5)
ENDUE – ENDURE (last) without the R (no end of cobbler).
12 Elderly mother mostly suffering during parade (9)
MATRIARCH – TRIA(l) (mostly suffering) inside MARCH (parade).
13 20-style vehicle unlike any other, failing to start around valleys (13)
CARNIVALESQUE – CAR (vehicle) + (u)NIQUE (unlike any other, failing to start), around VALES (valleys).
17 One trying locally in redevelopment to just direct dig (8,5)
DISTRICT JUDGE – (just direct dig)*.
21 What’s often used for boundaries, ideally in taking on new layout (9)
LEYLANDII – (ideally in)*, but I’m pretty sure they no longer in fashion as they’ve been the cause of many neighbourhood disputes.
24 South-eastern Arabic music for khan (5)
SERAI – SE (south-eastern) + RAI (Arabic music).
25 Sleep during sex is unseemly (5)
INAPT – NAP (sleep) inside IT (sex).
26 Not immoral about old lacking representation (9)
VOICELESS – VICELESS (not immoral) around O(ld).
27 Fur’s an essential if covering chest over (7)
MUSKRAT – MUST (an essential) around ARK (chest) reversed.
28 Shrub that’s regularly green is provided by volunteers (7)
GENISTA – alternate letters of GREEN + IS + TA (Territorial Army, volunteers). A shrub more commonly known as broom.

Down
1 King always holds place for astronomer (6)
KEPLER – K(ing) + E’ER (always) around PL(ace). German astronomer (1571-1630), best known for his laws of planetary motion.
2 What’s helpful with common weeds in rough country (9)
BOONDOCKS – BOON (what’s helpful) + DOCKS (common weeds).
3 Ballerina’s partner regrets nothing when too short in lifting (7)
DANSEUR – RUES NAD(a) (regrets nothing when too short), reversed. An old friend from this year’s Championship (“Pavlova’s partner? Fudge sundae, right”).
4 One manic son unfortunately is not sleeping (9)
INSOMNIAC – (I manic son)*.
5 Record includes an unknown composer (5)
LISZT – LIST (record) around Z (an unknown).
6 Real information on audiences found to be regularly lacking (7)
GENUINE – GEN (information) + alternate letters of aUdIeNcEs.
7 A measure of illumination men found in ancient Egyptian city (5)
LUXOR – LUX (a measure of illumination, 1 lumen/m2) + OR (men).
8 We help in transporting firework (8)
PINWHEEL – (we help in)*.
14 A daughter marrying next door (9)
ADJOINING – A + D(aughter) + JOINING (marrying).
15 See nurse running after question: “vaguely unwell feeling?” (9)
QUEERNESS – (see nurse)* after Q(uestion).
16 Bishop pondered over introducing iodine and resin used as incense (8)
BDELLIUM – B(ishop) + MULLED (pondered) reversed, around I(odine).
18 An American’s very corrupt over local estate agent (7)
REALTOR – REAL (an American’s “very”) + ROT (corrupt) reversed.
19 See and record short-tailed eagle (7)
DISCERN – DISC (record) + ERN(e) (short-tailed eagle).
20 Some selfies taken to show holiday (6)
FIESTA – hidden in “selfies taken”. Also helps to define 13ac.
22 Support given over including English poet (5)
YEATS – STAY (support) reversed, around E(nglish). WB Yeats, an Irish poet.
23 Use up time over video which may be launched by club (5)
DIVOT – T(ime) + O(ver) + VID(eo), all reversed.

16 comments on “Saturday Times 26244 (31st Oct)”

  1. Not one but two clues requiring knowledge of one of two obscurities to be solved. If I wanted a general knowledge test I’d go to the pub.
    One best forgotten.
  2. Took me 29mins this am. Didn’t know KEBADDI or SERAI but guessed them correctly from the cryptic. I quite enjoy a puzzle with obscurities. At least I learn something new. (Btw, I learned BDELLIUM in my teens from a Leslie Charteris “Saint” book. The Saint was spelling the name “Beppo” to Claude Eustace Teal. B for Bdellium, E for Eiderdown, P for Pneumonia, P for Psychology, O for a muse of fire! Once read never forgotten…) Ann
  3. Last weekend was chock-full of odd words, with the Jumbo almost as packed as the main cryptic. BDELLIUM was the only complete unknown for me in this one, but after seeing KABADDI and LEYLANDII I came to the conclusion that this was the kind of puzzle that would appeal more to setters than solvers. The Jumbo takes the cake for that weekend’s most egregious clueing monstrosity, though.
    1. I really enjoyed the Jumbo last week: lots of unknown obscurities, but almost all gettable from the wordplay. If I’m right about the clue you’re referring to as a monstrosity, I was lucky enough to know the term but it’s hard to disagree.
  4. A googlefest here – and even that difficult due to the unusual cluing unusuals – and a slowish googlefest at that. Thanks for clearing things up, Linxit

    Edited at 2015-11-07 03:42 pm (UTC)

  5. I notice that the whole alphabet was used here & that helped (once I’d clocked the J and Q) with a couple of clues. Think there is a particular “crosswordland” term for this?

    I wasn’t helped by spelling Yeats incorrectly & I also had to check the unlikely sounding Bdellium was an actual word, so around 1.5 hours for this in two sessions.

    Pleased though that I persevered as this is my third Sat complete in a row (normally stop once I hit an hour).

    One grumble is that I’m still not wholly convinced by Real = Very in the US. I’m sure that they are interchangeable but it seemed a bit of crowbarred clue to me.

    I was going to grumble about Carnivalesque as well but the penny has just dropped that the clue read “20” not “20’s” & all suddenly becomes clear. A lesson to read things properly in future.

    1. Yes, a puzzle with all 26 letters is a pangram.

      Sorry this is anonymous, but LJ won’t let me log in for some reason.

      Keith Doyle

    2. There is indeed a term for it: a pangram. Bloggers here often mention refer to them. Occasionally you see each letter used at least twice in a puzzle, making it a double pangram.
  6. Can’t find my print-out from last week and don’t remember how long it took me.

    Sort of ducking as I say that I didn’t mind this at all, but then the only word I didn’t know was BDELLIUM, which I was rather pleased with myself for daring to go with, given how ridiculous a word it looks.

    Andy, I’m pretty sure it was Channel 4 that devoted a regular weekly slot to KABADDI, way back in the channel’s early days. I have vague memories of watching it as a student and being pleasantly bemused by it.

    Edited at 2015-11-07 08:10 pm (UTC)

  7. Got there in the end with only KABADDI and BDELLIUM completely unknown. Oh, and RAI in the wordplay. Was pleased not to look anything up until after the event.
  8. Try as I might, I can’t remember much of this one. I did make use of the scribble pad and with words like BDELLIUM, KABADDI and GENISTA that’s not surprising. Running through it again, I probably enjoyed it.
  10. LOI/DNK KABADDI, DNK RAI but knew SERAI, so got past those all right. I’m curious about ‘real’=very; this is definitely common in the US, but not in standard (‘educated’) dialects; does it not exist in the UK? REALTOR is an invention of American real estate agents; I refuse to use it, and am disappointed to see that it’s crossed the pond.
    1. I’m pretty sure ‘real’ has been used in this sense by ‘non-standard’ speakers of British English for years, probably centuries. A sociolinguistics text would reveal all.
      1. No doubt; but my mother made me promise never to open a sociolinguistics text. But in any case, this makes the clue a bit iffy.

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