Saturday Times 26256 (14th Nov)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time was around 16 mins, with about a third of that trying to figure out 23ac! When I finally got there I submitted confidently, only to find I’d mistyped 17dn as BLANDINFS. Aarghh! Anyway, this was a fine puzzle I thought, which came under a lot of undeserved stick on the Forum from some people. I’m also in a happier mood as I did manage to solve last week’s Listener. I can’t say too much about it, but I wish I’d used a pencil!

Across
1 British force with calamitous error in cloud (5)
BEFOG – BEF (British Expeditionary Force) + OG (own goal, calamitous error).
4 Getting even money at first contributes to calm (9)
SMOOTHING – M(oney) inside SOOTHING (calm).
9 Become hysterical in encounter with composer (4,5)
FALL ABOUT – FALLA BOUT (encounter with composer). Manuel de Falla is the composer.
10 Northern home, one virtually dark (5)
IGLOO – I (one) + GLOO(m) (virtually dark).
11 Content to have been sent down? (6)
INSIDE – double definition.
12 American porter, say, one strikingly helpful to sailors (4,4)
BELL BUOY – sounds like “bellboy”, a hotel porter. Chambers doesn’t say anything about them being American though.
14 Poor Greek character put in nick by policeman (3,4,3)
NOT MUCH COP – MU (Greek character) inside NOTCH (nick) + COP (policeman).
16 Heading off to scale this part of tree (4)
LIMB – CLIMB (scale) minus the first letter.
19 To lose one’s temper is unexpected (4)
SNAP – double definition.
20 Organise the main prison (10)
MARSHALSEA – MARSHAL (organise) + SEA (the main). Former debtors’ prison in London, familiar to Dickens fans. His father was sent there when Dickens was 12, and he later based Little Dorrit on the experience.
22 Reveal record to be beaten (8)
DISCLOSE – DISC (record) + LOSE (to be beaten).
23 Didn’t continue with assistance of mike? (6)
PAUSED – P.A. USED (with assistance of mike?). I spent at least 5 minutes at the end trying to decide between PAUSED and LAPSED, which both sort of fit the definition. Took me ages to see the wordplay (and judging from some forum comments I was far from alone in that). Great clue!
26 Coast along, showing where to hold prey? (5)
TALON – hidden in “coast along”.
27 Answer I got at in dreadful worry (9)
AGITATION – (Answer I got at in)*.
28 Unable to smoke? Perfect! (9)
MATCHLESS – double definition, although the first shows a certain lack of resourcefulness!
29 An artist to take the breath away? (5)
DEGAS – i.e. DE-GAS.

Down
1 Gets cosy with live sitcom (9)
BEFRIENDS – BE (live) + FRIENDS (sitcom).
2 Gets satiated with female problems (5)
FILLS – F(emale) + ILLS (problems).
3 Old woman was sorry about such delusions? (8)
GRANDEUR – GRAN (old woman) + RUED (was sorry) reversed.
4 Not one sailor returned quickly (4)
SOON – NO (not one) + OS (ordinary seaman, sailor), all reversed.
5 Roof may be paid for by hotelier? (2,3,5)
ON THE HOUSE – double definition.
6 Sweet assistant finally given sack (6)
TRIFLE – (assistan)T + RIFLE (sack).
7 Suicidal upper class recreated in story (1,8)
I, CLAUDIUS – (suicidal, U)*. U = upper class. Historical novel by Robert Graves, also an award-winning TV serial in the 70’s. I don’t recall much suicide, but there were plenty of murders!
8 Sort of hole in halo (5)
GLORY – double definition. NB the Chambers definition of glory hole makes no reference to the smuttier version – which is a shame as I’m sure they would have made it one of their funny ones.
13 In conversation, speak out, beginning to engage one that’s near (10)
CHEAPSKATE – (speak)* inside CHAT (conversation) + E(ngage).
15 You are out of tune, I tell you plainly (5,4)
THAT’S FLAT – double definition. Not a phrase I’ve ever used.
17 Book passages naming fictional castle (9)
BLANDINGS – B(ook) + LANDINGS (passages). The setting for a number of novels and stories by PG Wodehouse.
18 Come down stutteringly in a dream world (2-2-4)
LA-LA-LAND – pretty obvious how this one works!
21 Grosbeak, for one, seizes large quail (6)
FLINCH – FINCH (grosbeak, for one) around L(arge).
22 Piece of information is slander — thanks for breaking it up (5)
DATUM – MUD (slander) around TA (thanks), all reversed.
24 Such music is child’s play (5)
SWING – double definition.
25 Stumble over, having drunk too much of this? (4)
PILS – SLIP (stumble) reversed.

16 comments on “Saturday Times 26256 (14th Nov)”

  1. 20 mins. I was getting sleepy towards the end of it and I finished with SOON after FALL ABOUT. PAUSED took a while to see but I’m another who thought it was excellent once the penny dropped.
  2. I had ‘passed’ as my LOI and was thus wrong. I presumed this was a vague reference to TV quiz procedures, when you say ‘pass’ you do not ‘continue’ with an answer, and you presumably are miked up. (Clearly, this was delusional.)
  3. Another off-the-scale solve for me at some way past an hour but at least I got there unaided apart from looking up definitions to attempt to choose between LAPSED and PAUSED (which had been my first thought anyway) as my last one in. I understood it eventually when somebody in the forum said it would be a “doh!” moment when spotted, as up to then I thought there was some obscure reference going on that I wouldn’t know. Encouraged by that thought I looked again and it suddenly dawned on me.
  4. It was Saturday morning so I took my time with this. 25.21. Same as others with PAUSED so I let it sit for a while and saw it when I proofed. The one that held me up (as tends to be the case with the 4letter ones) was PILS because I always think of it as pilsner. There was a terrible movie I saw in-flight years ago called Blame it on the Bellboy, and I vaguely recall some discussion here about the difference between UK and US pronunciation of BUOY. Apparently no one recognised my userpic of Whistler’s mother apropos of 8d yesterday so I’ve gone back to the usual. P.S. Andy, in your intro I think you mean 23a.
      1. I really hadn’t seen it but I bet my husband has – right up his street. Obviously I lead a sheltered life because I had no idea what anyone was talking about on the club forum re last week’s 8d.

        Edited at 2015-11-21 01:25 pm (UTC)

  5. Around an hour but had to cheat go get GRANDEUR, of all things. Dithered at 9a, where I couldn’t be sure initially whether the composer was Falla or Arvo Part. (The Times doesn’t bother with accents, or indeed with punctuation, as we saw the other day with ‘oking’.) Liked PAUSED when I finally saw it.

    Did the mother and father of double takes at the ‘glory hole’ clue, but was clrearly wandering up the wrong alley.

  8. As I commented on the forum I was utterly defeated by 23ac. The DOH! moment was painful and humiliating when it (eventually) came. Setter 1, keriothe 0.
    Other than this self-inflicted wound I liked this puzzle a lot, and not just because I will always be well-disposed towards a puzzle that mentions BLANDINGS. Perhaps I’ll spend this evening perusing my copy of Whiffle…

    Edited at 2015-11-21 07:43 pm (UTC)

  9. I thought the term at 14ac should be ‘not much cHop’ but Collins tells me it is mainly Aus and NZ usage. Odd. Also odd that PAUSED was almost a write-in, given other comments. Enjoyed every minute of this one.
  10. Surprisingly fast for me, with 19ac, of all things, my LOI. Liked 21d, but of course the COD goes to PAUSED.
  11. The Marshalsea was of course almost bang opposite the George Inn, where crossword people meet. It is still possible to see one of the walls of the place.

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