Saturday Times 26268 (28th Nov) – Times for The Times

Solving time 10:37, so nothing too hard here. Last call for revellers at The George. We now have two commemorative crosswords to solve, copies of which I’ll have with me. I’ll make them more widely available next week for those who can’t make it on the day.

Across
1	Politicians demonstrate case for television commercial breaks (6,7)
	SHADOW CABINET – SHOW (demonstrate) + CABINET (case for television) around AD (commercial).
8	Marxist, wrong revolutionary? (4)
	TROT – TORT (wrong) reversed.
9	Belief that leads to imprisonment (10)
	CONVICTION – double definition.
10	Personal item found by whispering burglars? (8)
	KNICKERS – sounds like “nickers”.
11	Music genre, a fashion with origin in ghettos (6)
	GARAGE – A + RAGE (fashion), next to G(hettos).
13	Cheese entices in these mixed meat soups, cheddar finally put in (10)
	MOUSETRAPS – (meat soups)* around (chedda)R.
16	Song told a story (4)
	LIED – double definition.
17	Forty-five into a hundred is calculated (4)
	DISC – hidden in “hundred is calculated”.
18	A US writer penning song, not entirely a disaster (10)
	APOCALYPSE – A + POE (US writer) around CALYPS(o) (song, not entirely). Hint: if the clue says “US writer”, it’s nearly always POE!
20	Vegetable I have to put on tip (6)
	ENDIVE – I’VE (I have) next to END (tip).
22	Far from dangerous handgun initially unable to shoot? (8)
	HARMLESS – H(andgun) + ARMLESS (unable to shoot?).
24	Fur that keeps part of the face cool, did you say? (10)
	CHINCHILLA – sounds like “chin-chiller” (something that keeps part of the face cool). Chortle.
26	Retired person who’s manipulated to get money (4)
	LOOT – TOOL (person who’s manipulated), reversed.
27	Artist claims he is able to bend light, by the way (7,6)
	BELISHA BEACON – BACON (artist) around (he is able)*.

Down
1	A vegetable? Well no, one certainly not to be pulled up (6,5)
	SPRING ONION – SPRING (well) + [NO + I (one) + NO (certainly not), all reversed].
2	Borders lifted from part of Glasgow for lorry (5)
	ARTIC – PARTICK (part of Glasgow) with the first and last letters removed.
3	Players endlessly dart around outside the box (9)
	ORCHESTRA – ARRO(w) (dart reversed, minus the last letter) around CHEST (box).
4	Humbug to swallow while leading a game (7)
	CANASTA – CANT (humbug) around AS (while) + A.
5	Nothing in Britain coming up as glitzy stuff (5)
	BLING – NIL (nothing) inside GB (Britain), all reversed.
6	Old King Cole united assembly, of course (9)
	NATURALLY – NAT (old King Cole) + U(nited) + RALLY (assembly).
7	Anything turning up for company? (3)
	TWO – OWT (anything) reversed. Two’s company, three’s a crowd.
12	Sellers perhaps entertaining a variety of reps, say, in cafe (6,5)
	GREASY SPOON – GOON (Sellers perhaps) around (reps say)*.
14	Rugged coastline of a district (9)
	SECTIONAL – (coastline)*.
15	Flight — famous example taking in Italian capital (9)
	STAIRCASE – STAR CASE (famous example) around I(talian).
19	Essayist after old public house for tragic character (7)
	OPHELIA – ELIA (essayist) after O(ld), PH (public house). Female lead in Hamlet. She goes mad and drowns herself, so pretty tragic.
21	The novel with very uplifting character (5)
	ETHOS – (the)* + SO (very) reversed.
23	Plant resin under tree? Not me! (5)
	LILAC – LAC (resin) under LIME (tree) minus ME.
25	Swimmer surrendering head for heart (3)
	HUB – CHUB (swimmer) minus the first letter.

8 comments on “Saturday Times 26268 (28th Nov)”

But my copy is complete and correct. This is a bit UK-centric, with the ‘shadow cabinet’ and the ‘Belisha beacons’, both of which I had fortunately heard of.

10 across? There a definitely UK-centric song about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuwjT36fkOo

Unlike Vinyl, I only knew the shadow cabinet. There were enough possibilities for the anagram part of the light that I just looked it up – so properly a DNF. For being a relatively mild puzzle, I thought there were some nice clues. Just right for an on again off again solve between errands on a weekend.

37 minutes for this most enjoyable puzzle. I’d be surprised if anyone under about 55 would know BELISHA BEACON although they remain a feature of traffic management in the UK to this day, named after the Minister of Transport who introduced them in 1934, Leslie Hore-Belisha https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_Hore-Belisha,_1st_Baron_Hore-Belisha

Edited at 2015-12-05 06:24 am (UTC)

linxit says:

5 December 2015 at 6:59 AM

Well I was familiar with them, and I’m only 52!

I threw in the towel with 27ac. Not only did I not know of the BB, I had no clue as how the wordplay played. But this was a good one to DNF on, since I evidently also forgot to type in the E in APOCALYPSE.

Much enjoyed this, starting off what has been a good last week or so for the Times cryptic.

Sorry not to be able to make it today, but best wishes to all and to this much valued blog.

Not too difficult and very entertaining. Neat surfaces for the long lights 1ac and 27ac but the latter must have been a tough clue for those who hadn’t heard of the beacons.

Around 30 minutes. 2d reminded me of the great Alan Hansen (and it hurts me to say that as a United fan), who began his career at Partick Thistle. He is one of the subjects of this magnificent MOTD parody by Risteard Cooper: http://youtu.be/AfQarImZ97Y

Edited at 2015-12-05 01:57 pm (UTC)

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