ST 4253 – easy enough, but …

Solving time: 7 minutes

This puzzle was pretty straightforward, considering that I don’t usually do the ST, but had some of those little faults that often make it an unsatisfying puzzle for me.

Across
1 SPIRAL STAIRCASE = (Alsace airstrips)* – an easy anag to identify and solve, but this clue reads and works well.
9 MAESTRO – 2 defs – an orchestral conductor like (Simon) Rattle, and an Austin car of the 1980s
10 SIDECAR – (race,D=date,is) all rev. – but “that” in the clue does nothing in the cryptic meaning and could have been left out without damaging the surface.
11 CO(p)ED – short for co-educational = for boys and girls
12 S(T)AGE,COACH – a diligence is a type of coach, and here, the ? at the end of the clue means definition by example is indicated, which doesn’t always happen in the mostly stricter Times puzzle.
13 ME ‘AND ‘ER
17 N,A(TURE=true*)S
19 C(A,N)ARDS – this riles me by using “with” to link def and wordplay, which has never made sense to me. In this case, “in” would have worked pretty well.
22 ENID = dine(r) rev.
25 EN(RAGE=gear)D – “proper” as an anag. indicator gets another black mark
27 SCHOOL=training, OF THOUGHT=with careful consideration. The first of these seems very iffy.
 
Down
1 SUMAC = Camus in a very chestnutty reversal
2 INEL=line*,e.g.,ANT
3 ALTO(gether)
4 S. POTTER = Stephen Potter
5 AS(SIGN)S
6 RE,D.,ACTION
8 EARPHONES = (hears, nope)* – another easy anag. when ‘ears’ is/are in the the clue and the meanings are connected. But when you look back to write up these notes, you see that ‘sporting’ is doing double duty – indicating the anag. and describing the wearing of the answer. On reflection, maybe I’m fussing too much here – this seems to work as an &lit.
14 D.,ERRING,DO – a nice clue, this one
19 CREW CUT – cryptic def. – but only barely – as the term comes from the use of this haircut by rowing crews, the def. is pretty much a plain one.
23 D=Germany,WE=you and I,LT=left empty – but this, on the website version, is the worst clue in the puzzle – A house in Germany you and I left empty. “A house” for DWELT is so awful that I think something like “had” or “lived in” must have flen off the beginning.
24 IN FO(al) – if the setter gets you to believe that Gen is a girl and not news/dope/info etc., this is a clever clue – but for solvers of even moderate experience, this is a big if.

2 comments on “ST 4253 – easy enough, but …”

  1. Not only is derring do a good clue, but a great and much underused word. I spent the week using it in everyday conversation, which would be easier if I was a pirate.
  2. I am glad that our esteemed founder found fault with 23d. I thought I was missing something.

    There are eight “easies” not in the blog including the 16d – possibly from the 3ds in the altogether?

    15a Continues to travel (in Laos)* moving around south (5,2)
    SAIL S ON

    20a Engineer (vacates pit)* entrances (10)
    CAPTIVATES

    26a Calm prisoner alone (7)
    CON SOLE

    7d Some maniAC CRAcked in capital (5)
    ACCRA

    13d Handles detractors around N Ireland (9)
    MO N.I. CKERS. Unusual to see NI not clued as Province or the like.

    16d Alert child good with alluring music (5,4)
    SIREN SON G

    18d Two notes from awkward customer (2,3,2)
    SO AND SO

    21d Measure of freshwater fish (5)
    PERCH. Caught with a ROD or POLE no doubt?

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