Sunday Times 4420 (13 Feb 2011)

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: Romped through all but 3 (7/8/10) in about 13 minutes, then stared at these for the rest of my son’s swimming lesson without inspiration. I used aids on them when I got home – I don’t think I’d have got them otherwise.

By and large, quite an easy puzzle, and a good one for beginners, but for a few nuggets of specialist knowledge. I thought my knowledge of the human skeleton was pretty good, but I didn’t know TALUS, and while Tantalus isn’t overly obscure, ‘ancient king’ is a pretty vague description.TOURACO and the practice of SATI are both unlikely to be familiar to many, but are gettable from the rest of the clue. I’m also not a big fan of clueing long and obscure words with a single anagram, as they can be awkward to get, even with all the checking letters in place, as was the case with 7.

cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this

Across
1 APP + ENDED – A piece of computer software is an application, colloquially known as an app. A very easy starter for a software developer like myself.
6 WEALTH = W for H as initial letter in HEALTH
9 CLEaR + IC
10 TAN + TALUS – I needed aids for this. I worked my way round all the bones in the body that I knew, but I don’t know the individual names for the tarsals and carpals, so the TALUS was unknown to me. I had forgotten the story of Tantalus who killed and cooked his own son and offered him up as a gift to the gods. He was punished by being imprisoned with food and water perpetually just out of reach – hence the word ‘tantalize’. I really must try and remember some of this ancient mythology – it crops up a lot.
11 M + IS IN FORM
13 AD + A + M
14 GRIPe
15 AB(SO)LUTION
17 AUTO + DID + ACT
19 IN + CH
21 BALl + I – Lunchtime is here considered to be 1 o’clock. I don’t mind IPM, but just I seems a little loose.
22 AT PRESENT = (APT)* + RESENT
24 SATI + RISE – I got this from the definition, but didn’t understand the wordplay until I looked it up – Sati is the pratice of self-immolation by widows on their late husband’s funeral pyre.
25 TAMe + ALE
27 LEAN ON – dd
28 oxforD + READING
Down
2 POLYMER = (REMPLOY)*
3 hidden
4 DECONTAMINATION = (MEDITATION + CANON)*
5 DITTO = DITTY with the final letter changed
6 WINDMILL THEATRE – This was an exotic revue bar in Westminster, London known for its nude dancers. Don Quixote, of course, famously ’tilted at windmills’.
7 AMARANTHINE = (HEART IN A MAN)* – I needed aids for this one. I saw the wordplay straight away, but I didn’t know the word or the flower, so had no way of deducing the order of the consonants.
8 TOUR + A + CO – I needed aids here too, although probably shouldn’t have done. I didn’t have the crossing U and TOUR just wouldn’t come to mind from the T alone. I didn’t know the exotic bird.
12 SUPPOSITION = (PIOUS POINTS)*
16 SPAt
18 UN (A WAR) managE
20 CAT + ALAN
23 triP + LEAD
26 MAD = DAM rev

7 comments on “Sunday Times 4420 (13 Feb 2011)”

  1. With Tantalus and Sati as the ones to be thought about, this was pretty grim. Only moment of light relief came from the Windmill. One E. Morecambe worked backstage there in his early years. His comment was something like: Mostly women in black gloves and black high-heels. Looked like the Five of Spades!
  2. Waited all week to get the definitive word on 24a, thanks. Thought that must be it but didn’t know that spelling-I knew it as suttee.
  3. This one had much more than a sting in its tail. It suddenly turned red in tooth and claw! Having completed all but 7,8,10,17, 24 and 25 in 16 minutes (very good going for me) I then spent twice as long again trying to crack the remaining clues before resorting to aids.

    There were just too many unknown words or references for me. The only TANTALUS I knew is the lockable drinks dispenser which I believe was invented by one of the Betjeman family – possibly his father- or he invented a particular version of it.

  4. I thought at first that I was going to set a personal best speed, but SATIRISE took 5 minutes, even with all the checking letters, giving me a total of 20. Like Olivia, I knew sati as suttee. I’m pretty sure AMARANTHINE was in a fairly recent puzzle, and I think the talus is part of the cryptic skeleton; otherwise I don’t think I’d have figured out which ancient king it was so quickly. Never heard of the Windmill Theatre.
  5. Hoist I was by the alternative spelling satirise so no prize this week. Having done the weekend ones (in good time) I shall now go back to try to finish Friday’s effort before downloading Monday’s. Another fine blog Dave.

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