Sunday Times 4452 (25 Sep 2011)

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 41:30

I only got round to attempting this yesterday, so I was still a bit under the weather which may have affected my time a little. It felt slightly on the hard side of medium to me.

The only words that could be described as new to me were ACTUATION and EVANGEL, but both have derivatives in common usage so it was a small step to get to them.

Several good bits of wordplay well-hidden in some natural surface readings. 1, 2 & 27 were probably my personal favourites, but there was merit in several others. Is it just me, or has the average level of difficulty gone up noticeably since the blogfather took the helm? I used to be able to polish these off in under half an hour most weekends without breaking a sweat. Now, a 40 minute struggle is much more par for the course.

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

Across
1 UNENTHUSIASTIC = (UNITS EACH UNIT’S)* – a good natural surface makes the anagram well-disguised
10 RING + SUP
11 MATADOR = “MATTER DOOR”
12 ACTUATION = A + (TAUT rev + I) in CON
13 HA(L)VE – that’s a ‘have’ as opposed to a ‘have-not’
14 IMPUGN = IMP + (GUN)*
15 AIRS + TRIP – ‘jolly’ = TRIP as in ‘off on one’s jollies’, presumably derived from ‘jolly holidays’.
18 TERRA(P)IN
20 Take Responsibility Once + JANuary
23 ENDED = rev hidden in lopsiDEDNEss
25 SLOPPY JOE = (JO + Excited) after S(LOP)PY
26 EVANGEL = LEG + NAVE all rev
27 CHAOTIC = AbOuT in CHIC – another piece of very well-disguised wordplay in a natural surface
28 MASSAGE PARLOUR – cd – once you realised that ‘rubber’ is someone who rubs, then the oil should give it away
Down
2 NONSTOP = Nx2 (news) with O (nothing) in it + S (second) + TOP (best) – a complex construction, but perfectly sound
3 NOSTALGIA = (ANALOGIST)*
4 HIP + PIE
5 SEMANTIC = (ASCENT I’M)*
6 A + ITCH
7 T + ODD(L)ER
8 CORRESPONDENCE – dd
9 BROAD IN THE BEAM = (OR THIN BABE MADE)* – my first one in
16 ST(RIP + M)ALL
17 DISSOLVE = DIVE (joint) about LOSS rev
19 RA + DIALS
21 JUJ(IT’S)U
22 WOTCHA = “WATCHER”
24 DOG + MA

5 comments on “Sunday Times 4452 (25 Sep 2011)”

  1. The average difficulty probably has gone up, as a result of staff changes, rather than deliberate policy. As a “setting editor”, Barbara Hall wrote half the puzzles until the end of last year, and I think hers were easier than those from Tim, Jeff and Don. And Dean Mayer is harder for most people than Don Manley, especially if you haven’t seen many of his puzzles before.

    Peter Biddlecombe
    Sunday Times Puzzles Editor

  2. 27ac and 28ac, for their different reasons, are both extremely fine cryptic clues, up there with the best.

    I usually find Anax a bit harder than average too, but this one was easier than his first ST effort.

  3. 22 minutes for this. I think I’ve noticed an increase in difficulty on a Sunday, combined with an improvement in quality. A welcome development on both counts. Anax puzzles in particular are a great pleasure to solve, and this was no exception, although a bit easier than the first one as jerrywh notes. My last in was AIRSTRIP, which took me absolutely ages to see for some unfathomable reason.
  4. Great to see an another Anax crossword. Strangely, seeing the name at the top made me competely switch mindsets to one better suited to the challenge. Knowing what was is store made it somewhat easier and highly enjoyable. Encore!

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