Sunday Times 4471 (5 Feb 2012) – Apologies for being late (Andy’s fault!)

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 48:50

Many apologies for being a couple of days late with this one. I’ve been on holiday in Egypt for a week and I’ve just got back an hour ago. I did leave a copy of this blog with Andy to post on my behalf, but he appears not to have done so. Not to worry, better late than never.

A lot of clues here where I had to get the answers from the definition and work backwards to explain the wordplay. I don’t enjoy doing them this way as a rule. It generally means that the wordplay is too hard for me to get a handle on, and this was defintely the case this week. I’ve not been able to work out 12 even now.

There were some clues here that I did like – 1d was particularly good and my COD, but they were greatly outnumbered by those I didn’t.

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

Across
1 EMCEE = “M.C.” as in Military Cross
4 PLAIN + TIFF
9 RE + ALTHING – Are we supposed to know that the Icelandic parliament is called the Althing?
10 MASON = Manon with the N changed to S. I didn’t know this opera either.
11 cHUM + S
12 GOALKEEPER – I’m struggling a bit with this one, I’m afraid, even after a bit of help from Andy. ‘Given, say’ is the definition, after Shay Given the Aston Villa goalie. The best I can come up with for the wordplay is G (good) + ALSO with the S for Sun removed (delivered) and mixed up (refined) for OAL, then ‘guardian’ = KEEPER. But I still feel I might be missing something, so I’m open to better suggestions.
14 HARD-HIT = (A THIRD)* about H
15 CI(TAD)EL – More wordplay that needed reverse engineering. Seeing it now I remember learning that the French for sky is ciel at school, but I wouldn’t have remembered it.
16 TONE ROW = WORE + NO + T all rev – I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen T used as an abbreviation for tenor, but it is in the dictionary so I guess it’s OK.
19 G(E)ORGE + I
21 EARL’S COURT = “EARL’S CAUGHT” – rather weak homophone where homophone is indicated for the whole phrase, but only one of the words has changed
22 C(L)UE
24 I + M(A + G)O
25 WHAT’S WHAT = “WHAT’S WATT” – another weak homophone in the same way as 21a
26 GRANDIOSE = (ORGANISED)* – well-disguised anagrist
27 RADAR – palindrome
Down
1 EARTH-SHATTERING = EAR + (THAT’S)* in THE RING
2 CHAR + ME + R
3 rEgAtTaS
4 P(AID)OUT
5 ANGELIC = (EALING + Comedy)*
6 NUMBER TWOS – dd – In the days before squad numbers, the right back traditionally wore the number 2 shirt.
7 INSIPID = IN + (DIP IS) rev
8 FUNERAL DIRECTOR = (FOR CERTAIN RUffLED)*
13 SHORTSWORD – ‘bags’ is a term for trousers, hence debagging, so small bags are SHORTS, then ‘name’ = WORD
17 NIRVANA = (ARAN IN harVest)*
18 WHO’S WHO – 2 Doctor Whos
19 GAR(B)AGE
20 GALA + HAD
23 TSAR – rev hidden in procRASTinating

7 comments on “Sunday Times 4471 (5 Feb 2012) – Apologies for being late (Andy’s fault!)”

  1. 29′, with 12ac put in from checkers and ‘Guardian’; thanks to Dave and Andy for the elucidation. Are we supposed to know about the Althing, you ask? Well, I knew there are some Things among the parliaments up north, which was enough. My question is, Are we supposed to know who–nay, who the hell–Given is? EARLS COURT is carrying homophony a step or two too far for me, but it was easy enough to get, what with ‘noble’ and the enumeration.
  2. Doing this I learned that a tone row, which I’d never heard of, can also be called a note row – which I’d also never heard of. (That’s why these things are educational.) I like the Given clue, but then again I would being an aficianado of the Premier League. Regarding the other football clue, one of the right backs at most clubs will still wear the number two, with the other right backs taking different numbers. More sport, setters, PB!

    66 mins online.

  3. A week after the event my impression is that this puzzle was more difficult than my solving time suggests. I completed the grid in 33 minutes which is not bad at all by my standards but I think I spent nearly as long afterwards sorting out the wordplay and in particular trying to understand 12ac. I don’t welcome the arrival of transient sports people in the puzzles and I reckon I’d stand a better chance with a few more of Jimbo’s scientists as long as they are safely in their graves.
    1. Not to mention that we should know Jimbo’s scientists; my ignorance of the members of the Premier League is blissful as well as complete.
  4. I couldn’t name a single premier league goalie, but having said that I solved the clue OK, so can’t get excited about it. The Althing is the world’s oldest parliament, and as such, reasonable general knowledge I would suggest.
    On balance I like the way the ST is a little bit different.
  5. Oops, guilty as charged I’m afraid. I was out all day Sunday and totally forgot about this. If I’d checked and seen it missing my memory might have been jogged!
  6. Why Guardian, why not guardian? Lame wordplay with ‘Sun’ I suppose but totally uncalled for. A truly awful clue.

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