Sunday Times 4491 (24 Jun 2012) by Anax

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: Unknown – I did this one offline, and I forgot to make a note of the time I took before I shredded it. If I remember rightly it was 40-45 minutes.

Plenty of good stuff here – 16a was particularly devious, and I liked the double definition at 6d, but I think I’ll give my COD to 18d for its neatness and natural surface.

No new words for me this week, although a new meaning to the word ‘cod’. I was aware of GASPEREAU and CALIPER in the sense of a leg brace, but only dimly.

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

Across
1 STAB = BATS rev
3 DISPOSED – dd – ‘of a mind’ being the second
10 CLIENTELE = LIEN (right) + TEL (contact number) all in CE (this French)
11 OSAKA = OS + AKA (2d: alias)
12 OBSERVE – dd
13 IRKSOME = I + (SMOKER)*
14 ROARING TWENTIES = Race + (TO GET A WINNER IS)*
16 AT THE DROP OF A HAT – to get OR (alternate) from PANORAMA you’d need to drop the PANAMA (hat)
20 COO + LO + F/F
21 CA + Leg + I + PER – ‘per’ is clued simply by ‘a’
23 POINT = (TIP ON)* – &lit
24 GASPER + EAU – a type of herring
25 GLYCEROL = (CLERGY)* + OiLy
26 NESH – hidden – I always thought this word was peculiar to the north of England. I don’t recall ever having come across it while growing up in Essex, but I’ve heard it many times since I moved to the Northwest.
Down
1 SUCCOUR = “SUCKER”
2 ALIAS = A in ALI’S
4 ICEBERG = GREBE (diver) + Cough It all rev
5 PREVIEW = PaRkEd + IE (that is) in VW (car)
6 STOCKING FILLER – dd – ‘leg’ being the second
7 DRAGONISH = DISH about RAG (cod, in the ‘to tease’ sense) + ON (being cooked)
8 UNPRAISEWORTHY = (NATURE-WORSHIP)* + nuditY
9 CARE(S)S
15 A + U + TH(OR)ING
16 AC(CEP)T – CEP for ‘mushroom’ is an old favourite
17 REFUGEE = REF + GEE about U
18 PICASSO = PIC (shot) + AS (like) + SO (very) – very neat
19 TH(R)OUGH – two definitions offered here for the price of one – over/finished
22 PIECE = “PEACE”

7 comments on “Sunday Times 4491 (24 Jun 2012) by Anax”


  1. 28:40 .. hugely enjoyable battle.

    AT THE DROP OF A HAT is one of my favourite clues in a long time. Brilliant.

  2. About time this word got on the board. If you think it’s rare in SE England, try using it in Australia! No-one knows what you mean; but it perfectly describes the bulk of the WA population (“of European extraction”) as soon as the temperature drops below about 15˚C.
  3. Just over the hour for this one. Didn’t know GASPEREAU (aka “alewife” apparently) or NESH. Wasted time trying to justify ‘ferret’ at 9dn. I also struggled on some of the explanations but I think I got them all eventually.
  4. NESH: a favourite word of my grandmother’s in South Staffordshire, in the days before central heating was common.

    CALIPER: I remember quite a few youngsters wearing these in the village where I was brought up; they had been victims of polio, outbreaks of which occurred regularly during the 1940s and 50s.

    AT THE DROP OF A HAT had a fine clue and reminded me, of course, of Flanders & Swann, particularly during our current summer.

    The only difficulty I had was with UNPRAISEWORTHY, where I was looking for an & lit.

    About half an hour, I think. Thank you, Dave, for the blog; and regards to everyone this wet July Sunday: maybe a good day to have a go at the Mephisto?

    Edited at 2012-07-01 10:42 am (UTC)

  5. As soon as I saw the setter I knew I was in for the long haul and for an enjoyable solve. Nothing to disappoint here. I particularly liked the Flanders and Swann clue. I remember seeing “At the Drop of Another Hat”. Thank you, John, for the memory and thank you,Dave, for the blog. Ann
  6. No idea how long this took me; started online, but after 15′ knew I was in for a long one, and finished at home, over drinks. DK GASPEREAU, NESH. Some great clues: 16ac certainly, but I also loved the elegance of the surfaces of 3ac and 12ac.
  7. As per mctext’s comment, being an Aussie I’d never heard of nesh (not used in Lancashire where my grandparents are from). Maybe it’s from ‘nescience’ = ignorance, absence of knowledge (OED). Cheers from Grant in Perth (West Oz).

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