Sunday Times 4500 (26 Aug 2012) by Anax

Solving time: solved as a joint effort with my Dad in about 35 minutes. I was quite pleased that I seemed to get more than he did for a change!

I don’t think my Dad was overly impressed with this one, he found it a little easy. But then, he generally only does the Saturday puzzles these days, so he’s not as accustomed to the style of the ST which is definitely all its own. I thought that overall it was a decent enough puzzle, despite my reservations over 14 & 23. I certainly found it more enjoyable than the previous two which were not particularly to my taste. On edit: Dean has responded to these two issues, clearing them both up.

I did wonder if we might be treated to something a bit special in view of the roundness of the number, but if there was anything special about it then I missed it. I guess I’ll have to wait until March 27th 2022 for that, although I don’t know if I’ll still be blogging by then. Of course I am due to blog Jumbo No 1000 next month, so let’s see if that milestone worthies a celebration of any sort.

I’d also like to take the opportunity to wish Dean a very happy 50th birthday for Thursday, and say I’m very much looking forward to meeting him (and indeed one or two others) in person at his do this coming weekend.

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

Across
1 FOR THE DROP = FORTH (on) + EP (record) about (describing) DR (doctor) + O (round), ‘to go down’ is the definition. It took me a while post-solve to pull apart the wordplay, but once I had, I thought it was quite good.
6 C + RAW
9 CHA = half of CHA-CHA, another name for the cha-cha-cha
10 LEGITIMISED = LEG (on, cricket side) + I (one) + (DEISM IT)*
12 PI + LAUd
13 ALONGSIDE = (ONE IS GLAD)*
14 COFFIN-DODGER = CODGER about OFF (going) + IN (home) + D (date). I don’t get this, I’m afraid. ‘Ancient bloke’ is doing double duty as definition as well as part of the wordplay, but it’s not an &lit or even a semi-&lit as the ‘keeps going home with date’ bit doesn’t seem to add anything to the definition. I solved it without too much trouble, but I didn’t like it. According to the setter, ‘Ancient’ is the definition (as a noun, presumably, which is fine), so ‘bloke’ must be CODGER (which is also fine, as a codger doesn’t have to be old)
18 TAKE A SHINE TO = (NOISE THAT)* about KEA (parrot)
21 DISMISSAL = (IS + S) all in DISMAL
23 FIVER = REV + IF all rev – not convinced about REV for gun. An abbreviation for revolver presumably but I couldn’t find it in my Chambers, nor any of the free online dictionaries. My mistake, that’s rev as a verb, as in to rev/gun an engine. Thanks to Anax for his explanation below.
24 LEARN BY ROTE = LEAR + (BYRON)* + TE (Lawrence)
25 SOD = MERE removed from SOme reD
26 DEAR – dd
27 CITY EDITOR = (TORY EDICT)* about I
Down
1 FACE + PACK
2 REAL LIFE – hidden
3 HALLUCINATION = (I + CULL + A + H) all rev + NATION – I hadn’t realised CULL could mean to pick rather than just exterminate.
4 DOG-PADDLE = DODDLE about (GP + A)
5 OUTDO = OO about UTD
7 RU + STICk
8 WIDNES = W + I + SEND rev – that’s ship as a verb. Easier for me than many I suspect, living as I do in Stockport which has at least has a Cheshire postal address even if it’s not actually in Cheshire.
11 MAGNETIC FIELD = (DEFLECTING AIM)*
15 DESULTORY = rESULT in DORY – I knew a dory was a fish, but didn’t know it was a boat too.
16 HEAVYSET = HE + S + (VEST)* about Y
17 CORRIDOR = hORRID in COR (my!)
19 ADD + LED
20 TSWANA = (WANTS)* + A – I didn’t know the word, but assumed it was some tribe from Botswana, which indeed it is, possibly near the river Bo, which it isn’t.
22 STYLI – hidden

7 comments on “Sunday Times 4500 (26 Aug 2012) by Anax”

  1. Hi there Dave – many thanks for the review, and looking forward to meeting you next weekend.

    Just to clarify 14 & 23.
    In 14 the def is simply ‘ancient’ (noun).
    In 23 rev=gun is a verb, as in revving/gunning an engine.

  2. 75 minutes, so the second of last weekend’s disasters for me. Although this one was marginally easier than Saturday’s I was still unable to finish without looking up a couple of things once the hour had passed. Unknown were TSWANA, KEA and REV.

    24 is LEAR (poet) + BYRON* + TE, I think.

    1. You’re right of course. I realised that at the time. That’s just careless blogging! Now corrected.
  3. Neat puzzle, completed in 66 minutes. I liked FIVER a lot even when I parsed REV as a noun; now it’s even better. Last in the football-linked 1ac and 5dn, two more very cute clues.

    To Dean – life begins at 50!

  4. I’m rather with your Dad Dave, I found this easier than the standard Anax offering. Usually my piece of paper is covered in jottings as I unravel the wordplays but this time there were none! I also wondered about a theme but couldn’t find one. I thought 5D was a neat construction.

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