Sunday Times 4529 (17 Mar 2013) by Jeff Pearce

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: I can’t give any kind of time, I’m afraid. I’m currently visiting my parents in Portugal, and my Dad had this half done when I arrived.

It doesn’t seem too tricky looking back on it now, and it didn’t take us too long to finish it once I arrived, but who can say how long it would have taken me on my own.

Anyway, it’s late and I’m supposed to be on holiday so I’ll get straight on with it.

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

Across
1 MASCARPONE = MA’S + CAPONE about Rotten
6 A + MOSs – Kate Moss being the supermodel
9 TONIC = IN in COT all rev – I liked the natural surface of this one
10 RURITANIA = RU (game) + RITA (lass) + I in AN rev
12 PADDLESTEAMER = ADDLES (makes rotten) + TEAM (crew) in PE (gym) + theiR
14 ROTENONE = (ON/ON TREE)* – I had to check this in the dictionary as I didn’t know the word and there were several possibilities
15 I SOLD E – Heroine of Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde
17 S + NAPPY
19 WELL DONE = WELL (my, as in Oh my!) + DON (lecturer) + Einstein
21 SHADOW CABINET = CAB + I + NET all after SHADOW
24 ANKLE BOOT = (A BOOKLET)* about N
25 AGREE = (EAGER)*
26 ERNE = rEpRiNtEd
27 RHINE’S TONE
Down
1 MAT + E – Cockney Rhyming Slang: China Plate = Mate
2 SUNSPOT = “SONS” + POT
3 ACCIDENT-PRONE = (DECREPIT CANON)*
4 PORT + LAND – A city in the state of Maine. On edit: I’m getting my east and west confused, aren’t I? Portland, Oregon is what’s intended here.
5 NERDS – rev hidden
7 MINIMAL = MINIM + L about A
8 STARRY-EYED = (ARRESTED)* about Y (twice) – ‘police’ must be the anagrind, but I’m not sure I see it myself.
11 THESSALONIANS = (IN + H + SEATS)* about SALON
13 GRASS SNAKE = GRASS’S + NAKEd – ‘grass’ and ‘shop’ are synonymous in the sense of ‘to inform on’
16 VERB + O + TEN
18 AL(ASK)AN
20 ONTARIO = ON + (A RIOT)*
22 CLOT + H
23 BED + lecturE

8 comments on “Sunday Times 4529 (17 Mar 2013) by Jeff Pearce”

  1. 25′ to get everything but 14ac and 13d, 8’30” to get those two. DNK ROTENONE (LOI), and as you say, the possibilities were numerous, so I too, had to go to the dictionary. PORTLAND, Maine, is on the east coast; PORTLAND, Oregon is inland, but I don’t see a problem calling it a west coast city. The west coast is largely a state of mind, after all. I’m sure I’ve said this before, but I could do without ‘cardinal’ clues indicating a number. COD to GRASS SNAKE
  2. 51 minutes, and like Dave and Kevin I needed to check ROTENONE. I also didn’t know the reference to explain 6ac – no problem with the prophet, but Kate Moss is just a name I hear bandied about and I had no idea who she is or what she does.

    ‘Police’ is in the Chambers list of angrinds but I knew it to mean ‘organise’ or ‘keep in order’ as in the lyric of Tom Lehrer’s US Army song:

    Al joined up to do his part defending you and me.
    He wants to fight and bleed and kill and die for liberty.
    With the hell of war he’s come to grips,
    Policing up the filter tips,
    It makes a fella proud to be a soldier!

    Edited at 2013-03-24 06:33 am (UTC)

  3. One wrong (I guessed Retonone not Rotenone at 14ac) and one missing (Bede). Portland (Oregon) was the city I had in mind for 4ac.

    Dave – Portugal sounds a very nice place to be at the moment given the miserably cold weather gripping UK.

  4. A typical Jeff Pearce experience for me – enjoyable and generally straightforward, but with the LOI an ambiguously-clued word I’ve never heard of, in this case the vowel lottery at 14A. My judgement for what “looks right” was way off beam, as the correct answer would have been my 3rd choice.

    Edited at 2013-03-24 09:55 am (UTC)

  5. 13.11 on the club timer. I didn’t get time for this last week, so I’ve only just done it.
    14ac ROTENONE is a poor clue, in my opinion, although I’ve seen it before somewhere so fortunately I was able to put the vowels in the right place.
    I was puzzled by “city” for the province of ONTARIO but it turns out it’s also a city in California.
  6. That does seems rather obscure, though I hadn’t noticed it until you mentioned it.
  7. 25 minutes. I had to look up the insecticide – the crossing letters weren’t much help. LOI was GRASS SNAKE, a lovely clue.
  8. Somewhat tougher than usual from Jeff Pearce, I thought.
    Finished most of the bottom half in 10 mins., then slowed to a crawl on the upper half.
    Used aids for about 6 clues, though I knew rotenone.

Comments are closed.