Sunday Times 4530 (24 Mar 2013) by Dean Mayer

Solving time: I did this on paper amid interruptions, so it’s hard to give any kind of accurate time. I’d reckon about 40-45 minutes at a guess.

It’s an excellent crossword, a typical example from Dean. There are many great surfaces, particularly the wonderfully topical 19d which gets my COD. There were many other good clues – 7a, 13a, 10d, 15d, 17d & 20d all being fine specimens.

I must have spent a good 5 or 10 minutes at the end trying to get 23d. I guess it was easy for those who knew the word, but I didn’t.

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

Across
4 RUB – dd – Work in / trouble
7 RE + PROBATE – ‘will copy’ for PROBATE was very well disguised
9 AB(O)UT
11 GAVE + triaL – &lit
12 SEAT (behind) + RAVEL (wind)
13 FAMOUS LAST WORDS = (AS + TWO) in (FARM SOLD US)*
14 AMNESIC = A + MC (host) about NeEdS hIm
16 D(I’S + DA)IN
18 TRAVEL INCOGNITO = (IRON GLOVE IT CAN’T)*
21 POTBOILER = (BE POOR LIT)* – &lit
22 ERN(I)E – Ernie Wise was half of the great comedy double act Morecambe & Wise
24 NA(ST)Y
25 UNSPOILED – dd – one meaning virginal, the other in the sense of countryside that’s free from rubbish (using slag in the waste products sense)
26 MA + Tie
Down
1 P + RIG
2 JOEL + OUI + S
3 VASSAL = LASS + AV all rev
4 RE(LAPS)ED
5 B(A + R + R)OW
6 CONVERSATIONAL = (ACTOR NIVEN ALSO)*
8 PAVEMENT ARTIST – cd
10 TALKS INTO = (STATION)* about LivestocK
13 FEAST UPON = (OF PEANUTS)*
15 CHILL OUT = HILL (fell) + O (over) all in CUT (shortened)
17 SIGNED ON = (ENDING SO)*
19 EPONYM = ME (yours truly) rev about PONY (little horse) – an excellent topical surface gets my COD
20 CERISE = CabbagE + RISE
23 EDDA = ADDEd rev – My LOI as this wasn’t a word I knew, but I eventually came up with this as the only possible answer. The Edda are 13th century Scandinavian works of mythology, and the basis for many of the stories we have of the Norse Gods.

14 comments on “Sunday Times 4530 (24 Mar 2013) by Dean Mayer”

  1. 45 minutes with the last 5 spent on 23dn alone. I have been caught out by EDDA before and evidently failed to learn from the experience. Didn’t get all the wordplay at the time and forgot to go back and review it before coming here. I was going to say something about 14ac in consecutive ST puzzles but I forget what it was!
  2. Top class stuff, as ever. I was a bit unsure about really = NAY in 24ac, but no doubt there is some sense or other in which they equate. I knew of eddas and still found 23dn difficult, my loi..
    1. I think it’s sort of archly mock-archaic – “nay good sir, thou art a gentleman”, kind of thing. 27 minutes so a brisk canter with Anax.
      What a nice peaceful blog here! I stayed out of the fight started on the Forum yesterday by some self-appointed purist. Honestlee, these are supposed to be fun.
  3. Yet another beauty from Anax.

    Off to a bad start by carelessly putting “ado” in at 4A thereby breaking my own rules about 3 and 4 letter words. Luckily both 4D and 5D were on the easy side.

    I think NAY is just No! as in “you don’t say!” or “really!”. Had no problem with EDDA – solved from definition and repeated appearance in bar crosswords.

    Thought 19D a real gem

  4. 26:19 .. I don’t know how he keeps coming up with them but yet another top-notch entertainment from Dean M. Thank you, that man.

    PAVEMENT ARTIST is one of my favourite clues of the year – “Flags down vehicle…”, indeed!

    After getting caught out by EDDA once or twice a year for I don’t know how long, I think it’s finally sunk in. I put it in without checkers this time.

    Happy Easter to all.

  5. I saved this for Easter Sunday. A slow but steady solve but I needed all the checkers for CERISE and, even after the answer became obvious, I still didn’t get the cabbage reference until coming here. LOI was EDDA. I knew the word but needed both checkers to get it! A most enjoyable puzzle, as usual with Mr Mayer. 44 minutes. Ann
  6. Good evening all, and thanks to Dave for a typically excellent blog. I know these prize puzzles rarely attract much comment but, given the Easter break, I’m very grateful that some have still managed to leave feedback – it’s much appreciated.
  7. I really enjoyed this one, especially About, Feast Upon, Chill Out and Eponym. Thank you Dean.
    Had two missing after an hour (Cerise and Edda), so thanks Dave for explaining those two.
  8. Much enjoyed. Some very nice anagram indicators — train (10dn), jars (13dn), Work (17dn), and others too.
  9. re 1 down
    ?answer could be drug, “old maid” is a name of a drug, then you have Dr + u for under and g for g force or pressure!
    1. I think if drug had indeed been the answer then there would have been many complaints. I’ve never heard of a drug called ‘old maid’, but then I don’t profess to be an expert in such matters. If you say it exists then I’m happy to take your word for it. However, U for under I’m pretty sure would not be allowed, as I don’t think there are any situations where it would ever be used as a standard abbreviation. Plus I’m not convinced that g force and pressure are the same thing either.
      1. Ha Ha! Just asking a question of you as a crossword expert- U-boat was the origin of my U and as you increase the G force the pressure on an object increases…..
        1. Unfortunately, the U in U-boat is not short for under – it’s just an anglicized version of the German U-boot which is itself short for Unterseeboot. And the g in g force is short for gravitational which is really not synonymous with pressure, despite the logical connection. I can see where you’re coming from though.

          Edited at 2013-04-16 08:53 am (UTC)

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