Sunday Times 4544 (30 Jun 2013) by Jeff Pearce

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
My time was about 40 minutes, I think, but I solved it offline while sat in the garden enjoying a 17 without a clock to hand.

I thought it a fairly average, but enjoyable solve. I enjoyed 20d, although it seemed a little chestnutty, and there were some good anagrams, particularly 11d.

There was a certain amount of discussion in the forum regarding an alternative solution to 14d, which I can only assume is CREAM SAUCE, but I don’t see how ‘brass’ can be thought of as a definition of CREAM, so personally I have no problem with the clue at all.

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

Across
1 INDEFINITE – mid Arkansas is arkANsas, which is, of course, an indefinite article.
6 ASIA = IS rev in (A + A)
9 SANTA CLARA = (A CANAL + RATS)* – A city in California at the centre of Silicon Valley. Intel, McAfee & Nvidia all have their headquarters there.
10 strummeD + RUM
12 REEFER – dd
13 AUTOBAHN – cd
15 HORNET’S NEST = (THE SON’S RENT)*
18 NECk + ROMANCE + R
21 IN CREASE
22 P + A + ELLA
24 Entertain + DEN – The Den is the ground that Millwall F.C. play at in South Bermondsey, London (they haven’t played in Millwall since 1910) – Sir Anthony Eden was the Tory Prime Minister from 1955 – 1957.
25 SUPPL(I + CAT)E
26 TIME = EMIT rev
27 GET THE CHOP – dd
Down
1 INSERT – dd
2 DINNER = RED rev about INN
3 FLAMETHROWER = (HELMET FOR WAR)*
4 NILE – rev hidden
5 TURBULENCE = (UNCLE BERT)* about U
7 STREAKER – cd
8 AMMONITE = (INMATE)* about MO
11 CONSERVATIVE = (NOT VICE VERSA)* – an excellent surface. My COD
14 BREAD SAUCE – Two uses of the word ‘brass’ – as ‘money’ (BREAD) and as ‘impudence’ (SAUCE)
16 IN + CIDEr + NT – The word ‘Being’ seems to be there purely for the surface
17 I + ChoicE + CREAM
19 B(L)EACH
20 MADE UP – a ‘wordplay in solution’ clue, as MADE rev is EDAM, a type of cheese
23 SPITe

7 comments on “Sunday Times 4544 (30 Jun 2013) by Jeff Pearce”

  1. 31 minutes, so only just missed a rare opportunity for a sub-30 solve on a Sunday puzzle. I thought of ‘cream’ before I saw BREAD at 14dn but realised it would only apply to one half of the clue so I dismissed the idea and thought again. I couldn’t understand the discussion in the forum on this point. Didn’t know SANTA CLARA but the answer was plain.
  2. I got all but 2 clues quite easily and then took the same time again to solve the final two, and looking at the grid I can’t even remember which two they were. Being a fan of bread sauce and with such clear wordplay, I never even thought of cream.
  3. A nice set of anagrams in this one, though none of them jumped out at me and I was forced to turn to pen and paper. I’ve been caught out by Jeff Pearce several times with words/meanings I didn’t know, so I put in CREAM SAUCE assuming that there was an equivalence of cream and brass that I hadn’t encountered before. Though I’ve heard of bread sauce, I don’t think I’ve ever eaten any (though that probably holds true for a good percentage of the foodstuffs/drinks that crop up in Crosswordland).
  5. The clue says “at home to Millwall” so wouldn’t that refer to someone esle’s home ground and not Millwall’s?
    Regards,
    Adrian Cobb (not really Anonymous but I dont have any of the accounts mentioned)
    1. It’s using “to” in the sense of “of”, e.g. Buckingham Palace is home to Queen Elizabeth II.
  6. Popped in here after a very long w/e to see what Dave made of the bread or cream thing in 14d which waxed hot on the Forum. I agree with Sue, I never even thought of cream (although there is a nice sort of tarragon thing with white wine – supreme de something). And I suppose the top brass at the Pentagon could be the military creme de la creme (not). Besides “cream” was already part of 17d.

    A Forum newcomer rashly opined that “bread sauce” was simply unacceptable in a prize puzzle and that it failed to satisfy the definition. To which various replies said what the… 17.56, which makes this a speedy Sunday for me. Thanks Dave.

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