Sunday Times 4564 (17 Nov 2013) by Tim Moorey

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: About 24 minutes

I found this the complete opposite end of the difficulty spectrum to last week’s fiendish Dean Mayer offering. I rattled through this one very quickly (for me). That’s not to say it wasn’t enjoyable. Indeed, I thought some of the clues were really rather good. The &lit at 4d was clever, and the semi-&lit at 11a also. But the honking tank at 3d made me laugh, so that gets my COD.

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

Across
1 SMASH HIT = MASH (pap) in (THIS)*
6 E + STATE
9 AC(M)E
10 S(A + TELL)ITES
11 CURTAIN-RAISERS = (RARitIES)* in CURTAINS (the end), ‘Theatrical’ is the anagrind – semi-&lit
13 ACA + CIA
15 DRESSERS – dd
16 SENATORS = (ARE NOT)* in SpeecheS
19 RWANDA = (WAR AND)*
21 CHINESE LANTERN – cd
23 ON THE WHOLE = “ON THE HOLE”
25 CAST = FAST with C (century) for F (fellow)
26 COUSIN = US (useless) in COIN (money)
27 DESSERTS = STRESSED rev
Down
2 MACAU – hidden
3 SCEPTIC = C (corps) in SEPTIC (honking tank, what a great definition!)
4 HMS PINAFORE = (NAME FOR SHIP)* – An operetta by Gilbert & Sullivan – &lit
5 TUTORED = (ROUTE)* in ThailanD
6 EEL – Every third letter in chElsEa fLat
7 TOILETS = (TS ELIOT)*
8 TREA(SURE)D
12 ICEBREAKERS – dd
14 CRESCENDO = (C + CENSORED)*
17 ALIGHT + S
18 STEROID = (EDITOR’S)*
20 AUTOCUE = “AUTO QUEUE”
22 RESAT = TASER rev
24 WON – dd – The currrency of both North & South Korea

13 comments on “Sunday Times 4564 (17 Nov 2013) by Tim Moorey”

  1. … does the STRESSED/DESSERTS thing always elude me? Even had TRESSED/DESSERT in a recent Rufus (yesterday’s Groan Weekly) and I missed it there too!
  2. 16 minutes for all but 11 and 12 which took as long again. I always thought 12 was hyphenated, but apparently not.

    Edited at 2013-11-24 01:24 am (UTC)

    1. Those were my last two too. Frustrating to be staring at two long answers, each with 5 or more checkers, and no immediate insight into either.
  3. I never did figure out CURTAIN RAISERS, althouogh I was sure ‘rarities’ was (part of?) the anagrist; but luckily, the checkers sufficed. So thanks, Dave, but I shouldn’t have needed the explanation. Definitely a relief after the previous ST.
  4. Not a difficult one, but there’s always something amusing in the Sunday offerings, e.g. SCEPTIC. Wonder if Mr Moorey was at all tempted by something less delicate than (THIS)* in 1A.
  6. I found it enjoyable too, and got it done in a shortish time for me. Sadly, a long way go to the sub 30s much less the sub 10s. In too, didn’t fully parse Curtain Raisers, and mentally reworded 1ac. I particularly liked getting an every-third letter ‘eel’ instead of the more usual odd or even.

    Edited at 2013-11-24 04:34 pm (UTC)

  7. 26A. I got it, as I’ve seen it before, but I really don’t get how “useless” equals “us.” It’s supposed to be “use, e-less,” but it’s really “us e-less,” seems you’d need another “e.”
        1. Ah, yeah. I think I already “learned” that once (from here, in fact). But it stands for something, right? Un-Serviceable… if memory serves.
  8. If I’m not mistake, 24d is a rather clever *triple* definition, with the 3rd definition being Eastern (reverse) of “Now” (currency).

    From Wiktionary: Currency = “3. The state of being current; general acceptance or recognition.”

    1. It’s a nice idea, but ‘Eastern’ wouldn’t work as a reversal indicator, as it implies left-to-right movement. ‘Western’ would work, but only in an Across clue. This is a Down clue, so it would have to be Northern, which would spoil the rest of the clue. I think the NOW = Currency relation is mere coincidence.

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