Sunday Times 4573 (19 Jan 2014) by Tim Moorey

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 52:55

This one took me a while, but looking back on it, I’m not entirely sure why. It all seems quite straightforward now. 1a took me a while to unravel as the anagram is particularly convoluted, and there was one word I didn’t know – CANOPUS. I guess I just wasn’t on the right wavelength (again!).

I only did this one yesterday (Saturday), so I came in long after the whole STRATEGEM/STRATAGEM debacle. Judging by the forum comments, PB posted an incorrect spelling in the solution and the world and his wife were up in arms over the injustice of it! It was all corrected eventually and now everyone’s happy. Despite all this, I rather liked the reversal of mega tarts so I’ll give it my COD.

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

Across
1 STUFFED SHIRT – (SURe + THIS + F + FitTED)* – &lit – It took me a while to unravel the anagrist, it’s rather convoluted
8 REA(DIE)R
9 CAN + OPUS
11 CArmEN
12 F(AIRHEAD)ED
13 ANAGRAM – REMAINS being an anagram of SEMINAR
15 M(IS)USED
18 MOD + CONS
20 MENORCA = (CAMERON)*
21 NE(THERMOS)T
23 STAGe
25 BIT + TERN
26 A(MO)NGST
27 SECTARIANISM = (IT’S AMERICANS)*
Down
1 STAGEHAND – cd
2 UNfIT
3 FIREARM = FIR + (MARE)*
4 D(ECO)RUM
5 HANGERS-ON = ANGERS in (H + ON)
6 RA(P)ID
7 PROCLAIM = (ROMA CLIP)*
10 SAD = DAS rev
14 ROOSEVELT = (LOVER’S TOE)*
16 STRATAGEM = MEGA TARTS rev
17 DRAUGHTS = “DRAFTS”
19 SEMI + NA + R
20 MA + SCAR + A
21 NUB = BUN rev
22 TITHE – hidden
24 FOCI = IF about CO all rev

5 comments on “Sunday Times 4573 (19 Jan 2014) by Tim Moorey”

  1. 35 minutes. Not only was I gloriously unaware of the debate at the Club, I was also gloriously unaware of the parsing. So, thanks to Dave for that.
  3. My most enjoyable ST puzzle for several weeks timed at 32 minutes parsing everything as I solved. Another flan of huge fans here!

    Edited at 2014-01-26 07:00 pm (UTC)

  4. Unthinkingly put in ‘Minorca’, the only spelling I knew, ignoring the absence of I’s in ‘Cameron’. Thanks for parsing 1ac and 8ac, as to which I was clueless. 1ac too involved for my tastes, but 8ac was very clever. But COD, of course, to the megatarts.

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