Sunday Times 4578 (23 Feb 2014) by Dean Mayer

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 44:32

Not too difficult by Dean’s standards, but no less enjoyable for it. Plenty of excellent surface readings, and clever wordplay.

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

Across
1 TOP-SHELF = (HELPS TO)* + F
6 BYPASS = BoY (skirts for BOY) + PASS (I don’t know)
9 MILIEU = (I + LIE) in MU
10 OK CORRAL = ROCK rev in ORAL (said)
11 OSTEOPATHY = (TO PAY THOSE)* – A neat clue
12 M + ACE
13 DOUBLE-SPACED = (S P A D E COULD BE)* – &lit
17 WITHOUT A CLUE – cd – A 1988 movie starring Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley
19 WHEEl
20 A BON MARCHE = ON MARCH (demonstrating) in ABE (Lincoln) – translates from French as ‘a good deal’.
22 IN THE ACT = INTACT (perfect) about HE (ambassador)
23 REMOVE – dd
24 SYSTEM = SomebodY + STEM
25 MINIS + TRY
Down
2 O + MISSION (ministry)
3 SPIKE – dd – (lace, as in add something to covertly, particularly alcohol)
4 EQUIPMENT = QUIP + MEN all in ET
5 FROM TOP TO BOTTOM – cd
6 B(ACC)Y
7 PARAMEDIC = (ADAM PRICE)*
8 S + NATCH
14 BOWLER HAT = W in (A BROTHEL)*
15 C(A TAMAR)AN
16 PUSHOVER – a ‘wordplay in solution’ type clue. GULP = PLUG (push, as in advertise) rev
18 SHAN’T + Your
20 ALAR + Messenger
21 R + EMU’S – along with his brother Romulus, one of the founders of Rome, according to the legend.

4 comments on “Sunday Times 4578 (23 Feb 2014) by Dean Mayer”

  1. 38 minutes, last in SNATCH. Had never put two and two together to realise that a shanty town comprises lots of shanties.
  2. Not too bad for a Sunday, finishing in only a couple of minutes over the hour (though this week I took barely 20!). Unfortunately I discovered I had one wrong at 9ac where I had assumed that MISITU was some place or other I never heard of – in fact if you Google it it’s something to do with forests in Tanzania.

    I definitely never heard of the film at 17ac but worked it out. I was pleased to remember A BON MARCHE which caused me so much distress a few weeks back.

  3. About 30 mins, not at all helped by writing 1A into 2D (no I don’t know why) and as a result carefully tippexing out the correct 13A. A gentle offering from Dean. It is on Sundays that I remember how much quicker it is to solve on paper rather than iPad.

    Edited at 2014-03-02 12:47 pm (UTC)

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