I’m sure everyone here will join me in wishing Dave a speedy recovery.
paul_in_london provided a blog in the comments, just reposting it here for more visibility.
SUNDAY TIMES CRYPTIC 4586 – By Jeff Pearce
A smooth puzzle with some good clues and some equally nice fill in the grid. I don’t have a time – but think of this as on the easier side, as I both finished and was able to parse everything (except, perhaps, 1a). But let’s be realistic: I’d rather be reading David’s comments on this puzzle than this. Our thoughts are all with him.
1a SPATCHCOCK = a kind of snipe, which is a bird famous for the most part for not existing when a rookie is sent out to look for it. mohn2 points out its a dd.
6a ITCH = burn. (HA)ITCH = a phonetic for the letter H. This is not exactly a made-up-word, but who really knows how to spell the letter? Aitch? Haitch? Even possibly Hetch.
9a ATONE = remedy. A + TONE = temper
10a MIGRATION = movement of people. MIG = Jet (the old Russian fighter which Tom Cruise made short work of in Top Gun) + RATION = helping in the sense of a serving
12a TREASURE TROVE = a valuable find. Cherish = TREASURE; TROVE = voter*, the anagrind is new
14a UNSEEMLY = inappropriate. Not always an exact synonym, but we’re in crossword land and it’s close enough, I think. Cooking = anagrind, MENUS (r)ELY*
15a SHINTO = faith, in Japan, and a bit of an international problem this week due to politicians visiting a Shinto shrine which holds the remains of some WWII war criminals, thereby putting visiting Obama in a pickle and irritating the Chinese, Koreans, and others. HINT – clue, SO – provided (that) outside (without)
17a BASSET = hound. Prediction – BET (again, close enough for crosswords) outside ASS – donkey
19a PHOSGENE = poison. PHONE = ring, holding S for Sulphur, EG for say, reversed
21a SPITTING IMAGE = show on TV. S – second, MAGE – game* anagrind silly, around (in) PITTING – competing, as in pitted against + I – one (thanks mohn – I’d missed out the I)
24a BALLERINA = dancer. BALL – has a great time (has a ball), plus A – American, around ERIN (Ireland)
25a IRATE = mad. The bucaneer is a PIRATE this time (not the Glazer family’s other sports holding), losing the P. I think we’ve seen something similar several times recently
26a NUDE = Painting (of a kind). cd – barely exhibited, which works, well enough I think, in the overall scheme of cryptic definitions. I’ll save my whining for one that doesn’t get me to the answer quite as easily.
27a HARDHEADED = tough. HARD(y) – truncated novelist Thomas, HEADED – in charge (of)
1d SHAM = fake. SHAM(e) – pity, truncated
2d AGOUTIS = Rodents. OK, I’ll admit it. I needed to check this in the dictionary to make sure I had it right. But the wordplay is clear: GOUT – disease, inside the last half of calAIS
3d CRÈME DE MENTHE = almost &lit. – make drunk with offer of this. DE MENT – make crazy inside an anagram of CHEER ME, anagrind drunk.
4d CAMISOLE = undergarment. E MAILS* CO – small company. About is the somewhat weak anagrind
5d CIGAR = smoke. IG – US soldier GI (we’ve debated this one enough, I think) upended, inside CAR – vehicle
7d TRICORN – an old-fashioned hat. Hidden in eccenTRIC OR Novelty
8d HANDED OVER = passed (along or over to). HAND – member of a boat’s crew, E – our favourite (or at least most crosswordly useful) drug, DOVER – port
11d ANTIHISTAMINE = substance that chemists sell, and almost a giveaway definition. IN THE MAIN IT’S A*, anagrind is manufactured
13d RUBBISH BIN = cd, though a bit weak at the ‘bin’ end perhaps. As an American it took me ages to learn that PANTS is both underwear (not trousers) and is rubbish. I’m guessing that the rubbish useage is derivative.
16d THAILAND = country. A bit complicated: HAIL – greet, inside TAN – brown, with D – dam at the end. I’m not sure if the D = dam abbreviation is from horse breeding or map drawing.
18d SKID LID = slang for a crash helmet. SLID – moved smoothly, around KID – child
20d EMERALD = green. LEADER* angrind is new, around M – maiden, our cricket reference for the day
22d NAIRA = African rhino, that is, slang for the currency in Nigeria. First letters (starts to) of Nudge Antelope In Rural Area
23d WEED A bit cheeky regardless of whether it’s drug speak or potty-mouth.
A smooth puzzle with some good clues and some equally nice fill in the grid. I don’t have a time – but think of this as on the easier side, as I both finished and was able to parse everything (except, perhaps, 1a). But let’s be realistic: I’d rather be reading David’s comments on this puzzle than this. Our thoughts are all with him.
1a SPATCHCOCK = a kind of snipe, which is a bird famous for the most part for not existing when a rookie is sent out to look for it. mohn2 points out its a dd.
6a ITCH = burn. (HA)ITCH = a phonetic for the letter H. This is not exactly a made-up-word, but who really knows how to spell the letter? Aitch? Haitch? Even possibly Hetch.
9a ATONE = remedy. A + TONE = temper
10a MIGRATION = movement of people. MIG = Jet (the old Russian fighter which Tom Cruise made short work of in Top Gun) + RATION = helping in the sense of a serving
12a TREASURE TROVE = a valuable find. Cherish = TREASURE; TROVE = voter*, the anagrind is new
14a UNSEEMLY = inappropriate. Not always an exact synonym, but we’re in crossword land and it’s close enough, I think. Cooking = anagrind, MENUS (r)ELY*
15a SHINTO = faith, in Japan, and a bit of an international problem this week due to politicians visiting a Shinto shrine which holds the remains of some WWII war criminals, thereby putting visiting Obama in a pickle and irritating the Chinese, Koreans, and others. HINT – clue, SO – provided (that) outside (without)
17a BASSET = hound. Prediction – BET (again, close enough for crosswords) outside ASS – donkey
19a PHOSGENE = poison. PHONE = ring, holding S for Sulphur, EG for say, reversed
21a SPITTING IMAGE = show on TV. S – second, MAGE – game* anagrind silly, around (in) PITTING – competing, as in pitted against + I – one (thanks mohn – I’d missed out the I)
24a BALLERINA = dancer. BALL – has a great time (has a ball), plus A – American, around ERIN (Ireland)
25a IRATE = mad. The bucaneer is a PIRATE this time (not the Glazer family’s other sports holding), losing the P. I think we’ve seen something similar several times recently
26a NUDE = Painting (of a kind). cd – barely exhibited, which works, well enough I think, in the overall scheme of cryptic definitions. I’ll save my whining for one that doesn’t get me to the answer quite as easily.
27a HARDHEADED = tough. HARD(y) – truncated novelist Thomas, HEADED – in charge (of)
1d SHAM = fake. SHAM(e) – pity, truncated
2d AGOUTIS = Rodents. OK, I’ll admit it. I needed to check this in the dictionary to make sure I had it right. But the wordplay is clear: GOUT – disease, inside the last half of calAIS
3d CRÈME DE MENTHE = almost &lit. – make drunk with offer of this. DE MENT – make crazy inside an anagram of CHEER ME, anagrind drunk.
4d CAMISOLE = undergarment. E MAILS* CO – small company. About is the somewhat weak anagrind
5d CIGAR = smoke. IG – US soldier GI (we’ve debated this one enough, I think) upended, inside CAR – vehicle
7d TRICORN – an old-fashioned hat. Hidden in eccenTRIC OR Novelty
8d HANDED OVER = passed (along or over to). HAND – member of a boat’s crew, E – our favourite (or at least most crosswordly useful) drug, DOVER – port
11d ANTIHISTAMINE = substance that chemists sell, and almost a giveaway definition. IN THE MAIN IT’S A*, anagrind is manufactured
13d RUBBISH BIN = cd, though a bit weak at the ‘bin’ end perhaps. As an American it took me ages to learn that PANTS is both underwear (not trousers) and is rubbish. I’m guessing that the rubbish useage is derivative.
16d THAILAND = country. A bit complicated: HAIL – greet, inside TAN – brown, with D – dam at the end. I’m not sure if the D = dam abbreviation is from horse breeding or map drawing.
18d SKID LID = slang for a crash helmet. SLID – moved smoothly, around KID – child
20d EMERALD = green. LEADER* angrind is new, around M – maiden, our cricket reference for the day
22d NAIRA = African rhino, that is, slang for the currency in Nigeria. First letters (starts to) of Nudge Antelope In Rural Area
23d WEED A bit cheeky regardless of whether it’s drug speak or potty-mouth.
Edited at 2014-04-28 01:12 am (UTC)
1ac: ODO tells us the second meaning:
• informal, chiefly Brit. add (a phrase, sentence, clause, etc.) in a context where it is inappropriate: a new clause has been spatchcocked into the Bill.
So a double def.
Edited at 2014-04-28 01:10 am (UTC)
I’d like to send my very best wishes to my co-Friday blogger. Hope to see you back here soon, Dave.
Hope Dave gets well soon.