Sunday Times 4602 (10 Aug 2014) by Dean Mayer

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving Time: About 55 minutes

Some clever cluing here, and also some UK-centricities in the form of TV references that may have some overseas solvers scratching their heads.

I liked the longer anagrams at 10a, 5d and particularly 24a, but I think the cleverness of 4a gets my COD.

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

Across
1 DO(C + I)LE
4 HALF-MOON – Half of MOON is ON so ‘This is possibly on’ is the easily missed wordplay.
10 STUDIO APARTMENT = (A DAMN PROSTITUTE)*
11 FILLE D’HONNEUR = FILLED + HOUR about NiNE – My LOI, despite all the checkers as I didn’t know the expression
13 ELYTRON = ELY (See) + (TORN)* – Not a word I knew but easy enough from the wordplay
15 TITANIA = A + IN + AT IT all rev – the largest moon of Uranus
16 DO + T – Dot Cotton being a well-known character from Eastenders
17 THE SAME = SA (It) in THEME
19 HYDRATE = “HIDE RATE” – ‘for delivering’ being the homophone indicator, although it’s only the ‘disguise’ part that’s homophonous, so the indicator being where it is is a little misleading.
21 PETTICOAT + LANE
24 LAND SPEED RECORD = (OLDER CAR DEPENDS)*
25 BULL’S-EYE – dd – a sweet, and a shot on target
26 OKAYED = OED about YAK rev
Down
1 DISAFFECTS = (FISTS FACED)*
2 CRUELTY – Alternate letters of CoRfU wE‘lL sTaY
3 LO(I)RE
5 AGAINST THE ODDS = (DIAGNOSED THAT’S)*
6 FATHER TED – FARTED (made wind) about THE – Another UK TV reference. This is a sitcom set on the fictitious Craggy Island – A typical Anax clue
7 OVERRUN – dd
8 NOTE – all the musical notes, but NOT E
9 CASH ON DELIVERY – cd
12 BAREHEADED – or HAIR BEDDED to the Rev. Spooner
14 ROAD TESTS = (STARTED SO)*
18 ESPANOL = LAPSE about ON all rev
20 AN(ATOM)Y
22 T(W)EAK
23 FLAB = FLAt (punctured, mostly) + B (a bit soft, as in pencils) – ‘Spare tyre’ is the definition in its colloquial sense.

16 comments on “Sunday Times 4602 (10 Aug 2014) by Dean Mayer”

  1. 20:55. Very enjoyable and witty puzzle. I particularly enjoyed the TV clues, and they caused a bit of raised blood pressure on the part of a certain Mr Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells on the club forum, which is a bonus.
  2. Not mad keen on the popular culture clues, having watched neither of the shows involved. Not sure I would be made keen on them even if I had (‘farted’ about THE?) Didn’t think too much of 19a either for the reason mentioned. Apart from all that, lots to like and appreciate as ever with Dean.

    Edited at 2014-08-17 11:50 am (UTC)

        1. Never watched a single episode. Never heard of the island. But solved the clue anyway, this is what a happy life is made of, ulaca. :-))
    2. Ely is a city near Cambridge, and the crossword setter’s favourite diocese, bishopric, or… see.
  4. A wodge of unknowns for me in this one, including HALF-MOON, ELYTRON, and FILLE D’HONNEUR. Knew Dot Cotton from the very early days of Eastenders (though I haven’t watched it for a couple of decades), but I’ve only seen snippets of Father Ted so Craggy Island was a mystery that was only revealed by the checkers/wordplay. Enjoyed the long anagrams and their nice surfaces.
  5. Can’t remember my time, probably don’t want to, but I managed to get it all right eventually. I was wondering what the hell DOT had to do with cotton; comforting to know that I could never have figured it out. I saw a bit of one episode of ‘Father Ted’ once, enough to see an instance of “Go on!”, and also enough to convince me that I’d never want to see a whole episode. But I loved the clue, I confess.
  6. Struggled a bit and eventually gave in as the hour approached by looking up 11ac which turned out to be unknown to me anyway. Also didn’t know the required meaning of HALF-MOON nor ELYTRON and wondered why ‘fixed’ = BEDDED at 12dn. B re pencils stands for ‘black’ but I suppose usage renders ‘a bit soft’ fair enough.
  7. Didn’t think this was up to the usual stratospheric Anax level and please dial back the bathroom humour. Although I must admit that “bidet” in a recent puzzle was a hoot. Absolutely lost with the sitcom references but never mind. Untimed because interrupted twice.

    It’s reached a point where anything that “disgusted in Tunbridge” on the Club Forum doesn’t like is automatically ok with me. He managed a new low on this week’s Sunday cryptic thread with a nasty Viagra dig at another club member. Someone took it down but it should have been left up to show how pathetic he is. And he complains that Anax is lacking in taste….

  8. I agree with your comments.
    Some clues, as often the case, are difficult for us Australian solvers.
  9. …………..The ad at the top of the page is for SeptoBac…….”The natural way to keep your septic system healthy”. I’m not familiar with Disgusted Of Tunbridge W. but wonder if he had anything to do with the ad. in an effort to keep his xword healthy. ;>)

    Very enjoyable puzzle.

Comments are closed.