Sunday Times 4618 (30 Nov 2014) by Tim Moorey

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 34:54

Not Mr Moorey’s finest hour, in my opinion. The hidden word at 9a was glaringly obvious, and the one at 24a wasn’t much better, and the definition at 2d was just plain wrong. I don’t understand 22a, but that’s almost certainly my fault rather than the setter’s.

Nothing jumped out at me for COD, I’m afraid, so I’ll move swiftly on to the clue breakdowns.

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

Across
1 IGUANA – (AGAIN US)* with the Screen removed. A monitor being a type of lizard similar to an iguana.
5 SALAAM = MA + ALAS all rev
9 AT PRESENT – hidden (although not very well) – I hesitated to put it in at first as I didn’t think it could be that obvious
10 bONCE
11 U(SHE + R)S
12 LARGESSE = “LARGE S” referring to the capital S at the start of Sponsor
14 FOURSOME = (MORE OF US)*
16 SELF = SELL with F for L at the end.
18 S(P)AM – The book of the Bible is Samuel
19 NEATNESS = (ANNE SETS)*
21 B(RING)OUT
22 SHOWER – I assume this is a dd, although I can’t find any justification for ‘awful group of people’. It can be a party, as in ‘baby shower’, but I don’t really see why that’s awful. Unless the setter is expressing a personal dislike of such things.
24 ASBO – hidden
26 THERAPIES = THERES about (I + PA) rev
27 GIDE + ON
28 DU(GO)NG
Down
2 GRASS + HOPPER – I’m pretty certain that grasshoppers and crickets are similar but different insects. Couch grass is a common type of grass.
3 dAPPLE – Jonathan being a variety of such
4 A + VERSION
5 SATIRE = SIRE about TA rev
6 LOOKER + SON
7 ARC = “ARK”
8 TELL (William perhaps) + MEAN (base) + OTHER (further)
13 SALESPERSON = (PRESSES LOAN)* – semi-&lit
15 ROMAN (Abramovich – Chelsea boss) + NOSE (“KNOWS”)
17 HAT (say, Panama) + STAND (partnership, in cricket)
20 WONTON = NOT NOW rev
23 O + KING
25 SRI – SIR with I moved to the end

13 comments on “Sunday Times 4618 (30 Nov 2014) by Tim Moorey”

  1. This was the easiest puzzle I think I’ve seen from this setter. Re 22A, Chambers has “a disparaging term applied to any particular group of people one disapproves of (slang)” for SHOWER. I think you’re right about 2D – such distinctions don’t tend to bother me when I’m solving, but I suppose they have to be challenged when blogging!
  2. Agree not a gripping crossword. But shower = bunch of wets etc is pretty well established.. “You are a right shower” I can hear the RSM saying to the new recruits…
  3. A rare excursion under 30 minutes for me on a weekend puzzle, but very enjoyable. DUGONG was my only unknown but it was easily solvable from wordplay.

    The required meaning of SHOWER has come up here many times before. I think, as Jerry has already said, it was army slang, possibly from WWII, but it was immortalised for a younger generation (i.e. my lot) in the Boulting Brothers film PRIVATE’S PROGRESS (1956) in which it was used liberally by the Major played by Terry-Thomas (seen hereabouts regularly as the userpic of our friend The Rotter). The same character appeared in the sequel I’M ALL RIGHT JACK and he probably said it there too, though I don’t remember at this moment.

    Edited at 2014-12-07 07:34 pm (UTC)

        1. Thanks for the Unspamming. I didn’t know what that was till today.

          Regarding this – not the best PE cover, but hard to get better validation of the expression, eh?

          1. That is me

            And, not sure that it did, but it is supposed to link to the Queens 60th anniversary cover in 2010 where Prince Philip calls tha rest of the gang a shower.

    1. Yes, apologies for the typo. Now corrected. I only remembered late in the afternoon that it was my turn, so I had to rush the blog out.
  5. 5:36. Am I the only person who has the impression that Tim Moorey has been phoning it in recently?
  6. Thanks, Dave. There were a couple I couldn’t parse. I have a hard time with puzzles like this one where one or two are obvious, and one or two are quite tricky.
  8. I disagree with the negative comments about this puzzle generally. Okay, perhaps it doesn’t hit the heights but I found it perfectly acceptable and, given that the newspaper has to cater for a wider spectrum of solving skills than those of contributors here, there’s nothing wrong with the level of difficulty either.

    On specifics, all the usual sources mention the similarity and relationship of grasshoppers and crickets so to say “type of cricket” seems fair enough to me for crossword purposes. I suspect this is another example where specialist knowledge is more of a hindrance than a help.

    Edited at 2014-12-08 04:48 am (UTC)

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