Sunday Times 4672 by Tim Moorey – so long and thanks for all the 14ac

This is Tim Moorey’s last crossword for the Sunday Times, so it is rather fitting that I fell hook, line and sinker for the trap he set the unwary solver, allowing Tim to 5dn as far as I was concerned.

My downfall was 3dn, which allows two solutions from the wordplay. My mistake was to put in the one I knew at least to be a word, but it turns out I was confusing my tapeworm (TENIA) with my ringworm (TINEA). What I should have done of course was to think ‘hold on, this wordplay is clearly ambiguous, which isn’t like a Tim Moorey puzzle – I wonder if he has left any other clues as to which might be the right answer?’ Then I would have found the nina and realised that FARIWELL FROM TIM probably wasn’t what was intended.

Thanks to Mr Moorey for many hours of solving pleasure to date, and I look forward to many more in Mephisto form.

Now come on Peter B, put us out of our misery: who’s the new Sunday setter going to be?!

Across
1 Blubber about pound sterling being low
FLAT – F(L)AT.
4 US magazine owner is late
BEHIND TIME – ref. the US weekly magazine.
9 Carried on at first in large island
BORNEO – BORNE, On.
10 Loose Arab veil can be changed
VARIABLE – (ARAB VEIL)*.
11 Boater’s almost drifting, eh?
STRAW HAT – STRAy, WHAT. I take the question mark at the end here to be indicating the definition by example at the beginning.
13 Jenny taking state tests
ASSAYS – AS(SAY)S. ‘Jenny’ is a DBE here too, but as it’s one of only two possible categories I think we can dispense with the question mark.
14 New out, coloured nets to catch Scottish island fish
RED MULLETS – RED nETS containing MULL.
16 Get a steer on county in brief
OXON – OX, ON.
17 Having taken Bush’s lead, former PM’s in retreat
LAIRbLAIR. Great clue!
18 Because one enemy lawyer holds back appeal, it creates a stink
ASAFOETIDA – AS A FOE DA containing a reversal of IT (sex appeal in crosswordland, if nowhere else any more).
20 Harsh cut taken by police finally
SEVERE – SEVER, policE.
21 Bill, not at home ringing about low stool
TABOURET – TAB (bill), OU(RE)T. Not to be confused with ‘tabour’, the drum from which the stool derives its name.
23 What could make you tilt toes if badly fitted?
STILETTO – (TILT TOES)*. &Lit.
24 The small church specified gets top-level cover
THAT – THAT CH.
26 Heard monitor not working for movie star
SCREEN IDOL – sounds like ‘screen idle’.
27 Religious leader’s obscure stuff, heads scratched
IMAMdIM, rAM. Or possibly jAM, I suppose.

Down
2 Asian destination not good for climbing
LAO – reversal of gOAL. I think I remember a discussion here about whether this should be LAOTIAN, but I can’t remember the conclusion, and in fact I may have imagined the whole thing.
3 Skin complaint developed by auntie, not for all to see
TINEA – (AuNTIE)*. Not TENIA.
4 Empty boudoir on top of hotel disguised this?
BROTHEL – BoudoiR, (HOTEL)*. Semi-&Lit.
5 Own, most recent software to settle an argument?
HAVE THE LAST WORD – ref. Microsoft Word. Having the last word ends an argument, but in my experience it doesn’t usually settle it.
6 Standard reply half ignored some French people
NORMANS – NORM, ANSwer.
7 Excited mates left for a foursome?
TEAM SPORT – (MATES)*, PORT. A foursome in golf is an example of a team sport.
8 Pamper model coldly treated
MOLLYCODDLE – (MODEL COLDLY)*.
12 Put one in the picture about healing
THERAPEUTIC – (THE PICTURE)* containing A (one).
15 Port is behind a lot of cereal outside
MARSEILLE – M(ARSE)ILLEt. Good of Tim to get a properly naughty one into his last ST puzzle.
18 Welcome support mostly relating to ancient Iranian language
AVESTAN – AVE (welcome), STANd.
19 Spoken about young woman in ring road
ORBITAL – OR(BIT)AL. I’m not very keen on BIT for ‘young woman’, but to my surprise it’s not listed as derogatory in any of the dictionaries.
22 French friend is after thickly skinned cucumber, acquired taste perhaps
UMAMIcucUMber, AMI. This ‘thickly skinned’ device is unusual, but fortunately I saw what was required reasonably quickly. I think the definition is based on the idea that UMAMI might be an acquired taste, although I don’t see why it should be any more than any other taste.
25 Not entirely appreciated US agency
CIA – contained in ‘appreciated’.

10 comments on “Sunday Times 4672 by Tim Moorey – so long and thanks for all the 14ac”

  1. A time that suggests Tim was making his farewell a gentle one (I didn’t, of course, spot the Nina; I never do.) Fortunately, I didn’t know ‘tenia’, so 3d was a gimme. We had ORBITAL recently, a term I hadn’t known at the time; I, too, was surprised by BIT. I was also a bit surprised at ‘acquired’, since I thought that umami is, like the other 4, innate. The surface of 17ac didn’t strike me at the time, but I’d give it my COD. Also liked 18ac. Thanks to Tim; I may actually try a Mephisto now.
    1. Umami is innate I believe, but an acquired taste is one you learn to like, rather than one you learn to perceive. Children can taste olives, but they don’t usually like them. I’m just not sure umami is typically in need of acquisition more than, say, bitterness.
  2. As I already knew that the NE—SW diagonal was going to say FAREWELL FROM TIM, I had an advantage for 3D. The name of the new setter will appear with their first puzzle, and that may be all that’s said about them in the paper for a long time.
      1. I can’t see that it’s any more mysterious than the first appearance of a new setter in any other paper. Our 3-setter rotation isn’t quite the same set-up, but most papers don’t say anything before the new setter’s first puzzle.
  3. 20 minutes. A terrific puzzle on which to bow out. I wasn’t too confident about TINEA but it rang some sort of bell. Appreciated the wordplay for AVESTAN, which I don’t think I’ve met before.

    For some reason I particularly liked the CIA clue.

    Thanks again, Tim.

    I have a private theory about the identity of the new setter (no, not Jose Mourinho, though I realise he’s available for work) but I’ll keep it to myself …

  4. Farewell to Tim. A neat one to finish on and a nina to boot. Didn’t think twice about TINEA but was taken aback by BIT in 19dn. Not derogatory? Let’s give the benefit of the doubt on this occasion. Liked Tony in retreat at 17ac.
  5. Bit surprised by plural of mullet (always thought it was like sheep), but quick check reveals (of course!) that I am wrong… And also surprised by BIT, but agree Sidcuppa’s sentiment.

    Just like to join the chorus of thanks and good wishes to Tim – been a lot of fun.

    1. I thought the same about RED MULLET: I don’t think I’ve ever heard this version of the plural. I’m perfectly happy to accept it’s used, but I will carry on saying ‘two mullet’.
      While checking what the dictionaries thought I came across the Chambers definition of the hairstyle: ‘short at the front, long at the back, and ridiculous all round’. Those crazy lexicographers.
      Sorry you’re lumbered with the Jumbo this year (and for a few more to come by my reckoning). Last year I was surprised when the puzzle came up as a Jumbo, and Peter B pointed out here that the Sunday before Christmas has been a Jumbo or other special puzzle for a long time. Suitably chastised, I of course forgot all over again this year. I didn’t have time for a Jumbo today so I did a bit and then put it aside. Somehow I’m rather glad about this: savouring it over a few sessions without worrying about how damned long it takes seems more appropriate.

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