Sunday Times 4880 by David McLean

Author   keriothePosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
11:59. A very straightforward one from Harry this week. I had a few queries while solving which I’ve highlighted in the blog but I managed to work everything out after the fact.

Since this is my last blog before Christmas, I’ll take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy one.

Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated like (TIHS)*, anagram indicators are in italics.

Across
1 Hospital surrounded by police vehicles from the flying squad?
CHOPPERS – C(H)OPPERS.
5 House pet seen with son trapped in shed
CAST – CA(S)T.
8 Eat for fun, so the radio tells us
INGEST – sounds like ‘in jest’.
9 Office party
FUNCTION – DD.
10 Special event a convict recalled
GALA – reversal of A LAG.
11 Those police alsatians head to stop?
ASSAILANTS – (ALSATIANS, Stop)*. Semi-&Lit. ‘Police’ is a bit of a funny anagram indicator but I for one am happy to cut Harry a bit of slack because it makes for such a great surface reading and all-round clue.
12 Row of dim teenagers in need of correction
DISAGREEMENT – (DIM TEENAGERS)*. This clue is eerily representative of my home life at the moment.
16 Specialist who wants to get back to work?
CHIROPRACTOR – CD.
18 Complaint, is it on list to be resolved?
TONSILITIS – (IS IT ON LIST)*.
20 Part of Scotland contributing to whisky exports
SKYE – contained in ‘whisky exports’.
21 Engage in act that’s planned
DESIGNED – DE(SIGN)ED.
22 Another leader and vote? Oh, God!
APOLLO – Another, POLL, O. A surface reading that no doubt chimed with all of us while solving. Whatever you think of our Prime Minister at least we don’t have to worry about that particular problem for another five years.
23 24 possibly heading back for school
ETON – reversal of NOTE, the answer to 24ac being one example of a musical note.
24 Hook tailors originally used in handicraft (8)
CROTCHET – CRO(Tailors)CHET. As well as being a musical note a CROTCHET can just be a ‘small hook or hooklike device’ (Collins). Or a ‘perverse notion’, apparently.

Down
1 Is it possible that arrest is for this?
CANNABIS – CAN (is it possible that), NAB, IS. Semi-&Lit. I’ve underlined the bit that is technically the definition (in the sense that the rest of the clue is wordplay) but of course it doesn’t make sense as a definition except by reference to the rest of the clue. This characteristic is how I recognise a semi-&Lit.
2 Love to get terrific letter from overseas
OMEGA – O, MEGA.
3 Christian settlement?
PITCAIRN ISLAND – the Christian here being Fletcher of mutiny on the Bounty fame, who ended up here with his fellow mutineers.
4 Female involved in upcoming prison breaks
RIFTS – reversal of ST(F)IR.
5 One in new chart act providing release
CATHARTIC – (CHART ACT)* containing I.
6 Quiet men raised venerated person’s spirits
SHORTS – SH, OR, reversal of ST.
7 Blue pill that could give a chap a lift?
ANTIDEPRESSANT – I think the idea here is just that an ANTIDEPRESSANT is a ‘blue pill’ in the sense that it treats the ‘blues’ (depression) and would give someone suffering that condition a lift. So it’s a mildly cryptic definition with a nudge-nudge wink-wink oo-er surface reading referring to the fact that Viagra famously comes in this form.
13 Old credit card one charged for acquisition?
ACCESSION – ACCESS (your flexible friend, old credit card), ION (one charged). I thought the definition here was a bit questionable but ODO/Lexico defines ACCESSION as the ‘attainment or acquisition of a position of rank or power’ so that’s me told.
14 I say you must lose the jacket
EGO – EG (say), yOu.
15 One who is able to talk in tongues?
POLYGLOT – CD.
17 Powerfully persuasive company man
COGENT – CO, GENT.
19 House by hill visited by posh duke
TUDOR – T(U, D)OR.
20 Head of seminary unwilling to create sin
SLOTH – Seminary, LOTH.

31 comments on “Sunday Times 4880 by David McLean”

  1. I was misled by the ‘blue pill’ and spent some time trying to think of what the term would be for a Viagra-type drug, making 7d my LOI. No eyebrows were raised with 13d, but library acquisitions are accessions; new books get an accession number, various libraries publish accessions lists, etc. I didn’t know about the card, though, so I had to wait for some checkers. I don’t see the crypticity of 15d; the ? seems superfluous.
    1. The crypticity of 15dn just derives from the fact that ‘speaking in tongues’ usually refers to jabbering Christian lunatics, not multilingualists.

      Edited at 2019-12-15 02:25 am (UTC)

      1. Yeah, I got that; I suppose I should have said I don’t see much crypticity. The ? is, if not superfluous, bearing the whole burden of the CD; without it the clue would be a straight definition. And the phrase is ‘speaking in tongues’, as you put it, not ‘talking in tongues’. Of course the original example in Acts was of people speaking in foreign languages (instant polyglots) thanks to the Holy Spirit.
        1. Oh right, sorry. Yes I agree it isn’t very cryptic. A current proponent of the practice is Trump’s ‘spiritual adviser’, which is in no way concerning.
        2. I recently learnt that the bible differentiates speaking in tongues – babbling in a way which no one except, presumably, God can understand, and which Paul kind of denigrates in one of his letters – from the ability to communicate to everyone present and to each in his or her own language, which is what happens in Acts and which is viewed as a kind of miracle.
          1. It wouldn’t surprise me if wannabes were already spouting gibberish in Paul’s time to show that they too had received the Holy Spirit, such that Paul felt it necessary to put his spoke in; I’m not about to re-read the epistles to find out. Whether God can understand these guys would presuppose that the babble has some meaning; but it’s always turned out that the ‘tongue’ is English phonology with English grammar, morphology, and lexicon missing. (Or, of course, some other native language, depending on the babbler.)
            1. Fans of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” will realise the need for babel fish.
  2. Not easy to finish off as although I guessed the ‘Christian’ reference I didn’t know it applied to any particular ISLAND. I had this second word but spent forever trying to find something to go with it that fitted P???A?R?. As you see, I was missing the T-checker as I hadn’t solved INGEST at that point; that only came to me after I had resolved the PITCAIRN issue.
  3. ….breezed through this, and enjoyed the humour on offer. I wanted the end of TONSILITIS to have a double T, but I’ve no idea why. EGO was a near miss for COD, as it must be tricky to come up with something new when clueing a three letter word !

    FOI GALA
    LOI ASSAILANTS
    COD CHIROPRACTOR
    TIME 14:16

  4. The trouble with posting at this time is that I usually claim the honour of the slowest poster thus far. 52 minutes. After my recent bad back, not helped by standing outside the George in the bitter cold last week, COD to the CHIROPRACTOR for at least trying. I was slowed down, before I’d INGESTed the pun of 8a, by biffing PLYMOUTH COLONY for PITCAIRN ISLAND. It must be the effect of meeting Paul in London the day before. Nice puzzle. Thank you K and David.
  5. The most interesting thing arising from this puzzle is that K knew that Viagra comes in a blue coating…
    1. Is it a coating? The pills are famously blue, and I would have assumed the colour went all the way through, but never having actually seen one I will bow to your superior knowledge.
      1. If it is, then, this could be a semi & lit (with apologies).
        The lit is in the french sense, probably.
        As Horryd says ….. I’ll get my coat (ing).
      2. I suppose I am possessed of superior knowledge in one or two arenas, but elevating medicines is obviously not one of them. I had no clue that Viagra came in but one colour – I suppose, if someone had asked me, I would have said that they were either white or available in a range of colours (like Smarties) to suit the mood/taste of the ingester – but am now possessed of the requisite knowledge, should the subject pop up again.
          1. I once used half a one to help me come up again, and can therefore reveal that they’re white below the blue coating.
  6. An enjoyable puzzle which kept me busy for 35:52. Needed most of the checkers before I saw ANTIDEPRESSANT, the “blue pill” sending me off in the wrong direction as intended. Like BW, I liked CHIROPRACTOR. Hope the back recovers quickly! CHOPPERS made me laugh too. I also liked PITCAIRN ISLAND which didn’t take too long to appear out of the mist. Thanks Harry and K, and compliments of the season to you too.
  7. 10:40… with “Biff-Biff” written at the top of my copy, although I went back to check the wordplay afterwards before submitting online. I liked CHOPPERS, ASSAILANTS and the blue pill, but COD to CANNABIS. Lovely job. Thanks David and K.
  8. 28:45. I found this mostly straightforward though I had a QM at the reference to the old credit card which I thought might be too obscure or that my memory might be deceiving me, especially as I wasn’t entirely convinced that accession meant acquisition. I liked the chiropractor and the Christian settlement.
  9. I found it straightforward, too. I liked Ego, and spent a few minutes trying to see how Neo choosing the red pill over the blue pill had any relevance to Antidepressant. It doesn’t, I’m sorry to say.
  10. I cannot find my paper copy of this puzzle,so no notes. I do remember being relieved that it wasn’t as hard as the Saturday puzzle, described at The George as a brute and a stinker.
    This one needed a couple of sessions but I did finish. I think LOI was CANNABIS and Pitcairn was a biff as I didn’t get the Christian reference. ANTIDEPRESSANT also took me while.I was pleased to remember Access cards. How quickly we forget such things; like Lotus 1-2-3 etc.
    An enjoyable puzzle. COD to CANNABIS.
    David
  11. I actually found my completed version of this when tidying up a motley pile of paper next to the desktop so I see that I took 18 minutes on paper (for once). DNK the credit card at 13d and like Kevin wondered about the definition because I only think of ACCESSION in relation to thrones or with a “de-” in front of it as what museums do when they need a spot of cash. Completely missed the nudge-nudge aspect of 7d. I believe the female version comes in that same awful pink colour that’s used for female razors. Sorry about the teenagers in your house Keriothe. I’m happy to report that the phase passes, eventually. My best to you and yours for the holiday and the New Year.
    1. I think you mean ‘like Keriothe’, Olivia; I was happy with the definition. And they de-accession only what they’ve accessioned, no? be it a book or a statue.
      1. Oh yes you’re right Kevin, I should have checked back before hitting the “post” button. In my favour I would just say that at least I read the preceding comments unlike some of our anon brethren…..

        Edited at 2019-12-15 01:24 pm (UTC)

  12. I think the whole clue is the definition, which could be rephrased like this: “Something it’s preposterous that a person can be arrested for.”

    Of course, I have a particular angle on the matter.

    1. Yes you can definitely read it like that, as always with a semi-&Lit. As I said in the blog, I underline the word ‘this’ just to highlight the fact that it’s not part of the wordplay, so technically functions as the definition part of the clue. This distinguishes a semi-&Lit from a pure &Lit, which doesn’t have a separate definition element at all.
      Whether you classify the word ‘this’ as a definition which works by reference to the wordplay, or just part of the definition (which is the whole clue) is entirely academic.
  14. Thanks David and keriothe
    The time probably extended as it was done over a delicious plate of Barossa sausage with feta and washed down with a lovely South Australian cabernet sauvignon.
    No real holdups, except with sorting out the workings of ASSAILANTS. With the Bounty business happening close by and towards the start of our European-based existence down here, PITCAIRN ISLAND was relatively straightforward when the right Christian dropped. Didn’t have an issue with ACCESSION although did need to google / wiki the ACCESS card.
    Would have been amusing for him to have used the slang word for teeth somehow in 1a – a neat clue all the same.
    Finished in the NE corner with FUNCTION (not sure why it took so long to see) and SHORTS (which I found tricky to unravel the wordplay and just as tricky to realise the drinks definition). A very enjoyable solve and was feeling quite mellow afterwards !

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