This Sunday we were truly blessed, brothers and sisters. The intelligent design of this creator tested us, but not with anything beyond our ability to bear. With 10, we could even delight in a return to prelapsarian bliss.
I indicate (Ars Magna)* like this, and italicize anagrinds in the clues.
| ACROSS | |
| 1 | Note by note, old lady pockets old currency (10) |
| MEMORANDUM ME, “note” + M(O)(RAND)UM |
|
| 7 | Egg on curry goes oddly unnoticed (4) |
| URGE cUrRy GoEs |
|
| 9 | Words of encouragement kept pals playing (3,5) |
| PEP TALKS (kept pals)* |
|
| 10 | Latest song heard in the raw state? (6) |
| NUDITY “new ditty” A fresh rephrasing of a clue we’ve seen before |
|
| 11 | Small coat with singular cuffs (6) |
| SMACKS S(mall) + MACK, “coat” + S(ingular) |
|
| 13 | Classy uniform, rating’s favourite clothing (8) |
| UPMARKET U(niform) + P(MARK)ET Here we have “rating’s” as—on the cryptic level—“rating has.” |
|
| 14 | A concern as it spread across the pond (12) |
| TRANSOCEANIC (A concern as it)* …Started biffing TRANSATLANTIC and was over halfway across when I saw it wouldn’t fit. |
|
| 17 | Italian team visiting a country’s state capital (12) |
| INDIANAPOLIS INDIA(NAPOLI)S |
|
| 20 | One keen on discipline in term, a worrying time (8) |
| MARTINET (in term, a)* + T(ime) |
|
| 21 | Drake’s action heading off silly gossip (6) |
| WADDLE [-t]WADDLE Not Sir Francis this time |
|
| 22 | Outspoken cleric shot in the billiard room (6) During the Thirty Years’ War? |
| CANNON “canon” According to Collins, that’s “a shot in which the cue ball is caused to contact one object ball after another” or “the points scored by this.” Over here across the pond, we call that a “carom.” …CANNON to left of us, “canonised” to right of us! |
|
| 23 | Rogue about to pass coursework? (8) |
| CADDYING CAD, “Rogue” + DYING, “about to pass” |
|
| 25 | Actual courage with no upfront support (4) |
| VERY |
|
| 26 | Lead perhaps with a line that’s easy (10) |
| ELEMENTARY ELEMENT, “Lead perhaps” + A + RY, railway or “line” |
|
| DOWN | |
| 2 | Cut off, beheaded, Chancellor canonised from now on (8) |
| EVERMORE [-s]EVER + MORE, i.e., (St.) Thomas M. (7 February 1478–6 July 1535), most famous for writing the socio-political satire Utopia. MORE served as Lord High Chancellor for nearly three years under Henry VIII; he was a foe of the Protestant Reformation and refused to accept Henry as the supreme head of the Church of England, which led to his being convicted of treason (on evidence he claimed was trumped up) and executed—by beheading! He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1886, and in 1935 canonised—declared a saint, as a martyr—by Pope Pius XI. |
|
| 3 | Back of folio paper frequently used by poets (3) |
| OFT |
|
| 4 | Book ultimately unfinished (5) |
| ATLAS AT LAS[-t] |
|
| 5 | CID officers placed last in the contest (7) |
| DISPUTE DIS, “CID officers” + PUT, “placed” + |
|
| 6 | Doctor to Arab trapped in an upsetting obsession (9) |
| MONOMANIA MO, “Doctor” + OMANI, “Arab” inside AN<=“upsetting” |
|
| 7 | After fiddling dad, our uncle is in disgrace (5,1,5) |
| UNDER A CLOUD (dad our uncle)* |
|
| 8 | Channel crossing finally complete (6) |
| GUTTER |
|
| 12 | Regularity of texture (11) |
| CONSISTENCY DD |
|
| 15 | Command of weapons protecting India (9) |
| ORDINANCE ORD(I)NANCE |
|
| 16 | Refuse to go in this bay aboard ship (3,5) |
| BIN LINER B(ay) + IN LINER, “aboard ship” |
|
| 18 | Definite one’s the leader? (7) |
| ARTICLE DD, one (at least) by example |
|
| 19 | Is training able to accommodate a tasty morsel? (6) Go ahead, indulge! Yield to temptation! |
| CANAPE CAN(A)PE, PE being Physical Education or “training” Properly (outside a crossword grid) spelled “canapé,” an hors d’œuvre (I prefer the French spelling) consisting of a little piece of bread, toast or cracker topped with something savory: cheese, meat, paté, caviar… |
|
| 21 | Creep undermining women’s golf club (5) |
| WEDGE W(omen’s) + EDGE, “creep” |
|
| 24 | The old model made by Ford even now (3) |
| YET YE, “The[,] old” + T, “model made by Ford” |
|
For Brits of my generation, Thomas More (2D) is best known from the film A Man For All Seasons, now doubly memorable for me as it was the source of an embarrassing mistake in a GK puzzle, confusing the lead actor Paul Scofield with the later TV presenter Philip Schofield.
18D: I wouldn’t call the first def DBE. “The” is the only definite article in the language of the puzzle, so it’s just a true statement indicating it.
With the answer being ARTICLE, and not “definite article,” I saw the reference to “the” being the definite article as an example of ARTICLE. I can see it either way, though.
26:38
A terrific puzzle, as always from Robert. I especially liked NUDITY, UPMARKET (LOI), WADDLE, & CADDYING.
Usually I think anagrams are what setters do when they haven’t any other ideas, and I’m mostly impressed only if they can spin together a very large number of letters. Today’s anagrams, however, had real presence and wit, and they felt as if they were the clever first choice for a clue rather than something Mr Price was forced into. Well played, Sir. I also liked that “across the pond” did not indicate American slang. You dunked on us there, too.
thx Guy. Your mentioning the sainted ThMore’s demise reminded me of the correct answer to the preference question ‘Joan of Arc or Marie Antoinette?’ being always Joan, since a hot stake definitely outclasses a cold cut. I guess the same would apply to, eg, Th More and Th Cranmer.
43 minutes. I remember this as being very enjoyable but I had no notes or queries to address, which I take as evidence of a well-set puzzle.
Super crossword.
A very enjoyable and satisfying crossword to complete. FOI 7d, LOI 1ac & 2d which caused me the most difficulty in untangling. Overall about 45 minutes. Thanks, all.
An excellent puzzle with some wonderful surfaces – 2D is brilliant and 14A a terrific anagram. In fact there isn’t a middling clue in there at all. I was held up for ages on my last in – CADDYING and ARTICLE. The latter I should have got earlier, I admit – it was obvious as soon as the C went in, but having the first D of 23A in place seemed to indicate that ‘dying’ was unlikely, along with the deceptive ‘about’. But all known and all parsed. Thanks, Guy and Robert.
DNF just under the 30
Bamboozled by 1ac. Convinced there were two notes at the beginning and was looking for a possibly obscure currency. And just couldn’t see a word that fitted. Bit of a cold shower when I saw it was a perfectly normal word (as I should have assumed). Surface was very good too.
Excellent offering as normal. Thanks Robert and Guy
7:19. Easy but great fun.
It’s a Sunday puzzle (in other words, superb as they always are), but not very hard this time. I needed crossers to see 1ac, but they were there eventually. I liked CADDYING and VERY, among other clues. The only clue which gave me any trouble was BIN LINER, since I wasn’t quite sure what the actual conventions for rubbish disposal are in Britain or whether you actually line the entire bin with plastic, but it seemed reasonable enough.
Very much enjoyed, especially as I got most of it without cheating! Only cheats were EVERMORE, ELEMENTARY and WADDLE. Also I looked up MACK to confirm that this was an acceptable form of MAC – but my dictionary didn’t like it for coat; however it was the only possible word there.
Really liked NUDITY, the deceptive CADDYING and BIN LINER. Top notch as usual.
Thanks Robert and guy
At 36 minutes, I think that this was my quickest solve of a Sunday Times puzzle for the year, which is unusual for this setter as he normally stretches me out closer to the hour and beyond. Very entertaining nonetheless – also was plumping for TRANSATLANTIC but only air-filled it before realising that there were not enough lights.
Started by putting in answers randomly thoughout the grid without getting any firm foothold until eventually getting one by filling most of the SW corner. From there was able to make steady progress, eventually finishing off with UPMARKET and then back down to the SW to finish off the remaining two in CANAPE and VERY.