Solving time: About 30 minutes
Don’t like the retro puzzles much; but it’s at least an indication of how times have changed in the cruciverbal world since I was about to come up to my 11th birthday when unsignalled anagrams, absent literals, quotation completions and general puns were fair game. Didn’t bother with the timer.
The Club site does not include today’s (actual) first qualifier; but says it’s “available online as a pdf”. If I can find it, then I’ll post a blog when the qual. period closes; which I assume will be next Thursday 23rd May. If not … not.
Across |
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1 | BUBBLES. A famous painting by Millais from the 1860s. Used to see this on visits to the Lady Lever Gallery. Well worth the trip if you’re into the Pre-Raphs. |
5 | BAGGAGE. A rather dated and derogatory term for a cheeky gal. |
9 | YARDS. Two defs; one given by a customary adjective. |
10 | ELEVENSES. Rather assumes that one breakfasts at 9:00. Those were the days. |
11 | ON THE SPOT. I suppose a reference to the phrase ‘spot on’. |
12 | TENSE. Two defs again; the first slightly loose. |
13 | TUBBY. Two jokes — one about the shape of the boat, the other about the shape of the rower. |
15 | ORPINGTON. Two defs. This bit of history explains one of them. |
18/19 | BREAKNECK SPEED. Where ‘late’ = dead. |
21 | AS,SAM. |
23 | VIRGINALS. On the assumption that there were wise and foolish virgins in the parable (Matthew 25:1-13). |
25 | PUNCTILIO. An unsignalled anagram. |
26 | AM,ICE. Not sure how the civil engineer figures here. But someone will know. On edit. Indeed, Jack does (see comments). So we have three ways of getting this: the hood (def), the abbreviation (Assoc. Member Inst. Civ. Eng.) and the frozen declaration. |
27 | EXPOSES. Two defs (one loose); or cryptic def? |
28 | KNOT,TED. |
Down |
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1 | BOY,COTT. And just about a year before Geoff’s test debut (31st May 1964). Little did they know! |
2 | BIRD-TABLE. Another pun. |
3 | LISLE. A kind of thread (twist). If ‘addicted’ is an anagram indicator, it’s an interesting one. Any of our regulars doing the Twist in 1963? |
4 | SHEEPCOTE. A kind of distraction clue assuming we might take ‘flock’ as a verb. |
5 | BREST. Cf ‘breast’? |
6 | GREETINGS. More humour. |
7 | ARSON. {p}ARSON. |
8 | EASTERN. Had to Google this to be sure. It’s all here. |
14 | YOKEMATES. A pun on ‘yolk’ and there’s no literal! |
16 | POKERWORK. Another pun. |
17 | THERAPIST. Ditto. |
18 | BRAN-PIE. Husky (substance) = BRAN + ‘bird’ = PIE. Dipper? |
20 | DI(STEN)D. |
22 | SUN-UP. In fact? |
23 | VALES. Another def by adjective. Vales are depressions. |
24 | IDAHO. Where ‘make’ is probably the indicator. |
I wasn’t sure about BAGGAGE until I remembered Rex Harrison’s memorably delivered line in My Fair Lady:
“Give her kindness, or the treatment she deserves? Will I take her back, or throw the baggage out?”
It’s also available on the Championship button here for those of you with access to the newspaper (sore point!):
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/puzzles/crossword/
Edited at 2013-05-15 02:02 am (UTC)
I tried the Guardian puzzle instead. It is by Paul today, a most entertaining puzzle, and a nice change from the style of the Times.
Associate Member of the Institute of…
On edit: for the record, Acronym Finder offers “Institution”.
Edited at 2013-05-15 02:31 am (UTC)
At least these old puzzles make one thankful for the modern versions (much as we may criticise them at times!)
Thanks to jackkt for the link to the “real” crossword.
Spent 20-odd minutes on this and guessed my way to a surprising amount. Is my mind really that frazzled, I wonder? 🙂
Before that today’s qualifier made me very cross, so it hasn’t been a good day for crosswords. Perhaps I’ll do the recommended Guardian puzzle as an antidote.
This puzzle is slightly before my time. Yes it’s loose, but that is part of the fun. If you got one wrong you wouldn’t worry too much.. much less angst in those days
I feel very much like Jerry with these puzzles. I find them a delightful diversion from the modern puzzles. For me tackling something like this is rather like rummaging around in an old attic: at first sight it’s dusty and unappealing, but gradually as I work my way in I find a strange pleasure in winkling out old obscurities. Some of these objects, it’s true, leave me baffled as to what on earth they can ever have been for, but by and large I feel I’ve spent an enjoyable time.
I enjoy these old puzzles, and would actually be quite happy if they still appeared in The Times.
Edited at 2013-05-17 10:04 pm (UTC)