Accessing the online version was somewhat technically challenging but the puzzle itself was pretty reasonable — everything fell into place after about 20′ — though the NE corner was the last to succumb.
One new word: IMBRUE at 24A and a guess at 7D for RED BIDDY which seemed maybe possibly familiar but had to check.
Missed the wordplay of the two clever and slightly risque clues much to my chagrin: 1D and 17D.
Across
5 | BEAR UP – rather tough to deconstruct: def is “soldier on”, and BEAR is “show” (when you’re holding something) and of course UP is “at university” in the UK. |
10 | CAN,DID – I like simple elegant charades like this that have a sensible surface. |
12 | HOUR,I – couldn’t agree more with the sentiment of this clue. |
13 | ADMISSION – a clever cryptic definition masquerading as a double definition or having some wordplay. |
18 | FIRST-FOOTING – (Frog fits into)*, a Scots winter ritual. Thankfully an obvious anagram. |
23 | T,RIPE |
24 | I’M,B[ound],RUE – my new word learned from wordplay word of the day (means “wet, moisten, dye, stain”). |
25 | C,LOCKS UP |
26 | LA(X)ITY – I put LAYMEN in too hastily at first. X is our “vote”. |
27 | SYNDROME – (one my dr’s)* — and since this is The Times, no truly indirect anagrams: thus dr’s=”doctor’s briefly”. |
Down
1 | E(ART)H,Y – must be right and I’ve stared at it for ages but can’t see my way to the wordplay “Dirty pictures – I’m surprised you initially keep them”.thanks to comments it’s ART=”pictures” in EH=”I’m surprised. |
2 | GEN(I)US |
3 | GALL(IV)ANT |
4 | NUTS AND BOLTS |
6 | EVANS – really just two straight defs: ref. Mary Ann EVANS, aka George Eliot and Dame Edith EVANS (I’ve heard of her but can’t, for the life of me, name one film she’s been in). |
7 | RED, BIDDY – turns out that this is an evil mixture of red wine and methylated spirits in the UK (isn’t that just brandy though?) |
8 | P(ED)ANTRY – ED’s our chap. |
11 | EMPHATICALLY – (help, calamity)* |
15 | UN,NOT,ICED – I suppose UN is “one”, certainly in France but I guess slangily as in a good ‘un. |
16 | OFF,I,CIAL=rev(laic) – I like “of the people” defining laic. |
17 | BRA,IN,BOX – not sure what “clothing” is doing in the clue? “Egghead’s clothing put away”. Again thanks to comments: BRA=”clothing” and IN BOX=”put away”… nice. |
20 | WEE,PIE |
22 | MOUNT – two meanings (ref. Mount COOK in NZ). |
It took me less time than many, despite working from clues only due to the unavailability of the grid on-line.
COD goes to 1D
Chris
Tried it with firefox, opera and IE. Was beginning to think it was my system going wrong.
I’ll email and complain – but they rarely answer emails within the week!
Thank you for your email and for bringing this error to our attention. Our technical team are currently working to rectify this matter as soon as possible.
We do apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience.
Kind Regards
So with a fair wind, I might get to look at the thing this afternoon!
Can’t complain about that response – though I’d rather they did it right in the first place.
After a hiatus, I have written yet again to those buffoons at Times HQ! I told that idiot Murdoch not to hire arts graduates!
Yours,
Col. (Ret.) Roger Boslings, Derbs
Picturs – Art
Im surpised – Eh
You initially – Y
17D: the clothing put away is ‘bra in box’.
7D: Methylated spirits is alcohol (ethanol) mixed with methanol (which is a poison) to make it undrinkable, and only usable for ‘industrial’ purposes. So red biddy is not a recommended tipple!
6D may not be very cryptic but it held me up nonetheless. And it rhymed and scanned!
http://www.hmbateman.com/colonel.htm
COD 22D, I always like to be misled by/about capital letters.
Whilst I’m being pedantic, I was surprised by ‘laic’ and ‘laity’ coming up in intersecting clues, and don’t like ‘one’ = ‘un’ at all.
What was redundant about 16 and 26? Or is this a comment about ‘lay’ terms coming up twice?
I’m putting my very slow time down to four days in the Australian bush far away from any mental stimulation! And turning a year older!
I don’t remember seeing Edith Evans much, either, except for the film of “The Importance of Being Earnest”, where her delivery of “A handbag?” has become a famous problem for other actors. Judi Dench recently did it quite differently.
“Un” for one: surely more a barred-cryptic thing?
I was intrigued by the rhyming couplet at 6dn, which reminded me of those old Torquemada puzzles with clues like:
…
Footless deities were they (4)
Here a Scot is made to pay (5)
Spenser’s hanging is a lever (6)
What’s the beaver-lover’s beaver? (3)
Top that’s seen at end of race (4)
Solvers should avoid this place (5)
…
Ah, they don’t make ’em like that any more. (Did I hear someone say “Thank God”?)
Just the 5 “easies” in this one:
1a Taking on, very taking (8)
ENGAGING
9a Locks (ten girls)* out (8)
RINGLETS
14a Part of motorway is required to receive firmer coating (4,8)
HARD SHOULDER. Is required = SHOULD inside a coating of HARDER = firmer.
21a Crazy about Mum, in a matter of speaking (9)
IDIO MA TIC
19d (A coif’s)* badly designed, a disaster (6)
FIASCO