Times 23815 – no fog

Author   foggywebPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 37minutes

Quite enjoyable, with nothing too tricky to solve. I didn’t need to look up anything today, during or after, which is always satisfying. I expect some of Peter’s tutees had a good stab at this. (I think Firefox has a built a spell-checker, it doesn’t like tutees and suggests amputees!)
I was held up shortly at the end by a typo, and there is still one clue where I can’t decipher the wordplay – it may come to the me in the shower, but help and corrections are gratefully received.

Across

5 INFORM, I guess – I currently have no idea how the clue works.
11 RE,FE,R – I think the second R is ‘reading barely’.
12 CH,ERIS,H – ERIS=sire reversed.
13 G(R)ATING – I think gating is what they do to keep you at boarding school.
16 UP TO THE ELBOWS – anagram of ‘we pot blue shot’.
20 SMO(KIN[d])G – took a little while as I was trying to make FOG work – possibly due to my name.
21 A,F,FABLE
23 CHAR,M – last to go in, as I’d mistakenly typed PATRONGAE at 14d. I don’t normally do this online, where I guess this is more likely to happen.
24 T(R)ENCH,AN,T
25 T,[s]EETHE where T=’ultimately right’ – I left this quite late as the length of the clue seemed too long for this early in the morning!
26 W,ARRANT,Y

Down

1 SL(U)ICE
2 [b]RIDGE
3 PUR[e],VIEW
4 FEAT,HER,WEIGHT – if a woman is obese, HER WEIGHT is what’s great.
6 NAR,RATE – NAR=ran reversed.
8 MOR(T,GAG)E
10 DIGITAL CAMERA – cryptic definition – digital photographs are stored in bits. Luckily I thought of cameras straightaway – I encountered the clue ‘Snap twig (3,3,7)’ fairly recently.
14 PATRONAGE – anagram of ‘for pageant’ minus F (following).
15 PUSSYCAT – refers to What’s New Pussycat? Tom had me thinking of cats, but it still took a while, which is shameful when I consider myself a huge Woody Allen fan.
17 TR(I)UMP,H
18 OFF(IC)ER – IC=’in charge’.
19 VEST[a],RY – RY=railway.

23 comments on “Times 23815 – no fog”

  2. 9:51, which I expect to be beaten – just me being a bit thick – e.g. when wanting 25 to be TODDLE, or when not seeing why 8D was MORTGAGE and therefore not writing it in.
  3. Yes, a nice easy start to the new week which comes as a welcome change after the ordeals of the old one, though Saturday’s was quite easy too.

    I thought we were in for an abundance of “F”s (there are four lots of “FF”s) but I found fewer as I progressed through the puzzle.

    Nothing presented much trouble though for a while the anagram at 16 had me considering the possibility of “UP TO THE BOWELS”.

    COD goes to 15 for the bonus reference to a living person that isn’t needed for the clue to work so it’s not breaking the rule.

  4. I would have been quicker than my average as well, but for interruptions. 20A last to go in, spent too long looking for something involving ‘fog’ or ‘fug’. I quite liked 26A and choose it as COD. Not sure about the use of ‘chasing’ in 4D; is this appropriate for a down clue?
  5. Is presumably underhand but what do “through cover” add to the clue? Another definition or the setter getting carried away with cricketing references?
    Thanks
    1. It’s got me slightly confused as well and I’m wondering if there’s a reference to letter writing? UNDER HAND makes sense generally as “in writing” – is “cover” something to do with “covering letter”? Sorry – no dictionary available to check!
  6. I don’t understand 5a either. It seems to be something to do with the fact that INFORM can be got out of PAM FOR PAIN, but that leaves PAPA over. If PAM were PA at least that would give PAINFORM. Anyone any ideas?
    I liked the clue for 10d (digital camera).
  7. Sorry. I didn’t see the short anonymous post at the beginning. Thanks for explanation. I should have seen that.
  8. A really pleasant start to the week, a puzzle with plenty of variety and good, solid clueing. Like others I was taken by WARRANTY but my COD is 5A which seems to have baffled a few. While I spotted it quickly, it’s a demonstration of a setter taking the trouble to look at specific wordplay possibilities and coming up with something beautifully misleading.
    And I needed something to cheer me up. That anonymous posting on the “Definition by example” poll had me seething pretty much all weekend. It’s personal. I regard solvers as playmates and equals – for someone to suggest they are basically inferior… sorry, I’m getting worked up again.
    1. You’re not the only one. I feel more annoyed about it now than when I replied (anon.) yesterday. I’m fairly sure I can identify the writer, which makes it all the more disturbing. I assume that Peter also knows who finds it amusing needlessly to insult this happy band of bloggers.
      1. I don’t. I don’t really want to either – I have a fear that I currently enjoy their puzzles, and a hope that they may one day feel they went too far. So however sure you are, please don’t say.
  9. After last week’s abject misery, I’ve started this week on a high. It took about 18 minutes, but I felt as if it should have been a little quicker. Hadn’t realised the “Tom” bonus ref in 15d. If I had, it may have got my vote. As it is, I’m giving it to 10d. I was convinced it was an anagram of “what’s made only”, even after several checkers. The final “a” forced me to rethink what, for me, is a marvellous cryptic def. 3d was last to go in – I don’t remember seeing the word PURVIEW before, but I figured it ended in view and PUR(E) was the only alternative I could think of.
  10. A steady start to the week with nothing too challenging.
    I loved 5A as COD.
    And also 15D for obvious reasons.

    Also baffled by the thinking behind Underhand.

  11. Can I say that I’ve been enjoying this community since finding it, and that at present it’s acting as a substitute for actually being able to do the daily puzzle?

    Does anybody know how widespread the problems still are with the Crossword Club? Having been denied access since before Christmas, I finally received a new log-in last week, which worked for three days. I now find I’m back to 404 errors when I try to reach the members’ page. Since there is a distinct lack of candour from those in charge of the club, I am forced to guess what is happening by the volume of complaints I can see elsewhere…

    1. I can’t tell you anything useful about the numbers of folk still lacking access. You may find that the ‘back-door’ methods can get you access to what you’ve paid for – see the comments on Dec 12 2007.
      1. Thanks for the tip. It appears that the random admission policy is letting me in again now, but I’ll file it away for future reference, as my faith in the site’s ability to work reliably in the future has been almost entirely eroded…
  12. 19 minutes, blinding hangover, great Richard Thompson show last night. Spent the last three minutes or so playing “which vowel goes in P-RVIEW” before stumbling on PURE which I should have gotten way earlier. Glad I printed it off in the early morning when I stumbled in, since I can’t get to the crossword club now. So far as great clues, I did like 15d, and I liked 9ac, which I think is meant to be a triple, “through cover” meaning palming like in a magic trick. Not a bad start to the week puzzlewise, boos to the crossword club.
  13. I left it a while before logging on because I wanted to cool down before responding to the anonymous contributor already referred to above, which I have now done.

    I enjoyed this puzzle, the easiest for some time – about 25 minutes to solve. I don’t understand “through cover” either and unfortunately the conjuring reference above is also lost on me. I love 5 across, which gets my COD vote. Jimbo.

  14. Yep, 5a had me totally bewildered and I even had to read anon’s explanation a few times before things twigged! Good clue! But 15d did make me smile to that gets my COD.

    9a – I’d read ‘through cover’ basically as the setter having to avoid ‘under cover’. Dunno.

  15. 9:22 for me. This seemed an odd mixture of the very easy – including clues that felt like old chestnuts, such as 6D (NARRATE) and 18D (OFFICER) – and the slightly more tricky, like 5A, which took a few seconds for the penny to drop, and 15D, which I’ll nominate as my COD.
  16. 9a appears to be a reference to the infamous incident at the MCG in the 3rd Aus v NZ ODI on 1st Feb 1981. This was UNDERARM bowling – which was subsequently banned by the ICC – but it was generally regarded by most as UNDERHAND – including most of the Australian XI. The deliverer of the nefarious last ball – which rolled along the pitch – was Trevor Chappell who had been instructed to do it by older brother & captain Greg. Pity for Trev as he is now mainly remembered in a poor light just for this one incident.

    There are just the 5 answers left out of the blog:

    1a (First fop)* prepared to go naked? (5,3)
    STRIP OFF

    9a Way of bowling done deviously through cover (9)
    UNDERHAND. Underarm does not fit – it must be this?

    14a (Prestige owner)* arranged for help in driving (5,8)
    POWER STEERING

    7d Where boundaries must have been crossed (if film’s to)* get broadcast (3,6)
    OFF LIMITS. Boundaries but no cricket in this one.

    22d This is strong meat (5)
    BRAWN

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