Times 24064 – I’ll take a Scottish town for 5

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : After 23 minutes I’m left with a dilemma on 5D – it’s a guess, and after I write this up, I’m not going to be near a computer for some time, so if I’m wrong, it will stick for a while and I will happily take ridicule in the comments.

This started slowly and finished slowly, I could only pick one or two at a time. If you’re a fan of wordplay, there’s some very nice stuff in here, and several of these I worked backwards from the wordplay to get the grid entry. Easily hardest of the week for me.

Across
1 HUMPH: MP(=chairman) in HUH
4 SCALLYWAG: C,ALLY(=crony) in SWAG. Nice wordplay, had to work this out before seeing the answer
9 GROUNDS(=reason),EL: a weed that has been appearing a lot lately
11 FOOLS(=sweets),PARAD(1’S)E: This one I got from the definition and worked out the wordplay later
14 YEAR(n): nice deletion, though the “in sight” at the end is a little misleading, there for the surface
15 TRAMPOLINE: got this from the definition, still not 100% on the wordplay… PO in TRAMLINE? Edit: see comments – RAMP in TO,LINE
18 NEEDLES,SLY: nice charade, had me for a moment
21 CAMBRIDGE BLUE: From the definition, AMBRIDGE in C, BLUE(=Tory). I had heard of “The Archers“, didn’t know where it was set, and had no clue it was still going! This might be tricky for the non-brits
24 GENET: Double definition of the writer and a small animal that lives in the Savannah. I’d never heard of the animal, they’re kind of cute.
27 DRESS(=line up),COAT(=film): A double definition of double definitions
28 WEALD: Sounds like “wield”, and in the only dictionary I have here they are given the same pronunciation.
 
Down
2 MOO(d)
3 HONES,T: I liked this charade
4 SASSARFAS: working from the outside in… SASS covering SA covering A,FR. Tricky.
5 AILSA????: I know Ailsa Craig is an island off the coast of Scotland, this is really a guess though… I need a TV series that is —-A-L- or A-L—– and is not the Archers… Edit: and it is ALLO ALLO making the town ALLOA – apologies to the population of Scotland
6 LOLLIPOP: PILL reversed in LOOP
7 WHEREWITHAL: HERE in (WHAT,WIL)*, definition is means, and that’s how I got it
12 O,PAL,ESCENCE(=sounds like “essence”): another decent homophone
13 DEEP-SEATED: double definition
16 MALADROIT: here we go… AL in MA, DROIT(=right, French), more intriguing wordplay Edit and some poor typing, I initially wrote this in the blog as MALADRIOT
17 CLEMATIS: (CALM,SITE)* – also known as Old Man’s Beard, another weed
23 AGED: e.g. reversed in A(uckland)D. From the definition, I wasn’t familiar with the Edward Lear poem.

37 comments on “Times 24064 – I’ll take a Scottish town for 5”

  2. Ugh. I found this hard, about 45 minutes, and had to check up on Uncle Arly. I had a vague recollection of Allo! Allo!, and also fought through Cambridge blue, whoever the Archers are, and looked up the genet creature, But I see on arriving here that I was undone by CLEMATIS, where I entered CLIMATES, which fit the crossers, the anagram, and could be a travellers’ joy, so I entered it and didn’t give it another thought. Til now, that is. So, I’m stumped today, somewhat to my surprise. See you tomorrow, best to all.
  3. 21:03 .. Tricky blighter all round. But an interesting, challenging puzzle. A toughie for non-Brits, that’s for sure.

    I read 1ac as a tribute to the late and much missed Humphrey ‘Humph’ Lyttelton, chairman of “I’m sorry I Haven’t a Clue”, often memorialised, indirectly, on these pages.

    George – couple of typos in 4d and 16d, though you should certainly leave the latter since MALADRIOT is a fantastic word and probably found in the Uxbridge English Dictionary.

  4. I think that the really tricky bit for non-brits is 1ac. Humphrey Littleton (who died recently, hence can appear in the crossword) was famously chairman of a long-running radio program called “I’m sorry I haven’t a clue”. Hence the clue is actually a double definition,
    “clueless chairman” and “annoyed interjection” and nothing whatsoever to do with MPs. It was long-enough running that it was on when I lived in Britain and I left for California in 1982.

    And “‘allo ‘allo” was on in France when I lived there. The dubbing completely entered into the spirit of the original program, the french spoke french normally, the brits spoke french with a ridiculous english accent, and the germans with ridiculous german accents.

    1. Thanks for the Humph explanation. I guessed the answer correctly, but was at a total loss over the derivation.

      I was also intrigued by the info on ‘Allo ‘Allo. I had heard that it was being adapted for a French release, but couldn’t for the life of me see how a show based on British caricaturisation of the French and Germans (with all the related prejudices and side-swipes) could possibly be transplanted. I wish I could see it through French eyes.

      Thanks to Sotira for spotting the Gruniadisms. I had missed them

  5. I felt a bit sorry for non-Brits today because of all those references. I completed it in 35 minutes at least 5 of which were spent on the last one in, SASSAFRAS, which was something of a guess. I saw the inside wordplay but wasn’t sure that SASS meant impudent.

    I found this the most enjoyable of the week so far only spoiled by the thought that we haven’t got the toughie of the week out of the way before my turn to blog comes round tomorrow.

  6. About 35mins today. Plenty of tricky bits.

    Thanks for the reference to Humphrey Lyttleton – I got to HUMPH but the only allusion I could think of was the camel in “How the camel got his hump” which didn’t seem to have any connection with a chairman.

    I also toyed with AILSA before alighting on ALLOA. ‘Allo “Allo was very funny, but I always had nagging doubts about a comedy based on the amusing antics of Gestapo officers.

    I had WELL-PADDED lightly pencilled in for a while at 13D which held me up.

    For the non-Brits, CAMBRIDGE BLUE is an insipid pale shade of blue, in contrast with the rich dark blue of Oxford…

    1. May I enquire whether you attended either of the houses of learning mentioned. Then let me guess which.
  7. I lived in ALLOA until I was about 14. An unappealing town, but useful to know for crosswords.

    I think 15A is T(RAMP)O LINE, with LINE meaning “bar” (heraldry or music?) and RAMP meaning “racket” in the sense of “swindle”.

    1. I agree with Richard, except that after flogging through some long dictionary entries, my offer for {bar=line} is that both can mean a limit.
  9. Some time lurker, first time poster.

    Struggled through this in about 50′, at least ten of which was due to foolishly having “well seated” in for 13d.

  10. 9:34 for this one. Sly-bald-guy: you were not alone – I was eventually saved by being unable to make ?H?L work at 19A, once I’d decided CHIL was definitely not a word. 27A was another where one word was easy to see, but the coat needed checking letters.
  11. 35 minutes, with one wrong answer. I spent the last 4 minutes desperately thinking what could fit _ H _ L for 19 apart from DHAL, then realised WELL-SEATED was wrong, so managed to rescue myself from that mess, but I’d previously entered SASSAPRAS and forgot to review this.
    My first thought on solving 1a was that this would be difficult for non-Brits. An enjoyable set of clues, I thought.
  12. 10.37. Like others, I didn’t get the DEEP and COAT parts of their respective clues for a while, though I didin’t go so far as to write anything in for either – unlike 11a, where I got the starting F and immediately convinced myself that the first word must be FALSE.
  13. Hey guys,

    Have just begun trying to fathom cryptic crosswords and this site is a real boon. Still only getting about 5-6 clues a day but I’m getting there. Thanks again.

    Jon

  14. Thanks for the comments on TRAMPOLINE and ALLOA. I vaguely remember not liking the show, it was on in Australia in the late 80s-early 90s? I wouldn’t have gotten the clue either way. I was in a bit of a rush last night, so sorry about typos, which are about to be amended.
  15. 14:45. Spent longer trying to get ?O?T=film at 27a than I did cobbling SASSAFRAS together.
    Mostly enjoyable though I can see where non-Brits may have a bit of bother.
  16. 40 minutes (which is just over average for me), though at times I thought I wasn’t going to complete this, so perhaps it was harder than just over average… Most of my problems were in the top half – 9ac, 4d, 6d causing me the most headaches. I filled in 1ac, 4ac, 15ac, 21ac, 24ac, 6d without ever understanding the wordplay, until I came here to be enlightened. 5d took me too long, my mind having gone completely blank on the subject of TV series. It’s my COD, anyway, with 16d a close runner up.
  17. I got through most of this quickly but also made the mistake of entering ‘well seated’ and couldn’t think of a “-h-l” word , also spent too a minute or so staring at “dress -o-t” – eventually clicked. Time 10.09. Enjoyable clues in retrospect – having originally entered quite a few on basis of checking letters and definition only with no real attention to wordplay
    JohnPMarshall
  18. 26:18, after getting just a couple of downs and no acrosses on first pass. Last in was 10 as until I got lollipop I couldn’t think of a city that fitted ??E?S despite a) Being there right now and b) having supported their football team for the last 38 years. Muppet.

    I liked the Humph clue and the clever clue for Romeo but I’ll go for scallywag as COD as that’s what my mum used to call me on the exceedingly rare occasions I was naughty.

    Q-0, E-8, D-7.5, COD 4.

    Shall we have a Humph quote? Oh, OK then…

    “This week’s prize is just the thing to delight the stylish man-about-town who enjoys designer label luxury at bathtime – it’s this fabulous pair of Gucci loofahs”.

    1. Could “Died among dregs in city” be a fitting epitaph to the Tetley Brewery in Leeds after those idiots at Carlsberg have decided to flush 186 years of brewing tradition in the city down the toilet?
    2. “..and so, as the plastic cup of time fails to emerge from the vending machine of destiny, and the scalding coffee substitute of fate splashes onto the unsuspecting crotch of eternity…”

      For true ISIHAC anoraks (who, me?..) try http://www.g0akh.f2s.com/isihac/Humphs_Closing_Gems_Page.php

      And talking of anoraks…

      “…and so, ladies & gentlemen, we must end the show, but first I have to advise any listeners who may want information about the programme, or wish to post comments on the message board, they can go to http://www.don‘tyouhaveanyfriendsatall.com, where there’s a list of councillors who may be able to assist…”


  19. Another who fell into this with the consequent dhal!
    Also lazily had climates for clematis.

    An exemplary puzzle; I particularly liked the clueing for ‘wherewithal’ and ‘maladroit’ is just a great word.

  20. A very enjoyable puzzle – and yes I had heard of the Archers and knew they inhabited Ambridge. Before the prog went all peculiar it used to be a propoganda vehicle for the Department of Agriculture. Also knew Allo Allo, so well pleased with myself.

    I love the tribute to Humph. Let’s not forget he was also a very fine jazz musician that I used to listen to in Ronnie Scott’s in my youth.

    No problems with the puzzle – about 25 minutes to solve. Good luck tomorrow Jack.

  21. For any of you who have access to BBC Radio 7 they are transmitting repeats of “I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue” starting tonight at 7:30 pm (GMT). It should also be available on the BBC website.

    Happy listening!

  22. I seem to remember from sixth form “economics” classes that there was something called a “bankers’ ramp” operated by unscrupulous financiers in Britain during a political crisis in the early 1930s (so what’s new?). Don’t ask me exactly what these fellows got up to, but it was dodgy. Among definitions for “bar” I’ve come up with are “a stripe, esp. transverse”, “a horizontal band across a shield” and (on a musical score) “a vertical line across the staff marking off a measure” – all of which, I guess, could also roughly equate to “line”. But Peter B’s explanation is no doubt just as good.

    An enjoyable puzzle, with MALADROIT and WHEREWITHAL particularly nice. Reasonably easy, I thought. About 30 mins for me, though I had to consult a dictionary to complete SASSAFRAS, despite having most of the letters. HUMPH came fairly quickly even though, I’m ashamed to say as a lifelong fan, that I missed the allusion to I Simply Haven’t A Clue.

    Michael H

  23. The answer’s in Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. “A plant […] found in hedgerows in southern England, the Midlands and Wales. […] It was so called by the botanist John Gerard, as a plant ‘decking and adorning waies and hedges, where people travell, and thereupon I have named it the Traveller’s Ioie‘ (Herball (1597))”.

    While seeking inspiration, I found a Project Gutenberg version of the rather charming A Floral Fantasy in an Old English Garden by Walter Crane. If beginners would like a glimpse of some flower names they’ll meet in future Times crosswords, this is worth a look.

    1. A hideous weed. Rampant and invasive. Probably hundreds of square miles in around here, completely smothering everything.
      1. A hideous weed in NZ, yes – as it was one of those ill-advised introductions. Current equivalent here is Japanese knotweed.
        1. Oh yes, I well remember THAT little baby from my time in England. It was advancing on us at the rate of a block a year, and was within half a block when we left.
          Amazing the way it could travel a large distance underground, then punch its way easily through seal or cracks on concrete. Makes the triffids look positively genteel.
  24. Joined the club with WELL-SEATED, started one of my own by initially putting SHAKESPEARE at 7D on the incredibly flimsy basis that Will appeared in the clue and it fitted in, for a while, and ended after 20 mins with George in AILSA. Not finest hour.
  25. Quite pleased with the performacne. Sassafras i worked out but had never heard of it!
  26. Otherwise what do all these holidaymakers think they are doing flying off to warmer climes? At 17d CLIMATES works as an anagram of CALM SITE so I am claiming a moral victory even though I know that my regrettable lack of botanical knowledge has led to my downfall. I knew about HUMPH and AMBRIDGE etc so I am happy anyway. I really like ‘ALLO ‘ALLO and it is great to see in comments that the French have their own version with the Brits and Germans doing the FRANGLAIS and – presumably – FREUTCHE?

    There are eith “easies” left out:

    10 a Died among dregs in city (5)
    LEE D S. Almost an &lit – sorry Leedsters!

    19a Johnny’s evidence of exposure to cold (4)
    CHAP. DBE so a ? at the end might not be amiss here?

    25a Burn the midnight oil seeking name for sonata (9)
    MOONLIGHT. One of LvB’s best known piano works. Not quite sure exactly how the clue works though?

    1d Ambitious, like Icarus before meltdown? (4-6)
    HIGH – FLYING

    8d Noisily breathe air – quiet! (4)
    GAS P

    20d Cowardly to act this when in pain! (6)
    YELL OW!

    22d Jumper worn by this writer’s lover (5)
    RO ME O. As in Kanga …

    26a Enterprising head abandoned Indian state (3)
    GO-A(head). Where the omitted letters number more than the answer letters.

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