Times 24313 Arty Crafties 8 Scientists 0

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : 25 minutes

An enjoyable puzzle stuffed full of authors, poets, artists, old coins, ancient Rome, Greek literature, and so on. It contains what may be the longest homophone in history (of an author naturally but a completely fair one I should add). One day a setter will give us a puzzle with as many references to science and the scientific arts – wont they?

Across
1 SHADOW – two meanings 1=to dog, to shadow 2=constant companion;
5 EXPOSURE – (europes + x=vote)*;
9 INSURGENCY – IN-S-URGENCY; IN=fashionable; S=society;
10 ARGO – reference Jason and the Argonauts;
11 GUILDERS – sounds like “gilders”; old Dutch gold coin;
12 HONEST – HONES-T; zounds! ;
15 HANDCART – H-AND-C + ART; old adverts for bed and breakfast used to say “h&c in every room”;
18 BLENHEIM – spaniel named after Duke of Marlborough’s pad near Oxford;
19 LARK – two meanings 1=fun 2=singing bird;
21 COWPER – COW(P)ER; P=publication initially; COWER=shrink; reference William Cowper 1731-1800;
23 NONESUCH – NONES-U-CH; NONES=ancient Roman shindig;
25 ULNA – cryptic definition reference the two bones in the forearm;
26 POWER,POINT – two meanings 1=electricity point 2=Microsoft software used to give presentations;
28 SITCOM – SIT(uation) COM(edy);
 
Down
3 DOUBLETON – two meanings 1=two of a kind 2=a holding of only two cards of the same suit in bridge;
4 WAGNER – WAG(N)ER – WAGER=to be a better; N=a lesson finally; reference Richard Wagner 1813-1883;
5 ERNEST,HEMINGWAY – ERNEST-HEMING-WAY; ERNEST sounds like “earnest”; HEMING sounds like “hemming” (making a coughing sound to draw attention to oneself); WAY sounds like “weigh”=to judge; the longest homophone in history?;
6 PAY,PHONE – (happy)*-ONE; increasingly rare public telephone in a ‘phone box;
7 SPAIN – SP(A)IN; SPIN=trip; air=song; “the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane” from My Fair Lady by Lerner and Loewe;
8 REGISTRAR – R-(gaiters)*-R; RR=Right Reverend=bishop;
14 WELL,OILED – two meanings 1=run smoothly 2=slang for drunk (reference saying “to be as sober as a judge”);
16 COLTSFOOT – COLTS-FOOT; COLT=pistol from Samuel Colt 1814-1862; wretched weed;
17 DECREPIT – DECRE(e)-PIT;
20 INGRES – (resign)*; reference Jean Ingres 1780-1867 painter trained by Jaques-Louis David;
22 PRADO – P-RA-DO; RA=artist; Museo del Prado in Madrid;
24 CANTO – CANT-O; CANT=peculiar language; a section of a poem;

27 comments on “Times 24313 Arty Crafties 8 Scientists 0”

  1. Well this was pretty hard and thought the anti-arts/classics mob would be out in force. Lots of difficult bits of surface that led in all sorts of directions … except to the answer. Even the angrams were hard to spot (INGRES, EXPOSURE, IDOLATRY).
    A certain combination of dogs and judges around today, too. Synchronous as I started out on this over breakfast, then feeding the (on loan) dog and listening to a radio doc. about the first Torres Strait Islander barrister. Interrupted at that point by a call-out medical transport job. So the rest was done in several medicos’ waiting rooms. Ergo: no idea what the actual time was, but I’m guessing a few minutes over the half hour.
    COD has to go to the non-dog in 10ac. (And I’m on record about cryptic defs being outré.) Also note: the old Argo (Navis) now includes Puppis — expect a clue along those lines soon. But it’s a toss up for COD between that (10ac), HANDCART and ULNA.
    So many things to admire. I’m not fond of sucking up to the setter — but my hat is well and truly off today.
  2. Another 2 hour trip, no mistakes but unashamed use of aids both to solve and confirm.
    Many ingenious definitions (but fair??)eg.
    Instrument in a box – PAY PHONE
    Country of mostly dry mountains going by air – SPAIN
    (never mind the longest homophone, is this the longest ever definition?).
    On the other hand some sublime definitions, eg.
    Unlike a judge – WELL-OILED
    Used when delivering papers – POWER POINT.

    COD = ARGO Not difficult but quite beautiful.

    So many wonders to discover in the world of cruciverbalism but let the scientists get their own puzzles is what I say.

  3. No, no – SPAIN. (or is this one of your jokes?).
    Hemingway first in without a blink so a bit of wasted effort on part of setter.
    Otherwise, as you say, hats off.
  4. It all seemed to be going quite well but I hit a brick wall at 45 minutes with 11ac, 18ac, 20dn and 28ac unsolved, so out of time I resorted to a solver and found all but 28dn.

    Or rather, I did find 28dn having decided that it might be an anagram of “resign”, but I didn’t recognise the answer in the list of 8 possible solutions offered up. I never heard of INGRES nor of his tutor. Obviously I am a Philistine.

    Earlier I wasted time thinking 28ac might be PYTHON.

    1. Tough but enjoyable. Around 30 mins for me but didn’t solve ulna. Personally I rather like the arts bias, which I think can be defended on grounds of tradition and the likely preferences of setters and solvers alike – it’s part of what attracted me to The Times puzzle in the first place. I studied Chemistry and Physics to Higher grade and Maths at university, and my father was a mathematician whose idea of what might interest a 9 year old boy included square roots and minus numbers, but I’d still rather think about the arts than science in my leisure moments. Mind you, if it displaced gardening, cricket and military references more science would be fine! bc
  5. A very slow 90 mins. I ground to a halt after HINDU and never really got going again. Couldn’t justify Hemingway sounding anything like it was supposed to (thanks Jimbo) so didn’t write it in till very late. Some great clues here though. GUILDERS was a classic, HONEST, POWER POINT, PAY PHONE, ULNA and the audible groan at ARGO. But COD to SPAIN.

    I’m with bc on scientific references, although COWPER was a bit obscure for me. Turns out he could have been the model for Rilke’s Nikolai Kuzmich, “the sad witnesses of time’s perpetual passing…”, who did nothing but lay on his bed and write poetry.

    1. Sorry, that lay should be lie. Nikolai did appear in an impressive overcoat at one point in the story but never in a chicken suit, as far as I recall. And Wiki says Cowper gave us “variety is the (very) spice of life”, for which we should all be thankful. – Koro
  6. Altogether too many dogs in my life today. I solved this at the vet’s waiting for my kittens to be microchipped. There was a Staffordshire bull terrier on one side of us and an asthmatic spaniel on the other. At least I got Blenheim, which I failed on a few months ago when we last had a spate of doggy clues.

    Otherwise, I enjoyed this including all the artistic, literary and musical references. It’s one of those puzzles that flatters the solver because, halfway through I thought I didn’t stand a chance of finishing. Cowper was fiendish and the doubleton of Spain and Argo even more so. I was most doubtful about this latter answer as I was not sure whether barque could be spelled with a K.

  7. I don’t think 10ac really works, strictly speaking. “Golden” is an adjective only, so “golden retriever” can’t mean “retriever of golden” because it makes no sense. Mind you, Bob Dylan did the same thing in Boots of Spanish Leather (“Ah but I just thought you might want something fine, Made of silver or of golden..”) but then he’s Bob Dylan. The question is whether we accord the same licence to crossword setters
    1. Jason retrieved [something] golden.
      As said above, I dislike cryptic defs.
      But I’ll pay this one for sheer audacity and because of the other dogs hanging around.
      But ta for the reminder of His Bobness.
      I’m off now to play the song.

      1. I don’t know is you heard the mind-boggling news that Bob Dylan is recording the voice of a sat nav system. I’m not keen on sat nav, but I might go for one that gave you incomprehensible, yet somehow intriguing, directions. Man, he’d take you some places.
  8. PS My first guess at 13 was Card which, I think, fits the double definition but, sadly, not the checkers
  9. After 30 minutes I had to go to Bradfords to get BLENHEIM…. tricky bit of work, a bit heavy on the cryptic definitions for me, partial guesses on COWPER, INGRES, GUILDERS. Seemed to be a lot of working out answers from definitions or cryptic definitions.
  10. 36:26 .. I usually take the Times crossword to bed with me (rock n’ roll, or what?) and start solving around midnight before doing some reading. No progress on the book last night .

    First in HONEST, last in GUILDERS (after the unknown DOUBLETON had finally suggested itself to my sleepy mind).

    I didn’t have any quibbles at the time, and found this a serious challenge. COD probably HANDCART, though I’ve a feeling I’ve seen the H&C thing before. I liked the treatment of WAGNER which avoided the ‘ring’ cliche.

    Talking of solving routines, I know some regulars here have to solve the Times while blocking out the endless announcements on British trains. Nice article on the subject here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/article6806316.ece. Blame the EU.

  11. 9.55. Some gems in this puzzle as far as I was concerned although I didn’t appreciate much of it until after solving. Fo instance with the E-N— in ,5 was entered on reading the first two words of the clue. ARGO and COWPER both caused a little bit of head scratching and raised a smile when solved.
    Only hold up was POWER POINT as I wanted it to be PLANT so this made 16 difficult. I wanted it to end LOW = base so this was second last to go in and SITCOM last. Ok there may have been some run of the mill fare but 2 or 3 classics are enough in any one puzzle to give it top marks
  12. Just me who though this was horrible then? Gave up after 45 minutes with Spain and Argo missing.

    Too many quibbles and moans to go into. Hats off for handdcart but poo to the rest.

    Bah.

  13. I thought it was a nice puzzle, and the arts references didn’t throw me, apart from having to guess that Ingres was David’s pupil. Once you got into it and had some checking letters it all flowed, and the clues had, I thought, some witty touches.

    Minor query: I read in 23A NONES as the RC church service, not a Roman shindig.

    Harry Shipley

  14. Tough, but a lot of cleverness to enjoy in this puzzle. Close to an hour for me. First in HINDU, last LARK/COLTSFOOT together. This was interesting in that there wasn’t anything I didn’t know, except failing to recognize the ‘hemming’ as trying to attract attention, and while I’d heard of INGRES I didn’t know whose pupil he was. So the longer solving time shows some fiendishly disguised clues. I enjoyed ARGO, HANDCART, GUILDERS, WAGNER, and especially my COD: SITCOM. Very lovely. Regards everybody.
  15. 40 minutes or so shepherding (and explaining every clueto) granddaughter who delightedly got power point from the clue and the initial crossing p only. Thank goodness her family are Times readers. There is hope.
    1. Good on her. With the clue and first P I was tempted by pedal power, thinking of paper boys.

      My 13-year old daughter just looks at me funny when I try and explain a cryptic clue. MInd you, these days she looks at me funny whatever I say.

      1. Your problems are only just starting to evolve Penfold. In the next 3 years she will develop a whole armoury of looks that will, when properly deployed, ensure that she gets from you whatever she wants whilst driving her mother mad. Good luck!
  16. 34 min, but had to go for assistance after stalling in the NE. Why DOUBLETON (which got me restarted) didn’t leap out and hit me over the head, I will never know. Nice inventive puzzle. COD ULNA.
  17. MC Text Might also like to play Tweedle dee & Tweedle dum on Love and Theft. Obviously Bob was in the back of thr setters mind. It might be unfair to say his clues were as obscure as some of Bob’s text.
    A very hard puzzle – Ingres may be a little obscure- but otherwisr some lovely touches,28a Sitcom cod
    Mike and Fay
    1. Mike & Fay,
      That’s it: I’m changing my LiveJournal name to “MC Text” and will only spin songs by His Bobness.
  18. About 15 mins – GUILDERS took ages to find at the end. 16 and 9 also took a long time, as I recalled CROWSFOOT first for the plant.

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