Times 24330 – A Bit Wobbly?

Author   kororarekaPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 32mins

I found this a fairly straightforward solve, from STILE to NANETTE, with only a few holdups, one new word and, er, one revision.

Across
1 I + MP + AS TO giving a painting technique, the origin of the phrase “to lay it on thickly”.
5 S(tray)+ EW[A + G(rand)]E for waste. One sheep, two sheep, tether sheep, mether sheep.
8 D(irt)Y inside(BERATED)* = TEDDY BEAR
9 Ask if bewildered.
11 MNOOSE. This one held me up because I immediately thought of mouse, and couldn’t unthink it. Och, there’s a moose in the hoose.
12 BRAND (new) inside (TERM)* = REMBRANDT, a painter.
13 I + N(ew) + EQUITY for prejudice. I’m presuming that’s Actor’s Equity, but stand to be corrected.
15 CHOP + IN, a composer.
17 (ME)> + BOSS = EMBOSS or chase in the sense of “to ornament (metal) by engraving or embossing”. I always thought it meant to remove material, but then, you have to remove material to create protuberances.
19 C[OLD + F(emale) + IS]H(urch) = COLD FISH
22 ARIS[TOT + (natura)L]E = ARISTOTLE, a philosopher. Again with the tots.
23 PROOF, double definition, the first in the sense of “the exception proves the rule”. While we’re on the subject, when did “begging the question” get hijacked by the miseducated?
24 EX + C(hurch of) E(ngland) + L(eader) = EXCEL
25 G(ood) + HOST + (WONT)* = GHOST TOWN. I spent too long wondering what a good MC might refuse to do.
26 (DROVE)* around N = VENDOR
27 N[AN]ETTE(d) = NANETTE, a woman. Clear = nett usually bests me (or is it worsts?), so this was my last in. I foolishly thought it was some allusion to an ancient Greek highjumper; I’m rubbish at classics.

Down
1 (IN ENT A SERVICE)* = INTENSIVE CARE. I like “that’s free” as an anagrind.
2 PADR[ON]E, an innkeeper, a new word for me. Same word as a patron, as in saint, who also stands on the other side of the bar. That begs another question.
3 STYLE sounds like “stile” and not vice versa.
4 OVER + RATE for expect too much, a cricketing reference free zone.
5 S(urrey) + CRIMP for keep short as in the sense “to keep on short allowance; provide sparingly for”, which is a variant on the usual scrimp and save. No shortage of cricketing references here though.
6 (THE WARS)* + ED = WATERSHED, a dividing line on a map, if not metaphorically.
7 GRO[W(ith) + N(itrogen)]UP = GROWN UP or adult.
10 SIT ON + THE FENCE. Fence as in receiver of stolen goods. All those episodes of The Bill not in vain.
14 UN + SETTLED for outstanding in the way bills often are and not as The Bill often isn’t.
16 E inserted in DON + DOWN = DONE DOWN or humiliated.
18 BRI[O + CH(eck)]E = BRIOCHE, a light, sweet roll.
20 IRON + OUT for resolve in the unplucky sense. I couldn’t make iron will fit.
21 STAG(g)ER, an old actor. And we’re tottering again.
23 PUT IN as in an assignment or at number eleven.

29 comments on “Times 24330 – A Bit Wobbly?”

  1. I was more around 40 minutes, having to straighten out the crossing 4D/13A where at first I went with OVERRELY for 4, leaving me in a pickle for 13 before admitting to myself that OVERRELY wasn’t a word. Most of the rest was straightforward, but I did learn a few things: PADRONE as an innkeeper, the chase/emboss thing, stile as steps. But nothing made me laugh or delivered that satisfying solving moment, so no COD from me either. Not a complaint, that, perhaps we’re jaded after last week. Regards.
  2. Was everyone else happy with prejudice = inequity? Seemed wrong to me, and it’s not supported by my edition of Collins; maybe I’m grousing only because the word held me up in an otherwise very straightforward solve. But I still can’t see either as a satisfactory definition of the other.
    1. My Collins (c. 1979) has under prejudice 4. disadvantage or injury resulting from prejudice (presumably as defined at 1., 2. or 3.) which might stretch to inequity. At the time I was more held up by the “body of players” bit, and happy to accept any word in the ballpark.
  3. Completed during The Health Report, so under the half hour. Guessing PB will probably have done his in about six minutes. Nothing surprising or outstanding here. Not sure that “prejudice” = INEQUITY is fair.
  4. A similar tale here, 34 minutes but with time wasted at the beginning trying to unravel the anagram at 1dn without having any checking letters, and at the end trying to think of a woman’s name that fitted the checkers. Once again my penchant for old songs and musicals came to my rescue (No, No, Nanette – 1925).

    Actually 13ac was going to be my COD until I read the above which put doubts in my mind. I think the Collins definition as quoted by koro gets close enough but if any more proof is needed the SOED defines both “inequity” and “prejudice” as “bias” which nails it for me so I shall have this as my COD after all.

  5. No 6-minute solution I’m afraid – 11:32, for which there seemed little excuse when looking back at the clues. At 27 I saw NETTE(d) but in the wrong place, and had an overoptimistic punt with DINETTE(d), not following my own preaching about making sure the definition works well if nothing else. Even after deleting the beginning and looking at ?O?E DOWN for 16, took ages to see lecturer=DON.

    I like your notation for a replacement at 11A.

      1. Looks as if you just used the wrong angle bracket in your character escape sequence – the left-pointing one is “lt” (less than) rather than “gt” (greater than). Must admit I gave up on these ages ago as “rev.” is just as quick to type.
  6. 25 minutes for me today. Would have been five minutes quicker but for NOOSE and PADRONE, the latter of which I don’t recall coming across previously.

    A nice easy start to the week.

  7. After the humiliation of Friday, a rather gentle weekend of puzzles followed by this very ordinary Monday puzzle, with only “chase” to look up on completion. I suppose an indication of progress is disappointment rather than elation at finishing too quickly.
  8. Didn’t record my start time, but definitely under 20 min. A slow start, then everthing just fell into place. For some reason PADRONE, BRIOCHE, TEDDY BEAR, NANETTE and COD: GHOST TOWN just leapt out without having to be thought about. The week will be all downhill from here. (Which is one of those linguistic entities in English which can diametrically opposed meanings, cf: cleave, sophisticated, sanction). Ah well!
  9. A rare dip into sub-20 minute territory for me. This is just as well because I still have the Jumbo to finish and I have not started the Mephisto. The only definition I did not know was Chase. I thought “Test evidence” scarcely made it as a DD.

    2 made me think of the Taviani brothers’ film Padre Padrone about two young Sardinian shepherds working for their father. The title refers to the more usual meaning of padrone as an employer, not the more specific innkeeper required here.

  10. I had always though of “chase” as meaning “engrave” which (as Koro says) is rather the opposite of “emboss”. COED is not very enlightening but Chambers comes to the rescue; “chase” is to engrave or enchase, and the definition of the latter includes several types of decoration, including “to adorn with raised or embossed work”. So I’ve learned something.
  11. 15:30 the hard way, with INTENSIVE CARE almost the last one in. Perfectly solid “half an hour on the train” sort of puzzle, which is the difficulty level I prefer. COD – 8a TEDDY BEAR for the sheer improbability of the image.
  12. 14 minutes, nothing too out of the ordinary. Didn’t think there would be a problem with INEQUITY, but it took a while to see the second half, same with the top half in DONE DOWN.
  13. 10.35. Just a few stumbling blocks, Had PATRONE at 2 to beging with and found ‘chase’ a cunning definition in 17, and also thought 12’s definition was ‘a sort of new painter’
    However , got BRIOCHE quite quickly and this could have been a difficult one to fathom. 16 and 27 took a bit of thought but last pair in were REMBRANDT and SCRIMP.
    Not as good as the last two puzzles of last week but I think it is good to get a mix of puzzles ,and clues within them ,from the gimmes and the old chestnuts to the stunning and innovative stuff which brightens up our week
  14. Easy start to the week, 20 minute stroll. Nothing to add to comments so far except to note painter, philosopher, artist, painting technique, and scientist – oh no, sorry for some reason he/she was missing. I wonder why?
      1. No, Darwin is far too advanced for them. No matter that it’s anniversary year – you’ll get Newton and like it!!
        1. Maybe they’re waiting for next year, when the Enlightenment officially ends. It’s probably just another manifestation of the Boffin in Front of the Blackboard Syndrome.
  15. >
    REMBRANDT, a painter
    CHOPIN, a composer
    ARISTOTLE, a philosopher

    Thanks for that Koro. Genius. Cheered me up after a rather soulless puzzle.

    34 mins, far too slow. IMPASTO is one of those words I can never call to mind quickly enough and I took far too long over 1dn, even after writing down all the letters in a jumble which I find I rarely have to do these days. Like Kevin I also had overrely for a time at 4d even though it would have meant the same root had been used in both the def and w/p.

    I did enjoy seeing cold fish as it’s one of those Wodehouse-type expressions that should be in every day use, and I liked the clue for brioche.

  16. a wodnerfully relaxed start to the week. thought COD was Teddy bear…other than that nothing remarkable
    pimento di padrone came in useful from menus in spain to get the rather unusual Padrone…
    anyway lots of musical and artistic fare as jimbo says…we did have Tasel didnt we on Friday?
  17. Easy once I’d worked out that ANNETTE didn’t work for 27A and that the father in 2D was PADRE and not simply PA.
  18. Re 27ac, NANETTE: how does “daughter nicked” suggest “N-E”?

    The New York Post, bless its soul, has taken to sloppy typesetting, which makes the puzzle all the harder. The heck of it is, the errors in spacing so often aren’t apparent: the clue to 19ac became for me “a nun friendly type,” which is by no means the same as “an unfriendly type.”

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