Times 24,582 –

Author   topicaltimPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
25 minutes, which felt a little slower than it should have been, but may be explained by the combination of what I thought was a reasonably tough, but perfectly fair, puzzle, and the enervating summer weather (not that I am complaining about having an actual summer this year). Enjoyable challenge all round.

One word which was new to me, an obscure tax, some legal technicality, and the second appearance this year of an actor who became eligible for the Times in 2004.

Across
1 SECONDS – [(freshly-bake)D+SCONES]*.
5 CAMPER – M(iles) in CAPER.
8 DIVERGENT – DIVER (bird) + GENT (man).
9 REARM – REALM with the L changing to R.
11 SOMME – S(ergeant) + O.M. + ME.
12 TESTIFIER – IF inside TESTIER.
13 LUNCH BOX – What the Rev. Spooner would make of BUNCH LOX.
15 BRUNEI – B(ritish) + RUN + (I.E.)rev.
17 TRAINS – TRAS(h) around IN.
19 HOGSHEAD – double def.: these days, high-end restaurants are not shy about offal, and euphemistic expressions such as “brawn” or “head cheese” are replaced by the blunter “pig’s head terrine”; in brewing, a hogshead is 54 gallons of ale, which would be a lot to be moving around your cellar.
22 INCESSANT – 1 N(ew) CESS + ANT; “cess” is probably more barred-crossword territory, an old word for tax which is probably a form of “assess”.
23 APPRO – chAP PRObably; I started with the wrong sort of sanction, deceived by the fact that it is, of course, one of those helpful English words which can mean two completely opposite things…*checks Google*…contronym, that’s the neologism I need. Or is there a better term? See also “cleave”. Anyway, this sort of sanction is the one indicating approval, rather than disapproval.
24 GISMO – GaInS + MO.
25 COUGH DROP – (H DRUG)* in COOP, which, as well as the more obvious chicken-house, can also be a fisherman’s basket.
26 BRANDO – R(un) surrounded by BAND and O, which are both rings.
27 PINK EYE – PIN KEYE(d); true pedants (and yes, that includes me) will always be very happy to remind those around them that it’s a PIN, not a PIN number; and you use it in an ATM, not an ATM machine. You’re right, I should get out more.
 
Down
1 SIDE SPLITTING – barely cryptic double defs.
2 CAVEMAN – (NAME, VAC)rev. I couldn’t help thinking this was a really nice idea that didn’t quite come off in practice: the cleverness depends, of course, on the need to lift and separate “Billie Holiday” in what is a great surface; but once that’s done, “such as Billie” = “name” feels a bit of a weak definition. Perhaps I ask too much of the setter.
3 deliberately omitted
4 SWEETSOP – WEE in (POSTS)rev.; new to me, though my botanical ignorance knows no bounds, of course. I had to toy with unlikely trees such as the fragrant SWEEELOP before hitting on something that looked more realistic.
5 CUTEST – CUT (as one might fashion hair, or a diamond) + EST (as in “la plume de ma tante est sur la table”).
6 MARDI GRAS – M(aidens) + [DIG in ARRAS].
7 ELATION – (r)ELATION(s).
10 MARRIED COUPLE – (ADMIRER)* + L in COUPE, with the simple definition “item”. I spotted it quickly, but it’s a pleasing clue all the same.
14 HANDS DOWN – cryptic def.; if no hands go up, presumably no pupil can answer the teacher’s question chiz chiz.
16 FOOT PUMP – FOOT + P(ressure) + (P.M.-U)rev.; it’s necessary to do a lift and separate of the “U-turn” here just to be utterly precise in the parsing.
18 ACCUSER – AC + C(ase) + USER.
20 EX PARTE – EX + PARTE(d); in English law, at least, ex parte proceedings are brought by one party, without the involvement of others who may have an interest in the case; which means this is an &lit., as in the surface of this clue, a husband in a divorce case bringing proceedings against an absent wife would be a perfect example of an ex parte case. Disclaimer: it has been some time since I studied law, please do not rely on my advice in any legal matters, now or in the future.
21 GAUCHO – GAUCH(e) +O(ld).
23 ASHEN – SHE in (w)AN.

31 comments on “Times 24,582 –”

  1. This was quite a toughie with sweetsop and pink-eye new to me and ex parte being one of those phrases that you read in law reports without ever bothering to look up.

    Married Couple took a long time coming given that it was telegraphed by the word Item. Then, parsing fairly logically, I arrived at Pigshead and Lift Pump. These seemed unlikely so a little more thought produced the right answers.

    Being a vegetarian, I have repressed any memory of what brawn might be. A quick dictionary check tells me that it is a mixture of pig’s head and ox-feet, boiled and pickled. That should be enough to make anyone vegetarian.

    1. I don’t know how much haslet is sold around the country, but I’d wager it would be a much smaller amount if it was boldly marketed as “reformed mince of pig’s heart, liver and lungs”.
      1. I used to have a haslet sandwich about once a week as a student (as did 7dpenguin). Only recently did I find out what was in it. No wonder it was cheap. I’m still waiting for the CJD to kick in given the dodgy mince we used to buy from leeds market.
    2. > That should be enough to make anyone vegetarian.

      Love it. You should try it some time. Mixed with brains is a good combination. Now to the actual crossword:

      The classic clue was 17ac (TRAINS) for sheer deception; closely followed by CAVEMAN which had nothing to do with Billie Holiday. (Who was misled into CROONER? I was initially, on the basis of “crone”).

      No doubt someone will ask about the word “lox” (13ac).

      2. But then I thought Billie Holiday a crooner? Hardly.
        Lox is pronounced ‘lucks’ in some circles. Not to be confused with liquid oxygen. I never did get ‘caveman’.
  2. 20 m and quite a few word plays waited till here. long downs in early, then all but NW corner. Too long seeing 8a then they came with a rush, 2,1a, and the unfamiliar 4 though I have met it somewhere before. Agree mini-quibble over PIN.
  3. 20 minutes for a fun puzzle that I enjoyed. I rather liked CAVEMAN and had no problem with “such as Billie=name” – would have objected if the “such as” had been missing. Also quite taken by the bird-man.

    The point about PIN is well made but “pin number” however wrong is in such common use that I don’t think it worth objecting. The same applies I think to “the” hoi polloi so it’s not a new phenomenon.

  4. This took me an hour, I’m ashamed to say. Never heard of SWEETSOP; I suppose it’s something this compiler might have in his LUNCH BOX, along with his grapes and smoked salmon. (We ‘ave butties and pies in our lunchboxes oop North!) 13 across is, nevertheless, a very clever clue.
  5. 36 minutes with the last 5 staring at rancho which I knew was wrong; thinking of ranchero; it can be fatal to pencil things in; finally the dawn. A fairly steady ramble for the most part but some tough stiles. Liked 19.
  6. I thought this was a really good puzzle – moderately tough with fun
    wordplay.

    SWEETSOP was new but not a huge leap if you know “soursop”.

    A strong whiff of the courtroom with EX PARTE, TESTIFIER, ACCUSER, and possibly LUNCH BOX

  7. A good bit more challenging than yesterday but every bit as delightful. CESS and SWEETSOP from wordplay, otherwise steady solve. Much as I like the clue I’m not sure a MARIED COUPLE would be described as an item.
    A few COD candidates and can’t decide between LUNCH BOX and CAVEMAN the latter being not so much devious as diabolic. Note to MCtext – I would never, never, think of Lady Day as a crooner.
  8. An hour and 45 minutes before resorting to aids with three remaining: 2, 8 and 19, one of which, DIVERGENT, I’d already pencilled in, but could only see after getting the crossing ‘v’ from CAVEMAN. I would probably have stared at _O_S_E_D all day without getting HOGSHEAD, as both meanings were unknown to me. APPRO from wordplay.

    On coming here, I see I made two mistakes: had LUNCH PUB (okay it doesn’t make sense, but those are the breaks – didn’t know ‘lox’ for cured salmon fillet), which led me into SWEETNUT – just about justifiable on the basis that there are apparently such things as T-stakes in the DIY world. COD to HANDS DOWN.

  9. Thought that this was a thoroughly entertaining canter: I was sorry when it ended after 25 minutes.

    Struggled for a while with MARDI GRAS: couldn’t decipher the wordplay which is odd, because I was in ARRAS last year! Solution was clear, though.

    CODs to DIVERGENT (clever) and LUNCH BOX (smashing).

  10. 8:54, with a minute or so at the end deciding that squashing ranchero into RANCHO was as bad on the meaning front as the wordplay one, before finding the right answer.

    The US-based solvers will have seen LOX easily – on one of my first visits to New York I had to ask the server at a diner what it was. I got the classic “where you from?” answer.


  11. About 22 minutes for all but HOGSHEAD, which never did come to me, even after a night to sleep on it.

    Oh, and I got 3 wrong:
    – LUNCH BAR
    – SWEETRAP
    – POST PUMP (which still sounds familiar)

    Otherwise, I did great.

  12. I thought this was a good workout in 22 minutes, with blanks scattered in three of the four quarters. I always thought “an item” were a couple in a less formal, but nonetheless definite relationship than marriage: “going steady” would be the 50’s US equivalent. I’m a sucker for a Spoonerism (if there’s ever a Listener based on the concept it will be mine!) so I liked LUNCH BOX even if it’s not a particularly good one. Didn’t know SWEETSOP, but the cluing was fair. Last in BRANDO, having toyed with GRINGO because it almost worked. CoD to DIVERGENT.
  13. No solving time for this one as I didn’t get a proper run at it. My router packed up last night so I was unable to print the puzzle at home and I lost my usual 20 minute session before setting out for work.

    It must be ages since I solved the newspaper copy whilst commuting. How on earth is one supposed to hold the thing if one doesn’t have a table to spread it out on? Fold it horizontally and half the clues are hidden. Fold it lengthways and it’s too long to balance on one’s knee. Why can’t they go back to printing it in the bottom half of the page?

    Anyway what with all this disturbing my morning routine I started very slowly and ground to a halt as my mind wasn’t fully concentrating. I polished it off eventually at lunchtime.

    I also didn’t know SWEETSOP (not helped by having LUNCH BAR at 13ac for a while), LOX, CESS, PINK-EYE or the meaning of EX PARTE.

    1. I fold it on the skew, revealing most of the down clues, but it’s awkward anyway. Try doing it while straphanging!
  14. 20 minutes dead. A misspent youth working in pubs and a brewery helped with hogshead.

    Like others cess and sweetsop were unknowns. Pink-eye last in having gone through the alphabet to nail down the 4th letter.

    Nice puzzle, COD to married couple.

    Tim, if I ever saw head cheese on a menu I’d be out of the door like a shot.

  15. I see I’m the only person to have gone for TYRE PUMP for 16d, which made 19ac even more impossible than it was already. A tyre supports your car wheel? No, I thought not… Had to resort to a solver for 8ac and 21d.
  16. About 25 minutes, finishing with the crossing CAVEMAN/DIVERGENT pair. Also hadn’t heard of ‘cess’=tax, but I did see everything else. Very nice puzzle, so thanks to the setter. COD to MARRIED COUPLE. Being from NY, I saw LOX immediately, yes, Peter. Regards to all.
  17. Here in the southern US, you get funny looks if you ask for lox, but now I want a bagel.

    18 bleary minutes this morning, with HOGSHEAD the last one in with a little question mark next to it (I see I put one next to TRAINS, so that came without getting the wordplay). SWEETSOP also from wordplay (the SWEET part first). COUGH DROP from definition, similarly MARDI GRAS.

  18. I remember walking into the kitchen at Mrs B’s digs in Blackpool, to see a whole pig’s head (eyes still in) bobbing up and down in a huge pan of boiling water, so hogshead was easy. Lox and bagels, I’ve heard of and even tried. Quite nice.

    I had 2 wrong – Bronco instead of Brando (26 ac), and I couldn’t think of 5 ac, which is so plainly obvious, when seen. Talking to estate agents on the phone doesn’t help.

    Timing was about 45 minutes.

  19. Very busy today. About half an hour for this in two sessions with an entire day in between. After the first 20m session on the tube it felt like I wasn’t going to finish so I was pleased to polish it off quickly when I got back to it this evening.
    As others have said, tough but fair and very enjoyable.
  20. I thought “la plume de ma tante etait dans le jardin de mon oncle”!
  21. I am aware that the Times does not allow living people as answers; could I ask whether this the first mention of BRANDO in a cryptic?

    (In response to Producer Stan Margulies, when Margulies remarks that they could only afford one day’s shooting of Brando): “In that case I’m going to ask a question I’ve never asked in my entire career. How early can I start?”

    1. Others may be able to give you chapter and verse but I’m certain BRANDO has come up before and quite possibly more than once.

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