Times 25279 – fishy

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : 16:26 – though I’m not in prime solving form – didn’t get to start on this until after pub trivia (and whatever comes with pub trivia) and watching the new episode of “South Park” (probably won’t mean much to the UK people reading this).

Anyhoo, after a little bashing and head-scratching, this came together quite nicely, and I don’t believe I have any quibbles. So there may be some sharp times from some sharp people, but for tonight, you’re stuck with me.

There seems to be a lot of fish in here.

Away we go!

Across
1 POSTPRANDIAL: POP, RAN, DIAL around ST
8 COOLANT: (f)OOL in CANT
9 DIVERGE: the end letters in VergE in DIRGE
11 REGATTA: hidden reversed in wATTAGE Rating
12 ONASSIS: ON, ASSIS(t)
13 I think you can bear to get this on your own
14 DONATELLO: LL(lines), 0 after DONATE
16 COOK’S TOUR: cryptic definition based Captain Cook’s ship being the ENDEAVOUR
19 FEAST: (adventur)E in FAST
21 IN FORCE: INFO, RE containing C
23 HARD ROE: (HOARDER)*
24 SPA, TI(d)AL
25 OLD,LADY: O,L(or)D, LADY(lord’s partner)
26 SEVENTY-EIGHT: EVENT, YE in SIGHT
 
Down
1 PRONGED: R in PONGED
2 SWARTHY: take the E’s out of SWEAR THEY
3 PUT PAID TO: (I’D TOP UP AT)*
4 our downly hidden omission
5 DEVIANT: EVIAN water in D(rough)T
6 AEROSOL: EROS in AOL(online service)
7 SCARE TACTICS: CARE,TACT in SICS
10 EASY ON THE EYE: QUEASY(nervous) ON THE EYE(Millenium Wheel) with the first two letters removed
15 NORTH POLE: (LNER, PHOTO)*
17 OFF BASE: B(breadth) in OFFA(Mercian King),(dyk)E
18 SARDINE: (investigato)R,DI(detective inspector) in SANE
19 FIREDOG: REDO in FIG
20 ABREAST: R in A,BREAST
22 ECLAT: new meaning of ECLAT for me (applause) anagram of CHALET without the H

46 comments on “Times 25279 – fishy”

  2. Hi glheard. Thanks for the blog. No quibbles here either, and through in about 15 minutes. COD’s to Mr. Love God and the COOKS TOUR, which both raised a smile. The only unknown was the Mercian king, so OFF BASE was my last entry. Despite not knowing the king, the crossing letters made it apparent. Regards to all.
  3. And very pleased to find that 16ac wasn’t MORSE CODE! Most trouble with OFF BASE, because I omitted the bar between the two words and was very uncertain whether OFFBASE was a word. A bit silly this morning I’m afraid.

    6dn’s answer reminded me of the joke about the Sotsman who goes to buy a deodorant.

    By the time this arrives on the web page, others may have commented similarly. LJ is taking ages to load the comments section of this page and the reply window. And even then, the layout is very starnge. So … fingers crossed …

    1. No problems here with LJ at the moment.

      OFF BASE was my penultimate in. I can’t say I knew it but I now find it’s North American with reference to baseball (other sports may be available) so I don’t feel too bad about that.

      1. LJ is still erratic, slow and unformatted. Been unable to get this far for a while. So couldn’t correct my typos before your reply: ‘Scotsman’ and ‘strange’. Please excuse them/me.
  4. 40 minutes, with joint COD nods to the 78 and the Cook’s Tour. Couldn’t make head nor tail of the cryptic for the ‘Eye’, never heard of ‘sic’ apart from as a textual indicator and the ‘roe’ type was also new to me.

    Could someone put me out of my misery and tell me if AUDIO is correct for the down omission (my last in), and why?

    Edited at 2012-09-27 04:43 am (UTC)

  5. 26 minutes, which felt very sluggish. But then I did get up at 4.30. Another enjoyable puzzle. I didn’t know COOK’S TOUR or that meaning of ECLAT.
    1. Ditto re COOK’S TOUR and ECLAT. The clue for the former caused additional confusion because it used Endeavour in a rare, non-Morse context.
      1. Some might say that describing the use of the word “endeavour” in a non-Morse context as “rare” shows a slight loss of perspective! I’m also guilty though and came quite close to bunging in MORSE CODE.
  6. This came as something of a relief to me after the past couple of days. I thought I was heading for sub-30 minutes but the SW corner delayed me a little and I finished in 35.

    Despite being at the easier end of the spectrum there were some delightful clues and references such as feeling quEASY ON THE EYE, hummed for PONGED, 78 records, Thomas COOK’S TOURs, the thought of Aristotle ONASSIS resorting to living on aid, AEROSOL as mister, LNE Railway not providing travel westwards etc etc.

    Edited at 2012-09-27 05:21 am (UTC)

  7. This one made me feel like an idiot twice: at 18+ minutes it felt as if it should have been quicker, as the clues were much less devious than, say, the last couple of days, and I invented “cidal” for a word to do with tides (couldn’t be as simple as “tidal”) for the alternative (and at the time, more convincing) spelling of 24 across. Oh, that heart sinking feeling of checking your time and getting past the hour mark on the list without seeing your name.
    CoD to COOKS TOUR among a decent, rather kind set.
  8. I found this much trickier than yesterday’s, coming in at 48 minutes. No complaints. Looking it through I seemed to have mislaid the simple approach (e.g. 13). Good fare nevertheless.
  9. After two rather daunting days – this was a welcome relief. Sauntered through the bulk of the puzzle – with just a hold up at Cooks Tour.

    Enjoyable as a whole – with a sprinkling of very neat clues (COD to 6d).

    Just to add that I really appreciate the blogs and comments – even the grumpy ones. What a treasure house of hints, tips and banter this site is. Thanks to each and every contributor.

  10. 17:43 .. with several minutes at the end for COOKS TOUR, OFF BASE and the brilliantly disguised and conceived AEROSOL (I mean, Mister Love God …. really, which of you chaps didn’t check that username for availability when you first got on AOL all those years ago?).

    Loved this crossword.

  11. Neat blog as always George. I unpacked “feast” as follows: E=end in adventure, AS=when, breaking into FT=foot. 23 minutes and felt I should have been faster but I kept trying to fit ti(d)es on the end of 24a.
  12. Off base completely spoilt this for me. I’ve never heard of it and am not surprised to find it’s another horrible ‘Americanism’, which no doubt will upset some of you over there – apologies in advance if so.
    1. I can’t get excited about it. It’s in all the usual sources (under ‘base’ not under ‘off’) and COED doesn’t even say it’s an Americanism so I don’t view its inclusion as a cause for complaint.
  13. Very enjoyable puzzle without being particularly hard. Loved AEROSOL and COOKS TOUR (tho, like Mctext, I toyed with MORSE CODE for a while as the solution to the latter).

    I read 10 dn as being [UN]EASY rather than [QU]EASY ON THE EYE. Both readings seem to work equally well.

    Someone, please, put me out of my misery re 7 dn, which went in without understanding how SICS=”urges to attack”. Brain still refuses to be cudgelled into supplying an explanation.

    3. Collins dictionary online:

      verb
      Word forms: sics, sicking, sicked
      tr
      1.to turn on or attack: used only in commands, as to a dog
      2.to urge (a dog) to attack

      See my comment below on obscurity.

      Edited at 2012-09-27 12:08 pm (UTC)

      1. This word is very familiar to me, but I can’t for the life of me think where I’ve been coming across it. I have a feeling it’s used more in the US.
        1. It’s not only dogs that one can “sic” as most Australians know.

          I can’t paste a link, but go to YouTube and search under “Antz Pantz sic em rex”.

    4. “I read 10 dn as being [UN]EASY rather than [QU]EASY ON THE EYE”

      Unfortunately you’re right about that. Shame! Much preferred the other version.

  14. Many thanks to all for the explanations of SICS. What a fund of knowledge this blog is! The verb “to sic” is completely new to me, so I don’t now feel so bad about failing to understand this clue. Further research reveals that the verb is to be found in my OECD and Chambers, but only in the “sick” form. Interestingly, Chambers suggests that the latter is a variant of “seek” , the idea presumably being that when you set a dog on to a target you are ordering the animal to “seek” it out.
  15. Stopped the watch at 17:45 but as I had to pause while someone asked me if I wanted to do the Euromillions this week I’ll dock 3 seconds off and claim 17:42:-)

    Agree with Sotira that aerosol was a brilliant clue. I also concur with Olivia’s parsing of FEAST.

    Never heard of sics and I’ve had to delve pretty deep to find it anywhere so I rate it as obscure but it didn’t stop me getting the answer early doors.

    Ahead of the chumps I’ve started practicing checking what I’ve written which today threw up DONATLLOO.

    I, too, thought of Morse Code when I saw Endeavour… series… (5,4). I re-read the results of the festive survey yesterday and one amongst us really hates Morse references. Looking up the page… McText, J’accuse and I claim my five pounds.

    1. 17:42 it is. Dashed unlucky your getting interrupted like that. Well done on recovering so briskly.

      I always recall that comment in the Festive Survey when I see Morse mentioned in these pages. I remained scrupulously observant of contributors’ privacy while collating results (I actually did!), but whoever it may be you’ve reminded me that I had intended to set the poor soul’s teeth on edge once again when this popped up a while back:

      Guardian – Top 10 crosswords in fiction, no 3: Inspector Morse

      1. I do hope you have the time to do a follow-up survey Sotira – with all the stuff that didn’t get asked/answered last time. It certainly helped dispel the post-Christmas blahs!
        1. Thank you, Olivia.

          I shall moan about it, but I do intend to have another go, learning from the numerous mistakes and omissions of last year’s.

  16. Liked the definition ‘mister’ for aerosol. Less happy with AOL which is a brand name, and an American one to boot.
  17. What a pleasantly diverting puzzle after my best round of golf in months – 25 very enjoyable minutes. No quibbles and some first class constructions and definitions. Knew SIC=sick=let the dogs out from Mephisto. Younger solvers may need to be told that a 78 was an old gramaphone record.

    Trust you all knew what Magna Carta means and who wrote Rule Brittania!

    1. Knew the composer but not the man who wrote the words (James Thomson). I wonder if Cameron could have spelt it?

      Edited at 2012-09-27 03:02 pm (UTC)

    2. >my best round of golf in months – 25 very enjoyable minutes

      Would that be the pitch ‘n’ putt at Swanage?

      1. On re-reading my original post I suspect I may have spent rather too long in the 19th hole.
        1. Jim darling I did wonder if that was your original dateline so decided to “cut you some slack”, another disgusting Americanism. I’m with Jack – I can do Arne but had no idea of the lyricist. But Elgar, I mean honestly. Perhaps Latin is optional at Eton these days because I thought Magna Carta was the sort of thing any fule know.
  18. 33 min 26 secs

    Thought I was heading for a fast time for me but got stuck on Cook’s Tour and Sardine. Finally saw them but they took over 10 mins to find.

    One careless mistake. “Spacial”.

  19. 40 minutes with a thick head after a bit of a session last night. Enjoyed the puzzle very much, particularly “Mister” and “fast spinner” as definitions. I still have an old wind-up gramophone, and it is unbelievably loud. One of my 78s is Hutch singing, appropriately, Mist on the River.

    No idea about sic. Sic?

    HARD ROE. I was brought up in South Staffordshire where battered roe was available in all fish and chip shops. No one knew what I was talking about when I moved to Lancashire.

    Edited at 2012-09-27 06:01 pm (UTC)

  20. My HMV wind up gramophone is also very loud, but a strategically placed sock (large, rugby football, for the use of) is an effective regulator. I’m delighted to find this practice is at least a serious contender for the well known phrase.
  21. Hurrah! All complete and correct in a steady 51.16. A most enjoyable puzzle – my COD to AEROSOL. All in all a good day having completed puzzle after a ramble up and down Ben Y Vrackie near Pitlochry and a couple of hours fishing on the Tummel.
  22. 12:33 for me. I thought I was heading for a reasonable time, but tiredness got the better of me and I struggled with the NE corner – EVIAN and AOL were a bit unexpected – and with OFF BASE, which was only half familiar. COD to 16ac (COOK’S TOUR).

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