Times 25346 – Struggled a bit

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
I went over the hour by a few minutes on this one. I didn’t have problems starting but I couldn’t get it to flow so I was constantly hopping around the grid putting in odd words here and there. I can’t say I enjoyed it much but I think that’s mainly down to the pressures of blogging as it’s all perfectly fair and accurate as far as I can see. The only definite unknown word or meaning for me here was the hidden answer.
* = anagram

Across
1 BROGUE – Two definitions, shoe and accent.
5 GOAT MOTH – GO AT (attack), MOTHer (old lady). I think I have met this before but it wouldn’t come to mind. I wasted ages trying to justify ‘hawk moth’.
9 COMEDOWN – COMEDy (play), OWN (have).
10 ESCAPE – P (pressure) inside CEASE*
11 PERSIA – IS (island) inside A, REP (traveller) all reversed.
12 SVENGALI – SVEN (Scandinavian), GAL,I.
14 SWISS COTTAGE – SWISh (fashionable),S COTT (writer – Sir Walter), AGE (time). An area of NW London named after a pub. Lots of time spent here trying to justify Saint Pancras or think of an alternative London saint.
17 INCONCLUSIVE – CON (kid) inside INCLUSIVE (comprehensive).
20 TURNOVER – Two definitions, one requiring it split into two words.
22 IMPART – TRAP (radar, perhaps), M1 (motorway) all reversed.
23 YIPPEE – PIPE* inside YE.
25 SPACEMAN – S (small), PACE (step), Moon, AN.
26 ANDERSEN – Rhymes inside ANDES (extensive range), EN (in, French). The Danish writer of ‘The Little Mermaid’ etc.
27 SISKIN – IS inside SKIN (film). A type of finch.
Down
2 ROOKED – cROOKED (criminal).
3 GREASY SPOON – (GAY PERSON SO)*.
4 EGOMANIAC – OMANI (Arab) inside EGAC (prison upset).
5 GENESIS – GEN (information), thESIS (work of research).
6 ADELE – A,DELE (strike at the publishers – proof-reader’s sign indicating a deletion).
7 MIC – 1 inside MC (host).
8 TOPOLOGY – POLO (explorer – Marco), Greenland, inside TOY (play).
13 GUTTER PRESS – G (key), UTTER (say), PRESS (cupboard).
15 ORIGINALS – GIN (rummy) inside SAILOR*. ‘Card’ meaning an eccentric, unusual or original person has come up before, not long ago.
16 INFUSION – IN (fashionable), FUSION (international style of cuisine).
18 UPRISEN – PRISE (force) inside UN.
19 ERNANI – Hidden. An opera by Verdi that I’ve never heard of. I see it’s based on a story by Victor Hugo in which the character is called Hernani.
21 VIEWS – W (women) inside VIES (struggles).
24 PIE – PrIcEd

32 comments on “Times 25346 – Struggled a bit”

  1. Top puzzle. Hardly anything I didn’t like; and much marginal scribbling. All the trouble was with the ADELE/ESCAPE pair. Having convinced myself that the latter was ACCEPT (why?), the former wouldn’t make sense. And an &lit for a three-letter answer (7dn)!

    The episode of Morse where he reveals his first name via a cryptic clue was on last night. (“My life’s effort revolves around Eve” — or simlar). The lady he was trying to impress noted: “People who solve crossword puzzles! Their lives are full of blanks that they don’t know how to fill in”.

  2. DNF. Never heard of SISKIN and couldn’t see it. And I couldn’t get ORIGINALS. I had no idea why ADELE was right but it couldn’t be much else with the checkers.
  3. Another DNF – 6d and 12a beyond me and I had TONGUE for 1a which meant 2d was impossible. Hats off to the setter today as I should have been able to finish. I liked the nod to Neil Armstrong in 25a so that’s my COD.
  4. A steady unspectacular solve of workman like clues producing boring answers like SWISS COTTAGE with one total guess – ERNANI based on the presumed hidden word. How do these setters do it? A completely unknown opera intersecting with a somewhat obscure bird that luckily has appeared before. 25 minutes but completed more because I felt I had to than because I was enjoying the experience.
    1. Ernani is not a completely unknown opera. Because it’s by Verdi it’s quite well-known.
      1. You have to remember that dorsetjimbo takes a pride in his ignorance of anything to do with the arts.
        1. In Jimbo’s defence over this one, I’ve never heard of it either and I have a degree in music. No idea how this one slipped through the net all these years but then I never made a particular study of Verdi’s works and he did write about 30 operas, I believe.

          Since writing the above I just looked Verdi up and neither my Oxford Companion to Music nor my Penguin Dictionary of Music mentions Ernani,although the latter lists 15 Verdi operas. I had to go to the complete list of his works in Grove to find it. I don’t feel so bad now!

          Edited at 2012-12-14 11:52 pm (UTC)

          1. My formal musical education stopped at “A level”, and there were no operas whatsoever among the set works. However, I’ve known of Ernani for years for some reason. (Could it have been through Victor Hugo’s play on which it’s based? Possibly, I suppose.)

            Anyway, the opera was broadcast Live from the Met earlier this year, so anyone with an eye on Radio 3 should have been aware of it.

            1. We all know it was the obviously cockney ‘ugo’s way of referring to “her child-minder”. Come on!
  5. I liked GUTTER PRESS I suppose, but would go with the workmanlike rather than inspired comment above, generally.

    Many thanks to the blogger.

    Chris Gregory.

  6. Almost all correct today after a slow solve but made one error (a not too hopeful guess at Rioter for 1 down). SE corner held me up the most and it was only by playing around with S, A, I, L, O, R and O?I???A?S that I got Originals. Knew the songbird so concluded that the hidden unknown Ernani must be correct. Enjoyed Comedown – I like answers constructed like that. “Own” for “have” is becoming automatic now.
  7. Ouch. Somewhat over the hour but relieved to finish. A clever piece of work but maybe a yippee factor lacking somehwere. But thanks to the setter – I’ve certainly had my money’s-worth.
  8. Is there a crossword solvers’ equivalent of ‘the yips’? Solver’s Block or something? ‘cos I’ve got it.

    I keep finding myself just about to solve a clue and then my mind goes blank – I mean, as empty as the limitless void of deep space blank. And I stare at the clue for a minute or so like a cat staring at a wall (only with less going on in my head) until I realise I have no idea what lines I was thinking along and I have to go off and do something else and come back and start over. Or leave it till morning.

    Maybe I need a holiday. Or Ritalin. Or something.

    I might take a break from puzzles for a bit but I don’t want the setter to feel bad. It’s not you, it’s me.

    1. Or Philosan? You’re not alone, I frequently find my concentration wandering in a way that it never did a decade ago. I hope you don’t give up – I for one would miss you!
      1. Oh, I shan’t give up, Jim. But I might take a short sabbatical. I’m think some Christmas sherry might help, too.

        And thank you, Jimbo!

        Edited at 2012-12-14 05:23 pm (UTC)

    2. You describe with chilling accuracy what’s been happening to me recently in rehearsals for an amateur dramatics run. The blank-out’s over a shorter stretch of time but otherwise dead on. It was my first time under the lights since school. The actual performances had a hint of it till the last which went, just about, OK. I intend to stay with the group and scare the cat-zombie away and the hell out of it. Something to do with the brain asking, Is this focus needed? or something. Anyhow don’t leave us. I’ve just read an essay by the late lamented Christopher Hitchens about women not being as funny as men and in the world of this website he’s exactly wrong.
      1. Now, as it happens, I once had a brief meeting with ‘Hitch’ (as all the fawning journos called him when he shuffled off this mortal, and presumably from his point of view, only coil). I thought he was a bit of an arse.

        Now do break a leg with this acting thing. I’m sure you’re right about self-awareness being at the heart of these things. I’ve been making a conscious effort to improve my solving times since the summer, with some success, but I may have reached a point where I’m trying too hard. I play the piano, after a fashion, and have the same issue there. If I concentrate too much it’s as bad as concentrating too little. Something to do with what sportsmen call ‘the zone’, I suppose. I’ve found I play best when I’ve had one glass of wine. Two glasses, useless. You could always try that at the next performance (one glass, not two!).

        Talking of piano playing, and by way of nothing, I must pass on a story I heard related by a concert bassoonist on the radio the other day. He was on tour in China and was whisked off to a city he’d never heard of and told he’d be performing a duo with a local pianist the next night. He met his accompanist in the morning – a young local woman who spoke almost no English. She could play, but her left hand was weak. He complained to the organiser who promised he’d get things sorted for the afternoon rehearsal. Another young woman arrived. She could also play, but her right hand was poor. The bassoonist was assured all would be sorted out for the evening. When he turned up for the performance, both young women were there. One said “This my sister. She play right hand. I play left.” And they did.

        There’s a solution to everything.

        I’ll be back after a short break.

        1. Do enjoy your break, sotira, but please do keep it short – I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys reading your comments.

          I don’t have the same problem as you, but my “senior moments” (sometimes turning into “senior minutes”) can be quite dispiriting, even if they are, I fear, only to be expected. Almost every crossword seems to contain at least one clue where I think how much more quickly I would have solved it in my heyday.

          1. Thank you, Tony.

            When it comes to crosswords, I suspect your ‘senior moments’ are measured in nanoseconds! You’re still pretty darned quick, sir.

        2. Lovely story on utilisation of resources. It shows beyong doubt China will be behind the computer that rules the world. Thanks for good cheer re the dramatics meanwhile.
  9. Came close to throwing up the sponge on several occasions but finally finished in just over the hour. Looking back at the clues, they all seem perfectly fair if somewhat humourless for a Friday, though the “collection of dirty rags” produced a much-needed chuckle.

    Should have got ANDERSEN quicker than I did: there’s something in the news this morning about a recently discovered early manuscript of his.

    Never heard of a GOAT-MOTH, but as it apparently stinks like a goat I’m glad there aren’t any in my wardrobe. I see that Chambers also lists a “goat fish” and a piece of “US taboo slang” that more or less summarizes my opinion of the puzzle at the moments I despaired of ever finishing.

    ERNANI was also new to me; I initially dismissed it as sounding too much like one of those silly words Vic Reeves shouts on “Shooting Stars”.

  10. This one went over well with the Forum crowd (including moi)so I’m a bit out of sync here. After a ho-hum week lurching from the borderline impossible to the so-easy-you-can’t-trust-yourself I found this pleasantly well put together. Workmanlike so to speak and none the worse for that. 27 minutes. Sotira, please give yourself a break and work on that survey we’re all looking forward to. I see Jimbo has a very stylish new userpic.

    Edited at 2012-12-14 03:16 pm (UTC)

  11. Too hard for me today. I don’t think I’d ever get 15dn. The definition of cards to mean originals is hard enough without adding in a normal anagrind which was actually a synonym to be included within the anagram. Phew – warm work for such cold weather.
  12. Tough and not very entertaining today, put in GOAT MOTH although was an unknown creature, had no idea why it was ADELE and didn’t much like SVEN for a Scandinavian, DBE style. Struggled to an end in 40 minutes with help from crosswordsolver.org which I usually try to live without. Maybe I should have tackled it before getting soaked on the course and a long lunch with seasonal cheer. Roll on tomorrow.
  13. About 20 minutes. I enjoyed GUTTER PRESS, and also the unusual YIPPEE. SWISS COTTAGE from wordplay only. Named after a pub, really? The things you learn here are truly amazing. Best regards, and Sotira, hurry back.
  14. But enjoyed what I did get from this puzzle and also the tips for the future from this blog. Thanks all! Really enjoyed 7d – thought that clue was pretty cool when I got it
  15. 22:39 on the club timer. I’m in the “workmanlike but a bit joyless” camp for this one.
    Didn’t know the moth, the bird, the opera or the proof-reader’s instruction.
  16. For me this was almost the perfect Times puzzle: elegant clues, not too convoluted, taking me around 10 minutes (10:38 to be precise). Even the foodie clue at 16dn turned out to be something I knew. I was a bit worried about “geographical study” = TOPOLOGY, as it was very definitely a “mathematical study” in my case, but I find that it’s quite legitimate. Thank you, setter.
  17. Haven’t got round to solving this one yet so trying to avoid looking at the comments! If you’re wondering why there’s no Saturday or Jumbo blog posts up yet, it’s because you’re not logged in and a member of this community. I don’t know why that should be, as we haven’t changed any of the settings, so I’ve raised a support request with LiveJournal to look into it.

    Normal service will (hopefully) be restored as soon as possible.

    If you are a logged in member you will be able to see Helen’s Jumbo 1009 blog and the placeholder for my Saturday one. I’ve been out all day Christmas shopping, too tired to finish it now so it’ll appear tomorrow morning, promise. Hopefully LJ will have fixed the problem by then and everyone will be able to see it!

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