Times 25,821 – Boring

Author   dorsetjimboPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
The first puzzle I had printed was a Saturday Jumbo in the then London Evening News. I think it was harder than this offering. Even on blogging day I raced through in well under 15 minutes. Rather than look for clue of the day I suggest we nominate simplest of the day for which I offer 20A.

Across
1 FLYCATCHER – FLY-CATCHER; a bird;
6 GASP – G(AS)P; yawn would be more appropriate;
10 JEANS – JEAN’S;
11 REPROBATE – RE-PROBATE;
12 ARMCHAIR,CRITIC – weak cryptic definition;
14 COUPLET – C(O)UPLET; O from O(vid);
15 ROSEATE – RO(SEAT)E; the roseate tern is a bird;
17 ORDERLY – and another weak cryptic definition;
19 PROSAIC – PRO-S(A)IC;
20 PINS,AND,NEEDLES – could this have been any easier?
23 INVENTIVE – IN-VENT-I’VE; what this puzzle isn’t;
24 NEEDY – NE(E-D)Y;
25 ELLA – EL-LA;
26 CHESTERTON – (nother sect)*;
 
Down
1 FIJI – IF reversed-J-I;
2 YEAR-ROUND – YE-(A-R)-ROUND;
3 ALSACE,LORRAINE – AL’S-ACE-LORRAINE; we even have AL=gangster from the chestnut cupboard;
4 CURRANT – sounds like “current”;
5 EMPEROR – RO(REP)ME reversed; reminds me, Henry VIII’s coronation was today in 1509;
7 ADAPT – AD-APT;
8 PRESCIENCE – PRES(C-I)ENCE;
9 CORRESPONDENCE – two obvious meanings;
13 ACCOMPLICE – ALICE surrounds (CC-O-MP);
16 ABASEMENT – A-BASE-MEN-T;
18 YIDDISH – DIY reversed-DISH; Oy Vey!
19 PEEPERS – Jeepers Creepers;
21 NAVAL – sounds like “navel”;
22 CYAN – hidden (fan)CY-A-N(ice);

75 comments on “Times 25,821 – Boring”

  1. We bears of very little brain who struggle daily with the Times crossword can do without the smug comments from the likes of dorsetdumbo. Yes, this puzzle was easier than most but he should have the good grace to keep his condescending comments to himself.
    1. Rest assured anon that I shall continue to completely ignore opinions from bears of little brain
  2. A day late again—I think the International Date Line must have been relocated to run through Hill Towers—but I managed to solve the crossword for a second successive day! Raced (well, I say raced but everything is relative) through most of it until the final five, which proved to be a stumbling block; perseverance pays!

    FOI – Fiji; LOI – Abasement

    Martin Hill

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