Times 25925 – in which I bomb

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : After about 11 minutes, all I had left to put in was 14 across. And nothing at all came. For almost 10 minutes – I could see SPEED and SPIED and OPTED fitting the space there, but couldn’t justify one over the other for the answer. Eventually I figured SPEED would be the best option, and that I guess “bomb” could mean to move fast. Fingers crossed I put it in and find…

1 incorrect!

Damn it – does this mean it wasn’t SPEED?

Of course it is – I’ve got a very silly typo at 25 across where somehow A has crept in to make it AMBIANCE instead of AMBIENCE.

Nice try, idiot.

Away we go…

Across
1 DISSONANCE: IS,SON in DANCE
6 ICE,D: two abbreviations for diamonds – the setter can also use this wordplay for DICE or DICED
8 PLEONASM: anagram of ON,ALPS,ME – another word for redundancy
9 IMPEDE: 1 then MEDE (Medean) containing P
10 EMIT: hidden in thEM I Take
11 MINNESOTAN: ME,SOT containing INN, then AN
12 SOLIPSIST: SO,LIT containing (SIPS)*
14 SPEED: P in SEED(start) – quick post-solve peek at Chambers, yep, “bomb” can mean to drive fast
17 DRONE: R in DONE
19 ON(further),SLAUGHT(er)
22 MICRONESIA: anagram of (RAIN,COMES) containing I
23 H,AIR
24 STYMIE: M1 in STYE
25 AMBIENCE: take VAL out of AMBIVALENCE and you get my downfall today
26 (h)ERO,S
27 ENDEARMENT: DEAR,MEN in ENT
 
Down
1 DEPRESSED: DEED containing PRESS
2 SPECIAL: PE(training),CIA(agents) in S(awmil)L
3 NEAR MISS: Take the first letters away from oNE wARM kISS
4 NO MAN IS AN ISLAND: NO MAN’S LAND surrounding (SINAI)*
5 E,XI,LED
6 IMPROMPTU: I’M PROMPT then sounds like YOU
7 ENDGAME: DG(Director-General of the BBC) in E-NAME, and “time” is part of the definition
13 IGNORAMUS: (ORGANISM)* surrounding U
15 DETERGENT: EGRET reversed in DENT
16 ALHAMBRA: A LAMB(innocent), RA containing H
18 ROISTER: I for O in ROOSTER
20 G(angste)R,ANNIE
21 ANNEXE: sounds like AN X

71 comments on “Times 25925 – in which I bomb”

  1. 9:48 for me – but as usual making heavy weather of some straightforward clues. I suspect this may be the setter who regularly stretches definitions to (or perhaps beyond) their limits: I wasn’t too keen on either “Opposition” = AMBIVALENCE or “crow” = ROISTER.

    PLEONASM last came up in the daily cryptic in No. 24,597 (23 July 2010), so less than five years ago.

  2. Any other chess players have concerns that ‘endgame’ does not mean the same as ‘time for mate’?
    The end game is the third stage after the opening and the middle game, when most of the pieces and pawns have been captured, but mate can occur at any stage, and most endgames finish in a resignation or a draw rather than a checkmate …
    Challenging puzzle though, took me most of the day on and off, and ended with looking up 8 across.
    John HM Proctor
    1. Oh, as a player I think it’s fair enough. The endgame’s the time when a mate is in the air (partly for the very reason that a draw hasn’t already been agreed to), even if its possibility evaporates and the resignation or agreed draw follows.
  3. 17across your explanation does not convince me. Also a few other clues were “flaky” which you passed.
    1. I look forward to one of your blogs then. Doubtless it will be crammed full of convincing explanations and rabid tirades against flaky clues.

      In the meantime I’ll see if I can get George’s fee for this one reduced.

    2. “DRONE: R in DONE” do you mean? It sounds pretty good to me, and it’s amplified in subsequent comments for those who needed further explanation. If you’re going to damn clues as “flaky”, you’re going to have to do better than that, otherwise people are going to assume that you simply haven’t understood them!

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