Times 26272 – and now we are eight

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : 10:20 for what I found to be a pretty strange puzzle. I made steady progress through and then reached a bank of answers where I thought “is that really what is going on here?” and in all cases I appeared to be correct in my assumptions. There’s a number of what my former Thursday co-blogger Uncle Yap would call “titchy double definitions”, which usually means they’ll go in from the single definition.

I was hoping to be able to get up to New York City for the celebration this weekend, but I couldn’t find a flight that would get me back in time for commitments on Sunday and Monday, so happy birthday blog! In another way, it’s my anniversary, eight years ago I started writing alternate Thursdays on the blog – originally splitting the day with Richard Grafen, then with Uncle Yap, and currently with the man with more 8’s than anyone else in his name, z8b8d8k. Major kudos to Andy for keeping the blog chugging along!

Away we go…

Across
1 SCOTCH: SOT containing C, then CH
5 PUB-CRAWL: cryptic definition based on some people apparently drinking half-pints on these rites of passage
9 GO CLUBBING: double-definition
10 VAIN: 1 in VAN
11 HEARTILY: H, EARLY with IT reversed inside
12 OBE,YE,(ducke)D
13 A,M1,D(over)
15 HIGH SEAS: sounds like HIGH C’S
18 MAHOGANY: MANY surrounding A,HOG
19 ROLL: TROLL with the first letter removed. A TROLL is someone who deliberately posts inflammatory comments on a message board, fortunately this one is far too high-brow to attract such clientele
21 SWEDEN: ED in (NEWS)*
23 UNIVERSE: anagram of IS,U,NEVER
25 FIEF: sounds like a Bow version of THIEF
26 BIG BROTHER: double definition
27 BETRAYER: BRAYER containing E(legan)T
28 PEDANT: anagram of NOTEPAD without O. Got this from the wordplay, it’s a reference to a character in “Love’s Labour’s Lost”
 
Down
2 CRONE: R in CONE
3 TALK RADIO: TAL(e), then 1,DARK reversed, 0(love)
4 HUBRIS: HUBS(bases) surrounding RI (Rhode Island)
5 PLINY THE YOUNGER: (PRUNE,ONLY,EIGHTY)*
6 BY GEORGE: double definition – one referring to George and Ira Gershwin
7 REVUE: sounds like REVIEW
8 WHITEHALL: EH(what) between WHIT and ALL
14 MEANWHILE: MEAN(shabby) then H in WILE
16 SURFEITED: (REFUSED,IT)*
17 DANNY BOY: the definition is “A number of Irish” – N,N (names) in DAY BOY(not a boarder)
20 SITREP: abbreviation for SITUATION REPORT – PERT,1’S all reversed
22 DEFER: F(following) inside DEER(does)
24 STERN: hidden in WooSTER Never

43 comments on “Times 26272 – and now we are eight”

  1. Parising TALK RADIO out of the clue for 3dn set the tone. And the rest didn’t disappoint for shoe-horning. The anagram at 5dn was obvious, but it took a while to see the def. Of the epistles, this is my favourite passage. Guess the topic:

    “For the contagion of this superstition has spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms. But it seems possible to check and cure it. It is certainly quite clear that the temples, which had been almost deserted, have begun to be frequented, that the established religious rites, long neglected, are being resumed, and that from everywhere sacrificial animals are coming, for which until now very few purchasers could be found. Hence it is easy to imagine what a multitude of people can be reformed if an opportunity for repentance is afforded”.

    Edited at 2015-12-03 02:30 am (UTC)

  2. From the enumeration I got THE at 5d, and waited for a king to appear; PUB CRAWL & MAHOGANY let me biff, and I never did verify the anagram. DNK my LOI SITREP, found after some alphabet tweaking, and the very ugliness of the word convinced me I was right before I parsed it.

  3. Took me a country hour.

    LOI and COD WHITEHALL 19 TROLL was neat

    Didn’t parse 22dn or 17dn!

    Thursdays arfe getiing tougher – let’s see wagt Friday brings

    horryd Shanghai

    PS 1988 Chambers does not carry MAN ORCHID only MAN ORCHIS!

    another brush with modernism!

    1. Might I suggest you obtain a newer edition or use Chambers on-line? MAN-ORCHID (albeit with a hyphen) was in Chambers by 2003 if not before.

      Edited at 2015-12-03 05:11 am (UTC)

    2. Nothing new about man orchids. From the OED:
      “1927 J. F. Rayner Standard Catal. Eng. Names of Wild Flowers: Man Orchid (Aceras anthropophora).”
  4. Biffed my way through much of this and once again got within three or four answers of finishing under 30 minutes but then ground to a halt with problems in the SW corner and a stray missing answer at 20dn. I sorted the SW eventually but having guessed the unlikely SI,ERUP at 20 and found it not in the dictionary I gave up and used a solver. I have never heard of SITREP and searching the TftT archive reveals that until today it has come up on three occasions before in Mephistos, which I never do, and I think that’s where it belongs.

    If anyone saw my posting pre-edit and read my comment about non-lexical items with reference to GO CLUBBING I deleted it because I found it is in COED – rather to my surprise I admit.

    Edited at 2015-12-03 06:22 am (UTC)

  5. I looked up FIEF before entering it, but I’m pretty sure it’s what I would have gone with anyway.

    SITREP was unknown, but the wordplay was helpful, and it seemed a likely construction along the same lines as “locstat”.

    Other than that, quite a straightforward puzzle despite the boozy start.

    Thanks setter and George.


  6. 30mins or so, ending with the unlikely looking SITREP which I assumed would be a momble. Would have been more confident had I stopped to consider the etymology… Straightforward crossie, with the Shakespearian pedant being the only unknown.
  7. I thought I was on for a good time until I hit the extreme south and staggered in at 45 minutes, but then I often find Thursdays’ to be the trickiest of the week.
    All in all it seemed a bit of a mixed bag, but where was the obligatory cricket reference?
  8. 12:25 … I thoroughly enjoyed this. Similar solving experience to George in rattling through much of it then slowing down like a rusty 400 metre runner in the home straight.

    I spent many happy hours with Pliny the Younger at school (guess he’d be L’il P these days). I still remember whole passages of his letters — nothing momentous, just everyday gossip about life down Pompeii way. I think of him as the original grumpy old man.

    I’ve lately been working through some Times puzzles circa 2000/01 and SITREP has come up a couple of time. I occasionally notice it in novels and TV shows, from both sides of the Atlantic, so I don’t think it’s obscure —just one of those where it’s potluck whether you’ve come across it.

    COD … WHITEHALL

    Happy 8th Blogday, George. Thank you for all the help and entertainment.

    Edited at 2015-12-03 08:44 am (UTC)

  9. . . . of enjoyable if not necessarily parsed solving.
    Having spent 10 years of my life in boarding schools, I know that dayboys were looked down on by boarders as second-class citizens or part-timers. This despite that fact that dayboys could go out at night, sleep in their own bed etc. Odd!

    Edited at 2015-12-03 02:38 pm (UTC)

  10. I found this one straightforward, helped by one of my first jobs being on a war game where SITREPs were often mentioned. SURFEITED is an ugly word. Did not know of Holofernes but fortunately didn’t need to. A rather unwieldy set of surfaces in general so I’ll give my COD to STERN.

    More to the point – Happy 10th Birthday to TftT! My improvement as a solver has been almost entirely due to this site, so many thanks to all involved for their contributions and insight. But does anyone have a cure for chronic biffingitis (sp?)?

    1. I hadn’t realised today was the official birthday of the blog. Yes, well done to all concerned and thanks, as ever, to Peter B.
    2. As a chronic sufferer when things get bad I usually go for a shot in the dark ( other parts of the anatomy are available).
      Otherwise, I rely on this wonderful site. Long may TfTT continue.
  11. No less than 7 B’s today, but I managed to parse everything and only a couple of those post-biff. Never heard of Holofernes, but PEDANT clear from the wordplay. Lots of nice clues – DANNY BOY and WHITEHALL (my loi) my favourites. 19:17.
  12. Easy today, less than one cup. No problem with sitrep, standard military jargon which my son in law uses regularly

    Many happy returns to TFTT!

  13. 27:28. I felt like I was on good form when I started, seeing a few hidden definitions nice and early, but then I slowed down on the right hand side. My form obviously deserted me quickly as I looked at 26A and thought to myself that BIG MOTHER and BIG FATHER don’t fit before leaving it to come back to. I also spent time wondering if Jiminy could be spelt with a G and wondering how likely it would be that Ira Gershwin’s partner was called Giminy.

    Finally finished with the unknown SITREP which was put in very tentatively but thankfully proved correct.

  14. Another enjoyable puzzle but with some quirks. An East End thief is a tea leaf – I think “f” for “th” is more esturine.

    Knew SITREP from Mephisto as indicated by Jack

    Interesting that faced with trying to name a PEDANT a Times setter runs to Shakespeare. The most modern must be Bryan Henderson and the most famous Justice Roberts and the Obama inauguration but surely Ogden Nash would do for the Winston cigatette ads episode?

    Congrats on reaching anniversary TftT – long may we continue

  15. 25.26, last one in sitrep, slightly unbelievingly. To be pedantic, none of the examples given by dj above has entered the (inter)national consciousness as Shakespeare and his characters have. The use of any one of them would have narrowed the Times’ outlook and appeal. (And I’m an Ogden Nash fan.)
  16. 17m for a very enjoyable puzzle, which I solved steadily with no major hold-ups. I couldn’t remember the defining characteristic of Holofernes, but I recognised the reference and that plus the anagram fodder was enough. I caused myself a slight problem by misreading the definition in 16dn as ‘overrate’, but with a few checkers it became clear that the thing you do with lampreys was required. SITREP was my last in: not familiar enough to spring to mind but I recognised it once I’d constructed it from wordplay.
    Happy birthday to TfTT. I was hoping to make it at some point on Saturday but it’s not going to be possible sadly. Have fun, those of you who are going.
  17. Happy birthday to us. Pleasant puzzle to mark the occasion as well. My only unknown was this particular PEDANT – the only Holofernes I knew was the Assyrian general who was beheaded by Judith in the eponymous book of the Bible, having seen the scene depicted in art galleries across Europe by Renaissance painters who love a bit of gruesome.

    I also pondered WHITEWALL, but happily realised that 70s car fashions were a distinct dead end.

  18. Breezed through in 10.11, and had I been blogging, I’d have said it was easy, which apparently it wasn’t. My last in was the innocent ROLL.
    On PEDANT, Shakespeare didn’t really spring to mind, his creation’s pedantry sort of taken for granted. The Holofernes I know (as I thought about it later) is in one of those (almost) Bible stories so beloved of 6 year old boys and renaissance painters for its mix of heady seduction and seductive beheading.
  19. A rapid start in the top half followed a rapid slow-down in the bottom. I was puzzled by 28 since the only Holofernes I knew was the one referred to by z8b8d8k, beheaded by Judith. He was many things, but not known for pedantry. By the end my entries very very sluggish, and I ended up resorting to aids to get 20d, which meant nothing to me. If I’d studied the wordplay more closely I might have got it without aids, but still wouldn’t have recognized the word, so would have needed to check anyway.
    Forty-five minutes in the end.
  20. ‘Sitrep’ is not only ugly, it’s totally unnecessary, in the same way that ‘match commentator’ and ‘chair umpire’ are. ‘Report’ is a nice word, and the same length. Use it, and lose the other monstrosity.
    1. An early career in the military made SITREP nearly a write-in for me, although I did hesitate for a moment wondering at its more general currency, so I have some sympathy with some of the comments made.

      However, I beg to differ on the interchangeability of Sitrep and Report. In my experience, one (report) is very much backwards looking – a report of what we have done to get where we are, where the other (sitrep) is very much more forward looking, here’s where we are, what are our options. That opinion isn’t based on any sort of science, etymology or lexicography, rather on a career’s-worth of (not so) modern military usage.

  21. My best time for a while. Not that I tend to partake very often these days. Quite surprised by the general ignorance of SITREP. I would have thought it a pretty standard military expression. Maybe I’ve just watched the right films. Never come across Holofernes, but the answer was clear enough. Cod to WHITEHALL.

    Can anyone explain to me where the containment indicator is in 22?

    Oh, and a happy anniversary to all at TftT.

    Edited at 2015-12-03 01:32 pm (UTC)

  22. Good puzzle overall. Like some others, I wasted much time trying to work out the connection between “pedant” and the Biblical story of Judith and Holofernes. I also shared Jimbo’s doubts about FIEF: in cryptic xword land it’s long been taken as read that all Eastenders drop their aitches, but are they also particularly noted for pronouncing “th” as “f”?

    Congrats to TfTT on its 8th birthday and thanks to all the bloggers who give us such excellent service.

  23. 22m so on my easy side, I guess because the more problematic clues were in my knowledge locker SITREP and THE PEDANT for example. Happy Birthday to the blog and bloggers. My solving has come on leaps and bounds since I chanced on this site a few years ago. Then I was happy to finish a couple of puzzles a week. Now I’m disappointed if I don’t finish a puzzle. So a big thank you from me to all of the bloggers for their wisdom and patience.
  24. Happy birthday to us and thanks to all involved. It was my youngest’s 15th yesterday and I’ve left the balloons and banners up.

    16:25 with SITREP LOI even though I know it from films/books/TV programmes etc. The real issue was not knowing a Holoferne from a hologram so really having no idea what sort of word might be needed at 28.

    COD to Danny Boy.

  25. Happy Birthday all! Shared with Ozzy Osbourne and Eamonn Holmes. About 50 minutes for me, despite knowing SITREP. I put it down to the flu jab I had immediately before commencing.
  26. About 20 minutes, par for the course. I finished with DANNY BOY/BETRAYER, and I didn’t blink at SITREP. Thanks with gratitude for all the bloggers’ efforts and happy anniversary- best regards to all.
  27. Congratulations to all, special respect those who have been blogging away since the start; from one still in his second year. Much regret I shall not be in London until Christmas, would have been nice to meet some of you ‘in the flesh’ bloggers and commenters, and our esteemed editor.
    Odd puzzle today I thought, finished the LH side quickly and plodded more slowly through the SE corner, didn’t see the SURFEITED anagram or TROLL / ROLL for ages, so not a good time. Never heard of the chap in 28a but bunged in PEDANT assuming he was one.
  28. I am beginning to think that my brain is solar-powered or, more likely, photosynthetic like a cabbage. That’s the only explanation I can find for my completion times rising by 50% over the last few cloudy weeks. In any event, 46 minutes for this one.

  29. 12 mins. Like several of you SITREP was my LOI. I also either didn’t know or couldn’t remember the Shakespearean Holofernes but the answer was obvious enough. I thought we were getting a rare themed puzzle with SCOTCH, PUB-CRAWL and GO CLUBBING as the first three acrosses. Like Keriothe I was reading “overate” as “overrate” for quite a while before my “doh!” moment.

    Happy birthday to all at the site, and I hope those of you that are able to get out on Saturday have a great time.

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