Times 26416. When is an orange not a paper-pusher?

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : 8:23, so either this one was on the beginner’s slopes, or I was really on the setter’s wavelength, or both. It didn’t hurt that I’d seen almost the exact same clue that was at 9 across recently.

My only niggle was the battle (that I knew as a city) clued as an anagram at 26 across. I was hoping there wasn’t a battle of SLATINGDAR that I wasn’t aware of.

I’m on vacation at the moment, so rushing through this to make happy hour. If I’ve messed something up, check the comments section, it may be a while before I could make any corrections.

Away we go…

Across
1 SLIGHT: double definition
5 SOLITARY: Definition is “one”. SO LIT(intoxicated), A RY(e)
9 BUREAUCRAT: C(orrido)R and A(prico)T after BUREAU
10 NICK: two definition – steal and a prison
11 SHANGHAI: Anagram of GHANA,IS containing H(arbour)
12 RINGER: double definition, though few phones now make a sound that could be described as a ring
13 COLA: hidden reversed in speciAL OCcasion
15 HOTELIER: HOT(just out of the oven) then LIE in ER
18 WEREWOLF: LOWER in FEW, all reversed, nice clue
19 MORE: double general knowledge definition
21 STINGO: STING(smart) then the middle of (b)O(y)
23 RECOURSE: definition is “resort” – RECUR containing O(mani) and then SE(aside)
25 MARC: a whiskey MAC surrouding R
26 STALINGRAD: anagram of LAST,DARING
27 UNSOILED: anagram (dystopian) of DELUSION
28 PARLEY: take the middle out of PARSLEY
 
Down
2 LOUGH: LO, UGH – got this from wordplay, Irish form of LOCH
3 GREENGAGE: Graham GREENE containing a GAG
4 TAUGHT: (whodunni)T, then AUGHT
5 STRAIGHTFORWARD: the hard is one from poker, a STRAIGHT then a rugby FORWARD. Sportsball!
6 LITERATE: anagram of A,LETTER,I
7 TENON: all TEN fingers and thumbs, then ON
8 RACKET,EER
14 OVERTRAIN: or OVERT RAIN
16 LIMBURGER: the cross between a lion and tiger is a LIGER, containing RUB andM reversed
17 COLOSSAL: LOSS inside COAL
20 SCRIMP: S(kirt) on top of CRIMP
22 NACHO: final letters of (Dresde)N (chin)A, (fantasti)C, (O)H, (n)O
24 SOAVE: may be tricky for some – SAVE(bar) containing 0

42 comments on “Times 26416. When is an orange not a paper-pusher?”

  1. I enjoyed this one despite going wrong with Salutary. 5D went in quickly as it combines two of my favourite things ie rugby and poker. Remembered Stingo from a recent crossword but Marc was guessed from the cryptic.I also knew Lough as the Irish spelling of Loch as I have a stuffed pike on my dining room wall which was caught on Lough Mask in 1928.
  2. Twenty-six minutes here, which is good for me despite a slow start.

    I enjoyed this uncommonly alcoholic (5, 21 & 25ac; 24d and, for those who know their cocktails, 11ac) puzzle, with LOUGH my only NHO (and why, I wonder, did they name a borough in central England after it?)

    Completely failed to parse LIMBURGER, mainly through failing to spot the liger.

  3. 7:37 here for this pleasant, 5dn solve. But then I was almost completely sober :-).

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