Times 26548 – a fractured fairy tale

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : 11:27, and I was the first one in on the club timer. Could have been a bit quicker if I knew how to spell, as a poor spelling of 7 down (since it was partially clued as a homophone, my bad spelling isn’t helped by the wordplay).

I suspect a few obvious definitions will make this one amenable to biffing, but there’s some fun wordplay along the way.

Just finished the write-up and I’m still on top of the leaderboard, so I may have been on the setter’s wavelength this time. Nothing particularly obscure I thought, but some cunning wordplay.

Away we go…

Across
1 BEHOLDING: BEING(person) surrounding HOLD(cargo area)
6 ERROR: E(pick an end of ExpensivE), R(runs), then ROAR missing A
9 STRAFED: STRAW-FED(given stalks to eat) without the W(weight)
10 ARTEMIS: inside ARTS, put I,ME reversed
11 MEANT: MEAN(average),T
12 GUEST BEER: sounds like GUESSED BIER(what a body was on)
13 ANTIMONY: ANY(some) containing TIMON(miser)
14 ASTI: AS(like), then IT reversed
17 FLOE: L in FOE
18 ALPINIST: A LIST containing PIN
21 DROMEDARY: anagram of ROAMED inside DRY
22 DITCH: D,ITCH
24 VOLCANO: VOL(ume), then CA(accountant), NO(isn’t it)
25 ALASKAN: hidden in montreAL ASK ANy
26 TOWER: WE in TOR
27 FREE LUNCH: anagram of CHEERFUL and N(ews), referencing the phrase “there ain’t no such thing as a freelunch” or TANSTAAFL
 
Down
1 BOSOM: MO(tick) and SOB all reversed
2 HARD ACT TO FOLLOW: HARD(stiff), ACT(law), TO FOLLOW(not yet ready)
3 LIFETIME: anagram of FILE, then TIME magazine
4 INDIGENT: INDIA missing A, then GENT
5 GOATEE: or GO A TEE
6 ESTATE: I suspect this is meant to be E-STATE referring to the E-type jaguar? mctext in comments suggests this is a double definition, though I kind of like the Jaguar rationalization
7 RUMPELSTILTSKIN: I’ll take issue with “Evil dwarf”, without him folks would have had far less gold! Anyway, it sounds like RUMPLES, then TILTS(starts), KIN
8 RESTRAINT: RT(right) containing an anagram of RETSINA
13 AFFIDAVIT: AFFI(x), then DAVIT(a hoist)
15 PLAY SAFE: two definitions, one cryptic
16 WINDFALL: another two definitions, the apple may have been blown off in the wind
19 REPAIR: or RE PAIR
20 SAW OFF: remove the middle from SAWN OFF
23 HUNCH: H then (l)UNCH

71 comments on “Times 26548 – a fractured fairy tale”

  2. Well, I always said I liked Thursdays. Zipped through this one in 19 minutes – fast for me. I spent a while with a mis-spelled “Rumplestiltskin”, but couldn’t see “guest blur” being a viable answer to 12ac. What with GUEST BEER, ASTI and retsina all making their appearances, this was a nicely alcoholic puzzle which I enjoyed.

    Not quite sure about Newton’s apple being a WINDFALL – I thought the point of it was that it was pulled off by gravity?

  3. 7:46 – rather faster than I felt I’d been as I made heavy weather of one or two clues.

    Managed to resist biffing GREAT BEAR (once GREEN BEER had been eliminated) and PLAY MATE.

    Another pleasant, straightforward puzzle.

  4. Police shoot man with knife.
    Allies push bottles up Germans
    Woman says body in garden was a plant
  6. This was my first finished 15×15 with no aids of any kind, I even had most of it parsed (except Antimony). I’m chuffed indeed. It’s been a long time coming and wouldn’t have come at all without the excellent instruction and encouragement in this blog, many thanks to all!
    Sorry for anonymous post
    Cat Pan
    1. Well done! As a relatively recent newcomer to the Times 15×15 myself, I know that’s a good moment 🙂

      PS: Don’t be surprised if everyone else is a bit quiet this weekend; it’s the annual championships in London today, of course, starting pretty much as I write…

  7. 7d – the definition for TILTS is surely “starts to upset”, not “starts”.

    All done except the one letter in affidevit. And a few years late!

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