Times 26741 – well past my prime

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
As Verlaine observed last week, you had a choice; go on holiday next week and suffer me twice this week, or go this week and enjoy his insightful ramblings next Wednesday and Friday. By gracing Barcelona with his presence this week, V has missed what I think is the toughest – and arguably best – puzzle-to-blog for me for a very long time. It was possible to get all the answers right, in an hour or so, parsing a few of them properly – notably 17a, 19a and 21d – took a little longer but it was rewarding in the end. I’ll look daft if a majority of the regulars found it a doddle, but somehow I doubt it.

I confess I did resort to Google / Wiki to double-check 16a and 23d post-solve, I’d heard of 16a vaguely but (of course) not the poet.

Definitions underlined.

Across
1 The solver on degree course by lake? (5)
BAYOU – BA = degree course, YOU = the solver. I immediately started humming ‘Jambalaya, crawfish pie, filet gumbo… (I like the Carpenters version, not Hank Williams). It’s still going round my head.
4 Topples, being smooth, you could say (5,4)
KEELS OVER – KEELS is SLEEK reversed i.e. ‘over’.
9 He gets upset with gastric diet (9)
REICHSTAG – (HE GASTRIC)*. Easy once you’ve twigged the sort of diet we’re talking about.
10 Shoot military recruit, getting one for nothing (5)
SPRIG – A military recruit is a SPROG, change his O to I.
11 Unlimited deposit linked to Saudi capital (6)
ANKARA – The capital of Turkey. Link (B)ANK = deposit, verb, to ARA(B) = Saudi.
12 Strand most of non-professional troops in sound (8)
FILAMENT – Once I had the checkers I could see the answer but unravelling it took a while. The ‘sound’ is not a ‘sounds like’ indicator. FIT = sound, insert LA(Y) MEN for ‘most of unprofessional’ and troops.
14 Sleepy? Fast becoming a fundamental pain for babies?(5,4)
NAPPY RASH – NAPPY being a made-up adjective from NAP, for sleepy, RASH being fast as in a decision made (too) fast.
16 Section of Burmese railway that serves drinks in the east (5)
SERAI – Hidden word in BURME(SE RAI)LWAY. A watering-hole or inn in the Middle East, more often called a caravanserai.
17 Manage surety in prime locations in dread (5)
ANGST – Well, angst means dread, a good start. Consider the words ‘manage surety.’ Number the letters, one to twelve. Then take those which correspond to the first five prime numbers – 2, 3, 5, 7, 11. You get A, N, G, S, T. The letters in prime locations. Sacre bleu!
19 Excel mode in which a new spreadsheet closes initially?(9)
TRANSCEND – Insert A N S C (initial letters of a new spreadsheet closes) into TREND = mode.
21 Cast sat with 25 diners (8)
EATERIES – ‘Cast’ tells you to make an anagram of SAT with the answer to 25a, so do that first. (SAT EERIE)*.
22 Short relative with a daughter in suit for birthday? (6)
UNCLAD – UNCL(E), A, D(aughter).
25 Scary European republic wanting revolution (5)
EERIE – E(uropean), then EIRE reversed (‘wanting revolution’).
26 Pay back bruiser, with me being beaten up (9)
REIMBURSE – (BRUISER ME)*. My FOI.
27 Divine wisdom in article by old, old ruler of Persia (9)
THEOSOPHY – THE (article), O(ld), SOPHY. The Sophy was a ruler of Persia in the Safavid dynasty, I subsequently found out. I wasn’t entirely sure what theosophy was, but its Greek roots suggested God and wisdom would be likely.
28 Good girl, one that can hold a drink (5)
GLASS – G, LASS. Easiest clue of the day.

Down
1 Take back humiliation about trendy place offering snip (7,8)
BARGAIN BASEMENT – BARG = GRAB (take) back, ABASEMENT = humiliation, insert IN = trendy.
2 Runs from jester, producing a cry (5)
YOICK – YORICK (the late court jester) loses an R.
3 Weak peacemakers just not liberal (7)
UNHARDY – UN = peacemakers, HARDLY = just, loses L(iberal).
4 Sources in Kyoto archive teaching ancient Japanese exercises (4)
KATA – Initial letters of Kyoto Archive Teaching Ancient.
5 Mad dog famously linked to one almost mangles shin badly (10
ENGLISHMAN – (MANGLE(S) SHIN)*. As in ‘Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun’.
6 Parades for which packs called out (7)
SASHAYS – Sounds like SACHETS = packs.
7 Bits of bone European found buried in green Scottish hillside (9)
VERTEBRAE – VERT = green, E(uropean), BRAE = Scottish hillside.
8 Sense Conservatism can be seen as this (5-10)
RIGHT-MINDEDNESS – Cryptic definition. I went wrong at first pencilling in ‘right-handedness’ thinking that was in some sense a sense, perhaps because I’m left-handed.
13 Vermin on platter chewed banger (10)
RATTLETRAP – RAT for vermin then (PLATTER)*.
15 On which tops were removed to improve circulation? (4,5)> (4,5)
PAGE THREE – Cryptic definition, referring to the days of page three bare-breasted ladies appearing in certain tabloids, not in this esteemed organ though.
18 Goes to grab edges of expensive dishes (7)
TUREENS – TURNS = goes, insert E E being the edges of ExpensivE.
20 Polish to get the sack for blockage (7)
SANDBAG – SAND = polish, BAG = sack. Usually it takes more than one sandbag to make a decent blockage, but I suppose it works.
23 Poet left by killer? (5)
LORCA – L for left, ORCA = killer (whale). A Spanish poet I’d never heard of.
24 Asian joint, reportedly very cramped (4)
TINY – I put in TINY thinking blank I blank Y, must be, but why? Dodgy Asian cigarettes? Small Chinese restaurants? Then it came to me with a groan. Reportedly = sounds like, ‘THAI KNEE’. A nice end to a fine puzzle, I thought.

58 comments on “Times 26741 – well past my prime”

  1. Heavens, that was something. I fought through in around 40 minutes, ending with the entire NW area, including BARGAIN … I didn’t parse everything completely, though, especially the ANGST construction, which is quite tricky. Also, over here I’d say a BAYOU is more of a sluggish spread out stream than a lake, but if we have anyone from down Louisiana way around here, they can correct me. Still, that threw me for a while as well. As did YOICK. LOI was UNHARDY, not a common word. And I just lit upon what NA NA has to do with Batman. Holy Earworm, setter! Well done Pip. Regards.
  2. 50m here and these days a rare all correct! Didn’t parse ANGST but I see it is very clever now. Saw the batman Nina and like Olivia connected bargain basement to Robin. Not sure why today it’s relevant but still very entertaining. Good blog and puzzle today so thanks all round.
  3. somewhat smlar to Thursday’s but a quicker start and a slower finish 80 mins!FOI 1ac BAYOU.LOI 3dn UNHARDY.

    COD 11ac ANKARA. WOD 6dn SASAYS.

    Funny I mentioned NINA just yesterday and McText was right! NA NA NA NA BATMAN – unspotted!

    Lord Galspray absent without leave?

  4. 16:44 for me, back from a few days by the sea, but clearly still not with it when it comes to these modern crosswords.

    Much the same experience as keriothe, finding the downs a lot easier than the acrosses. I wasn’t too keen on “Saudi” for ARAB in 11ac, “Fast” for RASH in 14ac, or “[place] that serves drinks in the east” for SERAI in 16ac. On the other hand, I did like 15dn (PAGE THREE).

    I’d absolutely no idea about the Nina: I had to google “Batman” and “Nana” and then follow the Youtube links, and even then it took me some time to work out what on earth it was all about. (Have I ever watched an episode of Batman? Would I have remembered it if I had?)

  5. Too tired to comment last night. A tough puzzle and a DNF. Had all but two answers complete in 55 mins but despite staring at the grid on and off for the rest of the day I just could not see what was required at 17ac and 15dn. Came here for enlightenment this morning. Disappointed not to get them because I don’t think they were necessarily the hardest of the bunch. A lot of good clues: 4ac, 9ac, 14ac, 26ac, 1dn, 5dn all enjoyed here, missed the NINA but very much appreciated now I see it. Thank you setter and thank you blogger for unravelling it all.
  6. Ankara for me was (B)an(k)Kara. Bank with no limits and the Kara pass.
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