Times 26869 – PBs Beckon

Author   ulacaPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
If I can finish this in a smidgen above 16 minutes, then I think we may see one or two sub-4 minutes from the usual suspects, not excluding the fellow who took an extraordinary 20 minutes on a puzzle last week – getting one or two wrong, as I recall, though I mainly recall his excellent excuses…

Here, as they say in North Carolina, we go.

ACROSS

1. MOOR – ROOM reversed.
3. CROWN DERBY – CROWN + DERBY for the china dinner service.
10. KITSCHIER – KIT + SCH + IE + R.
11. MANGA – a cunning hidden. No need to waste time thinking about a humorous German.
12. SUNBEAM – anagram* of BES[t] + MAN U (by far the greatest team the world has ever seen).
13. ENSURE – [c]ENSURE[d].
15. DONT MAKE ME LAUGH – the literal is cobblers, as in rubbish, and if you leave a setter unamused you will be unable to make him laugh. I believe this was Andy Millman’s catchphrase in Extras.
18. THE SECRET GARDEN – a secret garden might be described as an arcane plot at a meeting in York, say.
21. MINION – MINI + ON.
23. REPRESS – RE[bellion] + PRESS.
26. NAEVI – a reversal of I’VE + A[c]V[e]. A [skin] mole – a useful Scrabble word.
27. TWO-SEATER – tricky parsing here: TWO (sounds like TOO – excessively) + S (small) + [h]EATER (a radiator without its front).
28. POSTMASTER – STARTS POEM*.
29. SPUD – S[alad] + PUD.

DOWN

1. MAKES A DATE – KES (60s film starring a bird) + AD in MATE.
2. ORTON – initial letters of final five words.
4. RAINMAKER – according to Wikipedia, a rainmaker is ‘a person who brings in new business and wins new accounts almost by magic, since it is often not readily apparent how this new business activity is caused’.
5. WORSE – ROW reversed + S[udanes]E.
6. DAMOSEL – SOME LAD*.
7. RUNAROUND – my last; rather weak, I thought. I can do excuses too, you know! RUN + A ROUND.
8. YEAH – YE + AH.
9. SCREAM – S + CREAM.
14. CHINESE RED – CHEESE RIND*; despite living there for 30 years, I’ve never heard of it, thought they do like claiming to have invented things.
16. NEEDINESS – SEEDINESS with the initial changed to N.
17. MOTORHOME – MOT + H in O ROME.
19. ELITISM – I + SIT reversed in ELM.
20. APPLET – APPLE + T[ittilation] (‘hint of’ – controversially – indicating initial letter).
22. NOTES – NO + TES; if there is no Times Education Supplement, then highbrow teachers would would up in arms.
24. ESTOP – EST (‘is’ in French) + OP for the establishment found in crosswords alongside an estaminet.
25. SNAP – S + NAP.

59 comments on “Times 26869 – PBs Beckon”

  1. Yes, very easy.

    10:10 here, but it felt like I should have gone faster (misreading clues, mistyping answers).

    Hadn’t heard of CHINESE RED, either. CROWN DERBY last in, though the most time was spent on MOTORHOME.

  2. I thought I was going to be close to 9 minutes, which would be a PB, but it took way to long to see motorhome (rh isn’t the most common sequence in the middle of a word, and transport isn’t its most notable feature). So ended up at 11.29. I’d never heard of chinese red either. Apparently it’s 190.19.45 RGB

  3. 36 minutes here, which is not bad by my current standards. I lost time hesitating over the unknown CHINESE RED, MANGA, NAEVI (probably known but forgotten) and MOTORHOME which defied solving until the very last moment despite having had MOTOR?O?E in place for some while.
  4. DNK the red; I suppose it’s the color of all those temples. Not a pb, partly because of time wasted trying to get UR into MOTORHOME, and time to convince myself that RUNAROUND was a car (I must have seen it before, but we have–or had–runabouts). It would appear that Monday is the old Monday.
  6. Yeah that was pretty easy. Even two nights of insomnia couldn’t stop the answers slotting in. Enjoyable though
  7. 31 minutes, slowed down by the unknowns—RAINMAKER, ESTOP, NAEVI, CROWN DERBY, CHINESE RED, DAMOSEL—but otherwise pretty steady progress. Just as well, as I need to get to work early today!

    FOI 1a MOOR, LOI 6d DAMOSEL, COD 15a, WOD KITSCHIER.

    Edited at 2017-10-30 07:11 am (UTC)

  8. 7:42. I don’t think a puzzle with this many slightly ununusal or unfamiliar words (NAEVI, CHINESE RED, DAMOSEL) is ever going to result in a PB for me (wordplay takes longer than biffing) but I mucked things up for myself by putting in CREAM DERBY anyway. I spotted the error when I realised 5dn had to be WORSE but I spent a minute or two scratching my head over E_R_E first.
  9. 20 mins with yoghurt, granola, banana in crown derby – which is about as quick as I get.
    Definitely one for the Quick cryptic followers to try today.
    Mostly I liked: ‘Kes ad’, ‘Man of letters’, mention of TES.
    Thanks gentle setter and U.
    2. On a wet and windy Monday in NYC when I’m feeling under the weather for other reasons too that did MAKE ME LAUGH. Thank you Myrtilus. And thank you for the excellent pun in the latest TLS. I do miss the blogs – Sotira’s, Verlaine’s, Zabadak’s and writing up my own (sniff).
      1. Thank you for the kind words. There is a bit of a feedback void now the blog is no more.
      2. The Aussies are badly missed too! If only ‘The Dirty Digger’s’ boys would put an end to ‘Fox & Friends’ I might forgive.(sniff!)

        Edited at 2017-10-30 03:29 pm (UTC)

  10. Combined time for the Concise, QC and Cryptic about 9 minutes today, though sadly I fell just won the wrong side of the 5m mark for this one. I got a bit confused from somehow reading the clue for 14d as “odour of decaying cheese rind”, but frankly I’d never heard of it as a colour either; MOTORHOME proved a little intransigent as I really wanted the old city to be TROY, and I wasn’t sure what was going on with the TWO-SEATER for a while. Maybe if I wasn’t a lifelong pedestrian the fantastic times Ulaca conjures up would have been within my reach. But yes, obviously this was a proper Monday puzzle. I like to see the world as it should be, and everything in its right place in the week!
  11. After the horrors of Saturday and Sunday it was a pleasure to bang this one out in 16:14, fast for me on an iPad. I needed all the crossers for MOTORHOME. Slightly surprised at seeing Apple in a weekly crossword but it was clear. Definitely a Monday puzzle.
  12. 12 minutes, an equal PB, with TWO-SEATER and MOTORHOME last, having like others wanted to see UR or TROY somewhere. Didn’t know the US meaning of rainmaker but it had to be. Top half even easier than the lower.
  13. 34 minutes. I didn’t find this as easy as the early posters have, despite seeing THE SECRET GARDEN straightaway and with CROWN DERBY a write-in after my mother’s later-life career as the glass and china buyer at Marshall and Snelgrove, Southport. COD DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH took a long time to spot. I couldn’t see a reverse indicator for NAEVI so that was entered tentatively, as was CHINESE RED. I hope no bright spark now produces the 1960 Crown Derby catalogue with a Chinese Red plate highlighted. A very enjoyable puzzle though. Thank you U and setter.
  14. 11:51 for this most Mondayish of puzzles. A slight delay at the end trying to parse NOTES because I always forget the supplement. CHINESE RED no problem after half a lifetime messing with classic cars. I think it was used on 27s by MG in the 1950s.
  15. I finished in 8:34 but I had put BROWN DERBY instead of CROWN DERBY. I’m not sure why – I knew there was such thing as a Brown Derby, but it was a dessert that used to be sold in Wimpy restaurants. No real relation to the clue!
    2. The Brown Derby was a famous restaurant in Hollywood; the building was shaped like a, well, brown derby.
    3. In my bedsit years, I’d go to the local Wimpy when in funds. They griddled a wimpy, a bender and an egg on their mixed grill, which I’d follow with a Brown Derby, a ring-doughnut with ice cream and chocolate sauce.
        1. They toasted their buns too, P. I hadn’t realised what risks I was taking. I should have gone to the Kardomah.
      2. Whatever happened to Wimpy bars? I remember when they used to serve the Wimpys on plates with knives and forks. And they had knickerbockerglories?
        1. I had Haggis Tatties and Neeps at a Wimpy Bar in Edinburgh when I was on honeymoon there back in ’74
        2. I’ve not been in a Wimpy for over 30 years, but there is one in Basingstoke if anyone wants to try one.
        3. And toasted their buns, but I hate to think what Pootle is going to make of that!
  16. Back in a state of being confident with this offering, after a couple of n/g weeks. MOTORHOME LOI, like many others. Dnk NAEVI, bur assumed it’s the plural of naevus. 12’50” thanks ulaca and setter.
  17. Twenty minutes for this one which, for me, is good if you take daylight saving into account.

  18. This would’ve been a PB for me if I hadn’t tripped over my fingers at 7d, where I diagnosed RUNAROUND, but typed RANAROUND. 16:29. Curses! (To reprise my comment on the Concise where I managed to type FOTTHOLD). I can’t think of a good excuse, as I’ve had an extra hour of sleep recently. A gentle offering, despite a large number of unknowns: NAEVI, the colour, DAMOSEL, MANGA, ESTOP and RAINMAKER in this sense. Good fun though. No trouble with MOTORHOME as they are almost a prerequisite for several Folkies of my acquaintance who attend lots of festivals. I prefer something 3 star or above myself. The showers in Stableside at York could’ve cleaned up a Glastonbury-ite in seconds, or indeed a muddy jockey. Liked DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH. Thanks setter and Ulaca.

    Edited at 2017-10-30 11:49 am (UTC)

  19. Took 33 minutes with a few incorrectly entered letters holding me up at the end. Nice to have the vehicle mini-theme, including SUNBEAM and perhaps CHINESE RED as explained by rinteff.

    Fairly kind, but with a few such as TWO-SEATER which took some working out. Undoubtedly tougher times ahead later in the week.

    Thanks to setter and blogger

  20. Too many customers to work out my time, but had an explicable seizure over MINION and NOTES. TES not my regular read and had forgotten it.
    The good news is that I have sold my shop and will be free to do more crosswords from next week – if the dog will let me….
  21. Knew Naevi because my son unfortunately had a large one on his back. Lucky guess with Damosel and finally saw Motorhome giving me a completion in about 30 mins (good for me). Must mention a fantastic gig by Richard Thompson on Sat night (acoustic) – why is he not Sir Richard when clown musicians (please insert your name of preference) get recognised. Thanks for the parsing
    1. Richard Thompson’s offerings get many an outing at our Folk Club. My favourite is Crazy Man Michael.
        1. It’s at The Marine Hotel in Saltburn near the Cliff Lift and it’s on Mondays from 8pm til 11pm except Bank Holidays. I shall be there tonight:-)
  22. 9 mins. Like Sotira I felt I should have been quicker, and like several others MOTORHOME was my LOI. Oh, and NOTES was biffed because I’m another who’d forgotten about the TES.
  23. When I were a lad all water-colour paint boxes contained chrome yellow, carmine-lake and Chinese red. So no problem with 14dn. (Not many artists among us I note – too many lab coats! What was all that mathematical sequencing, yesterday!? The answer is usually 42.) mais je digresse….

    However, I got one wrong putting APPLES @ 20dn instead of APPLET my LOI – ask not why! So no Time given.

    26ac NAEVI was unknown as was 4dn RAINMAKER but that was a write-in.

    FOI MANGA a Japanese chestnut. Hip-up Jack!

    17dn MOTORHOME was novel as was 28ac POSTMASTER – one of Ian Fleming’s less well known Ops in Fernando Po of all places!

    COD 14ac DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH as per our Bolton Wanderer. Cobblers indeed!

    WOD KITSCHIER!! More Kitsch usually does for me!

    Halloween tomorrow – will there be trick and treats!? Or just that American scary clown?

    Edited at 2017-10-30 12:12 pm (UTC)

  24. … except for Chinese Red which I assembled as Chenise Red. Vindicated a little since I had heard of neither!

    56 mins for me and pleased to parse the vast majority. As such a really enjoyable solve with just the right amount of vaguely known vehicles.

    Thank you to setter and to Ulaca

  26. 12:59. A gentle Monday outing in my TWO-SEATER CHINESE RED SUNBEAM RUNAROUND. leaving my MOTORHOME parked in THE SECRET GARDEN. YEAH!
  27. I went through fairly leisurely on this, while watching the World Series over here, but still it flowed without too many issues, say 20 minutes. My LOI was NEEDINESS, for no good reason other than I first had to construct NAEVI to give me enough checking letters. Regards.
  28. 9:45 with the maid, the colour and the spots unknown. It was this last that held me up most, trying to work out what to reverse, what letters to skip etc. My first effort was navhi. Motorhome, on the other hand didn’t hold me up at all.
  29. 31m today but relatively gentle. Like others in these parts I was fooled by the clever cryptic for MOTORHOME, failing once again to heed Dorset Jimbo’s advice ‘Lift and separate’. Otherwise enjoyable puzzle and blog. Thank you, both.
  30. Normally a lurker, but, yes, my PB at 8 mins, and first ever sub 10!

    I don’t know if stars aligned, or mind just in the right configuration, but everything just seemed to jump out. Had to look up Damosel, my LOI, to confirm afterwards, but it made sense, and with all the checkers didn’t seem like it could be anything else.

    These are the puzzles that make me think I’ve cracked it, until Friday rolls around and I’m back in the 40 minuters!

    Edited at 2017-10-30 06:36 pm (UTC)

  31. 26:38 so no PB but still fairly swift for me. FOI 11ac. LOI 3ac where I had trouble remembering the first word and took a while to get 5dn and the helpful “w” checker. Also a slight delay unravelling the motorhome and being hesitant to enter two-seater when I could not fully parse it (could not see the frontless radiator). COD to the arcane plot of 18ac. Always nice to get the occasional offering at the gentler end of the spectrum.
  32. I was tempted by BROWN DERBY (the name of a Disney theme restaurant) but came to my senses at the end with MOTORHOME the last in and I think I put it in just a few ticks under 8 minutes.
  33. Well, there’s a thing. Two words to check in ODO and neither were there: Naevi and Damosel; but they were in Collins.
    24m 43s thus making me a slowcoach ather than a motorhome.
  34. Tipped off on the QC blog that this was not too difficult.
    My two-seater runaround Sunbeam motorhome ( Chinese red) was pretty quick.
    My hold-ups were guesses at Damosel and Naevi.
    LOI was 8d Yeah which I thought rather a good clue.
    Less than an hour all told. David
  35. No time recorded for this, as I was listening to Newcastle being beaten by Burnley as I solved.
    Not a great football weekend for me, with Tottenham and Newcastle both losing, especially as Enigmatist was able to gloat on Saturday. Nice gentle puzzle though.
  36. Managed to solve this the same day that I started and without using aids. So, yes, definitely a PB. 😊 Invariant

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