Times 26896 – 19 your booty (or 19 your 19).

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time : 8:39 – and I thought it looked more tricky than usual, so I was surprised to find my time at 5th out of the first 15 solvers. There’s a wide range of knowledge in this puzzle, but the wordplay is very good for the more obscure answers (though I have an advantage at 26, which I suspect may be a stumbling point for some solvers).

It was first pointed out by jakkt last week, my first Thursday Times blog was November 22, 2007, so with this offering I am passing 10 years of contributing to Times for the Times, having shared the Thursday spot with Richard Grafen, Uncle Yap and now z8b8d8k. It continues to be fun!

Away we go…

Across
1 STRATEGY: TARTS(call girls) reversed, then EG, Y(outh)
5 CANNOT: ANN(a woman) in COT(bed)
9 LABRADOR: LOR(surprised cry) containing A, BRAD(nail)
10 SHOGUN: remove the middle letter from a SHOTGUN wedding
12 CORRESPONDENT: CORESPONDENT(one alleged of adultery in a divorce case) containing R(oving)
15 TARDY: TAD(little), then (bo)Y with R(runs) in the centre
16 AGAMEMNON: GAME(meat) inside AM(before noon), then (chicke)N,
ON(leg side in cricket)
17 DEFLECTED: D(daughter) then (r)EFLECTED(thought)
19 SHAKE: sounds like SHEIKH
20 COMMISSIONERS: COMERS(people who arrive) surrounding MISSION(embassy)
22 PRISSY: SIR(teacher) reversed in an anagram of SPY
23 NEBRASKA: NE(Newcastle), BRA(supporter), then SKA(’60s pop)
25 SUNKEN: KEN(fellow) with SUN(tabloid)
26 STANNITE: STATE(condition) containing INN(pub) reversed. A tin ore
 
Down
1 SOLICITUDE: CI(Jersey is a Channel Island) inside SOLITUDE(loneliness)
2 RIB: BIRD(prison time, something served) reversed missing D(duke)
3 TRACERY: TRACY(woman) containing ER
4 GROUP CAPTAIN: anagram of IN,A,PACT with GR(great),
OUP(Oxford University Press, publishing firm)
6 ATHLETE: LET(obstruction) in A,THE(articles)
7 NIGHTINGALE: NIGH(near), TINGLE(sensation of prickling) containing A
8 TINY: hidden in fruiT IN Yellow
11 INCANDESCENT: C(caught) in IN(cool), ANDES(mountain range), CENT(little money)
13 RAREFACTION: RARE(uncommon), ACTION(procedure) containing F(female)
14 INTERSTATE: anagram of ATTIRE,SENT
18 EN MASSE: E and SE(points) surrounding N(new), M.AS(graduates)
19 SPORRAN: S(singular), PR(pair), RAN(managed) containing O(old)
21 OPUS: O(over) then UP reversed, S(son)
24 SKI: first letters of Such Knockabout Institutions

61 comments on “Times 26896 – 19 your booty (or 19 your 19).”

  1. Pretty easy. My LOI was GROUP CAPTAIN, and I didn’t parse it till after the fact, although I might have recognized the “publishing firm” as OUP because, as fate would have it, our puzzle in the issue of The Nation that went to the printer today is tied in with an ad for Oxford University Press on the facing page, announcing the latest edition of the OUP world atlas and the selection of the Oxford Place of the Year. At the very final phase, after the winning place was determined, we had to add shaded squares for letters to be unjumbled to spell out that place, in addition to the unusual instructions and the circled squares that spell out another brief phrase in this apparently very complicated bar-grid puzzle, which is actually easier than Joshua and Henri’s usual offerings. For my work in coordinating and producing this, I was sent a copy of the atlas, which is really cool—there’s a whole section of satellite imagery!
    Almost forgot: Congratulations, George!

    Edited at 2017-11-30 04:33 am (UTC)

  2. I did this in a hurry, so some answers were biffed and never revisited, like GROUP CAPTAIN and AGAMEMNON. LOI NEBRASKA biffed, solved as I typed. Congratulations and thanks, George; I hope it stays fun for a long time.
  3. The Fat Owl makes his second appearance this week to mark the presence (at 9ac) of his favourite surprised cry: LOR! Can we expect ‘Lumme!’ one day soon, I wonder?

    At only 20 minutes, this was my fastest solve for absolutely ages which, considering I was slow to start and my first ones in were all in the SE corner, seemed quite a welcome achievement. The unknown STANNITE came from wordplay. I needed to return to 16ac after the clock had been stopped in order to think through the parsing. I was thrown earlier by having convinced myself that the ‘meat’ in question was somehow accounted for by GAMMON.

    Many congrats to you, George, on your milestone, and many years more to come I hope! I remember Richard although had not thought of him in a long time until today, but Uncle Yap still drops in occasionally, and posts and blogs elswehere I believe.

    Edited at 2017-11-30 06:04 am (UTC)

    1. Richard is a fixture at the championships (and the pub afterwards) and appears to be in fine fettle.
      1. Richard is one of the few here I have met in person – he, Andy (linxit) and I were at a 3D crossword bash in Cheltenham in 2013.
  4. Another sub thirty for me as I knew 26ac STANNITE having A-level Geology back in the days I dreamed of becoming a petrologist! WOD

    I sauntered in at 27 mins- should have been quicker as 3dn TRACERY my LOI and 1dn SOLICITUDE took an age.

    14dn INTERSTATE is well known as it is a filmland term and we used to like going on our hols there.
    I haven’t renewed my visa – ‘cos of the ‘Presidential One’. Let’s wait till he’s gone.

    FOI 2dn RIB LOI

    COD the Ikean 16ac AGAMEMNON I suppose!

    I have forgeotten what I had for breakfast!

  5. Crumpets with jam here for a change, after bread-based discussion at work instilled a craving yesterday.

    Oh, the crossword? 25 minutes, FOI 1a STRATEGY, LOI 13d RAREFACTION, though I’d known for a while it would be something along those lines; I think 26a STANNITE could just as easily have been my last.

    Enjoyed SHO(T)GUN, narrowly avoided biffing TRANSMISSIONS at 20a (after all, they do engage, and they do have “mission” in them), correctly biffed quite a few, including AGAMEMNON, where like Jack I assumed the wordplay would have something to do with “gammon”, but luckily just shoved it in and moved on.

    Thanks to setter for being on my wavelength, and well done George on the double-lustrum!

  6. Also surprised to find I had finished this in 20 minutes, as it took a while to get going. INTERSTATE I think is well known to UK readers of any US fiction and in my case visits to Disney abominations when kids were young. STANNITE not a problem either.
    Congratulations George keep on keeping on. Pip
  7. 7:23 … with not too much parsing required. Happily, the wordplay and checkers for STANNITE were very helpful.

    I liked Tracy, keeper of the queen’s artwork

    edit: p.s. crongrats, George, and thanks

    Edited at 2017-11-30 08:08 am (UTC)

  8. 5 minutes, all horses completely unfazed. Thursday really is the new Monday, but will Friday manage to be Friday tomorrow? Congrats on the anniversary, George, and here’s hoping for ten more years!
  9. 10.31, so shall we say on the very easy side? Random people and a random selection of directions aside, the cluing was pretty helpful, though NEBRASKA was my last in because I associate “Newcastle supporter” with Toon army which couldn’t be squeezed in.
  10. All together now…(today’s immovable earworm).
    25 mins with croissant and L&C G&Lime marmalade (Hoorah).
    Crumpets (gothick_matt) – now you have got me thinking – or pikelets, hmmm.
    I see that Tracy, Ann and Ken were invited today. Was Otto washing his hair?
    Mostly I liked: Agamemnon, Prissy, Solicitude, 5ac (how cheeky) and Sporran (COD – as a funny word and it is St Andrew’s Day).
    Minor Eyebrow Raise (MER) at ‘something served’. Surely time is what you serve: you ‘do’ bird?
    Thanks funny setter and George.

    1. I took bird to be something served up, as in chicken or turkey .. perhaps wrongly, I guess, as the up is a reversal indicator.
      ear-worm duly received and lodged, Myrtilus ..
    3. I’ll have to see if I can find a source of pikelets… If I’ve ever tried one it was too long ago to remember.
  11. No problems. I, too, did Geology A Level and am frequently in Tavistock (a stannary town).
    Thanks to George (and all of the bloggers).
  12. 12 mins 34 seconds. My best time in ages.

    At the Championship pub gathering Keriothe encouraged me to start doing the crossword regularly again and to post my scores here on a daily basis. One swallow doesn’t make a summer but the synapses do seem to be firing a bit quicker. Onwards and upwards.

  13. Very easy this, under ten minutes and only a 1/2 cup. Not complaining mind. No problems here with stannite or interstate though I don’t remember the last time I used either word.

    Many congratulations on your perseverence and staying power, George. Not sure who has been posting here for longer? Jim, perhaps..

    Edited at 2017-11-30 09:09 am (UTC)

  14. I had most of this wrapped up quickly but then slowed down in the NW corner, and I had to leave it for 10 minutes and come back to finish with CORRESPONDENT and GROUP CAPTAIN.

    Congratulations on the 10 years George. I often think I’d like to start blogging here when I’m retired and have more time, so let me know if you fancy handing over the reins about 25 years from now.

    Edited at 2017-11-30 10:05 am (UTC)

  15. Are we still having TARTS and the like in puzzles? Is this sexist? My wife this morning (same as the afternoon and evening one, actually) called attention to this.

    What do Timesvolk think?

    1. I recently objected to the presence of Ayers Rock (instead of Uluru) and I can see a case for objecting to tarts. Perhaps it might be time to move on from terms like that.
      1. I can’t see even the slightest difference between “Ayers Rock” and “Uluru.” Both are just names, applied by recent immigrants to a large natural feature in the land they have colonised. The rock has been there for millions of years.
        What I do *greatly* object to is being told I can’t climb it, because of superstitious mumbo-jumbo from one of these immigrant parties. It’s a natural feature and it is exactly as much my property as it is theirs or anyone else’s.

        Edited at 2017-11-30 03:25 pm (UTC)

        1. Two things: The Aboriginal people have been in Australia for a lot longer than any other racial grouping and try and see the world from their perspective. It wouldn’t hurt to show some cultural sensitivity.
          1. My only issue with the use of TARTS is that it is a bit of a chestnut for STRATEGY-type words (mainly STRATAGEM which is generally clued using MEGA TARTS). As for ULURU, I am with martinp1 – things are slowly changing in Australia despite some backlash, most recently in relation to the question of whether a public broadcaster radio channel (Triple J) is right to move its annual countdown of best songs from Australia Day, deemed by some to be a celebration of invasion and genocide.
            1. Some councils in Australia are proposing not to ‘celebrate’ Australia Day in January. I agree with that; a more inclusive date should be chosen, perhaps to coincide with the Supreme Court’s ‘Mabo’ (land rights) decision.
          2. Well, I will climb it sensitively then. I am quite happy for any cult or religion to have its icons and beliefs. What it cannot in conscience do however, is to lay private claim to natural landscape features. When landowners in Britain tried to do that, it led to protests, demonstrations and subsequent changes in the law and we now have a right to roam. A presumption that mountains and similar belong to all of us. So should those who live in other wild areas, including Australia.
    3. I agree and, while I’m on, can we also confine my pet hate (am I allowed to hate pets?) of bra=supporter to the dusty bin also? Enjoyed this puzzle as I completed in under 30 mins which is very rare for me. Congrats to blogger and many thanks for helping me to improve my solving.
  16. Now that I’m back in the Southern Hemisphere, (N.Z.) it’s nice to get to TftT early in the UK day.
    I had TESSERA for 3d for a while. It fits the clue nicely and pieces of mosaic can be considered ‘delicate artwork’ in my opinion but then those irritating checkers spoiled matters.
    Yes, congratulations, George, on your decade before the crossword mast.
  17. 11′ flying today. Got STANNITE from crossers and the element Sn. Times change, but sometimes mindsets don’t, so setters and solvers know tarts, old-maidish etc. Is this complicity? Pleased to know that 12ac will soon need to be prefaced by the word ‘old’.

  18. Eek! Rushed through this in 19mins or so, and, having put in AGAMEMNON, I ‘corrected’ it to ‘agamennon’ to account for the ‘n’ of ‘noon’. Didn’t stop for a minute to account for the ‘a’. Dnk STANNITE, but that didn’t hold things up…

    Congrats on your 10 years of blogging… always appreciated!

  19. 15.40, should have been faster. I blame Mrs R who was yabbering on the phone throughout.
    I miss breakfast (along with chocolate, cake, beer and all the other little pleasures). Hey ho.
  20. Seventeen minutes (same as yesterday’s, if I remember correctly) which, unfortunately, means that this one was easy rather than that I am getting smarter.

    No problem with stannite (O-level geology here but, unlike Horryd, I had no dreams of becoming a petrologist; it was just more interesting than the alternative of geography). Everything else seemed quite straightforward and gentle. Nice to see INCANDESCENT clued without reference to South American ancestry.

    As for the PCness of tarts, if we lost tarts we would presumably also have to lose pros, which would be inconvenient for setters. Likewise Ayers Rock (mentioned above by martinp1) – I don’t see any problem in using English (or Australian) names for foreign places. After all, we’re comfortable with “Germany” and “Bangkok”.

  21. 21 minutes with a mistyped TINT instead of TINY. INTERSTATE is the parent company name of the Monroe Institute which I am involved with. Anyone for an OOB?
  22. A breezy time today with no real hold-ups or queries, apart from the 60s pop – growing up with Two Tone meant I don’t really associate ska with that decade, but fair enough (you can still make disco music today, but I guess it would remain fair enough to call it a 70s style in a crossword).

    Happy blogaversary, George.

  23. From two silent “hangers in” who are very happy to complete under an hour. The blog helps us along a lot, so many thanks glheard.
  24. Thought this might be one of my rare sub-tens but I did the same as Martin with “tessera” and needed a re-think. I note that Mohn clocked in well under 4 – coo! 10.02.

    Congratulations George and many happies. What is your connection with STANNITE?

  25. Shout out to Mohn for doing this in a phenomenal 3m43. Surely the great black-and-white hope of seeing a new Times Crossword Champion anytime soon…
  26. 21 min, with major hold-up in NW because of ‘tessera’ , which as Martin commented does fit the clue pretty well.

    Best wishes, George – keep it up!

  27. 5:50. Very easy today, with lots of biffing and the one unfamiliar word (STANNITE) generously clued.
    Congratulations, and thanks, George. Here’s to ten more.
    And well done mohn, a blistering time!

    Edited at 2017-11-30 11:59 am (UTC)

  28. 28m on a busy train to Cardiff in advance of attending Wales and South Africa test match. No problems and I might well have been quicker without the many and various distractions that train travel affords – so far today: the guard tripping over a guide dog, a row over seats, as usual because one side was in the wrong carriage and finally an exploding coke cola bottle. Added to the usual array of phones, bells and assorted digital noises, all must have added at least 10m to my time!
    Fairly smooth progress – I enjoyed NEBRASKA and hesitated over the mineral, having never studied geography or geology or I suspect any other ology.
    Congratulations, George, on your anniversary – your efforts on our behalf are much appreciated.
  29. A relatively straightforward 10:45. I biffed a few but then dallied a bit in the SE corner.

    Edit to say thanks, George, for the enlightenment and entertainment over the last decade.

    Edited at 2017-11-30 01:02 pm (UTC)

  30. Congratulations and thanks George. A milestone indeed!
    Just after I started this puzzle the plumber came to sort out my main gate valve which has jammed, so if I get a burst pipe I won’t be able to turn the water off. He was unable to fix it as the water company valve in the street is choked up with rubbish, so I’ll have to call them to fix that first. Anyway, having attempted to hit the pause button so I could discuss the situation, I came back 10 minutes later to find the clock merrily still ticking away. This was a shame as I completed in 27:05 even with the interruption. Ah well, it’s obviously not my week. Last night as I tried to start the latest Concise puzzle, I ran into the problem much reported by Dr Thud and Phmfantom, whereby the puzzle never loads, just the whirling wheel. I spent a couple of hours trying to get the puzzle to load on the desktop computer I’ve been using for ages, with 4 different browsers all refusing to work. All I got was the timer going round and the message “Waiting for thetimes.co.uk” I was using Chrome originally and even tried a total reset of the browser and temporarily turned off Kaspersky Total Protection. In the end I have given up and am using my laptop, which has the same(Up to date) browsers Chrome/Edge/Firefox/Internet Explorer on a Windows 10 platform. Totally frustrating! Has anyone found out what causes this issue yet?
    Anyway a very enjoyable puzzle. FOI STRATEGY, LOI SUNKEN.
    Breakfast porridge, fruit and coffee.
    Mood Meldrew.
    Next job phone that Water Company……

    On edit: Blasted neighbour woke me up again today with his drill and hammer. There’s going to be no party wall left by the time he’s finished whatever the hell he’s doing……

    Edited at 2017-11-30 02:16 pm (UTC)

    1. You must be precise about the fruit consumed, otherwise our Mr. myrtilus (The Breakfast King) will go bananas!

      If you have ‘a party wall’ your dear neighbour probably planning a Christmas party!

      Drilling and hammering in China are Olympic Sports!

      Refurbishment!

      Edited at 2017-12-01 05:52 am (UTC)

      1. Since you ask, bananas, red grapes and blueberries, and the porridge was flavoured with golden syrup:-) As it is indeed this morning. I’m just about to tuck in…..
  31. Having spent a number of years as a “silent hanger-in” myself, I’ve decided it’s time to out myself.This is partly because I’ve returned to academe, and a gentler pace of life. My first words will be to thank George for giving many years of pleasure to both silent watchers and the noisier ones.

    As to the crossword, this is the quickest I’ve timed myself on in a long while: 9:47. Not expecting to beat that for a while.

  32. Welcome ja, and congratulations and thanks to George. The puzzle went in simply enough, ending with STANNITE, which I didn’t know but the wordplay and the checkers made the answer fairly inevitable. Come to think of it though, I also didn’t know of ‘lor’. Anyway, regards.
  33. My, this was easy (or I am finally getting some sense into my head). Anyway, 26 minutes, which I believe is my best time. Didn’t get 4 down until I realized what it is an anagram of, and I hesitated a bit with CORRESPONDENT, until I realized there really is a word CO-RESPONDENT. Still, some very clever clues. AGAMEMNON went in on the first passage when I assumed that “before noon” might be AM.
  34. 29:05 so only my second sub-30 and faster than today’s QC.

    I thought the bird being served up at 2d was something to do with tonight’s chicken but your explanation makes absolute sense.

    Thanks as always for the blog and congrats on the bloggoversary.

    Edited at 2017-11-30 07:33 pm (UTC)

  36. 22 mins 34 secs for me and the second easy one in a row where I finished the puzzle before the end of my train journey into work. Very satisfying but I’m not used to having nothing to occupy myself with during the lunch hour. I doubt I will have the same problem tomorrow. Many thanks to the blogger and congratulations on the milestone, a terrific achievement.
  37. I know this is late, but I wanted to add my congratulations and note of appreciation to George.
    Late because I tackled all 3 of Tuesday to Thursday’s in one go yesterday. 17:01 for this and my 3rd in a row under 20 minutes. Not a feat I’ve managed before, I think, but then the SNITCH tells us they were all on the easier side. Held up mostly by the long words – 13d and then 12a were my last two in.

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