Times 27, 815: Trumpowder, Biden and Plot

52 comments on “Times 27, 815: Trumpowder, Biden and Plot”

1. I didn’t find this easy, but of course nothing like some of the extreme Fridays we’ve had lately. Some of the surfaces were wonderfully deceptive, as Verlaine points out.

   AFFLATUS and CONTUMACY were of the ‘hit and hope’ variety, especially the latter, which could have had a G somewhere. I parsed most of the clues while solving (I had to), though I was able to get OPERA SERIA, SIGHTSEER, and GREAT SCOTT with only partial understanding.

   Troubling from the very start was ARGON, where I couldn’t convince myself that ‘power’ = ARM. But if Verlaine thinks so, then there you have it.

   1. It is definition (10) in Chambers: power (figurative). M-W suggests this is the sense used in the phrase “the long arm of the law”… but I must confess I always thought that referred to the reach of the police force, more than its strength.
      1. 
   2. CONTUMACY could definitely have had a G somewhere, especially if you’d put ABDUCTING in at 15d (I’d mis-read the clue slightly and assumed that “acting” was “in effect”.) A DNF for me today, therefore!
2. I spent some time with (tip in gale)*, and it was only when I got the P_E that I thought of LAGNIAPPE; even then the APP didn’t come to me, but I didn’t care. Didn’t think of the missing N for DEMO until after submitting, never thought of ARM for ARGON (LOI), and I biffed OPERA SERIA without reading the clue. All in all too much biffing to make this a satisfying solve.
   1. A slow 37 minutes for me. Held up by several clues (ARCHAISM and OPERA SERIA) and then by my LOI LAGNIAPPE which I’ve never heard of – but I did get the APP bit so could construct.
3. I found this pretty tough. I’d never even vaguely heard of my LOI LAGNIAPPE (interesting etymology), which wasn’t made any easier by the tricky wordplay, and the crossword-land words AFFLATUS and CONTUMACY also took a bit of digging out. Missed the parsing of SIGHTSEER (would never have thought of SIGHT for ‘a great deal’) and ATTIC. Funnily enough, ARGON was almost my first in – I thought of ARM as a verb.

   Finished in 51 minutes. Last, by quite some margin, on the leaderboard at the moment!

   Thanks to setter and Verlaine

4. I was brought to a halt by plaza, lagniappe, and amicable after a mostly acceptable performance.

   On the other hand, I saw opera seria, great scott, and afflatus almost immediately, which should have been good for something.

   Edited at 2020-11-06 01:29 pm (UTC)

5. I used aids for the unknown LAGNIAPPE and AFFLATUS although it turned out I was so very near to arriving at both answers via wordplay having spotted APP contained by anagram of IN GALE, and FLAT inside A + abbreviated word meaning ‘furore’.

   I had no idea how the parsing of SIGHTSEER worked, but apart from that and the aforementioned AFFLATUS the rest of the RH side was quite straightforward. By contrast the LH was a battleground with almost every clue requiring a lot of thought.

6. I was going very well, but was defeated by the nho LAGNIAPPE, even though I had app in mind.

   Thanks verlaine and setter

7. 30 mins pre-brekker left the two in the NW. So I put in Argon unparsed and guessed Lagniappe (NHO).
   Also had had to construct Afflatus and Contumacy.
   Mostly I liked the seasonal visitors and the un-roguelike rogue.
   Thanks setter and V.
8. Thank you, verlaine for explaining SIGHTSEER and ARGON. I was able to parse the rest all by myself, which is rare.
   Yes, imagine going to your GP and complaining that you suffer from AFFLATUS!
   That was one of four terms I had not heard of before. The others were LAGNIAPPE, CONTUMACY and OPERA SERIA.
   My COD was 26ac: TRIPE. It reminded me of a clue I made a note of back in Feb 2015:
   “Where to expect fourth queue for “Spellbound” (9)
   A: ENTRANCED
9. It’s a Cajun French word, and I suspect hasn’t crossed the pond. I think I picked it up from S.J. Perelman ages ago.
10. 29:03. I struggled with some of the vocabulary here. I got there eventually, but didn’t know what LAGNIAPPE, CONTUMACY, POLEMICAL and AFFLATUS meant. Held up mostly in the NW corner, where I couldn’t see the third letter of AR? and thought 3D had to start ARD for too long. Then my LOI DEMO took 2 alphabet trawls to find! A salutory experience. Thanks V and setter.
11. 23:57. Tough going, but I enjoyed it because there were lots of unfamiliar words and non-obvious definitions that required engagement with the wordplay. I confess I looked up the unlikely-looking LAGNIAPPE before submitting but it’s what I would have put in competition conditions so I’m giving it to myself.
    I might have put (the proud man’s) CONTUMELY at 28ac, but fortunately I already had the A from the opera.
12. 46 minutes. I could have done with some more AFFLATUS solving this, as I struggled with the cryptics. I didn’t know LAGNIAPPE either, but I was desperate enough to fit APP in that I eventually got it. As an Oxford man, at least GREAT SCOTT was a write-in, but probably extremely irritating to everyone else. Who else remembers the TV programme? COD to GATEAU. Good in parts. Thank you V and setter.

    Edited at 2020-11-06 08:37 am (UTC)

    1. Yes, I remember it. 1955/6 when Bill was still in his 20s, tall and slim, looking nothing like the way he’s remembered now!
13. Like Jack, a technical DNF as I just couldn’t see LAGNIAPPE. I also tripped myself up by entering HAMBLE at 6d (mb in active=hale, A river HAMBLE) which meant it took an age to see ORGANISER. Der. Other NHOs as some have mentioned. Gave up after Ihr 15. A real toughie I thought. Thank you V as ever for the enlightenment.
14. 25 minutes with the innocent DEMO taking trawling time at the end. “Trial recording” is stenography, isn’t it? How does that fit? A lagniappe of afflatus eventually dawned to thwart the contumacy.

    Speaking of which, no less than three words today whose existence was undoubted but whose meaning was misty. I look forward to CNN endlessly using the word contumacy to describe (pretty accurately) the House of Orange over the next few days.

    Thanks V for enlightenment, especially on ATTIC, which I forgot to parse and probably wouldn’t have anyway.

    Note to the setter: it’s way to early for the visit of the magi, and their “beginning to congregate” is currently illegal.

    1. It’s the next two months I’m worried about.
    2. Hopeful, unsigned pop bands hawking demo tapes – trial recordings. Or was it more, non-red-coloured-font musings a la Hilary yesterday?
    3. Trial recording as in test or provisional recording, so recording is the noun not trial.

       In desperation looked up LAGNIPPLE and stumbled across LAGNIAPPE, otherwise all done without aids mostly parsed, well a couple of half-parsed answers!!. Contumacy and afflatus went in early.

       Time taken: ages

       PH Enoch

15. It occurs to me that ‘electronic device’ for ORGANISER is simultaneously new-fangled and obsolete.
16. When I see ‘Lagniappe 10%’ on my bill at Nando’s, I’ll believe it.
17. Lingered for ever at the end but still couldn’t find (the unknown) lagniappe. Fairly sure the apparent anagram was a misdirection but didn’t pursue the idea far enough so a dnf in 34 minutes. An intriguing puzzle.
18. Goodness knows how but I did know LAGNIAPPE although it’s not something I’d offer a NYC cab driver. I think there must be a contumacious varlet somewhere in Shakespeare. Could not parse ARGON (thanks V). Evidently on the wavelength for this one at 20.13. 44th wedding anniversary today but we’re not opening the bubbly until Biden gets himself OTT – do get on with it guys.
    1. As I recall, and I’m not sure I do, a lagniappe was a tsatske the shopkeeper would give the customer as a thank-you. Hence a sort of bonus, or tip. I’d imagine that a NY cabbie would not settle for a tsatske. And mazel tov on the 44!

       Edited at 2020-11-06 12:48 pm (UTC)

       1. And, for a while, at over-cool restaurants, instead of an amuse-bouche the chef would offer the table a lagniappe
    2. Congratulations,Olivia!
19. … for the unknown LAGNIAPPE (was trying to anagram “tip in gale”), had fallen into the ABDUCTING trap so was never going to get CONTUMACY, and DK AFFLATUS which does sound like a post baked beans problem. Thanks for sorting it out, V. Only had half an hour as had promised to do something else at 11 a.m. and was doing this while immersed in CNN coverage. Would have had to use aids to finish anyway.
20. I managed to parse most of this apart from the AR(m) bit of ARGON, which I confidently biffed after my FOI PLAZA. I then made reasonable progress, but was held up for quite a while by removing A from PIANO instead of N, giving me OPERA SERNI, which delayed my POI, CONTUMACY for quite a while. Once I’d sorted that out, my LOI, GATEAU, dropped in. AFFLATUS was a new word for me, as was LAGNIAPPE, which I constructed, after dismissing the (TIPINGALE)* red herring. I’d had the APP for loaded program in mind from the start, but the derived LAGNIAPPE seemed so unlikely, that, like Keriothe, I looked it up to confirm it existed. An enjoyable puzzle on the whole. 38:36. Thanks setter and V.
21. Wow. OPERA SERIA. AFFLATUS. LAGNIAPPE. All new to me but fair wordplay gave me a degree of confidence. And although I knew CONTUMACY was a word I had no idea what it meant. I guess that means I’ve learned something today…
22. Too many unknowns even with all checkers required some cheating to finish the grid – LAGNIAPPE, GREATS (biffed answer though), CONTUMACY (got correct anagrist), AFFLATUS (hit and hope), OPERA SERIA (correctly guessed OPERA) – so the verdict is ‘mostly enjoyable’.
23. 45.35 but apparently wrong at 1 across. I put playa instead of plaza, the latter is better but I think my solution works as well?

    Top corner caused most grief. Argon biffed but I see the reasoning now, lagniappe took ages mainly due to thinking the answer was an anagram of tip in gale. However, eventually realised app was the programme and then just a case of which letters fitted best. Another word for the notebook.

    1. How do you account for “most of” in the clue if it’s PLAYA? #adjudicatorhaton
       1. Thought of lay for rest but accept that isn’t most of. That’s why I put the question mark in.
24. 22:00
    NHO lagniappe, but trusted the wp. Thanks v.
25. The US election and this crossword were very similar.

    A long, tough grind with several unknowns; with late resolves and a DNF.

    FOI 9ac LAGNIAPPE (In Miami Dade!)

    (LOI) 13dn STORM SURGE!

    COD 16ac DEMO

    WOD 28ac CONTUMACY

    What will the fat Orange Grinch bring US for Christmas?
    “In God’s name go!”

    Edited at 2020-11-06 03:17 pm (UTC)

    1. He’s a very contumacious man, isn’t he, Donald T?
26. Camne in at 32’24” but what with not having my mind fully focused I made two typos. Grr. I also have to admit to looking up lagniappe. New to me. Nice one though – but how to get it into conversation without sounding too pretentious?
    1. “The maid left a chocolate on my hotel pillow – what a nice lagniappe”
27. ….a most unsatisfying puzzle. NHO LAGNIAPPE (and fell for the “false” anagrist), NHO CONTUMACY (and fell into the “abducting” trap too) – weirdly, considered “contumely” which I DID know, couldn’t parse ARGON (thanks V), and scratched my head over AFFLATUS. I’ve always spelled GREAT SCOTT with a single T. Got there eventually though.

    FOI MANIAC
    LOI LAGNIAPPE
    COD THORN
    TIME 16:29

28. I was looking up ” Lignitape” to see if it was anything to do with computers and my tablet came up with “Lagniappe” as if by magic – what the hell, I’ll take it and consider myself an “almost finished”. Also had to check “Contumacy” and “Afflatus” as I wasn’t sure of those. Good workout today!
29. I was about to accuse the setter of having an unknown clued by an anagram when I suddenly realised that it wasn’t an anagram. Very sneaky! Still unknown though. Also found the A in CONTUMACY a bit dodgy for another DNK word, although CONTUMICY was unlikely.
30. I had a quick look at this and decided to do the latest Private Eye crossword instead-which I finished.
    Congratulations to anyone who finished this without aids.
    David
    1. I did the Eye afterwards, always cheeky. And the prize is better! I wonder how many enter each fortnight.
31. FOI Plaza, followed immediately by Argon – and the thought that this was going to be a challenge. I knew Lagniappe (though not how to spell it), but had to work at most clues. I liked the non-rogue, and was pleased to see Nile for today’s guess-the-river instead of Po or one of the many 3-letter British ones. Thanks, verlaine, and thanks setter.
32. I think I became aware of it while in Canada, so that probably checks out.
33. About 40 mins and same unknowns as others. Had an uncle who’s favourite expression was GREAT SCOTT, but he pronounced his Rs as Ws so Gwate Skwatt would ring out during visits.
34. DNF. Couldn’t make head nor tail of 13dn. Had already pushed the boat out with Lagniappe and contumacy, opera seria was just a stretch too far. Those unknowns made it a frustrating solve.
35. Defeated by the tip and couldn’t get beyond Manson instead of maniac making amicably impossible. Not too bad until then with afflatus and contumacy entered reasonably confidently.
36. LOI was 1a, but had PLANA, with lan(d) for the incomplete ‘rest’, as in ‘come to rest’ shoe-horned in for a disappointing pink square after getting the more testing answers. Couldn’t parse ATTIC or ARGON, so thanks for that V.
    35:43

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