Times 27015 – first TCC qualifier published 18 April – it’s 26 across.

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
These qualifiers tend not to be too tricky as presumably the organisers want to encourage entries and check out times rather than put people off. This was no exception and I had all but 16a and 17d done in 12 minutes, finished in 14, with a slight query over 13a (see below).

Definitions underlined, CD = cryptic definition, DD = double definition, italics = anagrind.

Across
1 Drink for American drivers? Take too much ale at first (4, 4).
CLUB SODA – CLUBS = drivers (golf), OD = take too much, A = ale at first.
6 Sort of deodorant I am looking forward to (4-2).
ROLL-ON – As in ‘roll on Friday, pub night’.
9 Glibness, perhaps, that has its pros and cons (5, 8).
MIXED BLESSING – Glibness is ‘mixed’.
10 Dramatist’s railing not quite over (6).
BARRIE – BARRIE(R) not finished; J M Barrie of Peter Pan fame.
11 Performing with rock band; also awaiting trial (2, 6).
ON REMAND – ON = performing, REM are a cool band (not very rocky though IMO), AND = also.
13 A period to be off-duty (3, 8).
TAX HOLIDAY – CD. I vacillated between TAX and VAT, as VAT seemed to me to be nearer to the definition of DUTY. But TAX holiday is in Chambers and VAT holiday isn’t. Must be a UK thing. In France they sadly appear to have neither, as far as I am concerned.
15 Kiss cheek (4).
NECK– DD.
16 One holding hammer still runs (4).
THOR – it took me too long to see this, although now I have it, there’s an inkling I’ve seen it before and had forgotten. THO’ = still, short for though; R(uns). As hammers go, Thor’s was a big one, called Mjölnir, and it caused thunderbolts.
18 A leaving day in spring, somehow rapidly turning out wet (4-6).
SPIN-DRYING (DY SPRING IN)*, the A being removed.
21 Shows, jolly, taking off here? (8).
AIRSTRIP – AIRS = shows, TRIP = jolly, day out.
22 Wild person of exceptional virtue otherwise, and gracious (6).
STORMY – ST = saint, OR = otherwise, MY! = gracious, exclamation.
23 Picture Post taken in Rome? (3, 7, 3).
THE ITALIAN JOB – CD where post = job.
25 Handsome chap from cricket side, one appearing in posters? (6).
ADONIS – ON, I inside ADS.
26 Something simple may tease dreadfully (4, 4).
EASY MEAT – (MAY TEASE)*.

Down
2 Letter from Greece about a dance (7).
LAMBADA – insert an A into LAMBDA.
3 Possible mini-documentaries about a best friend’s pants? (5, 5).
BOXER SHORTS – Well, a boxer as a dog would be man’s best friend, and shorts are mini-documentaries.
4 Veteran combatant, not the first nor the last (5).
OLDIE – (S)OLDIE(R).
5 A couple of litres ordered in total (3, 4).
ALL TOLD – A, LL, TOLD = ordered.
6 After short pause, begged to be given new coat (9).
RESPRAYED – RES(T), PRAYED = begged.
7 Algeria regularly visited, and Romanian capital (3).
LEI – Even letters of a L g E r I a; Romanian dosh, plural of LEU.
8 No cigar could be made without chemicals (7).
ORGANIC – (NO CIGAR)*.
12 What’s readily earned by players improvising? (5, 3, 3).
MONEY FOR JAM – CD; Jamming being improvising jazz etc.
14 Tired girl’s taken in procedure near the end (4, 5).
LAST RITES – Insert TRITE (tired) into LASS (girl).
17 Question about Edwards’s identity; not the first raised (7).
HOISTED – My CoD, once I saw it, LOI; WHO IS TED? loses its W.
19 Miles up winding drive (7).
IMPULSE – (MILES UP)*.
20 State reduced condition; am I biased? (7).
NAMIBIA – Hidden word in CONDITIO(N AM I BIA)SED.
22 Boxes, not tightly packed for the most part (5).
SPARS – SPARSE loses its ending.
24 The age of Homer? Not half (3).
EON – Half a PIGEON.

12 comments on “Times 27015 – first TCC qualifier published 18 April – it’s 26 across.”

  1. I didn’t note my solving time,but I don’t think I had any major problems with this. Perhaps it says something about the level of difficulty that LAMBADA clued as “Greek character embracing a dance” appears in today’s Quickie and I would suggest that ‘Greek character’ is marginally more tricky than “letter from Greece” in the Qualifier.

    Edited at 2018-04-26 04:47 am (UTC)

  2. I didn’t time myself either–I think I did this in bits. I didn’t get 1ac–I gather that ‘club soda’ is an Americanism?–or EON. Looking at my copy, I see that I parsed 8d as you do, Pip; but isn’t the definition ‘made without chemicals’? NOCIGAR could be ORGANIC. Just saying.
    1. Either def works for me. As does ‘could be’ or ‘could be made’ as the anagrind.
  3. Sent off with 11.40 recorded – from what I remember that’s about 3 seconds faster than last year, which was enough to get me in the finals.

    Of course if I wasn’t desperately thick in exam conditions I wouldn’t have to do it,…

  4. This crossword as easy as qualifiers always seem to be.
    Funny about lambadas – you wait ages, and then three come along all at once…
  5. Until being held up by the THOR/HOISTED crosser I was on for a sub twenty and getting delusions of adequacy. In the end I took 28 minutes, so didn’t submit and won’t put myself through the pain of competing. Liked BOXER SHORTS and TAX HOLIDAY. Thank you Pip and setter(s).
  6. BOXER SHORTS LOI since I am used to ‘pants’ as indicating an anagram. 19′, which did qualify me one year in one puzzle, although I didn’t take it up.
  7. ….hopefully ! Completed in 11:21 and submitted. As you would expect, a relatively straightforward puzzle, designed to encourage entries, without being a virtual write-in.

    FOI ROLL-ON
    LOI & COD TAX HOLIDAY
    DNK CLUB SODA, but surface was friendly.

    I also liked BOXER SHORTS, and MONEY FOR JAM ( what IS the exchange value of old rope against jam ?).

  8. Coming here reminded me that I hadn’t downloaded the puzzle, so glimpsed a couple of answers for which I hadn’t read clues. (1ac & 24dn) So time of 17min would have probably been about 20, as NW corner fell last – not really good enough, I think.
  9. Easy stuff. Held up on my dash through this only by initially having DAY HOLIDAY… which didn’t look right, until I saw the TAX. Finished in 10:10, which is about 2 minutes quicker than when I qualified last year.
  10. 14:59. I didn’t find this easy at all. Just not on the wavelength. Fortunately I don’t have to qualify this year.
  11. I had most of this done in 16 mins or so but an inability to see the first word in 13ac (I obviously wasn’t paying attention to the word “duty” in the clue) meant I resorted to an alphabet trawl pushing my time up to 24 mins. Usual light, frothy qualifying puzzle which doubtless belies the extent of the challenge facing the hardy souls who enter the Champs.

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