Times 27028 – when a spirit fails to possess you

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 17:11, with about three minutes of it on the last entry, which was 19 down.  I thought I was off to a good start on this one, but really slowed down for the last dozen or so answers, hunting and pecking through the alphabet.  There’s a few unusual definitions here, but the wordplay is clear, although obscure in a few places. It’s been an odd week for puzzles with one most found a stinker that I breezed through, then a few more tricky ones.

I am heading out shortly after this and will not be able to edit until the morning (early afternoon UK time), so if I have an error, please check the comments. Definitions are underlined.

Away we go…

Across
1 Japanese verse reporting shrill sound made by dove? (5)
HAIKU – sounds like HIGH COO
4 His kind goes around gaping (9)
DEHISCENT – HIS with DECENT(kind) around it. I knew the verb DEHISCE, don’t think I’ve used this form before
9 Southern Europeans put off trapping a bird, perhaps (9)
SEEDEATER – S, E, E (two Europeans), then DETER(put off) containing A
10 Trying to get hold of beams endlessly (5)
AFTER – remove the ends from RAFTERS
11 Anticipate former teacher’s favourite touring clubs (6)
EXPECT – EX then the teacher’s PET c
12 Graceful fleet regularly observed in sea (8)
BALLETIC – alternating letters in fLeEt inside the BALTIC sea
14 Bacteria? Poetic sort sadly harbours hundreds (12)
STREPTOCOCCI – anagram of POETIC SORT cotaining two C’s(hundreds)
17 Music in motet Verdi revised? (12)
DIVERTIMENTO – anagram of IN,MOTET,VERDI
20 European river engulfing slender shrub (8)
OLEANDER – the river ODER containing LEAN(slender)
21 A minister recalled in Tennessee lodging-place (6)
TAVERN – A then REV reversed in TN(Tennessee, soon to be joining a periodic table near you)
23 Bitter as a native of Belgrade, by the sound of it (5)
ACERB – sounds like A SERB
24 I sit out in court abandoned like some holidays (9)
TOURISTIC – anagram of I,SIT in an anagram of COURT. Had to get this one from wordplay
25 Producer of rolls finally invests in a famous racehorse (5,4)
SNARE DRUM – (invest)S, (i)N, A, RED RUM(racehorse) the rolls being drum rolls
26 Railwaymen once given points to look after (5)
NURSE – NUR(National Union of Railwaymen) then the points S and E

Down
1 He’s swallowing a novel hospital drug (8)
HASHEESH – HE’S containing A, SHE(the novel that has been noticeably absent lately) then H(hospital). I don’t see that spelling often
2 Bungling agent held up by one immediately following (8)
INEXPERT – REP(agent) reversed in I, NEXT
3 Innocent, but lacking capacity to cover special case (15)
UNEXCEPTIONABLE – UNABLE(lacking capacity to) containing EXCEPTION(special case). Didn’t think this could mean “innocent” but Chambers has “not liable” which is close enough
4 Figures perhaps slightly raised (4)
DATA – A TAD reversed
5 On radio, learn of storm primarily in this area (10)
HEREABOUTS – sounds like HEAR ABOUT, then S(torm)
6 Firm in Monaco quietly replaced Arab fellow? (6,9)
STABLE COMPANION – STABLE(firm) in than anagram of IN,MONACO,P – the Arabs are horses here
7 Object songbird found in English city (6)
ENTITY – TIT(songbird) in E, NY
8 Most of the people in ancient Balkan country (6)
THRACE – TH(e), RACE(people)
13 More sensible to engage one’s orthopaedic auxiliary (10)
BONESETTER – ONE’S inside BETTER(more sensible) – had to piece this together from wordplay too, the definition was not a great deal of help
15 Forebear caught stabbing a wise old king (8)
ANCESTOR – C inside A, NESTOR(wise old king)
16 Company runs hotel in pleasant coastal road (8)
CORNICHE – CO, R(runs) then H inside NICE(pleasant)
18 Jam Scottish girl left unfinished on ship (6)
MORASS – MORA(g) on SS
19 Spirit finally haunting wide Russian river (6)
GENEVA – (hauntin)G, (wid)E then the river NEVA. I was worried about this – I now know that it is a type of gin.
22 Sticky substance overrunning a Pacific island (4)
GUAM – GUM(sticky substance) surrounding A

69 comments on “Times 27028 – when a spirit fails to possess you”

  1. 32:40. I ground to a halt after about 20 minutes with the NE corner having yielded only ENTITY. I took an age to see STABLE and didn’t know DEHISCENT, which I had to derive from the wordplay. HEREABOUTS my COD, once I’d seen it, but I liked SNARE DRUM too.
  2. This one took me about 50 mins with a fair bit of that at the end alphabet trawling and then convincing myself of an alternative “Swiss” spelling of the Dutch gin at 19dn, especially when the Russian river was only vaguely heard of. Strepto-thingy and diverti-whatsit went in fairly quickly and without too much of a struggle, which helped. I also wasted time looking for an anagram of “in Monaco quietly” around “co” at 6dn until the right sort of Arab came to mind. Unexceptionable was a bit tricky but otherwise no real problems.
  3. This one beat me soundly, with GENEVA, THRACE, DEHISCENT and DATA all completely absent. I also had “cradle companion” for 6d, for which I can only plead idiocy in mitigation.

    I was sure that gin got it’s name from Geneva, but apparently not, so gin will have to be added to my already extremely long list of wonderful things not invented by the Swiss. Still, they came up with the roll and the army knife, which I suppose is something.

  4. Fortunately, I went to Leningrad (as it was then in the 80s) so was familiar with the Neva. I thought that ‘wide’ translated to ‘E’ as in shoe sizes.

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