Times 27069 – TCC third qualifier published 20 June

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
A sub 15 minute time on this, IMO the easiest of the three qualifiers this year. Plenty of scope for biffing, although some of the definitions are quite erudite, e.g. 10a, 21d. There is one plant which may be unfamiliar to those without green fingers, but quite gettable from the wordplay. 12d is a word found in crosswords but seldom elsewhere I suspect.
I did have the pleasure of being deafened by Led Zep at a Commem Ball in I think 1968 or ’69; I hesitate to call myself a 1a, although I believe Led Zep fans were so described.
Not much more to say except, no more oldies on Wednesdays now for a while.

Across
1 School principal wants to expel German music fan (4-6)
HEAD-BANGER – HEAD = school principal, BAN = expel, GER(MAN). See comment above.
7 Polish females attending British university (4)
BUFF – No ladies from Warsaw, but F F for females, after B for British and U for university.
9 Chill breeze no longer blowing? (4, 4)
WIND DOWN – The wind has dropped.
10 Gentleman abroad abandoned limo by side of road (6)
MILORD – (LIMO)* then RD. British nobs travelling abroad in olden days were known as Milords.
11 Empty container inside larger one? (6)
VACANT – CAN inside VAT.
13 Son and I twice spotted in US coastal location (3, 5)
SAN DIEGO – S AND I, EGO = the second I. The nicest place in USA I’ve been, so far, or perhaps second nicest to Boston.
14 Travelling to UN, Remainer finds reward (12)
REMUNERATION – (TO UN REMAINER)*.
17 Line one actor (Irish) gets in small part in play (6, 6)
BLITHE SPIRIT – BIT = small part; insert L I (ine one), THESP (actor), IR (Irish). An amusing if silly play by Noel Coward, I remember it from childhood when my parents were Am Dram people and I found it embarrassing.
20 Phone a female about assistance with case (5, 3)
LEGAL AID – All reversed, DIAL A GEL.
21 Take new view, perhaps, backing Guardian (6)
KEEPER – Reverse RE-PEEK = take a new view.
22 Mischievous girl at home in rugby or cricket, say.
GAMINE – IN inside GAME. Feminine form of GAMIN.
23 End of treatment after surgery here in France by an eye specialist (8)
OPTICIAN – OP (surgery), T (end of treatment), ICI (here in France), AN.
25 Record with loud beat (4)
FLOG – F = loud, LOG = record.
26 Thora and Edith prepared to leave (3, 3, 4)
HIT THE ROAD – (THORA EDITH)*.

Down
2 Steamier parts in Middle Eastern region (8)
EMIRATES – (STEAMIER)*. They don’t come much easier than this.
3 Turkey salad you served finally (3)
DUD – Final letters of salaD yoU serveD.
4 In rear part of boat, look up (5)
ALOFT – LO for look, inside AFT.
5 Plant is potted by man before start of autumn (7)
GENISTA – IS inside GENT then A.
6 They love traveller’s tricks? (9)
ROMANTICS – Pretend portmanteau word from ROMA/ANTICS, the Roma being the travellers.
7 Rich person‘s bitterness about cat show (11)
BILLIONAIRE – BILE for bitterness, insert LION and AIR for cat and show.
8 Hunt over a long period (6)
FORAGE – FOR, AGE.
12 Predicting a non-academic grade? (11)
ADUMBRATING – A DUMB RATING being a poor grade academically.
15 Prophet briefly enlisting support for woman (9)
ELISABETH – You fail to qualify for the TCC if you put ELIZABETH. ELISHA was a prophet, so it’s ELISH with ABET = support inserted. I’m writing a book in which Elisabeth is a main character, so it sprang to mind faster than otherwise might have been the case.
16 Presentation of certain films, American works (8)
CINERAMA – Takes a mo to see this is an anagram of AMERICAN.
18 Great uncertainty discussed in secret location (7)
HIDEOUT – Sounds like “High doubt”.
19 Complain about rise of Internet leading to trouble (6)
BEWAIL – WEB is reversed then AIL for trouble.
21 Executioner‘s craft (5)
KETCH – Double definition; a boat and Jack Ketch who was King Charles II’s head-chopper. Even if you didn’t know Jack you might think of a boat with K*T*H.
24 My business partner’s last letter (3)
COR – CO = business, R last letter of partner. MY! as in cor blimey guv or similar exclamations.

8 comments on “Times 27069 – TCC third qualifier published 20 June”

  1. Well, I got caught out with ELIZABETH but, there again, my 30mins wouldn’t get me in, nor did I apply from my eyrie in N.Z.
    My COD went to KETCH. I didn’t know about Charles IIs executioner but I figured that the use of the word executioner meant chopping the head off something to arrive at a ‘craft’. never worked out what (s)ketch had to do with anything but my erroneous reasoning did the trick!
    1. NZ in Winter? Have you abandoned your Normandy eyrie to the squatters the UK papers would have us believe are waging war on Brit second home owners? Come back soon. P
      1. Hello Pip, Yes, I’m afraid we decamped to NZ last November. The French weather was no good for Sue’s asthma and in fact, on the journey from Paris to Auckland we had to stay two extra days in Hong Kong because it got so bad she was declared ‘unfit to fly’. Our house has been on the market for over two years but we have just found a buyer and are awaiting the compromis from our notaire.
        Squatters? Really? I had not heard that one.
        What is the current situation relating to UK citizens resident in France? Will you be able to continue with freedom of movement?
        Best wishes to you.
        Martin
  2. Deleted a duplicate of my comment which appeared for some reason

    Edited at 2018-06-28 05:32 am (UTC)

  3. I’ve little recollection of this one now other than the S/Z bear-trap at 15dn which I managed to avoid and felt a bit smug about. However the first thing I noticed today having dug out my print was that I carelessly wrote MILORR at 10ac so I’d have failed to qualify anyway. Not that I have any ambitions in that direction.
  4. Got there eventually, but it took 37 minutes, so no coconut. I avoided the S/Z trap. Thanks setter and Pip.
  5. Wondered how the current Queen of Oz parsed… and found it didn’t. Lucky I’m not entering the competition. Books of the bible/prophets/priests etc. not a strong point – I saw the ABET but figured the prophet was ELI, stumped where the rest came from.
    Rom by itself as traveller – no need for a portmanteau – I learnt it in The Times, I think?
    Found it just that little bit tricky eg not knowing Jack Ketch.
    And coming onto them 10 years later – late 70s – always thought Led Zep were a folk/blues band with a few guitar riffs. Never head-bangers.

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