Times 27328 – does the setter prefer ODIs or smacky-smacky?

Solving time: 14:36 – a little slower than usual, and today it was some of the anagrams that held me up the longest. I’m the fourth of the seven times in so far, and the early lightning crew hasn’t shown up yet, but of the names on the list it is ones I am usually a bit quicker than so this could be a puzzle some will find easier, and some will find more tricky.

The first definition in each clue is underlined

Away we go…

Across
1	Upon which, catch cold (11)
	STANDOFFISH – the catch would be on a STAND OF FISH
7	Name game (3)
	TAG – double definition
9	Secure cages in, for each person controlling hounds (7-2)
	WHIPPER-IN – WIN(secure, gain), containing HIP(in), PER(for each)
10	Header missed in tight draw (5)
	LOTTO – remove the first letter from BLOTTO (tight, drunk)
11	First of pints gone in seconds, one can’t bend the elbow! (7)
	TRICEPS – this is an odd clue and I hope I have parsed it correctly – I think it is the first letter of Pints, “gone in” TRICES(seconds), and the definition refers to that there is no singular to this muscle. Edit: as pointed out by those with a far better grasp of anatomy than I, the triceps straightens the elbow
12	Whistler painting attributed to Turner at first — that’s a bloomer (7)
	TREFOIL – REF(whistler, one who blows a whistle), OIL(painting) with the first letter of Turner
13	Bones in line, like back (5)
	SACRA – ARC(line), AS(like) all reversed
15	Moreover, nation developed at a slowish pace (9)
	ANDANTINO – AND(moreover), then an anagram of NATION
17	Put a lot in a tin for pets (9)
	CANOODLES – if you put a lot in a tin you would CAN OODLES
19	Infants pictured playing with umpteen toys, though irascible initially (5)
	PUTTI – first letters of Playing, Umpteen, Toys Though Irascible
20	Where brothers are taken care of? (2,5)
	IN ORDER – double definition
22	A revolution on the horizon (7)
	ARISING – A, RISING(revolution)
24	Card cheat of old (5)
	KNAVE – double definition
25	Grease smeared on brown trousers (9)
	DUNGAREES – anagram of GREASE after DUN(brown)
27	King wrapped up in short skirt (3)
	TUT – shorten TUTU(skirt)
28	She perhaps is in shorter novel about the origins of diverse peoples (5,6)
	THIRD PERSON – anagram of IN,SHORTER, containing the first letters of Diverse Peoples

Down
1	Broadcast, like that on the radio? (3)
	SOW – sounds like SO(like that)
2	One in England missing out on defence (5)
	ALIBI – England is ALBION, remove ON
3	Flies partied, buzzing around (7)
	DIPTERA – anagram of PARTIED
4	Anticipate growth of planes etc, the entire fleet? (9)
	FORESTALL – FOREST(growth of planes, etc), ALL(the entire fleet)
5	Tavern has appeal, do you agree? (5)
	INNIT – INN(Tavern), IT(appeal)
6	Flaw in entertaining British artist (7)
	HOLBEIN – HOLE(flaw), IN containing B(British)
7	Rubbish also is written on top of table in permanent marker? (9)
	TATTOOIST – TAT(rubbish), TOO(also), IS then the first letter of Table
8	Pretty decent leader in the throne room? (4-7)
	GOOD-LOOKING – GOOD(decent) then the leader in the throne room could be the LOO KING
11	River insect, slow mover to many watching? (4,7)
	TEST CRICKET – the river TEST and the insect CRICKET. I disagree with this definition, having spent a great day drinking and watching Australia lose in December.
14	Hypocrisy surrounding working issue in agreement (9)
	CONSONANT – CANT(hypocrisy) surrounding ON(working), SON(issue)
16	Jerk inside with dad, getting scorned (9)
	DISDAINED – anagram of INSIDE and DAD, and my last in
18	Occasional books inspiring me a bit (7)
	ODDMENT – ODD(occasional), NT(New Testament, books), containing ME
19	Archbishop in particular put away (7)
	PRIMATE – PRIM(particular), ATE(put away)
21	Run commercial on two lines (5)
	RADII – R(run), AD(commercial) on II(two in Roman numerals)
23	Articles in the mess, alternating (5)
	ITEMS – hmmm… at the risk of opening Pandora’s can of worms, this clue doesn’t quite work for me. Not all of the letters are alternating… maybe the intent is that they are alternating in the individual words… In, ThE, MeSs
26	Warmer in Skegness, unusually (3)
	SUN – hidden in skegnesS UNusually

52 comments on “Times 27328 – does the setter prefer ODIs or smacky-smacky?”

After multiple interruptions for a haggis breakfast, a trip to see the lock ladder at Fort Augustus and an evening meal al fresco to the delicate strains of a chainsaw and falling trees in the woodland surrounding our cottage, I eventually made some progress with this puzzle. I stared at 23d for a while and came up with ITEMS regardless, although my tired eyesight probably helped me there. STANDOFFISH went in from definition and crossers, as I was too tired to work it out by this stage. PUTTI came from wordplay and the definition only hit me when I read the blog. One of those filed away and forgotten words. Loved TUT and GOOD LOO KING. TRICEPS was my LOI, but I did spot the parsing. I was most surprised to find I was still in the top 100, at 88, when I submitted, quite late in the evening, at 37:33. Thanks setter and George.

1hr 20 mins. Started this late home and a bit tired after a couple of beers in the pub at a leaving do but was generally just off the wavelength. Got held up at the end for ages by the crossing pairs arising / primate and triceps / test cricket. The blog has helped me appreciate a couple of the finer points which passed me by when solving such as the king wrapped up.

Couldn’t get to grips with this one at all. Working through the solutions I found out why. My first major mistake was thinking 1D was AIR which I think is a possible alternative answer, but of course I then spent far too long trying to make sense of 1A. Other than that, there were quite a few unknown words to me like PUTTI (which I actually solved, but dismissed since I didn’t know it!) and WHIPPER-IN to name two (there were others). Total clues solved: 11. Not quite enough to make critical mass. Very poor. Different wavelengths? You could say that! Still I thought the wordplay was excellent, thanks to the setter. Favourite clue was 25A which I think is a touch of genius as the surface is so good (and I got that one). 8D was genius too (didn’t get that one).

Day 3 of 3 month challenge – crosswords completed so far: 1. Must try harder!

Edited at 2019-04-19 08:28 am (UTC)

For the click only everyone can go jump

Thanks setter and glheard
Found this very hard … the last two – ALIBI and TRICEPS just wouldn’t fall until I picked this up weeks after I’d left it on a pile of undone puzzles ! (Yep it’s about getting them out eventually !!)
Lots of clever wordplay here … and was another who didn’t notice the anomaly with the odd letters of ITEMS.
Had heard of WHIPPER-IN more as the last horse during the running of a race, but from crosswords in the context that it was here. As others, thought that GOOD-LOOKING and STANDOFFISH were excellent.
It was hard but good !!

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