Times 27565 – Christopher Newport Meets Bo Peep

57 comments on “Times 27565 – Christopher Newport Meets Bo Peep”

1. Matching your NITCH if not your time, suggests a straightforward solve for me. DNK OSCAN or PUSS IN THE CORNER. I was confused by BARRACK also, as down here it implies support. And I think of DRONE as “remote controlled” rather than “idle”, but I see that most of the dictionary definitions back up the meaning in this clue.

   Thanks for the quick blog and I hope the meeting with the formidable Louisa went well.

2. I biffed a couple–3d, 4d, 7d–only parsing post-submission. I needed the checkers for LOI OSCAN. One query or quibble: for me anyway, VEND is only a verb, while ‘sale’ is only a noun.
   1. Chambers lists “vend” as a noun with “a sale” as the first definition.
      1. Love your SNITCH crossword site. Thanks so much. Squallaby
      2. I’m not a bit surprised. (Replying to starstruck.)

         Edited at 2020-01-20 05:25 am (UTC)

   2. When I was in college, we used to jokingly claim to be fluent in all the Osco-Umbrian languages, so this was a write-in for me. Really, it makes Finnegan’s Wake much easier for sophomores….
3. The problem with this style is that it’s very difficult to get a foothold, but once you get started everything falls very quickly. After ten minutes nearly everything was blank, but I finished in 29 minutes anyway, not a bad time for me. The main problem was that I had never heard of ‘puss in the corner’, and I didn’t think immediately of ‘by hook or by crook’. As usual, a really well-set puzzle.
   1. This is exactly what happened to me. I spent 10 minutes staring a blank grid before I saw DECAGON. But then it was all plain sailing and I finished in 28 minutes in spite of not knowing the game. Very strange. Especially since there was nothing particularly difficult about the NW corner – which was the last bit to fall. Ann
4. Ditto on sub-nitch and on semipro with a hyphen, though it went in quickly nevertheless. Last two were spherical, misconceiving that the sides of a SHIP were S__H leading to much confusion, and SILK which took an alphabet trawl, so gets the COD, excellent clue.
5. I think MISCONCEPTION is a homophone for “miss conception”. Also, I think the barrister is referring to the proverb “smooth as silk.” I’d never heard of PUSS IN THE CORNER and managed to mistype it as PUSH IN THE CORNER and didn’t notice. Oh well.
6. I started with GOOD FOR YOU and BY HOOK OR BY CROOK and worked without checkers until there were no such words left.

   Paulmcl is undoubtedly right about MISCONCEPTION and SILK.

   Edited at 2020-01-20 04:54 am (UTC)

7. I thought the ladder that goes up would be the one the tradesmen use?
8. NHO (OHF) PUSS IN THE CORNER nor OSCAN but neither delayed me by much.My problem came at the very end with my last two in, the intersecting VEND and DRONE. Still I made it within my target half-hour with a couple of seconds to spare.

   Anyone unfamiliar with DRONEs as idlers should think bees (drones and workers). Also the world of Bertie Wooster in which the idle rich of the day used to pass their time at the Drone’s Club.

   Edited at 2020-01-20 07:12 am (UTC)

   1. I didn’t know it either, and assumed it was a British children’s game, and was a bit surprised to see that you and Paul didn’t know it. Looking it up just now, I see that it is a children’s game (or else a form of solitaire/patience) but not particularly regional. I suspect it’s dead everywhere; the two Wiki references are to 19th century children’s books.
      1. It’s in my modern Brewer’s described as an ‘old’ game but not in my repro 1893 edition.
9. Almost gave up after 20 minutes with hardly anything solved. Persevered and finished after about 1.5 hours.

   Last few were rarebit (dnk Arno), succour, and LOI the also unknown Oscan.

   Couldn’t parse esperanto and guessed pluto was god of the underworld.

   COD misconception.

10. Like Vinyl I was slow to get a foothold in this puzzle but once I had everything fell into place quickly. As others, I’ve not heard of PUSS IN THE CORNER and would have expected a hyphen in SEMIPRO. The latter had me worried for a while, fearing it was a foreign word I don’t know and wondering the order of the vowels – would it be SEMPIRO or SIMPERO? Thankfully when I had all the crossers the semi professional sportsman came to light.
11. Apart from being a type of PATIENCE (solitaire (US)) PUSS I’THE CORNER was a courtyard game for 5 children. A bit like ‘SIR TOMMY'(Old Patience). My LOI and WOD

    FOI 4ac VEND

    COD 20ac HARBINGER – as sung by Shirley Bassie!

    Time 17.30 so suitable for the QC Brigade

12. 48 minutes, though I fell asleep once or twice. I also managed very carefully to scrawl out the IN THE CORNER bits of my anagram fodder, leaving myself with PUSS, and then enter PUSH IN THE CORNER for the unknown game. I think perhaps I should go back to bed.
13. 25 mins pre brekker.
    I liked it a lot – mostly Hard Binger and A Big Ale.
    LOIs were Vend/Drone.
    Thanks setter and U.
14. 21 minutes. I’ve never heard of PUSS IN THE CORNER, and I needed nearly all crossers to solve that anagram. I see that it’s described as a SOLITAIRE game on Wiki. Despite it being included with early mobile phones and the best efforts of Andy Williams, I still call that sort of card game Patience. COD to SPHERICAL. A bit too anagrammy for me, but a reasonable start to the week. Thank you U and setter.
15. A PB for me at 20:52 and actually solved sub-20, with the remaining time taken up by determined checking, not wanting to blow the time with a silly typo. Very on the wavelength with multiple biffs landing correctly, held up by the DRONE – VEND corner right at the end. Thank you setter for both fun and encouragement and blogger for explaining 7A and 16A which I failed to parse. All downhill from here doubtless but a lovely start to the week!
16. Same experience as others in finding it hard to get going. 2 clues solved in first 8 minutes, but picked up speed. Liked unusual xword words GASTROPUB and SEMIPRO.

    NHO the game.

17. 15:27. I was a bit slow getting started on this, with 20A my FOI. NHO PUSS IN THE CORNER, neither the outdoor game nor the form of solitaire. SEMIPRO my LOI. COD to FOOD POISONING.
18. 10:17. Add me to the long list of those who didn’t know the game.
    Not keen on ‘sale’ for VEND, whatever Chambers says.
    The best known muse these days is the rock trio from Devon.
    1. ‘VEND /sale’ is not just in Chambers, it’s in all the usual sources with SOED dating it from the mid-17th century.
       1. It isn’t in either Collins or Lexico, which are my usual sources.
19. Call me old-fashioned but doesn’t the clue to 13 across involve an indirect anagram?

    Midas

    1. Personally I would say no. The instruction to move a single letter is much more precise than an anagram.
    2. Don’t think so. You’re being asked to adjust or move the I in an article of clothing to give a kind of restaurant.
20. 9:39 … with a few things thrown in on trust in order to squeak under 10 minutes.

    I was absolute sure we’d had PUSS IN THE CORNER before but the site search disagrees, and I certainly never played it. I have no idea how I ‘knew’ it.

21. NHO Puss in the corner. I assumed it was something swingers did..
22. 24 mins. PITC – same as everyone else. Vend as a noun – a new one on me. Thanks u.
23. In 3D, “terrible” is surely the anagrind.
    In 12A, RUN is the sort of ladder in a stocking, but UP is the direction the window-cleaner climbs his ladder.
    DavidB
24. I only knew the game as the name of an Amish quilt pattern. Nice start to the week (although today is a holiday in the US). 10.14
25. Never come across puss in the corner so that was my last one in. Lumpy start but accelerated later finishing in 17.39. Bit less of a struggle than for that beast on Friday!
26. My broadband connection went down just before I finished this puzzle and I had to pause it and set up my mobile hotspot to finish it. This may have distracted me as it took me ages to get my last 2, DRONE and SEMIPRO. I never did spot that SEMIPRO was an anagram. Like Vinyl I took a while to get started, VEND being my FOI, but nothing following for a while after that. Like lots of you I’d never heard of PUSS IN THE CORNER, but checked the anagrist carefully to get PUSS rather than PUSH. Some good clues and carefully hidden definitions. Probably 7 or 8 minutes added by those last 2 clues. 38:47. Thanks setter and U.
27. 6m 56s so a fairly gentle start to the week. Like almost everyone else I’d never heard of PUSS IN THE CORNER; OSCAN was my LOI but it rang a vague bell.
28. 9:41. It must be Monday.
29. All pretty straightforward, so I feel I should have been a bit quicker.
30. Breezed through with only occasional pauses. Didn’t know OSCAN and hadn’t heard of PUSS IN THE CORNER but both seemed clear-cut. SILK was my LOI.

    A much needed result for me after Friday’s, which had me completely baffled.

31. 13’03”, DATE in NE. SEMIPRO LOI, and spent ages trying to justify ON STAGE, despite enjoying the cricket this morning.

    I once met a girl named Abigail on the overnight train from Paris to London, we fell asleep holding hands.

    Thanks ulaca and setter.

    1. I have almost exactly the same story, except it was London to Paris!
32. ….GOOD FOR YOU. Maybe I should have consumed the bottle of 7.5% Export Strength from my beer stock before I tackled this, then I might not have written “well” in the first four squares and ground to an immediate halt. I dug myself a few more traps as I limped through the puzzle.

    I wondered if the game referred to the state of one’s eye when a stye bursts, but then there would be a redundant S. My LOI was solely due to expecting a hyphen – I blame the Yanks, who even pronounce it wrongly (see my pro).

    I have all week to improve in.

    FOI VEND
    LOI SEMIPRO
    COD RAREBIT
    TIME 10:09

33. … many others, never heard of LOI the GAME but plonked it in from the anagram solve; OSCAN also a guess from wordplay. Easyish day otherwise, 20 minutes. Liked the gastropub and food poisoning combination; the anagram of A GRUB STOP wouldn’t unravel until I had a B at the end.
34. Nothing too tricky, but tired today – hence slowish.
    Never played Puss in the Corner when I was a youngster.
35. Rather late in the day finishing this. As usual a break did me good and I wrapped it up very quickly apart from the SILK which I nearly put in as SELL. Think I’ve seen A GRUB STOP somewhere before?
36. 13:18 a gentle start to the week. I had to write out the anagrist for the unknown puss in the corner. I wasn’t familiar with the old language either. Fun puzzle.
37. Finally an under 30 minute solve without having to resort to aids. Turned out the light and slept well.
38. A steady solve.

    COD: SEMIPRO.

39. Finished – but I have no idea how long I took! I forgot to check the clock at the beginning and then just tootled along – sometimes it’s quite nice not to fuss about the time. Same as everyone else with the game and the language, and I forgot to parse a couple (Drone and Brasserie) but all OK.

    FOI Vend
    LOI Spherical
    COD Gastropub – I’m glad to say we’ve never had any problems with our local pub//restaurants!

40. I’ve been pudding away on the quick cryptic for a couple of years, getting down to 20-30 mins there both days. I heard that Monday Cryptic was generally a bit easier.

    So very pleased with a solve today of 65 mins with no aids apart from checking OSCAN was indeed an archaic language.

    COD Harbinger

    1. I was wondering where you had gone…
41. A slowish but steady solve, brightened up by several pdms. I had to trust the cryptic for the unknown Oscan and Organza, and Puss in the Corner was also unknown, but it seemed plausible. Very enjoyable. Invariant
42. Well, due to A Series of Unfortunate Events, my brain is not firing on all neurons and I am a day behind. This one took me about 40min (including a few distractions), although only PUSS IN THE CORNER and OSCAN were NHOs for me.
43. I do hope that the speed merchants had time to savour the humour!
    8 dn, 9 ac, 26 ac etc.
44. 18mins, which represents a half-snitch. The same NHOs as others , but not a hindrance. By coincidence we’ve been reading and listening to the many different ways in which the tree at 21a is pronounced.

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