Times 27783 – Children in Need time again.

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
At last, this Wednesday’s child is not full of woe; I enjoyed this somewhat more challenging puzzle, with scope for biffing but some tricky parsing afterwards. 11a is timely, as the BBC and Countryfile get going with their annual pleas for money, although this year we’ll be a-rambling in social distance mode, if at all. I had to do some Googling to explain all of 16d, featuring avian obscurities, but otherwise it was fair play I thought. My CoD is 24a for the unusual construction.

Just a guide, for anyone new: definitions are underlined, anagram indicators in italics, anagram fodder (in brackets with)*.

Across
1 Just clever, having no need of book (5)
RIGHT – BRIGHT = clever, loses B.
4 Problem backing the French — quite without oomph — in raunchy US show (9)
BURLESQUE – RUB (problem, as in there’s the rub) backing = BUR, LES (the French) QU(IT)E loses IT.
9 It fixes where you find crossword, say, with some speed (9)
PAPERCLIP – find this in the PAPER (or E-paper), CLIP = speed, as in ‘at a fair clip’.
10 Refugee with no time at all for material (5)
EXILE – TEXTILE (material) loses both Ts.
11 One gets ready for taking these steps to provide relief? (9,4)
SPONSORED WALK – Cryptic definition, where ‘ready’ = money.
14 Dispute ignoring opening of firm (4)
TIFF – STIFF = firm, loses S.
15 Zero energy around start of play — becoming too energetic? (10)
OVERACTIVE – O VERVE = zero energy, insert ACT I being the start of a play.
18 Hymn producing historic shock? (4,2,4)
ROCK OF AGES – cryptic definition.
19 Finished disguise, except the front (4)
OVER – COVER = disguise, loses its front.
21 Mother’s absurd dressed in beachwear (7,6)
BERMUDA SHORTS – (MOTHERS ABSURD)*.
24 Embellish even choices from garden? (5)
ADORN – from the word gArDeN you can choose any of A, D OR N as even letters.
25 Principled purchases in market rated adversely (4,5)
FAIR TRADE – FAIR (market) (RATED)*.
27 What writer might need in opening of knightly valour (3-6)
INK-BOTTLE – IN, K(nightly), BOTTLE = valour. It’s a long time since I opened an ink bottle, although there is still one in my drawer awaiting my yet-to-win Montblanc fountain pen prize from Murdoch Towers. So far only Cross ballpoints, which are more use anyway.
28 Story gripping one in the very first episode (5)
PILOT – PLOT, insert I.

Down
1 Tale of a debt collector, maybe, involving island warehouse (10)
REPOSITORY – REPO STORY could be a tale of a debt collector, insert I for island. REPO being short for a repossession man.
2 Opening section of book cut up (3)
GAP – PAGE is cut then reversed (up).
3 Bird hurried after half of this (6)
THRUSH – TH(is), RUSH as an adjective, e.g. a rush job.
4 City area sadly variable with little good in it (9)
BELGRAVIA – (VARIABLE)* then insert G. Posh bit of London, Embassy-land.
5 Resistance, with support, absorbing pressure without delay (5)
RAPID – R(esistance), AID (support), insert P for pressure.
6 Support an entry for Chaucer in “Early English Style” (8)
ELEGANCE – E E for Early English; insert LEG (support) AN, C(haucer).
7 Lives dangerously after living once on river of molten metal (11).
QUICKSILVER – QUICK (living, as in the quick and the dead), (LIVES)*, R for river. Another name for mercury, which freezes at -38.9 ⁰C so is molten metal at room temperature and pressure.
8 Some pristine development held up as Paradise (4)
EDEN – hidden reversed in PRISTI(NE DE)VEOPMENT.
12 Business site, apparently no longer postponed, encountering obstruction (6,5)
OFFICE BLOCK – If it’s ON ICE, it’s postponed, so if it’s OFF ICE, it’s no longer postponed. To which add BLOCK for obstruction.
13 Looking back, covering a lot of historic city in particular (10)
RETROSPECT – TRO(Y) = a lot of historic city, insert TRO into RESPECT where in ‘in respect of’ = ‘in particular’.
16 Have another look at bird by a quarry (2-7)
RE-EXAMINE – Apparently REE is a old name for the reigh or male reeve bird… follow that with X (by, times) and A MINE for a quarry. It’s not in Chambers online (ree) but is elsewhere https://www.lexico.com/definition/ree
17 A lot of sadness about hospital department in Italian resort (8)
SORRENTO – SORRO(W) goes around ENT the ear, nose and throat department.
20 Try to get off with trophy, seizing lid (4,2)
CHAT UP – CUP has HAT (lid) inserted.
22 Soldiers retaining force would be inappropriate (5)
UNFIT – UNIT (soldiers) has F for force inserted.
23 Opening for independent political party coming up in Asian island (4)
BALI – all reversed, I (initial letter of independent) LAB (pol. party).
26 A couple of fifties provides the sum (3)
ALL – A, L, L. Hardly a cryptic clue.

​

54 comments on “Times 27783 – Children in Need time again.”

  1. Well, a bit of a relief after yesterday! 31 minutes, and all correct, too. Thank you for pointing out that the bird I was looking for was “ree”; I’d missed the “by” bit so would probably have been fruitlessly scanning my dictionary for the fabled “reex”, which somehow sounds more fearsome.

    FOI 1a RIGHT LOI 10a EXILE, COD 24a ADORN.

  2. I found this quite tricky in several places, with EXILE and RETROSPECT in particular delaying me. There were some nice clues though – I thought that for ADORN was rather original. I had to employ some ninja turtling for ROCK OF AGES which I only knew as an early Def Leppard song. I presume it’s not a cover version.
    1. You presume correctly, though the Leppard’s version has a much better tune than the rather dreary one the hymn is saddled with.
      Apparently the two are linked, this from wiki: “1980s British rock band Def Leppard were inspired by the ancient hymn’s text when a member of a choir left their hymn book in their recording studio. Joe Elliott later wrote the lyrics to their song “Rock of Ages” after reading it and in their music video the band members dress up as monks.”
  3. I wondered about REEX too. I think that was the only thing I didn’t know. All correct in about 40 minutes but also doing other things so probably more like 30 really. We have a QUICKSILVER park here in San Jose (and the local paper is called The Mercury News). The park used to be a mercury mine which was used in refining gold in goldrush days. I thought “absurd” was great applied to Bermuda shorts before I realized it was just the anagrind.
  4. I wasted some time trying to solve 28ac, because I couldn’t think of a way to fill in P_D_T; I’d flung in ADD (D=50, right? I mean, zeroes are just placeholders). I never thought of BERMUDA SHORTS as beachwear, but then I never go to the beach. Never did parse RE-EXAMINE. A relief after yesterday, although a bit anticlimactic.
  5. …Let me hide myself in Thee.

    30 mins with yoghurt, granola, etc. The last several spent on the Elegance/Exile crossers. It was the ‘entry for Chaucer’=C that threw me I think.
    NHO Ree.
    Thanks setter and Pip.

  6. Definitely on the wavelength today, after yesterday’s disaster, thank God. 40 mins with the last few spent on the ELEGANCE/EXILE crossing. 7 d reminded me of the excellent West coast band Quicksilver Messenger Service, way back in the day. Long, rambling guitar solos I seem to remember. I also appreciated the tricky ADORN, very clever. COD to BERMUDA SHORTS. A nice anagram. Thank you Pip and setter.
    1. 20 mins but also held up for some time on ELEGANCE/EXILE. Liked ADORN and I also thought of ADD first.
  7. This is more my level. 21 minutes with LOI ELEGANCE, which isn’t my style. I’ve never heard of the REE bird but there are so many birds In the category of unknown by me. It had to be that. COD to REPOSITORY, with a nod to one of of my favourite hymns, sung to Petra. Thank you setter for a pleasant, easier puzzle, and to Pip.
  8. For me, only a couple of minutes quicker than yesterday, with ELEGANCE and the crossing (not, after all, material) EXILE delaying completion.
    I struggled also with OVERACTIVE, even having seen the ACT 1 play: my version finished with -ION or -ING before RETROSPECT suddenly dawned, so blindingly I didn’t get round to parsing it.
    ADORN was clever, an alternative packed into alternate letters.
    Fine and informative blog!
  9. This wasn’t exactly a breeze
    But was solved with moderate ease
    The setter’s no Shavian
    Cluing THRUSH as an avian,
    And not as vaginal disease

    But worse was to come. Dearie me!
    Another chirping rarity
    This is getting absurd
    Is it really a bird?
    Who’s ever heard of a ree?

        1. Kinda – Pygmalion – but i understand that Shavian wit is “a thing”, and clueing thrush as a bird struck me as be the prosaic opposite of witty
  10. 33 minutes with my target just missed as I struggled with ELEGANCE and EXILE at the very end. DK REE as a bird and hadn’t noticed that ‘by’ might account for the X so I was still working on REEX. Also didn’t know REPO as slang for somebody who carries out repossessions. I had briefly considered ‘bailiff’ but that didn’t lead anywhere.

    Edited at 2020-09-30 07:10 am (UTC)

  11. …what more can you ask in life? Enjoyed this a lot and just beat my new target time of 30m. Thanks Pip for explaining the several that went unparsed, and setter for a rewarding challenge (especially COD ADORN) – and also for a great earworm in Burlesque by Family, with the great Roger Chapman pushing that extraordinary voice to its limits.
  12. Struggled more than I should have with this one, LOI EXILE like many others. My new Snitch average time has gone down by 35 seconds but I’ve just ruined it!

    COD: PILOT, nice surface.

    Yesterday’s answer: the capital of Wessex was Winchester.

    Today’s question: the Eden Project is in Cornwall, but in which county is the district of Eden?

  13. Slowed down by wanting the city to be Barcelona. No ornithophobic comments on THRUSH? (very irritating).
  14. Ree has flown over from Listener land, so no prob. Held up by NE corner. Knew what I was looking for in 4a, but couldn’t remember the word. Couldn’t think of a three-letter word for support apart from tee. LOI EXILE. Is an exile really the same as a refugee? Ah hae ma doots.

    Other than that, lots of clever stuff – e.g. ADORN – but the best of the day was BERMUDA SHORTS, which I thought was delightful.

    Edited at 2020-09-30 08:40 am (UTC)

  15. 17:18. Another who didn’t know REE. Held up by a few… not sure why BERMUDA SHORTS took me so long to see it was an anagram. Last 2 in ELEGANCE and EXILE gave me pause too. COD to CHAT UP.
  16. 14:58. I thought this was going to be another stinker when only two or three answers went in from my first pass through the acrosses, but I picked up speed as I went. Another nice puzzle.
  17. Another who relied on the wordplay for the REE bird. Got of to a RIGHT good start, and followed it up with an eyebrow raising THRUSH, before settling down to a normal rhythm and finishing slightly over my average time, with ELEGANCE, EXILE and RETROSPECT my last 3 in. 36:13. Thanks setter and Pip.
  18. Off the wavelength today, but finally wrestled this one into submission, taking a long time to see CHAT UP (I thought the “with” meant a “W”, so unsurprisingly I found it hard to come up with a convincing explanation for WHAT IF or even WHAT HO… Likewise, the ancient city took a long time to drop, and I was also puzzled by the unlikely sounding REEX, which surely came from Star Wars or something.
  19. As a relative newbie trying to graduate from the QC, I just wanted to thank the bloggers here for providing an interesting and great learning tool from which to try to improve.

    Also thanks to starstruck for the brilliant SNITCH. I’m using the history there to find easier crosswords to practice on.

    I’m not troubling the scorers too much at the moment but hope to make it on that list at some point, even if just squeezing in underneath your 45 minute cut-off!

  20. Thanks for the parse on ADORN Pip – it flew right past me. The ruff and REE birds (one is male and the other isn’t) used to feature quite often in the NY Times puzzles – I wouldn’t know them in the wild. Sadly BELGRAVIA, like the street I grew up on in London, is largely uninhabited by actual Londoners now. 16.21
      1. Come to that Keriothe, so was our apartment building in NY – only about 25%this summer. I believe it’s up to about 40 now.
        1. In Belgravia it’s nothing to do with Covid: it’s just that the houses are all owned by immensely wealthy foreigners who only spend a few weeks a year in London, if that.
  21. and storm-battered, first by the stupefying debate over the pond, now – infinitely more enliveningly – by this. Terribly slow but got there. 74 minutes. Fond memories of the old Quink ink-bottle.
  22. Like others held up by the elegance of the exile clue, which took several minutes. Thank you Pip for parsing ADORN, which was entered without seeing the mechanism.
    26:01
  23. BELGRAVIA took me a long time, as I couldn’t figure out which of “sadly” and “variable” was indicating and forming the anagram, and also because I was looking for cities rather than an area in a city. I thought ADORN was very clever. I hadn’t heard of “ree” either but as soon as I saw “quarry” in the clue it couldn’t be anything other than RE-EXAMINE.

    FOI Bright
    LOI Sponsored walk
    COD Adorn

  24. Mistyped one letter but otherwise pretty happy. One of days when you look at the finished grid and marvel at how so many interesting and varied words can fit in such a small space. What a language. Particularly enjoyed 21 and 24.
  25. Thought this would be easy to start with, but held up by RETROSPECT at the end, inexplicably. LOI RE-EXAMINE just because I didn’t understand it. Tx for the info, is this a new piece of essential vocabulary for solvers?
  26. I decided to get stuck into Tuesday’s behemoth (On the day I just wasn’t in the mood) and managed all but two in an hour 21ac ZIG-ZAGGY and 18ac BUZZ (No mention of Aldrin) SAW. 24ac SHONA was piss-poor IMO. 27ac NINESCORE COD & WOD.

    Then 34 minutes later 27782 was finished in a taxi ride to Gubei. Lovely sunny day – Golden Week is upon us.

    FOI 3dn THRUSH

    LOI 1ac! RIGHT

    COD 7dn QUICKSILVER

    WOD 4dn BELGRAVIA where my offices were 1990-1993 opposite the Cartoon Gallery.

    On edit I noted I was a DNF! At 11ac I accidentally wrote in SPONSORED WANK – don’t ask me why! My apologies to the ladies and those of a delicate disposition.

    Naughty chair please!

    Edited at 2020-09-30 02:25 pm (UTC)

  27. However it wasn’t down to difficulty like yesterday, but to incompetence. I thought 6D was “embrace” despite having written in “ance” already, and thus was left with “embrance”. This left 10A as “b-i-e” and I could only see “baize” which obviously didn’t fit the clue. 9 minutes wasted.

    COD BERMUDA SHORTS

  28. I really enjoyed this and finished in just over 25 minutes.
    Thanks to Pip for the blog which I needed for ADORN (how clever!), RETROSPECT and RE-EXAMINE.
    Amongst my favourites were EXILE (LOI), OVERACTIVE and FAIR TRADE. BERMUDA SHORTS has to be the anagram of the month – and my COD goes to OFFICE BLOCK for its clever wordplay.
    Thanks to the setter for a ‘do-able’ puzzle.
  29. Did not get far on yesterday’s but managed to get into this.
    Needed three sessions, the final one with a strong after-lunch coffee enough to get to the finish all correct(a surprise). I’d had TOILE at 10a for ages; couldn’t see anything better. The Chaucer clue seemed indecipherable but once LEG occurred to me, I managed to get ELEGANCE.
    At 15a OVERACTING finally gave way to Overactive and a close reading of 13d made me remove Ur, try Sparta and then finally Troy. A troy-umph!
    A lot of good clues; COD to SPONSORED WALK or OFFICE BLOCK.
    David
  30. 25:22. An enjoyable tussle. The cleverness of adorn was wasted on me, I just biffed that one not quite seeing how it parsed. I also thought there must be a reex bird so grateful for the blog for the parsing of reexamine. Spent a couple of minutes at the end staring blankly at 13dn until LOI retrospect emerged.
  32. Not sure exile and refugee are interchangeable. 13d has to be taken as ‘in that respect’ to make it work. 7d was flirting with mephistoism. And ‘dangerously‘ as an anagrind? Really? Sponsored Walk was pretty good though. Mr Grumpy
  33. Late entry as busy travelling yesterday and, alas, this will be my last effort till late next week. 24.52. An interesting mix of the blindingly obvious and some tricky dickies. Like others, I’d never heard of a ree and wasn’t entirely convinced on the use of rush in thrush but seeing the blog I suppose it makes sense.

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