Times 27796 – when you’re a blogger…

Author   glhPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

Time taken: 11:46.

I was wondering if I was going to get to write the blog in this format – about a week ago the crossword club stopped working in my Chrome browser – I’d either get a loading screen that never turned into the puzzle, or I’d get a puzzle that wouldn’t let me type any answers into it. I changed to Firefox and all seemed to be working well, except the most recent version of firefox seems to block cutting and pasting of scripts into the console panel, like the one I use to extract the clues and format the blog.

Finally I figured out if I opened the non-crossword club version of the puzzle, I could fill it in using chrome (can’t submit, which is a pity, I could try being a neutrino – only took me 3:03 to enter the words again, and this time I could open the console and get the puzzle. Phew.

Long intro – I was expecting a stinker and this is a notch up in difficulty from the last few days, but not too bad. Some fun clues.

Across
1 Philosophy old yogi developed around energy (8)
IDEOLOGY – anagram of OLD,YOGI surrounding E(energy)
5 A change in store at sea? (6)
AFLOAT – A and then FLOAT(the money put into a till so a cashier can make change)
8 Very tired to start with, one usually sloshed (3)
SOT – SO(very) and the first letter in Tired
9 Ships one by one leaving Spithead for short time (10)
FLEETINGLY – a FLEET of ships, then SINGLY(one by one) missing the first letter of Spithead
10 Bad joints reported by those writing regularly? (8)
DIARISTS – sounds like DIRE(bad), WRISTS(joints)
11 Frank does cutting-edge work ahead of time (6)
HONEST – HONES(does cutting edge work) then T(time)
12 Black separatists initially forming gang (4)
JETS – JET(black) and the first letter of Separatists – one of the gangs in West Side Story
14 Aim to get fit, being wise (10)
REASONABLE – REASON(aim) and ABLE(fit)
17 Tissue a certain Frenchman chucked into grave (4,6)
BONE MARROW – ONE(a certain), M(frenchman) inside BARROW(grave)
20 College inventor making contribution to security (4)
YALE – double definition. The inventor is Linus Yale, inventor of the Yale lock.
23 Set pulsating disc on first audio device (6)
STEREO – anagram of SET, then O(disc) with RE(on) first
24 Who’d make good sort of theatre publicist? (8)
REPAIRER – REP theatre, then AIRER(publicist)
25 Loveless coupling made in the dark (10)
UNINFORMED – remove O(love) from UNION(coupling) then FORMED(made)
26 Closely follow tailless mammoth (3)
HUG – remove the last letter from HUGE(mammoth)
27 Pious figure clothed in most suitable room? (6)
VESTRY – ST(saint, pious figure) inside VERY(most). I had this parsed incorrectly, originally, thanks for pointing it out in comments.
28 Trading hub located in centre potentially (8)
ENTREPOT – hidden in cENTRE POTentially
Down
1 Type of crime where Jacob keeps account? (6,3)
INSIDE JOB – the account, or SIDE is IN JOB – well kinda. AC is INSIDE JOB (again thanks for the many commenters correcting my oversight)
2 What might be wide court passage (7)
EXTRACT – a wide is an EXTRA in cricket, then CT(court)
3 Radical English newspaper involved in deception (6)
LEFTIE – E(English), FT(Financial Times, newspaper), inside LIE(deception)
4 Plough through a translation from Latin (5,4)
GREAT BEAR – cryptic definition based on URSA MAJOR to GREAT BEAR to PLOUGH
5 Heard in dispute: what calls for blessing? (7)
ATISHOO – sounds like AT ISSUE
6 Famed LSD guru, smuggling in dope, died (9)
LEGENDARY – the LSD guru is Timothy LEARY, insert GEN(dope) and D(died)
7 Sailor, Yankee with girl climbing on the bed? (7)
ABYSSAL – AB(sailor), Y(yankee in the phonetic alphabet), then LASS(girl) reversed
13 Singular fruit with perfect flavour (9)
SPEARMINT – S(singluar), PEAR(fruit) and MINT(perfect)
15 Son nudges mum, seen by new representative (9)
SPOKESMAN – S(son), POKES(nudges), MA(mum), with N – loved this clue
16 Plant detective, getting smart (9)
EYEBRIGHT – the detective is a private EYE, then BRIGHT(smart)
18 Thrust forward, storming redoubt (7)
OBTRUDE – anagram of REDOUBT
19 Leading character in 21 can do what it does remotely (7)
ALOOFLY – 21 down is airship, so the first letter is A, then LOO(can), and the airship can FLY
21 Paris excited about greeting high-flier (7)
AIRSHIP – anagram of PARIS surrounding HI(greeting)
22 WW2 ace crossing loch finds God (6)
BALDER – the WW2 ace is Douglas BADER, insert L(loch) for a god I have only ever seen spelled BALDUR, but in Collins is given as BALDER.

50 comments on “Times 27796 – when you’re a blogger…”

  1. LOI AFLOAT, had no idea what FLOAT had to do with change, so thanks George for the enlightenment. 22d had me worried, as I was sure I didn’t know any WW2 aces; but to my surprise I did know this one. The spelling didn’t surprise me, although I’m sure I’ve seen ‘Baldur’ often enough. I assumed that wide and EXTRA were cricket terms, of which I’m ignorant. Biffed BONE MARROW, UNINFORMED, ALOOFLY, & the INGLY part of 9ac. COD to ALOOFLY, with honorable mention to UNINFORMED.
  2. A strange puzzle for me. I was flying, having entered 80% of the puzzle in 15 minutes. But 15 more minutes passed without entering a single letter.

    Eventually I started picking off a few more, but used the dictionary to look up GREAT YEAR (?) and EVEBRIGHT (?) only to learn the correct answers. My last one in was AFLOAT, that one clue taking approximately 10 minutes to solve. That meaning of FLOAT was unknown to me.

    Incidentally, so were both BADER and BALDER, but I happened to guess right, thinking that maybe BALDER(DASH) was an exclamation: God!

    Oh well!

  3. I took some time to unravel the NE and SW corners only then to submit without having put the U in HUG. I realised after I’d clicked to confirm but it was too late. Most annoying!
  4. Apart from the NW corner which went in quite easily I struggled with this, and the SW corner very nearly beat me. There were several unknown or forgotten words or bits of GK including LEARY (LSD guru), BALDER (god), ENTREPOT and ABYSSAL. I liked the “dire wrists”!

    No problem with FLOAT as “change” as I used to work in a department store (Soper’s of Harrow) in my student holidays and often “cashed up” the department till.

    65 minutes.

    There are many around here better placed to offer advice re your technical problems, George, but if they persist it may be worth uninstalling then re-installing Chrome. I’ve had no problems with Chrome on The Times site but I’ve had difficulties elsewhere which usually turn out to be something to do with Chrome extensions. Starting afresh with a clean installation may be helpful.

    Edited at 2020-10-15 05:13 am (UTC)

    1. I have had problems like that in the past. A simple solution you can try before reinstalling is to delete the cookies linked to the site. That worked for me when I had trouble a month or so ago.
    2. I won’t give the game away, but there’s an excellent example of one of the homophones you refer to above in yesterday’s Independent puzzle by Eccles. A great clue. Well, sort of anyway.
    3. My crikey, there’s a memory. Must have last gone there in about 1970, at a guess. I wonder if you’re old enough to have served me.

      Jim R

      1. I worked there on Saturdays and during college holidays 1965 to about 1970, mostly selling kitchen furniture but also toys at Christmas. Ronnie Barker was a regular customer.
  5. I enjoyed this, though I wasn’t entirely confident about a couple of my answers when I finished (at 52 minutes.) All was well, though. It was lucky I’d heard of the computer game series Baldur’s Gate to vaguely confirm my LOI, and I’m glad the GREAT BEAR did turn out to be somewhat related to the Plough, even though ploughs don’t look much like bears…

    Liked 5a AFLOAT, the “does cutting-edge work” of 11a, the surface of 25, and the cunning 1d jACob, among others.

  6. But swift as dreams, myself I found
    Within the Pilot’s boat.

    30 mins pre-brekker.
    NHO Balder and 4dn seems very dodgy to me.
    LOI and subsequently COD to Afloat. Also I liked the J(ac)ob device.
    Thanks setter and G.

  7. 27 across. Most = very. Suitable room (for a pious figure) is vestry.

    1 down. Jacob keeps ‘ac’ (account) inside ‘job’

  8. 10:33, taken over the ten-minute mark by a long pause at 5ac. I don’t know why, I’m perfectly familiar with this meaning of FLOAT. I did waste a bit of time trying to think of a word for a ship’s storeroom. DK BALDER or LEARY.
    George I think our anon visitor above has the right parsing for 27ac and 1dn.

    Edited at 2020-10-15 06:56 am (UTC)

  9. 27′ 35″, and pleased to finish correctly, doubts about BALDER and REASONABLE. COD to ALOOFLY.

    Thanks george and setter.

  10. Ran out of time with VESTRY and ALOOFLY left. Some clever stuff – INSIDE JOB, AFLOAT, DIARISTS etc. No complaints.
  11. A good time for a slightly harder than average crossword. Was a bit worried about REASONABLE – was it something else? Reason not quite aim, reasonable not quite wise…

    COD: ALOOFLY, hard but fair.

    Yesterday’s answer: Magdalen College is in Oxford, the one in Cambridge has an e on the end.

    Today’s question: what do Americans call the Plough? What do Americans call a plough?

    2. Biffed, comprehending only second part of clue that’s turned up in the New York Times? (6)

      Almost.

    3. Please don’t comment on puzzles other than the current one: I haven’t quite finished yesterday’s yet, so I prefer not to have help with it. And in general terms, I am sure I am not alone with this sentiment.
  12. 15.46 so a bit slower than previous days but no less enjoyable for that. FOI ideology, LOI reasonable. My fave probably bone marrow but honourable mentions for inside job, atishoo and great bear. Let’s see what Friday brings, maybe we’re being softened up for a demon.
  13. Liked this one, inventive … dnk Balder as opposed to Baldur, but had to be ..
    Best clue surely 1dn, J(AC)OB indeed ..
  14. 49 minutes with LOI AFLOAT. I’d never heard of BALDER but the Douglas Bader biopic Reach for the Sky was very big when I was that impressionable age. England centre-half Terry Butcher was later nicknamed after him because he was good in the air but crap on the ground. COD to INSIDE JOB by a short head from DIARISTS. ABYSSAL felt right but I don’t think I knew it. A tough puzzle where I felt I did well to finish. Thank you George and setter.
  15. 18:53. DNK the Norse god, my LOI with fingers crossed. I took a while to get INSIDE JOB – very clever (I see Anon above has shown my parsing). I enjoyed the dire wrists and ALOOFLY best.

    Edited at 2020-10-15 08:18 am (UTC)

  16. Like many of us, I had to guess a couple but they came good – eyebright and balder. I didn’t really get float either but it couldn’t be anything else. I suppose a float is normally made up of change – but does it have to be? Couldn’t it also be a wad of fivers? Leary under discussion recently after I read “How to Change your Mind” – rather good book about the possibilities of mescalin etc. Made me think it might be worth a go one day. Just to see.
    1. If I pay £10 for something costing £5 then the £5 note I get back is, in the relevant sense, change.
  18. but have to admit this took me over the 50-minute mark. As boltonwanderer glad to finish. Some lovely clueing: afloat, diarists (for a homophone at once crude and finely accurate), uninformed, vestry, the sneeze. Great stuff.
  20. Similar to plusjeremy I seized up with half filled in quite quickly.
    Knew EYEBRIGHT as I take it as a supplement. LOI ALOOFLY Looked all wrong at first sight.
  21. A few terms I hadn’t head of here (EYEBRIGHT, BALDER, ENTREPOT, ABYSSAL), but the cluing was fair in each case. Didn’t parse UNINFORMED. Spent a while trying to justify “freighters” for 9a before seeing FLEETINGLY, and thought of Timothy Leary for 6d without piecing together LEGENDARY, which didn’t come until near the end.

    FOI Ideology
    LOI Eyebright
    COD Inside job

  22. I shied a bit, like Angus, at 14a. Nice reminder of the W. Side Story song in 12a. Not sure why it took me that long now I come to look it over. Nice one. 25.19.

    I wonder if Pasquale, who set today’s Guardian puzzle, was the setter for yesterday’s Times 15×15 – there’s a very similar clue. Mindful of Vinyl’s admonition I won’t say which.

  23. Plenty of good clues today: DIARISTS, LEGENDARY, STEREO

    Did not fully parse INSIDE JOB, ALOOFLY and had NHO ENTREPOT nor BALDER though the parsing was easy enough.

    Familiar with FLOAT through Saturday working in shops (newsagent, then Sainsburys) in my teens.

  24. A reasonably smooth 33 min solve without any long hold-ups. The less common words were very fairly clued. Thanks setter! And thanks for the blog which I needed to explain bone marrow. Got entrepot from definition without realising it was a hidden. Liked inside job.
  25. I just managed to finish this correctly. Guessed ABYSSAL; remembered Reach For The Sky so knew Bader but not the god; DNK EYEBRIGHT but parsing clear enough. No problem with AFLOAT -probably my COD.
    I spent a long time on my last two ALOOFLY and VESTRY. Got 17a from Napoleon ( a certain Frenchman). As we say in golf: it’s not how, it’s how many. Time: over an hour.
    David
  26. I seem to have made a decent fist of this one, coming in on exactly 20 mins.

    I see that I biffed a few, e.g. AFLOAT and ALOOFLY (so thanks for the explanation), but equally pieced together a few e.g. EYEBRIGHT, BALDER and ABYSSAL.

  27. ….and was eventually relieved to finish it.

    A FLOAT is an amount of money carried by a taxi driver at the start of his shift. It allows the correct change to be given should the first customer or two produce a large denomination banknote. Many of my customers in the morning were heading for the Metrolink tram into Manchester, so needed change for the ticket machine, hence I usually came out with a £60 pound float. One morning my first four fares all produced £20 notes for fares of less than a fiver. You can’t win.

    FOI IDEOLOGY
    LOI ALOOFLY
    COD STEREO
    TIME 16:32

  28. I woke up this morning and thought it was Wednesday all over again! Then I realised the crossword was different.
    I enjoyed this one as I lurched around trying to catch up.

    Time 33 minutes with 19dn ALOOFLY as opposed to AUTOFLY my LOI.

    FOI 28ac ENTREPOT

    COD 1dn INSIDE JOB a clear winner today

    WOD has to be FLOAT – ‘greens, wads, cabbage, shekels, mzuma or if you requires the correct legal terminology M’Lud, sponduliks.’ – Flash Harry (George Cole) from ‘The Great St Trinian’s Train Robbery’

  29. Odd puzzle this one. At first attempt, took me over half an hour to get about half done. Left it alone, came back an hour later, and the missing answers popped up quickly, making me wonder why I’d not seen them sooner. ALOOFLY took a trawl to find a fitting word, and wasn’t convinced I had the right missing letters in REASONABLE, but I did. Liked AFLOAT and VESTRY for the good surfaces.
    Never had a problem, with Chrome on one PC or Firefox on the other, use the Times main puzzle page rather than the Crossword Club to open the puzzles for printing.
  30. Like others, I found this a mixture of straightforward and tricky. I liked Inside Job – cute, setter – and while I see the connection at Great Bear I’m not sure I follow the logic even now. Both Baldur and Bader were just on the edge of my mind, and since I can’t spell well that led to a mess. thanks, george

    Edited at 2020-10-15 03:42 pm (UTC)

  31. Aim is not a synonym for reason, able is not a synonym for fit and reasonable is not a synonym for wise. Apart from that, the clue was fine. Stephen
    1. Dear Qanon, incorrect on all counts: the reason for a future action I venture is an aim; able-bodied=fit as per the slang shagable; of reasonable mind is the ability to think wisely – with a degree of wisdom. The clue is just fine.

      Please apply, Meldrew

      1. Sorry. Reason for a future action is not an aim. An aim is what you wish to achieve from a future action
      2. “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
  32. A very late solve for me today, it not being my turn to burn the midnight oil, but I found it a fine piece of work which seemed to increase in complexity as I worked through. I did manage to get in under 20 minutes mind (just).
    DIARISTS was everything a soundzlike clue should be, close enough to be almost indistinguishable, cheekily punning, and with a decent surface that enhanced the merriment.
    BALDER went in because it couldn’t be anything else, but Wiki says it’s ok even if it’s usually BALDR.
    JOB’s internal AC system wins my CoD just ‘cos it’s a clever and innovative bit of cluing.

    When the club doesn’t work for me in Chrome (“looks like you shouldn’t be here”) cleaning all cookies seems to restore my credentials.

  33. 24:53 for a fun solve much enjoyed. Afloat went in fairly quickly because it appeared in a recent concise puzzle where I tried to shoehorn in aboard and made a complete hash of that entire corner of the grid. The desire to put freighters into 9ac lingered a little too long but I came up with fleetingly eventually. I was hesitant at reasonable but guessed that the dictionaries would probably support aim / reason and wise / reasonable. Fingers crossed for the unknown eyebright. The dire wrists homophone and the novel inside job were probably my favourites today.
  34. 54 minutes, but I did finish, with many clues biffed (or misunderstood). I didn’t know FLOAT as change, but I assumed it might be a triple definition, with AFLOAT as in “What’s afloat?” as a synonym for “in store”. Never heard of EYEBRIGHT, didn’t understand the superb clue for INSIDE JOB, found the GREAT BEAR a bit obscure (since for me it’s the Big Dipper, not the Plough), but I really enjoyed the DIARIST.
    1. It’s the Big Dipper in the US; I’ve always thought (known?) that it’s the Plough in the UK (which would be the Plow in the US, only it’s the Big Dipper).
  35. I encounter “high flier”. I fear
    That some bloody bird might appear
    But thanks to the setter
    This crossword is better
    The answer is AIRSHIP. I cheer!

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