Time taken: 16:08. I’m a little stumped on some wordplay, and I am a little worse for wear, having been out to an outdoor trivia night earlier, but I think this is tricky. In the early times, some of the folks I’m usually close to in time are way way way ahead of me, so I’m not sure what I’m missing.
It is late on the US east coast as a I write this, so if you have a question, check the comments first, and I’ll check in with a postscript early in the afternoon UK time.
Postscript: It appears the greatest fuss is over obesity for EMBONPOINT. I put it in without thinking much, as the last time it appeared in the Times cryptic was also one I blogged (27760, last September), where the direct definition was podginess. The Times uses Collins dictionary as the direct reference for the daily, which has “plumpness or stoutness, corpulence, excessive plumpness” as the noun definitions. I like that the clue has “something like” before obesity, maybe alluding to embonpoint being a more flattering term for a condition for someone of my frame.
Away we go…
Across | |
1 | Lassie clutches painter, shedding a tear (6) |
WRENCH – WENCH(lassie) containing RA(painter) minus A | |
4 | Copper cordoning off large featureless entertainment area (8) |
CLUBLAND – CU(copper) containing L(large) then BLAND(featureless) | |
10 | Rollick and roll around island (7) |
ROISTER – ROSTER(roll) surrounding I(Island) | |
11 | Corrective treatment in case of arson cheers police (7) |
ANTACID – exterior letters of ArsoN, then TA(cheers), CID(police) | |
12 | Attempt perhaps to streamline assembly (4) |
DIET – double definition, the second referring to a parliament. My last in | |
13 | Small wheeled vehicle: judge speed of runs? (6,4) |
STRIKE RATE – S(small), TRIKE(wheeled vehicle), RATE(judge). Cricketing term | |
15 | Sailor slammed Bleriot’s substandard work? (9) |
POTBOILER – PO(Petty Officer, salior), then an anagram of BLERIOT | |
16 | Back muscles hampering mum’s dance (5) |
SAMBA – reversal of ABS(muscles) containing MA(mum) | |
18 | A year in decline until now (2,3) |
AS YET – A, then Y(year) inside SET(decline, sink) | |
19 | “Gutsy” mariner departs with very little, scratching head (9) |
ABDOMINAL – AB(mariner), D(departs) and NOMINAL(very little) missing the first letter | |
21 | Something like obesity forcing MB into open (10) |
EMBONPOINT – anagram of MB,INTO,OPEN | |
23 | Heart of Polish politician yielding (4) |
LIMP – middle letters of poLIsh, then MP(politician) | |
26 | Rhetoric from a right-winger on “men” (7) |
ORATORY – A, TORY(right-winger) after OR(men) | |
27 | Pole, currently Liberal Member of Parliament? (4,3) |
BARN OWL – BAR(pole), NOW(currently), L(liberal) – reference to a collective noun of owls being parliament | |
28 | Lens measures tail of rat in various periods (8) |
DIOPTRES – last letter of raT inside an anagram of PERIODS | |
29 | Last words from unclad ladies you kiss (6) |
ADIEUX – middle letters of lADIEs, then U(you), X(kiss) |
Down | |
1 | Sent message with papers: note enclosed (5) |
WIRED – W(with), ID(papers) containing RE(musical note) | |
2 | Cathedral housing this writer’s books in particular (9) |
EMINENTLY – ELY(cathedral) cotaining MINE(this writer’s), NT(books) | |
3 | Censor’s pet duck? (4) |
CATO – CAT(pet), O(duck) | |
5 | Greener pasture close to edge, tree-covered (7) |
LEAFIER – LEA(pasture) then the last letter of edgE inside a FIR tree | |
6 | Irritating pong around different things modiste cleared out (10) |
BOTHERSOME – BO(body odour, pong), surrounding OTHER(different) then the exterior letters of ModistE | |
7 | Bow accountant raised capital abroad (5) |
ACCRA – ARC(bow) and CA(accountant) all reversed | |
8 | Game everyone supports to avoid British (9) |
DODGEBALL – ALL(everyone) after DODGE(to avoid), B(British) | |
9 | Harsh routine in workplace set up (6) |
BRUTAL – RUT(routine) inside LAB(workplace) reversed. I happen to work in a lab, so this was a write-in | |
14 | Discarding wellie, at home with foot problem? (7,3) |
BOOTING OUT – BOOT(wellie), IN(at home) and GOUT(foot problem) | |
15 | Orbiter‘s pilot and guide ultimately crashed (9) |
PLANETOID – anagram of PILOT,AND and the last letter of guidE | |
17 | Maiden opposing key monster in myth (9) |
MANTICORE – M(maiden), ANTI(opposing), CORE(key) | |
19 | Helper in society located moving north (7) |
ACOLYTE – hidden reversed in sociETY LOCAted | |
20 | Pest you’ll find on this flower (6) |
DANUBE – I had to look this up after putting it in from the second definition. I think Pest is referring to BUDAPEST which is on the Danube | |
22 | First couple of breakfast eggs served up well done (5) |
BRAVO – first two letters of BReakfast, then OVA(eggs) reversed | |
24 | While talking, gathers garden flowers (5) |
PHLOX – sounds like FLOCKS(gathers) | |
25 | Dry run during service (4) |
ARID – R(run) inside AID(service) |
What wordplay stumped you?
This was a good medium-level puzzle.
I had a very enjoyable stay in Budapest in the mid-80s, having to rely on some phrasebook vocab before my host turned up a day later than expected. A beer was about 3p.
Edited at 2021-06-24 03:18 pm (UTC)
Liked the sneakily-capitalised Pest, 2LOI. Diet LOI needing a minute or two at the end of a quickish solve. One guess required, the CORE part of manticore, which rang the faintest of bells.
Must have been a wavelength one, and I was on it.
Edited at 2021-06-24 05:05 am (UTC)
I’m ashamed to admit that I have always thought that EMBONPOINT was some sort of needlework but I wrote it in as my LOI because I knew the word and it was constructible from anagrist and checkers.
I thought the wordplay at 1ac was a bit cheeky if not actually dodgy, relying on a two-letter abbreviation that then needs one of its letters removed. I don’t recall seeing such a trick in a Times puzzle before and it’s the sort of thing could become silly if over-used.
The beautiful woman threw off her sabletrimmed wrap, displaying her queenly shoulders and heaving embonpoint.
Edited at 2021-06-24 04:20 pm (UTC)
G, you need RA rather than AR at 1a.
DANUBE was really rather a good clue— have been to Budapest a few times and loved it each time. Did get drenched to the bone on a train holiday with my kids a few tears ago in a huge thunderstorm just before catching our onward train to Bucharest and having to rapidly dry copious banknotes under the airdryers in the station loos. Happy times.
Thanks George and the setter for an enjoyable puzzle
Seldom criticise setters, knowing that i couldn’t do better…..but just for once I believe a better clue might have been available at 15 across
PO is also “Pilot Officer”, and so suggest that “Flier” instead of “Sailor” might have yielded a more convincing surface.
And silent was the flock in woolly fold:
After 30 mins I had the Clubland/Bothersome and Acolyte/Dioptres unfilled.
Obscur-ish words as anagrams. This setter didn’t get the memo.
Thanks setter and G.
FOI 3dn CATO
(LOI) 17dn MANTICORE the Sphynx – a winged lion – George never shows much interest in such things.
COD 20ac DANUBE – Pest! with Hon. Ment. to 24dn PHLOX – Back in the nineties had a ‘Gardener’s World’ philo-phlox.
I clearly remembered Kevin’s note on EMBONPOINT – so it was a right-in! Right on Kev!
I received my new BLUE (I don’t believe it!) passport today, issued by the British Consulate, Shanghai – I’m good to go until 10 June 2031 – but will I ever get a flight! Or a vaccine for that matter! Don’t fly DELTA! Mood Meldrewvian.
Edited at 2021-06-24 08:27 am (UTC)
Had to trust the wordplay for CATO as my knowledge of the Romans is terrible, but enjoyed this otherwise. I thought DANUBE was very clever.
adjective
Stout, plump or full in figure
noun
Stoutness or plumpness
“The plump or fleshy part of a person’s body, in particular a woman’s bosom.”
Slightly different.
Liked PHLOX and MANTICORE. Need to check out EMBONPOINT. I have been to Budapest, indeed was talking about it yesterday, but failed to parse the DANUBE clue.
Thanks george and setter.
A perfect evening recalled by the Pest clue. On the Buda side in 1989, with family at a restaurant called the Fekete Hollo* (incredibly, it’s still there) fabulous food, stupidly cheap for us. Buda was not well lit, so you could see the stars. Carriages trotted by on the cobblestones, and two beautiful East German girls nearby played immaculate Bach on violins. Heaven needs to take note on how it’s done.
*Thieving Magpie. Its silhouette in metal juts from the wall.
Beaten by a combo of the hidden word and diopters.
Manticore no problem for an ELP acolyte (quick side reference to the great Steve Hackett).
Thanks, g.
DIOPTRES is an obscure word clued with an anagram, but I think with a bit of ‘that looks like a word’ sense you can work out where to put the letters.
There was a story in the papers yesterday about a group of French football fans who missed the France Hungary match because they booked flights to Bucharest by accident.
MANTICORE ninja-turtled from the record label ELP used to record on (complete with helpful little picture of one).
Was fixed on ‘me’ for this writer and didn’t see the obvious Ely for cathedral. Nor did I think eminently worked for ‘in particular’. Didn’t know manticore so was left with three blank spaces. Forgot the collective noun for owls so failed to work that one out. Didn’t know phlox (not into gardening) and couldn’t see Danube. Threw in toss instead of boot (for reasons no longer obvious to me) so 18 ac was impossible.
I was enjoying it until I got stuck.
COD acolyte, I nice hidden and a reminder of altar boy days long ago.
Thanks to setter and blogger
Very enjoyable if perhaps not my quickest effort.
COD DANUBE
Took a while to think it out and see the cryptic. Otherwise all good and a pleasurable solve.
Derek
I take solace in the fact that I probably wasn’t going to get PHLOX anyway.
Chewy like the last two this week. I’m finding it easier to get thru these with a morning solve.
Edited at 2021-06-24 04:44 pm (UTC)
LOI 19d “acolyte”. I’m beginning again to fail to pick up hidden clues — doh!
COD 20 d “Danube” where the eventual PDM made me smile.
Thanks to GHL for the blog and the setter for an enjoyable puzzle.
Edited at 2021-06-24 06:43 pm (UTC)
I sensibly entered DIOPT–S and waited for the rather late PDM on ACOLYTE (excellent clue !) before selecting the spelling.
FOI AS YET
LOI DIET
COD DANUBE
TIME 9:58