Times 28,139: Better Eryri than Errory

Author   VerlainePosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
I don’t want to sound ungrateful or anything but I’d knocked this one down in 330 seconds or so which by my calculations makes it a little easy for a Friday puzzle. HAVING SAID THAT some of the clues I liked best only revealed their true goodness post-solve – I’d
bunged in 22ac, 5dn (my COD I reckon), 9dn etc and rather enjoyed them upon proper parsing.

Could have done with some more abstruse vocab possibly. 6dn may be a bit rare? But I used to make them as a kid, studding olives full of cloves until they resembled Pinhead the Cenobite – happier times. Thank you setter, enjoyed!

Definitions underlined, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Couple of poor grades withheld by lady in disgrace (6)
DEFAME – E and F are poor grade. Why are they “withheld” by DAME? Does withhold mean the same as hold? Answers on a postcard.
4 Bug-infested support mechanism using office equipment (8)
STAPLING – a SLING is a support mechanism, it is infested by a TAP or telephonic bug.
10 Present teacher hugged by Welsh girl briefly in Welsh region (9)
SNOWDONIA – NOW DON hugged by SIA{n}. An easy clue for a North Welshie like me.
11 Person building union of two generations? (5)
MASON – MA and SON represent two consecutive generations.
12 Fish finger initially cut (3)
EEL – {f}EEL
13 Crawler, irritating little thing in failing cult (5,6)
STICK INSECT – TICK is the irritating little thing, inside SIN [failing] + SECT
14 Class that is offensive (6)
SORTIE – SORT, I.E.
16 Sharp blade in copse initially seen on tree (7)
ACERBIC – B{lade} I{n} C{opse} seen on ACER
19 Smooth, yet unfashionable (4,3)
EVEN OUT – yet is EVEN, unfashionable is OUT
20 Dig popular ruler going two-thirds of the way? (6)
INSULT – IN SULT{an}
22 Sweet, immortal queen OK (11)
MARSHMALLOW – MARS, an immortal god, plus H{er} M{aj}, plus ALLOW
25 Those ending on safari, epic game reserve (3)
ICE – {safar}I {epi}C {gam}E. “Ice” never really means reserve outside of crossword puzzles, but you just have to know it does mean it (in a “frostiness” sense) in them.
26 Little bit hot in gerbil cages (5)
TINGE – {ho}T IN GE{rbil}
27 In store, no rocks: just this one? (9)
IRONSTONE – (IN STORE NO*)
28 Shift time for sport (8)
DRESSAGE – a shift is a DRESS, time is an AGE
29 Stuff provided sent back before lunch? (6)
DEFEAT – reversed FED [provided] before EAT [lunch]
Down
1 Ruined, as is the next clue? (6)
DASHED – there is an em-dash in the next clue. Unless it’s an en-dash. Never quite sure
2 Pay nothing to fill ditch — free! (9)
FOOTLOOSE – to pay a bill is to FOOT it, and then 0 “fills” LOSE [ditch]
3 Subject of cautionary tale sorrowful, I am upset (5)
MIDAS – reversed SAD I’M
5 I’m grateful Sri Lankan hero has penned some yarns? (6,1,7)
THANKS A MILLION – TAMIL LION has “penned” HANKS
6 Air fresheners required when first of muck spread on ground (9)
POMANDERS – (M{uck} SPREAD ON*)
7 Leader dissociated from lies, potentially, in publication (5)
ISSUE – {t}ISSUE
8 Characteristic study I confess primarily into catlike animals (8)
GENETICS – I C{onfess}, into GENETS
9 Illegal use of dope when part of team, customary within group (7,7)
INSIDER TRADING – IN [part of] SIDE [team] + TRAD [customary] within RING [group]. Dope as in info
15 Weak — as a sucker? (9)
TOOTHLESS – if you have no teeth, you’ll be doing a lot of sucking. I had my wisdom teeth out this week, so I can attest
17 Indian food: second helping in US city (9)
BALTIMORE – BALTI? Please sir can I have some MORE
18 Bound to adopt measure — thus cyclist protected? (8)
HELMETED – HELD “adopting” METE
21 Becoming standard finally, European coin (6)
DECENT – {standar}D E(uropean) CENT
23 Reach series of peaks (5)
RANGE – double def
24 West and east winds blow (5)
WASTE – W + (EAST*)

68 comments on “Times 28,139: Better Eryri than Errory”

  1. I drew a blank on the NW Frontier, so moved diagonally and managed to start quickly with the reserve strategy. ICE, WASTE and IRONSTONE soon had me off the mark. A foray into the SW produced more rewards and MARSHMALLOW soon provided even more assistance. THANKS A MILLION loomed from the biffing mist, and was the only clue I didn’t bother to parse, so really glad it wasn’t billion! The remains of the SE were proving resistant, so I headed back to the NW and managed to get DEFAME and DASHED, which allowed me to complete the quarter with EEL and FOOTLOOSE. Back then to the SE where 17d, 20a and 29a awaited. A posited EAT for lunch brought the stuffing to light, then BALTIMORE hove into view, with INSULT arriving shortly after. An enjoyable puzzle. 22:55. Thanks setter and V.
  2. Struggled with FOOTLOOSE, my ditch was a hole, and was never going to work. That held me up for the NW, and I had to come here to understand 1d, being a bear with little brain.
    The rest of it was a steady but satisfying slog through the clues. LOI DEFEAT pretty obvious when you get it.
    WOD SNOWDONIA nice to see the local hills get a mention
    1. Snowdonia was my anti-WOD. As a non-UKian my knowledge of the geography of the lesser-known parts of UK is close to zero; and I despise all clues which include random boys’ or girls’ names, and doubly-despise random foreigners’ (i.e. non-English) names.
      1. Don’t let the Welsh hear you describe their country (and the highest mountain in the UK outside of Scotland) as lesser-known! They’ll be waving leeks and daffodils at you in an extremely hostile manner!

        Edited at 2021-11-19 09:31 pm (UTC)

        1. They might even unleash Bill Oddie and Ecky Thump. Is that Welsh?
          But: Snowdon as a “mountain” is very dissimilar to any “region”. Same way as Everest is unlike Nepal.

      2. Quite surprised as Snowdon is the highest mountain in England and Wales and has a very famous railway built a hundred years ago which goes to the top!
        1. But not the highest mountain in England or the UK. And also, to reperat: Snowdon as a “mountain” is very dissimilar to any “region”.
  3. Mostly harmless — usual amount of biffing missing the finer points of INSIDER TRADING, THANKS A MILLION, MARHMALLOW, STAPLING, STICK INSECT and GENETICS.

    Like many, DEFEAT was the last one in, having pondered for several minutes before finally looking at Stuff in a different way.

  4. the Thanksgiving recipes – green bean casserole can be botulistic according to my English mother! I do so love pecan pie! And parkin! Marshmallows I can do without. I was rather surprised that ‘Pomanders’ were not better known – I like Olivia know of oranges studded with cloves and carried by ladies in wimples, to ward off medieval viruses. 6dn my clue of the day. PS My time was a not too shabby 11.11 minutes.

    Edited at 2021-11-19 02:01 pm (UTC)

  6. I can’t see how defame and disgrace mean the same thing. To bring shame on someone is not the same thing as saying unkind and untrue things about them. At least they’re different in my world. Rejected defame for that reason and also the awkward use of withholding. Didn’t like dashed either. No one would say 2dn was dashed. There’s a dash in it but that ain’t the same thing in my world.

    Good crossword otherwise. Thanks Setter. Please excuse my moaning …

    1. Quite a high level of moanage there, bro! Such subtleties passed me by; happy as I was to find something to fit the gaps, which wasn’t calumy (sic) or infamy. Defeated by defeat on the half hour though. Would never have got eat for lunch in a million/billion years
  7. bother on a Friday, but today is a bit slack workwise, so I gave it a go.

    Quite pleased to have finished, yet alone in around half an hour.

    LOI was DEFEAT, which fell quite quickly. INSIDER TRADING probably my COD.

    33:28

    Edited at 2021-11-19 03:00 pm (UTC)

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