Times 28,175: Goodbye To All That

Author   VerlainePosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
The very last puzzle of 2021 offers a plethora of 2022 holiday destination ideas, for when this Omishambles dies down and the world throws open its doors once more. Mexico, Andalusia, champagne in the Alps, Columbia, Bangkok and Cambodia, the dusty Sahara, New Zealand, all fabulous options that this globetrotting grid proposes for our pleasure.

There was a real sense of playfulness and invention to the cryptic elements to match – I was much tickled by 10ac, 18ac, 3dn and more besides. Thanks setter! My only regret is that solving and blogging on a Dvorak keyboard is very slow work, but who knows, maybe this will be the year I finally don’t blow off my resolutions and master the damn layout. Here’s to faster typing speeds in 2022, for us all!

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

Across
1 Worried about grasping unknown ancient language (5)
AZTEC – ATE C [worried | about] “grasping” Z. Isn’t the language more properly “Nahuatl”?
4 Resent shift, say, ending for worker inside (8)
BEGRUDGE – BUDGE, E.G. {worke}R inside that
8 Work allowing you to take extended leave? (3,4,7)
THE LONG GOODBYE – a Raymond Chandler work, with added cryptic definition of its title
10 Unhealthy condition of Society? That’s the case across the pond (9)
SINUSITIS – S(ociety) + IN U.S. IT IS
11 Two playing partners love to get through (3,2)
DUE TO – DUET + 0
12 Reading for one’s partner no longer suitable for him or her (6)
UNISEX – UNI’S EX [e.g. Reading’s | partner no longer]
14 Unusual shop, said to be one containing bar? (8)
SOAPDISH – (SHOP SAID*)
17 Palace supporter following city going to West Ham (8)
ALHAMBRA – BRA, following L.A. (written from east to west) + HAM
18 One leaving lingerie promotion possibly somehow reanimated (6)
UNDEAD – UND{i}E AD
20 European state chancellory taking back exhibits (5)
TYROL – hidden reversed in {chancel}LORY T{aking}
22 Canvas creator’s realism somehow capturing a king (9)
SAILMAKER – (REALISM*) “capturing” A K
24 I, in turn, no longer having influence, make huge effort (2,3,2,4,3)
GO OUT OF ONES WAY – ONE, in GO + OUT OF SWAY
25 Sticky matter, new poetry book being sent back for late supplement? (8)
ADDENDUM – all of MUD N EDDA reversed
26 Sports for kids (3,2)
HAS ON – double def. As in, “he has a onesie on? You’re having me on!”
Down
1 A white cat in a street isn’t rare, ultimately (4,8)
ASTI SPUMANTE – PUMA in A ST ISN’T {rar}E
2 What could be Bangkok hotel’s sound promotional material (3-2)
TIE-IN – homophone of THAI INN
3 Contradictory facial expression for one providing support (9)
CROSSBEAM – a “cross beam” would appear to be an oxymoronic facial expression
4 City airline crossing from South African country (6)
BOGOTA – B.A. “crossing” TOGO (written from south to north)
5 Merchandise on the way? Bravo! (4,4)
GOOD SHOW – GOODS on HOW [the way, as in, “the way we live now”]
6 Cancelled one for each of 18 (5)
UNDID – UND{ea->I}D
7 Endless zest in good French school is something sweet (9)
GLYCERINE – RIN{d} in G LYCEE
9 Awfully odd time, in theory, to cheat (2,3,5,2)
DO THE DIRTY ON – (ODD T IN THEORY*)
13 Sort of royal club for US dramatist (9)
ISHERWOOD – ISH E.R. WOOD [sort of | royal | club]
15 Pub drama involving politician in French city (5,4)
PHNOM PENH – P.H. NOH “involving” M.P. EN
16 Most of new school having walls painted (8)
FRESCOED – FRES{h} CO-ED
19 Sand blaster in my opinion cuts small round marks (6)
SIMOOM – IMO “cuts” S O M
21 See something worthwhile in blackguard (5)
LOUSE – LO! USE
23 Birds mostly peck, with one poking inside (5)
KIWIS – KIS{s}, “poked” by W I [with | one]

76 comments on “Times 28,175: Goodbye To All That”

  2. 30.50. Superb puzzle which felt like it was just about at the limit of my solving ability.
  3. Crashed and burned after an hour, having made pitiable progress. On seeing the answers I realize this is a fine puzzle, which on another day, I might have done justice to.

    Overwhelmed by lassitude, not helped by the prospect of attending our French/Mexican neighbours’ New Year celebration this evening. Aieee Caramba!!

    Thanks to Verlaine and the setter,

  4. I’ll call this “pleasantly difficult” because I managed to finish it in about 45 minutes without aids, after a tiring and muddy game of golf. Didn’t parse BOGOTA (I thought TOGO was in West Africa?) and wrote in ISHERWOOD thinking is he really an American playwright?
    Like others, I’d have spelt PHNOM PENH wrongly if we didn’t have the wordplay to help.
    Thanks V for blog and Happy New Year. I hate to think what garbage might result if I tried to learn a Dvorak keyboard when my fingers know QWERTY.

    Edited at 2021-12-31 04:29 pm (UTC)

  5. ‘Live Journal’ is really not terribly suitable IMHO. They remind me of the 18ac.
    I managed this in 18:31 minutes – delayed in posting by Tea with Mussolini! My COD has to be 1dn ASTI SPUMANTE and WOD SIMOOM! Like me ISHERWOOD was half-American.

    Edited at 2021-12-31 04:47 pm (UTC)

  6. Again, I didn’t get to this until morning, and since I generally get up at 10 a.m. NYC time, there’s not much now for me to add. A solid workout, but not too frustrating. LOI ASTI SPUMANTE—brilliantly hidden definition.
    HNY, and I hope everyone worked last Sunday’s Xmas special…
  8. I felt I was really being stretched and having to work overtime for much of this, and was convinced I was going to end up with a very ignominious DNF with multiple clues unsolved. But not only did I complete the puzzle correctly; somehow it had only taken me 11.06, my third-best time ever. It’s not so often that I come in at under 15 minutes so I’m not sure exactly what time-space wormhole I was operating out of today… but I’d sure like to know how to access it again 🤔

  9. Time taken. All day. This puzzle had the highest snitch that I, like others, have ever managed to finish.

    FOI AZTEC
    LOI SIMOOM after grinding the word out of the cryptic elements with all the checkers in place.

    Happy new year to you all with particular thanks to those that have the skill and the time to deliver the blog.

  10. Touch and go as to whether I could sneak under the hour for this — just missed that mark. The hardest clue for me was that for GO OUT OF ONE’S WAY for which I never had more than three checkers for 95% of the time taken.

    For me, it was a top right to bottom left kind of solve, TYROL and LOUSE being the two penultimates.

  11. My apologies for late reply-too much celebrating! You raise an interesting point. I checked on Fender’s web pages and there are mentions of ash and alder having different tones, and this quote: “Red alder boasts many sonic advantages”. So I do think there is something in it….

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