Times 28209 – what about the Wurzels?

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
A reasonably straightforward Wednesday this week, with some QC type clues and no words with which I was unfamiliar. Even the two French cites were those which most would have heard of, if not visited. Four simple anagrams helped me along, to a time of 18 minutes with 17d my LOI.

Across
1 Bag is carried by short manservant (6)
VALISE – VALE(T) has IS inserted.
4 Skill a Greek character’s shown travelling round island (7)
SUMATRA – ART A MU’S = skill, A, Greek letter’s; all reversed.
9 What is sought by holy travellers is good mode of transport (5)
GRAIL – G (good) RAIL (mode of transport).
10 Looking at means for cutting back fossil-fuel industry? (9)
EXAMINING – AXE reversed, MINING.
11 Building material down street on edge of site (9)
BLUESTONE – BLUE (down) ST(reet) ON (SIT)E.
12 French city river, one end to the other (5)
TOURS – River STOUR (of which several in UK) has S moved to the other end.
13 Architect’s design’s ending with wood (4)
NASH – (desig)N, ASH = wood.
14 Smart head, one in hiding giving nothing away? (10)
STINGINESS – STING (smart) NESS (head) with I inserted.
18 Student from French city about to confront heretic (10)
SEMINARIAN – NIMES (French city) is reversed, add ARIAN = heretic.
20 Noise in church unpleasant, not half (4)
CHUG – CH, UG(ly).
23 Component for brewing supplied by a country (5)
MALTA – MALT used for brewing, A.
24 Tiresome person primarily out to play for time (9)
TEMPORISE – (TIRESOME P)*, the P from person primarily.
25 Tricks to grab open country in legal documents (9)
CONTRACTS – CONS = tricks, insert TRACT = open country.
26 Contaminate home, leaving rubbish round (5)
TAINT – IN (home) inside TAT (rubbish).
27 Little girl, daughter sheltered for a 24-hour period (7)
WEEKDAY – WEE KAY = little girl, insert D.
28 Maiden, kind person providing cattle food (6)
MANGEL – M(aiden), ANGEL = kind person.

Down
1 Very briefly ruler forms relationship with tramps (9)
VAGABONDS – V(ery) AGA (ruler) BONDS (forms relationship with).
2 Illness caught by the French groups involved in sport? (7)
LEAGUES – AGUE (illness) inside LES (the in French).
3 Climbing mountains, don’t mention that drop of rain (6)
SPLASH – ALPS reversed, SH = don’t mention that.
4 Car with its hood blown off, say (5)
STATE – ESTATE car loses E at front.
5 Keep very good set of books penned by master (8)
MAINTAIN – A1 NT = very good, set of books; insert into MAIN = master.
6 Series of notes about guy who was official in Rome (7)
TRIBUNE – RIB (guy, tease) inside TUNE (set of notes).
7 Legendary ship arrives finally in old city (5)
ARGOS – ARGO (Jason’s ship) S (end of arrives).
8 One bringing news about hotel employee? (8)
REPORTER – RE (about) PORTER (hotel employee).
15 Almost a disaster, messing up sir’s name (4,4)
NEAR MISS – (SIRS NAME)*.
16 Like some worms in gent’s meal unfortunately (9)
SEGMENTAL – (GENTS MEAL)*.
17 Single upright character being put out as spotless (8)
UNMARRED – UNMARRIED (single) has the I (upright character) removed.
19 Miscellany offered by wandering gleeman (7)
MELANGE – (GLEEMAN)*.
21 Addressing hospital, feeling unwell (7)
HAILING – H(ospital) AILING (feeling unwell).
22 Part not being performed, a Shakespearean female (6)
PORTIA – PORTION (part) loses ON (being performed), add A. As in The Merchant of Venice.
23 Bird rising in the morning with squawk (5)
MACAW – MA (AM reversed, = rising in the morning) CAW (squawk).
24 Cheap adhesive (5)
TACKY – double definition.

57 comments on “Times 28209 – what about the Wurzels?”

  2. I did not find this as much of a breeze as some people did. But I got there in the end. I never parsed PORTIA but she was the only Shakespearean female I knew who fitted the crossers. Struggled for a bit at the end with the SUMATRA, MAINTAIN, TRIBUNE bit. They are all obvious once you have one of them.
  3. Couldn’t parse PORTIA — was trying to see why O and I had to be inserted in anagram of PART. MER at BLUESTONE, as I only knew of the ones at Stonehenge, which aren’t part of the structures.
  4. One hour. LO’sI were the NE quarter. I had determine for examining which felt wrong so I deleted it and the rest began to flow. Had to look up temporise in the dictionary as I thought it was that but did not know the word. I spelled mangel “mangol” at first but looked it up as it didn’t parse, but with the e instead of the o it’s fine. Bluestone as a building material is pushing it a bit. I biffed a few. Thanks for clearing up the parsing, Pip, and for the blog.
  5. 16.33. LOI maintain, having tried to find the answer in a part of a castle. A forlorn adventure. My COD candidates would be sumatra, unmarred and seminarian , one of whom would no doubt study Arian.

    Thx setterand blogger.

  6. Didn’t find that too hard, and was happy to parse unmarred and portia. Good word, chug, though it had never occurred to me to define it as a noise. Reminds me of John Entwhistle’s bass-playing.

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