Times 28257 – what larks! – Times for The Times

I think our setter was in a good mood when he put this together; I certainly enjoyed the wit and unusual nature of a few of the clues. A little GK was needed to fully understand 4d, 13a, 16d, 19d and 27a, but not essential as the wordplay was straightforward. Washing babies is not something I’ve done, or indeed would wish to do, but I can visualise the need for concentrating on certain parts when in a hurry. And I do prepare vegetables sometimes.

Across
1	Given no option about a meal in the police canteen? (5-3)
	FORCE-FED – cryptic definition, très droll.
9	Witch wearing make up perhaps important element of diet (8)
	ROUGHAGE – HAG (witch) is wearing ROUGE.
10	Way I must feed small dog (6)
	WESTIE – WEE = small, insert ST I for way I. West Highland Terrier yap yap.
11	Quickly wash baby and prepare vegetables (3,3,4)
	TOP AND TAIL – double definition. Mrs K assures me this is a thing you do to babies, presumably the face and the rear end are involved.
12	Unusual, having day off to see dam (4)
	WEIR – WEIRD loses D.
13	Coach under way past square (4-2-4)
	FOUR-IN-HAND – IN HAND (under way) comes after FOUR two squared.
16	Regular signal to stop reversing through airport (7)
	ORDERLY – RED (stop signal) is reversed inside ORLY airport south of Paris.
17	Argue over number in diplomatic body (7)
	CONTEND – ON (over) TEN (number) inside CD, corps diplomatique, as seen on number plates on cars often illegally parked in London.
20	Look curiously around storage unit at residence, one for clergy (10)
	PRESBYTERY – PRY (look curiously) around RES(idence) BYTE (storage unit of data).
22	Would be important person with his writers (4)
	NIBS – “HIS NIBS” means someone important.
23	Two members of family, one failing to finish crossword? Nonsense (5,5)
	MUMBO JUMBO – MUM, BO(Y), = two members of family; JUMBO crossword.
25	The reason that keeps one writing fantasy (6)
	WHIMSY – WHY (the reason that…) insert I and MS for writing.
26	One short of a score regularly unfit, even after practice (8)
	NINETEEN – NI (regular letters of unfit) NET (practice, as in cricket net) E’EN poetic for even.
27	Blind prophet wearies one, equally (8)
	TIRESIAS – TIRES (wearies) I, AS (equally). “In Greek mythology, Tiresias was a blind prophet of Apollo in Thebes, famous for clairvoyance and for being transformed into a woman for seven years.” Presumably seven years was long enough and he wanted to be one of the lads again. The Greeks knew how to define a woman.

Down
2	Take in too much conversation, perhaps, as eavesdropper may (8)
	OVERHEAR – double defitition, one whimsical.
3	Help with harvest? Not all Irish do slapdash work (3,7)
	CUT CORNERS – CUT CORN = help with harvest, ERS(E) = not all (poetic language) Irish.
4	Supports for “floater” and “stinger\|” showing unexpected weakness (4,2,4)
	FEET OF CLAY – FEET (supports) for Mohammad Ali otherwise Cassius Clay, who said he could “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”.
5	Proud to put out and leave course (4,3)
	DROP OUT – (PROUD TO)*.
6	Poet’s endless stream (4)
	BURN – Rabbie BURNS is endless.
7	Chap with stories for some other time (6)
	MANANA – MAN (chap) ANA (stories, legends). MANANA meaning tomorrow in Spanish therefore ‘not today’. It was the same experience in Greece (àvrio) and France (demain) tomorrow meant ‘one day perhaps’.
8	Private Society avoided admitting Conservative (8)
	SECLUDED – S (society) ELUDED (avoided) insert C.
14	In retreat, keep following banned subject for trade (5,5)
	IVORY TOWER – IVORY = banned import, TOWER = keep.
15	Admit NHS is struggling and inconsistent (3-3-4)
	HIT-AND-MISS – (ADMIT NHS IS)*. Even in Rutland, it is. No doctors appointments available last week.
16	Golden pepper shortly providing yellow pigment (8)
	ORPIMENT – OR (golden, in heraldry) PIMENT(O). A yellow arsenic sulfide mineral found near volcanoes.
18	Lincoln’s state banker failing: only a shilling in it (8)
	NEBRASKA – insert A S into (BANKER)* to get the state of which Lincoln is the capital.
19	Zone round edge of Mestre available as refuge from Venice (7)
	BELMONT – BELT = zone, around M (edge of Mestre) ON (available). You needed to have “done” The Merchant of Venice, as I did for O Level many years ago, to understand this; Venice was the lively place and Belmont was the tranquil countryside round about.
21	Trimming on robe I claim uncertainly? (6)
	ERMINE – if you said “ER… MINE?” you’d be claiming uncertainly.
24	Line added to US soldier’s very short book (4)
	JOEL – JOE as in G.I. JOE, L for line; one of the 12 minor prophets with a short book in the Bible.

49 comments on “Times 28257 – what larks!”

Just following on from Mondays print issues o saw in the comments on the club page someone admitted to solving by print then entering online and here he is on the leaderboard again today at 3 minutes plus change. Why would anyone do that? Very odd

Excellent puzzle today with the unknowns generously clued I felt. Had to check Belmont pre sub though.

Thanks pip and setter

…I’ve read The Merchant of Venice, but that was a long time ago, so my LOI was an inexplicable SEGMENT. TOP AND TAIL was unknown to me… ORPIMENT, with all the crossers in, I still entered hesitantly because so much of the answer is in the clue, in “pigment.” These were the three I was still stuck on when I woke up this morning. Enjoyable nonetheless.

Well I knew it was going to happen. After yesterday’s glory, bang, crash, wallop into the dreaded abyss of DNF land. Another VERMONT, and couldn’t see WEIR. Somehow managed to get the NHOs,TIRESIAS and ORPIMENT from the wordplay. NEBRASKA guessed.

Why is it, that just when you think you are getting on top of things (ie your brain is still working) these crafty setters come back at you with a vengeance? Well, I suppose we do like a challenge.

Thanks Pip and setter.

4d was bifd with checkers, but I had a glorious PDM while making a lunchtime sandwich, when “float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” came to mind. Definitely my COD. Sadly, however, my successful run finished today with 19d. Yes, I have read Merchant of Venice, I’ve also seen it, but Belmont rang no bells, and I eventually threw in Vermont… and the towel.

20.32 but failed with belmont. Put in segment without really being convinced but had no better option. Some tricky cluing I thought. Feet of clay was wonderful but though I got the answer the parsing escaped me. Likes whimsy, joel and um my favou, ermine.
Thx setter and blogger.

Knew Tiresias well enough to have guessed him from the wordplay, but since I’m reading a new translation of Antigone just I now didn’t even need that. I was irked by the extraneous character in “stinger|” — I guess typos like that are the price we pay for telling the typesetters ‘do not fix it — what the setter wrote may be misspelt and ungrammatical, but it’s just what he or she wants.’

35.51. The closing stages of this one were pretty hard graft. The unknown orpiment and four-in-hand could be worked out but weren’t entirely convincing. The known contend and presbytery had to be but I never did quite parse them leaving me feeling a little uncertain. Knew Tiresias from Sophocles so that went in pretty quickly. Knew Belmont from The Merchant of Venice but it took an age to dredge it up.

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