Times 28407 – diary of a nobody knows.

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

No major problems here, finishing in 20 minutes, although I can’t quite see how 11a works.

 

Definitions underlined in bold, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, anagrinds in italics.

Across
1 Diamonds appropriate for waterproof container? (3,3)
ICE BAG – ICE = diamonds, BAG = appropriate, take.
5 Lead bloke who presents weather forecast? (5,3)
FRONT MAN – double definition, one tongue in cheek referring to a man discussing “fronts” on a synoptic weather chart.
9 Rabble repeated phrase by gunmen very loudly (8)
RIFFRAFF – RIFF a repeated phrase in jazz for example; RA for gunmen, FF = very loudly. I’d have expected a hyphen.
10 Top males welcomed by clubs, say (6)
SUMMIT – M M inside SUIT as in cards.
11 What’s covered by up-to-date diaries occasionally (3,3,4)
NOW AND THEN – Well, what’s the word play here? I can see NOW = up-to-date, and EH = what, reversed in there, but what have diaries got to do with it? If a diary were up-to-date, then maybe it would include things that happen NOW AND things that happened THEN?
13 Open University’s accepting piano piece (4)
OPUS – P inside O.U.’S.
14 Initially dampen excitement that runs round room (4)
DADO – D(ampen), ADO (excitement). A dado rail runs around a room at around waist height, at least it does in our living room.
15 Bear expert around noon giving tacit assent (10)
SUFFERANCE – SUFFER (bear) ACE (expert) with N for noon inserted.
18 We’re spoiled with wealth that kept mill going (5,5)
WATER WHEEL – (WE’RE WEALTH)*.
20 Coach trip’s beginning with no money (4)
BUST – BUS (coach) T(rip).
21 Maybe Rosemary‘s wrapped in feather boa (4)
HERB -slightly hidden as above.
23 Staff on the road primarily sell drinks on behalf of church (5,5)
SALES FORCE – S(ell), ALES (drinks) FOR (on behalf of) CE (Church of England).
25 What some do when all but first of harvest fails? (6)
STARVE – (ARVEST)*, the dropped H being “all but first of”).
26 One who talks about exercising person in exchange (8)
OPERATOR – ORATOR (one who talks) with PE (exercising) inserted. When did we last see a live operator in a telephone exchange? Do we still have exchanges?
28 Old American stands in for one in household very well (D8)
FAMOUSLY – FAMILY = household, replace the I by O US).
29 Stand up to soak sibling coming in (6)
RESIST – RET  + soak, insert SIS(ter).
Down
2 Sausage and cool drink passed round volunteers (9)
CHIPOLATA -HIP (cool) with COLA around and TA inserted.
3 Polish aluminium ring — for its nose? (7)
BUFFALO -BUFF (polish) AL (Al, aluminium), O (ring). My American Word Press spell-checker doesn’t approve of the I in aluminium, but I see from Wiki that both spellings have co-existed since the time of Humphrey Davy in 1811.
4 State aim inconclusively (3)
GOA -aim = GOAL, lose the end letter.
5 Female stops suitable husband in interval in bar (5)
FIFTH – FIT (suitable) insert F for female, add H for husband.
6 Blair admitting issue with tablets for film-maker (5,6)
ORSON WELLES -Eric Blair was the real name of George ORWELL; insert SON (issue) gives ORSONWELL: add E’S (ecstasy tablets).
7 Vault over large area’s fair game (7)
TOMBOLA – TOMB (vault for burial) O(ver) L(arge) A(rea).
8 A drive out every so often can be so long (5)
ADIEU – A then alternate letters of D r I v E o U t.
12 Course used to be owned by female cleaners (11)
DISHWASHERS – DISH (food course) WAS (used to be) HERS (owned by female).
16 Pay for each experience at the start (3)
FEE – initial letters of For Each Experience.
17 Farm produce can cut credit in outlets (4,5)
CASH CROPS – CA(N) = can cut, SHOPS = outlets, insert CR for credit.
19 Ban doctor boarding English ship in the past (7)
EMBARGO – E, MB (doctor) ARGO (Jason’s ship).
20 Isle of Man swimmer’s collecting organic fuel (7)
BIOMASS – IOM (Isle of Man) inserted into BASS a fish / swimmer.
22 More wide possibly (5)
EXTRA – Double definition. What would setters do if cricket hadn’t been invented?
24 Stupid place to go with pony not performing (5)
LOOPY – LOO (place to “go”), PY (pony loses the ON = performing).
27 Royal couple put their foot in it (3)
ERR -ER (Elizabeth Regina) R (Rex).

89 comments on “Times 28407 – diary of a nobody knows.”

  1. I found this pretty easy apart from a brief holdup in the SE corner. I was slow to get BUST, LOOPY and CASH CROPS, but finished comfortably in 20 minutes. I was another solver puzzled by 11a.

  2. All but three finished in about 20 minutes and then took another 8 to complete. Finished in 28.08 with CASHCROPS and BIOMASS delaying me, and I now discover my LOI LOONY was incorrect. I did think of LOOPY as an possible alternative, but the parsing of the clue defeated me. Given a choice I almost inevitably pick the wrong option.

  4. Although he was a first rate actor and director in his time, during the 1970s ORSON WELLES became chiefly known for performing in ads for inexpensive California wine (occasionally under the influence of the product). He found himself obliged to do this because he’d run out of money and work. Good clue. 14.12

    1. Your comment reminded me that he did an ad here many years ago. Looking it up now, it was for Nashua copiers, I would think in the late 70’s or early 80’s. I’m glad to say he was perfectly sober. Maybe a long way from the Prater but he still had a presence.

    2. Was it Welles who said, “This may be the finest wine you’ve tasted” with just a bit too much stress on the “you”? Somehow I thought it was Ustinov. but I remember thinking how obtuse the director was.

      1. That was a new one on me Kevin. Could have been either but somehow it sounds more Ustinovian.

  5. 19:40

    Just the SE plus 28a left to do after thirteen mins – took three or four mins to get the next answer LOOPY and the rest simply fell into place – LOI CASH CROPS – liked FAMOUSLY

  6. 13’09”, with FRONT MAN LOI.

    I once smashed my hand on a DADO rail playing baseball on the Wi-fit.

    Thanks Pip and setter.

  7. I won’t argue with any of the clues since I got them all in 50 mins. Anything under an hour is good for me. May even have been quicker if Mr C weren’t giving me up to the minute figures on the tumbling £ at the same time. Very nearly a dnf but suddenly saw the ‘runs round room’ definition.

    Thanks setter and blogger

  8. Definite proof that lightning can strike twice as I finish a 15×15 two days in a row for the first time ever! 27 minutes today which is heartening. Not all parsed though – Now and then went in with crossed fingers and I did not see how Cash crops worked, or Resist (NHO ret = wet).

    Blog very much appreciated as I try to come to grips with the larger crossword – many thanks Pip.
    Cedric

  9. This was like a tasty casserole but with bits of gristle. I think most physios etc would use an ‘ice pack’ . I can’t find SALES FORCE in my old Collins ED.
    Liked 12d and 5a.
    Thanks for a nod to cricket at 22d. We are approaching October , when ( to paraphrase Denis Norden ) ‘ it’s the month when keen cricket fans discover that their spouse left them in May ‘…
    Thanks as always to setter, blogger and contributors.

  10. Reasonably quick, the only double take on the diary, parsed as everyone else did after a bit of thought. Water buffaloes used as farm animals to till rice paddies etc. in wide swathes of the world, of course they’d have nose rings. NHO ice bag as such, but have one in the freezer – I’d call it an ice pack. Standard (= high quality) puzzle.

  11. Straightforward today. Slightly astonished at folks who have never heard of DADO or BIOMASS. All done in 24 minutes.

    Useless fact = George Orwell (Eric Blair) wrote 1984 on the Scottish isle of Jura – no doubt sustained by local usquebaugh!

  12. About 18 mins. Held up by dado at the end for no very good reason but at least I got there. Nothing too obscure in the rest. I didn’t bother agonising over now and then as it seemed pretty literal and the crossers worked.
    COD to famously.
    Thx setter and blogger.

  13. Hooray – a rare completion of the biggie for me, made rarer for being entirely aid-free. A hugely satisfying, albeit slow (hours not minutes, albeit with breaks) yet steady, completion in which all were correctly parsed (although NOW AND THEN was entered nervously) earning a big pat on back, which was of course, self delivered.

    DADO was LOI
    BUST was FOI
    DISHWASHERS and SALES FORCE were my joint CODs.
    RET was NHO

    Thanks so much for the blog Piquet.

  14. 15:10 this afternoon. I found this a rather frustrating puzzle, really no more difficult than yesterday’s but nearly double the time taken.
    Kept getting the wrong end of the stick with several clues, which I guess is another way of saying “off wavelength”. I reckon the best solvers have the ability to reject quickly their initial analysis of a clue if it doesn’t look promising and try a new approach, whereas I can re-visit a clue and immediately adopt the same mindset as originally- the metaphor of a woodpecker repeatedly banging in vain against the same spot on a tree springs to mind!
    Whatever, some nice clues to be found such as 5 ac “front man” and 17 d “cash crops”.
    Interesting to read of Brenk1’s experience with 14 ac “dado” – I was exactly the same!
    Thanks to Pip and setter

  15. Another decent time, my new target is Snitch/(time in minutes) > 2. Which it was today, just.

    COD FAMOUSLY. LOI GOA.

  16. very straightforward 13’29” many thanks. Now for yesterday which snitch says is easier still.

  17. 24 mins
    FOI opus
    LOI cash crops
    COD Orson Welles
    WOD loopy
    I just saw 11a as a(sort of) DD
    Thanks as always to the blogger & setter

  18. All correct, but I had trouble with the across clues. Last one in was DADO, which I didn’t know, although trusted the wordplay. OPERATOR and STARVE took an age to see.
    Two in a row all correct.
    Thanks Pip and setter

  19. 17.19

    Steady pleasant solve

    There was some twitching at ICE BAG but I didn’t worry too much about the parsing of NOW AND THEN.

    STARVE was good

    Thanks Pip and setter

  20. Just finished in about 45 mins which is probably a PB for me. Was hesitant about ICE BAG like some others and couldn’t see what was going on with ORSON WELLES, so thanks for the explanation.
    I notice that one of our fastish bloggers had FRONT MAN as his LOI; funny because it was my FOI. LOI for me was OPERATOR.

  21. 11.26. Another gentle offering and a smooth solving experience. Just needed a little care to work out loopy properly and revise my initially biffed loony.

  22. Like Phil above, my first one in, and probably COD, was FRONT MAN, then I slowed to a crawl , even though none of the vocab was new to me (except BIOMASS, which was biffed from crossers). Can’t imagine why DADO escaped me – looking for haloes and the like – and ICE BAG was a new term for the usual ICE PACK. Much clever clueing ( eg SALES FORCE and FAMOUSLY), and overall an enjoyable experience.

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