Time taken: 10:00, which I think is the first time I’ve recorded such an even time. I thought it was going to take a while, since a first run through the across clues didn’t yield much, but it was a pretty steady solve from there.
How time flies – my first daily Times blog was November 22, 2007 (jackkt started that week as well) so here’s to the next 15 years!
How did you do?
| Across | |
| 1 | Group getting possessive pockets grand in racket (8) |
| CLANGOUR – CLAN(group) then OUR(possessive) containing G(grand) | |
| 5 | It may be fruitful to curse housing thus (6) |
| DAMSON – DAMN(curse) containing SO(thus) | |
| 9 | Turn end of satire into laconic humour (8) |
| DROLLERY – ROLL(turn) and the last letter of satirE inside DRY(laconic) | |
| 10 | Sport, or cheating at it (6) |
| DIVING – the second part refers to diving in soccer or basketball or taking a dive in boxing | |
| 12 | Little bit of drink with Polish and Gallic meal (6,6) |
| FINGER BUFFET – FINGER(little bit of drink, particularly scotch), BUFF(polish), then ET(“and” in French) | |
| 15 | Go so far as to cover small animal, with love (3,2) |
| RUN TO – RUNT(small animal) and O(love) | |
| 16 | Air supplier in awfully hot minutes without oxygen (9) |
| TUNESMITH – anagram of HOT,MINUTES minus O(oxygen) | |
| 18 | Ship off clothes tried out where culture’s displayed (5,4) |
| PETRI DISH – anagram of SHIP containing an anagram of TRIED | |
| 19 | Pattern of suit jacket from Oxfam that’s sent back (5) |
| MOTIF – FIT(suit) and the external letters in OxfaM all reversed | |
| 20 | What stockholder needs: smooth marketing at first (8,4) |
| BRANDING IRON – IRON(smooth) after BRANDING(marketing) | |
| 24 | Cool wine locked away (2,4) |
| IN HOCK – IN(cool), HOCK(wine) | |
| 25 | Coming over, English cricket team fuel India’s obsession (4,4) |
| IDEE FIXE – reversal of E(English), XI(cricket team), FEED(fuel) and I(India) | |
| 26 | Illegally seize something inherited during sleep (6) |
| KIDNAP – DNA(something inherited) inside KIP(sleep) | |
| 27 | Watcher of The Birds, one showing nervousness (8) |
| TWITCHER – double definition | |
| Down | |
| 1 | One needs cracking finale in epic verse (4) |
| CODE – last letter in epiC, then ODE(verse) | |
| 2 | One single bathroom for e.g. King Edward in Asia (4) |
| ALOO – one single bathroom would be A LOO. Hindi and Urdu term for a potato. I think single is in the clue to avoid “one” clueing “A” which is not in the Times style | |
| 3 | Rancour with current politics half vanishing in campaign (9) |
| GALLIPOLI – GALL(rancour), I(current) and half of POLItics | |
| 4 | Honourable and gentle, but one’s less than grand? (7,5) |
| UPRIGHT PIANO – UPRIGHT(honourable) and PIANO(gentle) | |
| 6 | I’m leaving high grade university, securing pass (5) |
| ADIEU – A(high grade), and U(university) containing DIE(pass) | |
| 7 | Female dressing, wearing furs? They’re tight (10) |
| SKINFLINTS – F(female), LINT(dressing for a wound) inside SKINS(furs) | |
| 8 | Almost time to accompany key group working late (5,5) |
| NIGHT SHIFT – NIGH(almost) and T(time) with a SHIFT key | |
| 11 | Vent, perhaps, without revolving glass door (6,6) |
| FRENCH WINDOW – vent is FRENCH for WIND, then WO(without) reversed | |
| 13 | Lack tact in work, punching dull pain in the neck (4,1,5) |
| DROP A BRICK – OP(work) inside DRAB(dull), RICK(pain in the neck) | |
| 14 | Single, horrid taunt caused pain (10) |
| UNATTACHED – anagram of TAUNT then ACHED(caused pain) | |
| 17 | Men lost on manoeuvres inclined to retire? (9) |
| SOMNOLENT – anagram of MEN,LOST,ON | |
| 21 | Moving day in a country house (5) |
| DACHA – move the D(day) in A CHAD(country) | |
| 22 | Slip again on horse (4) |
| BISH – BIS(again), and H(horse) | |
| 23 | Endlessly long time (4) |
| YEAR – remove the last letter from YEARN(long) | |
Very clever crossword, but a little too clever for me! Reading George’s (as ever) excellent blog, I now see all those I either failed to parse, or simply did not get: I had BUFFET without the finger, NHO CLANGOUR ( tho’ it is a good onomatopoeic word) nor IN HOCK with that meaning ; looking for the wrong definitions for several others. But was pleased to get GALLIPOLI, PETRI DISH, BRANDING IRON andTWITCHER and the very clever UPRIGHT PIANO. Unfortunately NHO DACHA, nor ALOO, nor DIVING with that meaning. Congratulations to George for many years of sloggin’ on the bloggin’.
You guys are pulling yourselves.