Time taken: 9:53 with an asterisk.
I’m a creature of habit, and since I live in the Eastern time zone in the USA, I like to do the crossword as soon as it comes out, particularly on a blogging night. I was ready on the stroke of midnight, and did the Quick (which Templar will work his magic on shortly), then hit the link for the Cryptic…
And nothing! Sorry, we can’t find the page you are looking for. Maybe you need to be in the Opinion Money Life pages. Or you need to go to the homepage and try again.
Aha – two can play at that game! I know that the cryptic can also be fond in the puzzle page, is it there? I went to the puzzles page and saw the Quick Cryptic, but not the daily cryptic.
Hmmm…
Back to the crossword club – there is a link, it does not work. Back to the puzzles page – aha, now there is a link! It even opens the puzzle. Now I know it is there, can I get to it from the Crossword club, so that I can compare my time to other early solvers?
Computer says no.
Back to the other version, which at least I can solve and blog. This will probably be fixed shortly, but I expect I am not the only early bird gnashing and wailing. I know, you want to comment on answers, so I won’t keep you waiting, here they are…
| Across | |
| 1 | Double served with beer for Glastonbury star (3,4) |
| DUA LIPA – we are well and truly past the days of no living people! DUAL(double), and IPA(beer) for my last one in – a recording artist I can’t say I’m a big fan of. | |
| 5 | Came around, receiving ball on right side, finding Shearer? (7) |
| DELILAH – HAILED(came) reversed containing the letter on the right side of balL for she who cut off Samson’s hair | |
| 9 | Wild fire appearing shortly after wounding remark (9) |
| BARBAROUS – AROUSE(fire) minus the final letter following BARB(wounding remark) | |
| 10 | Seam rolled back to cover silver screw (5) |
| WAGES – SEW(seam) reversed surrounding AG(silver) | |
| 11 | Sneak exiting card game left with golden award (13) |
| BACCALAUREATE – remove RAT(sneak) from BACCARAT, then L(left), AUREATE(golden) | |
| 13 | Poor film about a crime where folio goes astray (8) |
| PATHETIC – PIC(film) surrounding A, and THEFT(crime) minus F(folio) | |
| 15 | Limits to growth set by India’s Indira? (6) |
| GANDHI – the limts on the word growth are G AND H, then I(India) | |
| 17 | Saboteur losing heart becomes more virtuous (6) |
| NOBLER – NOBBLER(saboteur) minus the central letter | |
| 19 | Cook made to keep back especially grand rum (8) |
| DEMERARA – anagram of MADE containing RARE(especially grand) reversed | |
| 22 | Land in one piece meeting Benedictine? (6,7) |
| UNITED KINGDOM – UNITED(in one), KING(piece) and D.O.M. Benedictine | |
| 25 | William and Harry say they’re up for a fight? (5) |
| DUKES – double definition | |
| 26 | Accompaniments for dish: order smells terrible! (9) |
| TRIMMINGS – TRIM(order), MINGS(smells terrible) | |
| 27 | Runs in Paris and is second — tries again? (7) |
| RETESTS – R(runs) then ET and EST(and, and is, in French), S(second) | |
| 28 | Each woman endlessly causes pain (7) |
| EARACHE – EA(each) then RACHEL(woman) minus the last letter | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Leaving university begin something outstanding (4) |
| DEBT – remove U(university) from DEBUT(begin) | |
| 2 | Circus performer in dress almost grabbed by a lion? (7) |
| ACROBAT – ROBE(dress) minus the last letter inside A, CAT(lion) | |
| 3 | One story’s no good about designated victim (5) |
| ISAAC – I(one), then SAGA(story) minus G(good), C(circa, about) | |
| 4 | Basil for example a sentimental sort missing the point (8) |
| AROMATIC – A, ROMANTIC(sentimental sort) minus N(north, the point) | |
| 5 | Stone set in ring farthest from centre (6) |
| DISTAL – ST(stone) inside DIAL(ring) | |
| 6 | Drop proceedings in which I would never appear? (5,4) |
| LOWER CASE – LOWER(drop), CASE(proceedings). Referring to I by itself having to be in upper case. | |
| 7 | One always behind Labour lass on the rise (7) |
| LAGGARD – DRAG(Labour) and GAL(lass) both reversed | |
| 8 | Conservative sporting dodgy hairstyle wildly funny (10) |
| HYSTERICAL – C(conservative) inside an anagram of HAIRSTYLE | |
| 12 | Winning with Neath or Garryowen? (2-3-5) |
| UP-AND-UNDER – UP(winning) AND(with) UNDER(neath). Rugby term. | |
| 14 | Other son securing flat for timely break (9) |
| ELEVENSES – ELSE(other) and S(son) containing EVEN(flat) | |
| 16 | This writer against himself for the moment? (8) |
| MEANTIME – ME(this writer) ANTI ME(against himself) | |
| 18 | Danger lurks in Lizzy being cut near ribs (7) |
| BRISKET – RISK(danger) inside BET(another short name for Elizabeth, like Lizzy) | |
| 20 | Dancing-girl with special talent announced for calendar (7) |
| ALMANAC – ALMA(dancing-girl) and sounds like KNACK(special talent) | |
| 21 | Shrew at Padua carried by ship moves across ice (6) |
| SKATES – KATE(from Taming of the Shrew) inside SS(ship) | |
| 23 | Unusual wheels beneath extremely durable object (5) |
| DEMUR – RUM(unusual) reversed after the external letters in DurablE | |
| 24 | Italian agreement reversed by the French — in Ireland? (4) |
| ISLE – SI(Italian agreement) reversed, then LE(the, in French) | |
D.O.M. on the benedictine bottle stands for Deo Optimo Maximo, which means “To God the best and greatest”. It’s used by Benedictine monks when they begin writing a letter.