Times Crossword 23867

16 comments on “Times Crossword 23867”

1. based on 20D I’m going to hazard a guess that a woman didn’t set this puzzle.

   I’m still stymied by 12A ?L?I?E. The rest was pretty straightforward (cryptically speaking that is).

   1. Its PLAICE a reversed hidden word spECIAL Pool. Jimbo
2. 12ac was the very last answer that I put in, after 6dn. More about all that later, after the regular blog appears.

   Another none-too-difficult puzzle for me.

3. 12 was my last but one to go in which for a hidden (rev) word must indicate something. Perhaps it ought to be COD if it baffled all three of us (so far) for so long.

   It wasn’t helped by having 6D unsolved.I was misled by US here. I can’t find any reference that gives “cloverleaf” as being American in origin, but even if it was originally its use is no longer restricted to that continent.

   20 is a unkind. We had something similar recently about elderly unmarried ladies. Stop it!

   1. Just at a hailing distance from my flat here in Madras that is Chennai there is a ‘cloverleaf’ – a term which I have seen used in the local papers when it was opened several years ago.
4. Oh dear. A public holiday. Weather lousy. I was hoping for a real tester but it was not to be. A very easy 25 minute puzzle with no real stimulation. I agree about OVERLEAF, what’s particularly US about it? And 20D is objectionable, particularly its link with 25A. Jimbo.
5. Reasonably quick here but by no means a breeze and I’ve stopped dead at 23 (across, not minutes).
   1A made me smile and is my COD with no other real contenders. I didn’t feel 20 problematic in content; I just thought it was a bit of a weak clue – old = past sell-by date? Slightly tenuous and hardly imaginative, it was an early pencilled-in answer I didn’t want to commit because I hoped there would be a penny-drop moment for something cleverer. Oh well.
   By the way, Jimbo, glorious weather up here in Manchester(ish) – a little cold, but bright sunshine. Hope that makes you feel better!
   1. That makes me feel just great Anax. We have another gale raging away and its cold. 23A is DESERT-ED if you’re still stuck on it. I’ll go back to doing one of your puzzles downloaded from your website – for which many thanks. I’m up to number 22 and they’re all first class. Jimbo.
      1. ;o) Glad you’re enjoying them! On that subject, when you eventually reach puzzle 036 there’s a typo at the linked 17/21 down clue – you need to transpose the first two words. Unfortunately I long ago deleted the original Crossword Compiler file and haven’t got round to re-building it.
         And it’s now clouded over here. The sunny stuff seems to have headed in a roughly southerly direction.
6. Feelings echoed here . My last was 23 too; somehow thought it was just desserts but decided to look it up to find it derived from deserve; makes a bit more sense. Sunny in Hove at the mo but can’t see it staying that way. Didn’t there used to be a jumbo on a GF once upon a time.
7. Can’t remember who it was that posted about a long time earlier this week, but I tried to do it before bed, started falling asleep, and so was in the vicinity of 8 hours to solve this. 23 was the last to go in for me, rather deceptively clued, I liked it eventually. I also liked the long construction at 4d.

   As for cloverleafs, that took me a while too, but I’m OK with the “US Highway junction” definition. Yes, there are cloverleafs in the UK, and not so many in Australia but they’re popping up, but nothing instils terror in me like having to drive through Atlanta and negotiating aerially-intriguing but sky high and confusing intersections like spaghetti junction.

   It’s Friday, so look for an update on George vs the Listener Crossword today.

8. Well I liked this one. Was on for a record time but got totally stuck on 22 and ended up limping home in 21 minutes.

   Unlike yesterday’s puzzle I thought a lot of clues had a very smooth and convincing surface, such as 5a, 12, 25, 8, 18d & 21, but I’ll go for 10 as COD.

   It has been a sunny but cold and windy morning on the Northern fringes of West Yorkshire. Managed to treat a chicken coop, fit a water butt and fix a gate before escaping indoors before the first shower struck.

   Happy Easter to all.

9. About 20 minutes after becoming horribly bogged down in the SW corner; I was trying to justify WITLESS until I spotted WITHOUT and the rest fell in.
10. 8:50 – slightly stuck on 23 and 21 at the end, and PLAICE took too long – ironic when we’re just about to have some fish pie for supper.
11. 11:16 for me. I liked this one, and thought it had some neatly worded clues where the definition part was cleverly concealed.
12. Some have railed against the rightly out-dated attitude reflected in 20d and reinforced in 25a. I agree.

    There are 10 on the bench in this blog leaving ME to report on 20d – rotter!

    9a Disinformation to be buried (3)
    LIE

    11a Old -fashioned (mood duet)* is played with (8)
    OUTMODED

    15a Cover provided by second family (4)
    S KIN

    18a (Argues with)* unnaturally refined sweetener (5,5)
    WHITE SUGAR

    7d Simple shelter, a haunt where characters regularly go (3)
    a H a U n T = HUT

    8d Directed (screen)* unknown in movie sets? (7)
    SCENER Y

    13d (Banquet I)* set out with 9 is not fair (11)
    INEQUITABLE. 9a is LIE so add it to the anagrist.

    14d Boringly conventional note on the French financial district (6,4)
    SQUARE MI LE

    20d Who’s on the shelf past her sell-by date? (3,4)
    ___ ____. Not an acceptable clue nor answer.

    24d Touched and pressed cloth (4)
    FELT

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