Solving Time: Let us just say, this was very easy. I had intended to give the clues as well as the answers, but all I have access to is a .pdf emailed me by a kind fellow cruciverbalist from which I could not extract the text, and I didn’t fancy typing all the clues out. So by way of recompense, here is a link to that .pdf..
This crossword is just about as straightforward as a Times cryptic ever gets, and I expect there were some very fast times. Traditionally we don’t mention specific times for qualifiers, though I never could understand why not
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(–), homophones indicated in “”
ODO means the Oxford Dictionaries Online
Across |
|
---|---|
1 |
Mahler – novelist = MAILER, with H( |
4 | chaperon – tea = CHA + Juan PERON, three times President of Argentina and a supporting actor in “Evita.” He was elected each time, so “dictator” seems a bit harsh |
10 |
tortillas – (a legal) wrong = TORT, + A( |
11 |
posed – school (of, eg dolphins) = POD containing S( |
12 | on the breadline – *(ALE BOTHERED INN) |
14 |
licit – sue (eg for peace) = ( |
16 | non-profit – amateur = NON PRO + qualified = FIT. A non-profit would typically be a charitable enterprise (eg a British bank?) |
18 |
stringent – G( |
20 |
Baloo – B( |
21 | window dressing – turn = WIND + pained expression = OW + getting ready = DRESSING |
25 | cross – dd, a mule being a cross between a male donkey and a female horse (the reciprocal is called a hinny) |
26 | mass media – service = MASS + ME (the writer) + DI (girl) + A (article) |
27 |
reassess – animal = ASSES, in RES( |
28 | in part – dd |
Down |
|
1 | motionless – dd, one referring to the sort of motion that is passed at a meeting |
2 | hurst – hidden in artHURS Table. Best known as part of a place name, eg Lamberhurst etc. We won’t mention Geoff Hurst (Where is he when you need him?) |
3 |
evident – ( |
5 | hosta – entertainer = HOST + A. If like me you’ve heard of a hosta but have no clue what it looks like, they are like this |
6 |
popular – part of London = Poplar containing U( |
7 | resentful – E + N (knight, chess notation) in RESTFUL |
8 |
node – N( |
9 | Florence – use foil perhaps = FENCE containing my = LOR as in lor’ luv a duck, etc. A golden opportunity to refer to the wonderful and surreal Magic Roundabout was missed here.. |
13 |
at long last – pine = LONG in book = ATLAS + T( |
15 |
carnivora – *(ROAR IN CAV( |
17 | notarise – it’s a fall if it’s NOT A RISE, geddit? Notarising being what a Notary does |
19 | nudists – detectives = DIs in very keen = NUTS (“He’s very keen about her..”) |
20 |
bushman – H( |
22 |
wimps – W( |
23 | India – home = IN + AID, rev. Clive of India has a poor reputation in these post-colonial days, but in fact most of his fighting was done against the French and Dutch, and the only mutiny he suppressed was by his own British officers, when he outlawed bribery.. the Wiki article may surprise some people |
24 |
scar – S( |
18ac was a nice variation of the STRINE-GENT chestnut.
Anyway, I did find this very easy. I did it in 8 minutes, and thought for a while it might be a PB.