Times Crossword 25,819 – Times Crossword Championship, fourth qualifier

Solving Time: Once again I won’t say, but this was very easy and should not be taken as a guide to what will be offered on finals day. I have again been unable to extract useful text from the .pdf which is all I have for this crossword, so can’t include the clues in the blog, sorry. Nor do I have access to the solution, but if I have any wrong, I expect someone will point it out soon enough. I haven’t elaborated unduly on most of the clues, but if anything is unclear please ask.

cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(–), homophones indicated in “”

ODO means the Oxford Dictionaries Online


Across
1 indoor – IN + DO + OR (ordinary ranks, ie men)
4 scrag-end – SCR + AGEND(A)
10 cover note – superfluous = OVER + NOT in church (of England) = CE
11 fluke – F(ollowing) + LUKE, gospel according to St..
12 passing the buck – well, PASSING, + THE BUCK, really. If there was anything to explain, I would
14 catch – CAT + CH(urch) Every single male in Pride & Prejudice (for example) is seen as a catch, by someone
16 trade name – *(TRADE MEANT)
18 tormentor – soldiers = MEN between TORs
20 credo – embarrassed = RED in CO(mpany)
21 decommissioned – *(MOODS MEDICINES). Does “uncontrollable” really work as an anagram indicator? My view: no
25 agony – match = GO (do these go? Yes dear, you look divine etc etc.) in some = ANY. Never entirely sure how they substitute each other, though
26 inventive – abuse = INVECTIVE, with the C replaced by an N(AME)
27 preceded – P + RECEDED
28 infant – enthusiast = FAN in I + books = NT

Down
1 incapacity – old man = PA in Quito c. ago = INCA CITY
2 dives – dd, one referring to the parable of Dives and Lazarus from the gospel according to part of 11ac., which is a rather vengeful and unpleasant take on what supposedly happens to you if you aren’t nice to people less well off than yourself.. note that Lazarus is not the one that was resurrected, and Dives is not a name at all, just Latin for “rich man.”
3 oarfish – R(IVER) in OAFISH. An adult giant oarfish is a truly astonishing fish, up to 36’/11m long. Strange and wonderful.
5 Czech – sounds like “check,” a control
6 affable – F(emale) in a moral tale = A FABLE
7 enunciate – sister = NUN in EC, + I + ATE. Why does trouble-maker = ATE, I ask myself? But I don’t know.. a trouble may eat away at one I suppose, but I can’t make that fit the clue. Must be missing something.
8 deem – ME + ED, rev.
9 bought it – part of tree = BOUGH + TIT, a bird without which, this would be a much more difficult phrase to clue
13 second-best – *(DECENT BOSS)
15 threesome – *(HEROES MET)
17 abrasive – garment = BRA in when = AS, + I’VE
19 ecotype – a dd. An ecotype is (Collins): “a group of organisms within a species that is adapted to particular environmental conditions”
20 chignon – G(OOD) to hide inside sticky-outy thing = CHIN + leg = ON, today’s cricketing reference. Modesty Blaise wore one, I fondly recall from my distant youth, as did Audrey Hepburn
22 maize – sounds like “MAY’S,” may being hawthorn, and what the adage “Ne’er cast a clout til t’may is out” is referring to. Clouts, we had best not go into here
23 naira – Nigerian currency hidden, rev., in vegetARIANs
24 vamp – VA + MP

Author: JerryW

I love The Times crosswords..

10 comments on “Times Crossword 25,819 – Times Crossword Championship, fourth qualifier”

  1. Within a gnat’s crotchet of the time for the aborted version, hopefully with no stupid errors. I’m thinking of asking for my postage to be refunded, but I suppose I’ll have to send a letter to do that. I ask you, no online solving, analogue on-trust timing, snailmail entry, cheques, how quaint!
  2. It took me the same length of time as it did for me to do today’s puzzle, so very straightforward for a qualifying puzzle. My notes say that the PRECEDED/ECOTYPE crossers were my last ones in.
  3. This was incredibly easy: my second fastest time ever. It’s really quite naughty of them.
  4. A very easy crossword – I should think there will be lots of entries and agree that those who get through on this one may be mightily surprised at the increase in difficulty level in October!
  5. It must have been very straightforward: I began shortly after pulling out of Preston on the 9.58 for London Euston, and finished not long after leaving Wigan North West.
  6. Very easy except for CHIGNON which I had to piece together from wordplay and still shrugged wondering if it really was a word.
  7. What is ‘One’ doing here? Embarrassed = red; how does ‘One embarrassed’ = red?

    Agreed, rather naughty of The Times. Money-raising I imagine. I remember when the qualifier used to be quite remarkably difficult.

Comments are closed.