Times Cryptic 25953

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
After yesterday’s ordeal my heart sank when I printed the grid and realised it contains no 3- or 4-letter words, as these are usually my way into any puzzle if available. However the setter has been quite generous with multi-word answers, my second usual way in, and these proved very useful giving me several footholds across the grid. There’s nothing obscure here by way of GK or unknown words, just one alternative spelling that I managed to get by careful attention to wordplay. Sorry I’m later posting than usual. 40 minutes.

{ } = deletions

Across
1 ROBUST – R{eceivership}, 0 (nothing), BUST (bankrupt)
4 OFF AND ON – double definition, one with reference to cricket
10 SWORDPLAY – S (small), WORDPLAY (joy of cryptic crosswords)
11 REPOT – TOPER (soak – drunkard) reversed
12 DEMONIC – D (daughter) + anagram of COME IN
13 NOWHERE – NOW (present #1), HERE (present #2)
14 AORTA – A OR T (from {bo} AT), A – definition “large (blood) vessel”
15 ALBANIAN – NAB (arrest) inside NAIL (fix), A all reversed. ‘Essential’ is the enclosure indicator.
18 COPY-EDIT – CO (company), I (one) inside anagram of TYPED
20 MASAI – hidden and reversed
23 ANDORRA – AND (with), OR (golden), RA (sun – Egyptian god of the sun)
25 ROE DEER – {canin}E inside ROD (stick), EER (always)
26 BLANC – N (knight – in chess) inside BLAC{k}
27 KISSOGRAM – IS + SO (very) + G (good) inside MARK (book – gospel) reversed. I always thought this was spelt ‘kissagram’ but they are alternatives apparently.
28 GODSPEED – GO (try) then SP (species) inside DEED (action)
29 BETRAY – BET (venture), RAY (fish)

Down
1 RESIDUAL – anagram of RISE, DUAL (double)
2 BLOOMER – double definition, the first a type of loaf, the second a flower by example.
3 SEDENTARY – anagram of DENY TEARS. This describes most of my life these days!
5 FLYING BUTTRESS – FLYING (speedy), BUT (bar), TRESS (lock). It’s a type of arch, and therefore an ‘archer’.
6 ARROW – A, R (right), ROW (quarrel). Quarrel is a type of arrow used in crossbows so it also serves as the definition but with ‘that’ avoiding double usage.
7 DIPTERA – DIP (bath), T (time #1), ERA (time #2)
8 NUTMEG – GEM (stone) + TUN (cask) all reversed
9 BLOCK AND TACKLE – BLOCK (defensive action #1) AND TACKLE (defensive action #2)
16 NUMBER ONE – double definition
17 GIN RUMMY – GIN (spirit #1), RUM (sprit #2), MY (good lord) – a popular card game
19 OLD MAID – double definition, the first being an unkind term for an unmarried (matchless) woman, the second another card game
21 SHEARER – S{trip}, HEARER (judge)
22 GASBAG – GABS (talks) + A+ G{overnment} reversed – late edit: apologies for missing this one out earlier
24 RECAP – PACER (horse) reversed

36 comments on “Times Cryptic 25953”

  1. Steady solve today, nothing to scare the horses. Forgot that a quarrel can be an arrow, and didn’t get why FLYING BUTTRESS was an archer, so thanks for parsing those Jack.
  2. 31 minutes – I think my last in was SHEARER, who must be the most boring football ‘analyst’ yet invented. Wanted the first European to be Austrian – I blame those endless re-runs of The Sound of Music as a young(ish) father. Or was it that anti-freeze they used to sell as wine?

  3. Took ages to get the two long down clues. LOI was SHEARER. Wanted it to be shedder, until I got KISSOGRAM.
  4. Felt sure I was going to go over the half-hour, but SHEARER and the remaining couple in the NW suddenly came to me. DNK BLOOMER or KISSOGRAM, but 10ac was my LOI. FLYING BUTTRESS suddenly came to me out of the blue, followed shortly by comprhension. I still remember from decades ago the guide at Chartres demonstrating with the bodies of a bunch of sightseers how flying buttresses work. (On edit: living bodies)

    Edited at 2014-11-25 06:50 am (UTC)

  5. What a relief to get back on track after yesterday’s torture. 30 minutes with several feline distractions and a while trying to see what “Flying Dutchman” had to do with things.
    All in all a satisfying puzzle with some most gratifying clues.
    And, yes, my LOI was SHEARER as well.
  6. Like others, I felt a sense of relief today after yesterday’s took me all day on and off.

    22 mins with LOI BETRAY.

  7. 12m. Straightforward but enjoyable. I liked ‘time flies’: I wonder if it’s been used before.

    Edited at 2014-11-25 08:57 am (UTC)

  8. 11:45 … probably my favourite sort of puzzle: concise, witty, and with some terrific surfaces. Things like “Bath time — time flies!” really make me smile. There’s a sort of thematic Nina at 6 and 7 which brought to mind the old ESL teachers’ favourite for baffling students: “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana.”

    The hidden presents and the daughter coming in sozzled made me think of Christmas.

    My thanks and appreciation to the setter.

    1. If you’re thinking of Christmas, Sotira, you must be designing this year’s amusement. Please do me a favour, and drop me a note when you do – I am busy at a new job and am not getting to the puzzle much less to the blog on many days, and I’d hate to miss it.

      Paul aka paul_at_the_office

  9. 15.37, only just noticing in time that FLYING FORTRESS meant that COPY EDIT didn’t work, and giving up the idea that the B17 was once known as the Archer. Otherwise a gentle stroll, with much good humour on the way. And as for KISSOGRAM: “I always thought this was spelt ‘kissagram’ but they are alternatives apparently.” Yup. You could just send a card.
  10. I found this mostly very straightforward. After ten minutes I had over half the grid filled, but needed another twelve to get the rest. I tried to justify AUSTRIA for 23, but S wasn’t likely for the end of the first word in 19dn. I couldn’t work out the wordplay to ALBANIAN at all; I thought “esential to fix” simply indicated I, so thanks to jackkt for the explanation.
  11. . . . so better than yesterday. Never heard of COPY EDIT but it fitted. I liked the concept of a FLYING BUTTRESS being an archer. Nice puzzle , setter and thanks Jack for the blog
  12. Yep, a relief after yesterday indeed.

    I liked the sporty equivalence in BLOCK AND TACKLE and OFF AND ON, while ‘archer’ I’d seen before somewhere.

    Cheers all.

  13. 25.50. Also swordplay, arrow (darts?), number one (must be some position somewhere), old Alan, nutmeg, gin rummy, as well as archer. And the Masai are probably ace marathoners.
  14. 12:35 so I seem to be able to do these things again.

    Thanks Jack for parsing aorta where the OR eluded my understanding and Albanian where I only envisaged a part-reversal so was left wonering in what context ban migh be the same as arrest.

    Maore enjoyable than yesterday.

    1. Aorta made me smile. In my youth, I had a book on How to Speak Strine. It look the form of the Ozzie word, its English translation and an example.

      AORTA was translated as Authority, as in ‘Aorta do something about it’.

      1. Reminded me of a few good ones:
        Why Carp? What you say while prodding someone who’s overslept.
        Kew Brutes: Extracted with a Sly Drool (by mathemeticians).

        19:32, quite easy, but very enjoyable – some great surfaces.
        Rob

  15. 44m for a steady if unexciting solve with unknown flies holding me up. Should have got archer much more quickly than I did. An architect friend took my teenage son around Kings College chapel many years ago. When I asked him what he remembered he said ‘all those flying buttocks’! Thanks for the blog which explained quite a few I guessed from the lights and definition. Thanks to setter as well for an enjoyable tussle!
  16. Nice puzzle with lots of witty clueing. DIPTERA (7D) was very good. I didn’t care much for “essential” as the enclosure indicator at 15A (ALBANIAN), but that’s a minor quibble. Thanks setter and blogger.

  17. A pleasant straightforward puzzle about 5 on my Richter scale, with some fine surfaces; 25 minutes or so with tea and bun after a soaking on the golf course. Don’t think I’ve ever seen Kiss-a-gram written down before so was happy to accept the O (in the middle) one word version.
  19. Didn’t take long, but I enjoyed this one, and particularly the definition for FLYING BUTTRESS – a good puzzle for getting people hooked on the type.
  20. Half an hour. Excellent puzzle with succinct clues; Sotira’s first two sentences reflect my opinion exactly. First time for days that I’ve been able to sit down with a mug of tea to enjoy the crossword without interruption, and this one really lifted the spirits.
  21. Has this clue offended in some way, not to get blogged? I assume GASBAG, but can’t quite parse it
    1. Yep!

      Talks (GABS) with (A) (G)overnment all reversed = GASBAG = blabbermouth!

      Edited at 2014-11-25 08:25 pm (UTC)

  22. About 20 minutes, pretty much top to bottom, left to right. I smiled at the buttress being an ‘archer’, but is a bit of a stretch. LOI was BETRAY. Regards..
  23. Held myself up a little by carelessly entering ‘On and Off’ as my first in st 4a, until the crossing letters showed that I had failed to read the enumeration. Otherwise a steady and pleasant steady solve.
  24. 11:25 for me, making a slow start (as so often) and never quite finding the setter’s wavelength. Despite which I thought this a most enjoyable puzzle.

Comments are closed.