Times Cryptic 25977

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
36 minutes for this one, so quite an easy solve for the most part. I can’t think of anything more to say about it other than what’s in the blog so I’ll get straight on with it.

{deletions}

Across
1 INCH – INC (like some American businesses), H{aving}. My last one in. INC came up very recently and caught me out, but I was still slow to think of it today.
3 CHIFFCHAFF – CHI (foreign character), F (following), F (female), CHAFF (banter) – the common warbler
9 THROW-IN – ROW (argument) inside THIN (flimsy)
11 IN-TRAYS – IN (popular), anagram of STAR containing Y (variable)
12 CONVERSAZIONE – CON (study), then VERSE (poetry) containing A, ZION (Jewish people). From the Italian, this is a gathering where arts and literature are discussed.
14 NATAL – Hidden inside barN AT ALwick
15 ALBANIANS – A, BAN inside SNAIL (slowcoach) reversed
17 STAIRWELL – Sounds like STARE WELL (have a thorough look)
19 OPERA – {h}OPE (desire), RA (artist). ‘Common’ indicates the ‘h’ is dropped, which at least makes a change from Cockney and East End references.
21 THEATRE SISTER – A double definition with reference to surgery and to drama, specifically Anton Chekhov’s play ‘Three Sisters’.
24 PREPLAN – REPLA{y} (match) inside P{ozna}N
25 ICE-FALL – I, CE (civil engineer), FALL (autumn)
26 COPERNICAN – Anagram of CON A PRINCE. The definition is ‘of a Polish Astronomer’ i.e. Copernicus.
27 ONCE – O (old), N{I}CE (French resort). The ‘I’ for removal is indicated by ‘Irish leader rejected’.

Down
1 INTACTNESS – IN (current), TACT (diplomacy), NESS (head)
2 CORONET – N+E (quarters – points of the compass) inside COROT (French artist – Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot – landscape painter)
4 HANDSHAKE – HANDS (workforce), A+K (thousand) inside HE
5 FRITZ – F (fine), RITZ (hotel). This was at one time a nick-name for German soldiers corresponding to the British Tommy, so ‘old’ is part of the definition here.
6 CUT DOWN TO SIZE – CUT (injury), DOWN TO (caused by), SIZE (paper stiffener) – this last element of the clue came up here only a couple of weeks ago.
7 ALAMEDA – LAME (threaded fabric) inside ADA (woman). I lost time thinking the fabric was ‘lace’.
8 FAST – Double definition, the second as in the saying ‘pull a fast one’ meaning ‘swindle’.
10 WHEELER-DEALER – And following on from that there was a missed opportunity for a linked clue. For those who may not know, Del Boy (played by the actor David Jason) was the main character in the comedy drama ‘Only Fools And Horses’ who was something of a dodgy dealer. ‘With rhyme’ helps towards the answer but I’m not sure  ‘as well as reason’ serves any purpose other than to complete the surface reading. Am I missing something more?
13 ESPADRILLE – E (English), RILL (stream) inside SPADE (card)
16 BALLERINA – Cryptic definition –  ‘on points’ helpfully referring to a ballet position.
18 ANTWERP – W (with) inside anagram of PARENT
20 ENTRAIN – ENT (hospital department), RA (painter – again!), IN
22 TONDI – I’D NOT (the writer wouldn’t) reversed. A word I only know from crossword puzzles.
23 EPIC – P{a}I{R} inside EC (the City of London postal district)

37 comments on “Times Cryptic 25977”

  1. Thank you for the blog jacket. I shared your puzzlement over the ‘as well as reason’ part of 10dn. The only sense I could make of it is that the ‘reason’ refers to the literal definition. That is “the answer is not only rhyming, but also literally defines a person like Del Boy”. If that is the explanation it’s a bit thin. Perhaps someone has a better idea.
  2. Add me to the list of those puzzled by the “reason” at 10dn. Otherwise a well-balanced puzzle on the milder side.
  3. I was miles off the pace in this one, limping home in 74 minutes.

    Re the wheeler-dealer clue, I reckon ‘reason’ references the fact that Del Boy did his business from a battered 3-wheeler.

  4. Mild and very enjoyable. I breezed through it with time to spare for Enigmatist in The Guardian. Something of a European theme – the German, Italian, Albanians and the Belgian port.
    Vale Joe Cocker.
  5. …but resorted to aids to get ALAMEDA. Not sure why I can never remember this one.

    Can’t help with 10dn, didn’t even know what a Del Boy was. Yet another gap in my knowledge, but one I can probably live with.

    Thanks setter and blogger.

  6. 12:43 .. I didn’t really stop to think about Del Boy’s reason but I’m pretty sure ulaca is right. This time next year, eh, Rodders?
  7. 28 minutes but I had a guess at AVANEDA at 7D, having only got the name and not the fabric and hoping that something sounding like avenue might be right.

    My FOI was the Del Boy clue, which I instinctively wanted to be LOVELY JUBBLY but quickly saw WHEELER DEALER. Must be some Christmas specials repeated in the next few days?

  9. 14.14, a gentle stroll. THROW IN didn’t make wordplay sense when I wrote it in, so thanks for that. Nearly came a cropper on COPERNICAN – family tradition pronounces him as Copper Knickers, so nominative rather then genitive was automatic. I wondered briefly whether he could be -AS at the end before re-reading the clue and the of.
  11. Thought this was slightly harder than average, with CONVERSAZIONE unknown, CHIFFCHAFF semi-unknown (didn’t help myself by guessing it would end in CHAT), and FRITZ one of too many five-letter “Old German” options including Jerry, Boche, Bosch, and Frank. COD to the tipsy parent.
  12. 11:40. This felt harder than it was. There were a few unknowns or at least forgottens (CHIFF CHAFF, CONVERSAZIONE, TONDI). At least I remembered ALAMEDA, which has caused me problems in the past. This is actually a nasty little clue: it strikes me as impossible if you don’t know the Spanish avenue. ALACEVA anyone?
    I’m not sure about ‘reason’ either, and I can’t see why the fact that he drove a vehicle with wheels gets us any further than the fact that he was a wheeler-dealer. I suspect it’s just surfactant.
    Enjoyable puzzle, though, partly because I’m feeling a lot better than I did yesterday, which is good timing for Christmas.

    Edited at 2014-12-23 10:17 am (UTC)

  13. We had SIZE in that sense quite recently and Del Boy not so long ago. And ALAMEDA crops up quite regularly. I did pause briefly to consider ketchup at 5d…. CONVERSAZIONE was the pretentious term used by the insufferable Mrs. Bishop Proudie in Trollope’s Barchester when she wanted to stiff her guests out of food and drink at her party. 13.36

    Merry Christmas to all from a warm and wet (ugh) NYC.

    1. That must be what was in my mind as a result of watching “The Barchester Chronicles” on DVD quite recently with Geraldine McEwan as Mrs Proudie. When I was blogging the only association I could make was with “Emmeline ‘Lucia’ Lucas” of “Mapp and Lucia”, another pretentious character with a love of all things Italian, but come to think of it, she probably said it too. And I’m now reminded she was also played on TV by Geraldine!
      1. Yes, wasn’t Geraldine wonderful. I loved the way she wielded the teapot like a weapon. And Alan Rickman was sublime as the slimy Slope.
        1. For those with access to BBC1 (or online) over the Christmas period, there is a three-parter Mapp and Lucia with Anna Chancellor (Lucia), Miranda Richardson (Mapp) and Steve Pemberton (Georgie)
  14. 17 mins. The NE didn’t really open up until I finally saw CHIFFCHAFF, but the main problem I had was entirely of my own making because I entered a careless “staircase” at 17ac and it was only when I couldn’t solve 4dn and 16dn that I revisited it and saw my error. As a consequence BALLERINA and HANDSHAKE were my last ones in. I definitely wasn’t on top form and I was glad I saw my dyslexic “Coperninac” before I finished.
  15. It took me longer than most of you, at about 80 minutes, but I got there in the end. Didn’t help myself by falling for the backward coach trap and wanting 15 to start with SUB when BALLERINA was entered. INCH LOI for me too, although there is no reason why it should have been – I thought of inc. fairly quickly, but never saw the h or the connection with edge.

    Maybe Santa will bring me a brain for Christmas.

  16. Well I never – I solved this read and write crossword in 5 mins – two whole minutes less than Magoo.

    I saw the ‘reason’ of 10d as I solved it too.

    Just in case Christmas takes over from crosswording tomorrow, can I take this opportunity wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

  17. A pleasant 20 minute stroll for a relatively easy puzzle. Add me to those who don’t understand 10D. An interesting phrase that perhaps deserves better treatment.

    Good to see Copernicus mentioned – an amazing man. He left a permanent contribution to theoretical economics as well as physics before making his major breakthrough of proving the solar system to be heliocentric

  18. Two missing today (Entrain and Once). Found this slow going – am out of practice at the moment. For one reason or another I’ve found time only for the Saturday puzzles in the past few weeks hence absence from this forum.
    Season’s greetings everyone!
  19. 13:01. I eventually recalled alameda from previous puzzles but only after considering alaceva etc. At 1 my first thought was brim.

    Some of the clues looked scarier than they were with Polish astronomers, Irish leaders, Jewish peoples and several artists.

    It’s not every day you see Chekhov and Del Boy rubbing shoulders.

    1. I have to tell you that I won 4 pints in the pub quiz yesterday by virtue of remembering the name of Danger Mouse’s sidekick. And the only reason I remembered it was because I see it so frequently in your postings. Cheers
  20. 33m for me but a bunged in ALACEDA not remembering the correct word (as I’ve now memorised it what excuse will I have next time?) so another DNF to add to the growing list. I spent a day this summer in Teesdale trying but failing to get a clear photo of a chiffchaff so that pleasant memory wins that clue my vote for COD. ESPADRILLE – such a lovely word – came a close second. Thanks for blog.
  21. 19 minutes. I groaned when I saw the “tree-lined walk” clue. We have it so often and I can never remember it. I always want to put a V in it somewhere – as in AVENUE. But by the time I’d done the rest of the puzzle my memory had kicked in and I got it right. An enjoyable steady solve. I particularly liked Chekov’s THEATRE SISTER. Ann
  22. One of the times a US background helped: ALAMEDA is in common use in the West and Southwest. But CHIFFCHAFF (hyphenated in OED) was beyond me, partly because for the banter part the best I could do was CHAT, partly because whenever I see “bird” and it isn’t obviously a tern, I’m lost. Thanks for wising me up, Jack.

    Moreover, a particular Christmas Thanks to the blogging team for helping me to learn some of the ins and outs and to really improve this year.

    1. For what it’s worth Paul ‘chaff’ was new to me, too. I only got this one by thinking at first that the two Fs came at the end. That idea stuck, and then a variant on ‘riffraff’ looked like the sort of thing a bird might be called. I do tend to freeze a bit when birds come up though, although not as much as with plants.
  24. Chaotic work-life balance has kept me away from the blog, other than the occasional “lurk” to check a tricky parsing. Best Wishes to the stalwarts for Christmas and the New Year.
  25. I didn’t have an easy time, about 40 minutes, ending with IN-TRAYS, which I liked. I’m not familiar with the CHIFFCHAFF, Del Boy or the Italian social gathering. I’ll try to remember them, but that hardly ever really works. Regards.
  26. 9:03 for me, as usual getting off to a desperately slow start and then struggling with easy clues.

    Another nice puzzle, with 21ac (THEATRE SISTER) as my COD, at least partly because I only twigged the double definition when I came to check through the clues after I’d finished.

    I don’t think there has to be any special significance to “as well as reason” in 10dn. Surely the reason for someone to indulge in wheeler-dealing like Del Boy is simply to try and make money.

  27. Finished in 50 minutes, but with many more unknown entries than usual, for which the wordplay was my only recourse: ALAMEDA (my LOI), TONDI (the NTLOI), ESPADRILLE, CONVERSAZIONE. The whole time, it felt as if I was making up words as I was going along, but fortunately I made up the right words. Nice puzzle, but not really easy for me.

    Edited at 2014-12-24 01:10 am (UTC)

  28. Probably as near as I’ll ever come to a Tony-Sever-style clean sweep. Starting 1 ac wrote in all the acrosses on first read except CHIFFCHAFF (unknown), CONVERSAZIONE (unknown) and THEATRE SISTER (Chekhov play unknown). Then starting from 1 dn wrote in all the downs on first read except FAST – didn’t have the first F, just the S. Took a few minutes to build CHIFFCHAFF at the end and then get FAST, so 16:49 – not quite my fastest ever.
    Rob

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