Times Cryptic 26390

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
I found this one quite hard work and although I made steady progress throughout and was never actually stuck for ideas, it was a bit of a long haul lasting some 65 minutes. There were a couple of unknowns but they had hepful wordplay so I was able to take them in my stride.

Now that my blogging duties have increased and cover both Quick Cryptic and 15×15 puzzles I have decided to consolidate the two processes so that I don’t have to switch mode according to the puzzle format, and to this end I am now showing the clues when I blog the main cryptic. This also has the advantage that I can simply indicate all the definitions by adjusting the formatting instead of thinking about  which clues need them included and then typing them in. Old hands probably don’t need most of them but we are constantly being joined by new recruits from the Quick puzzle and I hope this additional information will ease their transition. Another factor is that since the puzzle has become available on the new Times platform it is so much easier to copy and paste clues into the html template than in the past when I had to scan and proof-read every item to ensure that characters had not been changed or misplaced in the process.

Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions} are in curly brackets and [indicators] in square ones.

Across
1 Editor wants introduction to electrics in oven guide (8)
BAEDEKER – ED (editor) + E{lectrics} in BAKER (oven). My last one in. I’m very familiar with this series of guidebooks but  I simply couldn’t see it until the K checker came along.
8 Agreement’s not quiet – I have to give voice (6)
ACTIVE – {p}ACT (agreement [not quiet – p]), IVE (I have). In grammar the opposite of  “passive voice”.
9 Notice the deputy offering guidance (6)
ADVICE – AD (notice), VICE (deputy)
10 Girl involved in fraud losing it, down the social ladder (8)
DECLASSE – LASS (girl) involved in DECE{it} (fraud [losing it]). It really needs two acute accents but of course in crosswords we have to overlook that. The surface reading suggests a feminine touch in which case an additional E might be required, but with the actual definition as it stands it’s fine as it is.
11 Host of unsound mind, not the first (4)
ARMY – {b}ARMY (of unsound mind [not the first])
12 Instrument, one emitting note in a bedroom disturbingly (4,6)
OBOE D’AMORE – O{n}E [emitting note] inside anagram [disturbingly] of A BEDROOM. The alto oboe is pitched slightly lower than the standard instrument. I puzzled over this clue almost to the bitter end but if the apostrophe had been indicated I’d guess I’d have written the answer in straight away, so probably a very good reason for the convention of not doing so.
14 Son with boozy types drinking round – they may sink quite low (8)
STOOPERS – S (son), TOPERS (boozy types) containing [drinking] O (round)
16 Foot with first sign of infection attended by a doctor (4)
IAMB – I{nfection}, A, MB (doctor)
18 One that could be an ace   driver? (4)
CLUB – Two definitions with reference to playing cards and golfing equipment
19 Groups again sing badly after authentic start (8)
REALIGNS – REAL (authentic), anagram [badly] of SING
21 Note what may be ideal companion to great gin? (10)
SUPERTONIC – A straight definition – the second note of the musical scale – and a cryptic hint with more booze in mind! ‘Great’ in the clue becomes ‘super’ in the answer.
22 Number of spectators in evening at Edinburgh (4)
GATE – Hidden in {evenin}G AT E{dinburgh}
24 Note thanks miners for guarding one metallic element (8)
TITANIUM – TI (note), TA (thanks), then NUM (miners) contains [guarding] I (one)
26 Impertinent girl has on tunic (6)
CHITON – CHIT (impertinent girl), ON. I didn’t know the tunic. I don’t think “chits” are necessarily impertinent or female but they can be both according to the usual sources.
27 Gas in eastern district of Kent in short supply (6)
ETHANE – E (eastern), THANE{t} (district of Kent [in short supply])
28 Telling boy to embrace minority school subject (8)
RELATING – REG (boy) contains [embrace] LATIN (minority school subject). If only it had been in my day!  I was forced to study it for 8 years from the age of 6.

Down
2 Local dignitary, man hiding in tree (5)
ALDER – ALDER{man} (local dignitary [man hiding])
3 Bet all hours, morning and afternoon? (5,6)
DAILY DOUBLE – I think “bet” broadly covers the definition and the remainder of the clue qualifies it more precisely. I don’t pretend to understand whatever intricacies are involved in the “daily double” process.
4 Shout of fright goes up, getting sweetheart to faint? (4,4)
KEEL OVER – EEK (shout of fright) reversed [goes up], LOVER (sweetheart). I don’t recall seeing EEK in a puzzle before yesterday but here it is again already!
5 Some adoration that’s animated in bishop – one seeking a signal from above (5,10)
RADIO ASTRONOMER – Anagram [animated] of SOME ADORATION inside RR (bishop – Right Reverend) and a cryptic definition
6 Modern design in zone, not a place to find amusement? (6)
ARCADE – CAD (modern design – Computer Aided Design) inside ARE{a} (zone [not A])
7 Duck not wanting lake leaves (3)
TEA – TEA{l} (duck [not wanting lake – L])
8 Church official and archdeacon circling street with representation of Mary (9)
VESTRYMAN – VEN (archdeacon) contains [circling] ST (street) + anagram [representation] of MARY.
13 Maiden with bad heel may be used in advertising campaign (7,4)
MAILING LIST – M (maiden), AILING (bad), LIST (heel)
15 Jewish scholar stimulated afresh after losing energy (9)
TALMUDIST – Anagram [afresh] of STIMULAT{e}D [losing energy]. I didn’t know this but with all the checkers in place there was little choice in placing the remaining anagrist.
17 Half of crackers fail to go off? Ridiculous! (8)
FARCICAL – Anagram [to go off] of CRAC{kers} [half of] + FAIL
20 Celebrity dispatching article in English – a variant of it (6)
STRINE – ST{a}R (celebrity [despatching article]), IN, E (English). “It” in the definition refers back to “English”.
23 Old character dithering outside hospital (5)
THORN – TORN (dithering) contains [outside] H (hospital). One of them thar rune things.
25 Commander in long story that sees leader deposed (3)
AGA – {s}AGA (long story [leader deposed])

64 comments on “Times Cryptic 26390”

  1. I didn’t know CHITON nor that sense of CHIT and went with CHINON (with CHIN seeming at least plausible). I knew it was a place in France so it seemed it might be an article of clothing too. But it isn’t. Oh well.

    Took forever to get ARMY for some reason, but everything else was fine.

    1. Me too, thinking it a Strine-language variant of the known CHIGNON.
      Bugger. Otherwise quickish, but untimed.
      Rob
  2. Same experience as Jack but due to trouble at ‘Cow Corner’ where COD 1 ac BAEDEKER lurked. (The Baedeker guides were used by the Luftwaffe to raid Exeter, Norwich and other more remote English cities, as they were a bit short of maps.) Mais je digresse.

    For me 2dn and 3dn were weak clues. LOI 12 ac OBOE D’AMORE DNK but as per Jack.
    FOI 24ac TITANIUM DNK 26 ac CHITON

    I was forced to learn Latin from age 11 to 16 – O me miserum!

    First time I have encountered RR for Bishop! So did not parse properly.I thought it was only expensive cars.

    Enjoyable 58 minutes. Breakfast!

    horryd Shanghai

  3. … with a few toughies among the usual-level-of-difficulty clues. Liked the clues featuring religious/clergy (5dn, 8dn, 15dn). Never knowingly used the word STOOPER. Has anyone? Can one be both a stooper and a loper I wonder?

    Off to put on my titanium chiton and investigate Supertonicgate.

    On edit: meant to say that I appreciate the blog format, Jack. And I know those who will find is most useful.

    Edited at 2016-04-19 03:29 am (UTC)

  4. Is it now in the minority? Used to be required (to at least O-level) for entry to several university subjects, including English, at English universities. This used to force those without into Scottish universities which had no such entrance requirements.

    My old Latin master was fond of referring to my famous “room routers” thus:
    flavit [McT] et dissipati sunt. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

    1. Fortunately I didn’t need Latin to read English at an English university 25 years ago. It was very much a minority subject at that time. My kids learn it but they go to posher schools than I did and even there most people give it up at an early age.
  5. Like horryd, I thought 2 and 3 down were a bit weak, and to that number I would add 6d. Like Paul, my last in was ARMY, entered only once I got ALDER, my penultimate. Like ‘most everyone, my only out and out unknown was CHITON. 52 minutes.
  6. Held up for ages by BAEDEKER (BAKER for ‘oven’ – I suppose so, sort of) and a few others such as ARMY took much longer than they should have. Guessed TITON, my LOI, which I’d never come across before, though the wordplay helped.

    I liked the long anagram at 5d and STOOPERS which I agree with mctext is little used, certainly not be me. I don’t know about a loper, but I think you could be a creeper, crawler, sniveller and stooper all at once.

    Thanks to blogger and setter.

    1. Are you friends with my brother by any chance? (I forgive him for playing bass right handed.)
  7. After applying all my hard-earned cunning to solving the unknowns (BAEDEKER, OBOE D’AMORE, TALMUDIST and CHITON) I managed to get one out of four. Must try harder.

    The apostrophe would have given me the oboe and I would have got TALMUDIST if I didn’t mess up the anagrist. But I was never going to get CHITON, not knowing either of the required meanings.

    Still, it’s a long season and this is only a minor setback. Will regroup and come out firing tomorrow.

    Thanks setter and Jack.

    1. I thought Aussie sportsmen were supposed to start every post-disappointment reaction with “Look”, as in “Look, it’s a long season …”

      The cricketers, especially, seem able to load the word in a way that makes journo’s questions seem utterly moronic (which they usually are).

          1. I never thought I’d miss Ricky Ponting, but nobody since has managed to convey such meaning with the words “Aw, look, mate”.
  8. 22:48 … tricky one to finish up. Last in the forgotten oboe, but my main problems were in the southwest, where it took a long time to get Rabbi out of my head.

    DAILY DOUBLE rang a faint bell, though it sounds like something that probably went out with ‘doing the pools’ (which I’m assuming is now a thing of the past).

  9. I like the new format, Jack. It means that you don’t have to continually refer to another copy of the puzzle, however I do appreciate it takes much longer typing all the clues out. You get a star from me.
    40 minutes of a steady solve.
    1. Thanks. Actually it’s a simple copy-and-paste job now so very little extra work is needed.

      Edited at 2016-04-19 09:17 am (UTC)

  10. A 39′ dnf as didn’t know OBOE D’AMORE and had the wrong wordplay, will know in future. Have gone through life reading the phrase ‘chit of a girl’ without knowing what it meant.
  11. Made hard work of this and struggled from top to bottom. Not sure why – can’t see anything too difficult looking back. Didn’t know CHITON

    Was forced to learn Latin for 2 years from a schoolmaster who walked to school through inner London dressed in a toga and sandles and carrying a discus. Barmy as the day was long.

  12. 45 minutes. Chiton and the CAD abbreviation unknown but guessable. An excellent journeyman crossword: not one that hits the heights, but challenging and interesting, finely precise. Favourite surface is 19. An admirable format you employ, Jack. On edit: just to balance the commentary a little – was glad to have studied Latin and mildly surprised English-word specialists who did so appear on the whole not to be able to say the same.

    Edited at 2016-04-19 09:59 am (UTC)

  13. Busy today so had to call it a day with CHITON, DÉCLASSÉ and OBOE D’AMORE missing. An enjoyable if frustrating 45 minutes. Wiki tells me this oboe is more tranquil and serene. Pity it wasn’t the type my daughter used to disturb the peace with.
  14. A rather scattered 18.04, generously assisted by the setter in the spelling of Bi-decker. I made up the bet at 3, on the understanding that an industry that can introduce the word acca (acker? – I’ve only heard it) can be guilty of anything. I had a bet on the National once, and since the fun had stopped with the loss of a fiver, so did I. Mind you, I still have a bet with Sun Life that I’ll reach retirement age before I die – I think they’re getting jittery about that one.
  15. I enjoyed the 45 minutes it took to beat this one into submission. FOI ARMY followed by ALDER. Took ages for the well submerged (in my brain) BAEDEKER to surface, and then only after I had all the checkers. Spent a lot of time looking for two clergymen to find a different sort of Pieta before the penny dropped. Worked my way steadily through the rest until I came to the unknown CHITON, where an alphabet trawl eventually dragged the phrase “Chit of a girl” to mind. I passed my Latin O-Level in 1967. In the third year, we were taught by a Christian Brother, who went by the affectionate sobriquet of Noddy. He had a habit of rewarding the pupils who managed to decline and conjugate correctly, by sending them to the woods surrounding the sports field to gather the fallen leaves. (He also nodded his head a lot). I spent a lot of time in the woods, until 4th year when we finally got a teacher who actually taught Latin. I now struggle to remember anything beyond Amo, Amas, Amat! I like the new format Jack. Saves having to refer back to the paper.
  16. Stopped at the hour mark with Chiton and Baedeker left unfilled. The reason for 1ac was because I had “elder” in for 2d – nearly but not quite a plausible answer. Baedeker must have been lurking in the mind somewhere, as I googled “Beedaker”, to no avail (the semi-logic being e going in ed). All I was offered was: “did you mean beaker?” No, I didn’t, and I would have thought your algorithms were sufficiently good these days to know what I did mean, thank you very much.

    Wiki was much better help on the alternative name for the oboe demora. Thanks setter and Jack.

  17. I was making pretty quick progress but the was held up for ages in the NW corner and by 27, so it was 45 minutes before I crossed the finishing line. It’s odd that ARMY, so often defined as ‘host’, should cause me and several others problems. I’m not a betting man so DAILY DOUBLY meant nothing to me. I guessed DOUBLE from checked letters but DAILY eluded me until I had ARMY. Baedeker was my last entry, helped by the D of DAILY.
    1. 18:16 so no real problems here, just a steady solve. STRINE always makes me smile, having read ‘How to Talk Strine’ many years ago. AORTA sticks in my mind as meaning ‘The Authorities’, as in ‘Aorta do something about it’.
      In my day, you needed a Latin O-level to study anything at Oxbridge, so 5 happy years!
      1. Loved those Strine books – remember one bloke trying to rouse another by asking him, “Why carp?” Then they went to the caf for breakfast: MNX.
        And the Sly Drool, used to extract Kew Brutes.
        Rob
  18. 17:55 with a bit of fiddling about to correct an un-parseable fanciful (and wondering if flipon was a thing) to a much better farcical (which an old boss of mine used to pronounce farshal).

    I also biffed Royal Astronomer despite knowing full well it’s Astronomer Royal (why do we say it backwards?)

    1. I too was in fanciful mode until I couldn’t solve 26a.

      Nothing like a solve to give you confidence for tomorrow – and yes, I have now lost a bit of confidence for tomorrow as this one took me 15 mins and two lots of Tippex too.

        1. I have a feeling that tomorrow is the first opportunity to set off on the road to disappointing you again. It was this Wednesday last year if you see what I mean.
          1. Ah yes I see. Well, *cough*, for some reason this year I haven’t been paying too much attention to when the qualifying puzzles come out *cough*.
            1. I hope that nasty cough improves before October – it will be very annoying when we are all trying to concentrate 🙂
              1. I have been put in the morning session for October! But it’s well known that my night-owl’s brain doesn’t even start to work until at least noon!

                …oh well, nice long afternoon in the pub at least…

                1. They’ve done the opposite to me – they’ve tried to cut down my pub time by putting me in the afternoon slot – so I’m going to ask them for a transfer. Perhaps we can swap?
                  1. Magoo always seems to be in the afternoon slot, and I kind of like the idea of competing for 12 slots instead of just 11… having said that, if I don’t swap, he’s bound to be in the morning slot this time, isn’t he? *consults Wikipedia page for “Monty Hall problem”*
  19. This was about the same time as yesterday’s, but the struggle felt slightly more painful and the victory slightly less satisfying. I guess that’s the setter/solver wavelength thing.

    I was also interrupted by someone knocking at the door, which would normally have been annoying; as it turned out, it was a courier delivering a shiny fountain pen, which, it turned out, I had earned as my prize from the ST puzzle a few weeks ago. As I don’t keep an eagle eye on the prize winners, this was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Never give up!

  20. ‘Chit’ was familiar to me from Cold Comfort Farm, in which it frequently gets applied to Robert Poste’s Child: ‘You chit! You scheming brat!’ On that note, I wonder if ‘scrattling’ ‘mollocking’ and ‘clettering’ have ever appeared in a crossword?

    Scraped in under the hour but with the oboe misspelt.

  21. Gave up trying to get CHITON after about 30 minutes. Studied Latin for 14 years before having to get a proper job in order to pay off student debts – after 40 years I have now forgotten most of it but am much better off financially if not culturally.
  22. Have you ever heard an OBOE DEMORA? It sounds like the flatulence of one who has had their spincter half-superglued shut, and is tuned to E flat. Oh well, better luck tomorrow…
  23. Actually I believe it’s Greek, although I barely scraped through the O level and remember almost nothing except the alphabet. Anyway it stuck somehow. In case anyone was wondering I voted in the NY primary this morning. 7.30 a.m. and they were extremely busy – first time since I can remember that a NY election counted for anything in a national race. 17.38
    1. I haven’t voted yet, but my choices are unattractive, so I may actually abstain for the first time in memory.
      1. Yes, it’s not too good is it. Now we’re back in the country I think of you as we pass near your place!
  24. About 25 minutes today, ending with CHITON which I didn’t have confidence in, thought it was a word from antiquity somewhere, and then looked up. Also confess that the OBOE wasn’t easily springing to mind but arrangement of the anagram made this the likeliest entry, to me at least. Enjoyed the SUPERTONIC. Regards.
  25. Another lucky day for me. NHO SUPERTONIC, and I spent a while trying to convince myself that an “AEDSH” (being a man in a tree) was some sort of Icelandic (or possibly African – I always get those mixed up) local dignitary for 2d. CHITON was known, mainly as the little woodlouse-like animal with a jointed shell.

    OBOE D’AMORE sounds like a euphemism to me. However, “viola d’amore” came up here not so very long ago, which helped.

  26. Another failure, this time a 22 min one. I was late to the puzzle and was running out of time so I didn’t give the oboe as much thought as I should have done and did something similar to George. Eejit. It also took me quite a while to see ETHANE.
  27. I would like to blame the fact that we had the roofers working above and a new shed being put up in the garden, but I can’t. Too tough for me especially after I had entered oboe modern and card for the second word in 13d, but very enjoyable all the same, and I completed about 3/4, well probably 2/3. Chuffed to get Baedeker, what a splendid clue.
    As a relative newcomer this was a splendid test to judge how much I have improved. 3 months ago I would have slung in ethane and tea and then gone off in a sulk.

    Tyro Tim

  28. 35m. I came to this very late and found it very hard.
    I remembered this meaning of CHIT from a past puzzle but I don’t think it’s a very fair clue.
    All in all a bit of a grind, and I still have no idea what is going on with 2dn. How on earth is the wordplay supposed to work? I thought DOUBLE might mean a double shift, which sort of fits ‘morning and afternoon’, but what does ‘all hours’ have to do with it?

    Edited at 2016-04-19 08:16 pm (UTC)

  29. CHIPON, anyone? Oh well, at least it was the only mistake. THANET was just a vague shadow of a thought, but it really is a district of Kent, I see, and ETHANE was right. Some consolation.
  30. 12:50 here for this interesting and enjoyable puzzle – though looking back, I’m not sure why I wasn’t faster. I didn’t know (and was slightly nervous of) DAILY DOUBLE, which sounded a bit too close to DAILY DOZEN for comfort; but otherwise no real problems.
    1. How did you think DAILY DOUBLE worked, Tony? I’m baffled by it but I seem to be in a minority of one.
  31. All hours could be daily as could morning and afternoon, gives daily double which is a standard bet offered at many horse and dog tracks. Had me fooled for a bit but once I saw it I thought it rather clever.

    Tyro Tim

    1. Thanks. I’d been thinking along the same lines but didn’t try to articulate it for fear of getting out of my depth on betting matters of which I have no knowledge.
      1. As far as I can tell the only betting aspect of the clue is the definition, ‘bet’. But I still don’t understand it so I can’t be sure!
    2. The thing I struggle with in that is how ‘all hours’ means ‘daily’. It doesn’t, does it?
      1. If it’s any consolation K I can’t fathom how it’s supposed to work either. I just haven’t got your tenacity when it comes to uncovering the truth.
        1. That is some consolation, thanks. At least if I’m going mad I’m not alone! This sort of thing bugs me more than it should but it’s slightly worrying to see a clue that appears to make no sense and find that no-one else is bothered.

          Edited at 2016-04-20 02:45 pm (UTC)

          1. I can’t justify “all hours” either, except in a vague and unsatisfactory way. Which is why I was slightly nervous of bunging in DAILY DOUBLE as the answer.

            Edited at 2016-04-20 11:21 pm (UTC)

  33. Got OBOE D’AMORE but wasn’t happy with “emitting” in the clue….”omitting” would surely have been correct, though I suppose if you “emit” something you give it out?
    1. I think you’ve answered your own query, anon! “Discharge” is another word that appears against “emit” in Collins and the Oxfords.

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