Times Cryptic 26930

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

A fairly straightforward puzzle today which delayed me only 3 minutes over my target half-an-hour.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]

Across
1 Primate‘s staff ailing — doctor called in (8)
MANDRILL – MAN (staff) + ILL (ailing) with DR (doctor) contained [called in]
9 Area police announced restriction that sours the air (4,4)
ACID RAIN – A (area), CID (police), RAIN sounds like [announced] “rein” (restriction)
10 Readily believes Northerner holds us back (4,2)
LAPS UP – LAPP (Northerner) contains [holds] US reversed [back]
11 Cast organised protest to get fishing basket (7,3)
LOBSTER POT – LOB (cast), anagram [organised] of PROTEST
12 Greek character backing firm in Perth, remarkably (4)
UNCO – NU (Greek character) reversed [backing], CO (firm). Scottish dialect.
13 Tory authority’s discounted in meeting (10)
CONFLUENCE – CON (Tory), {in}FLUENCE (authority) [discounted ‘in’]. A gathering of people, or where rivers meet.
16 Second mate claiming heart of girls like Myrtle, perhaps (7)
SHRUBBY – S (second), HUBBY (mate) containing [claiming] {gi}R{ls} [heart]
17 Fired as a result of poor editing (7)
IGNITED – Anagram [poor] of EDITING
20 Former Italian writer, heading off depression after church (10)
ANTECEDENT – {d}ANTE (Italian writer) [heading off], CE (church), DENT (depression). The answer is an adjective here.
22 Country‘s Republican force given audible cue (4)
IRAQ – IRA (Republican force – Irish Republican Army), Q sounds like [audible] “cue”
23 Maverick or a well-fed ungulate? (6,4)
FALLOW DEER – Anagram [maverick] of OR A WELL-FED
25 Rebellion of small proportions I’m doubtful about leading (6)
MUTINY – UM (I’m doubtful) reversed [about], TINY (of small proportions)
26 Some music I put on as soon as king enters court (8)
CONCERTI – ONCE (as soon) + R (king) contained by [enters] CT (court), I
27 Caddy is breaking into loping stride on course (8)
CANISTER – IS contained by [breaking into] CANTER (loping stride on course – racecourse)
Down
2 A water source on island if all else fails (2,1,5)
AT A PINCH – A, TAP (water source), INCH (island)
3 50 gatecrashing party certain to gain admission (10)
DISCLOSURE – L (50) contained by [gatecrashing] DISCO (party], SURE (certain)
4 Remorseless climbing mountain chain, I’m at the top! (10)
IMPLACABLE – I’M, ALP (mountain) reversed [climbing], CABLE (chain). ‘Cable’ and ‘chain’ are not the same to my mind except in the sense that they can both be used for the same purpose. Edit at 06:00: It now occurs to me that ‘cable’ and ‘chain’ (and even possibly ‘cable chain’) are stitching patterns in knitting, and that may be the meaning in which they can be substituted, but I don’t know enough on the subject to say for sure. Do we have a knitting correspondent within our ranks?
5 Like a flame beginning to burn in new mantle? (7)
LAMBENT – B{urn} [beginning] in anagram [new] of MANTLE
6 Spray that’s dropped picked up (4)
MIST – Sounds like [picked up] “missed” (dropped)
7 Security measure for Panama running through locks? (6)
HATPIN – Cryptic definition. I’m not sure one would use a hatpin to secure a Panama hat but I get the idea and the question mark suggests it’s a bit loose.
8 Oddly, kind of fabric we struggle to pull up in bed? (8)
KNOTWEED – K{i}N{d} O{f} [oddly], TWEED [fabric]
14 They handle cargo — not the most massive pieces (10)
LIGHTERMEN – LIGHTER (not the most massive), MEN (pieces – e.g. chess)
15 Gets shot of priest at home, with friends coming round (10)
ELIMINATES – ELI (priest), MATES (friends) contains [coming round] IN (at home)
16 Expert behind vehicle in science fiction film (8)
SCARFACE – CAR (vehicle) in SF (science fiction), ACE (expert). The nick name of Al Capone. The classic film of this title was made in 1932 and starred Paul Muni. There was a remake in 1983 featuring Al Pacino.
18 Manager shortly bringing in a rich reserve as triallist (8)
EXAMINEE – EXE{c} (manager) [shortly] containing [bringing in] A + MINE (rich reserve).
19 Charlie supporting either crackpot or dissident (7)
HERETIC – C (Charlie) underneath [supporting] anagram [crackpot] of EITHER
21 Story books that scout looks out for? (6)
TALENT – TALE (story), NT (books)
24 Cordial, neither hot nor cold (4)
WARM – A straight definition with a cryptic hint

47 comments on “Times Cryptic 26930”

  1. 30:50 for me so fairly straightforward. Slight delay at 10ac where “eats up” popped into my head, its utter unparseability led to an alphabet trawl as far as L. Unco known and seen recently although I sometimes get the meanings of the similarly crosswordy words: unco (Scottish very / remarkable), umbo (shield boss) and ambo (pulpit in an early Christian church) mixed up and I think I recently put an ambo in for an umbo in one puzzle.
  2. Not sure how I came up with EATS UP but there you go. I’ll see you at the bottom of the table.
  3. Assumed ‘pin’ for security measure, as in pin number, for a Panama hat. Hence ‘hatpin’ rather than the thing that might hold it on your head! Am I stating the obvious here?
  4. My (unfortunately usual) hour with KNOTWEED and UNCO my LOI. Once I actually wrote in the former the wordplay was bright and clear, and although I had never heard of the latter the wordplay couldn’t be other than it actually was, so I bunged it in, assuming I couldn’t possibly know Australian slang anyway (yes, I know, wrong Perth, but does it matter?). The rest must have been easy, although where do I know LAMBENT from?
  5. 25m so a rare sub 30 these days. Add me to the CONFERENCE biffers as well. Otherwise a pleasant solve with no unknowns today. Thanks for the blog and the puzzle.

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