Times Cryptic 27080

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

I had a very hard time with this one so I was pleased to finish it eventually without resorting to aids, which towards the end had appeared unlikely as I got seriously stuck over some answers in the SE corner. There were a few unknown words, a couple of unknown meanings and arguably one or two slightly dodgy or at least loose defintions along the way, but overall I enjoyed the challenge.

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

Across
1 Maybe miss one meal, shifting tea breaks (8)
MICHAELA – CHA (tea) is contained by [breaks] anagram [shifting] of MEAL I (one)
5 Secure — in hair-raising fashion? (4,2)
LOCK UP – A straight definition with a cryptic hint
9 Nice of Civil Service hosts to hold forth medals (9)
DECORATES – DE (Nice, of – yer actual French), then CS (Civil Service) contains [hosts] ORATE (to hold forth). ‘Medals’ here is a verb.
11 Civic dignitary dressing right (5)
MAYOR – MAYO (dressing), R (right)
12 Aces concealed in shirt seams put back (7)
MAESTRI – Hidden [concealed] and reversed [put back] in {sh}IRT SEAM{s). A bit of a stretch is required for the definition perhaps as traditionally ‘maestro’ is associated with the arts – most usually music – and ‘ace’ is more likely to be used in the context of sport (or fighter pilots), but meanings do change so I’d say on balance its okay.
13 Creature cayman bit on toe oddly disappeared (7)
AMNIOTE – {c}A{y}M{n} {b}I{t} O{n} T{o}E [oddly disappeared]. Collins has ‘amniote’ as: any vertebrate animal, such as a reptile, bird, or mammal, that possesses an amnion, chorion, and allantois during embryonic development. I didn’t know it as a creature but arrived at the answer via wordplay, and having heard of ‘amniotic fluid’ thought it was probably going to be correct.
14 Expert putting up tumble drier as ordered (6,7)
MASTER BUILDER – Anagram [ordered] of TUMBLE DRIER AS
16 It makes us cross, what short-term personnel go through? (9,4)
REVOLVING DOOR – This is one of those clues where the answer contains part of the wordplay. DOOR backwards is ‘rood’ which is a type of cross, but for the clue to work ‘revolving’ has to be a reversal indicator which is bit dodgy since it might be argued that ‘revolving’ would take us back to the word we started with. The main definition refers to changing personnel on a frequent basis known in some circles as a ‘revolving door’ policy.
20 Feeling happy no more, evidently flipped (7)
UPENDED – UP (feeling happy), ENDED (no more). I not entirely convinced that ‘flipping’ and ‘upending’ are quite the same thing but the definitions in Collins appear to have the setter’s back covered.
21 Promote any number of us, sort of (7)
NOURISH – N (any number), OUR (of us), -ISH (sort of – suffix)
23 I love not being separated (2,3)
IN ONE – I, NONE (love – nil, in tennis)
24 With warm honey, set about a sort of loaf (9)
WHEATMEAL – W (with), HEAT (warm), MEL (honey) containing [set about] A. I didn’t know the honey and I was missing the final checker so for a while I was torn between -MEAL and -GERM as the ending.
25 Like lubricated gear, maybe, when in neutral (6)
GREASY –  AS (when) contained by [in] GREY (neutral)
26 Solicitor at Law with facility for speaking disreputably (8)
SLEAZILY – SL (Solicitor at Law – apperently), EAZILY sounds like [speaking] “easily” (with facility)
Down
1 Not the women’s singles title at Roland Garros? (6)
MADAME – Cryptic definition with reference to the ‘Roland Garros’ stadium, the venue for the French Open tennis chamionships, but really all one needs to know is that it’s in France where single women presumably have the title ‘mademoiselle’ rather than ‘madame’. Definitions based on the principle ‘not this, so that’ are usually a bit suspect, and this is no exception in my view.
2 Supply long, trailing cape (5)
CACHE – ACHE (long) placed after [trailing] C (cape)
3 Maybe gets breeze in prime location for climbing (7)
AERATES – SET (prime – e.g. a fuse) + AREA (location) reversed [climbing]. Again a somewhat loose definition, I feel.
4 Two identical switches on top of wall light (7,6)
LATTICE WINDOW – Anagram [switches] of TWO IDENTICAL, W{all} [top]
6 Old Turkish sailor, short virile one (7)
OSMANLI – OS (sailor -Ordinary Seaman), MANL{y} (virile) [short], I (one). The language of the Ottoman Turks. Another unknown to me.
7 Enter the champion: a trusted opener (9)
KEYHOLDER – KEY (Enter – the key on a computer), HOLDER (champion)
8 Role was out mainly in the garden (8)
PARTERRE – PART (role), ERRE{d} (was out) [mainly]. According to Collins this can be ‘a formally patterned flower garden’.
10 Timid chap trapping a couple of bees with slipper, worn but posh (6-7)
SHABBY-GENTEEL – SHY (timid), containing [trapping] A+BB (couple of bees), then GENT (chap) EEL (slipper). I’ve not come across this before but I was aware of ‘shabby-chic’ so I just went with the wordplay.
14 Old film technique from USSR, heading off endless cash grabs (9)
MOVIETONE – MONE{y} (cash) [endless] contains [grabs] {s}OVIET (from USSR) [heading off]. An early sound-movie technique apparently whereas I knew the word only only from ‘British Movietone News’ that used to show in cinemas between the main features. Its rival was Pathé News.
15 Finish on the tiles after Greek jaunt (8)
GROUTING – OUTING (jaunt) follows [after] GR (Greek)
17 Issues with hose  / used by firemen? (7)
LADDERS – Two definitions, the first referring to what are called ‘runs’ on the other side of the Pond.
18 Succulent duck put in stews: ace! (7)
OPUNTIA – 0 (duck), anagram [stews] of PUT IN, A (ace). Another unknown to me but it’s a cactus better known as ‘prickly pear’..
19 Agent X following stuff on phone (6)
PHILBY –  BY (X – times) following PHIL which sounds [on phone] like “fill” (stuff). Kim Philby, one of the Cambridge Five spies.
22 Old people off home to reflect (5)
ICENI – ICE (off – murder), IN (home) reversed [to reflect]. The ancient tribe famously led at one time by Boudica.

63 comments on “Times Cryptic 27080”

  1. This was a hard nut to crack, and there were some long pauses while I considered throwing in the towel, but I finally thought of Michaels from the checkers of 1ac, and then corrected it to MICHAELA, and then an alphabet run at 19d–fortunately there’s nothing between CH_ and PH_, so it didn’t take too long–yielded PHILBY. Biffed SHABBY-GENTEEL (I’ve never come across ‘shabby-chic’), solved post-submission. I’m pretty sure we’ve had OPUNTIA before; it felt familiar. It’s my understanding that the French (the Academy, I suppose) have dropped ‘mademoiselle’ and apply ‘Madame’ to all female adults. Biffed REVOLVING DOOR, completely missing the rood connection and thinking that maybe ‘It makes us cross’ was the definition (the door makes us cross the threshold). An MER at ‘aces’, and DNK (and DNL: ‘do not like’) ‘medal’ as a verb. COD to MICHAELA.

    Edited at 2018-07-03 03:41 am (UTC)

    1. You are correct about Madame/Mademoiselle, Kevin. That is the usage we came across.
      1. I read a short article about the elimination of ‘mademoiselle’ in the NY Times (I think) a couple of years ago; I can’t recall if it was the Academy, but it seems likely. We should have done the same thing with ‘Miss’.
        1. And while we’re at it, I’d happily see the end of ‘ladies’ in sports (which I realise could be read two ways)
          1. An instant, totally unscientific survey suggests women, rather than ladies, play rugby and cricket, but football is split.
            1. I think a few football clubs have changed, haven’t they, though I see your beloved spurs have let the old enemy steal a march on them. Have a word, z8. As for SW19 … well, it’s always 1908 there, so probably a lost cause.
              1. Spurs are a bit busy at the moment, what with almost all remaining teams in the World Cup containing one or more Spurs/ex-Spurs players. If England meet Belgium in the final, most of the elite team will be on the pitch together. But I’ll bear it in mind and see what I can do.
            2. Seems a bit odd given the old saw about rugby being a game played by gentlemen. I must be a bit old-fashioned, as I always think and speak of the ladies’ competitions in cricket and rugby (I have no position on football, which bores me rigid). My use of the word “lady” has never been intended to offend.
            3. Seems a bit odd given the old saw about rugby being a game played by gentlemen. I must be a bit old-fashioned, as I always think and speak of the ladies’ competitions in cricket and rugby (I have no position on football, which bores me rigid). My use of the word “lady” has never been intended to offend.
          2. Three ways, Sotira, though the third more appropriate to the Guardian
    2. Yes, I was horrified by ‘medal’ used as a verb the first time I met it (in 2011, I think) and assumed it was the jargon of modern sports commentators – not always the most articulate members of society – but a little research has confirmed that it dates at least from the early 19th century. That gives it a bit more credibility in my view, but I still don’t like it.
  2. That wasn’t my last one in, but the only unknown (though the precise definition of AMNIOTE remained rather vague!). Penultimate One In was WHEATMEAL and LOI PHILBY. I got all the long ones relatively early in the game. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with REVOLVING as a reversal indicator; in this context, it would make no sense to indicate a 360 degree turn. Also, the word is in the present continuous tense, so the revolution may not be completed yet!

  3. OPUNTIA, AMNIOTE and OSMANLI were also unknowns for me, but gettable nonetheless.
    ‘Medal’ as a verb is horrible, n’est-ce-pas but I have also heard ‘podium’!
    Missed the ‘cross’ connection in 16ac so thank you, Jack.
    Re PHILBY, if you haven’t read it “A Spy Among Friends” by Ben Macintyre, of The Times, is an excellent read. The idea that security clearance could be as lax as “Oh, he’s fine, we know his people” is mind-boggling.
    1. My favourite illiterate sports commentator statement, not just verbing (sic) the adjective but also mangling a well-known phrase:
      “He’s fraughting with danger!”
      Tough puzzle, wasn’t getting anywhere so went away and came back later, when almost magically it all revealed itself, as it does. Lots of unknowns, and a lot of thickness: didn’t make the connection between amniote and amniotic.
  4. “Enter” does not have to mean that particular key on a typewriter, computer, etc. Some dictionaries have as a definition of KEY “enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard or telephone keypad.”
    1. Yes, this was my original saved draft:

      KEY (Enter – the key on a computer keyboard or the process of entering data), HOLDER (champion).

      For some reason, or by accident, it was changed in the final LJ edit

      Edited at 2018-07-03 05:47 am (UTC)

  5. Took close to 2 hours, but finally got there with a few guesses along the way. I did happen to vaguely remember OSMANLI which helped me with LOCK UP, one of the easiest clues but which I’d missed for a long time. Agree that to MEDAL is awful and to ‘podium’ even worse.

    I like those ‘wordplay in answer’ clues so REVOLVING DOOR was my pick, along with the surface for SLEAZILY.

    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  6. Epic fail! I couldn’t get PARTERRE or PHILBY even after a break (kicking myself over both now), missed the homophone indicator and put ‘sleasily’, and dopily misspelt ‘airates’. Otherwise, I did great.

    These sorts of mistakes seem to happen when my brain is being overtaxed elsewhere, which was certainly the case here. Enjoyable, but tough.

    I should probably get myself an easier hobby.

  7. I was really pleased to finish this one given how tough I found it – OPUNTIA and OSMANLI in particular took a lot of teasing out. Big COD to DECORATES – took me a long time to fall into ‘Nice of’.
  8. Oh dear. PHILBY took absolutely ages – it was a long time before I figured out that X meant BY – OSMANLI was a tough one to crack, and I was only partly sure that MEL could be honey (based on miel being the French, if I remember rightly).

    However, after all that it turned out I had carelessly entered AIRATES, and gone for ONUPTIA instead of OPUNTIA (obscure foreign words; anagram; usual moan). So, two errors and just under 18 minutes.

    1. Hah! I got my honey from Greece… (It’s μέλι over there.) It’s amazing how handy learning to read a menu can be.
  9. 38.10, but PHILBY added greatly to that time. I NEVER get X=BY, and while I knew I was looking for some sort of “sounzabitlike” for some of the clue, fill for stuff wouldn’t dawn. X Files agents were Mulder and Scully, but while I committed time to dredging them from memory, it wasn’t helpful.
    OPUNTIA vaguely remembered along a whole host of odd words for stews (except, of course, “anagram”).
    MICHAELA was very nearly MICHELLE. “Good evening, Michaela and I” in Armand Denis’ thick Belgian accent is a fixed soundbite from my distant youth.
    AMNIOTE is (IMHO) ludicrously vague for creature (I probably mean that the other way round) and I was’t too thrilled with “promote for NOURISH.
    As for medals, the verb, in current sportspeak doesn’t that mean “finished in the top three”? So getting a medal rather than giving, decorating with one? Double hm.
    Regrettably I didn’t see the full beauty of REVOLVING DOOR and put it in with a meh.
    There were some great clues mixed in with the B’stards, but the B’stards are the ones which colour my appreciation of the puzzle. Valiantly blogged Jack, glad it wasn’t mine.
    1. I thought the same about MEDAL, but the required meaning is in both Collins and ODO.
      1. Yup, Chambers has it with that meaning, but I can’t recall an instance where it was used that way as opposed to the modern ubiquitous “win a medal” of sportspeak.
        1. Likewise. It’s a usage that grates a bit for me but of course there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with it. As always in such circumstances ‘horrible’ or ‘a crime against the language’ just mean ‘a usage that wasn’t around when I was young’.
          1. No, no. Although linguistic usage constantly shifts, we do not therefore have to suspend our aesthetic and critical faculties: some usage changes are witty, some are stylish, some are convenient and others are simply ghastly and horrible. When I was a youth, nobody used ‘conflicted’ as an adjective (“She remains a little conflicted over the whole affair.”) but now it is used and I quite like it. Were I to hear ‘medals’ used synonymously with ‘decorates’ (I have never encountered such usage), I would expostulate vehemently at this canker on the language.
            1. Linguistic changes just happen. Trying to divide them between the good and the bad is futile. Of course we all have our arbitrary aesthetic preferences but they are no more than that. We use ‘crown’ in this way without thinking twice.
              Incidentally in French it’s quite standard: a gold medalist is called ‘médaillé d’or’. But like you I’ve never heard it in English.

              Edited at 2018-07-03 11:10 pm (UTC)

  10. Seventy minutes, but it was worth it. An excellent crossword needing very precise parsing. Hence my LOI was AERATES, since I think AERATE is a verb meaning to put air into something, and ‘gets breeze’ doesn’t really work, someone please explain. Really liked MICHAELA, KEYHOLDER, PHILBY.

    Thanks jack and setter.

  11. I thought this pretty nice really. The looser defs did slow me down a bit, with ACES and MAYBE MISS causing a small amount of consternation as to accuracy, but all in all a good puzzle to solve.

    Let’s hope maybe miss doesn’t go to penalties this evening.

    Edited at 2018-07-03 09:37 am (UTC)

  13. Phew – I was surprised to only see three red squares as I bunged the last couple in at the hour mark. I don’t *think* checking the SNITCH before solving should alter your time, but sometimes you have your suspicions – a dark orange ‘un can put you in a tentative mood, but it’s a mood you’d probably arrive at of your own accord before too long.

    As for the errors: as Sotira, I had “sleasily”, and was easily able to convince myself that that was a viable spelling; in my ignorance, despite my name, I seem to have a mental block about Roland Garros not being the US one, so “madams” went in with a shrug; and a friend of mine once dated a rather virile Mandy, so “Osmandi” was a clear write-in. Revolving door, and the above, and various other bits, completely missed, so thanks Jack, and (somewhat!) setter.

  14. 75 minutes in two parts, interrupted by return of younger son from holiday. That helped rather than hindered. LOI AEREATES after MICHAELA finally seen. I didn’t spot the backward rood, so I’m estopped from making the semi-biffed REVOLVING DOOR COD. I’ll give that to MOVIETONE. With Jack, I only knew that from the news at the flicks. I seem to remember a Gaumont News as well as Pathé. (I just spelt Gaumont wrong, pressed the auto-correct, and no replacements were found. Suddenly I feel very old.) This was a fine challenge, apart from raised eyebrows on DECORATES and a preference that PHILBY had been clued as a traitor. That’s probably because my dress style can best be described as shabby-oik. Thank you Jack and setter.
  15. 41’46. A tad iffy here and there (promote/nourish? transitive ‘medals’?) but an obstacle course it feels good to have got round. Held up by an overconfident ‘bang up’. Great word, ‘shabby-genteel’. Watch out for the results from Michaela Community School in London in the coming years. Laissez-faire it aint – but something magical may be in progress.
    1. Hmmm. Do you have some connection with Michaela, that disposes you to watch out for their exam results in particular?
      1. I don’t. None at all. But secondary school teaching (state system) was my career and I’m interested in what’s going on. There have been a number of articles about Michaela and will I guess be many more.
  16. I thought this was a great work-out. I ended up with 3 separate corners on the left hand side. My system is not to think too long on anything and just move on to another clue. After far too long, Michaela appeared, and then everything just fell into place. LOI was PHILBY, where I forgot about the X = BY process for too long.
    Surprised by the Snitch at 153 – thought this was hard but not THAT hard.
  17. Thought this was very hard, but actually it turned out that it was impossible for me, as I’m another who plumped for ONUPTIA instead of OPUNTIA. Bah. The rest of it done in about an hour and a half over two sessions; glad I didn’t have to be at work today!
  18. Felt pleased when the submission came back all green since there were several unknowns (or sounds vaguely familiars). But I had to do it in two sessions. I was worried that I’d never finish the SE corner since I was unsure (clueless?) how the clues were meant to be parsed. LOI like most of us was PHILBY after I suddenly clicked and tried P as the first letter.
  19. 30 mins at breakfast plus another 40 over lunch (coronation chicken sandwich, date slice, peppermint tea).
    Too hard – unless you are quick (I’m not) or have enough spare time.
    Mostly I liked: MayoR
    Thanks setter and Jack for unravelling.
  20. ….there’s a stranger in my soul.
    I’m lost in transit in a lonesome city,
    I can’t come in from the cold.

    The late great Rory Gallagher, and very apt for this puzzle, which left me disconnected on any number of levels.

    FOI LOCK UP, but I began to struggle very quickly. Enjoyed COD UPENDED, and also REVOLVING DOOR, but at around 13 minutes I was staring at an almost naked NW quadrant, and also couldn’t see 19D. DNK SHABBY-GENTEEL either.

    Eventually LATTICE WINDOW led to MAESTRI and the completion of the problem area with MICHAELA. Medals as a verb is a crime against the English Language.

    I biffed LOI PHILBY (thanks Jack), and finished with time = year of birth 19:47

  21. I decided to play today’s crossword as Panama to the setter’s mighty England and despite my attempts to triumph with a spot of all-in wrestling in the box this one well and truly beat the pants off me. It’s a toss-up as to whether I had more blanks or more incorrect entries in the grid. In truth, when you’re about 4-0 down your heart’s no longer in it and you stop trying, so it was with me desperate for the final whistle to put me out of my misery.
  22. 40 minutes – this went in quarter by quarter: as I knew the cactus and remembered by=X, SE first, then SW and NE when I got the long anagrams, finishing in NW with 1dn, which I had been expecting to be some sort of topical reference to a sport in which I have zero interest.
  23. An enjoyable and challenging solve marred by the wretched succulent clue, where, with no way of knowing how to arrange the letters, I went for ONUPTIA which looked more likely than the correct answer and could have come from the same root as nuptials.
    1. Me too, for similar reasons.
      This is an OWAA! (Obscure word as anagram). Or in this case, maybe an OWAPA! (Partial anag).
  24. A tussle indeed! After 45 minutes I was still left with only LATTICE WINDOW and MAESTRI in the NW corner, but battled on, with CACHE eventually opening the way to MICHAELA, and DECORATES(Ugh!) providing the key to MADAME and LOI AERATES. Got lucky with OPUNTIA, already had PHILBY(spotted X=BY quickly), so WHEATMEAL went in after I discounted WHOLEMEAL and WHEATGERM. SLEAZILY went in with a shrug for “SL”, but a smile for the clue. Missed the rotating ROOD, nice. FOI, LOCK UP. 64:36. Tough stuff! Thanks setter and Jack.
  25. 29:36. I found this very hard, and I didn’t enjoy it much. Too much of the difficulty comes from obscure words or imprecise definitions. OPUNTIA is awful: an obscure definition of an obscure word with an ambiguous anagram for wordplay. Grrr.
  26. Well, that wasn’t really simple at all, and in fact a DNF for me. Did not know of OPUNTIA or OSMANLI, so I gave up and resorted to aids. Wordplay gave me another unknown, AMNIOTE, and of course ‘medals’ as ‘decorates’, the less said the better. PHILBY was a great clue I enjoyed. Regards.
  27. That use of “medals” obviously appals my delicate sensibilities, but as I normally admit on these occasions, it’s the lexicographer who should really be brought to book, not the setter. In any case, I will forgive it when there were so many other entertaining things to be found in the grid. Not easy, but as England are about to find out, if a thing’s worth achieving, it’s probably going to be semi-tough.
  28. “…for the clue to work ‘revolving’ has to be a reversal indicator which is bit dodgy since it might be argued that ‘revolving’ would take us back to the word we started with.”

    On the other hand, if you enter a revolving door, go all the way round, and come out again the same way, you will be facing in the opposite direction to when you started.

  29. This was a stinker. Gave it an hour this morning, got fed up and left it with less than half the grid filled, and then managed to complete with another 30 mins of slog after dinner this evening. I am relaxed about intransitive ‘medals’ = ‘wins a medal’, but I am having great difficulty accepting the transitive ‘medals’ = ‘decorates [someone] by awarding a medal’. ??”The Queen medalled a number of senior civil servants at the palace, yesterday.” I share all the unease expressed here about creature = AMNIOTE (unknown to me but guessable from ‘amniotic, therefore something relating to biology’), about Maybe Miss Michaela, about the succulent and about nourish = promote. Ho hum.

    I thought the topical Roland Garros clue was spiffing. And though I didn’t see it at the time, I reckon the revolving rood/door is a damn fine clue, too.

    Commiseration and congratulations to jackkt for getting to blog this one.

  31. Times 27080
    16 ac
    Surely “makes us cross” refers to the fact that people can cross each other by one going in and the other out at the same time?
    1. I sort of see what you mean but I’m pretty sure my interpretation (in the blog) is the right one. But who knows? The setter may drop by and confirm your theory.
    2. I could accept the “wordplay in the answer” explanation had the clue read “makes A cross” , I ask myself why the setter uses “US” ?
  32. “makes ONE cross” I feel would be an improvement on “US” if we accept the “wordplay in the answer”
  33. I battled away at this for an hour and ten, and was glad to finish. Less glad, though, to have three errors. I had “movietape” for 14d, which gave me “in awe”, which I managed to justify by reading it as “in a ‘we’ ” – i.e., not separated. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

    My LOI was also my third error. I wrote in “SLEAZILY”, noted that “eazily” wasn’t a word and changed the Z to an S without thinking. D’oh.

  34. Do both “off” and “ice” mean murder? Never seen either in that sense. Could someone give citations?
    1. SOED:

      off: 6 Kill. slang (orig. US black English). M20.
      S. Paretsky She might off a cop, but she wouldn’t shoot her boyfriend.

      ice: 4 verb trans. Kill. US slang. M20.

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