Times Cryptic 27206

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

Solving time: 55 minutes, very nearly beaten by 1ac and 2dn but just managed to hold on until the answers came. We have a couple of complicated ‘Russian doll’ or nested constructions today in the wordplay.

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 Old Creator? (6)
FORMER – Two meanings, the second vaguely cryptic
5 Don’t talk nonsense about case of employee being slightly embarrassed (8)
SHEEPISH – SH (don’t talk) + PISH (nonsense) containing [about] E{mploye}E [case of…]
9 In rift, apprehension starts to affect rock music genre (7,3)
GANGSTA RAP – ANGST (apprehension) + A{ffect} + R{ock} [starts] contained by [in] GAP (rift)
10 Dead centre, miles inside (4)
NUMB – M (miles) contained by [inside] NUB (centre). NUMB for ‘dead’ came up very recently, so it was in my mind.
11 Setter weary before end of house party (8)
JAMBOREE – JAM (setter), BORE (weary), {hous}E [end]. We’ve had JAM for ‘setter’ before but I took ages to think of it today having spent forever considering ‘sun’ which is the more usual cryptic ‘setter’ when dogs and crossword compilers are not being referenced. I always thought JAMBOREE came from the days of Empire, possibly the Raj, because I associate it with the Scout movement which has or had traditions steeped in that era, but the dictionaries say it originated as US slang in the 19th century.
12 Tell anyone but me: frankly, content unnecessary (6)
NOTIFY – NOT I (anyone but me), F{rankl}Y [content unnecessary]. Neat!
13 European Parliament in crisis on all fronts — long story (4)
EPIC – E{uropean}, P{arliament}, I{n}, C{risis} [all fronts]. My lips are sealed!
15 Furious to discover affair (8)
SEETHING – SEE (discover), THING (affair – love affair, romance)
18 Day having a rest rejuvenated climber (8)
MONSTERA – MON (day), anagram [rejuvenated] of A REST. Known to me only from crosswords, but one of its varieties is the Swiss cheese plant.
19 Bank simply ignoring me (4)
RELY – {me}RELY (simply) [ignoring me]
21 Almost expected to feed bagpiper’s habit, man always playing? (6)
KIDULT – DU{e} (expected) [almost] contained by [to feed] KILT (bagpiper’s habit). The definition is a bit loose but the question mark attempts to paper over the cracks. As far as I have been able to confirm, this portmanteau word means an adult who is interested in entertainment that’s intended for children, so a ‘man always playing’ is not necessarily a KIDULT. Alternatively it is an adjective describing an entertainment that’s aimed both at children and adults. It came up here once before in 2012 and somehow I have remembered it.
23 Fit fifty helium cans into storeroom (8)
ATHLETIC – HE (helium) contains [cans] L (fifty) then that’s all contained by [into] ATTIC (storeroom). There’s no doubt that attics are often used to store things but I don’t think that’s what they’re designed for and I can’t find reference to ‘storeroom’ in the usual dictionary defintions.
25 Film not seen, reportedly? (4)
MIST – Sounds like [reportedly] “missed” (not seen)
26 After a bit, one willing to be bowled over by Charlie’s good spelling? (5,5)
WHITE MAGIC – WHIT (bit), GAME (willing) reversed (bowled over), I (one), C (Charlie – NATO alphabet)
27 Go below red line embroidered onto uniform (8)
UNDERLIE – U (uniform – NATO alphabet), anagram [embroidered] of RED LINE
28 All English Premier League teams advanced, stuffing outsiders in trophy (6)
TWENTY – WENT (advanced) contained by [stuffing] T{roph}Y [outsiders]. I gather there are 20 teams in the EPL.
Down
2 Spiritual icon I see in US city (5)
OMAHA – OM (spiritual icon}, AHA (I see). OM was previously unknown to me but this is its entry in Collins: Hinduism – a sacred syllable typifying the three gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, who are concerned in the threefold operation of integration, maintenance, and disintegration. It makes a change from the Order of Merit, I suppose.
3 A packet young men found under a stone, lifted up (9)
MEGABUCKS – A + GEM (stone) reversed [lifted up], BUCKS (young men). ‘Packet’ as in ‘cost a packet’.
4 Answer — one required in experiment, perhaps? (6)
RETORT – Two meanings. The second remembered from school chemistry lessons.
5 Certain to arrest soldier donning dress if sozzled in Queensland suburb (7,8)
SURFERS PARADISE –  SURE (certain) contains [to arrest] PARA (soldier) which is itself contained by [donning] anagram [sozzled] of DRESS IF. It was fortunate for me that the answer is also an expression in its own right as I’ve never heard of the suburb nor even the city in which the suburb is located.
6 One getting bigger, bear no more being said? (8)
EXPANDER – EX (no more), PANDER sounds like [being said] “panda” (bear).
7 Old drink bottles for wine (5)
PINOT – PINT (drink) contains [bottles] O (old). In the UK ‘a pint’ as a drink is most likely to mean a pint of beer.
8 Important packs provided, round near the end (9)
SEMIFINAL – SEMINAL (important) contains [packs] IF (provided)
14 Legal requirement for faculty (9)
PROVISION – Two meanings. On edit: Thanks to Kevin for pointing out this should be a single definition (legal requirement) parsed as: PRO (for), VISION (faculty). I had a query over the double myself but thought I had found something in one of the usual sources to justify it – clearly I was wrong. 
16 For which hack or chaser on course, ultimately? (5,4)
HORSE RACE – Anagram [hack] of OR CHASER, {cours}E [ultimately]. ‘Hack’ and ‘chaser’ are both types of horse.
17 Presenting act, a bird of the highest order entertains? (8)
BESTOWAL – BEST OWL (bird of the highest order) contains [entertains] A
20 Danger which carries on (6)
THREAT – THAT (which) contains [carries] RE (on)
22 Account, I expect, not entirely free (5)
UNTIE – Hidden [not entirely] in {acco}UNT I E{xpect}
24 Dunce demonstrating hint of intelligence in current mark (5)
IDIOT – I{ntelligence} [hint of] contained by  [in] I (current) + DOT (mark)

60 comments on “Times Cryptic 27206”

  1. Set off with hopes ‘ilo’ in NY or LA, and found a Hawaiian ruler called liloa that caused some confusion . . But why ‘in’ US city, wouldn’t for US city be better?
  2. Hope I’m not just repeating what’s been said; I may have missed something: It would have been quite simple to start 28ac with ‘Number of’ instead of ‘All’ and surely that wouldn’t have ruffled any feathers. And in 9ac for a long time I was thinking that the second word was ‘arm’ and the definition ‘genre’.
  3. Around 20 minutes, held up only in the NW by FORMER, OMAHA and RETORT, which all went in together at the end. Didn’t remember or maybe didn’t know of the lab device, didn’t know the icon meaning re ‘om’ either. Happily the obscure suburb had user friendly wordplay, else it would have taken even longer. Strange name for a place, but it certainly conjures up images of what must go on there. Regards.
  4. In sharp contrast to many, I loved it. Yes it was challenging and weird at points. But it was consistent and fun – still laffin’ at the ex panda
  6. Finished but had to use aids for 3 clues (beaten by Bestowal, Gangsta Rap and Monstera) – so DNF, I suppose.
    Actually, I was raging at Gangsta Rap being classified as Rock Music – until I read this blog and realised that Rock was only there to provide the R. So, the Setter got me there, fair dinkum, as they say in Surfers.
  7. Seized up in the NW after a reasonably regular solve and had to revert to help for OMAHA after which it all fell into place. Had GANGNAM RAP for rather too long which didn’t help.
    COD SEMIFINAL which had me barking up several wrong trees
  9. 44:28. Feels like a variation on the old good cop / bad cop routine from the setters so far this week. Yesterday’s setter made us comfortable and got us a nice cup of tea; today’s setter came in and duffed us up with a telephone directory. That said I enjoyed today’s challenge and found it a very satisfying completion. Yesterday’s old, crosswordy vocab fitted like a comfy pair of slippers, today’s modern gangsta rap, surfers paradise, kidult and Megabucks were hard fought and all the more pleasing when wrestled into submission. Dnk the chemistry apparatus at 4dn but retort seemed likeliest. Needed a bit of time to appreciate that day was not part of the anagrist in 18ac. LOI 14dn where I spent too long trying to make it a double Def before spotting the wp.
  10. Unsatisfactory for many reasons previously mentioned. Did not like OM as an ‘icon’; constructed SURFERS’ PARADISE but thought it obscure and our MONSTERA never climbed anywhere! Around 50 mins before and after sleep.
  11. Can someone tell me who the setter of this terrific crossword is please? As difficult as Dean Meyer and similar style but I don’t think it’s him. 1a was the last to reveal itself, oddly – such a good clue, as is Threat and Expander. I didn’t get the football one, being a mere Aussie.
    1. Setters of the Times daily 15×15 puzzle are anonymous as a matter of policy. Some people know who some or possibly all of them are as a group but they are not identified with individual puzzles. There’s supposed to be a TftT house rule about not outing them but there’s never been a need for it to be invoked in my experience because there’s very little speculation on the subject. The only two names I can recall coming up are Dean Mayer(as mentioned by you) who sets for the Sunday Times, and Don Manley who sets Times Quick Cryptics as Izetti.

      Edited at 2019-01-04 06:36 am (UTC)

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