Solving time: 30 minutes. A curious mix of clues that would not be out of place in a Quick Cryptic and moderately tricky ones, but nothing that should disturb the most sensitive of equines.
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 | Sweet given Her Majesty’s approval, perhaps a moneymaker (5,4) |
ROYAL MINT – Two definitions, the first being cryptic | |
6 | Revolutionary man of the cloth, one swapping with European (5) |
LENIN – LiNeN (cloth) becomes LENIN when the I (one) and the E (European) are swapped | |
9 | Prophet rejected peculiar feature of the body (7) |
SOMATIC – AMOS (prophet) reversed [rejected], TIC (peculiar feature). Known to me only from ‘psychosomatic’, concerning mind and body. | |
10 | They mind the sultanas not being whole (7) |
EUNUCHS – Cryptic definition | |
11 | Painter drawn to East End longing for some theatrics (5) |
OPERA – {h}OPE (longing) [East End], RA (painter) | |
13 | Restrict supply of booze? There’s a reason (9) |
RATIONALE – RATION (restrict supply), ALE (booze) | |
14 | Get rid of priest, worried about mind finally failing (9) |
ELIMINATE – ELI (priest) + ATE (worried) contain [about] MIN{d} [finally failing] | |
16 | Make changes to what one eats, promoting energy (4) |
EDIT – DIeT (what one eats) becomes DIET when the E (energy) is promoted – moved forward | |
18 | British soldier back in prison (4) |
BRIG – BR (British), GI (soldier) reversed [back] | |
19 | Unique reason for not lighting up? (9) |
MATCHLESS – Two meanings, the second being cryptic | |
22 | Cold-blooded customers can make a canon sad (9) |
ANACONDAS – Anagram [can make] of A CANON SAD. | |
24 | Permissible in each game (5) |
POKER – OK (permissible) contained by [in] PER (each) | |
25 | Riots flaring in the middle of Dublin’s port (7) |
BRISTOL – Anagram [flaring] of RIOTS contained by [in] {du}BL{in} [middle] | |
26 | Strike ban announcement covering particular craft (7) |
IKEBANA – Hidden in [covering] {str}IKE BAN A{nnouncement}. Japanese flower arrangement. | |
28 | One who dishes out fast food to audience (5) |
DONOR – Sounds like [to audience] “doner” [fast food]. The sources I have checked all confirm that the kebab is pronounced “donna” and I’ve never heard anyone pronounce DONOR that way |
|
29 | I see Bacon wrongly getting great respect (9) |
OBEISANCE – Anagram [wrongly] of I SEE BACON |
Down | |
1 | Teacher’s upset, being given single meatball (7) |
RISSOLE – SIR (teacher) reversed [upset], SOLE (single). References to doner kebab, bacon, meatball and rissole in consecutive clues suggest that the setter must have been hungry at this point. | |
2 | Variable? I hesitate to say, I like it! (3) |
YUM – Y (variable), UM (I hesitate to say). Maybe he took a break for refreshment, but after thoughts of doner kebabs and rissoles I’d be more inclined to say “yuk”! | |
3 | Top-class Olympic venue reluctant at first to identify seducer (8) |
LOTHARIO – LOTH (reluctant), A (top-class), RIO (Olympic venue) | |
4 | Expose oneself to copper wearing hip designer’s latest (5) |
INCUR – CU (copper) contained by [wearing] IN + {designe}R [’s latest] | |
5 | Process intended to avoid a course of drugs (9) |
TREATMENT – TREAT (process), ME{a}NT (intended) [to avoid ‘a’] | |
6 | Famous Liverpudlian flag, 50 for a penny (6) |
LENNON – pENNON (flag) becomes LENNON when L (50) is substituted for the P (penny) | |
7 | Keep on smooching, being very close (4,3,4) |
NECK AND NECK – Two meanings | |
8 | Case of Navajo and the sleep that never ends? Most curious! (7) |
NOSIEST – N{avaj}O [case of], SIEST{a} sleep [that never ends] | |
12 | Idiot fiancé prepared for instruction (11) |
EDIFICATION – Anagram [prepared] of IDIOT FIANCE | |
15 | I am a droll, outlandish creature (9) |
ARMADILLO – Anagram [outlandish] of I AM A DROLL | |
17 | Henry breaking policeman’s teeth (8) |
CHOPPERS – H (Henry) contained by [breaking] COPPERS (policeman’s) | |
18 | Apparently retired city bishops spilt the beans (7) |
BLABBED – LA (city) + BB (bishops) in BED [apparently retired] | |
20 | Top chap riding white horses well? (7) |
SURFACE – Two definitons, the second being cryptic and requiring the alternative spacing SURF ACE | |
21 | It makes a loud noise and it smells (6) |
HOOTER – Two meanings, the second being slang for ‘nose’ | |
23 | Doctor has to sleep over in empty synagogue (5) |
SPIKE – KIP (sleep) reversed [over] contained by [in] S{ynagogu}E [empty] | |
27 | Woman’s wedding announcement removed from case (3) |
ANN – {b}ANN{s} (wedding announcement) [removed from case]. I was going to express misgivings about ‘announcement’ being in the singular but the definition in Chambers has persuaded me that it’s okay: banns (plural noun) – a public announcement in church of two people’s intention to marry |
The juxtaposition of 6ac and 6d amused me. I once was engaged in an exchange of letters in the Sydney Morning Herald over possible confusion between the two. In a letter complaining about the price of tickets for a forthcoming Elton John concert tour, I used a line from Bowie’s “Life On Mars”: “Lennon’s on sale again”. Another reader said that I had got it wrong and that it was Lenin. A local music critic adjudicated in my favour. Never did like Lennon.
PS…When I first read the clue for 6d which referred to “famous Liverpudlian flag…” my first thought that it might be something to do with the Royal Iris which was a “Ferry Across the Mersey”, as made famous by Gerry & The Pacemakers.
Further thought: I’ve always pronounced doner as donor not as donna.
Edited at 2019-02-05 03:14 am (UTC)
I’ve always pronounced ‘doner’ as DONOR and assumed it was an Antipodean pronunciation variant, but a look/listen to my Australian Oxford Dictionary tells me I’m wrong.
I liked the cryptic def. for EUNUCHS and the SURFACE for ARMADILLO.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
FOI 15dn ARMADILLO
LOI 9ac SOMATIC
COD 12dn EDIFICATION
WOD 26ac IKEBANA (prohibit in Swedish furniture store?)
No fireworks! A happy CNY to all.
PS Please visit Google Search and press play!
Edited at 2019-02-05 05:11 am (UTC)
I’m surprised to hear that the kebab is sometimes pronounced DONOR but if it is, it is.
The in laws assure me that she wasn’t named after a kebab but I’m not convinced….
Everything else seemed fairly straightforward, though I biffed a few and hoped for the best, not knowing pennon, or exactly what a rissole is, say, and missing a few parsings, so thanks for the explication, Jack.
The only place I thought I had trouble was where I couldn’t get SNAPE out of my mind for 23d (I’m not even a Harry Potter fan), meaning I missed the hidden in 26a for a while, making it my last in.
Oh, and I also needed two looks at 25a BRISTOL, despite having lived here for about thirty years now!
Edited at 2019-02-05 07:14 am (UTC)
Anyone who says “Donor Kibarb” probably also says “Fesh and Cheps”.
Mostly I liked Neck n Neck.
Thanks setter and Jack.
I’ve never been the same”
Edited at 2019-02-05 08:54 am (UTC)
Mind you, 30 minutes a day for fifty years is 380 days .. so i guess there must be other things like Coronation St that some people have spent a year or more of their life on ..
EUNUCHS LOI, unaccountably.
I share jack’s misgiving about ANN, whatever the dictionary says. The BANNS have to be said three times on separate weeks, at two different churches if the intendeds live in different parishes.
About 16 minutes, thanks jack and setter.
Thanks for blog, jackkt.
Edited at 2019-02-05 09:53 am (UTC)
Edited at 2019-02-05 12:37 pm (UTC)
My local kebab shop is run by Serbians, so there’s not much point in asking them how to pronounce doner, not that I’d want to anyway.
Roy achieved many things in a rich and varied life, but is often noted for his place in the Guinness Book of Records for the fastest solving of a Times Cryptic Crossword. He achieved this live on Radio 4’s “Today” programme in just 3:45. Remarkably, it was a Saturday puzzle.
I met Roy on Finals day on a number of occasions (he’d been Champion in the past) and he was a real gentleman. I was determined to beat 10 minutes in his honour today, and did so comfortably.
And now for something completely different. I have a bootleg recording by Right Band, Wrong Planet. This Salford group were a pub band in the 90’s and their music was best described as “eccentric blues”. One of them played bagpipes and a bombard. Recorded live at the Bull’s Head in Stockport is their “tribute” to the worst takeaway in the world – the Chip Ahoy in Little Hulton. The chorus goes :-
Give us a doner, but put it on a barm
With peas and gravy and everything on.
Clearly pronounced DONNA, and no dictionary will sway me !
FOI ROYAL MINT
LOI SURFACE
COD HOOTER
TIME 6:39 – that one’s for you Roy, RIP
Shortly after I started the Times for the Times blog, I was contacted by Roy, who was not online but was interested in receiving copies – sent to the local print shop that he used. Some lively correspondence followed, including a puzzle written for me. It’s on my website at http://www.biddlecombe.demon.co.uk/RoyDeanArtsPuzzle.html.
Roy used an old-style Times championship grid for my copy and had a bit of fun personalising the contestant/venue details.
If you ever spot a copy of his “Mainly in Fun” book, snap it up – packed with crossword memories, songs written by Roy, poems, parodies, and daft jokes such as
“Did you ever propose to that girl Carmen?”
“Yes, but she said she was too Bizet to Mérimée”
=====================================================
Roy also used his position as a setter and former champ to plead for the reinstatement of the Times Crossword Championship after its 6-year holiday.
Edited at 2019-02-05 04:54 pm (UTC)
Always thought of RISSOLE being more of a patty than a ball but the parsing was obvious.
I have never eaten a doner kebab on the grounds that the rotisserie thingy, usually displayed proudly in the shop window, looked very likely to be harbouring a colony of lethal bacteria, so I managed to avoid it – even after drink had been taken.
Took me an age to work out HOOTER but it finally went in on about the 35th. minute.
All in all an enjoyable workout.
Time: all correct in 35 minutes.
Thank you to setter and blogger.
Dave.
Memo to self:learn more prophets and look more closely at the parsing.
David
This was in our weekend Australian last Saturday and like most here found nothing too taxing with it. The cryptic EUNUCHS was my first one in and put me in a good frame of mind to do the rest of the puzzle. It took 34 minutes (now that I’m in measuring mode which is a bit under my average solve – closer to the 45 mark).
Finished in the NW corner with INCUR (where it took a while to equate it with ‘expose oneself’) and SOMATIC (which I didn’t associate it with ‘psychosomatic – clever thinking. Did know the prophet immediately though!)