Times Cryptic 27626

79 comments on “Times Cryptic 27626”

1. Pleasant enough crossword, dare I say “Nice” for all it’s Frenchiness? Bang on my 20 minute average. Not so difficult down here, we’re not yet in total lockdown, though no doubt it will come.
   A thought: to distract the mind and pass the time could we create a – not a Christmas Turkey – but maybe an Easter Egg? Make a grid and let all who wish supply a clue to a word?
2. …but merrily biffed away, finishing in about 30 minutes. It felt quite slow – I saw the crossing letters, tried to fit in ‘James Dickey’ and failed, but didn’t see the much more obvious Charles Dickens. I felt like a dummy, but I probably solve the puzzle in a better time than our honorable blogger.

   My only quibble is that a rancher is not a cowboy, but a business owner who employs cowboys.

   1. I made the same point last December (#27530) when RANCHER was defined as a ‘cowhand’ but nobody else was bothered so I let it go this time. I also concluded in my blog comment that there was probably room for crossover in meaning through usage in ‘cowboy’ films, TV etc.
   2. One of the definitions of ‘rancher’ in Collins is ‘a cowboy’ so you’ll have to take it up with them!
      1. O, my prophetic soul!
3. Started off slow–FOI 18ac–but picked up speed, helped by biffing a lot, like 9d, 6d, and 12ac, where I saw what looked to be anagrists and didn’t bother to check. I never figured out EASED, being stuck on relEASED. I also wasted time on LOI 1ac, being stuck on ‘retire’ as a reversal indicator. I’ve grown used to the distinction being blurred here between a ranch and a farm, so I barely noticed the problem Vinyl points out. I see that ODE defines ‘rancher’ as ‘a person who owns or runs a ranch’; no doubt Chambers or Collins will justify the setter.
4. Not every REPORTER is a “Hack.” And in these times when the most powerful (I’m not speaking of his mental capacity) man in the world calls the fourth estate “enemies of the people”…! Just don’t get me started.

   I fairly flew thru this one. Damn, wish I’d timed myself. I certainly empathize with anyone’s troubling distraction, though.

   FOI SHREDDER, and then BREACH OF PROMISE and soon got the other 15-letter anagram sans crossers too. And so it went.

   I would call Roy Rogers a “cowboy,” even if this is a loose usage, and he certainly owned his own ranch.

   Edited at 2020-03-31 03:44 am (UTC)

   1. The clue is defining ‘hack’ as a reporter, not saying all reporters are hacks.
      1. No, “hack” is the definition in the clue for REPORTER.
         If the clue were “hack” and the answer were “cab” or “cab driver,” no pejorative sense would be implied.
         But I was mainly just having fun, y’know.

         Edited at 2020-03-31 05:57 am (UTC)

         1. Okay in my haste I put it the wrong way round in my comment, but ‘hack’ can mean reporter and it’s in the dictionary so perfectly valid. It doesn’t have to be pejorative either, just a jobbing journalist who does their daily work to earn their keep by filling the columns for their employer. If it was meant humorously then I apologise for missing it.
            1. 
               https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_writer
               ‘ In the US, the term “hack” is used as a pejorative attack, among writers, journalists, bloggers, and comedians. It is especially used for journalists that are perceived to take partisan sides.
               ‘ The term “hack” has been used by some UK journalists as a form of humorous, self-deprecating self-description. The term was popularized in the UK by Private Eye magazine, which refers to male journalists as “hacks” and female journalists as “hackettes.” ‘
               1. Back in the 1980’s, the term “hacker” was one of respect for what is now called a software engineer, especially LISP programmers, as I was. Nowadays, though,it means dangerous folk who might breach your IT security.
            2. The proximity of RESPECT and REPORTER made such a crack irresistible. But I’ve worked for The Nation for thirty-(very)odd years.
               1. As a ex-journalist, I don’t take hack to be offensive, although I would really dislike to be called a hackette, and I particularly hate journo! It is true that Private Eye refers to journalists as hacks, but they’re not the only ones – it is in general usage over here. Of course, you do get big name journalists humble-bragging and describing themselves as ‘ just a jobbing hack’! As Jack says, it’s just a nickname really.
5. I messed up by biffing TINOPENER and then spent far too long trying to justify BUTT (which fitted “stern” but not the rest of the clue, and I wasn’t sure The Times would put that in an answer anyway). Also wondered about the REME thing. SPIREA was a guess, but seemed likely.
6. I got a couple of the long ones straight off today – DEPARTMENT STORE and CHARLES DICKENS – and the rest flowed from there. There was plenty of biffing – I hadn’t parsed APRICOT, GECKO and EXTREME – which always makes me nervous on submitting, but it seemed they couldn’t be anything else. Must note REME for sappers as I did wonder where the ME came from.
7. All bar the plant in 15 minutes, 5 minutes wrestling with that, then a look-up, so submitted offline and my NITCH was denied a boost.

   COD to 16D – Lewis and Orwell had it about right….

   1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hack_writer
      1. I disagree. People who add to and edit Wikipedia entries usually do it because of their personal interest in a topic and not to fill a word quota on assignment from some editor.

         Really, Jackkt, it seems you may be calling me a hack! Well!

         I am not arguing about whether the clue is legitimate in crosswordland. I was taking the clue as s springboard to approach with some leavening levity a much more weighty matter—exemplified by your own prime minister, who knowingly disseminated false information about the EU in newspaper columns during his career as a hack.

         Getting good information to the people is a noble calling. An essential service.

         Edited at 2020-03-31 06:50 am (UTC)

         1. I would have left it at my first comment.
         2. I really can’t be bothered with all this.
      2. There’s a certain irony in Wikipedia being quoted as source for the definition of ‘hack’!
         1. Unfair? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6889752/
8. was an early entry but I could not parse it – my least favourite clue of the day.

   Time 45 minutes.

   COD 1ac BACK and my LOI!

   FOI 10ac RANCHER a cowboy in the UK methink!

   WOD 20dn SPIREA – a favourite of my mother’s

   Guy, please get started on ‘Enemies of the People’.

   Edited at 2020-03-31 12:49 pm (UTC)

9. A slow but steady 36 minutes, never held up anywhere for too long, and finally writing in 25a PEDESTRIAN in a suitably oh-well-that’s-that-then fashion. Took me a while to see the parsing of APRICOT, but I was determined to figure it out before I wrote it in even though once I’d got the C_T ending it was a pretty safe bet.

   13a helped by my re-watch of 12 Monkeys last night—currently availble for free on iPlayer if anyone wants any apocalyptic pandemic stories to go with their perfectly normal, nothing-out-of-the-ordinary week…

10. 27 minutes. LOI and COD to TRAIN SET. I jumped the clue on the first run through because aussi wouldn’t fit. Many years ago, an old colleague from the CEGB was invited on to the board of British Railways, just after being made Chairman of an area electricity board. I had to give one of the speeches at his farewell dinner, and accused him of being greedy, getting both a train set and a cowboy outfit for his birthday. It wouldn’t surprise me if the job came with a ranch too. I liked BREACH OF PROMISE as well, reports of which used to make interesting reading once upon a time. I seem to remember George BEST in one. Good to see the SPIREA back after a lengthy absence. It must be SPRING. Thank you Jack and setter.
11. I took my time to work out APRICOT since the definition was the only thing that made any kind of sense to begin with. On the other hand, I didn’t spot that ATB was an anagram, since the obvious anagram indicator, broadcasts, didn’t leave enough letters. Nor did I work out how can opener worked (please don’t tell me you just turn the key), so thanks to Jack for taking the time.
    All done in 14.26
12. Lots of people posting early today. Rather like jack, I really struggled for the first few days of the crisis, not being able to concentrate. Now more than ever we all need to be nice (not Nice) to each other – many many people are in fear for their loved ones.

    I knew BREACH OF PROMISE from The French Lieutenant’s Woman and other sources – does it still exist?

    I rather liked ACUTE ANGLE. And I managed 17′ 08″ today.

    Thanks jack and setter.

    1. BREACH OF PROMISE was removed from the statute book in England in 1970, though it may persist elsewhere. The last notable case was Eva Haraldsted’s attempt to sue George Best the previous year.
13. 25 mins with yoghurt, banana, granola, etc.
    Mostly I was trying to justify: Ready, Judge, Irksome state, Deal (as anag indicator in the context used) and the ‘with’ in 25ac.
    Not really my cup’o’tea.
    Thanks setter and J.
14. Took less time than it felt like, including a while to put the first one in. CHARLES DICKENS went in immediately, though, even though I find 7,7 more difficult than say 3,11 clues.

    LOI GECKO
    COD 6dn ACROSS-THE-BOARD although I didn’t find any of the clues really clever

    Yesterday’s answer: a French grab is seize, a German pixie is elf and one time in Spain is once, adding to 38 when translated into English. Inspired by SEIZE

    Today’s question: of freshwater lakes/lochs in the UK, which is the (a) largest by surface area (b) largest by volume?

    1. Pretty sure Loch Ness is one of them, probably volume (I walked it last year, although I wasn’t really absorbing all the interesting local information at the time, just a lot of rain).
    2. Guessing Loch Ness by volume, Lough Neagh by surface area.
       Richard
15. One of my friends is a retired REME colonel. He is quite clear that the Royal Engineers have nothing to do with his outfit.
    1. I served 16 years in the army and there is no way that the REME can be equated with Sappers. Both excellent outfits but a completely separate role. Sappers for mobility in the field and REME for repair/maintenance of vehicles and electrical/electronic equipment.
       1. Apologies, tringmardo, I had taken my information from Wikipedia which I had been assured is the font of all knowledge!
          1. The offending setter should be court martialled. Where’s Colonel Riddlecombe?
             My Old Man was in REME on the Ak-Aks (20 mile snipers!).
             1. Another pop in REME. He’d turn in his grave to hear himself described as a sapper.
          2. Sheesh!
             Here’s Collins, then.
             In the Learner department:
             ‘If you refer to a professional writer, such as a journalist, as a hack, you disapprove of them because they write for money without worrying very much about the quality of their writing.’
             in US:
             ‘a person hired to do routine, often dull, writing; literary drudge’
             ‘employed as a hack
             a hack writer
             done by a hack
             a hack job
             stale; trite; hackneyed
             hack writing’
             in British:
             ‘a person who produces mediocre literary or journalistic work’
             “Hack” doesn’t equal “journalist” on this Collins page.
             In the clue, I take it as an unflagged DBE.
          3. No, you didn’t.
             The word “Sappers” is not found on this page.
             https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Electrical_and_Mechanical_Engineers
             1. From Wikipedia: “Sapper (abbreviated Spr) is the Royal Engineers’ equivalent of private. This is also the case within the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, Pakistan Army Corps of Engineers , Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal Australian Engineers,[4] South African Army Engineer Formation, Jamaica Defence Force Engineer Regiment, and Royal New Zealand Engineers. The term “sapper” was introduced in 1856 when the Corps of Royal Sappers and Miners was amalgamated with the officer corps of the Royal Engineers to form the Corps of Royal Engineers.”
                1. Jackkt’s sarcasm made me think he was kidding. These business with the UK military units is all rather arcane to me, but your citation seems to indicate that there’s nothing wrong with the clue.
16. Pleasant fare, and I even remembered the plant from not knowing it on previous occasions (obviously one should only not know a thing once, but this rarely happens when it comes to me and crossword vocabulary, sadly).
17. 12:52. It took me a while to get going on this one, but then it all flowed reasonably steadily.
    I think ‘hack’ has more pejorative sting in the US: as the wiki article says UK journalists routinely refer to themselves as such in an ironic/self-deprecating way.
    1. From my distant point of view on this side of the pond, I would say any word for journalist has a pejorative sting to it at the highest (if that’s the word) level in the US.
       1. Oh, I don’t know, some of the journalists working for the New York Times, for example, are reasonably free of bias. Okay, I may be biased myself, as my niece is one of their up and coming ‘cub’ reporters. Earns a packet too…

          1. I believe the NYT is high on the list of FAKE NEWS purveyors, often asking nasty questions of our beloved POTUS. Or so he says.
             Thank goodness he’s not responsible in any way whatsoever for the fight against the Chinese Disease. Dear me no.

             1. He has some unlikely allies in my office in Hong Kong, where all the Chinese staff call it ‘Wuhan Flu’ in protest against the Beijing regime and their repression.

                And they used to say Honkies were apolitical and only interested in money. Tsk!

          2. You missed Z’s point about the “highest level.” Suivez son regard…
18. For no apparent reason I made hard work of this, solving it anticlockwise from NW to NE via SW and then SE. Haven’t done that for ages. Nothing of particular note or interest.
19. Another straightforward crossword. I still almost took twice yesterday’s time. COD to the shop for its surface.
20. Day two of resumed crossword activity and I’ve shaved five minutes off yesterday’s time. Good going. I am a hack by the way and proud of it!
21. Model railway buffs would go mad if you called what they do playing with toys. Equally, they would point out that a train set is properly a string of locomotive and coaches or wagons, or a set of DMUs.
22. 22 mins. The sappers thing is on the edge; Tringmardo is right. Thanks jack.
23. 13:21. Last one is was BACK, where I was victim of that kerning problem and spent quite a while trying to find a word meaning stem. Other than that no real problems. COD to SENTENCE.
    1. It is so damned annoying. Where’s Colonel Riddlecombe?
24. Hack’s just a cheerful or laconic alternative. I’ve known the odd journalist to self-describe so – haven’t we all? Found this straightforward though didn’t parse ‘(l)eased’. Geckos are extraordinary to watch. I saw one hypnotise a large moth once. It approached terribly slowly, stopped, pinned it forever with its eye, and sprang. 18’27.
25. Pleasant stroll before my morning stroll, dog getting impatient. LOI CAN OPENER and BACK, which had to biffed as I had no idea what was going on.
    1. We live in the Korean quarter of Shanghai. There appear to be many less dogs getting an after dinner stroll these days. There are no can openers in China! I have no idea what is going on either.
26. ….only yesterday, SPIREA(E) was fresh in my mind.

    I parsed SOBER UP afterwards.

    I thought two of the solutions were self-descriptive : PEDESTRIAN and NONVIABLE (which would probably be non-viable if it were not unviable because the hyphen is inviolable !)

    FOI RANCHER
    LOI EXTREME
    COD BOREDOM
    TIME 10:46

27. Mrs. Davest and I are working our way through the box set of Rumpole of the Bailey ( thoroughly recommended in these grim times ) and he proudly refers to himself as an Old Bailey hack.Seems to regard it as a badge of honour.

    Time 33.18

    Thank you to setter and blogger.

    1. We’re working through the umpteen Perry Mason seasons at the moment but have Rumpole in reserve in case this whole thing goes on that long. I seem to remember that Rumpole meant “hack” in the sense of a taxi who was for hire to anyone who hailed him. Always the defendant though, he never prosecuted.
       1. I think you may well be right, Olivia.

          Apparently horses for hire were pastured in Hackney, hence the metonym “hackney” for a carriage for hire, later abbreviated to “hack”.

          Cheers, Dave.

28. I’m going out this morning to forage for a week’s groceries and will fashion my APRICOT scarf into a face mask for want of the actual thing. According to the Oklahoma lyricist (Hammerstein) the farmer should be sociable with the cowboy if he rides by and asks for food and water, don’t treat him like a louse, make him welcome in your house, but be sure that you lock up your wife and daughters. 15.15
    1. Scarf borrowed from Warren Beatty as observed by Carly Simon?
    2. Down here in the hometown of Bon Scott, late lamented frontman of AC/DC, we just had “Highway to Hell” on the 40th anniversary of his death. Along 20 km of Canning Highway there were about 30 or 40 bands – some in parks or pubs on the side of the road, some on the back of trucks driving along the highway, all playing AC/DC covers. Maybe 200 000 people along the route. Half young families for the day out, half old-age pensioners in black AC/DC T-shirts.
       Anyway, AC/DC once had a “Lock up your Daughters” tour: “Lock up your daughters, lock up your wife, lock up your back door, run for your life.”
29. I thought I was in for a long session when nothing came to mind until MONKEY, but I then settled down and reeled off a few more, got into my stride and finished with a flourish in 17:54. BACK was a late entry, but I finally saw the triple definition. Liked TRAIN SET and SOBER UP. LOI was ACROSS THE BOARD. Thanks setter and Jack.
30. Worth the 31 minutes for ‘One climbing the walls’ for GECKO and the economical triple def. for BACK. Thanks for the RE/REME explanation.
31. So close to two <10mins in a row but held up by MONKEY at the end. Good fun, this one.
32. FOI DEPARTMENT STORE

    Biffed APRICOT (with only the R checker), SPIREA and EXTREME

33. Took a while to get started and there were a few missteps on the way- the worst being putting in the answer to 10 ac at 11 ac. Duh. Picked up pace after realising that mistake and finished in 18.25. Lots of lovely, long anagrams . Last ones in were back and boredom. Couldn’t believe the first was so literal and that the second didn’t relate to geography. Particularly liked trestlle, especially once I realised the support related to the whole and stopped trying to make an anagram of tee and rest.

34. Finished two days in a row… must be easier puzzles!

    Like many others I couldn’t parse APRICOT either, so thanks!

35. Another day and another completion. 49 minutes finishing just before lunch with a few queries and after a few mishaps.
    FOI was 12a Department Store so that gave me plenty to work with. Shortly after Charles Dickens whose Tale of Two Cities I have just started (am struggling to get into it actually).
    En route I went for HARICOT at 11a but couldn’t parse it and then went for the more likely APRICOT which I also could not parse.
    I was another TIN OPENER who then tried to manipulate the BUTT of the club. And 7d went from Wacko to Sicko to Gecko which was LOI after ACUTE ANGLE.
    I ticked MERE as COD early but admired TRAIN SET just as much.
    David
36. Resorter for Reporter.

    COD: Monkey.

37. 22:55. I found this fairly straightforward though I got a little hunkered down in the NE for a time.
38. A Good Day here – my best time in quite a while, or it would have been if I hadn’t mis-spelt spirea. Perhaps the 10 laps of my not very big garden freshened up my brain before starting this. Shame I didn’t take more notice of the pretty little golden spirea I kept going past!

    I did have my doubts about REME being the sappers but went with the flow, not being knowledgeable enough about the subject to question too deeply. I was also confused by non-viable, which I would always hyphenate. I didn’t fully parse Sober up and biffed Across the board, so thanks Jack for the clarifications.

    Lots to enjoy, though – Charles Dickens and Department store were great anagrams. No problems with the hack / reporter clue, as discussed above, but it does go to show how careful we have to be sometimes. An American friend sent me a email yesterday referring to Wu Flu, which – frankly – I thought was pretty tasteless, as well as inaccurate. But there we are …

    FOI Can opener
    LOI Across the board – couldn’t see that anagrind
    COD Mere
    Time 28 minutes but for the shrub

39. Not much to do these days, until the weather warms up, so I enjoyed a slow afternoon solve (as opposed to a slow morning/evening one). I even managed most of the parsing as well, including Gecko, Apricot and Respect, but needed Jackkt’s helpful blog for Sentence and Boredom. And of course I chose the wrong French parent at 26ac, being unfamiliar with mere/pure, but still happy overall with how things went. Invariant
40. I don’t know but I do know the answer to this question if you ask it of the world.
41. Could also be a reversal of KC (King’s Counsel) and AB (Latin for to).

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