Times Cryptic 27752

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

This was fairly straightforward but I needed 42 minutes to complete it, missing my target by 12. There were a couple of unknowns but the wordplay got me to the answers.

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]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

Across
1 Second blast outside is very close (5)
BOSOM : BOOM (blast) contains [outside] S (second). Bosom buddies, very close friends.
4 Plant in estate well clear of borders (9)
GROUNDSEL : GROUNDS (estate), {w}EL{l} [clear of borders]
9 Worthless person, erstwhile Prime Minister, shows zest (5,4)
LEMON PEEL : LEMON (worthless person), PEEL (erstwhile Prime Minister). Not sure about lemon as a worthless person which seems a bit dismissive, but ‘simpleton’ and ‘loser’ are in the dictionaries.  Robert Peel was PM 1841-1846.
10 Horse served in Bordeaux perhaps causing belly-ache (5)
WHINE : H (horse) contained by [served in] WINE (Bordeaux perhaps)
11 What’s unimportant as compared with former currency? (6,3,4)
BESIDE THE MARK : BESIDE (compared with), THE MARK (former German currency). Not an expression I knew but I’m familiar with ‘beside the point’ and ‘wide of the mark’.
14 Lying between two rivers, what was that industrial region? (4)
RUHR : UH (what was that?) contained by [lying between] R R (two rivers). More Germany!
15 Youth in the quarter for Valentine’s Day? (10)
FOURTEENTH : TEEN (youth) contained by [in] FOURTH (quarter). The definition by example is mitigated by the question mark.
18 Almighty muddle in poem not finally relevant (10)
OMNIPOTENT : Anagram [muddle] of IN POEM NOT, then {relevan}T [finally]
19 Auntie coming back just the same? (4)
BEEB : Two slang terms for the BBC. ‘Coming back just the same’ indicates the palindrome.
21 Deer that transformed stops car in dramatic event (4,2,7)
COUP DE THEATRE : Anagram [transformed] of DEER THAT contained by [stops] COUPE (car). A sudden and surprising turn of events in a play. I’ve seen a few unforgettable ones in my time.
24 At sea stop son boarding a vessel (5)
AVAST : S (son) contained by [boarding] A + VAT (vessel). Avast there me hearties!
25 Hanger-on in French city initially expecting pay back (9)
REIMBURSE : BUR (hanger-on) contained by [in] REIMS (French city), then E{xpecting} [initially]
27 Dad’s Army cast entertaining English illusions (9)
DAYDREAMS : Anagram [cast] of DAD’S ARMY containing [entertaining] E (English)
28 Serviceman in receding tide finds protection (5)
AEGIS : GI (serviceman) contained by [in] SEA (tide – poetically) reversed [receding]
Down
1 One scorer surprisingly able, another satisfactory (4,6)
BELA BARTOK : Anagram [surprisingly] of ABLE, then BART (another – Lionel, composer of ‘Oliver!’), OK (satisfactory)
2 Southern Greek character raised total (3)
SUM : S (southern), then MU (Greek character) reversed [raised]
3 Byron’s end portrayed in melancholy lament (6)
MONODY : {Byro}N (‘s end) contained by [portrayed in] MOODY (melancholy)
4 Petersham‘s much-admired film? (9)
GREATCOAT : GREAT (much-admired), COAT (film). SOED has Petersham as a kind of heavy overcoat with a short shoulder cape, fashionable during the Regency period in Britain, named after  Viscount Petersham (1790–1851), an English army officer.
5 Love line and false statement seen in Hardy? (5)
OLLIE : 0 (love), L (line), LIE (false statement). Another fine mess!
6 Port not vintage — enjoy last of Semillon (3,5)
NEW HAVEN : NEW (not vintage), HAVE (enjoy), {semillo}N [last]. It seems the reference is to the port in Connecticut but when solving I was thinking of the one in Sussex near Brighton which turns out to be Newhaven, all one word.
7 Stay in order to see well-camouflaged creature (5,6)
STICK INSECT : STICK (stay), IN, SECT (sect)
8 Barge capsized shown in national emblem (4)
LEEK : KEEL (barge) reversed [capsized]. A word that has caused controversy on previous occasions. Collins has:  a flat-bottomed ship; esp., a low, flat-bottomed coal barge or lighter, used on the Tyne.
12 Stench terrible with decay in New York City (11)
SCHENECTADY : Anagram [terrible] of STENCH DECAY. Never ‘eard of it! I hope the anagrist is not intended as a comment on the place.
13 Group for example, east European, appearing in Greek city (3,3,4)
THE BEE GEES : EG (example) + E (East) + E (European) contained by [appearing in] THEBES (Greek city). At least this gives me the opportunity once again to post this rather cruel satirical take on their output.
16 Collar on dogs or catlike mammals (9)
RINGTAILS : RING (collar), TAILS (dogs)
17 Son left in club to speak explosively (8)
SPLUTTER : S (son), then L (left) contained by [in] PUTTER (club)
20 With short sudden movement snake gets rodent (6)
JERBOA : JER{k} (sudden movement) [short), BOA (snake). Another answer unknown to me.
22 Spider-Man’s inner skin layer (5)
DERMA : Hidden in [inner] {spi}DER-MA{n}
23 Almost entirely lecherous American writer (4)
RAND : RAND{y} (lecherous) [almost entirely]
26 One’s mad having lost this   cleaning cloth (3)
RAG : Two meanings. Brewer’s advises the first is ‘an allusion tto he ‘red rag’ or tongue which is unbridled when one is in a rage’.

80 comments on “Times Cryptic 27752”

  1. That was quite hard work but I stuck it out, and I’m glad I did, because I finished it, fully parsed, and thought it was fun. Not a great time though. I had heard of the New York city but needed all the checkers to get everything in the right order, and – as Olivia says – PETERSHAM was only known as a sort of sewing tape. Strangely, it took ages to get the composer – not sure why as it’s pretty obvious. There are ticks and smiles all over the place – WHINE, BELA BARTOK, NEW HAVEN and THE BEE GEES. Have had Spirits Having Flown in my head for the last few days and was actually humming it as I filled in the grid!

    FOI Sum
    LOI Bela Bartok
    COD Daydreams – brilliant, closely followed by Ollie
    Time 1 hour

    Thanks setter and Jack

  2. I knew Schenectady was lurking around in there somewhere but it took a time to haul it out. For a moment I wondered if there was a larger Rottingdean across the pond. Good set of clues, enjoyable puzzle. 26’24. joekobi
  3. is the name of a kind of corded stiffening ribbon used in dressmaking which I did know. DNK the GREATCOAT although as Jerry says the man himself pops up in the Heyer oeuvre. 18.24
    1. He does, just wondering if his coat did too? Can’t remember now .. I might have to read them all again!
  4. I found that hard going, although I eventually finished with all correct and parsed. BESIDE THE POINT was an unfamiliar expression, but considering it gave me the S for 12d which enabled me to bring the town from the depths of my memory. For some reason, the name conjures up memories of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. THE BEE GEES were a long time arriving too. NHO Ayn RAND. JERBOA emerged from somewhere. MONODY appeared somewhere recently too. 50:46. Thanks setter and Jack.
  5. thanks Jack for the blog, and for the hilarious HeeBeeGee link! To have WHINE and THE BEE GEES close together was surely no accident from the setter.
    Very glad that MONODY, penultimate one in, came up recently
    or I could have been lamenting. Schenectady no problem- can’t forget a name like that.
    26:56
    1. Thanks, I’m glad at least one person appreciated it! But come to think of it I have used it before when the group came up so probably most people had their say about it then.
  6. DNK GROUNDSEL, SCHENECTADY or JERBOA (which I’ve just learned can walk upright and perform long jumps – very frightening!)
    I was trying to think of a Thomas Hardy character but OLLIE was obvious from the wordplay.
    Some of my favourites were LEMON PEEL, DAYDREAMS and SPLUTTER and my COD has to be THE BEE GEES for taking me down memory lane.
    Thanks to Jackkt for the amusing blog and link – and thanks to the setter for a good workout – coming in at just under 36 minutes.
  7. Ayn Rand had a thing about it for some reason. When I had to do a bit of commuting between Albany and NYC I always liked to hear the conductors on the Empire Line reciting the stations: Yonkers, Croton-Harmon, Poughkeepsie, Rhineciff, Hudson, Albany Rensselaer, Troy, Schenectady, Amsterdam, Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Niagara Falls.
    1. You’re better than Katherine Hepburn in Desk Set. And you know which one comes at the end of the line.
  8. 25:46. No particular problems with this one just a few places where I was being a bit thick (greatmist). Beside the mark didn’t sound quite right. Coup de theatre took ages. Had heard of Schenectady not sure where from though. I was quick to see Thebes but far slower to get from there to the Bee Gees.
  9. Ah yes, Paul, the Harlem Line which had one of my favourite stations – Valhalla!
  10. Cheated with the unknown SCHENECTADY – what a horrible word!

    No idea about RAND either – if you had never heard of this author, this is nigh impossible to get.

    Edited at 2020-08-25 11:43 pm (UTC)

  11. I wholeheartedly agree with all the negative comments about the US bias. DNF of course.
  12. I wholeheartedly agree with all the negative comments about the US bias. DNF of course.
  13. I should imagine the NY city slowed the speedsters down a bit, but since I don’t care about my times, it was simply a nice new word to learn. Or so I’d thought: after unravelling I found I’d heard of the place.

    My time was around 35 mins if anyone is interested, but more important to me a nice Tuesday puzzle with some slick clues.

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