Times Cryptic 27794

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

35 minutes. My time would have been quicker but I struggled with an anagram leading to an unknown word and with the parsing of a couple of other clues.

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 See boss, cunning man on board (10)
ARCHBISHOP : ARCH (cunning), BISHOP (man on board – chess). ‘See boss’ – geddit? Ho-ho!
6 Duty, and where it often lies? (4)
ONUS : A straight definition plus a cryptic hint leading to ON US
9 Opera and short story about artist going through reserves (2,8)
LA TRAVIATA : TAL{e} (story) [short] reversed [about], then RA (artist), VIA (going through), TA (reserves – Territorial Army). Verdi’s The Fallen Woman.
10 Zone dealing with stopping motorists (4)
AREA : RE (dealing with) contained by [stopping] AA (motorists – Automobile Association)
12 Unplanned tuition saved following reorganisation (12)
ADVENTITIOUS : Anagram [following reorganisation] of TUITION SAVED. I lost a lot of time arriving at this hitherto unknown word.
15 Times sign has gone from outside for good (9)
ETERNALLY : E{x}TERNALLY (outside) [times sign has gone]
17 Walker has left out warning signal (5)
AMBER : AMB{l}ER (walker) [left out]
18 Principle of the complex integrated circuit (5)
ETHIC : Anagram [complex] of THE, then IC (integrated circuit). Not an abbreviation I knew.
19 They’re lined up in hospital firm briefly in county (9)
BEDSTEADS : STEAD{y} (firm) [briefly] contained by [in] BEDS (county). We seem to be seeing a lot of my county of residence at the moment. Rather an odd definition.
20 Plonk racket in Riviera on ground (3,9)
VIN ORDINAIRE : DIN (racket) contained by [in] anagram [ground] of RIVIERA ON
24 On which to stand cut flower belonging to Welshman? (4)
DAIS : DAIS{y} (flower) [cut] or DAI’S (belonging to Welshman). Two bits of wordplay for the price of one.
25 Suppliers of pork and game (10)
BACKGAMMON : BACK and GAMMON (suppliers of pork)
26 You often get aches at the start — practising this? (4)
YOGA : Y{ou} O{ften} G{et} A{ches} [at the start] &lit.
27 Slow European chopped vegetable in time (10)
DECELERATE : E (European) + CELER{y} (vegetable) [chopped] contained by [in] DATE (time). I’m never entirely happy with ‘date = time’ but I’m used to it now.
Down
1 Bar 40 cutting a drug (4)
AXLE : XL (40) contained by [cutting] A + E (drug)
2 Commend appeal among Anglicans (4)
CITE : IT (appeal) contained by [among] CE (Anglicans)
3 It’s required to take off planks around middle of garden (8,4)
BOARDING CARD : BOARDING (planks), CA (around), {ga}RD{en} [middle]. I wasted ages on the parsing here trying to use ‘around’ as a containment indicator.
4 Commandeer four-by-four across the Channel (5)
SEIZE : SEIZE (four-by-four = 16 across the Channel). I’ve seen a similar clue to ‘seize’ very recently.
5 Lasted longer than guy getting exposed all round (9)
OUTSTAYED : OUTED (exposed) containing [all round] STAY (guy – rope)
7 Stole time with new gift from Cupid on leisure craft (6,4)
NARROW BOAT : N (crew), ARROW (gift from Cupid), BOA (stole – scarf), T (time). Originally working boats but now predominantly ‘leisure craft’ perhaps.
8 Main bit on the side short of one sewer (10)
SEAMSTRESS : SEA (main), M{i}STRESS (bit on the side) [short of one]
11 Kate’s excited sailors with English dish (5,7)
STEAK TARTARE : Anagram [excited] of KATE’S, then TAR TAR (sailors), E (English). Raw meat – yuk!
13 Duke brought food in fenland city, and rightly so (10)
DESERVEDLY : D (duke), then SERVED (brought food) contained by [in] ELY (fenland city)
14 What bad plan needs to do with emaciated monarch (10)
RETHINKING : RE (to do with), THIN (emaciated), KING (monarch)
16 Oil jars built with care (9)
LUBRICATE : Anagram [jars] of BUILT CARE
21 A northern beast upended joint (5)
ANKLE : A, N (northern), then ELK (beast) reversed [upended]
22 She finishes programme with a somersault (4)
EMMA : {progr}AMME [finishes] reversed [with a somersault]
23 Eager to promote name that’s not far from 21 (4)
KNEE : KEEN (eager) becomes KNEE when  N (name) is moved upwards [to promote].  A cross reference to ANKLE at 21.

71 comments on “Times Cryptic 27794”

  1. I biffed SEAMSTRESS, only parsed post-submission. I never did bother to parse LA TRAVIATA. I knew IC–the term ‘IC card’ is used here for ‘smart card’–without knowing what it stood for. DNK NARROW BOAT. I liked DAIS.
  2. I work in the IC business so no problem there! I also struggled with ADVENTITIOUS since I didn’t know the word and had to get it from the letters. The first time I glanced at 1A I read it as “sea bass” so that made getting the answer challenging…”see boss” was a neat definition though.
  3. I found this easy, but with some clever ideas. I liked Emma for the disguising of the reverse hidden, and the Thin King for the wit in an otherwise very direct clue. My downs went in very quickly, so I had enough checkers that Adventitious wasn’t a nuisance. Thanks, jack
  4. I enjoyed this and was happy to be closer to the wavelength
    after a slow time yesterday. Like others, I struggled with ADVENTITIOUS but got there eventually. I also liked EMMA and SEIZE when the penny dropped.

    I’m sure I’m missing something obvious, but how is BACK a supplier of pork? Is it just where it comes from on the pig?

      1. Bacon, which I no longer eat, is sold as back bacon, streaky bacon or sometimes gammon rashers.
  5. at 12ac held me up as like Paul, Starman & Jack it was word I knew not.

    So 44 minutes with 3d BOARDING CARD (PASS surely) raising an eyebrow or two.
    Further, I initially made 18ac ETHOS (Operating System) instead of ETHIC (Integrated Circuit) but I changed using my Switch Card.

    FOI 2dn CITE (No Sex Please we’re British)

    LOI 1dn AXLE

    COD 4db SEIZE

    WOD 20ac VIN ORDINAIRE (ordinary van, as my old man used to say)

    14dn was a mite too easy.

    1. I had the same reaction to CARD; surely they’re not cards, and they’re not called cards at airports (and it’s airplanes we’re boarding (take off)).
      1. BOARDING CARD/PASS are used interchangeably in the UK. I wonder if CARD will pass out of use now that everyone uses their mobile phone.
          1. I used to think that I was the only person in Japan over the age of 5 who didn’t have a cell phone. Now I think I’m the only person in Japan who does.
  6. I had just gotten around to working yesterday’s, and this one seemed a bit harder. It was nice to see ADVENTITIOUS again, when recognition finally dawned—it had been so long. A worthy word I have made a note to call upon at the next opportune moment.
  7. Yay, no pink square! I was slow to start today, looking at all the four letter clues and only getting any on the last pair I looked at. I was thus ready for this to be a tricky one but things picked up fun there. I’d thought of ADVENTITIOUS, though I didn’t know the word, but waited to have all the crossers before putting it in last. I also took advantage of solving from home, as is the new normal, and picked up pen and paper to confirm. All this working from home has not been good for my back so I’m seeing a YOGA therapist for my first session today. I’ve already got aches at the start though.
  8. 25 mins pre-brekker.
    No ticks, no crosses, no dramas.
    Quite liked 4X4.
    Thanks setter and J.
  9. Not much to add—it’s always good to come here and find you’re in good company on the ones you were struggling with, though by the sounds of it I also had more trouble with the wine than most… (My friends may recognise that description.)

    FOI 1d AXLE LOI 20a VIN ORDINAIRE, but it was 12a ADVENTITIOUS that took me the longest.

  10. I thought this was a great xword. Really enjoyed it, particularly 24a, 8d and 16d… best of all the bit on the side. Thanks setter for helping me start the day with a smile.
  11. Saw ADVENTITIOUS early but wasn’t sure it was really a word so left out for a while. BOARDING PASS went in before it became obvs that it should be CARD.

    LA TRAV went in not fully parsed and I didn’t get SEIZE entirely.

    Otherwise a steady solve.

  12. If you think that a card is a pass,
    Then three down is sure hard to parse,
    And I have to opine
    Two leg parts were fine
    After ANKLE and KNEE would come……. BOTTOM
  13. …but very palatable. 16 minutes, all parsed. LOI DECELERATE, so the definition of a top to bottom solve. COD to SEAMSTRESS with an honourable mention to SEIZE. I enjoyed this. Thank you Jack and setter.

    Edited at 2020-10-13 07:51 am (UTC)

      1. ‘It’ means ‘sex appeal’. Be prepared also for ‘appeal’ cluing ‘SA’, and ‘it’ cluing ‘SA’ and vice versa.

        Edited at 2020-10-13 10:17 am (UTC)

  14. Nice today, not too hard and some good surfaces. I had thought only bishops had sees, but apparently archb’s have them too.
    4dn was a write-in, because I have seen that very clue elsewhere recently. Since no-one else has mentioned it, it might have been in a TLS crossword, which has a fair amount of setter overlap.
    2. Not a TLS or I wouldn’t have seen it as mentioned in my blog. It’s in a puzzle that’s still under wraps to be blogged here on Saturday.
  15. 09:12. I biffed a few of these held up only by misspelling LA TREVIATA (sic), which made me hesitate over BOARDING CARD, and unravelling ADVENTITIOUS. 4D was familiar… I’d better say no more. I liked “stole tome” for BOAT at 7D.
  16. 13:02. Somewhat tricky, but no major hold-ups. I misread ‘oil’ as a noun and bunged in LUBRICANT which caused a slight delay at the end. ADVENTITIOUS was unfamiliar.
  17. …ADVENTITIOUS was one of those words I knew well enough but with a very hazy idea of what it meant. Might find a use for it now.
    SEIZE was my last in, worrying about all those possible foreign fours and how to fit two of them in five spaces. A smile when the penny dropped.
    Like others, I initially had a PASS to get on board, and puzzled over “suppliers” for BACK. As ever, thanks to Jack and the crew for sorting them out. 12.30
  18. Was on the wavelength today and I thought there were some very nice clues. Struggled a bit with ADVENTITIOUS but not much alternative given it was an anagram.

    COD: SEIZE, I liked SEAMSTRESS too.

    Yesterday’s answer: Princes Street (originally Prince’s Street) was named for the eventual George IV (who got a bridge as well).

    Today’s question: given today’s commandeer, what slightly smaller jelly-maker might be across the Bay of Biscay?

    Edited at 2020-10-13 08:25 am (UTC)

  19. As noted, bit of a vin ordinaire crossword. Nho ADVENTITIOUS, LOI. Liked DAIS.

    BEDSTEADS are lined up in Nightingale wards, and now Nightingale hospitals.

    Thanks jack and setter.

  20. Good fun. Like keriothe I was another who was too liberal with the KY making it hard to DECELERATE.
  21. 35 mins but had to cheat on DECELERATE as I had been staring at it for ten minutes and gave up. Also DNK ADVENTITIOUS but it kinda had to be. VIN ORDINAIRE? Not in this part of the world I can assure you! Well, there might be the odd drop of plonk……

    FOI AXLE, LOI DECELERATE. COD has to be The VIN. Thank you J and setter, very enjoyable.

  22. 13.46. A steady progress for me with FOI archbishop and LOI decelerate, made a little more difficult by having defer in my mind for the slow part of the clue. As with a few others, adventitious wasn’t immediately obvious but putting the letters down on paper soon sorted it. Liked bedsteads, backgammon and vin ordinaire was my pick of the pops.
  24. No problems with this, 16 minutes, did dally briefly looking for an SUV in 4d and having boarding PASS before ETHIC put it right. Biffed quite a few. CoD for NARROW BOAT because of happy memories (I want to buy one but Management not so keen).
  26. Wasted a bit of time with BOARDING PASS, unparsed except to see the RD in garden and the RD in boarding and think they must be related somehow. No real difficulties today, though, with DECELERATE the LOI after 5m 27s.
  27. I built this one up from the 4 letter words starting with AXLE. NHO ADVENTITIOUS, so that held me up until I had BOARDING CARD(no problem) and SEIZE(nice one!). I biffed LA TRAVIATA and parsed it later. Some friends Zoom into our Wednesday and Saturday folk sessions from their NARROW BOAT in various locations around the canal network.They unfortunately now have a nickname, The Body Snatchers, as they, sadly, discovered a body in one of the locks somewhere in Lancashire! Liked VIN ORDINAIRE. Finished with DECELERATE. 23:56. Thanks setter and Jack.
    1. Years–nay, decades–ago, there was a brewery somewhere in the US that advertised its product as “The beer with body!”. Which proved unfortunate when an employee was found dead floating in a vat.
  28. Enjoyed the French theme today – perhaps the setter has just returned from holiday having enjoyed 11 down with a drop of 20 across in 4 down restaurants…..

    33.00 minutes.

    Thank you to setter and blogger.

    Dave.

    1. I too appreciated the French theme. I can just envisage Herve with his mistress Emma (our cleaning lady’s name!) on the Canal du Midi in his Narrow boat enjoying a steak tartare lubricated with a bottle of vin ordinaire with « it » on his mind and thinking of bedsteads. Seize the moment I say. Francois.
  29. clot the bedded axle-tree. Me neither. Memorable though. The puzzle less so, not that it’s its business to be otherwise. One of the rows reminds me of the old-time historical novel ‘Forever Amber’ which I should get round to reading sometime. Could be a breath of fresh air after opening and closing Mantel goodness knows how many times. 18’52.

    Edited at 2020-10-13 11:11 am (UTC)

  30. LOI 27a. All the vowel checkers giving the ‘Tony Sever’ shudder. Added a minute or so at the end.
    Liked the French 4×4. All green 25:57
  33. I hate it when you have a long word and only vowels to help. Seems unfair somehow.
    I also somehow don’t consider celery to be a vegetable….
    Liked SEIZE and ADVENTITIOUS
  35. LOI 27a; decided that Vegetable = Green which I then chopped up. Degenerate seemed close enough, but it wasn’t.
    Very enjoyable puzzle. Liked Seize and Vin Ordinaire, both French I now realise.
    Vive La Traviata.
    David
  36. Ditto to all the above! A pleasant solve without much trouble, apart from all the vowels at 27a. I particularly liked SEIZE, NARROW BOAT and DESERVEDLY.

    FOI La Traviata
    LOI Outstaying
    COD Vin ordinaire
    Time 33 m

    Thanks setter and Jack

  37. 27ac and _E_E_E_A_E must be the least helpful checkers you can get which give you literally half the word; that took a while. Attempted to put “Red Infuriator” in at 20ac on first pass, which would have held me up if it had fitted.
    1. Evidently only 5 words that fit – decelerate, degenerate, deleverage, regenerate and revegetate.
  39. A few biffs at LA TRAVIATA, ADVENTITIOUS and NARROW BOAT so thanks to Jack for the blog.
    I smiled at VIN ORDINAIRE, SEIZE and STEAK TARTARE and my choice of COD has to be SEAMSTRESS if only for the relief of it not being the other kind of sewer!
    Just over 35 minutes so thanks to the setter for the challenge.
  40. ….VIN ORDINAIRE was a basic export model of the Ford Transit. Biffed LA TRAVIATA and ETERNALLY, but parsed straight afterwards.

    FOI AREA
    LOI DECELERATE
    COD SEAMSTRESS
    TIME 9:02

  41. 32 minutes, but DNF, since I couldn’t think of anything for 27 ac but DEGENERATE, which fit the wordplay perfectly! (but the definition not so well — I should have listened). Annoying when the pink squares tell you immediately what the right answer should have been. No problems with the rest — even ADVENTITIOUS was a word I knew.
  42. 11 minutes, with many write-ins. LOI seize, which made me kick myself, cos I wasted a minute on it. I’m a bit of a gardener, so adventitious didn’t pose any problems.
  43. 17:15. Fun puzzle nice and light. Helped by remembering vin ordinaire and by having heard the word adventitious.
  44. Bearing in mind that both the shin and calf are between the ankle and knee, ‘not far from [the ankle]’ seems rather a loose definition.

    Seize is cheating a bit since multiplication expressed as ‘by’ shouldn’t be hyphenated. A question mark would have been nice, just to indicate the dubiousness. Mr Grumpy

  45. Tipped off by Invariant in the QC blog I decided to tackle this. It took me about 92 minutes and a few guesses but I got there – only the second time I’ve completed so it can’t have been a difficult puzzle. Had to resort to checking some answers on-the-go at the very end as these were pretty tentative attempts – in the NW. Came here to check the correct parsing and am suitably enlightened. Thanks then to Jacktt and an interesting discussion. Grateful too to our setter for a more forgiving puzzle that enabled me to put in more than just a handful of answers – mainly anagrams – that encouraged me to take a serious tilt at the whole thing.
  46. Well done, Andrew! It really does get easier with practice and as you complete more puzzles your confidence will build.
  47. A day late, but better late than never. It feels good to be on the wavelength, and well on the good side of a half hour.
  48. Mostly smooth but biffing in boarding pass didn’t help me! Liked the 4 by 4 not seen before, and the plonk. How many crosswords have had plonk and plank in the clues?

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