Times Cryptic 27938

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

Solving time: 48 mins for what I managed without aids, but I required help with my last two 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 Man on river for jolly old party (8)
FALSTAFF : FAL (river), STAFF (man). This was one of the two intersecting clues that baffled me to the end. I was missing the first A checker and although I had considered STAFF for ‘man’ I wasn’t sure what I was looking for by way of definition – it could possibly have been ‘man’ with TAFF as the river (it’s in Wales), or even an all-in-one definition. I tried to think of 3-letter rivers but never got further than Dee and Ure – not that there’s anything to indicate the choice would be limited to the British Isles. Previously I’d been thinking RM for ‘jolly’ and DO for ‘party’ but  checkers arrived to rule both out. In the end I gave up, and have to say the definition is horribly loose without anything to suggest ‘jolly old party’ might be a person, or in what context. The A checker would probably have made all the difference but there was no hope of my finding it. More about that at 2dn.
9 Unusual year in transformed capital (8)
ATYPICAL : Y (year) contained by [in] anagram [transformed] of CAPITAL
10 Whisky available here? Over bar (4)
OBAN : O (over), BAN (bar). For the purposes of the clue OBAN is nothing more than a random place in Scotland, but since whisky is available world-wide this was another unhelpful definition.
11 Sporty sort in form takes extraordinary run (6,6)
FIGURE SKATER : FIGURE (form), anagram [extraordinary] of TAKES, then R (run).  Here we have the whole world of sport to choose from but at least the wordplay was kind.
13 Green brought back for stuffing fish and chicken (6)
COWARD : RAW (green) reversed [brought back] contained by [stuffing] COD (fish)
14 Strategy to have piano used in Javanese orchestra (4,4)
GAME PLAN : P (piano) contained by [used in] GAMELAN (Javanese orchestra). This was easier to biff and then reverse engineer the wordplay. Later I remembered GAMELAN as a percussion orchestra, not that it’s limited to Java. ‘Indonesian’ would better cover its wider heritage but that’s being reserved for a clue further down the grid. I guess we have to be thankful we were not treated to a cross-reference.
15 Nuclear power source, unstable at core, on river (7)
REACTOR : Anagram [unstable] of AT CORE, then R (river)
16 Smoke from revolutionary base (7)
CHEROOT : CHE (revolutionary), ROOT (base)
20 Horse moves long time after groom (8)
DRESSAGE : DRESS (groom), AGE (long time). Excellent definition.
22 Director on trips took seat with truck swinging round (6)
SATNAV : SAT (took seat), then VAN (truck) reversed [swinging round]. Another good definition.
23 True love OK? (8,4)
ABSOLUTE ZERO : ABSOLUTE (true),  ZERO (love). The definition refers to zero on the Kelvin scale (0K) which is only one representation of absolute zero, hence the question mark.
25 Extinct language only Army and RAF used? (4)
NORN : NO RN – ( no Royal Navy, only Army and RAF). I didn’t know the language but eventually unravelled the wordplay.
26 Author in protest disowning books offers share (8)
DISPENSE : PEN (author) contained by [in] DISSE{nt} [disowning books – New Testament]
27 Onion ring one boy consumes (8)
SCALLION : SON (boy) contains [consumes] CALL (ring) + I (one)
Down
2 Fish from Scotland served with heart (8)
ALBACORE : ALBA (Scotland), CORE (heart). This is the other clue I gave up on. I had written in CORE for ‘heart’ but  I couldn’t think of anything to account for Scotland as the first part of the answer. Afterwards I realised I knew ALBA as the Gaelic for ‘Scotland’  (it’s the name of the BBC’s Gaelic TV service) but it didn’t come to mind.  Also I didn’t recognise the fish but I note it has come up a couple of times over the years including a Jumbo I solved in January.
3 City currency invested in crooked casinos (3,9)
SAN FRANCISCO : FRANC (currency) contained by [invested in] anagram [crooked] of CASINOS
4 Good eggs coming north on road rebuilt for scientist (8)
AVOGADRO : G (good) + OVA (eggs) reversed [coming north), anagram [rebuilt] of ROAD. Signor Av is not on my very limited list of scientists.
5 Mix of stuff from newspaper appearing in Portuguese resort (7)
FARRAGO : RAG (newspaper) contained by [appearing in] FARO (Portuguese resort). One of several words I learnt at an early age from the sayings of one Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock of 23 Railway Cuttings, East Cheam . What a farrago!
6 Adhesive binding agent revolutionary as building material (6)
GYPSUM : GUM (adhesive) containing [binding] SPY (agent) reversed [revolutionary]. An ingredient of plaster of Paris.
7 Second home in country — one located in 10? (4)
SCOT : S (second) COT (home in country – small cottage). For the definition we’re once again reliant on the vagaries of a random place-name only available after solving 10ac.
8 Pipe blown in cold loo — time to go finally (8)
CLARINET : C (cold),  LA{t}RINE (loo) with T (time) moved to the end [to go finally]. What is that surface about? Most amusing clue of the day.
12 Venomous reptile, one intelligent, hoping for success (12)
ASPIRATIONAL : ASP (venomous reptile), I (one), RATIONAL (intelligent)
15 Snake going without sleep upset forest creature (3,5)
RED PANDA : ADDER (snake) containing NAP (sleep) all reversed [upset]
17 Uncontrollable emotion this year erupting (8)
HYSTERIA : Anagram [erupting] of THIS YEAR
18 Men at old port finding work (8)
ORATORIO : OR (men), AT, O (old), RIO (port). ‘Work’ simply defining a piece of music.
19 Stars seen around eastern Indonesian island (7)
CELEBES : CELEBS (stars) containing [seen around] E (eastern). Also known as Sulawesi, but neither name was known to me.
21 Old-school type, abrasive, leaving India (6)
ALUMNA : ALUM{i}NA (abrasive} [leaving India – NATO alphabet]. The abrasive was unknown and I’m not sure I have met ‘alumna’ as the female equivalent of ‘alumnus’.
24 Son in covert reconnaissance unit displays nerve (4)
SASS : S (son) contained by [in] SAS (covert reconnaissance unit – Special Air Service)

55 comments on “Times Cryptic 27938”

  1. … daftly mistyped ALBICORE and then discovered (later) that that is another spelling of ALBACORE but alas ALBI can’t really be said to be Scotland, or even part of it. Loved 0K, and liked NORN. SF was FOI. FALSTAFF seems like he is trying to be an all-in-one and I biffed him, but the crossing A only lead to my downfall … doh!
  2. My solving is getting worse. No idea of albacore, celebes, scallion. Didn’t like old school type as definition of alumna. Several others, I was disappointed not to see. Loved absolute zero. Didn’t get close to working it out. Thanks to setter and jackkt for the blog.
  3. Nice puzzle today with the unknowns generously clued — although I was desperately trying to remember my 42 years ago science degree for Avogadro, adrogavo, etc😊

    Thanks to Alex Salmond’s recent people’s front of Scotland project for giving me 2d with less pain than Jack.

    Thanks for the explanation of dispense- I couldn’t quite see that.

    Dressage and Absolute Zero joint COD for me.

    32:20 thanks Jack and setter

  4. Had to think about the island for a while. ALBA was prominent for the Salmond-related reason others have mentioned.

    Thank you for the messages of support…semi-final appearance, in which I tackle the band REM, will be promoted via the usual channels 🙂

    2. I watched this last night. Congratulations on an impressive performance and good luck in the next round. I noticed that none of the contestants interrupted questions part way through, even when there seemed to be scope to provide the answer much earlier rather than waiting for the question in full to be completed. Is that something contestants are asked to do – wait for the question to be completed in full before answering – in order to make sure everyone gets the same number of questions?
      1. You are spot on. No interruptions allowed, so that everyone gets theoretically the same number of questions (although it is a cause of some discussion whether that number of questions could and should be larger for everyone by making them shorter…)
        1. That’s interesting. Thank you. It does make sense to try and ensure everyone gets the same number of questions. I’d agree with upping the quota though if they could do it without changing the feel or atmosphere of the show. As a viewer you want to have a crack at as many questions as possible.
    3. I watched on catch-up last night. An impressive performance, especially on the GK! Well done Tim:-)
  5. Failed on norn. So it goes. Not sure I knew Alba as Scotland – it was the cafe round the corner when I was a student: L’Alba is The Dawn in Italian.
    1. And another with Farrago as my Alma Mater’s rag. Loved the amazingly surreal weekly installment of “Abbatoir Lads” back in about 1978.
  6. Never got Norn, and didn’t rethink Alumni/a. The unk to me Faro and Gamelan seemed reasonable to fill gaps between obvious answers and clear wordplay. I especially liked Absolute Zero, though I thought the ? was just there because the surface reading is set out in the form of a question.

    And, even in NY we are able to watch Mastermind, which I did. I too am looking forward to the semifinals. Well done, TIm. Very nice interview afterwards.

  7. ….when my patience wore thin. Didn’t get DISPENSE or ALUMNA (I thought of “alumni” but it’s plural and doesn’t parse).
  8. 23.24. Very enjoyable. A few sticky bits but nothing impossible. I particularly enjoyed Falstaff and Absolute Zero. Was very careful at the end over alumna / alumni. Pleased to have jumped the right way on that one.
  9. Finished up about half a dozen short, which surprisingly didn’t included Falstaff and Norn, though I did have to look up the fish. The SE corner was my real downfall , even once the elusive Red Panda had been caught. As a retired physicist, not getting Absolute Zero was very embarrassing: a brilliant clue, but I just couldn’t see what was going on. Celebes was unknown, but at least easy enough to remember for the next time. Invariant
  10. Somehow got over the line all correct. ALUMNA went in and out as didnt know the abrasive but eventually I plumped for it rejecting the plural as more likely to be wrong. That enabled DISPENSE and my LOI CELEBES which I knew from studying the maps in HMS Surprise and various other of the Aubrey/Maturin books. Which reminds me, maybe time to run through the series again…

    Thought it was quite tricky and enjoyed it.

    Thanks Setter and Jackkt

  11. I know Oban for SAMS, the Scottish Association for Marine Science, not the whisky, all varieties of which to me smell of Air-Fix glue. I could see Falstaff but not the river Fal which is sad as Falmouth is charming little town. I even guessed Celebes from the neighbouring sea. But I didn’t know alumna and couldn’t fit alumni to the clue, nor could I see how to obtain “dispense” from “offers share”. As ever when a crossword defeats me I started to doubt the setter but I do think that the almost-redundant “offers” should lead to some sort of deduction from the setter’s fee. Otherwise, an enjoyable crossword.

    Edited at 2021-04-01 07:11 pm (UTC)

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