Times Cryptic 28238

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic

Solving time: 36 minutes. There were some original ideas here and I enjoyed both solving and blogging this puzzle.

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 Exotic dish found in eastern county where bodies were buried (9)
CATACOMBS
TACO (exotic dish) contained by [found in] CAMBS (eastern county – Cambridgeshire). Would anyone really consider ‘taco’ an exotic dish?
6 What’s used in ceremonial — a thick stick (5)
LATHI
Hidden [used] in {ceremonia}L — A THI{ck}. A word I know only from crosswords.
9 Nervy movements going round bog? Toughen up! (7)
STIFFEN
FITS (nervy movements) reversed [going round], then FEN (bog). There’s no shortage of fenland in Cambs!
10 Turning in close to meet bishop at entrance (7)
BENDING
B (bishop), ENDING (close). ‘At entrance’ simply indicates the position of the B.
11 A king acquired the language of a particular class (5)
ARGOT
A, R (king), GOT (acquired)
12 Rosy-cheeked Scot or American? (9)
FLORIDIAN
FLORID (rosy-cheeked), IAN (Scot)
14 Short priest, one despised (3)
CUR
CUR{é} (French priest) [short]
15 Philanthropist given brief reprimand — declined to meet the Queen (11)
ROCKEFELLER
ROCKE{t} (reprimand) [brief], FELL (declined), ER (the Queen). The family money originally came from oil. I’m not sure if ‘giving someone a rocket’ is known beyond these shores.
17 Love and thanks received by fantastic sporting champion (11)
PROTAGONIST
0 (love) + TA (thanks) contained [received] by anagram [fantastic] of SPORTING
19 Length — short one extending end of railway (3)
ELL
EL (elevated railway), L (short one – length). ‘One’ is reflexive here.
20 Abrupt son getting looked at gave gesture of respect (9)
CURTSEYED
CURT (abrupt), S (son), EYED (looked at)
22 Speak — do so quietly with face hidden (5)
UTTER
{m}UTTER (do so quietly – speak) [face hidden]. Another reflexive reference.
24 Old levy — object when it is limited (7)
TITHING
THING (object) containing IT [when it is limited]. As a noun, ‘tithe’ is more familiar.
26 King Edmund like King Alfred? (7)
LEARNED
LEAR (King), NED (Edmund). I gather King Alfred was highly literate and believed in the importance of education for the masses. He instigated a policy of translating books from Latin to English so that more ordinary people could read them. A slightly obscure definition.
27 Acceleration going down in journey to bring top place? (5)
RIDGE
G (acceleration going down – gravity) contained by [in] RIDE (journey)
28 One who needs insects to thrive — such as hartebeest? (3-6)
BEE-KEEPER
A word such as ‘hartebeest’ contains ‘BEE’ and might therefore be said to be a BEE-KEEPER
Down
1 Conspirator about to start swindle — millions stolen (5)
CASCA
CA (about), SCA{m} (swindle) [millions stolen]. Servilius Casca was one of plotters against Julius Caesar.  ‘To start’ just adds to the surface reading as it’s not needed in wordplay.
2 Lever, prime requirement for the ship (7)
TRIGGER
T{he} [prime requirement for…], RIGGER (ship)
3 Vehicle outside gala, one with ace facility for refreshments (9)
CAFETERIA
CAR (vehicle) containing [outside] FETE (gala), then I (one), A (ace)
4 Do Old Trafford players emerge from this ancient industrial unit? (11)
MANUFACTORY
MAN U FACTORY – A cryptic hint referring to ‘Old Trafford’, the home ground of Manchester United. Collins has ‘manufactory’ as obsolete, hence ‘ancient’.
5 Replace one sort of vessel (3)
SUB
Two meanings – substitute and submarine
6 Short track leading to excellent porch (5)
LANAI
LAN{e} (track) [short], A1 (excellent). From Hawaiian apparently. I didn’t know this but the wordplay was helpful.
7 Unimportant test with India against joining in (7)
TRIVIAL
I (India – NATO) + V (against – versus) contained by [joining in] TRIAL (test)
8 Learning English to start with — tricky usually (2,7)
IN GENERAL
Anagram [tricky] of LEARNING E{nglish} [to start with]
13 Act as glutton, devouring ends of lettuce messily (11)
OVERINDULGE
Anagram [messily] of DEVOURING L{ettuc}E [ends of…]
14 Electrical device seen as top performer needing minimal current input (9)
CAPACITOR
CAP (top), then ACTOR (performer) containing [needing…input] I (minimal – abbreviaition of – current)
16 Leaders of empire not trumpeted when we are living as followers? (9)
ENTOURAGE
E{mpire} N{ot} T{rumpeted} [leaders], OUR AGE (when we are living)
18 Scientific unit needing old trees destroyed (fifty to go) (7)
OERSTED
Anagram [destroyed] of O{l}D TREES [fifty – L – to go]. NHO this. Read up on it here if you wish.
19 Report of school in superior position being demolished? (5,2)
EATEN UP
EATEN sounds like [report of] “Eton” (school), UP (in superior position]. No ‘school vs college’ postings please!
21 Drunk-sounding gentleman in Dorset for example (5)
SHIRE
SIRE (gentlemen) as slurred by a drunk might sound like SHIRE
23 Game to get embarrassed about, with more offensive language? (5)
RUDER
RU (game – Rugby Union), then RED (embarrassed) reversed [about]
25 Rock with primate half visible? (3)
GIB
GIB{bon} (primate) [half visible]. The Rock of Gibralter.

52 comments on “Times Cryptic 28238”

  1. This came in like a lion but went out like a lamb. Good fun.

    CASCA LATHI GIB LANAI ELL OERSTED looks like Molesworth’s Latin homework.

    Thanks to Jack and the setter.

  3. Really enjoyed this although it took me 45 minutes to work through. I ummed and aahed over linai or lanai and fortunately plumped correctly. I could not parse ell but it could only be with the checkers. Had a bit of a meh for shire — is sh as a drunken thing common? I’ve not seen it before.

    Thanks J and setter

  4. Really enjoyed this although it took me 45 minutes to work through. I ummed and aahed over linai or lanai and fortunately plumped correctly. I could not parse ell but it could only be with the checkers. Had a bit of a meh for shire — is sh as a drunken thing common? I’ve not seen it before.

    Thanks J and setter

  5. To my great surprise, I survived the many traps to finish correctly in 58 minutes, changing LINAI to LANAI (which sounded more likely but certainly not more familiar) at the very end. LATHI and CASCA went in solely from wordplay. And I found SHIRE a bit dubious — one might say all sorts of things when drunk. Like some other solvers, I was also thinking of BUNKING or BEDDING at 10ac and BAB for 25dn, but fortunately didn’t succumb to those temptations.
  6. This took me about an hour. I had no idea how BENDING worked; so thanks for the explanation.

    I didn’t trust SHIRE until the penny dropped, by the force of G, to give me the confidence to enter those last 2 clues.

  7. 14.05. This was a pretty quick, smooth solve for me. Lanai the only unknown but no problems working it out.

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