Pleasant workout. No marks on my printout. Not much to say, although as usual I didn’t know the tree. How did you do?
Note for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is for last week’s puzzle, posted after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on this week’s Saturday Cryptic.
Definitions are in bold and underlined. Wordplay instructions copied from the clues are in italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Old European coin originally accepted in Tube (5) |
| DUCAT – A [Accepting, originally] in DUCT [tube]. | |
| 4 | The old ship’s officer engaging satisfactory working companion (8) |
| YOKEMATE – YE + MATE engaging OK. Co-workers on a bullock train, or a plough, perhaps. |
|
| 8 | Elderly person exercising parentage in USA (14) |
| SEPTUAGENARIAN – anagram (exercising): (PARENTAGE IN USA). | |
| 10 | A jarring song dismissing old American tree (9) |
| ARAUCARIA – A + RAUC [RAUCous, dismissing O+US] + ARIA [song]. This required guesswork. I only saw the wordplay later. |
|
| 11 | Believer helping to build church in Dublin (5) |
| HINDU – hidden (helping to build). | |
| 12 | Relative’s narrow escape originally? That was a close shave! (6) |
| NEPHEW – NE [Narrow Escape, originally] + PHEW. | |
| 14 | Female slave 007 caused to be heard (8) |
| BONDMAID – BOND [Bond, James Bond, 007] + MAID [MADE, to be heard]. | |
| 17 | On the loose in Berlin and consuming pasta (8) |
| UNPENNED – UND [AND in Berlin, or indeed anywhere in Germany] consuming PENNE [pasta]. | |
| 18 | Merchant bringing socialist realism to the West? (6) |
| TRADER – RED ART backwards (to the west). | |
| 20 | City is in prime position, we’re told (5) |
| LEEDS – LEADS, we’re told. | |
| 22 | Soldier eating a coarse type of biscuit (9) |
| GARIBALDI – GI eating A + RIBALD. | |
| 24 | Forgetful old man knocked out crossing end of drive (14) |
| FEATHERBRAINED – FATHER [old man] + BRAINED [knocked out] crossing E [end of drivE]. | |
| 25 | Caution coppers guarding duke after game (8) |
| PRUDENCE – PENCE [coppers] guarding RU D [duke, after game]. | |
| 26 | One who gives out refreshments initially by river? (5) |
| DONOR – DON [the river] + OR [Out Refreshments, initially]. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Detective wickedly arresting attorney in supercilious way (12) |
| DISDAINFULLY – DI + SINFULLY arresting DA. | |
| 2 | Oil producer caught last of audience leaving Tosca, perhaps (5) |
| COPRA – C [caught] + OPERA [Tosca, perhaps, with E leaving]. | |
| 3 | Club treasurer deprived of filling meal without starter (9) |
| TRUNCHEON – TR [TreasureR, deprived of filling] + LUNCHEON. | |
| 4 | Food tent includes game counter (6) |
| YOGURT – YURT includes OG [GO, the board game, backwards (counter)]. | |
| 5 | Tree creature in Kojak manipulated for all to see? (8) |
| KINKAJOU – anagram, manipulated: (IN KOJAK) + U [a film classification: “for all to see”]. | |
| 6 | Merriment rare at first in US university hospital (5) |
| MIRTH – R [Rare, at first] in MIT + H. | |
| 7 | One-time militia’s aim reportedly disallowed (9) |
| TRAINBAND – TRAIN [aim] + BAND [reportedly, sounds like BANNED].
An 16th to 18th century expression that we’ve seen before, once every few years. |
|
| 9 | Wife supporting more benevolent prodigies? (12) |
| WUNDERKINDER – W [wife] + UNDER [supporting] + KINDER. -ER is a plural suffix in German, of course. |
|
| 13 | Puller of strings beginning to push drug plugged by supporter on course (9) |
| PUPPETEER – P [beginning to Push] + UPPER [drug] plugged by TEE. | |
| 15 | Return of traditional management is target in sport (9) |
| DARTBOARD – DART [return of TRADitional] + BOARD. | |
| 16 | Concur with writer about shade (3-5) |
| PEA-GREEN – AGREE with PEN outside (about). | |
| 19 | Young singer, extremely bashful, overwhelmed by elder, maybe (6) |
| TREBLE – BL [extremely BashfuL] overwhelmed by TREE [elder, maybe]. | |
| 21 | Completely filled three empty blue boxes (5) |
| SATED – SAD [blue] boxes TE [ThreE, empty] | |
| 23 | Row over new bedding, for example (5) |
| LINEN – LINE [row] + N [new]. | |
Long time lurker via Australian newspaper. First post since recently taking a digital subscription to London Times. Grateful for the tuition, good fellowship and wit displayed on this site.
Enjoyed this Saturday puzzle and the following Monday, not so much the immediate previous Friday and Thursday (a genuine DNF when either at an impasse or stopped being fun).
Firstly, on the Saturday (while complete and correct) in 5d had not parsed the u as being a movie rating and in 7d aim being train.
Next, but not secondly, some general comment.
One accepts that the UK-centric nature, historical references (often Greek), and Latin (some French and German) are part of the tradition and charm of the Times Cryptic. Perhaps not so much the apparently more frequent USA references.
Also that there is still an art to setting these puzzles despite all the modern tools that are no doubt available, and after all this is an entertainment.
Always appreciate a clever clue particularly those that give a chuckle when the penny drops.
However, a disturbing trend is the use of synonyms to and beyond breaking and references and structures that are way too open and/or too arcane.
I suspect some of this is due to the pressure for puzzles to be suitably challenging. However, I feel that puzzles can be made sufficiently challenging without resorting to this.
Would be interested to hear what the more experienced players think.
Also would hope the responsible editor occasionally reads this blog.
My handle on this site is a shortening of a character once portrayed on TV by Kenny Everett and which I was originally proposing to use in an email to the responsible editor.
Rest assured any further posts will be more concise.
Welcome!
Welcome.
On the subject of an increase in American words, I have been wondering if this is not being helped by AI? Most setters, like me for my Weekend QC, use software to ‘fill in’ the grid. The one I use tends to favor (sic) Americanisms which I have to consciously avoid.
Sorry for delay in reply.
I presume though that the software can be controlled or over-ridden and importantly the setter provides the clues.
I was once in a John Halpern Zoom (setter Paul in the Guardian) where we filled in an grid and wrote the clues. He put in the thematic words, and then used to software to fill the remaining answers. Usually, the software presented two or three possible words that would fit, so the setter is still choosing which to use. This is probably typical of what most setters do.
Welcome aboard 🤗
14:16 WOE
I have no idea why I wrote SEPTUAGENERIAN when I know how to spell the word.
Well I have no idea why I wrote GARIBOLDI. I too understood the wordplay and knew how to spell the answer. Most annoying.
Araucaria was the most celebrated GUARDIAN cryptic crossword setter of all time. Nice to see a nod to John Galbraith Graham here in the Thunderer. He set cryptics for over 50 years, and famously announced his terminal cancer diagnosis in a crossword he set himself. The Guardian published books of his crosswords.
22 minutes but I see I had the K and the J the wrong way round in the unknown (or more likely forgotten) KINKAJOU. Not too taxing and as mentioned by Corymbia, good to see ARAUCARIA making an appearance in The Times; someone will know if the great man used to set puzzles here.
Incidentally, I finished this only about half an hour ago (today 17/05) and on submission was met by the “Your competition entry has been sent” message on the Club site. Having just checked again, the message is still there and there’s no leaderboard yet; don’t know what’s going on.
Thanks to Bruce and setter
They seem to make a point of scheduling their foulups for the weekend, when evidently there’s no one there; I expect you won’t see a leaderboard until Monday.
It is fixed!
Correction to earlier post. One error as misspelt 4d as YOGERT – Duh!
The presence of Kojak meant the tree dweller had to be KINKAJOU rather than KANGAROO which was a lookup/search/cheat?
My friend and I have been doing these fairly regularly since Feb 2024 (L or P plates).
She has a very good English vocabulary, mine is not too shabby. I add some analysis.
However our relevant GK is nowhere near what is required to complete the Times without recourse to synonym and GK aids.
Some of U locals are apparently scary smart!
KINKAJOU was straight in for me. I’ll let you guess whether that was because of my incredible knowledge of lesser known tree animals or because I remember it from the last time it appeared here (when it looked like a crazy, implausible jumble of letters). Smart or just “been here, seen that”. You decide!
That’s how we (or is it just me?) all start but each solve is a learning opportunity. A classical education has stood me in good stead but the GK increases and synonyms become familiar.
Well, TRAINBAND was my last, which won’t surprise anyone, and I know that because it’s marked on my copy.
I’ve been working too many of these damn things, since I barely remembered this one. ;-D
I rather liked 18ac and 4dn. Neat.
15.39.
Either had the knowledge/recollection or was able to construct the NHOs (YOKEMATE and TRAINBAND) from the clear w/p (unlike my struggles yesterday).
Nice puzzle with some fun words. Thanks setter and Bruce.
25 minutes. Easy for a Saturday Prize Puzzle, but then I said that last week when I solved in 29 minutes. Perhaps they are looking to get more people involved in the competition.
My only unknown was TRAINBAND, or so I thought until I checked the archive and found that its most recent appearance here was in a puzzle on the last day of April 2024 that was blogged by me, defined as ‘old militia’.
37m 54s but no idea if I got it all right as no leaderboard yet, as others have mentioned.
Thanks, Bruce, for Araucaria and Yogurt.
Those of us with a long memory will remember Charly Drake singing “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back”:
“I can ride a kangaroo,
Make kinkajou stew”
See my Mephisto blog titled A Versatile Marsupial – the clues and answers for 1 across and 22 down.
13:18 Did this online rather than the app so actually have a time to refer to. Very straightforward as Saturday puzzles go. TRAINBAND unfamiliar/forgotten but not hard to work out.
DNF, with an unjustifiable BONDWARD rather than BONDMAID. Bunged it in as my LOI in desperation, not being familiar with the term.
– Remembered ARAUCARIA from previous crosswords
– Had to trust that you can get oil from COPRA
– NHO KINKAJOU but guessed right once the checkers were in place
– TRAINBAND went in with a shrug
Thanks branch and setter.
COD Garibaldi
The only anagram causing me any real problems was SEPTUAGENARIAN. I needed all the crossers to finally work it out. ARAUCARIA – the Monkey Puzzle and notable setter – was well known to me, and KINKAJOU vaguely familiar from previous crosswords. NHO YOKEMATE or TRAINBAND, although, as Jack says, it has apparently appeared here before, so probably forgotten. Otherwise, fairly easy, with FEATHERBRAINED LOI, though through no fault of its own – it was just the last left on the grid, and straighforward. Liked 3d, 15d and 19d, among others, for their great surfaces.
Mostly straightforward but DNK YOKEMATE or TRAINBAND both clear but somehow unlikely. The tree dweller sounded familiar from days spent with two generations of children at Bristol Zoo (alas now lost to us, its prime location too tempting for development) but it was the tree that finally defeated me.
Thanks all
I solved this without much difficulty, although I always have trouble remembering how to spell Araucaria. When I see trainband, I always think of some comic Elizabethan play where they’re trying to make soldiers out of a bunch of rustic buffoons. It was actually featherbrained that gave the most trouble, as I just could not come up with the first element.
Time: 37:39
40 minutes. TRAINBAND and YOKEMATE were unknown. KINKAJOU and ARAUCARIA needed the wordplay to bring them to mind. Those four and YOGURT took nearly half the time. Thanks branch.
Thanks branch & setter.
A jolly puzzle, not overly taxing.
4a Yokemate. Not difficult but I was surprised that this is a real word. I checked as I went along so cheated, but that is part of the point of Xwords; learn new words, for which the dictionary is essential. One never remembers to check the dict once one has moved on.
POI 10a Araucaria. HHO the monkey puzzle, and just about recognised the spelling. Now it is mentioned I did know there was a setter of that name.
3d Truncheon, candidate for COD for the surface.
5d Kinkajou, HHO but not at the forefront of my mind. From Wiki:
“Kinkajous are sometimes kept as exotic pets. They are playful, generally quiet, docile, and have little odor, but they can occasionally be aggressive. Kinkajous dislike sudden movements, noise, and being awake during the day. An agitated kinkajou may emit a scream and attack, usually clawing its victim and sometimes biting deeply. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that pet kinkajous in the United States can be carriers (fecal–oral route) of the raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis, which is capable of causing severe morbidity and even death in humans if the brain is infected. In 2023, National Geographic reported that escaped kinkajou pets were living in Florida.”
I won’t be keeping any of those then. Hopefully some of the feral Floridian ones will find their way to Mar-a-Lago….
Araucaria heterophylla are familiar sights as seaside plantings in Australia, notably Manly Beach in Sydney, seed having been collected from their native Norfolk Island.
A cunninghamii aren’t so common, being endemic to areas south and north of Brisbane, but are easily recognised as the branches are arranged in distinctive eponymous Hoops.
Ribibe, phew, nho so
Welcome Mayfair, you needn’t have lurked, a number of Australians use the treeware and blog belatedly.
As do I, Eladnq! ( I count as an Aussie after nearly 60 years residence). Unfortunately I only get my copy of the TftT a month after you guys (in the Australian newspaper), so am always more than late and a bit irrelevant by the time of posting. Doesn’t stop me from being an avid reader of the blogs and comments, from which I learn a lot, and chuckle a lot, when reading. Thanks to all those setters and contributors: solving is a major part of my day.