Hello again. I don’t really have a time for this crossword for two reasons, the first of which is that I tend to do jumbos in several short sessions, as and when time permits. The second reason is that the day before this was published I had my covid booster jab, and they threw in a flu jab for good measure. The results were fairly dramatic, I was sick for days and even began to feel that having covid and flu might actually be preferable … not so of course, or so I imagine, but it took me a few days to regain my equilibrium, during which time I ploughed steadily through this crossword. I don’t think it was particularly hard, though it did have two huge anagrams that caused me a bit of head-scratching.
Please, do feel free to ask questions or comment as required. I am sorry if this blog is perhaps a little bit briefer than usual.
I use the standard TfTT conventions like underlining the definition, CD for cryptic definition, DD for a double one, *(arnagam) and so forth. Nho = “not heard of” and in case of need the Glossary is always handy.
| Across | |
| 1 | Open to change of plan, a motorway that may be stopped (9) |
| AMENDABLE – A M(otorway) + ENDABLE.. a rather contrived clue, to start us off .. | |
| 6 | Wondered if icehouse is outside this building (7) |
| EDIFICE – hidden: WonderED IF ICEhouse | |
| 10 | Little time to pursue study (5) |
| SCANT – SCAN (study) + T(ime) | |
| 13 | Stay-at-home wanting run out used van freely (13) |
| UNADVENTUROUS – *(RUN OUT USED VAN) | |
| 14 | Reprimand about Italian wine scandal? (9) |
| CASTIGATE – C (about) + ASTI-GATE, ha ha. The only scandal here though is the latest appearance of a drink that I dare say few living cruciverbalists have ever sampled. This is now surely the Prosecco Age … | |
| 15 | Loose garment needing close fastening (7) |
| NIGHTIE – NIGH (close) + TIE (fastening) | |
| 16 | Hard lump inside a bone (7) |
| STERNUM – STERN (hard) + l(UM)p | |
| 17 | Warmongers regularly, I note, show an ignorance of the past (7) |
| AMNESIA – wAeMoNgErS + I + A (note) | |
| 18 | Personally wrapped up small brownie getting taken in (4-8) |
| SELF-ABSORBED – S(mall) + ELF (brownie) + ABSORBED (taken in) | |
| 20 | Attachment finishes on Friday — start to cheer (10) |
| FRIENDSHIP – FRI(day) ENDS (finishes) + HIP (start to cheer) | |
| 23 | Stuff fish with ten capers to begin with and do well (5) |
| EXCEL – X (ten) + C(apers) in EEL (fish) | |
| 24 | Pearl such as the last across clue? (9) |
| THIRTIETH – DD. Pearl being one’s thirtieth wedding anniversary, which I can vaguely remember, And there are indeed thirty across clues. | |
| 25 | I am a fool cutting exercise in standstill (7) |
| IMPASSE – I’M + ASS (fool) in PE, exercise | |
| 26 | Sender of message left pager there carelessly (11) |
| TELEGRAPHER – *(L(eft) + PAGER THERE) | |
| 28 | Allied prisoner given food by English judge (11) |
| CONFEDERATE – CON (prisoner) + FED (given food) + E(nglish) + RATE (judge). A classic charade clue | |
| 30 | Drunken duke on floor is not expected (8-3) |
| UNLOOKED-FOR – *(DUKE ON FLOOR) | |
| 32 | Flower mostly invaded by return of weed with couple often returning (11) |
| REITERATIVE – TARE (weed) + TIE (couple), both rev. inside RIVE(r), “Flower mostly.” Flower = river, as any fule kno. | |
| 34 | Gatecrash home rightly without key (7) |
| INTRUDE – IN (home) + D (key of) inside TRUE | |
| 36 | Band introduces person who finishes performance (9) |
| RENDERING – ENDER (person who finishes) in RING (band) | |
| 38 | I mostly speed round motorway and drive on (5) |
| IMPEL – M(otorway) in I PEL(t) (I speed, mostly) | |
| 39 | Narcissistic socialite is distraught about blog’s ending (10) |
| EGOISTICAL – (blo)G inside *(SOCIALITE) | |
| 41 | I sensed vices destroyed ability to resolve issues (12) |
| DECISIVENESS – *(I SENSED VICES) | |
| 45 | Stamp I invent without head of poor queen (7) |
| IMPRINT – P(oor) + R(egina, ie queen) inside I MINT (I invent) | |
| 46 | Where wild animals live, see, with many close together (7) |
| DENSELY – DENS (where wild animals live) + ELY, the setter’s favourite episcopal see. | |
| 47 | Money to get in heroin using sharp runners (7) |
| SKATING – TIN (money) inside SKAG, which apparently is a slang term for heroin. I remain regularly amazed by the extent of Times setters knowledge of drug argot. Heaven knows what must go on at their annual lunches. | |
| 49 | Always famous piece by Handel ends transposed and too broad? (9) |
| OVERLARGE – EVER (always) + LARGO (famous piece by Handel), with the initial E and final O swopped over. | |
| 50 | Stablemen worked with this organisation (13) |
| ESTABLISHMENT – *(STABLEMEN + THIS) | |
| 52 | Give up bear cave and return (5) |
| YIELD – I think this is a quadruple definition: give up, bear, cave (in), and return. Clever stuff. | |
| 53 | Get hands confused? Mix-up initially is costly putting left for right (7) |
| MISDEAL – M(ix-up) + IS + DEAR (costly), with the R changed to L. | |
| 54 | Jealous of three points accepted by ageing editor (5-4) |
| GREEN-EYED – EEN (three points, of the compass) inside GREY ED (ageing editor) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Former pupil from university having months in a large student body (7) |
| ALUMNUS – U(niversity) + M(onths) inside A L NUS, a large student body, ie the NUS. | |
| 2 | Fervent believer calling Eve a silly (11) |
| EVANGELICAL – *(CALLING EVE A) | |
| 3 | What club might raise to video rise to the top (5) |
| DIVOT – TO VID(eo) reversed, ie up not down. | |
| 4 | Crazy financiers with nothing for answer (7) |
| BONKERS – BANKERS (financiers) with O instead of A | |
| 5 | Bird always present where one sees lemurs (3) |
| EMU – Well, if one sees lemurs one sees (l)EMU(rs) too. | |
| 6 | Work in gold, perhaps running off with a ring? (9) |
| ELOPEMENT – OP (work) in ELEMENT, one of which is gold.. | |
| 7 | Silly eating seconds, quite mad (6) |
| INSANE – S(econds) in INANE (silly) | |
| 8 | Inhibit compiler’s yen to work for obscurity (19) |
| INCOMPREHENSIBILITY – *(INHIBIT COMPILER’S YEN). Sadly I had to wait for a few crossers and then biff it, 19 letter anagrams are mostly above my pay grade. | |
| 9 | Subject redness regularly to wash (7) |
| ENSLAVE – rEdNeSs + LAVE (to wash). | |
| 10 | Uncovered dive, possibly with big rubbish container outside pub yard (6-3) |
| SKINNY-DIP – INN (pub) + Y(ar)D, inside SKIP (big rubbish container). What our US pals would call a dumpster, I think. | |
| 11 | Effect of drugs upset Sean taking article in eastern continent (11) |
| ANAESTHESIA – *(SEAN) + THE (article) inside ASIA, your Eastern continent. | |
| 12 | Character of those who’d volunteer to fight? (5) |
|
THETA – ie THE TA, that volunteer army which is now called the Army Reserve. For the avoidance of any confusion, “The Army Reserve was known as the Territorial Force from 1908 to 1921, the Territorial Army (TA) from 1921 to 1967, the Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR) from 1967 to 1979, and again the Territorial Army (TA) from 1979 to 2014.” So there. |
|
| 16 | Father’s rating swords forged for quality of child’s play (19) |
| STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS – *(FATHER’S RATING SWORDS), another 19 letter anagram (see 8dn) | |
| 19 | The whole lot eat a lot on getting up? Not good — rather fast (7) |
| ALLEGRO – ALL (the whole lot) + (g)ORGE rev, ie up. Allegro, I discover, is faster than allegretto, but not so fast as presto. | |
| 21 | Alexander’s Feast, say, after composition with parts coming separately (9) |
| PIECEMEAL – PIECE (composition) + MEAL (feast, say). So far as I can see, Alexander is mainly there for the surface reading, The reference is to a feast given by Alexander after his defeat of Darius at Persepolis, which was the subject first of an ode by John Dryden, then of a musical ode by Handel. | |
| 22 | What airlines put on for safety — one cent in the buck? (2-4) |
| DE-ICER – IC (one cent) in DEER (which may be a buck) | |
| 23 | Former partner faithfully guarding son, four, like a rock? (9) |
| EXTRUSIVE – EX (former partner), + S(on) + IV (four), both in TRUE (faithfully). Though to me true means faithful, not faithfully, which would be truly. Some igneous rocks are extrusive. | |
| 24 | Swing component up over centre of retaining ring (7) |
| TRAPEZE – PART rev. (component up) + (b)EZE(l) (centre of retaining ring) | |
| 25 | Person that’s reserved lettuce (7) |
| ICEBERG – A simple DD I think, though if you call someone an iceberg, it is no wonder if they are somewhat reserved | |
| 27 | Run a group full of enthusiasm (6) |
| RARING – R(un) + A RING | |
| 29 | Tricky rescue set up I have to follow (7) |
| EVASIVE – SAVE (rescue) rev., + I’VE | |
| 31 | Set fire to hospital — now a shell on which we build (11) |
| LITHOSPHERE – LIT (set fire to) HOSP (hospital) + HERE (and now). The lithosphere is defined as the rigid top shell of a planet, in the case of Earth the top 75km or so .. so if there is to be building, that is where it will be… | |
| 33 | Slimy recipe cooked with little attention to detail (11) |
| IMPRECISELY – *(SLIMY RECIPE) | |
| 35 | Incompetent United Nations gets head of state murdered (9) |
| UNSKILLED – UN + S(tate) + KILLED (murdered). Not sure I would see incompetent and unskilled as being all that synonymous | |
| 37 | Basic cheese the French used for a month (9) |
| ELEMENTAL – EMMENTAL (cheese) with LE (French for the) replacing the first M (month) | |
| 40 | Acting, I am following playwright with no pressure (7) |
| INTERIM – Harold (p)INTER + I’M | |
| 42 | Encourage one new father to carry progeny at the outset (7) |
| INSPIRE – I + N + SIRE (father) containing P(rogeny) | |
| 43 | Sounded relieved about temperature observed (7) |
| SIGHTED – T(emperature) in SIGHED (sounded relieved) | |
| 44 | A sign of some irritation with son having joints reportedly (6) |
| SNEEZE – S(on) + NEEZE, sounds like knees, joints reportedly | |
| 45 | What’s produced by jumbo engine over years? (5) |
| IVORY – IVOR + Y(ears).. this clue gave me quite a chuckle. Ivor the Engine is well known to folk of my generation who have had children. Made by Oliver Postgate, the genius behind the Clangers, Noggin the Nog and Bagpuss, together with puppeteer Peter Firmin, they made for a golden age of childrens programmes. Click on the link, and prepare to be charmed .. | |
| 48 | Looking sick like when losing wicket (5) |
| ASHEN – AS (like) + (w)HEN | |
| 51 | Ancient fortress abandoning resistance in error (3) |
| BUG – BURG, an ancient fortress, with the R(esistance) removed, to leave a bug which is an error, expecially if you are a computer programmer.. | |
I had one error, at 47ac where I almost (but not quite) convinced myself the answer was SHAVING. One has to mangle the grammar of the clue a bit to get H (heroin) inside SAVING (money) and ‘using sharp runners’ across one’s face sounds like an unpleasant experience although it might at a stretch describe the procedure of a wet-shave, if somewhat crudely.
I hope you are now fully recovered, Jerry. I was fortunate in having no problems after any of my jabs, although the one for flu was done separately in my case.
Sorry to hear about your vaccine experience, Jerry.
Does anyone know if there’s a world record for this sort of thing?
Has there ever been a clue with more than four routes to the solution?
Here is the most recent, 17ac in the quick cryptic:
https://times-xwd-times.livejournal.com/1594351.html
Nothing for sextuple!
Try fun class A drug hit: lose it, gag and snap (5)
The same puzzle also contains a quadruple:
Attractive and tan Polish expert (4)
That is indeed a CRACKing clue.. the glossary already has an entry for “Definition” and I have added a reference to it there.
Thanks again!
Edited at 2021-12-13 08:32 am (UTC)
There’s also an option to download the Pass into Apple Wallet on my iphone. That allows me to produce the Pass easily without having to log into the NHS App. Very convenient:-)
Edited at 2021-12-11 02:25 pm (UTC)
I had SHAVING at 47ac too. It works fine from a wordplay perspective but ‘using sharp runners’ doesn’t really work as a definition even if it’s close.
Found it reasonably straightforward other than that, done in under half an hour.