Times Cryptic No 27912 – Saturday, 27 February 2021. How do you spell that?

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Well, I want to give very special thanks to the setter this week. The crossword was full of answers I didn’t know, but could get from the very precise wordplay. Particular mention goes to 22ac, which I did recognise but had absolutely no idea how to spell! Thanks also as always for a very enjoyable puzzle. Interestingly, the puzzle had two reverse cryptic clues – I feel I haven’t seen that often before. How did you get on?

Notes for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is posted a week later, after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on the current Saturday Cryptic.

Clues are blue, with definitions underlined. Deletions are in {curly brackets}.

Across
1 Destructive phenomenon which could be rife? (8)
WILDFIRE – FIRE would be an anagram (wild) of RIFE. The first “reverse cryptic” clue, right up.
5 Take off special clothing close by university (4,2)
SEND UP – SP = special is outside (or ‘clothing’) END=close + U=university.
10 Some lingo in an original form? (9)
NEOLOGISM – it’s an anagram of SOME LINGO (in an original form). It’s also an all-in-one clue, where the whole clue is both wordplay and definition.
11 Manage to smuggle uranium in car (5)
COUPE – U=uranium in COPE=manage.
12 Back in quaint pub, giving a beam (1-3)
T-BAR – T=back in QUAINT. BAR=pub. The beam on a ski lift.
13 Kit, maybe Chelsea kit coming off here (5,4)
STRIP CLUB – STRIP=kit=the uniform worn by a football team, say. CLUB=team (Chelsea, say).
15 Indication of speed in computer, feeling less hot at first (4,6)
MACH NUMBER – MAC=a computer. H=hot. NUMBER=feeling less.
17 European runner set bar low at intervals (4)
EBRO – every second letter of sEt BaR lOw. I didn’t know it; it’s a river in Spain.
19 Place to study temperature: Kelvin or Celsius? (4)
UNIT – UNI=place to study. T=temperature. Perhaps the definition is via examples of scales rather than examples of units, but near enough to the same thing.
20 One Italian who scored in game, then another (10)
MONTEVERDI – MONTE is a gambling game, VERDI was another Italian composer (or scorer, if you will).
22 Mark of Brontë sister, before getting back from the east (9)
DIAERESIS – as I mentioned above, I had no idea how to spell the answer. Luckily, the setter explained. SIS=sister, ERE=before, (to) AID=(to) back. Write all that “from the east”. “Getting” is just a filler word. I also finally learned what it means! It’s a signal that a letter that might otherwise be silent needs to be pronounced separately: here, the E in Brontё. And I always thought it was just a signal that someone was showing off!
24 Felt guilt about lacking etiquette in speech (4)
RUED – sounds like RUDE (in speech).
26 Good to break rake, a rotten sort (5)
ROGUE – G=good in ROUE=rake.
27 Delay lob shot, catching one in court (3,6)
OLD BAILEY – anagram of DELAY LOB (shot), with an I=one added.
28 Artist gate-crashing parties for group of stars (6)
DORADO – RA=artist, in DO + DO = parties. Not a constellation I knew.
29 Involved in songs, or did lyrics with some sleaze (8)
SORDIDLY – hidden answer. Actually, rather well hidden, too!

Down
1 Addict to make no gains at all? (4)
WINO – no gains translates to WIN O=nothing.
2 This cryptically suggests I role play (4,4,2,5)
LOOK BACK IN ANGER – another “reverse cryptic”. LO=look. Reverse that and put it in IRE = anger. A play by John Osborne.

On edit: to fill out the explanation:The point of describing it a a “reverse cryptic” is that you could use the answer, LOOK BACK IN ANGER, as a cryptic clue which “cryptically suggests” I ROLE, which has LO backwards in IRE.
3 Throwing something on the ground (8)
FLOORING – double definition. To upset emotionally, or the stuff underfoot.
4 Lots of leaves picked up in French city (5)
REIMS – sounds like REAMS (picked up). Lots of leaves of paper, of course.
6 Save queen coming out of passage (6)
EXCEPT – take R=queen out of EXCERPT.
7 Like some weapons with handles joined (6-9)
DOUBLE-BARRELLED – another double definition. Shotguns, or names like Armstrong-Jones.
8 Awful bore, spy film having trouble with viewing (10)
PRESBYOPIC – anagram of BORE SPY (awful),  then PIC. Age-related long-sightedness, as opposed to the more familiar myopia.
9 Mix in e-books making a breakthrough (8)
EMERGENT – MERGE=mix, in E (literally) + NT=books.
14 Son went off and felt intense passion (10)
SMOULDERED – S=son, MOULDERED=went off.
16 Show some cheek: try ambitious project (8)
MOONSHOT – MOON, SHOT.
18 Making too much stewed pear eaten by poet (8)
OVERPAID – anagram of PEAR (stewed), ‘eaten’ by OVID.
21 Fanatic snatching tip of rose bud (6)
FRIEND – ROSE ‘tip’ in FIEND.
23 Wretch thus adopting tot (5)
SADDO – ADD in SO.
25 English writer‘s pair of jackets from library (4)
LYLY – LIBRARY ‘jacket’, twice. Didn’t know him, either. Again, helped by the setter!

31 comments on “Times Cryptic No 27912 – Saturday, 27 February 2021. How do you spell that?”

  1. At the time two reverse-cryptics felt like one too many, but that was probably because they were two of the first three clues I read. Nice enough puzzle but ultimately one error: I left “having” off the definition, and threw in PRESBYOPIA even though it didn’t parse, intending to come back to it. Oh, well. Thanks setter and blogger.
  2. I don’t remember this puzzle well (my first time commenting on a Saturday, one week later), but I was glad to see I got it all correct. A slowish time, and I remember I got stuck in a few places. Like isla, I put in PRESBYOPIA, but fortunately changed the last letter before submitting.
  3. My main problem was spelling DIAERESIS, after a clumsy attempt or two to biff it. DNK STRIP=kit, so just trusted the def. DNK DORADO. Fortunately, REIMS came up here recently, so the pronunciation came to mind (I’ve always pronounced it more or less à la française). LYLY is the paradigm exponent of euphuism; worth avoiding. Bruce, at PRESBYOPIC ‘having’ needs to be underlined.
  4. I thought this was a very good puzzle. Thanks for the explanations, Bruce, especially of the reverse cryptics.
    Several NHOs: PRESBYOPIC/DORADO/LYLY.
    COD to DIAERESIS. The New Yorker uses them all the time.
  5. Exactly one hour with the same unknowns as others although I remembered LYLY vaguely once I’d worked him out. REIMS without its H was unfamiliar. I would normally use the alternative spelling of DIERESIS and I have always wondered why it doesn’t itself take a diaresis.

    Edited at 2021-03-06 05:52 am (UTC)

  6. 45 mins so average time for a very enjoyable puzzle, I thought. Same NHOs as others. FOI WILDFIRE (nice clue) LOI SEND UP. I very much liked some of the clever clueing, especially handles joined, LBIA and kit coming off here. Thank you B and setter.
  7. Sorry to butt in here, but can anyone tell me where to find The Times Jumbo Cryptic in the online edition? I stumbled across it last week and enjoyed it but can’t for the life of me find it this morning.
    1. In the on-line version it’s in the same place as all the other puzzles under the Puzzles tab.

      If you mean the facsimile version of the newspaper it’s in the Saturday Review on page 55. You may have to click the Publications link to find the Saturday Review section

      Edited at 2021-03-06 08:24 am (UTC)

      1. Sorry, do you mean under Mind Games (in the online version?) Where the quick cryptic normally is? If so I can’t see it.
          1. Thanks Jerry.

            What I’m not clear on from slackercracker is what platform he’s using on what device. As far as I’m concerned Saturday is no different from any other day so far as accessing on-line puzzles is concerned, you either go directly to the Club, or via the Puzzles tab, and all the crosswords are set out there.

            But the thing I know to be different on Saturdays is if you access via the on-line facsimile version of the newspaper. The Jumbo is not in the main paper but in the Saturday Review section which you have to access separately. Once into that, the Jumbo is on the 4th page of 4 pages under Mind Games (Page 55 in today’s edition).

            Edited at 2021-03-06 09:22 am (UTC)

            1. Thanks both. I’m on an iPad. I’ll check out the Review section. Your help is much appreciated.

              Edited at 2021-03-06 09:32 am (UTC)

              1. Thanks. I-pad is completely foreign territory for me so others will have to step in if your problems persist.
  8. 25 minutes. I saw Look Back in Anger straightaway but then had to gawk at it for a minute or so to see why. Never heard of LYLY though. It was good of the setter to spell DIAERESIS for us. Good puzzle. Thank you B and setter.
  9. Nice crossword this, good neat surfaces and clever clueing.

    One of the galaxies in the 28ac constellation is the Spanish Dancer. Click on the photo for a full size version of one of the most beautiful things in the sky.

  10. There once was a very fine clue
    It went down, and its number was two
    Reverse cryptics are few
    And i swear this is true
    Would I LIE OR mislead you?
  11. 13:32 but with a careless PRESBYOPIA. Lots of ticks in my copy. NHO LYLY. Thanks for the tip not to bother, Kevin. I enjoyed the reverse cryptics, but also the two composers and UNIT. Thanks Bruce and setter.
    1. Just a taste of what you’re missing:
      Thou art heere in Naples a young soiourner, I an olde senior : thou a straunger, I a Citizen : thou secure doubting no mishappe, I sorrowfull dreading thy mis- fortune. Heere mayst thou see that which I sigh to see : dronken sottes wallowing in euery house [corner] ? in euery chamber, yea, in euery channel. Heere mayst thou beholde that which I cannot without blushing beholde, nor without blubbering vtter : those whose bellyes be their Gods, who offer their goodes as Sacrifice to their guttes :

      Edited at 2021-03-06 12:57 pm (UTC)

  12. Liked 2d but it took a while to see why it was what it was. DIAERESIS was unfamiliar but I remembered diacritic and eventually worked out the parsing. An enjoyable puzzle. 37:29. Thanks setter and Bruce.
  13. Did not quite finish this. Can’t find my paper copy but failed to get DORADO and Diaresis. I knew Umlaut but not the latter and failed to work out the parsing.
    And I had WOODWORM at 1a for a very long time.
    David
  14. 14:44. Super puzzle, I thought. I particularly liked 10ac (NEOLOGISM) and ‘mark of Bronte sister’.
  15. From memory, this was done in a long lazy morning and I eventually managed to parse everything.

    Two dots over a letter mean umlaut to me and I wasted a lot of time trying to work out how to make that work. I’d heard of a diaeresis, but didn’t know what it was or how to spell it. One of the things I love about the cryptic is learning new things in the process of solving them.

  16. I took a long time in the SW, where inserting RA into LIBS just as instructed gave me Libras which I was not inclined to replace even if the plural was a little awkward. But the two reversals completely justified my Times subscription for this year. Thanks Brnchn, nice puzzle to get to blog
  17. A DNF for me. Couldn’t get dorado or friend and left it unfinished. I think I’d been finding it hard going and it didn’t take much to convince me to throw in the towel.
  18. I’ve read brnchn’s description of the answer several times but I still don’t understand it:
    LO=look. Reverse that and put it in IRE=anger
    Lo isn’t reversed in Look , and IRE doesn’t appear in the answer???
    1. Yes, I didn’t fill out the explanation enough. Sorry! The point of describing it a a “reverse cryptic is that you could use the answer, LOOK BACK IN ANGER, as a cryptic clue which “cryptically suggests” I ROLE, which has LO backwards in IRE.
    2. “I role” in the clue consists ot “look back- ie LO reversed” in Anger = IRE. Like the blogger said. IRE appears in the answer only as a synonym of ANGER. You have to treat the I ROLE cryptically – like it says in the clue – to get the definition of a “play”. I’m not very good at explaining but hope it helps.
  19. Thanks for blog. I think you’ll see this play from time to time in puzzles as it has a very convenient 15 letters and both a reversal and a containment indicator in crossword terms.

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