Times Cryptic No 28008 – Saturday, 19 June 2021. Saturday rules, OK?

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Well, the community clearly prefers Saturday blogs to appear the following Saturday, so here it is!

Anyone who discovers that their fingers went into autopilot, and typed “that puzzle was easy … unlike this week”, please call those unruly digits to order and delete the last few words … don’t reduce other solvers’ enjoyment!! 

So, the puzzle? Fortunately, I’m doing the blog well before Saturday arrives, so there’s no temptation to compare, but this one was fairly straightforward for me. Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle. How did you all get on?

[Read more …]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 and commentary are (in brackets).

Across
1 Newspaper feature on screen is hit in a big way (8)
WALLOPED – WALL = screen + OP. ED. = newspaper feature.
5 Influential group causes custom to be observed only on the left (6)
CAUCUS – CAU(ses) + CUS(tom). Only the left half of each word – very original!
10 How to greet Eskimo? One that’s heartless may keep stressing an error? (3,4,4,2,2)
RUB ONES NOSE IN IT – I biffed this in without understanding it, and it took quite a while to see how it works! You might greet the Eskimo by rubbing their nose, which give RUB ONE’S (the Eskimo’s) NOSE. Then, a heartless Eskimo is an IN(u)IT. Phew!
11 Undercooked dish taken round a part of mouth (4,6)
HARD PALATE – HARD = undercooked (vegetables, for example) + PLATE ‘round’ A.
13 It could be guilty enjoyment — not certain (4)
PLEA – PLEA(sure),
15 “To Daisy!” he may cry (7)
TOASTER – he raises a toast: TO ASTER=daisy.
17 Hands separately interrupting might make someone suspicious (7)
PROWLER – R + L ‘interrupting’ POWER = might.
18 See round most of private little wood (7)
SPINNEY – SPY round INNE(r).
19 In war, not a point of view to dispute (7)
WRANGLE – W(a)R + ANGLE.
21 Initially exposing omission, turning over part of text (4)
PAGE – E(xposing) GAP, ‘turning over’.
22 Made clear one clue is convoluted, not new (10)
ELUCIDATED – ‘convoluted’ anagram of CLUE + I=one, then DATED=not new.
25 Mathematical feature in a made up edition (9,6)
IMAGINARY NUMBER – IMAGINARY=made up + NUMBER=edition.
27 Nearly everything in pavilion is bent (6)
TALENT – AL(l) in TENT=pavilion.
28 Shooting a thousand wild turkeys (8)
MUSKETRY – M=1000 + ‘wild’ anagram of TURKEYS.

Down
1 Fermenting malt a success, repaying the effort (5,2)
WORTH IT – WORT=malt in the process of fermentation (new to me!) + HIT=success.
2 Dropping by in hall, one treated smashingly? (3)
LOB – LOB(by). A smash is how tennis players like to treat a lob.
3 Supreme order to speed with energy through parts of bible? (10)
OMNIPOTENT – OM=order (of merit), NIP=speed, then E=energy between OT and NT.
4 Support skinning mustelids (5)
EASEL – (w)EASEL(s) are the mustelids.
6 Quiet call to notice a piece of skirt (4)
AHEM – A + HEM.
7 Possibility of night called for this in power cut? (11)
CANDLELIGHT – ‘possibility of’ anagram from NIGHT CALLED.
8 Organise outdoor entertainment, having good forecast (3,4)
SET FAIR – SET=organise, FAIR=outdoor entertainment.
9 What’s up, old battered fighter? (8)
SOUTHPAW – ‘battered’ anagram of WHATS UP O.
12 Girl full of love after perusing location of ballad (7,4)
READING GAOL – GAL ‘full of’ O=zero=love, after READING.

The Ballad of Reading Gaol is a poem by Oscar Wilde, written after his release from gaol on 19 May 1897.

14 Old and decrepit, fail to answer film star with animation (6,4)
DONALD DUCK – ‘decrepit’ anagram of OLD AND, then DUCK=fail to answer.
16 Approval from the palace to secure a safe place for Charles (5,3)
ROYAL OAK – ROYAL OK, ‘securing’ A.

The Royal Oak is the English oak tree within which the future King Charles II of England hid to escape the Roundheads following the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The story is remembered every year in the English traditions of Royal Oak Day.

18 Old teacher’s concession welcome, by the way (7)
SOPHIST – SOP=concession, HI=welcome, ST=way.
20 Church officer and laity, not content but getting on (7)
ELDERLY – ELDER=church officer, L(ait)Y.
23 Furry creature, evasive and revolting, from the south (5)
COYPU – COY=evasive, UP=revolting ‘from the south’.
24 Draw arm or leg, as told (4)
LIMN – sounds like LIMB. I knew the word, but not really its meaning!
26 Receive deliveries of book and wait for periodical appearance (3)
BAT – B=book, (w)A(i)T ‘periodically’.

36 comments on “Times Cryptic No 28008 – Saturday, 19 June 2021. Saturday rules, OK?”

  1. I biffed 10 too, and forgot to ponder it further, so thanks for explaining the second part of the clue.
    Eskimo, as we are all no doubt aware, is regarded by some as offensive. Though this charge seems to be based entirely on an erroneous etymology, it is nonetheless not a term that these peoples apply to themselves.

    Edited at 2021-06-25 11:55 pm (UTC)

      1. Yes, I know that all people some call “Eskimos” are not Inuits. That’s why I typed “peoples,” plural.
        The name didn’t originate with any of them, though some may use it now—like “Indian” in the United States.

        Edited at 2021-06-26 12:35 am (UTC)

  2. DNK WORT, ROYAL OAK, but they didn’t pose any problem. READING GAOL biffed, parsed post-submission; ditto CANDLELIGHT. A pleasant if not too challenging puzzle.
  3. Very enjoyable. I’ve done this puzzle on the Saturday following its appearance. That way the blog is fresh, though I can’t win the prize.( I never won in the past anyway. Has anyone in this forum ever won it?)
    24’43”
    1. In my very early days as a crosswordiste -in 2002 and 2003- I won twice. I was living in Sicily at the time and used to visit the UK fairly often so was able to use the book voucher. I’ve often wondered if The Times was just trying to encourage me. I don’t know if people living overseas are allowed to win these days.

      Edited at 2021-06-26 07:35 am (UTC)

    2. I won it way back in 1993 when one entered by “snail mail”. A rather fine copy of “The Times Atlas of World History” was my reward.
    3. Tried for years back in the 1990s. Very long streak of correct solutions submitted. Not a sniff. Eventually gave up in disgust
      1. Funnily enough, I also was in the UK then, did the same thing, and narry a sniff. Bah. Living in France now I don’t think I’m allowed in . In all senses……
    4. I think we may have got two prizes over many years, before non-Brits were made ineligible.
      1. with the forthcoming free-trade agreement between UK and Australia , surely we’ll become eligible again?
    5. I do the same thing and print out the week-end puzzles a week after publication so they are fresh in my memory when the blog appears. There was a glitch this morning though. This puzzle printed properly but I got an error message when I tried to print out last Sunday’s. Am hoping it’s sorted by tomorrow otherwise I’ll have to do it online rather than in bed with my morning tea.
  4. Thank you, Bruce for your introduction!
    I struggled with this one but, then again, I’ve been struggling quite a bit recently.
  5. ….as I don’t understand why Op.Ed is a newspaper feature. The only clue that caused me a problem.

    FOI RUB ONES NOSE IN IT
    LOI WALLOPED
    COD WORTH IT
    TIME 13:01

    1. Chambers has this:

      op-ed /opˈed/
      noun and adjective
      (being or relating to) a newspaper article printed opposite the editorial column, usu expressing the personal opinions of the writer

  7. An enjoyable puzzle. I did it somewhere in the Scottish Borders on my iPad. No idea where I started. I do remember LIMB was an unknown hope for the best, and was my LOI. 26:11. Thanks setter and Bruce.
  8. A long struggle with this but pleasingly completed at 4.15pm with the unknown LIMN derived from the cryptic.
    A couple of errors held me up a lot: PAPAL OAK and SEARCHLIGHT stayed in place for too long.
    Enjoyable overall.
    David
  9. 12:04. No dramas.
    I’m not sure that telling people not to reveal that this week’s puzzle is easy at the top of the blog is going to achieve the intended aim 😉
        1. Well, my exhortations were such a success, now people are talking about answers to a current Jumbo clue too!!

          Pffft … sound of my balloon deflating. 🙂

          1. Oh dear, sorry! Perhaps we should delete this whole exchange and pretend it never happened – I won’t be offended if you do.
            1. Not at all. I just found it ironic that the net result of my plea not to write about this Saturday’s prize puzzle, was a discussion (now deleted) about last Saturday’s prize Jumbo, still open till next Wednesday. Oh well.
  10. So satisfied to have completed this one. First read-through of the clues, and second and third, and I thought it was a hopeless case. But then I got my FOI, 27ac TALENT, and it unlocked the mental block. From there it was never easy, but the clueing was absolutely clear. Each answer was a PDM and brought a smile – especially IMAGINARY NUMBER, the concept that made me quit maths. LOI 16d ROYAL OAK, because I have no idea about English history. Thanks to all the bloggers here from whom I’m gradually learning the skills. Today I felt them kicking in. Loved it.
  11. Only 26 comments from just a dozen responders, most of which live in foreign climes, including myself!
    I once won the ‘Saturday Prize’ but cannot remember what the trophy was – unless it was that Aston Martin I could never explain to ‘Er Indoors I.

    FOI 10ac RUB ONE’S NOSE IN IT

    LOI 1ac WALLOPED – WALL=screen?

    COD 14dn DONALD DUCK – star of the Silver Wall!

    WOD 9dn SOUTH PAW

    25ac IMAGINARY NUMBER – this concept that made me show more interest in maths!

    16dn The Royal Oak is English History – the oldest inn of that name is to be found in Winchester.

    Edited at 2021-06-26 10:01 am (UTC)

  12. Decent puzzle, steadily solved in 20 minutes. My PALATE was initially SOFT which seemed to satisfy the clue just as well: undercooked eggs and biscuits fit the bill.
    I did wonder about SOPHIST defined as teacher, but I see it’s my education that’s lacking.
    1. I too was held up by not knowing if the PALATE was HARD or SOFT.

      It only became clear once I’d satisfied myself that Wilde hadn’t written a lesser-known companion piece Ballad of Frimley Gaol …

  13. Did all of this but two in 20 mins but was convinced 14d had something to do with the Incredible Hulk. Don’t ask. Did sort that out but then wildly plumped for a ROYAL EAR. Dunno what I was thinking of as perfectly familiar with the ROYAL OAK

    Probably got the current Charles on my mind as it’s almost impossible to read The Times now without some story about M and H. I suspect like most I ignore the actual text and proceed directly to the comments for some light relief

    Thanks Bruce and setter for a very pleasant puzzle and excellent blog as always

  14. Just under the hour I have noted. Very enjoyable. COD RUB ONES etc. Did not know IMAGINARY NUMBERS but the wordplay was helpful.
    Never did parse 1ac but again, helped by the clueing. Quite liked SOUTHPAW too. Nice surface. Thanks b for the explanations and setter.

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