Solving time: 11 minutes. I nearly achieved my target 10 minutes but lost time at the end as I had inadvertently spelt 16ac with EI instead of IE and this delayed solving 15dn as my last one in. There’s quite a lot of slang and colloquialism today which may cause problems for those not familiar with it all.
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]
| Across | |
| 1 | Weatherproof coat a nosy person talked of? (5) |
| PARKA – Sounds like [talked of] “parker” (nosy person). I tried to trace the origin of the expression ‘Nosy Parker’ but there’s nothing approaching a definitive answer available. If you’re interested in knowing more, try Googling it and take your pick. | |
| 8 | Dock worker rode out with street girl (9) |
| STEVEDORE – ST (street), EVE (girl), anagram [out] of RODE. Stevedores load and unload cargo. | |
| 9 | Excuse a former politician invented originally (5) |
| ALIBI – A, LIB (former politician – Liberal), I{nvented} [originally]. In the UK and in terms of established political parties, Libs are currently Lib-Dems and I assume that’s why we have ‘former’ in the clue, however the abbreviation is still valid so the qualification wasn’t really needed. | |
| 10 | Work in pub mostly, accepting Oscar’s point of view (7) |
| OPINION – OP (work), IN, IN{n} (pub) [mostly] containing O (Oscar – NATO alphabet). Easy to biff with a checker or two in place but the wordplay is a bit tricky to unravel. | |
| 11 | Debt-collector gone mad in underground cell (7) |
| DUNGEON – DUN (debt-collector), anagram [mad] of GONE. I didn’t know the debt-collector but the answer came readily to mind. | |
| 12 | Percussionist beginning to drink spirit by sea in Boulogne? (7) |
| DRUMMER – D{rink] [beginning], RUM (spirit), MER (sea in Boulogne – the French word for ‘sea’) | |
| 16 | Verbal greeting to girl revealing sanitary practices? (7) |
| HYGIENE – HY + GIENE sounds like [verbal] “Hi!” (greeting) + “Jean” (girl) | |
| 17 | Sale involving union leader in suit (7) |
| AUCTION – U{nion} [leader] contained by [in] ACTION (suit – at law) | |
| 20 | Main sentence describing guillemot, for example (7) |
| SEABIRD – SEA (main), BIRD (sentence – slang for a term of imprisonment) | |
| 22 | Secondary thoroughfare of some width (5) |
| BROAD – B-ROAD (secondary thoroughfare). A-roads, B-roads and motorways are the main components of the UK road system. | |
| 23 | Eg Asian editor initially more rigid about article (9) |
| EASTERNER – E{ditor} [initially] + STERNER (more rigid), containing [about] A (article) | |
| 24 | Person summing up / poisonous snake (5) |
| ADDER – Two meanings | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Forked out to obtain large tartan cloth (5) |
| PLAID – PAID (forked out – another colloquialism) containing [to obtain} L (large) | |
| 2 | Reportedly bucketing down on the throne? (8) |
| REIGNING – Sounds like [reportedly] “raining” (bucketing down – and another) | |
| 3 | A team apart! (5) |
| ASIDE – A, SIDE (team) | |
| 4 | Back university’s later presentation of bill (6,7) |
| SECOND READING – SECOND (back), READING (university). This is one of the stages in the enactment of a new law which at this point is called a ‘bill’. After the final stage known as ‘the Royal Assent’ the bill becomes an Act of Parliament. | |
| 5 | Followers carrying English money in French street (7) |
| RETINUE – E (English) + TIN (money), contained by [in] RUE (French street) | |
| 6 | Lightweight hat — best on island (4) |
| TOPI – TOP (best), I (island). As worn by Englishmen of colonial persuasion who went out in the midday sun in tropical climes along with mad dogs. | |
| 7 | Study Pope’s last lines outside a priest’s office (7) |
| DEANERY – DEN (study) + {Pop}E [last] + RY (lines – railway), containing [outside] A | |
| 13 | Flower girl’s stated recipe for getting rich? (8) |
| MARIGOLD – Sounds like [stated] “marry gold” (recipe for getting rich?) | |
| 14 | City’s way to divide fare in old-time feast (7) |
| CHESTER – ST (way – street) contained by [to divide] CHEER (fare in old-time feast). Not a meaning of ‘cheer’ I was aware of until recently when it came up elsewhere. | |
| 15 | Assume identity of quality paper without delay (7) |
| BETIMES – BE (assume identity of), TIMES (quality paper). A somewhat old-fashioned word that’s little used these days. | |
| 18 | Government emergency committee’s firm supporter? (5) |
| COBRA – CO (firm), BRA (supporter). Cabinet Office Briefing Room A: the civil contingencies committee that leads the UK’s responses to crises such as terrorist attacks and epidemics. Sadly news reports of this committee’s activities have become all too frequent. | |
| 19 | In London, a director’s lowest point (5) |
| NADIR – Hidden [in] {Londo}N A DIR{rector} | |
| 21 | Part of church left abandoned by mistake (4) |
| APSE – {l}APSE (mistake) [left abandoned] | |
Edited at 2018-09-03 10:37 am (UTC)
COD seabird.
Tip: Today’s 15×15 is a good one for QCers to try.
John George
Not sure of the Kevometer reading because too many interruptions. Probably between two and three.
BETIMES is a solid Shakespearean word (eg Sir Toby Belch – “To be up after midnight and to go to bed then, is early, so that to go to bed after midnight is to go to bed betimes.”) I remember Parkas from my youth as shapeless green anoraks with fur-trimmed hoods; banned at school and therefore always had a faintly rebellious feel about them, to me.
Thanks for the blog, Jack.
Templar
Dun for debt collector, bird for prison sentence and Tin for money. Parka didnt sound like parker to me and the Marigold clue was sinister.
SRT
Today’s QC seemed easy at first but there were quite a few clues which I would not have got as a beginner (e.g. Seabird and Topi).After 20 minutes,my usual time, I needed two: 14d and 15d. Despite spending three days last week near Chester playing golf, 14d was slow to come. I then spent ages on 15d and decided to let the cryptic lead me; that gave me Betimes, a word I did not know. Very good testing QC I thought. David
The only reference I can find for ‘Dun’ is Dun and Bradshaw, a firm of debt collectors.
Incidently, for the last few days I’ve had to log on to get into the puzzles on my phone every time, even though I dont have to for the news. Has anyone else found this?
Brian
Edited at 2018-09-03 03:33 pm (UTC)
Brian
“Up betimes and so to bed”.
[ORIGIN from dean noun¹ + -ery, after Anglo-Norman denrie.]
1 The position or office of a dean. LME.
2 The group of parishes presided over by a rural dean. Formerly also, the jurisdiction of a dean. LME.
3 The official residence of a dean. L16.
[Shorter Oxford English Dictionary]
Edited at 2018-09-03 08:17 pm (UTC)