Some tough clues at 1ac, 5dn and LOI 16ac held me up and I ended up taking 12 minutes. I suspect that newer solvers may struggle – but I hope to be proved wrong.
Quite a few clues seemed to go out of their way to use unlikely or less common definitions which may sit better in a 15×15. Still, this was doable and I enjoyed the challenge. Also there is a great finish with COD at 21dn. Thanks Joker.
With thanks to comments below – this is Joker’s two hundredth puzzle – look at the first letter of each of the across answers. Nice one Joker!
Definitions are underlined in bold italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Wave after couple’s decisive match (10) |
| TIEBREAKER – wave (BREAKER) after couple (TIE). I didn’t see the ‘tie together’ meaning for a long time, being focussed on a couple/pair. | |
| 8 | Everything inside we had closed off (6) |
| WALLED – everything (ALL) inside we had (WE’D). | |
| 9 | Decorated old Royal Navy mate losing millions (6) |
| ORNATE – old (O), Royal Navy (RN), m(ATE) losing m for millions. | |
| 10 | Intensity of feeling is hard to take in (4) |
| HEAT – hard (H), take in (EAT). | |
| 11 | Illegal tunnel regularly very poor (8) |
| UNLAWFUL – t(U)n(N)e(L), very poor (AWFUL). | |
| 12 | Fine new missile (6) |
| NARROW – new (N), missile (ARROW). | |
| 14 | Physical ruin of reservoir wall with time (6) |
| DAMAGE – reservoir (DAM), time (AGE). | |
| 16 | On the verge of critical attack ousting the British (8) |
| ROADSIDE – critical attack b(ROADSIDE) omitting B for British. I see broadside as a big/coordinated attack which, I suppose, could be described as critical. | |
| 18 | Relaxation from brainteasers (4) |
| EASE – from the letters in braint(EASE)rs. | |
| 20 | Cruel tyrant kills editor on return (6) |
| DESPOT – kills – tops, editor – ed – all backwards (DE SPOT). | |
| 21 | Note the right tie (6) |
| TETHER – note (TE), the (THE), right (R). With thanks to John – the answer is also included in the clue – no(TE THE R)ight. | |
| 22 | From now on fetch heron for cooking (10) |
| HENCEFORTH – anagram (for cooking) of FETCH HERON. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Picture India game being thrown (5) |
| IMAGE – India (I), anagram (being thrown) of GAME. | |
| 3 | Let’s rob abandoned pad (7) |
| BOLSTER – anagram (abandoned) of LETS ROB. | |
| 4 | Author Blyton? Not one to finish (3) |
| END – (EN)i(D). | |
| 5 | Learning rising political policy maker on left has advantage (9) |
| KNOWLEDGE -rising (upwards) of political policy maker (WONK) on left (L), advantage (EDGE). I didn’t know wonk was a thing – or, rather, a person. It’s someone who takes an enthusiastic or excessive interest in the specialized details of a particular subject or field, especially political policy. A cryptic crossword is, by definition, one where you can get the answer even if you don’t know it. It means new terms come up which I attempt, often unsuccessfully, to remember. Wonk seems memorable – as was ‘peregrination’ which I still retain from a 15×15 a long time ago. | |
| 6 | Restore Magritte perhaps beginning to wear (5) |
| RENEW – take the first name of (RENE) Magritte (an artist) and add (W)ear. | |
| 7 | Like a piano given by singers including heartless tenor (6) |
| STRUNG – ‘given by singers’ gives (SUNG) – I suppose ‘given by talkers’ would have been ‘said’ – including (T)eno(R). | |
| 11 | Purely oral nutrient, strangely including whiskey (9) |
| UNWRITTEN – anagram (strangely) of NUTRIENT including whiskey(W). | |
| 13 | Admitted Authorised Version had debts to others (6) |
| AVOWED – as in ‘his avowed intent’. Authorised version (AV), had debts to others (OWED). | |
| 15 | Maazel’s stardom regularly revealed a great conductor (7) |
| MAESTRO – (M)a(A)z(E)l(S) s(T)a(R)d(O)m. | |
| 17 | Profundity of department head’s introduction (5) |
| DEPTH – department (DEPT), (H)ead. | |
| 19 | Caught a whiff of fish (5) |
| SMELT – double definition. Get the aroma for the first, for the second think salmon. | |
| 21 | What’s towards end of shoe? (3) |
| TOE – COD for this clever last clue. It’s an &lit. A (TOE) is at the end of a shoe. What is towards (TO) end of shoe is (E). | |
Not only the newer solvers! This (relatively) old timer also struggled today. At 16 minutes, it was more than twice yesterday’s time, and only a minute or two shorter than my time for today’s biggie. (I must admit that I got stuck on one clue there so it was a DNF but all the same…)
Fun, but a strange mix of pretty straightforward and quite tricky clues. The only wonk I’m aware of is the policy one!
FOI Image LOI and COD Roadside, although I did like BOLSTER and SMELT too.
Amazing how the setters keep up such a high standard though – 200 quickies, and that’s not forgetting the daily concise, among many many others. Congrats and thanks to Joker 🍾😊
Thanks also to Chris, and congrats to Jackkt and Sawbill for working out the nina!
I got stuck on the exact same clues as our blogger Chris…i.e. TIEBREAKER, KNOWLEDGE and ROADSIDE (plus HEAT) but I needed 16 minutes in all to sort them out. Solving TIEBREAKER seemed key to a quick solve.
6.39
Slightly better than normal-ish time for me. No real hold-ups though a bit sluggish at the very beginning. Persevered with 1ac and I was off.
Many congrats on the 200 milestone
Thanks all
Flew through most of this and finished in a 9th best ever time of 11:50, although I must admit I didn’t pause to parse KNOWLEDGE. Perhaps having the warm up of yesterday’s 15×15 (a discontinuous 77 for that) stood me in good stead. LOI and probably COD was ROADSIDE. Thanks Chris and Joker.
CrispB
There seems to be a curious mix of seasoned solvers who found this a doddle, and others who struggled to achieve their ‘normal’ times. I found it generally a bit more testing than usual perhaps, and just got inside my 10 minutes target at 9.45.
ROADSIDE very much LOI; solved during a coffee break at The British Museum. It was very busy; tourists are back along with the half-term crowds.
Good puzzle.
David
I once went to the Natural History Museum during half term. It was absolute hell and I promised myself I would never go to a major museum during a school holiday ever again.
ROADSIDE very much LOI; solved during a coffee break at The British Museum. It was very busy; tourists are back along with the half-term crowds.
Good puzzle.
David
Struggled a bit but got there in the end
You never know with Joker!
To my considerable surprise I found this very straightforward for most of the solve. I don’t particularly time myself, but was well under 20 mins with one clue left. That clue – 16ac – put me in my place and I finished, at a guess, around 30 mins. But, for a brief time, I experienced what it must be like to be a relatively fast solver.
DNF
All was going fine but came completely unstuck on 16ac. Couldn’t figure out the clue and had several words that fit the checkers, GOLDMINE, PONDLIFE and had to throw in the towel.
Like a few others I got stuck on ROADSIDE , but plodded through the rest with some pauses for thought. A good challenge.