I needed 12 minutes for this one, delayed by two or three clues on the RH side and difficulty parsing 4dn. A puzzle quite remarkable for containing only one very short anagram.
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]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Young elephant caught with a large female (4) |
| CALF | |
| C (caught – cricket), A, L (large), F (female) | |
| 4 | Minute is time to get letters out? (8) |
| MISSPELL | |
| M (minute), IS, SPELL (time) | |
| 8 | Ruin rolling hill, with decrease in value (8) |
| DOWNFALL | |
| DOWN (rolling hill), FALL (decrease in value). There’s no shortage of downs in the south of England. | |
| 9 | Scornfully reject cakes that are sent back (4) |
| SNUB | |
| BUNS (cakes) reversed [sent back] | |
| 10 | A lot of stars cheerful about Los Angeles Times (6) |
| GALAXY | |
| GAY (cheerful) containing [about] LA (Los Angeles) + X (times) | |
| 11 | Uncertain about noisy Yankee (6) |
| CLOUDY | |
| C (about – circa), LOUD (noisy), Y (Yankee – NATO alphabet). SOED: cloudy (of ideas etc.) unclear, indistinct, vague. | |
| 12 | Very latest express frequently runs in hot weather (5-2-3-3) |
| STATE-OF-THE-ART | |
| STATE (express), OFT (frequently), then R (runs – cricket) contained by [in] HEAT (hot weather) | |
| 16 | Socially awkward cowboy never finished end of ride (6) |
| GAUCHE | |
| GAUCH{o} (cowboy) [never finished], {rid}E [end of …] | |
| 17 | Upset fish in tin (6) |
| SHAKEN | |
| HAKE (fish) contained by [in] SN (tin – periodic table) | |
| 19 | Manchester orchestra wants no echo where they may play (4) |
| HALL | |
| HALL{é} (Manchester orchestra) [wants no echo – e in the NATO alphabet]. The orchestra takes its name from its founder Sir Charles Hallé. |
|
| 20 | Broadcast drunk? Beyond question (8) |
| AIRTIGHT | |
| AIR (broadcast), TIGHT (drunk). Often used figuratively of a legal case or argument. | |
| 21 | Scope for drama, perhaps, where kids run free? (8) |
| PLAYROOM | |
| PLAY (drama), ROOM (scope) | |
| 22 | Regularly repairing pocket (4) |
| EARN | |
| {r}E{p}A{i}R{i}N{g} [regularly]. ‘Pocket’ in this context usually carries overtones of dishonesty, but I have heard it used casually to mean earn a wage or salary. | |
| Down |
|
| 2 | Bouquet got by taking part of Figaro masterfully (5) |
| AROMA | |
| Hidden in [part of] {Fig}ARO MA{sterfully} | |
| 3 | Devotee mostly liking everything in Frozen tremendously (13) |
| FANTASTICALLY | |
| FAN (devotee), TAST{e} (liking) [mostly], then ALL (everything) contained by [in] ICY (frozen) | |
| 4 | Gosh, about to take meal that’s substantial (5) |
| MEATY | |
| MY (gosh!) containing [about] EAT (take meal) | |
| 5 | Very good and legitimate request (7) |
| SOLICIT | |
| SO (very good – just so), LICIT (legitimate) | |
| 6 | Mailman, perhaps recovering from cuts? (4-9) |
| POST-OPERATIVE | |
| I’ve indicated this as two definitions but I think the first one wouldn’t take the hyphen so it doesn’t quite qualify, it’s more of a helpful alternative way to the answer. | |
| 7 | Clean moon vehicle carrying uranium (7) |
| LAUNDER | |
| LANDER (moon vehicle) containing [carrying] U (uranium – periodic table again) | |
| 10 | Cut removing hospital oxygen, say (3) |
| GAS | |
| GAS{h} (cut) [removing hospital] | |
| 13 | Footpath around area — very hard work (7) |
| TRAVAIL | |
| TRAIL (footpath) containing [around] A (area) + V (very) | |
| 14 | A particular herb, or, for instance, a number (7) |
| OREGANO | |
| OR, EG (for instance), A, NO (number) | |
| 15 | Brown ant running (3) |
| TAN | |
| Anagram [running] of ANT | |
| 17 | Go away! Shout loudly to remove European (5) |
| SCRAM | |
| SCR{e}AM (shout loudly) [remove European] | |
| 18 | Anaesthetic is article in emergency room (5) |
| ETHER | |
| THE (definite article) contained by [in] ER (emergency room) | |
I managed to complete half of this before giving up. I got fantastically, post-operative and state of the art relatively quickly. But Halle (never heard of it), Gaucho for cowboy, (never heard of it ) caused me a real tough time.
Rattled through at a breakneck pace heading for an unheard of sub 10 minute dash, barely pausing to parse, so confident was I.
Carelessly dashing in LAUNDRY held me up a bit but ground to a halt chewing and spluttering backwards and forwards through the alphabet to finish with CLOUDY and MISSPELL and a tap on the door of the club on 21.00.
After getting the long ones at 6d and 12a, we seemed to be slow. R Hand corner gave a lot of trouble, misspell, and solicit.
Very disappointed. I tackled last Friday’s Izetti this morning, and today’s Joker this afternoon. I found both puzzles very challenging – at the outer limits of my crosswording ability, such as it is – and I spent a total of 2 hours completing both grids.
The outcomes were:
Izetti: DNF, 76 mins, 1 error (ROOfLET instead of ROOTLET).
Joker: DNF, 44 mins, 1 error (MISSPELt, instead of MISSPELL).
I now feel quite useless … but tomorrow’s another day …
Many thanks to both setters and bloggers.
Unlike almost everyone else on here today, I found this really difficult. I’m quite happy with lots of anagrams so this puzzle didn’t suit me at all.
Nothing unfair, but I found this one pretty tough, in line with most of those in the last month. Came home in 33:16 but wasn’t 100% about HALL. Something in the back of my mind connected Halle and Manchester but I had no idea how or why. Anyway, LOI was SOLICIT, COD to GAUCHE. Thanks Joker and Jack.
After the hellish end to last week, I enjoyed this although it was v tricky in places. I overthought some clues, probably a reaction to Friday’s travails.
Great puzzle and blog.
Well done Gary – glad to hear you solved it
About 25-mins into this with a few answers in the NW and another couple in the SE, I found myself thinking “I don’t really care”. First signs of emotional burnout.
Gave it another 25-mins and had managed 15 answers in total.
Came back for another half hour this afternoon and added nothing.
A final five mins this evening and I couldn’t even be bothered to look at all the unsolved clues.
Totally beyond me. Even reading the blog, I could barely connect answers to clues without looking at the parsing.
Take my advice!
Why would I take your advice when you don’t understand why I struggle?
When you haven’t explained specifically how your advice will help?
Great wake up for the new week. 3D had to be FANTASTICALLY but I just couldn’t parse it. FOI 2D AROMA, I am very lucky to have a large vocabulary so knew all the words but totally foxed by CLOUDY which I couldn’t see at all and fixated on CAN as part of 17AC. Thanks!
How large?
Oh, goodness! How long is a piece of string? Tens of thousands at a guess. I only very rarely meet a word I don’t know. My mother taught English and I have a scientific training so I am immensely fortunate to have a foot in both camps, as it were.
Oh, goodness! What a Trumpian claim! Mine’s bigger than yours!? What
intercity! Why are you not seen on the 15×15?
I’m not claiming anything; you asked so I politely answered. I’m not sure what trains have to do with anything, but I am still learning a lot about deciphering clues from the QC. I do browse the 15×15 occasionally and hope in future to be good enough to finish, but one step at a time!
“I am very lucky to have a large vocabulary.” I have deciphered your statement as undoubtedly a claim.
I have further been attempting the 15×15 since 1967, with varying degrees of success over the years- modesty forbids repeating my fastest times. I look forward to your arrival on the 15×15 scene, once you master the QC.
As you say, ‘One step at a time!’ Meldrew