Solving time: 9 minutes. I found this straightforward, how did you do?
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 | Hit twice, your health! (4-4) |
| CHIN-CHIN | |
| CHIN (hit #1), CHIN (hit #2) [twice]. A somewhat dated toast possibly from the heyday of Gin and It. | |
| 5 | Work in shop usually (4) |
| OPUS | |
| Hidden [in] {sh}OP US{ually} | |
| 9 | More Artex plastered (5) |
| EXTRA | |
| Anagram [plastered – drunk] of ARTEX, a proprietary brand of textured plasterwork, all the rage in the 1970s and originally made using white asbestos. | |
| 10 | Grown-up holding a service, finally — worship (7) |
| ADULATE | |
| ADULT (grown-up) containing [holding] A, then {servic}E [finally] | |
| 11 | Something black that’s so long, shortened (3) |
| TAR | |
| TA-R{a} (so long – goodbye) [shortened]. More usually ‘ta-ta’ but ‘ta-ra’ is a north country variation popularised across the land by Cilla Black: Ta-ra, Chuck! | |
| 12 | Able to look forward, reinspect changes (9) |
| PRESCIENT | |
| Anagram [changes] of REINSPECT | |
| 13 | Keen to have first of automobiles taken out of country (6) |
| HUNGRY | |
| HUNG{a}RY : (country) [first of automobiles taken out] | |
| 15 | Edges on specific frilled collar for back of neck (6) |
| SCRUFF | |
| S{pecifi}C [edges], RUFF (frilled collar) | |
| 17 | Tidying mop up, trim unplanned (9) |
| IMPROMPTU | |
| Anagram [tidying] of MOP UP TRIM | |
| 19 | “The greatest” so-called country without leader (3) |
| ALI | |
| {m}ALI (country) [without leader]. Boxer Muhammad Ali proclaimed himself ‘The Greatest’. | |
| 20 | African country I rate built by queen (7) |
| ERITREA | |
| ER (queen), then anagram [built] of I RATE | |
| 21 | Missing head, slender dart (5) |
| ARROW | |
| {n}ARROW (slender) [missing head] | |
| 22 | Dip toe in Hampshire river (4) |
| TEST | |
| A straight definition preceded by a slightly cryptic hint. One might dip a toe e.g. in bath water to test its temperature. This is the river that flows down to Southampton. | |
| 23 | Herb stood before queen (8) |
| ROSEMARY | |
| ROSE (stood), MARY (queen) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | One of the cats, each with the cuckoo (7) |
| CHEETAH | |
| Anagram [cuckoo – mad] of EACH with THE | |
| 2 | Get into ground, Milan team (5) |
| INTER | |
| Two meanings, the first as in ‘bury’. | |
| 3 | One applauding directors — one of those on film set? (12) |
| CLAPPERBOARD | |
| CLAPPER (one applauding), BOARD (directors). Take One! | |
| 4 | Picture in my attic getting exhibited, initially (5) |
| IMAGE | |
| I{n} M{y} A{ttic} G{etting} E{xhibited} [initially] | |
| 6 | Apostle endlessly touring dead flat land (7) |
| PLATEAU | |
| PAU{l} (apostle) [endlessly] containing [touring] LATE (dead) | |
| 7 | Fish reeked (5) |
| SMELT | |
| Two meanings. The definition of the fish in SOED mentions that it has a characteristic odour — how appropriate! | |
| 8 | Wife as old as us imbibing cider primarily — confidence gained from that? (5,7) |
| DUTCH COURAGE | |
| DUTCH (wife) + OUR AGE (as old as us) containing [imbibing] C{ider} [primarily]. The definition refers back to ‘imbibing cider’. | |
| 14 | What babies need: rest before food (7) |
| NAPPIES | |
| NAP (rest), PIES (food) | |
| 16 | Aim of driver, quite some distance? (7) |
| FAIRWAY | |
| FAIR WAY (quite some distance). The driver is a golfer. | |
| 17 | Cage up-ended into it, clumsy (5) |
| INEPT | |
| PEN (cage) reversed [up-ended] contained by [into] IT | |
| 18 | One kept in receptacle, old instrument (5) |
| PIANO | |
| I (one) contained by [kept in] PAN (receptacle), O (old) | |
| 19 | Vessel that has a gold tap, short (5) |
| AORTA | |
| A, OR (gold), TA{p} [short]. The largest artery in the human body. | |
14:02 A better than usual time for me – no big hurdles. Blog helped me understand CHIN-CHIN,Ta-ra, Artex, DUTCH COURAGE, and TEST. FOI OPUS LOI HUNGRY COD PRESCIENT. Does chin= hit because a boxer tries to hit someone on the chin?
17 mins…but a rare split over two tranches.
Thought this was a nice puzzle from Mara, helped by getting the two long vertical clues at 3dn and 8dn fairly early. Probably took longer than I should have for 7dn “Smelt” adn 19dn “Aorta”.
FOI- 1ac “Chin Chin”
LOI – 7dn “Smelt”
COD – 14dn “Nappies”
Thanks as usual!
Mostly done fairly quickly but came to grief with 1dn and 13ac. These two must have added 5 mins to my overall time of 21 mins. I had no idea what was going on with the former – I never saw the anagram and didn’t see cuckoo as an anagram indicator. I had the parsing of 13 ac straight away but missing the first letter leaves an awful number of countries from which to remove an “a”. Never mind, got there in the end and enjoyed the mental exercise as it’s too hot for the physical variety.
FOI – 5ac OPUS
LOI – 13ac HUNGRY
COD – 16dn for its topicality
Thanks to Mara and Jack
Enjoyable start to the week, only held up by a bored puppy being too hot for her outside. Liked the nappies clue.
I was taking this gently in view of the heat so was pleasantly surprised when I finished it in under 20 minutes. Some clues took me a while – I wasn’t convinced that CHIN meant hit – but it was an enjoyable solve. FOI extra, LOI tar (in spite of being familiar with Ta-ra then) and COD Dutch courage which helped a lot as did clapper board.
I was one of those who felt a bit miffed last week when some of you were going on about solving the QC in a couple of minutes- chiefly because I had started off quickly that day then got so stuck it took me half an hour. I did realise a couple of things though. I solve on paper and start timing from when I start reading the clues whereas those of you solving online don’t start the clock until you fill in an answer. Also someone mentioned that they solve it all in their head and then fill it in. So they are just timing typing time not solving time! (Not that I could begin to solve it all in my head)
I know it’s called Times for the Times and I’m sure you feel amazing if you solve it in 3 minutes but let’s here it for those of us who get a whole coffee break of pleasure from the QC while for some of you the enjoyment is over before the kettle boils.
Spare a thought for mohn, whose times on the club leaderboard show that he is regularly completely these in under two minutes … poor bloke, what does he do with the rest of the morning?!
Moan
The time on the online version starts when opened. The person who said they don’t type uses reveal answer rather than manually inputting once he has solved each clue. I don’t do this, but this is different from the people that just type in the whole solution as fast as they can. These are called neutrinos and are excluded from the snitch data.
Unusually finished without any aids, today’s anagrams came easily (for once!) Went top to bottom down the left half, then back to the top & down the other side. Biffed SCRUFF, somehow didn’t see RUFF at all. 7:34, a very rare sub-10 minute solve for me, so a good start to the week.
Fun write in today at about 12 mins
Did like nappies.. a stinker of a clue
14:44
Nothing too tricky here but held up for a while over the last 2, TEST and INEPT.
Going well until badly held up by 1dn and 13ac. Took ages to see the word play in 1dn. I’m blaming the heat. When I got in my car at 4.40pm, the temperature gauge was registering 41 degrees. That was in Garforth, just outside Leeds. It went down to 38 after a mile or so but stayed there for the 30 mile drive home. A cool lager awaits ….
5.18
Late entry. Gentle for me today with the anagrams all immediately springing to mind and no other particular hold ups
Pleasant Monday fare
Thanks Jackkt and Mara