I steamed through this one in 5 minutes which I think is my fastest ever solve, and with every clue understood as I went along apart from 23 where the answer was clear but the source of the anagram material (anagrist) was not immediately apparent so it required a return visit. I’d say there are two references that may be unfamilar to some, at 5ac and 18ac, but in both cases answers are gettable by other means.
If you need the link to the puzzle it’s here: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20150518/4689/
Definitions {deletions} [indicators]
|
Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Captain who hops about? (7) |
| SKIPPER – A literal definition with a cryptic hint | |
| 5 | Hit sailing boat (5) |
| SMACK – Two literal definitions. The boat maybe less known; it’s a sailing vessel often used for fishing. | |
| 8 | Expert gardener is a card (3,2,6) |
| ACE OF SPADES – Two definitions, one cryptic, one literal | |
| 10 | Fellow taking part in daring enterprise (4) |
| GENT – Hidden [taking part in] {darin}G ENT{erprise} | |
| 11 | About start of morning, make a snack for the afternoon (5,3) |
| CREAM TEA – CREATE (make) encloses [about] M{orning}, A | |
| 12 | One who prohibits flag (6) |
| BANNER – Two definitions | |
| 14 | Motor part needing to be repaired, middle part having dropped out (6) |
| ENGINE – Anagram [repaired] of NEE{d}ING. ‘Middle part having dropped out’ indicates the D is to be removed. | |
| 16 | Son takes a short time abroad for project (5,3) |
| STICK OUT – S (son), TICK (short time), OUT (abroad) | |
| 18 | Sounds like Mr Bevan is near (4) |
| NIGH – Sounds like “Nye” (Mr Bevan). Solvers may need to be of a certain age to know that Aneurin Bevan, a Welsh Labour MP from 1929 to 1960 and particularly prominent during the post-war years, was commonly known as “Nye”. | |
| 20 | Argue, getting stuck initially in puzzles like this one (5,6) |
| CROSS SWORDS – S{tuck} inside CROSSWORDS (puzzles like this one) | |
| 22 | Social worker accompanies me as intended (5) |
| MEANT – ME, ANT (social worker) | |
| 23 | On isle in a storm, there’s shelter for a beastly swimmer (3,4) |
| SEA LION – Anagram [in a storm] of ON ISLE encloses [there’s shelter for] A. Tricky to parse, this one, so I biffed the answer and sorted out the wordplay later. | |
|
Down |
|
| 2 | Scoundrel in part of church, we hear (5) |
| KNAVE – Sounds like [we hear] “nave” (part of church) | |
| 3 | Quickly getting to northern city (7) |
| PRESTON – PRESTO (quickly – music), N (northern). I didn’t know, or had forgotten, that this is now a city having been granted its status in 2002, the 50th year of HMQ’s reign. | |
| 4 | Supernatural creature flew upwards, weightless (3) |
| ELF – FLE{w} reversed [upwards]. ‘Weightless’ indicates the ‘W’ is to be removed. | |
| 6 | Either way, she’s a lady (5) |
| MADAM – ‘Either way’ indicates we are looking for a palindrome to help us on our way to the answer. | |
| 7 | Storage tank, cold one, near back of boat (7) |
| CISTERN – C (cold), I (one), STERN (back of boat) | |
| 9 | Twisting serpent here (7) |
| PRESENT – Anagram [twisting] of SERPENT | |
| 11 | Loads vehicle and departs (7) |
| CARGOES – CAR (vehicle), GOES (departs) | |
| 13 | This could be a newspaper extract (7) |
| ARTICLE – Two definitions. The cryptic one uses ‘A’ in the sense of ‘definite article’. | |
| 16 | No particular army commander (7) |
| GENERAL – Two definitions | |
| 17 | Gloat noisily, getting new sporting award (5) |
| CROWN – CROW (gloat noisily), N (new) | |
| 19 | Got excited, eating American relish (5) |
| GUSTO – Anagram [excited] of GOT encloses [eating] US (American) | |
| 21 | Small unwanted garden plant daughter cut (3) |
| WEE – WEE{d} (unwanted garden plant). ‘Daughter cut’ indicates the D is to be removed | |
http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20150518/4689/
Great to see Nye Bevan recalled. Sadly he is probably best remembered for his ‘Tories are lower than vermin’ speech but he was none the less a great orator who ushered in the brand new NHS.
Edited at 2015-05-18 09:43 am (UTC)