Well, I’m delighted to say that this puzzle took me less than 7 minutes to complete, fully parsed. One of my fastest ever times. That is not to say that everyone will find it so quick to solve. Based on recent blogging experiences, I sometimes underestimate a puzzle’s general difficulty. Your comments will soon show whether or not I am out of kilter with the majority.
I did slow myself down very slightly by originally semi-biffing ESCAPEE for 3d and BLOSSOM for 15d, but these errors were quickly spotted, and the correct alternatives inserted. For the second day consecutively, we have a piggy reference when the Setter isn’t Oink (12a), but for me at least, everything seemed to fall into place quite naturally. How did you all do?
Across
1 What can hold together masseur and pop group? (6,4)
RUBBER BAND – RUBBER (masseur) and BAND (pop group).
7 Look at American soldier with cold reason (5)
LOGIC – LO (look) with GI (American soldier) and C{old}
8 Opening pub is very fine, but to no purpose (2,4)
IN VAIN – INN (pub) containing (opened by) V{ery} and A1 (fine).
10 Twitch seen regularly (3)
TIC – Alternate letters of TwItCh. I think this is an &Lit, but if it isn’t, someone will put me right.
12 Greedy to rely on kid’s savings here (5,4)
PIGGY BANK – PIGGY (greedy) and BANK (to rely on).
13 Church room exceptionally entered by short street (6)
VESTRY – VERY (exceptionally) containing (entered by) ST{reet} (short).
14 Pathetic sailor caught in a stream (6)
ABJECT – AB (sailor – able bodied) and JET (stream) containing C{aught}.
17 With this lens, capture elephant (not ant!) in toto?(9)
TELEPHOTO – TOTO containing ELEPH{ant} (not ant!).
19 Flap as night flyer returns (3)
TAB – BAT (night flyer) reversed (returns).
20 Good man raised idea, half foolish (6)
STUPID – ST (saint – good man (or woman?)) UP (raised) and ID (half of Idea).
21 One heading for Arctic following sea channels (5)
MEDIA – MED (sea – Mediterranean) followed by I (one) and A{rctic} (heading)
23 Landed – correct – then confined (10)
PROPERTIED – PROPER (correct) and then TIED (confined).
Down
1 Trivial yet extraordinary subject of theory (10)
RELATIVITY – Anagram (extraordinary) of [TRIVIAL YET], referring, of course, to Einstein’s two theories – the special (1905) and the general (1915). My out-and-out hero physicist, with whom I was happy (unknowingly) to share this world for a few short years! I like to think that I almost certainly breathed some of the air that he breathed.
2 Large rock overturned (3)
BIG – GIB{raltar} (rock) reversed (overturned).
3 Key copier, one getting away? (7)
ESCAPER – ESC{ape} (key – one on a keyboard) and APER (copier).
4 Groom partner to keep going finally in tricky game (6)
BRIDGE – BRIDE (partner to the groom, or groom partner) containing (keeping) {goin}G (finally). I can personally attest to the fact that BRIDGE is tricky.
5 Labourer against entering one of the armed forces (5)
NAVVY – V (against) inside NAVY (not just one of the armed forces, surely – the Senior Service).
6 Bundle of tissue in giant elm tangled (8)
LIGAMENT – Anagram (tangle) of [GIANT ELM].
9 A platform for rolling fish on table (10)
SKATEBOARD – SKATE (fish) on BOARD (table). COD for the definition.
11 Make random selection from actors, great numbers (4,4)
CAST LOTS – CAST (actors) and LOTS (great numbers).
15 One made from flour, or flower (7)
BLOOMER – Double definition – the first referring to the BLOOMER loaf.
16 Raise an attempted robbery (4,2)
HOLD UP – Double definition.
18 Harmless sort of tiger may be decorative on the wall (5)
PAPER – Double definition. A paper tiger is someone apparently important and powerful, but who isn’t really, i.e. they are harmless.
22 Welshman losing footing on platform (3)
DAI – DAI{s} (platform, losing footing)
‘Hey y’all, prepare yourself for the RUBBER BAND man’ (Detroit Spinners). It wasn’t much of a stretch to snap my way through this one, but it was very nicely clued – thanks Teazel and Rotter.
FOI RUBBER BAND
LOI ABJECT
COD SKATEBOARD
TIME 3:25
Well, in contrast to the majority, I found this rather tricky and it was a very slow 30 mins for me today. MEDIA, PROPERTIED and BLOOMER (I know!) were major PDMs, and the NE corner wasn’t helped by initially biffing ‘petty cash’ for PIGGY BANK. Just not on Teazel’s wavelength, but pleased to have battled on. COD to ABJECT. Many thanks to Rotter.
Always like to do the QC’s in slightly unusual circumstances and today I’m at the Great British Beer Festival in London having a break at one of the tables.
Unfortunately, it was a dnf (nothing to do with the ale), as I just couldn’t see 23ac “Propertied” – annoying as I had the rest after 15 mins.
FOI – 1ac “Rubber Band” (not “sticky tape” then)
LOI – dnf
COD – 1ac “Rubber Band”
Thanks as usual! (Hic)
🍻
I’m another who had to write out the anagrist before I saw LIGAMENT, but otherwise no problems. I liked the juxtaposition of RUBBER and BRIDGE and the combo answer STUPID MEDIA. COD to BLOOMER. Thanks Teazel and Rotter and well done on a near fastest time. 4:37 for me.
Against the general run I found this really difficult and needed much use of aids.
8a. ‘Opening’ suggested first letters but couldn’t make any sense.
23a. Misled by ‘landed’ (birds, planes etc.) Have heard of landed gentry but not propertied ones.
2d. Though BIG should be answer but couldn’t think what kind of rocky material was called GIB so went for MEG as in MEGA from GEM.
3D. Kept thinking of music keys instead of computers.
Oh well! Tomorrow is another day.
5:05 this morning, with a minute at the end staring at LOI and COD 23 ac
” propertied” until I realised what “landed” was about.
Otherwise a very fair and nicely clued puzzle with few 16 d’s.
Thanks to Teazel and to Rotter for the blog.
All good apart from the SE corner where I was left with 14ac, 15dn, 21ac and 23ac. Eventually thought of ABJECT which opened up all the rest, although it took me a little while to parse it. Several parsed post-solve and never managed to parse STUPID at all (thus proving a point!). 17 minutes in all.
FOI – 1ac RUBBER BAND
LOI – 23ac PROPERTIED
COD – 12 ac PIGGY BANK
Thanks to Rotter and Teazel
A write in today
Did cast lots but felt propertied clumsy but legal
Rotter- I do hope you breathed Einstein’s air. Though he also may have breathed that of Hitler and Karl Marx as apparently they all lived in Vienna at the same time. Now that would have been a dinner party.
DNF. Propertied beat me. J
With the greatest respect to you all boasting you completed this in 7 minutes or so, I just don’t get how it is possible. It doesn’t allow for any ‘thinking’ time! I found some of these clues confusing, although I did finish it, eventually! I enjoyed it too…methinks I am just out of practice!!! Well done everyone else!!!!