Perhaps some tricky things going on if you’re newish to these things.
Of course, one’s definition of “newish” will vary considerably (I’d put it at anything under a decade), but this was quite approachable for Izetti if you’re versed in things like dachas and tups from crosswords past (or even just from day-to-day life, if you’re in the unusual position of being a Russian shepherd with a recent Times subscription).
I thought I was going to get a clean sweep of the acrosses at one point, until giving up on the anagram at 18ac (but couldn’t see 24ac either). The Honiton-Umber column required trusting the wordplay, which is certainly a lot easier when you’ve got your all your tups and whatnot in place. So a fairly breezy 5.49 for me, in a lovely puzzle from Izetti, for which many thanks!
| Across | |
| 1 | Finally retired, Bill has houses in the country (6) |
| DACHAS – D (“Finally” retireD) AC (account = bill) HAS. Rural houses in Russia. | |
| 4 | Some quiet husband is so (4) |
| THUS – “Some” quieT HUSband | |
| 9 | Rich team surprisingly losing one second fixture (7) |
| REMATCH – Anagram (surprisingly) of RiCH TEAM losing the I (one) | |
| 10 | Cooker of fruit, missing ring (5) |
| RANGE – oRANGE (fruit) missing O (ring) | |
| 11 | Sally at home with dog and boy around lunchtime? (9) |
| INCURSION – IN (at home) with CUR (dog) and SON (boy) around 1 (lunchtime?) | |
| 12 | Sheep in place turned around (3) |
| TUP – PUT = place, turned around | |
| 13 | Obtained pigmeat for New York, informally (6) |
| GOTHAM – GOT (obtained) HAM (pigmeat). Gotham for New York derives from Washington Irving (or is that Irving Washington?), who was ridiculing the city’s culture and politics by comparison with the town of Gotham in Nottinghamshire, famed for the stupidity of its inhabitants. One folk tale has it that they were just pretending; but one rhyme goes as follows:
Three wise men of Gotham, First recorded around 1765, and became very popular. So about 40 years before Mr Irving made the link. (Good old Wikipedia!) |
|
| 15 | Ten numbers recalled in poem (6) |
| SONNET – TEN, NOS. (numbers) reversed | |
| 17 | Line that is found in story (3) |
| LIE – L(ine) I.E. (that is) | |
| 18 | I’d recount changes in institute (9) |
| INTRODUCE – anagram (changes) of I’D RECOUNT | |
| 21 | Spokesperson‘s wickedness, admitting nothing (5) |
| VOICE – VICE (wickedness) admits O (nothing) | |
| 22 | Cheated, in two different sleeping places! (7) |
| CRIBBED – CRIB and BED being the two sleeping places | |
| 23 | Flower was a climber? (4) |
| ROSE – cryptic hint, referring to rising/climbing | |
| 24 | Sparkling son has to wait (6) |
| STARRY – S(on), TARRY (wait) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Beloved learner in enterprise (7) |
| DARLING – L(earner) in DARING (enterprise/boldness) | |
| 2 | Funny male in charge undermining firm (5) |
| COMIC – M(ale) IC (in charge) undermining CO. (firm) | |
| 3 | Possibilities to convert indigenous people? (12) |
| ALTERNATIVES – ALTER (convert) NATIVES (indigenous people) | |
| 5 | Devon town house with no metal put up (7) |
| HONITON – HO. (house) with NO and TIN (metal) “put up” or reversed | |
| 6 | Difficult to walk when energy is limited (5) |
| STEEP – STEP (walk) when E(nergy) is limited/restrained | |
| 7 | Asian language restriction in broadcast (4) |
| THAI – sounds like (“in broadcast”) TIE (restriction) | |
| 8 | Unorthodox logician, sort who may examine skulls? (12) |
| CRANIOLOGIST – anagram (unorthodox) of LOGICIAN SORT | |
| 14 | This pet suffering? Worst possible thing (3,4) |
| THE PITS – anagram (suffering) of THIS PET | |
| 16 | Stay due to be organised for 24 hours (7) |
| TUESDAY – anagram (to be organised) of STAY DUE | |
| 17 | Turning up, make merry in bar (5) |
| LEVER – turn up or reverse REVEL (make merry) | |
| 19 | Friar unable to move, needing head released (4) |
| TUCK – sTUCK (unable to move) ditching the head | |
| 20 | Brown river sweeping away hotel (5) |
| UMBER – hUMBER (river) sweeping away the H(otel) | |
A late and unenjoyable solve after a 14-hour day at work.
Very tired and just never ‘with it’ today, resulting in a poor time of 30 minutes. Can’t be happy with that. Struggled with too many that should have been straightforward.
Need a 33-minute finish to beat 2 hours tomorrow. Not optimistic after today’s lame performance.