Time taken: Middling (Longer by NHS!)
Apologies for the delay. Poking and prodding (and tweaking) took longer than expected.
Enjoyable stuff from our setter with some nice clues to tease the mind. Favourite clue is 4 down. Off now to the Open University Students Conference at Milton Keynes where I shall be running a quiz on Saturday night. If you’re there, come and say hello!
I completely misparsed (?) the answer to 10 down. Have corrected – Apologies to Marty!
Across | |
1 | CARAVAN – For me the toughest clue today, and the last one I entered. The definition is train. CA = in the region of, about (from the Latin circa). VA (abbreviation for the US state of Virginia) inside RAN (SPED AROUND). |
5 | PART – Definition is role, Old man = PA added to RT (right). |
8 | POSTMAN – Job for Pat is definition. POST = after (Latin) + MA (Master’s degree) + N (new). Two kid’s references today with a famous Mob at 6 down! |
9 | – The definition here is butcher’s cut. It’s a homophone of a type of pole. |
11 | UNHEALTHIEST – Least fit is your definition. It’s an anagram (being treated) of US ATHLETE IN H (abbreviation for hospital). |
12 | OSTEND – belgian port = def. O’S (rings) + TEND (liable to appear). |
14 | WALTER – Man = def. W (with) + ALTER (change). |
15 | HAND OVER FIST – Lose money rapidly? = def. HAND OVER (Surrender) + FIST (Bunch of fives). |
17 | FINAL – Important match = def. Hidden (holding) in STAFF IN A LEAGUE |
18 | TELLING – Double definition clue. Giving an account, plus when something is said to be significant it’s this. |
20 | GLEN – Valley = def. L (large) contained by (crossing) GEN (knowledge). |
21 | AS A RULE – Normally = def. An anagram (bursting) of LAURA’S + E. |
Down | |
2 | ADO – Fuss caused = def. AD (publicity) = O (round). |
3 | AITCH – Letter spelled out = def. IT (information technology) inside ACH(E) (brief longing, i.e. with last letter missing). |
4 | ADAM AND EVE – My clue of the day. First couple = def. This clue is double definition, but the second is a cryptic one. The Cockney Rhyming Slang way ( often used in puzzles as in the East End) of saying that something has credence. |
6 | ANTHILL – Raised by colonists is your (cryptic) definition – again should it have had a question mark to show it was a little shady. An erection by something that lives in a colony. it’s an anagrem of HINT inside ALL (the sum). |
7 | TRANSIENT – Temporary = def. Anagram (organised) of INTRANET’S. |
10 |
STEWARDESS – Flight attendant = def. STEW (cook) + ARDE + SS [meat, i.e. innards of LARDER] + SS (VESSEL). |
11 | UPSTAGING – Topping, as in beating something = def. UP (Cheerful) + STAGING (putting on). |
13 | ENDGAME – Final stage = def. GAME (willing) after END (objective). |
16 | IDLER – Bummer = def. I’D (The setter had) + L (left) + ER [Last letters (tips) of THE SOLVER}. |
19 | NIL – A duck = def. NAIL (catch) minus A (Australia’s opener). |
Although the link on the button worked correctly from midnight I note the puzzle code has jumped forward out of sequence for the second time this week, this time omitting 10 numbers. I’d like to think this was intentional and there’s some sort of method in the apparent madness, but somehow I doubt it.
Edited at 2014-06-26 01:42 pm (UTC)
As with macavity, CARAVAN last one in. Also struggled with ANTHILL and NIL (still don’t get nail = catch).
Thanks to blogger and setter.
As far as the questions from anonymous above are concerned, nail=catch are definitely synonyms, as in “the detective is going to nail/catch the culprit”. Aitch is simply the letter H, and if it isn’t in your dictionary I genuinely recommend you buy a better one.
It took some time but I am OK with nail. “I will nail him” similar with “I will catch him”.
Edit, Andy has got there before me with nail.
Edited at 2014-06-26 12:52 pm (UTC)
A definite improvement on yesterday’s puzzle of impossibility, but still really hard for those of us in the “D” set.
Will Governments fall because a Times setter uses two unches in an odd numbered word than three. Would that it were.
I don’t like it, but frankly I don’t care. There are many worse things going on in the world, some of them have to do with crosswords.
Perhaps the Times are coming into the 20th century now.