Times Saturday 23623 – the train takes the strain!

Posted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Solving time: 6 or 7 mins.

I solved this on the train down from Coventry to Euston last Saturday. I don’t know what it is about trains, but my solving skills are always greatly improved when I’m on one! I raced through this and had the Jumbo finished too well before the train stopped. Maybe the fact that one can’t just grab Chambers or Bradford’s focuses the mind – I did today’s with both available and still took nearly half an hour.

Across

1 S(no)W,ITCH
5 V1,CAR(n)AGE
11 CHEAPSKATE (He’s a packet)* – liked this &lit
13 (l)IVES – I’d vaguely heard of him, but didn’t know what he was famous for.
18 BELL,YDAN(Andy*),C.E.
21 ‘S,CUT – you normally only get S=is, has etc. in barred puzzles, but it was obvious enough here.
23 THUNDEROUS – cryptic definition, lighten being used as a verb meaning “to produce lightning” (which a face can’t do).
25 CAM,ERA – another one of those incredibly useful 3-letter rivers.
28 GR,AND,EUR=rue rev. – with=AND
29 TOD,ATE – Tod is a traditional name for a fox, e.g. The Tale of Mr. Tod by Beatrix Potter.

Down

2 WORK,HOUSE – swapping the two parts of “housework”
3 TOP,(d)IARY
5 VODKA – hidden reversed in “beAK DOVe”
6 COPPER,FIE,LD
17 TURBULENT (blunt,true)* – I didn’t understand the reference to Becket as priest, but the anagram jumped out immediately. Looked up later – it’s something Henry II said: “Will no-one rid me of this turbulent priest?”
19 LE(THE)AN – Lethe is the river of forgetfulness in Hades in Greek mythology.
20 WAR,BLED
22 CHAIR – The Chair being one of the hardest jumps in the Grand National.
27 HOT – I put this in straight away, only later realising that it was referring to a hot-water bottle!

One comment on “Times Saturday 23623 – the train takes the strain!”

  1. A “Dirty Dozen” of omitted “easies” in this blog:

    9a Suddenly fail to appear so gorgeous (4,4)
    DROP DEAD

    10a Obvious man in hospital has heart failure (6)
    PAT (i) ENT

    14a Purchase – there’s nothing in float (4)
    BU 0 Y

    15a Trust deed? (3,2,5)
    ACT OF FAITH

    20a I twisted round, strong and slim (4)
    W I RY

    26a Some looker – there’s beauty in her eyes (8)
    BEHOLDER

    4d Shade if very extensive not good (3)
    HU (g) E

    7d (In tears)*, drunk – on this? (7)
    RETSINA

    8d Revolver, say, raised? This makes things sticky (5)
    GUN GE

    12d Put up with raillery, letting attention go? (5,2,4)
    STAND A TEASE

    16d Fish finally goes off in cask (3)
    TUN (a)

    24d Pigment not new in aggregate (5)
    (n) UMBER. NUMBER = AGGREGATE? Usually burnt in my experience.

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