Sunday Times 4958 by Dean Mayer

Author   keriothePosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
12:52. A fairly gentle one from Dean this week, and nothing to frighten the horses. There are a few very well-disguised definitions in here (11ac, 2dn, 6dn) that might cause problems but there’s nothing particularly obscure in the vocabulary or any requirement for arcane general knowledge. Good stuff.

Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated like (TIHS)*, anagram indicators are in italics.

Across
1 The French dine from feeding trough
MANGER – two definitions, one not really an English definition as such so I’ll consider it wordplay.
5 Moving slowly or like a shot?
SLUGGISH – again, two definitions, one whimsical (slug = bullet = shot).
9 See and repair device
LOGO – LO, GO (repair, as in to the drawing room).
10 Rock walls enable repression
SWALLOWING – SW(ALLOW)ING. If you swallow emotions, for instance, you repress them.
11 Abandoned airports left one by one?
SELF-PORTRAIT – (AIRPORTS LEFT)*. Great definition!
13 Miss a festival’s main attraction
MAY QUEEN – CD. I had no idea what was going on here but the crossing Q came to my rescue.
15 Husband loves healthy walk
HOOF IT – H, OO (zeroes, loves), FIT.
16 Dean carelessly includes Virginia as a US state
NEVADA – (DEAN)* containing VA. Nice self-reference!
18 Stay young on very good wine
PINOTAGE – PI (very good), NOT AGE.
20 Bad American art turned into rough sketch?
ILLUSTRATION – ILL, US, reversal of ART, (INTO)*.
23 Ready for more artillery, surround country
RARING TO GO – RA (Royal Artillery), RING, TOGO.
24 Timmy Thompson’s secret fantasy
MYTH – contained in ‘Timmy Thompson’. I guess it’s ‘secret’ in the sense that it’s hidden inside.
25 Boss promises to reimburse academic
STUDIOUS – STUD, IOUS.
26 Collided with small vehicle
STRUCK – S, TRUCK.
Down
2 Said sailor and baker made crackers
ABOVE-NAMED – AB, OVEN, (MADE). Very well-disguised definition. Hands up if you wasted time looking for a homophone.
3 Fire exit
GO OFF -DD
4 Food from river is fish
RISSOLE – R, IS, SOLE.
5 Sports reporters jump in with “race is opening up”
STARTING PISTOLS – START (jump), IN, GP (Grand Prix, race), IS, reversal (up) of SLOT. Tricky one this: oblique, misleading, hard-to-spot definition, fiddly wordplay, convincing surface.
6 Heartless relative remains free
UNLEASH – UNcLE, ASH.
7 Don’t have to leave
GO WITHOUT – I’m not sure about the second part of this clue. Is it synonymous with ‘go outside’, i.e. ‘depart’ or is it referring to ‘leaving’ something on your plate, for instance? The latter makes a bit more sense to me but it’s exactly the same meaning as the first half of the clue. I suppose that’s allowed!
8 In which to wash pot
SINK – DD. The second definition is a billiards reference.
12 Detective questioning a PC’s routine
DIAGNOSTIC – DI, AGNOSTIC (questioning).
14 Provisional licence obtained?
QUALIFIED – two definitions, one slightly oblique.
17 Player’s fast, completely runs into self
ALLEGRO – ALL (completely), EG(R)O.
19 New darts channel
NARROWS – N, ARROWS.
21 Island road heading north through rocky outcrop
TIMOR – reversal of MI (road) in TOR. The M1 is a road ‘heading north’ (or south) but here it’s a reversal indicator.
22 Piece covering a needle
BAIT – B(A)IT.

35 comments on “Sunday Times 4958 by Dean Mayer”

  1. I guess billiards counts as arcane GK for me, as I never recognize ‘pot’, and put in SINK because it had to be. I biffed STARTING PISTOLS and gave up trying to work out the wordplay; and I can see why. A MER at RARING TO GO; there’s nothing in the phrase to imply ‘more’. Again I’m impressed by Dean’s economy of expression: an average clue length of 5.1 words. I especially liked LOGO, SWALLOWING, & SELF-PORTRAIT.
  2. I had the same slight reservation as Kevin about RARING TO GO. The definition for AGNOSTIC also seemed a bit off, as most who call themselves that hold that it is not possible to be certain whether there is a God and so don’t waste their time “questioning” the matter.

    That the second part of GO WITHOUT could mean to leave on one’s plate didn’t occur to me.

    LOI was PINOTAGE, but I’d bet that oenophile Keriothe got it right away.

    Edited at 2021-06-13 03:35 am (UTC)

    1. In British English at least, “agnostic” can mean “questioning” without reference to religion. The Oxford Dictionary of English has: “(in a non-religious context) having a doubtful or non-committal attitude towards something”.

      “ready for more”: we’re in that zone of phraseology not really covered by dictionaries, but to me at least it suggests the enthusiasm of “raring to go” a bit better than plain “ready”.

      1. I was recalling my passing thoughts while solving (past tense), not stating any lingering objection. “Non-committal” also seems different from “questioning,” but “doubtful” comes closer.

        Edited at 2021-06-13 12:05 pm (UTC)

        1. If you make a statement like “The definition seemed a bit off because …”, the natural expectation is that it reflects what you still thought when you wrote it.

          So that people don’t have to guess which of your comments are an opinion still held and which are passing thoughts, I would suggest phrasing for the passing thoughts like “Initially, the definition seemed a bit off because … but then I realised that …”.

          1. Sure, and I often have. It seems that often a Minor Eyebrows Raise is registered here without overt admission of technical correctness, but maybe I only assume those people aren’t still bothered. I didn’t have to look up AGNOSTIC, as I know it’s used loosely by some.

            Edited at 2021-06-14 02:14 pm (UTC)

    2. I did of course, although I never drink the stuff. I do drink lots of pinot.
      I thought ‘ready for more’ as a definition was OK: the phrase RARING TO GO doesn’t necessarily imply more, but it might.
  3. …was Wigwam, off Self Portrait. I found this trickyish, taking 41 minutes, particularly liking SLUGGISH, SELF PORTRAIT and COD ABOVE-NAMED. I parsed GO WITHOUT while leaving something on the plate. Another splendid offering. Thank you Dean and K.
  4. Top quality as per usual.
    Wasn’t unduly troubled by “Go without,” as without can just mean outside, (as you say) as in “There is a green hill far away, without a city wall.” Collins: “1. on the outside; externally
    2. outside a building or place; out-of-doors”
  5. I found this very hard and needed a couple of sessions, only finishing on Friday. I’m too embarrassed to give my time, but let’s say I half boxed the compass and just a little bit more. Anyway, all green squares, as I discovered today.

    The ones that held me up were the already mentioned ABOVE-NAMED (geddit) and SELF-PORTRAIT defs, plus my last in, the only sort of known MAY QUEEN. The two four-letter answers LOGO and SINK also took a while.

    Too much of a slog to be really enjoyable but some great clues (the SELF-PORTRAIT def the stand-out) and a sense of satisfaction at getting there in the end.

    Thanks to Dean and keriothe

  6. Just on the hour so standard for me for a tricky one. Some great clues, devices and definitions which have been mentioned. ABOVE-NAMED LOI and COD. Loved (and do love) PINOTAGE. Thanks K and setter.
    1. Don’t you get arrested in Provence, for saying you love pinotage?!
      1. Probably not arrested, but I wouldn’t shout it out in the local marketplace! We are blessed with some great local wines, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Chateauneuf (of course) and many others. Ironically I’m enjoying a Rioja tonight. CUNE Crianza 2016, a lovely wine.
        1. CUNE (or CVNE!) is a very good producer. I don’t drink a lot of Rioja but it’s a good name alongside Muga or La Rioja Alta. I drink a fair bit of Chateauneuf: a great wine for the summer, slightly chilled (about 15°) with a barbecue. I’m currently working my way through 2006s and 2007s.

          Edited at 2021-06-13 08:10 pm (UTC)

  7. ….as I cheated on ABOVE-NAMED. Once I found it I kicked myself.

    FOI MANGER
    LOI ABOVE-NAMED
    COD SELF-PORTRAIT
    TIME 11:41

  8. Great puzzle. Loved HOOF IT! ABOVE NAMED took a while. 29:38. Thanks Dean and K.
  9. I thought this was very difficult indeed and there were several I could not get.
    The definitions were not always clear to me; and even when they were e.g. Island , my list of islands does not include TIMOR. I think I’ve heard of East Timor. I was looking for a reversal of ST with a rocky outcrop -and TOR is a hill to me.
    The definition in 5d is still a bit of a mystery to me, as is the clue.
    The above mentioned ABOVE NAMED was also too clever for me.
    And so on. FOI was NEVADA.
    David
    1. The sound of a firearm GOing OFF is often referred to as a “report”: In Collins (def. 16), “a loud, resounding noise, esp. one made by an explosion.”

      Edited at 2021-06-13 01:42 pm (UTC)

      1. Thanks. I get that. But if you don’t know the answer the definitions could be SPORTS or a number of other things. You have to guess/know that a reporter is a pistol. That’s a big leap for most I think.
        1. Yeah, as Keriothe said, the definition sure is “oblique, misleading, hard-to-spot.” Sometimes I have to try every word or apparent phrase at the beginning or the end to see if anything clicks. This I got from wondering what else besides a journalist is a “reporter” at a sports event. (Plus the wordplay, for which the Ikea instruction manual is necessary.)
        2. Not knowing what the definition is for certain until you see the answer seems to me like a possible description of a properly challenging cryptic clue! A report as a loud noise is one of those word/meaning combinations like corporation=belly that have been referenced a fair number of times, so for old hands the real trickery this time is converting this into “reporter” as something making the noise.

          I’m a bit surprised about the claimed complexity of the wordplay – it has 5 parts, but apart from the reversal of the last one, it’s just a charade clue, and two of the parts are directly in the clue.

          East Timor as a nation is what the name says – roughly half of the island, a bit like Haiti or the Dominican Republic, except that in this case the island name is in the country name.

          In Northern Britain, a tor like Mam Tor is simply a hill, but in SW England it’s a rocky outcrop, though most of the hills there with a tor on top have the same name.

          https://visitdartmoor.co.uk/things-to-do/moors-tors

          1. Fair enough, the wordplay isn’t particularly complex. But the mix of the very obvious (IS=IS!), the slightly unusual (race=GP) and the reversal were (with the tricky definition) enough to bamboozle me completely until the probable answer emerged from the checkers, allowing me to reverse-engineer everything else. As you say this is a description of a classic cryptic clue and I loved it!
  10. I actually forgot all about this because of the game: Enger-land easily quelled the checkered Croats – but Harry was a no-show.

    FOI 18ac NEVADA – America first!

    LOI 15ac SELF-PORTRAIT – great clue so COD too!

    WOD 4dn RISSOLE!

    What was the fuss about 5dn STARTING PISTOLS? I thought it a write in – unless one isn’t in to sports. The parsing was a tad Ikean, but hardly necessary.

    The etymology of PINOTAGE is worth a visit – a red wine grape that is South Africa’s signature variety. It was first cultivated there in 1925 – a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut, known as “Hermitage”. New Zealand is the place – I have tried the Babich Reserve 2006? (Hawkes Bay) on site – it was particularly good.

    Time 40 minutes

    Edited at 2021-06-13 03:55 pm (UTC)

  11. Just back from Wembley – a friend invited me at the last minute – I had not been before – so much enjoyed and England triumphed as horryd noted. As for last Sunday I arrived home in 13.50 minutes. Much to admire from Dean Mayer as usual. My COD 2dn ABOVE NAMED. Where’s Jackkt?
    1. Lucky you! I’m not a football fan and only watch big international games like today’s. The feeling is almost always one of boredom mixed with anxiety, but it must have great to be there today.
    2. Thanks for your concern, but more often than not these days I don’t comment on the weekend puzzles unless I have saved up something I particularly want to say or something in the blog or discussion catches my eye. I find the week delay a bit off-putting but there’s nothing to be done about that of course.
      1. Could not a post-dated ‘Snitch’ get the Saturday Crowd back at least? I didn’t spot you at Wembley!
        1. I don’t know anything about the Snitch and it’s workings, but if it doesn’t appear re the weekend puzzles there must be a reason. Wembley, is not my scene. I used to live quite near there but never set foot.
  12. DNF. I got stuck in the LHS, wasn’t seeing anything, some of this too subtle for me I think, and wasn’t really enjoying myself so I folded like a cheap suit and gave in.
  13. My personal definition of ‘agnostic’ is ‘an atheist who lacks the courage of his or her convictions’.
    1. I appreciate that point of view. I forthrightly call myself an atheist because I am quite certain there is no Creator up there beyond the clouds who can be beseeched in prayer and the monistic Spinozist notion of “God” that I do find acceptable is quite foreign to anything believers in old Nobodaddy can comprehend.

      Edited at 2021-06-13 09:02 pm (UTC)

      1. I agree. I regard the idea of god as preposterous, and ‘you can’t prove it one way or another’ hand-waving as a cop-out. Russell’s teapot.
  14. To leave = go out. If you think of that as GO+ OUT or GO with OUT you get go without.
  16. Thanks Dean and keriothe
    Actually did this a couple of weeks ago, but it got lost in a back log of FT puzzles after the printer went on the blink.
    Found it quite challenging, especially some of the parsing and gave up on trying to unravel the cryptic logic behind STARTING PISTOLS – did like the clever definition though. Wouldn’t have had ‘device’ as my first definition of LOGO – but the word play settled the issue. Thought SELF-PORTRAIT was the clear clue of the day
    Finished in the SW corner with QUALIFIED (which I had to use a word finder for, and then kicked myself for not persisting) which then led to the tricky MAY QUEEN.

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