This is my 400th 15×15 blog for Times for the Times, my first having been on 23rd November 2007. I’ve done a few Quickies too, but I’m still some way off my next milestone in that department. I remember how nervous I was on the first occasion and a little over-awed at the thought of sharing my efforts in such illustrious company. Of course it became easier with practice and I eventually found a style of presentation that seems to be acceptable to most so I stick to that, and apart from the commentary on individual clues I follow a fairly rigid routine which saves time. Also to be mentioned when it comes to time-saving are the template scripts developed by Mohn2 and johninterred which transformed the whole blogging experience. Prior to that, for about 200 blogs, it had been a slow process which for me involved a lot of copying and pasting into Excel where I ran my own script written in Visual Basic to knock the html codings into shape before posting into Live Journal.
Back to today’s puzzle, this is another easy one, completed just within my target time of 30 minutes, so without further ado off we go…
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Fabric of short double lines (5) |
| TWILL – TWI{n} (double) [short], LL (lines) | |
| 4 | Team’s oddly overwhelmed by failure in cup (9) |
| DEMITASSE – T{e}A{m}S [oddly] contained [overwhelmed] by DEMISE (failure). I’m not entirely convinced by the definition in the wordplay but Collins has ‘failure’ and ‘demise’ as synonyms. | |
| 9 | Extravagant praise welcomes favourite tasty morsel (9) |
| APPETISER – Anagram [extravagant] of PRAISE contains [welcomes] PET (favourite) | |
| 10 | Pair omitted from introduction cleverly escape (5) |
| ELUDE – {pr}ELUDE (introduction) [pair omitted] | |
| 11 | Place of worship has visitor at last in sunny weather (6) |
| SHRINE – {visito}R [at last] contained by [in] SHINE (sunny weather). Give yourself a treat and listen to this… Sinatra at the peak of his powers and an exquisite arrangement by Don Costa that’s to die for. | |
| 12 | Constant stimulation in wild party (8) |
| CAROUSAL – C (constant), AROUSAL (stimulation) | |
| 14 | Urge excavation for road is something to be kept out of the paper (5,7) |
| PRESS CUTTING – PRESS (urge), CUTTING (excavation for road). For railways too; 23 Railway Cuttings East Cheam is a famous address from the vintage days of British comedy. | |
| 17 | Eccentric in life, not all conform (4,4,4) |
| FALL INTO LINE – Anagram [eccentric] of IN LIFE NOT ALL | |
| 20 | A distant body, Daisy has no way to prove who she is (8) |
| ASTEROID – ASTER (daisy), 0 ID (no way to prove who she is). ASTER turned up in my QC blog yesterday clued as ‘old Times proprietor’ but today’s wordplay is somewhat easier to unravel. | |
| 21 | Such weather beginning to suffocate cat (6) |
| SMOGGY – S{uffocate} [beginning], MOGGY (cat). A composite word derived from ‘smoke’ and ‘fog’. | |
| 23 | Leave after pet is safely hidden (5) |
| DOGGO – DOG (pet), GO (leave). And true to the natural order of things, following the moggy we have the doggy! | |
| 24 | Enamelwork is being worn in replica (9) |
| CLOISONNE – IS + ON (being worn) contained by [in] CLONE (replica). This has appeared a number of times over the years but hasn’t stuck in my brain, so each time it comes up I have had to rely on wordplay. | |
| 25 | Without sin, but assets nil, unfortunately (9) |
| STAINLESS – Anagram [unfortunately] of ASSETS NIL. SINLESS yesterday and STAINLESS today – are they trying to tell us something? | |
| 26 | Left on stomach move thus? (5) |
| CRAWL – CRAW (stomach), L (left). CARW is part of the gullet of certain birds but can be used figuratively for the stomach or throat of humans. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Wing practice one missed over a month (8) |
| TRANSEPT – TRA{i}N (practice) {one missed}, SEPT (month). This is either of two wings of a church at right angles to the nave. ‘Practice’ appears as a noun in the surface of the clue but in order to mean TRAIN it has to be interpreted as a verb which in English English would be spelt ‘practise’. No such problem for our American friends though. | |
| 2 | I have left, and passed on (8) |
| IMPARTED – I’M PARTED (I have left). A straight definition preceded by a cryptic hint relying on alternative spacing and punctuation plus a certain looseness of grammatical construction. | |
| 3 | Release inhibitions? Soon draw the line, as ordered (3,4,4,4) |
| LET ONES HAIR DOWN – Anagram [as ordered] of SOON DRAW THE LINE | |
| 4 | Female swallows small, measured amount (4) |
| DOSE – DOE (female – a deer, a female deer) contains [swallows] S (small) | |
| 5 | Notice an award for theatre work, playing this? (4,6) |
| MARK ANTONY – MARK (notice), AN, TONY (award for theatre work). As noted here before, the official name is ‘Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theater’. | |
| 6 | “Trappist” show? Yes and no (3,5,2,5) |
| THE SOUND OF MUSIC – After the female deer at 4dn we are back in Salburg, Austria for this one in which ‘Trappist’ is a pun on the family name, Von Trapp (so, ‘yes’), and on the Trappist order of monks (so, presumably, ‘no’). I’m out of my depth on the religious angle, but in the show Maria did enter a Benedictine monastery with the intention of becoming a nun and Trappists follow the Order of St Benedict so I’m not sure that ‘no’ is quite so cut and dried. | |
| 7 | Sport drink (6) |
| SQUASH – Double definition | |
| 8 | With such regularity one appears in lounge (6) |
| EVENLY – {l}O{u}N{g}E [with…regularity] | |
| 13 | No seats to be had upstairs? Back to the start? (4,6) |
| FULL CIRCLE – Two defintions of sorts | |
| 15 | Roman poet mostly upset at home over a girl (8) |
| VIRGINIA – VIRGI{l} (Roman poet) [mostly], IN (at home) reversed [upset], A | |
| 16 | Fit a sort of light shaft (4,4) |
| VERY WELL – VERY (a sort of light), WELL (shaft). Much helped here by VERY having turned up in the most recently blogged Sunday Times puzzle from which I am happy pinch this definition as posted by Guy: a pyrotechnic signal in a system of signalling using white or coloured balls of fire projected from a special pistol. | |
| 18 | Late, missing year: one’s a time-traveller (6) |
| TARDIS – TARD{y} [late] [missing year], I (one), ‘S. “Time And Relative Dimension (s) In Space”. It’s a time-travel device introduced in the BBC-TV series ‘Doctor Who’ in 1963 characterised by being larger on the inside than on the outside. | |
| 19 | Bad mark? It’s replaced by good mark: 50 per cent (6) |
| STIGMA – Anagram [replaced] of IT’S, G (good), MA{rk} [50 per cent] | |
| 22 | Intelligence is almost a waste of time? (4) |
| NOUS – NO US{e} (a waste of time) [almost] | |
– Nila Palin
Thanks also to all below for congrats and good wishes expressed. Too many to reply to individually or the thread would double in length, but they are much appreciated.
Jackkt
I finished in 42 minutes. As an “Antiques Roadshow” fan, CLOISONNE was almost a write-in, but I was held up by a few that should have been easy. Last in was EVENLY – obvious only once you see it.
Frank Sinatra is all very well, but my ear worm for today: Climb every mountain, ford every stream…
Thanks to setter and blogger
Congratulations, Jack, and thanks for all your hard work over the years. And thanks for the callout to mohn and johninterred for the tools. It’s all very much appreciated!
Congratulations, Jack! As a typesetter, I came along after the demise of linotype, and I never envied those with experience of the old ways. I am equally glad to have the script for forming my biweekly blog entry. The dedication of those who began this great institution (TftT!) is to be honored and praised by everyone who gathers here.
Tough one, this, I thought: I finally came up with SHRINE with ten seconds left on my timer, and it wasn’t just because I was feeling sleepy. FOI 4a DEMITASSE having failed to get started in the NW, then patchy progress from there.
Enjoyed the deceptive definition at 14a PRESS CUTTING and the device at 8d. Scuppered myself for a while by entering DEPARTED at 2d, but eventually 1a had to be TWILL so I had another think. Shoved in 6d THE SOUND OF MUSIC without knowing what was going on; I’ve never seen it…
WOD 24a CLOISONNE, which I biffed. The computer terminal at the heart of the Villa Straylight in William Gibson’s Neuromancer is “an ornate bust, platinum and cloisonné, studded with lapis and pearl”, so apparently I’ve known the word since 1984, or not long after…
Edited at 2019-07-23 06:35 am (UTC)
DNK The enamelwork and couldn’t spot Clone, doh!
Fantastic work on the blogs, Jack. They are appreciated.
Thanks setter and J.
Richard
Congrats and thanks, jackkt. I’m glad that you got to use your musical/lyrical knowledge on your anniversary — nice spot of the female deer right next to The Sound of Music! And some trademark jackkt blogging with the question of Maria’s coenobitic ambitions … as you suggest, sort of Trappish, if not actually Trappist. Keep them coming.
Easy today though took me a minute to parse 8dn EVENLY ..
I think Trappists are usually perceived as a silent order, (though they aren’t, quite) .. so clearly unable to contribute to the Sound of Music.
Hope you enjoy your well-deserved ale. Austerely produced, but might provoke a bit of idle chatter with any luck.
Missed the trick at 8d.
Well done on reaching your milestone.
Edited at 2019-07-23 08:19 am (UTC)
I think the monastic Trappists are popularly imagined to be a silent order as in this sketch by Dave Allen, or this utterly sublime performance of the Hallelujah Chorus. That they aren’t is neither here no there.
Very well done on your milestone, Jack. I always enjoy your blog.
In this puzzle, thank you for ASTEROID.
And thank you for explaining the origin of the Tony Awards as well as for T.A.R.D.I.S. I must have watched the first ever episode but I never knew what TARDIS stood for until now.
Edited at 2019-07-23 12:41 pm (UTC)
Do you have a succession plan? Are you grooming a replacement? Is horryd available?
As for Lord Ulaca and his Wanchai Bus Band Boys, no horryd is not available, but his twin brother horryp, who also resides in Leighton Buzzard, could become the Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
The TARDIS (which I had forgotten at the time) appeared in one of the Saturdays I blogged a couple of years ago and has usefully stuck in my mind since. 16.23
I also had a mild panic at 15 where at first glance I thought I might need to come up with an eight letter Roman poet.
Good on you Jack, here’s to many more.
Congratulations and many thanks on your milestone, Jack.
Apart from needing over 2 minutes at 1D/11A before alpha-trawling got me to SHRINE, I found this quite straightforward – no biffs or DNK’s today.
FOI TWILL
LOI TRANSEPT
COD THE SOUND OF MUSIC or EVENLY. I simply can’t decide, as both are so clever.
TIME 9:37
27 mins; no dramas.
Oddly I never parsed 8dn EVENLY.
24ac CLOISSONE (I instantly thought of Mr. Myrtilus, bless!) was learnt hereabouts a few moons back, I even thought of DEMITASSE for that, prior to seeing 4ac, honest guv’!
FOI TWILL
LOI rightly 10ac ELUDE
COD 21ac SMOGGY
WOD 400dn JACK
I once holidayed in Majolica.
Edited at 2019-07-23 01:51 pm (UTC)
I couldn’t agree more with Olivia regarding appreciation for keeping the inner workings of the blog going. Out of curiosity, given your druthers, would you rather have a penny for every blog, or a penny for every time you have helped by **unspaming** a comment?
Thanks Jack and all bloggers for the production of the blog which, as a relative newcomer, I much appreciate.
Nice puzzle that took me just over the hour in a couple of sittings – must be out of Times crossword practice. Was just a steady solve and although EVENLY was toward the end of the solve, did see what was going on with this clever device.
An errant ASTERISK initially at 20a, put the SW corner behind the clock for a bit, until the FULL CIRCLE put it back on track.
finished up in the NE corner with that EVENLY, CAROUSAL (so simple in hindsight) and MARK ANTONY (where I needed all of the crossers because couldn’t think of those TONY awards).