Times Cryptic No 27630 – Saturday, 4 April 2020. Back to front.

Author   brnchnPosted on Categories Weekend Cryptic
Winter is approaching this side of the globe, and so the crossword now appears in time to tackle, and in this case to finish, before lunch. Joy!

I often find the quickest way into a crossword is via the last few down clues, which are at least sure to have short answers. (Someone even suggests the setter may have been tiring. I can’t believe that!)

In any case, so it was with this one – my FOI was 24dn, as soon as my eye fell on it. Things went smoothly from there until I found myself with only 8dn and 12 ac to go. Neither of them that hard as it turned out. I guessed 8dn but couldn’t see how it worked, and was doubtful 12ac would end with an O, until at last I realised it was an anagram. Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle.

There were a lot of delightful and clever clues here: 1ac, 5ac, 26ac, 8dn and 18dn for a few. Also, a generous supply of double definitions. Just the thing to do during a pandemic lockdown. How did you all get on? Keep safe!

Notes for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords, so this blog is posted a week later, after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on the current Saturday Cryptic. Clues are blue, with definitions underlined. (ABC*) means ‘anagram of ABC’. Deletions are in [square brackets].

Across
1 Grand, but inferior to Greene character? (7)
SUBLIME – a reference to Harry Lime, a key character in The Third Man, a film written by Grahame Greene.
5 This is a bird I don’t know — check on the wings (7)
DUNNOCK – I could have underlined “I don’t know” as part of the definition as well as the wordplay. What’s that bird? DUNNO.  C[hec]K.
9 Canaries perhaps shrewd changing goalie — first of penalties held (11)
ARCHIPELAGO – ARCH, (GOALIE*) ‘changing’, P ‘held’.
10 Religious festival from the east is long (3)
DIE – EID is the festival. This was one of those annoying clues where I felt one could defend either EID or DIE as the answer. Luckily, a glance at 7dn was enough to resolve the dilemma.
11 Published work — for audiobook, it may be turned down (6)
VOLUME – double definition, the second a little cryptic.
12 Flawed character broadcasting on the air (8)
ANTIHERO – ‘broadcasting’ (ON THE AIR*). A nice clue: ‘broadcasting’ and ‘on the air’ both had me looking for homophonic wordplay.
14 Very absent-minded, perhaps, badly singe butts in failure to move? (13)
INTRANSIGENCE – IN TRANCE with (SINGE*) ‘badly’ ‘butting in’.
17 Freaking out, affected by grass (5-8)
PANIC-STRICKEN – double definition, the second cryptic and referring to panic, a grass I’ve only ever met in crosswords.
21 Surplus trouser pockets superficially attractive (8)
LUSTROUS – hidden answer.
23 Horse getting into pen to roll around on ground (6)
WRITHE – H for horse in WRITE.
25 Blade decapitated pig (3)
OAR – [b]OAR is the pig.
26 Guardian’s role beyond 2020? (11)
SUPERVISION – 20/20 is the standard for normal vision. ‘Beyond 2020’ must surely be better!
27 Politician captivated by Head of French resistance, one making attractive offer (7)
TEMPTER – MP in TETE (French for ‘head’), then R for resistance.
28 Busy preparing for match? (7)
ENGAGED – double definition, to do with phones or weddings.

Down
1 Staff maintaining right to deprive of food (6)
STARVE – R in STAVE. I’ve seen this recently in another puzzle.
2 Sick, I take taxi, laid up — by these? (7)
BACILLI – ILL, I, CAB all ‘laid up’ (i.e. backwards, in this down clue).
3 Foolish keeping mum, in a manner of speaking (9)
IDIOMATIC – IDIOTIC keeping MA.
4 Fallen woman sinking to new level (4)
EVEN – EVE, N[ew].
5 Policeman sceptical of outside agency helping solve problems (10)
DIAGNOSTIC – DI (detective inspector), AGNOSTIC.
6 One complains to the top woman (5)
NAOMI – I MOAN ‘to the top’ (i.e. backwards, in this down clue). Naomi appears so regularly, ‘complain’ is enough to make us look out for her.
7 Familiar address in historic Lima? (3,4)
OLD BEAN – self explanatory.
8 Fall vegetable may be produced by this (4,4)
KEEL OVER – if ‘leek’ is the vegetable, ‘keel over’ could be a (rather easy) cryptic clue for it.
13 Cobbler’s materials required for carpenter’s farewell (4,6)
LAST SUPPER – cobblers use lasts, and one might have a cobbler for supper I presume. Is there more to this? Since it’s Easter, it’s clear which carpenter is meant! On edit: I like Paul’s suggestion in the first comment, that cobbler’s materials are lasts and uppers. Thanks!
15 Energy and skill embodied by man who’s pre-eminent in motor sport (2-7)
GO-KARTING – energy is GO, skill is ART, to be inserted in KING.
16 Explain what temporary release from prison will mean? (5,3)
SPELL OUT – another double definition, the second cryptic.
18 Preferred treatment answering question as to whether one should pluck? (7)
NOSTRUM – should I pluck? No, NO, STRUM, please!
19 Zero marking when first piece of homework’s put in (7)
NOTHING – H from homework in NOTING.
20 A drink and a nap (6)
PERNOD – PER (for a … ), NOD.
22 I’ll interrupt break to take over? (5)
RESIT – I in REST.
24 At last felt regret to be genuine (4)
TRUE – T from [fel]T, RUE.

21 comments on “Times Cryptic No 27630 – Saturday, 4 April 2020. Back to front.”

  1. Nice blog, brnchn. I read 13 as Lasts and Upper – a part of a shoe – so two cobbler requirements.
    Otherwise, I had trouble in the NW, and for some reason liked Writhe.
  2. I biffed ARCHIPELAGO & INTRANSIGENCE (‘failure’ threw me off; it’s not failure to move but refusal to move). DNK DUNNOCK. COD either to PANIC-STRICKEN (which I unfortunately first biffed as PANIC-STATIONS) or LAST SUPPER.
  3. Just over the half hour, finishing quickly after a sluggish start. I was left with the Third Man theme as an ear worm for the day by the sublime SUBLIME but COD to LAST SUPPER, which I parsed as Paul did. I always liked the way they all sat on the same side of the table. DUNNOCK and LOI NOSTRUM were other smile-producing CLUES. Thank you Bruce and setter.

    Edited at 2020-04-11 06:30 am (UTC)

  4. ….then the serpent will be up in the tree (top right) as Eve looks up from bottom right. Wot, no apple ?

    This was my kind of puzzle, though unlike Bruce, I start at the very beginning (a very good place to start), and I’d got to “fa” before kicking off. I couldn’t have justified “Eid” unless I’d overthought “from the east”. My only problem thereafter was parsing INTRANSIGENCE, which was soon resolved on completion.

    FOI DIE
    LOI OLD BEAN
    COD ARCHIPELAGO
    TIME 10:51

  5. Solved over more than one session and technically didn’t finish as I used aids on my LOI to find the unknown bird so appropriately clued. Pleased to say I spotted the lasts and uppers, and that would have been my COD if I was in the habit of awarding them.
  6. My FOI was 24d TRUE and I managed to get ten clues in my first session. A good session over lunch saw me home at 1:12pm, so that was quite quick.
    The hold-ups were mainly in the NE. I had OLD TOWN at 7d, so not self-explanatory at all.
    When the ANTIHERO arrived so did the BEAN. Was not 100% sure of EID as a festival but nothing else worked.The brilliantly clued bird came next -I think I had heard of DUNNOCKS and LOI and COD for me was KEEL OVER. David
  7. An enjoyable half-hour with plenty of ticks in the margin.

    FOI 1d STARVE LOI 16 SPELL OUT, for no particular reason that I remember. I’ve been playing my guitar a lot recently, so COD to 18d NOSTRUM, though it had some good competition.

    I particularly liked the surface in 5d, with Inspector Lastrade springing immediately to mind. The workaday policeman who resents outside genius has become something of a requirement in detective fiction since Conan Doyle’s day.

  8. I was all set to point out that The Third Man was a book before it was a film .. but wikipedia says that Greene wrote the novella specifically as preparation for writing the film script; so fair dos. Whatever, it is a very fine film. And book.
    The Wiki entry also says that the film is no.1 on one list of the 100 best ever British films, and no. 2 on another .. the two lists are interesting, but remarkably different. I much prefer the BFI one
    1. Following the discussion earlier in the week I’m happy to see the BFI list has ‘Brief Encounter’ at Number 2. Can’t agree with their Number 1 though I suppose it was inevitable, but despite several attempts I’ve never managed to get to the end of ‘Citizen Kane’ without becoming distracted or actually falling asleep.
      1. Snap! (I can also *see* why people like The Godfather, at least, but it’s never done anything for me…)
        1. I’ve never even attempted to watch any of the Godfather films as they hold no interest for me.
      2. I’ve got Citizen Kane metaphorically filed away with Elvis Presley and a few other cultural bits and bobs in a box marked “I’m sorry, but I just don’t get it”.
  9. Nice blog, brnchn. I read 13 as Lasts and Upper – a part of a shoe – so two cobbler requirements.
    Otherwise, I had trouble in the NW, and for some reason liked Writhe.
  10. I was right on the setter’s wavelength last week and found it pretty straightforward. Was it easier than usual or was I on song? No SNITCH to find out.
  11. 11:47. DUNNOCK is a crossword word for me: one of those very numerous things that are familiar to me but which I’ve never met in real life. See also PANIC grass.
  12. 13:57 and I noted “Downs easier” on my copy. I took a while to find DIE as a synonym of long, but the tfestival had to be EID. I loved the cleverly hidden lustrous and the the reverse cryptic KEEL OVER best.
  13. No.1 film in Meldrewvia. Maltese Falcon No.2 Casablanca No.3 – from that genre.

    FOI 1dn STRAVE

    LOI 27ac TEMPTER

    COD 17ac PANIC STRIKEN

    WOD 7dn OLD BEAN

    I thought 18dn NOSTRUM was very poor

    Edited at 2020-04-11 12:17 pm (UTC)

  14. No particular problems for me with this puzzle. I started with SUBLIME and finished with KEEL OVER. All done and dusted in 30:35. Liked LASTS UPPER. Thanks setter and Bruce.
  15. If I was a setter then I don’t know how I would react to our comments on this blog (let’s stick with my comments). This was a perfect crossword that I completed in under my average time (measured over many decades). There were no problems, no unknown techniques and no obscure words. So medium, middling etc.
    Far from criticism, this fitted the bill for me last Saturday.
    Other days may be different.
    So thank you setter.
  16. 21:15 I found this light fare but good fun. Pleasing clues were sublime, archipelago, the carpenter’s farewell and the irresistible hidden hidden in the surplus trousers.

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