Bowled & Beautiful [Aug 15-20]

I could well be wrong and apologies for casting nasturtiums, but I seem to remember coming across that clue before, many years ago. Maybe something different but similar.

Just for a moment there I was out in front (not that I'm competitive or anything) with my flukey knowledge of ECHT giving me some time in the sun. But unfortunately a puzzle that I had to pay twice for tripped me up, twice. I can forgive myself for IMAMATE, but TIP? I got locked into thinking 'end of repast' was T and so nothing seemed right and I went for the wrong guess. It's embarrassing, but not quite as much as NEGOTIATOR, so I feel ok about confessing.

So I begin the week with a fresh scorecard.

Six periods... sounds like maiden ova to me.
:P Clever set.

I'll add my congrats to the resident .ymb.n.... - nicely done.

How'd the group solve go, by the way, DA? If you ever want to do one on the NSW south coast, I'll be there ;-)

TIP was a pretty lousy clue, it must be said. I'm pretty sure a 1 1/2 definition clue isn't a valid category! IMAMATE caused me all sorts of 'should know this one!' grief before it clicked.

9082 is a near total doddle. More than half the clues went in at first read for me, half asleep, over breakfast. And it could have been more if I'd wanted to apply thought. Meh to 23ac -if that's the best you can do, why are you in the Times?! 6dn looked familiar. There's bound to be plenty of the Cryptic Court out of this one!

24dn, 3ac, 2dn the best of a pedestrian lot, I think.

Having said that, I'm still stuck on the two 1s, so they may be genius... (if I should kick myself on 1dn, let me know!)

9082 done. No real trouble here, although 1D takes a bit of thought. The whole thing was a little too anagram-oriented for my liking.

Liked 6D best. Agree with Anthony that 23A fails to cut the mustard.

Huge strides to 2 in a row! (Reminds me of the frog in the well)

Right. If you're going to make 1dn the hardest of the clues, then I expect that you'll make sure that 1ac isn't a total meh. Grizzle. The surface sense is, well, what exactly? And is there any reason for marks to be plural? (I don't think I'm giving anything away here).

I had the second word of 1dn quite early, but struggled for a looooong time to improve upon my wrong alternative for 1ac.

Two, but not too happy about it.

Hmm - we may need an adjudication on yesterday's puzzle. I was trundling through quite merrily, and may have left a 1/2 complete grid at a cafe in Elsternwick. Unless it's there this morning, I'll have to claim the dog ate my crossword.

If you had the 1s done, then I refuse to believe you could have missed any of the rest. Still, nice to know that wasn't #99 you lost...

9083 much more interesting. It was slow going until I worked out 6dn (which I'd always assumed was only part of the local dialect). 7dn is a pretty cheeky clue. And I fear 1ac will be my last entry - looks nasty.

Puzzle redeemed (the cafe owner had the wisdom to put the page aside) as she wasa bonne femme. Back on track with no excuse mongering.

Wow, thanks DA! Not being as prolific as most of your regulars, we struggle to contribute on both sites. Must be spending too much time in the gym :)
BTW, I considered structuring it as 2 elipses, as you have done (but eventually plumped for the relative safety of 6 dots), partly because I would have wanted to set the preceding and succeeding clues.

Surely that's been done before? Nothing to do with maidens but still a double elipsis clue?

Best wishes everyone.

I had a feeling that said cafe owner may have been familiar with your customs...

I'd been stuck thinking of an option for 1ac better than RAMP. And yes, word order is a problem, but that hasn't necessarily hindered today's setter.

I was wrong. 16dn was my last in, being both an unfamiliar term and one full of bland checkers.

I liked today's puzzle though - a little tough, but fair. And some great words. COD I think was 8ac. SWOD (Scrabble word of the day) surely goes to 1ac, with the great hooks at 2 and 3dn, giving a notional maximum of precisely 150 points.

Got through yesterday's ok. Didn't hate it as passionately as Anthony seemed to, but agree that 23ac was ultra-meh.

9083 is looking much classier. I'm about three quarters through. So far I like 3dn, but thought it should've been Ratty in 22ac.

9083 in the bag and I recommend it. Some lovely clues here - 1A, 25A, 8A, 6D...

First in 26A, last in 14D.

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

Same first in, Bon.

RK...don't tell me your first thought for Rat was Bananas in Pyjamas?!

Since my daughter doesn't watch television, I had to ask my partner to explain your reference Anthony. (He has an older daughter and is quite the expert on kids' TV.) So in answer to your question... no!

That's good - it'd be tough to fit B1 and B2 into that grid ;-)

I've solved 9084 and must admit there are some tricky clues here eg 26A, 18D.

First in 9A, last in 11A (although I should have nailed that immediately, in retrospect).

Liked 20A, thought 14A a bit lacklustre.

All up, pretty good, maybe a 7 or 8 out of 10?

Failed to parse 26ac - got as far as starting down the requisite path, but took a detour. Very nasty clue, were it not for the fact that said answer has appeared before.

20ac was good, I agree - I puzzled it out in the car heading off to the cinema tonight, and was impressed by the wordplay there too. 12dn finally came to mind on the same trip, though I'm not that thrilled with the clue.

So that's four - it's nice to be getting some consistency given how I started those months ago!

Didn't think I'd make it through 9084, but got the last couple this morning. Could someone please explain SHEARWATER to me?

I'm joining in this fun, after blitzing the Guardian last week, though I'm yet to complete a Times puzzle at all. I fell down on 20A and 26A in 9084. Can anyone explain those to me?

Welcome AK - I've yet to get to Wednesday's puzzle - which will offer my chance to re-re-re-begin my innings, after surviving BONNE FEMME, but getting jammed on SJAMBOK.

(Next week will restore some missing headspace too. I hope.)

In that case, DA, close your eyes...Spoilers for Wednesday

20ac was CILIA (lashes) in SIN (crime)
26ac was HEAR (try, as in a legal case) in SWEATER (top) with the third letter removed.

9085 looks to be pretty easy - I'm three quarters done. 5dn could have been trickier if not referenced by 9ac. 11ac is a little challenging, but gettable.

Thanks Anthony. I imagine 26A would have been within my grasp had I encountered the creature before.

It's a little funny that you say that about today's 5D: it was my first in.

9085 an OK puzzle. 20A prob COD for me. There must be a better way to clue 15A.

First in 4D, last 11A (OK, Anthony that's the SWOD).

In the vein of GO PHUT, I'm not sure I like interjections in my cryptics (in the clues, fine, but as answers??)

AK, I only know it from an earlier crossword. One of the apparent features of the Times is the way that the setters like to broaden our knowledge of various plant and animal obscurities...not that there are any of those in today's offering, of course, no, hardly any...

And Bon - it's 20ac that I really want to get out today - the surface reading is so clever I'm glad to hear the answer lives up to it. With only the SW to go, I'm just now kicking myself over 24ac. Incredible: I had A, B, and C, and just wasn't putting them into the equation correctly! (Not those literal letters, of course)

I had a childhood of things going phut. Even recall telling Mrs Sabine, my 1st Class teacher, that phut was a word my Dad said all the time, and the woman blushed.

Crack'd 9086, with a query likewise attached to SHEARWATER. (Thanks Anthony.)

As for today's, all but 1dn and the wild 11dn dog to go.

Re the other clues, enjoyed the tidiness of 6ac, but don't fully grasp 15ac.

1dn is definitely one of the most impressive clues today, DA. In fact, that whole first column was pretty darn impressive.

6ac I thought was limp as - had the answer before I'd even started reading the clue, because the defn jumped out and could be only one thing. Still, one man's meat is another man's poison ;-)

Like you Anthony, I found 6ac dead easy, but I did appreciate its surface logic and leanness.

As for the 1dn/11ac combo, I have two words in mind, but neither thrills as the final fixture. Your words of praise suggest I'm not there yet.

On the topic of bacon and wacky wordplay, I can't help noticing the obvious Spoonerism whenever I buy a pack of Rindless Middle rashers.

Put me down for one in a row with 9085. 20A the obvious clue of the day, I think. Would have been better with the more common definition of 'without', but great nonetheless.

I think 2D deserves a far more risque surface, but I guess that wouldn't make it past the editor at the Times.

Quite AK - makes you think twice about a seminary.

AK, DA...I think that can be done without. Especially in light of comments re 20ac.

Boom tish.

As for 1dn, it's the economy of words that impressed me. 11ac wasn't a great clue, but the word itself does pop up in crosswords from time to time.

Yikes. Is it just me, or are there a few guess options for 12 across today?

@Anthony - yes, a few guesses there. But I think I have it. Not that it's a good clue (or answer for that matter). That was last in, first in was 11D. Appreciated 19D and 1A. Good fun.

Oh and DA, are you trying to get yourself before the Cryptic Court with 24A today? Still loved that clue though.

Enjoyed today's puzzle. Can only see one option for 12ac. I'm more worried about 6ac. I think I've got it, but can't help thinking there are other options I haven't considered.

My favourite clue was 8dn.

Looks like I picked the right horse for 12ac, so I make it to six.

Not a great puzzle. 6ac was weak, with other options possible, and a number of anagrams came with flashing lights attached. Still, 19dn was a nice touch. 1ac would play better in a DA puzzle, without the Ximenean fussing.

RK - the official answer for 6ac is blurrier on the back end of the clue, but the front end works - you should know you're right if it seems a good fit. As for 12, it's the usual story of making sure you make best use of every word in the clue.

Hmm. Not up on my Cockney Indian singers. Could be the end of my run...

I'm going to gracefully bow out on this one. Well, maybe not so gracefully. The answer's very UK-centric, but I'm also not sure that the clue meets the Times standards.

Shame that I didn't guess, as my first guess was the right one.

I'll have to admit defeat on that clue as well - too many names to guess at if you're not from that part of the world. And yes, annoyingly, I did guess the possible answer but it was not the one I entered into the grid.

This really is a quest for the Holy Grail...

That was me.

I have the puzzle in my rucksack, just home from the Aireys Festival - untouched. Sounds like I may be wiser to kick off fresh with Monday's crossword in good company.

DA, just cut to the chase - if you know 'Cockney's Indian singer' (4, 6) straight up, you won't struggle with the rest.

But today's looks like a nice job.

Ruby Murray, or Ruby, is rhyming slang for a curry, if anyone's looking. But I'm not sure it's kosher to equate 'Indian' with 'curry' - they are intersecting categories, but neither comes close to exhausting each other's meanings.

That's true. I had cottoned onto the rhyming slang reference, but did not think about Indian food (instead interpreting Indian to mean an Indian person, non-pejoratively, of course).

Anyways, I like the naan bread...