Rufus, Times, Etc Here

Well, I'll note that today's Times wasn't too taxing, though the esoterica seemed to congeal in the one clue. And then I'll go back to the Araucaria in the Guardian - the weekend's prize puzzle. Seems to have more of a theme than he usually does.

Gday Anthony - never got round to buying The Oz yesterday, but Orlando in the G had this fine clue:

Bothering with spy? Get smart! (9)

Had an attempt at the Times 9138 today, and being Times poor, then had a look at the Times for the Times. The UK bloggers found it somewhat difficult but enjoyable so it might be one to recommend. The gems can be found on the blog and not spoiling here.

I particularly liked the toggling between aspects of grammar required to get the operations and definitions.

16A Vandalised net during play when devastated by the score (7)

4D was a beauty, having what looked like multiple indicators:

Unpack unusual electrical elements, retaining cases for instruments (8)

And the fun ones:

12D Man in Mini, perhaps in Britain, edging closer and closer (6,6)

15D Prepare to answer unruly crowd back with second rate weapon (4,4)

(For DA if the L&N contestants get out of line?!)

Oh, and my favourite was:
22A: Solid line kept afloat in sound. (6)

Yesterday's Times (9137) was hard going - one of those grids that tends to isolate you when you want help. The nastiest clue required you to know the name of a particular rune, and to be comfortable with THO as a word more normally spelled with a UGH at the end. The cruellest wordplay? UNWISEST = living in the East, perhaps? Got there in the end, but only just.

Today's is taking some cracking too. Lots of long words and convoluted wordplays.

You're not tempting me, Anthony. Could this be a case of LITSFAC: Life Is Too Short For Average Crosswords?

Who's over at The Guardian?

Times 9139 is a slippery delight. Some neat clues, including 6dn, 9dn and 23 dn, with real creative flair at large in 7 & 8dn.

Bit of parochial savvy required for 1ac, 27ac and 5dn. And I can't claim to grasp 1dn entirely. But the battle is rewarding.

I'm running late this week, so haven't looked at 9139. But after 38 and 37 and 36, I thought I was due a gimme! They certainly haven't been average, so my apologies if I've undersold them - very satisfying to knock them over.

After the plug for 9139 I confess I expected more. And 9140 us proving similarly gentle thus far, though I may not resinate with every clue!

Stalled for the longest time, if you can believe it, on the fabric...which, if I'm not mistaken, DA's theme puzzle from last Novemnber (or so) also used. So, a word I've read in the last year. I picked the bread right away, and even figured that the Brits might spell it differently, and then stuck. The puzzle had so much putting things around that I kept on trying to fit the anxiety in the middle.

Good grief. 6 in a row, with a red face.

In the absence of anywhere else, I presume this is the post to keep alive?

I'd just like to crow about getting today's Times 13ac from the wordplay alone. A most ridiculous term where the definition could have been at either end of the clue, and if you didn't know the answer, there's a whole bunch of ways to go with the wordplay.

That's my dozen, by the way.

So....a question for the hoi polloi:

My SMH subscription is up and I think the crosswords are wholly lame except for Fridays.

Should I buy The Australian for its freshly minted cryptics, or print off old DAs and do them gratis?

Hardly for me to umpire, RobT. Every solver has their own taste. I must admit, one reason I've let the Times forum lapse, is that 1 or 2 puzzles per week fail to excite.

Happy to gobble the peaches, of course, which occur most days, but the day-to-day reckoning was shaping up as a chore. Hence the drop-in approach, which alas relies on bigger numbers, to ensure nobody like Anthony (kudos on your dozen) aren't left dangling.

By the way, has just my browser changed font, or is this a global thang?

How about do the Guardian on line for free every day and just buy a newspaper on Friday. And let the SMH know that you are dropping your subscription due to the standard of the cryptics. As a matter of interest, I wonder how many people only subscribe to the newspaper for the crossword? I know that's my main reason - I usually only read the features, the letters and skim through the news.

Excellent idea JD. I plan to print one b4 leaving work each day ready for the morning! Thanks.

The trouble is that the Guardian puzzles can also turn out a little dull sometimes too. Current practice is to stick with the Times, and when it's an easy run, that leaves me time to look through recent Guardians or catch up on DA's Friday offering.

It's worth asking about sub offers from the two papers - at one point, the SMH was coming 3 days a week, plus the local newsagent was keeping our Sun Herald to save space in our recycling bin, and it was costing me less than the price of the Friday paper!