December 06 2011
Times 9178
Pretty rare for a single crossword to score its own post, but yesterday’s Times puzzle packed that kind of punch. Three outstanding clues among some genuine zingers, plus three clues that still hound me, even on knowing their answers. I can see most of the play, but not all. Let’s start with the best:
School almost over, drop your bag in here? = TEACUP
Cathedral’s vergers returned uniform for festival = CANDLEMAS
It’s presumably not made with puff pastry? = HUMBLE PIE
And now for the long-lasting huhs. Please help:
Prunes containing unspecified number of calories whick players take finally = CURTAIN CALLS
Most naive to have abridged welcome: fit in a larger one = GREENEST
Wasting no time after centre goes bust = RUIN
(Treat this session as your Storm warmup, since our next contest features some top-drawer Times clues of yore, both to solve, and then to emulate.)
Comments
Mr X — 06 December at 09:34AM
Curtain Calls = curtails (prunes) around n (unspecified number) + cal (Calories). Players take finally is the definition.
RK — 06 December at 09:41AM
GREENEST: Most naive - def; abridged welcome - GREET-T=GREE ; fit in a larger one - NEST
RK — 06 December at 09:52AM
I thought 2dn was RUIN as well, and couldn't figure out why. But maybe it's RAID: Wasting no time - RAPID; after centre goes - RAID; bust - def.
Anthony Douglas — 06 December at 10:07AM
Yep, I'm with you RK on 2dn.
My nemesis was the French poet. Amusingly, one of the commenters on the Times for the Times blog said they'd got it right by misreading it as 'port', and figuring it was where Catherine of Aragon hailed from!
DA — 06 December at 11:19AM
RAID makes sense. Thanks RK.
Fit in a larger one = NEST. (I was thinking container direction, not a cold definition.)
CURTAILS = prunes. Of course. I'd been interpreting prunes as CULLS, also on the outside! Ta Mr X.
Criseyde — 06 December at 07:08PM
I like the first three cos I think I got them,
CANDLEMAS:
Cathedral's vergers = C AND L
returned uniform = reversal of SAME
TEACUP:
School's almost = TEACH delete last letter
over = UP
HUMBLE PIE:
cryptic def