Solving Time: just under 28 minutes, but not a hard puzzle. It would have been less, but I had trouble in the NW corner, mainly caused by writing two wrong answers for 4dn.
This crossword is distinguished first by being an interesting historical example of how even in the last twenty years, the Times style has changed significantly; and second by being transcribed badly onto the website - it appears to have at least two errors. Despite that I much enjoyed it. I am almost prepared to say I preferred it to the present day style. Almost. Many of the clues are simple cds or dds, puns almost, and so I have not gone into much detail - ask (or correct!) as necessary.
As for the qualifying puzzle, I will blog that when the solution is published, on 26th April.
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(--)
This crossword is distinguished first by being an interesting historical example of how even in the last twenty years, the Times style has changed significantly; and second by being transcribed badly onto the website - it appears to have at least two errors. Despite that I much enjoyed it. I am almost prepared to say I preferred it to the present day style. Almost. Many of the clues are simple cds or dds, puns almost, and so I have not gone into much detail - ask (or correct!) as necessary.
As for the qualifying puzzle, I will blog that when the solution is published, on 26th April.
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(--)
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | forth - dd - forth as in "to go forth" and the bonny Scots river |
| 4 | forestall - FOREST + ALL |
| 9 | offspring - OFF + SPRING |
| 10 | offer - First printing error.. It seems likely the clue should say "officer" rather than repeating the answer in the clue! Actually this would have been a good clue, but.. |
| 11 | lyric - *(cyril) |
| 12 | well-found - dd. A well-found ship is in good nick |
| 13 | outstay - "where in France" = OU + TAY containing ST.. a second Scottish river! |
| 15 | retinue - The def. is obviously "following," and we have about = RE and then point = E and one = UNIT, both rev. So RE + TINU + E |
| 18 | epithet - EP + I(THE)T |
| 20 | shut-eye - *(THEY USE) |
| 21 | take place - dd |
| 23 | left out.. Ask if need be |
| 25 | moist - MO + IST |
| 26 | apple-cart - dd, though can a booth be a cart? The ODO says it is "a small temporary tent or structure" |
| 27 | dog-collar - cd |
| 28 | Natal - dd, first one in, NATAL = to do with birth having come up only the other day |
| Down | |
| 1 | footloose - FOOT + LOO(S)E |
| 2 | refer - I think this is F = foot, with soldiers = RE both above and rev., below.. |
| 3 | hopscotch - HOP + SCOTCH |
| 4 | fairway - cd, a golfing reference for Jimbo. First however I wrote "furlong," with no great conviction. Then I got 12ac and changed it to "faraway." When I eventually got 9ac, this became the last one in! |
| 5 | regular - dd |
| 6 | spoof - dandies = FOPS rev. and containing a O |
| 7 | affluence - A F(FLU)ENCE |
| 8 | lurid - cover = LID containing "you are, they say" = UR |
| 14 | left out.. Ask if need be |
| 16 | truncheon - cd |
| 17 | elemental - *(LET ME LEAN) - neat clue, this |
| 19 | travail - Second mistake, I think. It should be "Initiators of train robbery" = TR + serve = AVAIL |
| 20 | sleeper - cd. The way in question being a rail-way |
| 21 | timid - TIM + I'D |
| 22 | patio - PAT + I + O. I was not aware of this second meaning of patio, but dictionaries confirm it |
| 24 | blast - a pound = A LB rev., then fourteen pounds = ST (one) |
Comments
This is peculiar. I went to the Times archive to see whether the typos were in the original and it's not showing up.
Thurs April 19, 1984 = 16409.
Sat April 21, 1984 = Jumbo & Concise only as far as I can see.
So 16,410 should have been out on Friday April 20: unless that happened to be Good Friday and there was no paper??
Still, that search draws a blank.
ON EDIT: Ah, found it. It's a prize puzzle (Times Atlas) and appears under the header of solutions to previous puzzles. Now I can confirm that the typos aren't in the original.
Edited at 2012-04-18 06:33 am (UTC)