Times Cryptic #28870

2024-03-21

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Across

1a

Therapist in employment following stroke (8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

A MASSÉ is a stroke in billiards and snooker (and probably pool) which causes the cue ball to swerve around a blocking ball. Properly done, it looks like magic. Tag USE for employment on the end.

5a

Printing office in place with hard ground (6)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Either the gathering itself or the place of gathering for unionised print workers. Here, our typesetters have rearranged the answer to produce PLACE with H[ard]. Ground is the anagram indicator.

10a

Debauchee's son, Irish, can start to swim in two rivers (3,4,8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

One of Shakespeare’s most vivid creations: I can’t resist a quote which illustrates his debauchee nature: “I was as virtuously given as a gentleman need to be, virtuous enough: swore little; diced not above seven 1 times— a week; went to a bawdy house once in a quarter—of an hour; paid money that I borrowed, three or four times; lived well and in good compass; and now I live out of all order, out of all compass” The wordplay is also pretty spectacular: we have S([on] IR[ish] can as in WC as in JOHN, and start to S[wim] between two rivers, the FAL and the TAFF

11a

Building stone at last provided in numbered blocks? (7)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

The last of [ston]E and IF for provided secured inside DICE, which are, when you think about it, numbered blocks.

12a

"Saw" for "see" say (7)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

That’s pro: FOR followed by see, an example (say) of a verb

13a

Line with repetition, not on for learned people (8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

L[ine] plus ITERATION from repetition, less ON.

15a

Agent on vacation was resting around Crimean resort (5)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

A[gen]T vacated, LAY for rested, reversed, around. Yalta probably best known even now as the place where the “Big Three” met in 1945 to decide what Europe would look like after the defeat of Hitler.

18a

Knightly weapon for Percival perhaps? (5)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

LANCE Percival was a comedian and singer perhaps best known for his calypsos on TW3 and such, despite being born in the very non-Trinidadian Sevenoaks. “Shame and scandal” is a “real” calypso Percival covered rather than one of his often improvised versions.

20a

Subterranean excavation in which animal needs grooming? (8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

CAT needs A COMB

23a

Jack, one opening wine, stayed behind (7)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Jack gives TAR, then I (one) fills an opening in RED wine.

25a

Bellow for example in a way that brings violence? (7)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

SAUL Bellow was a prize winning Canadian/American writer of Lithuanian Jewish parentage. Place him in A ST[reet] for way.

26a

Make changes to stop allegation restricting old scientist (15)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Change (ie anagram) STOP ALLEGATION plus O

27a

Right to have hard feelings about water pixie (6)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Among hard feelings is SPITE, placed around R[ight]

28a

Satellite states in America (8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

One of the moons of Jupiter, about half the size of Earth, so big enough to be a planet. It’s probably been done before, but the States are Georgia, New York, Maine and Delaware.

Down

1d

Satisfied garaging Welsh runner's old banger? (6)

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2d

Rum and raisin for Italian islander (9)

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3d

Controversial eastern cause (7)

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4d

Divine direction initially sourced in bishop's office (5)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Direction requires is N[orth] plus the first of S[ourced] inside the Bishop’s SEE. Could have been 5 directions.

6d

Toast and greeting succeeded with Conservative (7)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Toast and HISTORY are both slangy expressions for no longer functioning. Greeting: HI, S[ucceeded] and the TORY faction of the Conservative party.

7d

Parking on narrow road for flat surface (5)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

An easy one: P{arking] on LANE  or narrow road.

8d

At sea, if able to, this saves people (8)

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9d

Slap raised lump on skin without discomfort (8)

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14d

Leader in west becoming a calamity? (8)

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16d

Luxurious vehicle minus oil: engine's head cracked (9)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

An anagram (cracked) of MINUS OIL plus E{ngine]

17d

Creature a tailless sortpositive about that? (8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

Sort translates to TYPE, remove the E, and place PLUS for positive around it.

19d

Obvious competition among papers? On the contrary (7)

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21d

Keeping key articles out of American daily? (7)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

In the key of C, take the articles, both A, out of US[A] TOD[A]Y UK has the Radio 4 Today programme, perhaps the USA has a Today newspaper.

22d

United in messbust possibly (6)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

U[nited] takes its place in STATE: look at the state of that!

24d

Made-to-measure item for Mikado? (5)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

The Mikado was the emperor of Japan, and a ruler is indeed made to measure, preferably without the hyphens.

25d

Gold put in stove makes coin (5)

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