The image of a paper cutting of this old Times crossword (No, 9,443), solved by J. R. R. Tolkien but most of the clue text covered by his beautiful, studied doodling with colour pens, appeared on the web recently.
The other day The Crossword Centre, owned by Derek Harrison, gave us a link to the crossword after Mark Thakkar traced it to its source.
I have created the grid and typed out the clues.
ONLY TWO answers per commentator till 6 pm (Annotations must be appended. Clue type may be identified and mentioned.) Quota must not be exceeded.
ONLY TWO answers per commentator till 6 pm (Annotations must be appended. Clue type may be identified and mentioned.) Quota must not be exceeded.
This gives us an opportunity to see how the UK crossword has changed over the decades.
Thanks to everybody. Copyright setter/paper/legal heirs concerned.
Acknowledgement made gratefully.
ACROSS
1 Turbulent Alsatians on the attack (9)
5 "The hour is ill which severs those it should ___" (Shelley) (5)
8 Packers vainly hope it will take a quart (4,3)
10 Well-arranged under instructions (7)
11 Aside from such notions... (5)
12 Somehow he does get things done (9)
13 Status of married barmaids ? (8)
15 Such a remnant may still conceal beauty (5)
18 Mark possibly just two (5)
19 Dissipation in a castle ? (8)
21 Very small type, but outstanding (9)
22 Dashing fellow, but liable to cut one (5)
24 Reasonable style? Pretty too (7)
25 Sort of breach to take no peg in (7)
26 He exchanged smiles with a native of Riga (5)
27 Yet he's not assessed as a rare type (9)
DOWN
1 Romantically, he wants a hand-out ! (9)
2 Scorch, yet not all that fast (5)
3 Presumably they hang about at the Embassy (8)
4 Like the upbringing of one "bawn in a brier-patch" (6)
5 Not a creditable locality in the late evening (5,3,5)
6 State of gear which precludes any advance (2,7)
7 Duck down here! (5)
9 "There has fallen a splendid tear from the ___ at the gate" (Tennyson) (7,6)
14 Paper marking process ? (9)
16 Office-boy for the secretary-bird (9)
17 Final catch could one call it ? (4,4)
20 It seems a cockney workman spotted you (6)
21 Health slogan should suit (5)
23 Friendship that begins early (5)
Across Lite version can be downloaded from the link at TIMES 9443.
Enjoy.
15a Such a remnant may still conceal beauty (5)HAREM (T)
ReplyDelete1a Turbulent Alsatians on the attack (9)ASSAILANT
ReplyDeleteAnagram of Alsatians
ReplyDelete11 across : ideas (anagram of aside)
ReplyDelete1A: ASSAILANT ALSATIANS*
ReplyDelete5A: UNITE Quotation(GK)
7D EIDER C & DD(reference to eider down)
Only 2 answers today?!
Delete1ac assailant (alsatians)*
ReplyDelete11ac ideas (aside) *
Making up for 1A
ReplyDelete11A IDEAS ASIDE*
10 across: ORDERED = WELL arranged. Cryptic clue
ReplyDeleteDD?
DeleteAside form notions- IDEAS anagram pof ASIDES=
ReplyDeleteVasant, Only two per commentator; I too exceeded inadvertantly but deleted one which UNITE us.
ReplyDeleteYes Ram..shall delete the last one
DeleteDid cold solving as I am not able to download Acrosslite for some reasons ! Besides, In a hurry to go out for Theatere lunch.
ReplyDeleteWhy pnly two per person?
Seems easy as I was used to the Times of London.
15ac charm (T)
ReplyDeleteKindly check answer and anno
DeleteSorry..posted three due to habit.
ReplyDeleteAny idea as to when and on what date was this published ? Long ago ? How long ago is lonmg ago ?
ReplyDelete6d: in reverse (CD)
ReplyDeleteIt was in 1960.
ReplyDeleteThanks, CV. I started doing the London Times from the seventies after my posting in Nairobi.
Delete22A. BLADE.DD
ReplyDelete18a Mark possibly // just two (5) TWAIN [2]
ReplyDelete9d "There has fallen a splendid tear from the ___ at the gate" (Tennyson) (7,6) PASSION FLOWER (fill up the blank in the quotation)
27AC RATEPAYER anagram
ReplyDelete16DN MESSENGER DD
13A ALEWIVES CD
ReplyDelete25A OPENING (nopegin)*
The stip two per solver, imposed by me, stays.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone has completed the crossword, please send your answers/sol grid to chaturvasiATyahooDOTcom BEFORE 6 pm today.
If this is done before that time, I will publish the names here.
After 6 p.m., as usual, anyone can post any number of answers here.
27A Yet he's not assessed as a rare type (9)
ReplyDeleteRatepayer Anagram of A rare type
23D Friendship that begins early (5)
Amity A cryptic definition with a pun on Early=AM
12A : CONTRIVER [CD]
ReplyDelete3Dn : ATTACHES [DD]
A. R. R. Tolkie - Is it JRR Tolkien of the Lord of the Rings fame?
ReplyDeleteYes. Typo in the preamble corrected.
ReplyDelete4d: thorns (CD)
ReplyDeleteBriar patch is a piece of land overgrown with thorns
This ans may have to be revised.
DeleteIt is thorny
Delete21 Ac BRILLIANT (DD) i) a size of type about 3½-point in printing; ii) Outstanding
ReplyDelete26 Ac TIGER Limerick
There was a young lady of Niger
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
They returned from the ride
With the lady inside,
And the smile on the face of the tiger.
In some versions, it is 'young lady of Riga'
Delete14D) EXAMINING; CD
ReplyDelete24A) FAIRWAY; DD
ReplyDeleteI think this is a charade
DeleteReasonable=fair
Style=way
Thanks Vasant;
DeleteI invite solvers/readers to put down their thoughts on this old crossword. We can clearly see that the present crossword has come a long way from the 1960s. What differences do you see? Did varying clue types emerge only later? Is there in the old crossword a preponderance of some clue types? Why have those literary FITBs disappeared? Is it because people have moved away from literature? Charades seem to lack interesting components. The use of single letters seems to be sparse. What else?
ReplyDeleteThere is a lack of use of abbreviations.
DeleteThe usage of The French, German etc is also not there.
Mostly definitions are cryptic with heavy preponderence on puns.
Quptations nowadays are almost absent..This seems to have completely done with since a couple of years.
Advanced clue types such as RA & CA were until a few years ago were confined to barred puzzles of Mephisto & Azed..not to be expected in 60s in Times
DeleteFITBs used to appear in Gridman's (and Sankalak) puzzles but rarely appear nowadays.
DeleteOne reason for FITBs disappearing is internet and google..the clue type doesnt challenge anymore with solvers easily getting them
Deletethe cryptic then seem to be having the very RAW definition of cryptic without the need to engage or entice the consumer. some kind of challenge to users to up the game to be part of the elite club. the game seems either you get it or you dont. now its more democratic, mostly playing by rules so more numbers could learn and buy the paper for it.
Delete8A Per cask
ReplyDeletePackers*
Vainly- anagrind
Semi &lit
Enu is (4,3)
DeleteMaking up for 27A
ReplyDelete21D BEFIT meaning Suit
Heath slogan would be Be Fit.
Nice Clue!
Future solvers can use the crossings in the sol grid above and try to finish the puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThe rule 'max two answers per solver' still applies.
Does 20dn have a def at all?
ReplyDelete5dn: Think of a scenario in our tahsildar's office.
ReplyDelete1dn: Think of our job-seekers.
ReplyDeleteApplicant
Delete17dn Where the bugle may be sounded?
ReplyDeletethanks. i can now submit though i finished by 12. didn't understand the call part of it.
Delete5 Ac UNITE (quote from Shelley)
ReplyDeleteCompleted grids received from
ReplyDeletevasant
sree_sree
Nadathur Rajan
Thanks.
2D SINGE DD
ReplyDelete5D UNDER THE TABLE CD
20D SAWYER a cockney for observed you= Saw yer
Not sure of 8A, 17D and 19A..waiting for others..
ReplyDelete8a pint pot, can never hold a quart
Delete17d, Last post is the bugle call at the end of day.
oh its beon 6pm.
Delete19a fastness (variety of fortress): fading (or ability to withstand fading ) of a dye
I had put in pint pot and last post but fastness wasnt correct from my side.
DeleteCompleted grid received from
ReplyDeleteraju umamaheswar
Thanks CV Sir for the puzzle. A glimpse of the best from an age gone by.
ReplyDelete+1. the amount of general awareness is very high
DeleteThank you everyone. I am now going to post the solution as solved by Tolkein along with his doodlings
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. Looks like he has taken atleast rwo sittings to solve (two coloured pens)..and he has put in the answers not in caps..perhaps that was the trend then
DeleteCV: Thanks for invoking memories of yore for me !
ReplyDeleteAs for my views, essentially, British crosswords haven't evolved much, except for perhaps using new words and phrases of the millennia . Again, the basic concepts are still there. In this crossie, I liked LAST POST - as a metaphor used for catching the last Mail Express and also the bugle played in the armed forces in funerals. I also feel that as the English language evolves each day, new words and phrases are made available for the compilers.
Cryptic crosswords are ageless , according to me, as I still solve three decades old crossies in my collection. I look forward to my visit to the US by the month end when hopefully, I can clear a mixed collection of the UK & Indian crossies, including THE HINDU.
3 is a crowd. We can open a branch of this blog in US.
DeleteIn my view there are too many CDs and DDs in this CW. My analysis
ReplyDeleteTotal 30 Clues
Anagram - 4
CD - 13
DD - 7
Charade - 2
FITB - 2
Telescopic - 1
Homophone - 1
Great Analysis, Col.20 out of 30(66.67%) are CDs and DDs!
DeleteI agree. That was my first and lasting impression... Answers to many clues come off the top of the head and not by using known devices.
ReplyDelete