Times 26,886

[Neily]

Very grateful for all help with these three please.
4dn: “Give and receive stick (5).” I have B?N?Y.
9ac: “Left needing wash after breakfast, perhaps, sluggish (5).” I have L?G?Y.
23dn: “Stag party, maybe, upset by female on the loose (5).” I have F?E?D.

[Flonska]

4d Bandy

[dannyk13]

9a,Leggy

[Flonska]

9a Leggy

[Flonska]

23d Freed

[dannyk13]

23d.Freed- f (female) + deer(stag) reversed

[Keepatit]

Why Leggy? I see L="left", and just about buy EGGY="needing wash after breakfast", but is Sluggish really a definition of Leggy?

[Mamyalynne]

Leggy

(General Sporting Terms) (esp of a sportsperson) sluggish or fatigued; having tired legs

[Neily]

Many thanks all!

[Keepatit]

Thanks Mamyalynne. Not in Chambers or the ODE, but obviously in Collins. I'll bet a pound to a penny I know who compiled this. Horrible puzzle

[peteby]

Keepatit
Looks like a Dean Meyer to me.

[goodgoalie]

DM used to post on here as Anaxcrosswords, so maybe he'll let us know - I thought it was one of his as well, and I think he's on the Times setters' roster (or used to be).

[Mamyalynne]

He pops up if his ears are burning sometimes.

[goodgoalie]

Was amazed to read today that the winner of this year's Times Crossword Championship (for the 11th time) completed THREE Times cryptic crosswords - and probably particularly difficult ones - in a truly astonishing 20 minutes and ten seconds. That's less than 7 minutes per crossword, and in 'exam' conditions!

[Mamyalynne]

Well done to them,impressive.

[Keepatit]

I too thought it had DM's dabs all over it, peteby and goodgoalie. I was there for Mark Goodliffe's tour de force. He was more than 10 mins quicker to finish than anyone else. The puzzles are certainly a good deal harder than average. So in the last 10 years he's solved 1800 clues all correctly at the speed of light. Astonishing