Solving time: 11 minutes
Very enjoyable but not without a tricky moment or two. How did you do?
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I now use a tilde sign ~ to indicate an insertion point in containment clues. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | State benefit is about right (6) |
| ASSERT | |
| ASSE~T (benefit) contains [is about] R (right). The tilde sign ~ indicates the insertion point. | |
| 4 | To walk around a bit in shoes (6) |
| TOECAP | |
| TO, then PACE (walk) reversed [around] | |
| 8 | Initially Kitchener has a kit inspection so some uniforms appear (5) |
| KHAKI | |
| K{itchener} + H{as} + A + K{it} + I{nspection} [initially] | |
| 9 | Disconcert gunners over abandoning all cover (7) |
| UNNERVE | |
| {g}UNNER{s} + {o}VE{r} [abandoning all cover] | |
| 10 | Manage to get uniform in Royal Navy (3) |
| RUN | |
| U (uniform – NATO alphabet) contained by [in] R~N (Royal Navy) | |
| 11 | Gem of a game (9) |
| SOLITAIRE | |
| Two meanings. A precious stone set in a piece of jewellery by itself. A card game for one player aka Patience. | |
| 12 | Commotion raised by one who rows on river (6) |
| UPROAR | |
| UP (raised), R (river), OAR (one who rows) | |
| 13 | A learner taking on additional confidence (6) |
| MORALE | |
| A + L (learner) contained by [taking on] MOR~E (additional) | |
| 16 | Outlaw road speed changes (9) |
| DESPERADO | |
| Anagram [changes] of ROAD SPEED | |
| 18 | Hunting bird’s cry heard in east London (3) |
| OWL | |
| Aural wordplay [heard in east London]: “{h}OWL” (cry) | |
| 19 | Cause of chemical change damaged a green tree at first (7) |
| REAGENT | |
| Anagram [damaged] of A GREEN T{ree} [at first] | |
| 20 | Bury losing the first of season (5) |
| INTER | |
| {w}INTER (season) [losing the first of…] | |
| 22 | Rather small-minded welcoming king (6) |
| PRETTY | |
| P~ETTY (small-minded) containing [welcoming] R (king). Pretty easy! | |
| 23 | Dog breaking in where pigs are heavy to eat (6) |
| STODGY | |
| Anagram [breaking] of DOG contained by [in] ST~Y (where pigs are). Puddings may be this if made badly. | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Request job is not started (3) |
| ASK | |
| {t}ASK (job) [is not started] | |
| 2 | Tool I lost from small basket on bicycle (7) |
| SPANNER | |
| S (small), PANN{i}ER (basket on bicycle) [‘I’ lost]. The French invented the word ‘panier’ and the Americans use that spelling, so why can’t the Brits spell it properly? | |
| 3 | Restoration of controls on gallery male staff beginning to thieve (13) |
| REINSTATEMENT | |
| REINS (controls), TATE (gallery), MEN (male staff), T{hieve} [beginning to…] | |
| 5 | Sight loon trio? That might have me excited (13) |
| ORNITHOLOGIST | |
| Anagram [excited] of SIGHT LOON TRIO. Knowing that ‘loon’ is a bird is the key to this as it indicates the subject matter. I guess this has to be &lit to get us round the double usage but no doubt the enforcers will tell me I’m wrong! |
|
| 6 | Canine clubs Igor’s running (5) |
| CORGI | |
| C (clubs), anagram [running] of IGOR | |
| 7 | Gradual cessation of war reportedly upset male (9) |
| PIECEMEAL | |
| Aural wordplay [reportedly]: “peace” [cessation of war] / PIECE, then anagram [upset] of MALE | |
| 9 | Unpleasant to see guy left distraught (4) |
| UGLY | |
| Anagram [distraught] of GUY L(left) | |
| 10 | Journey using cycle before start of fall? (5,4) |
| ROUND TRIP | |
| ROUND (cycle), TRIP (start of fall?) | |
| 14 | Fuss over point editor took up (7) |
| ADOPTED | |
| ADO (fuss), PT (point), ED (editor) | |
| 15 | Hold back, needing time for one old engineer (4) |
| WATT | |
| WAIT (hold back) becomes WATT (old engineer) when T (time) replaces I (one). James Watt’s work on the development of the steam engine was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution. | |
| 17 | Receive following second post (5) |
| STAKE | |
| S (second), TAKE (receive) | |
| 21 | Fish that’s regularly greasy (3) |
| RAY | |
| {g}R{e}A{s}Y [regularly] | |
I found this very tricky. Slow but steady going mostly but I couldn’t get SOLITAIRE as I’ve never heard of the gem-related definition. I don’t like that 50% of the clue is just there for the surface either, I was trying to use “of a” to indicate a -LIKE suffix after a game.
3 letters not definition! What’s a setter supposed to do?
7:24, DNK solitaire as gemstone so thanks for that. Loons familiar from the lakes of northern Minnesota. Nice puzzle
At 17.04 this took me a couple of minutes longer than today’s (very approachable) 15×15. And while I’m normally reluctant to bellyache about what is and is not a legitimate QC, I thought a number of clues today would be more at home on the big board. I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy it, there were some excellent clues, but to me it felt that it was not exactly down the middle of the QC pitch. Thanks to Jack and Joker.
Wow, that was a test. A pretty regulation six on the first pass of the acrosses but then only two of the downs. I don’t usually count the downs but the grid was so empty I couldn’t help myself. The lack of checkers meant I just had to get thinking – and solved in a generally left to right fashion, ending with WATT. The big hold ups were ORNITHOLOGIST and PIECEMEAL but nothing came too easily – all fairlt clued in retrospect! All green in 20.35.
Not for the first time I appear to have a different experience to some others – usually I come here after really struggling and others say how straightforward they found it, but for a change today it is the other way round, as I thought this relatively unchallenging and finished it in a sprightly 9:45, greatly helped by getting the two 13-letter down clues early on. WATT was unparsed (but how many old engineers going -A-T are there), and LOI ADOPTED needed all the checkers, but otherwise no holdups.
Many thanks Jack for the blog.
For us this was the toughest in a long time. With 35 minutes on the clock we were really struggling with 3 left. Did a quick check and discovered that our certainty re co-opted (coo = fuss over) was wrong! Once we worked out adopted, morale was a write in. Finally threw in the towel to reveal Watt around 38 mins
Thanks Jack and Joker
Slow going for me today. No clues had me seriously stumped but many of them required a lot of thought.
Started with KHAKI and finished with WATT in 11.36.
Thanks to Jackkt and Joker
Enjoyable puzzle, though I was held up by ADOPTED, thinking it was CO-OPTED (same as Roundabout Here). Anyway, MORALE put an end to that assumption.
No time as iPhone app doesn’t show time, but I estimate about 18m.
Pi ❤️
Another CO-OPTED, never occurred to me it was wrong. Hence a DNF, as MORALE was impossible with that C there.
12 minutes. I didn’t have any idea about the def for 4a, failing to separate the ‘walk around’ and ‘a bit’ in the surface. This meant the NE corner held out stubbornly, with TOECAP my LOI with the help of crossers.
I liked the colonially-flavoured surface for KHAKI. Favourite was ORNITHOLOGIST which did ‘have me excited’ but not excited enough to enter into any discussion about &lits!
Thanks to Joker and Jack
Enjoyed this but it was quite a stiff test, especially the parsing of TOECAP, PIECEMEAL, UPROAR and WATT. 13:42.
Started quickly and then slowed right down before seeing ORNITHOLOGIST – great clue and my COD. Could not work out parsing of WATT my LOI. Thanks Jack and Joker.
Very difficult, needing biffing and checking to stagger home in 32.20. Definitely not on Joker’s wavelength at all. Several clues more suitable for the Cryptic.
It soon became clear that I wasn’t going to manage a quick solve so I relaxed and enjoyed the ride. I was pleased to get every clue until WATT stumped me.
Some brilliant clues but it stretched the definition of a QC to breaking point for mere mortals like me.
TOECAP, REINSTATEMENT, and ORNITHOLOGIST were my CsOD.
Thanks to Joker and Jack.
Couldn’t do the NE corner at all. Thank you, Jack.
The hardest from Joker this year.
I was on Joker’s wavelength until my last one which was WATT. I elected for BART in desperation but there was no such engineer.
Thanks to the two Js.
DNF some on RHS, eg had to reveal ORNITHOLOGIST.
Also failed on WATT, MORALE, ADOPTED. Oh dear.
But enjoyed LHS, particularly DESPERADO, ROUND TRIP. And PIECEMEAL too.
Thanks vm, Jack.
From ASK to WATT in 10:06. WATT took a bit of thought. A fairly tricky offering I thought. Needed the O from TOECAP to see where 5d was going. Thanks Joker and Jack.
DNF, found the NE very hard with TOECAP, SOLITAIRE and PIECEMEAL taking as long as the rest together.
CO-OPTED works well, as COO certainly means “fuss over”, (or just “fuss”), and the definition of “took up” is bang on as well. Never occurred to me that this might be wrong, so MORALE was absent.
But also made that classic mistake of entering the wrong bit of a homophone clue, with WAIT in the grid.
Some hard ones today.
It just show how much difference solving order makes. MORALE was one of my first I so no difficulties with ADOPTED. All my problems, and there were lots came elsewhere.
DNF.
Failed on 15D. I guessed WAIT which I knew was wrong, but 38 mins had passed and I was stuck. My mind went a complete blank on engineers with 4 letters and I missed the letter substitution.
I found this very hard, although there were enjoyable clues. Many I biffed though.
BTW Merriam Webster has both spellings of pannier, giving pannier as its first alternative.
I don’t remember ever completing one of Joker’s offerings. At least I came close this time.
Thanks for the blog jackkt
DNF, couldn’t come up with WATT or MORALE. Just over ten and half before giving up.
Jack, why does “A learner taking on additional” indicate that the AL is inside the word for “additional”? I had it the other way round in my head, on the basis that if AL is “taking on” additional, then additional must be inside AL. If it had been AL “putting on” additional I’d have got it right!
COD to UNNERVE, very good.
Many thanks Joker and Jack.
On reflection I agree it might be ambiguous but I can’t see that one interpretation is correct and the other flawed. I don’t recall now, but I suspect I saw the answer from a combination of checkers and definition and then blogged the wordplay to fit it.
I suppose A Learner is wrapping himself in MORE, where wrapping more or less = taking on.
That was how I (eventually) saw it.
Ah, ok, I guess that works. Thanks.
A pleasant workout, with a holdup at the end for the engineer – as I am not largely conversant with engineers, past or present, I feared this might be my downfall, but fortunately ‘wait’ for hold back occurred to me when I stopped looking for a reversal of ‘hold’ and then I was home and dry. A crafty second T! Thanks, Joker and Jackkt!
Approximately 12.30. I made heavy weather of this.
DNF. Beaten on the RHS by MORALE, TOECAP and PIECEMEAL.
The east was definitely harder than the west. Lack of checkers made it harder still.
A tough start to the week, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from The Joker who has produced another excellent puzzle. I had the usual restoration work to carry out after biffing CEASEFIRE for 7dn, even though it was nowhere near parsable. This was enough to push me outside my target, finishing in 10.54 with my LOI MORALE.
33:59
Not too upset as this is only my 4th Joker QC, 2 of which were DNF’s and the other a 29:19
Only 3 acrosses and 3 downs on the 1st pass with the NE corner proving very difficult.
Biffed TOECAP & WATT – thanks jackkt.
FOI: RUN
LOI: WATT
COD: PIECEMEAL
Thanks to jackkt & Joker
18:38 Watt Un Nerve as the French would say or some other three letter abbreviation starting with WT… Lots of displace, replace, adding and subtracting letters clues today. Like the loon clue. Is there not a term for a reverse anagram device? I see how it might be &lit otherwise the definition is in the middle?
Possibly not a QTPi today. A nice challenge though.
Thanks J&J
7:49
Slightly trickier Monday fare. Fortunate to see both long downs very quickly giving plenty of crossers – didn’t register the ‘loon’ pointer, but if last three checkers are O_I_T, think OLOGIST and see what can be made out of the remaining letters.
Momentary umming over WAIT or WATT – picked correctly. L2I were STAKE and SOLITAIRE.
Thanks Jack and Joker
That’s a good tip. I only had O_I__ but I could have approximated from there. My wife’s rock is an emerald cut solitaire with two small stones either side. That configuration has a name which might be worth putting in the cache. Quick look up suggests Trilogy duh, but I’m sure it was a fancier name than that when I parted with the cash.
My engagement ring is the same style as you describe and, when we bought it, the jeweller described it as having a bride-and-bridesmaids setting.
I have no idea whether that’s an official term, or just his own.
15 nearly all west side, north east completely blank. Owl, inter and ray pretty easy. The Eagles and the D checker put me on the right “track” for Desperado. I spotted that five down was an anagram and I know loon is a diving bird from trips to the Midwest. I still didn’t twig it. Disappointed that I missed Watt as that would have got me to 16 which I was hitting last week.
Thanks J & J
Thanks Joker and jackkt.
Pretty hard for a QC! Good though.
COD 7d Piecemeal.
9a Unnerve; I liked the “abandoning all cover” trick.
15d Watt came to mind as an engineer immediately, but struggled for a moment on the parsing and selection between wait/Watt. There are few engineers as famous as Watt. Only Brunel springs to mind even more quickly. Wasn’t everyone taught about him playing with the steam coming out of the kettle and his teaspoon being pushed? That would have been at primary school I think.
Having successfully passed the Morale and Watt double act, I turned my attention to the last three in the NE corner: Toecap, Piecemeal and Ornithologist. I’m sure any one of those three would have prompted the other two, but nothing would come, even the anagram, so a DNF start to the week. Invariant