Times Quick Cryptic No 1418 by Izetti

Author   rolytolyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Another tricky enough QC today – I did the last three QCs in a row and took pretty much bang on 15, 9 and 12 minutes for Tue/Wed/today. So halfway between tricky and average by my reckoning, but certainly of the usual high quality that we’ve come to expect from Izetti – many thanks!

Across
1 See poet in my Italian region (8)
LOMBARDY – LO (see) BARD (poet) in MY. My first thought was “Piedmont”, which does have 7/8ths of the letters of “poet in my” – if only my Italian geography was better, the neighbouring region of Lombardy might have popped into my head, which would have been a much slicker route to the solution than waiting for the L in 1d. Ah well.
5 Try to get very warm after beginning to shiver (4)
SHOT – HOT (very warm) after S (beginning to Shiver)
8 Achieves victory, having imbibed last of the drinks (5)
WINES – WINS (achieves victory) imbibing E (last of thE)
9 Sent back uncooked food, creating conflict (7)
WARFARE – WAR (RAW = uncooked, sent back) FARE (food).
11 Heftier girl newly engaged, one set aflame? (11)
FIRELIGHTER – anagram (newly engaged) of HEFTIER GIRL. So much for assuming it had to end in “light”, and entering that part confidently into the grid.
13 When to drink litres, going to brilliant wine-growing region (6)
ALSACE – AS (when) to drink L(itres) going to ACE (brilliant)
14 Seaside town submerged in festive season (2,4)
ST IVES – “Submerged” in the letters of feSTIVE Season. (Not the St Ives with the comedy police station mentioned yesterday.)
16 Drivers in a breach of public order with applause all round (11)
CHARIOTEERS – A RIOT (a breach of public order) with CHEERS (applause) all around it
18 One goes round back of shop, getting grabbed by wicked person (7)
SPINNER – P (“back” of shoP) grabbed by SINNER (wicked person)
19 Enthusiastic about grabbing composer’s final piece of music (5)
INTRO – INTO (enthusiastic about) grabbing R (“final” of composeR)
20 Carol is smart, wasting little time (4)
SING – STING (smart) wasting T (little/abbreviated TIME). As in “to carol”.
21 Sort of ruler in gaol, rich, corrupt (8)
OLIGARCH – anagram (corrupt) of GAOL RICH

Down
1 Rules in Wales somehow putting English off (4)
LAWS – anagram (somehow) of WALES minus the E (putting English off)
2 Disclosure of fellow with uncertainty, beginning to embarrass Victoria maybe (13)
MANIFESTATION – MAN (fellow) with IF (an IF = an uncertainty) E (“beginning” to Embarrass) STATION (Victoria, maybe). Perhaps not the first synonym that springs to mind, but: to manifest / to show clearly / to disclose / to reveal.
3 Having muscles pulling creates a state of preoccupation (11)
ABSTRACTION – ABS (muscles) TRACTION (pulling). Read the clue as: Having A + B creates C. The OED has a quote from 1848 by Leigh Hunt, “Sir Isaac Newton carried abstraction far enough, when he used a lady’s finger for a tobacco-stopper.” After more consideration than I’d care to admit giving a manifestly apocryphal anecdote, I really couldn’t decide whether Newton was meant to have had a stick of okra to hand, or the hand of an equally abstracted lady (okra was more likely but hardly remarkable)… after looking elsewhere I see it was the female human finger.
4 In valley wife and daughter take their time (6)
DAWDLE – In DALE (valley) goes W(ife) and D(aughter)
6 Trivial host — he upset nurse coming to house? (6,7)
HEALTH VISITOR – anagram (upset) of TRIVIAL HOST HE
7 Suppose the old revolt? (8)
THEORISE – THE (the) O (old) RISE (revolt)
10 Uncontrollable rage over the gang getting back together again (11)
REGATHERING – anagram (uncontrollable) of RAGE going over THE RING (the gang)
12 Copper probing motives for political meetings (8)
CAUCUSES – Cu (Copper) probing CAUSES (motives). Etymology unknown.
15 Chemical left at the bottom of store exploding (6)
STEROL – L(eft) at the bottom of an anagram (exploding) of STORE
17 This should not be in wardrobe — mum has no hesitation (4)
MOTH – MOTHER (mum) has no ER (hesitation)

28 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1418 by Izetti”

  1. Like Roly, I was looking for …LIGHT, not to mention I’d never heard of FIRELIGHTER; that may have been my LOI. Thought of ST IVES right off, couldn’t think why–I had no idea whether it’s a resort town or not–and as usual was slow to see the hidden; in fact I think I only parsed it post-solve. I liked ABSTRACTION. 7:55.
  2. Tough workout today. Started well enough with both the first three acrosses all going in nicely then nothing until 21a. Downs not too much better. From then every clue had to be taken slowly. Finally across the line in 23.25 but with SONG not SING – I’d finally worked out carol was a verb and then typed O not I in my haste, disaster! A great collection of clues with neat surfaces giving the most penny drop moments in a crossword for many weeks.
  3. Started well enough around the edges but had some problems with the four long answers to get a foothold in the centre of the grid. 14 minutes, so in the Amber zone today.

    Edited at 2019-08-15 05:15 am (UTC)

  4. I got to 15 minutes and threw in the towel! Pathetic! Much self loathing.

    I could not get past 3dn being ABSORPTION with a letter short thus leaving 13ac a dunno!

    Further 20ac went in as SONG and 9ac as WARGAME – GAME being an edible item. All round bad thinking.

    FOI 1ac LOMBARDY

    LOI N/A

    COD 11ac FIRELIGHTER (Dalmations come to mind)

    WOD ST. IVES

    For Kev, there are two St. Ives as Mr. Roly notes. One near Cambridge and t’other in Cornwall. The latter is the resort: the former has the Pig Lane Cop Shop.

    The smallest village in all of England is New York in Lincolnshire. My grandfather built a Chapel there!

    Mood Meldrewvian.

    Edited at 2019-08-15 06:59 am (UTC)

    1. Sorry to belatedly disappoint Mr Meldrew but there is a third St Ives near Ringwood in Hampshire!
      Banjo
  5. I found this very difficult in places but was determined to finish. It took me 33:31 in the end.
    I too thought of ABSORPTION but managed to move away from it. I was stuck in HOVE for a while as the seaside town and thought Izetti might have chosen a rare religious holiday. As ever, the hidden was effective.
    My big hold ups were ALSACE and LOI CAUCUSES where I had all the checking letters and spent ages trying to find the word. Was Copper PC or CU? In the end I found a synonym for Motives and the puzzle was done.
    This will be a learning experience for many,and nothing wrong with that.
    David

    Edited at 2019-08-15 07:32 am (UTC)

  6. LAWS was my FOI, rapidly followed by WINES and LOMBARDY. I had to work a little harder after that, but managed to squeak in under my target at 9:45 with CHARIOTEERS my LOI. Nice puzzle. Thanks Izetti and Roly.
  7. Oh dear. 13 mins but with errors – SONG instead of SING and then DISTRACTION leaving me assuming there was a four letter poet _D_D which I concluded I’d never heard of. I even had a question mark against DIS at the start of DISTRACTION. Tomorrow is a new day…

    NeilC

  8. Second DNF of the week, but this one was more annoying than Monday’s as it was due to carelessness rather than lack of botanical knowledge. I had LOMBARDI for 1a and so used ‘Italian’ twice and ignored the ‘my’ in the parsing of it.
    Overall it was a typical Izetti puzzle where the trickier answers gradually revealed themselves after careful reading of the clue. I found it of about average difficulty with my favourite being ABSTRACTION.
    Thanks for the blog
  9. ….or, indeed, absorptions. Biffed MANIFESTATION. One of Izetti’s sterner tests.

    FOI SHOT
    LOI CAUCUSES
    COD WARFARE
    TIME 4:28

  10. I managed 16 minutes today after so after last week’s struggles I was pleased to get back on track, particularly on an Izetti. The SW corner held me up at the end – I was intent on removing ‘mo’ from a word rather than ‘t’.
  11. Certainly a tough one. I agree with most of the comments above about the longer clues especially abstraction, manifestation, and regathering. Well over 3K and technically a dnf because I put WARGAME instead of WARFARE since game is food. Ah well. I think we are due a really quick cryptic tomorrow just to raise the spirits. Thanks to Izetti for a serious workout and to roly for a clear blog. John M.

    Edited at 2019-08-15 09:54 am (UTC)

    1. 10 minutes here – which doesn’t sound at all bad given other comments but, sadly, dnf due to wargame.
  13. Well Anonymous what more can he do? This was right up to Izetti’s usual standard and there were some excellent clues. All right it was harder than some QCs and perhaps you could carp at the fact that 9ac has two possible answers, but …

    In fact the only criticism I had was that in 3dn the word ‘Having’ seems to me to be unnecessary and even possibly unfairly misleading. If it were omitted the grammar would probably need a slight adjustment of ‘creates’, but surely this is possible.

  14. Not close to finishing but I never am with Izetti. I stop doing his puzzles after about 15 minutes as I find no joy in them, of all the setters he is the one I look forward to the least, and the least encouraging for us beginners. In six months I have never found one of his puzzles remotely satisfying. Enough moaning let’s hope for a slightly easier one tomorrow.

    1. Totally agree. There has been a run of over difficult puzzles lately. What’s with that? If it carries on I will ditch the Times QC. That would be a pity as I have enjoyed the challenge in the past and managed to finish more often than not. Whilst some compilers are presumably trying to facilitate a leap to the main xwd I think it is necessary to avoid demoralising us less experienced solvers.
  15. I have some sympathy with anon who finds Izetti’s puzzles so difficult. When I started this madness four years ago, I also found the Don a tough setter, but I now really look forward to his puzzles. In fact, today, as I worked out 1a (my FOI) I thought ‘Is this an Izetti puzzle?’ and was gratified that to discover that indeed it was! Lovely surfaces, concise clues, witty answers – what more could you want?

    Actually, a finish! Like some others, I also put in wargame – although warfare is clearly the superior answer. So a DNF today. Never mind, I still enjoyed the ride.

    So I would say to anon, don’t give up – six months is early days. I’m not sure I completed many puzzles at all in those early months. And just think of the sense of satisfaction when you finally complete an Izetti puzzle! But I would also say, don’t be shy – give us a name (even if it is just tucked at the end of your post).

    Time: about 15 minutes
    FOI Lombardy (a rarity – I never usually get started with 1a!)
    LOI Charioteers – I was determined that the applause was clap (no sniggering at the back please)
    COD Oligarch – superb
    Earworm – still Mr Blue Sky!!

    Now off to the biggie – I’m expecting another workout today 😊

  17. Life seems so much better when 1ac/d go in straight away, but there was plenty to think about in the other clues. I usually enjoy Izetti’s build-up clues and there were some good ones today, eg 7d Theorise. I hope I wasn’t the only one who thought 10d was an anagram of rage the gang, but 19ac, Intro, put a stop to that idea. Held up at the end by Caucuses/Charioteer – caucus for political meeting has come up a few times now, but it refuses to lodge in my brain (it’s not as if it’s standing room only…), and I have to work it out each time. 33mins, plus another 5 for the last pair. My thanks to Roly and Izetti. Invariant
  18. A good test from Izetti, but nothing unfair, or should that be unfare? I needed checking letters from other clues to get the long words at 2D, 3D and 16A. The waxy chemical was my last one in. Joint CODs to SHOT and THEORISE for the neat surfaces. 7:23.
  19. Not the slowest poster today for once. Dare I say I seemed to be on Izetti’s wavelength as the first four went straight in (never thought of game being food thankfully, but then is a wargame really conflict?) as well as a lot of others. Finished in 33:13, which is far from my quickest, but given how everybody else seems to have found it, I am well pleased with. COD to 17d.
  20. Dear Crispy,
    That’s a marked improvement. Now target the twenties….
    Are Wargames real conflict? Kim Jong Un appears to think so!
  21. I agree with dnf, this was much too difficult for brginners, resulting in disappointment and abject sense of failure.
    1. Izetti is not the easiest setter to cut your teeth on, but he is nearly always a very rewarding solve once you gat the hang of his style. By all means stick with the other setters (perhaps avoiding those beginning with a T), until you are more confident, but if you read the QC blogs each day, you will soon see what’s going on. Invariant

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