Times Quick Cryptic 1391 by Mara

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I wasn’t on form for this one – it took me 13 minutes but I don’t think it’ll pose any problems for the old hands. As a case in point I had two inexplicable blank moments at 23ac and LOI 16dn which don’t appear hard at all. Hope you fare better than me.

ACROSS

1. Special state (7)
EXPRESS – double definition. The first as in express/special purpose.
5. Sculpture shattered (4)
BUST – double definition.
7. Leaders of think tank penning little message (5)
TWEET – (T)hink (T)ank penning little (WEE).
8. Marriage evidently over? Don’t say another word! (4,3)
RING OFF – is this a double definition? I think the word play is cryptic – a wedding band no long required.
10. Mug in Christmas stocking (3)
ASS – in Christm(AS S)tocking.
11. Warming device, unit with cobra snakes (9)
INCUBATOR – anagram (snakes) of UNIT and COBRA.
13. One million and two hurt (6)
IMPAIR – ome (I), million (M), two (PAIR).
14. Accompanying sailor, attain goal (6)
TARGET – together with sailor (TAR) there’s attain (GET).
17. Combine eg nitrate compounds (9)
INTEGRATE – anagram (compounds) of EG NITRATE.
19. Low figure in question, essentially (3)
ONE – in questi(ON E) ssentially.
20. Coming soon, formal wear for garment (7)
NIGHTIE – coming soon (NIGH), formal wear (TIE).
22. Runner beginning to run, one runs! (5)
RACER – (R)un, one (ACE), runs (R).
23. Dry river, save bottles (4)
BRUT – river (R) is ‘bottled up inside’ save (BUT – all save/but the last items).
24. More air circulating in wardrobe (7)
ARMOIRE – anagram (circulating) of MORE AIR.

DOWN

1. Old custom in movement of suspect abroad (11)
EXTRADITION – old (EX), custom (TRADITION).
2. Exercise before second drink (5-2)
PRESS-UP – before (PRE), second (S), drink (SUP).
3. Calling for hospital department, sickly (9)
ENTAILING – hospital department (ENT), sickly (AILING).
4. Well-groomed tree (6)
SPRUCE – double definition.
5. Cake, central point rising (3)
BUN – central point – nub – rising upwards (BUN).
6. Brief attempt about right (5)
SHORT – attempt (SHOT) about right (R).
9. In America, serious achievement of brilliant student (5,6)
FIRST DEGREE – double definition. The first has to be the American ‘serious’ as in first degree crime as the English first-degree burn is the least serious/superficial.
12. Car part collected in Birmingham (5,4)
BRAKE DRUM – collected (RAKED) inside Birmingham (BRUM – informal name).
15. Rising in heat, chilli coolish initially on good Italian dish (7)
GNOCCHI – I had some trouble spelling this to be honest. Rising – so in reverse order – (I)n (H)eat (C)hilli (C)oolish on (ON) good (G).
16. Snapper arrived before tailless ray (6)
CAMERA – arrived (CAME) before tailless Ray (RA).
18. Line round head of ginger cat (5)
TIGER – line (TIER) around (G)inger.
21. Young child’s measure of spirit (3)
TOT – double definition.

27 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1391 by Mara”

  1. i liked Impair (cute, that). Gnocchi didn’t really work for me as a clue either – though the answer was clear and obvious. Too much discussion in the middle of all the reversals made it seem as if it needed another reversal indicator somewhere.
    thans, Chris and setter

    Edited at 2019-07-09 01:14 am (UTC)

    1. All seemed pretty easy and transparent. But I realize now that I didn’t stop to parse GNOCCHI.
  2. at 15dn as served up by IKEA on a Tuesday!

    8.30 minutes had I put in 1dn EXTRADITION first I might have saved a bit of time.

    FOI 5ac BUST

    LOI 2dn PRESS-UP

    COD 12dn BRAKE DRUM

    WOD 24ac ARMOIRE

    Today’s 15×15 is worth a go for those who like to venture!

    Edited at 2019-07-09 04:15 am (UTC)

  3. Only two entered after a first read through of both acrosses and downs and the pace didn’t really pick up from there. Well off the wave length today. Next!
  4. 10 minutes again but felt very close to missing my target. Didn’t understand ‘In America’ at 9dn, so thanks to Chris for the explanation.
  5. Another heading towards the SCC here. I didn’t feel I was going slow, but a glance at the clock with a few still to go, showed I’d already taken 12 minutes. Finally submitted at 14:01. I still don’t know if anything in particular held me up. Started with SPRUCE and finished with FIRST DEGREE. Thanks Mara and Chris.
  6. Another one interrupted a couple of times. But mainly I couldn’t get 9d because I’d put in RACES at 22ac. That cost me at least a minute, and I didn’t get it when I got it. Didn’t understand GNOCCHI either, but G___I left little choice. 6:41.
  7. I thought that was really tough – twice yesterday’s time and 2.4K for a Hard Day. Several devices which are not standard QC fare (like the Yoda grammar at 23ac – “river, save bottles”). Also several pretty clunky clues – GNOCCHI has already been commented on but I thought FIRST DEGREE wasn’t good either, because “achievement of brilliant student” is a very iffy definition. The brilliant achievement is a first CLASS degree, or “a first”. A “first degree” is just that – your first degree. It could be any class. My father’s first degree was a third. The clue didn’t hold me up, it just annoyed me.

    Thanks for the blog, Chris.

    Templar

  8. 11.19 and felt tricky – many clues didn’t go in until second or third pass. On to tomorrow…

    NeilC

  9. This was an odd one. Lots of easy clues suggested a quick time was on the cards but there were hidden traps and hurdles and I ended up at 2.5K (again!). BRUT, SPRUCE, and RING OFF took longer than they should have. I liked NIGHTIE, FIRST DEGREE, and BRAKE DRUM. Thanks both. John M.
  10. I don’t think there would be too many who found this a quickie! Well done and thanks for producing a blog. This was too thin for me – I hope others enjoyed it more.
  11. Slow but steady today, 45:12. Very few came immediately to mind, so with about half done I was thinking it was going to take ages or I wasn’t going to finish at all, but it was one of those where, once the checkers were in place, what had seemed impossible, did come to mind with a bit of thought. Only one I totally didn’t know was armoire, but not sure I’ve heard of a brake drum either and I also wasn’t sure about the American part in 9d, so thanks Chris for explaining.
  12. About 15 minutes today whilst waiting for a train at East Croydon.
    FOI was Press Up and LOI was Entailing.
    No particular problems with the puzzle today. That cannot be said about our train services. I am looking forward to going to Arundel for the first time to watch cricket. May get there before close of play!
    David
    1. Ah yes, our train services. I had the pleasure of our shiny new Northern Rail Class 195 units between Manchester Piccadilly and Preston yesterday. At Piccadilly there was an issue with the doors, and we eventually left 6 minutes late. Coming back, the train was showing as delayed by 18 minutes, and eventually left Preston 20 minutes late. It was then announced that the three stations between Piccadilly and the Airport were being missed out. Nice trains, rubbish services.
      1. Clearly this is a fun day on the railways.
        Have just been told my train will “run fast” to Fareham. The notion of running fast, even at all, is very welcome. But it actually means I have to wait for another train heading to Bognor. I recall a royal comment about that!
  13. Well I took 19 minutes, and it felt longer. No particular hold-ups, but just slow to see all of the clues. BRUT LOI, and I never did see the connection between EXPRESS and special until just now. Thanks Mara and Chris.
  14. The “great smell” of BRUT never really hacked it for me. Neither did this puzzle. I didn’t think FIRST DEGREE worked, only parsed the awful clue for GNOCCHI after completion, couldn’t spot BRUT for a while (but the clue was fine by me), and I didn’t care for “line = tier” at 18D.

    FOI BUST
    LOI BRUT
    COD BRAKE DRUM
    TIME 4:36

  15. This was the first DNF for a while. Totally confused my 18 D and 20 and 23 A. For 20 could not get Necktie out of my mindset. Enjoyed the crossword but get frustrated when I cannot see last 2 or 3 answers. Thanks to blogger for explanations. If I had just seen the answers tomorrow I would still have been nonplussed!
  16. Yes, this was certainly a tricky rather than a quickie one. After about 25mins I was down to my last two, 23ac and 6d. I eventually managed to get (and parse) 23ac, but 6d eluded me until I was comfortably north of 30mins. Looking back, it’s a good job 1d was a write-in otherwise this had all the makings of a DNF. Off now to have a go at Horryd’s (ad)venture… Invariant
  17. This was very hard and a Dnf. Did not even understand some on the answers and how they related to the clue. 1a as example.

    Tomorrow is another day

    Tim

  18. Quite straight forward, but I think the setter has confused a first degree with a “first” ie first class honours. Actually any Batchelor degree is a first degree, even the barest scraped pass. As opposed to a Masters or a PhD.
  19. 20 mins but wasn’t sure about first degree and racer when submitting.
    Line/tier comes up a lot.
    Loi express.
    Cod extradition as it held me up.
  20. Not the most straightforward solve today, or the most satisfying – it just didn’t seem to flow. Eventually completed in 14.20 with LOI BRUT.
    Thanks for the blog
  21. This was very hard and a Dnf. Did not even understand some on the answers and how they related to the clue. 1a as example.

    Tomorrow is another day

    Tim

  22. Extremely difficult with some poor ambiguous clues. Didn’t enjoy this one. On to the next one
    1. isn’t that the essence of cryptic clues…?

      …they’re SUPPOSED to be!

      the skill of solving them is picking the correct interpretation

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