Quick Cryptic 3128 by Wurm

79 comments on “Quick Cryptic 3128 by Wurm”

1. Well, I’m glad this week is behind me. One DNF and two days of terrible typing. I was concentrating extra hard today I though but still managed to mangle SHAKEN into SHAekN and so wreck KEEP MUM too. I’d got my monthy error count down to 3 but it now sits at 7 and won’t got below 4 until there’s only a month to Christmas! Enjoyed this one a lot – ending up in the NE a bit stumped until BACTERIA finally rearranged itself. Couldn’t parse INDIA – thanks Curarist – but felt confident enough to submit with fewer than ten minutes on the clock.

2. 9 minutes. No problems other than a few extra seconds at the end going back to parse KEEP MUM.

3. I finished one! 11:50

   I didn’t know that definition of EYEWASH but it was an anagram so that worked out.

   Didn’t parse TIARA either but I don’t know that many crowns.

   Have a good weekend everyone!

   1. Well done !!

   2. Well done you!

4. 7::11
   7d reads (on the club site, anyway) “I may represented by this Asian country”, which doesn’t make sense.

   1. So it does, no wonder I couldn’t parse it – thanks Kevin!

   2. Yes, there is an error on the website. The clue in the e-paper (and I assume in the printed edition) is I may be represented by this Asian country.

      Allowing for that, the clue seems fine to me. Cryptic hint: I may be represented by this (India). Main definition: Asian country (India).

      1. > India doesn’t represent I, I represents India.

         No, India does indeed represent I in this case, as India is the term for I in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

         I was also unable to parse this partially because the clue was wrong in the version I was looking at.

         1. You’re right; I finally got it.

      2. It’s an interesting insight into how they make the paper. The clues are not just cut and pasted from what the setter/editor submits to the production team. But somehow they are re typed for the various digital versions.

   3. We couldn’t parse this until coming here but I now think it’s a double clue
      Def 1: I may be presented by this (in the NATO alphabet)
      Def 2: Asian Country
      ?

      1. 10:07
         LOI DETESTED, a lot of words fit in DEED, such as “defeated”. I thought tax would be Vat.
         Couldn’t parse INDIA, and wasn’t sure about keep=respect, I got there with “keep the peace”. Liked TARA =“I’m going”, good bit of regional slang.
         COD CODPIECES

   4. Thanks Kevin, I couldn’t parse it either – what’s on the club site makes way more sense.

5. An enjoyable puzzle where everything went in smoothly for a 7:27 finish. Only query is I for International – yes it is the first letter of the word, but is it a recognised abbreviation, other than in a set of initials like PIA for Pakistan International Airlines?

   Many thanks Curarist for the blog.

   1. I =international is in Collins (British Eng, not in Am. Engl).

      1. Thank you Kevin. And I could have almost guaranteed as I wrote my comment that Collins would justify I for International. Time after time I query something only to find that “Collins supports it” – it seems to operate on the basis that a usage is to be recorded if it has been found anywhere, ever, however seldom or obscure.

         I know I am not going to win on this particular bête-noire. But for a QC I would hope that we could appeal more to that other reference beginning with CO, “Common usage”. Otherwise crosswords start to go the way of Scrabble, in which the set of allowed words has nothing to do with how people actually use the language any more, and instead relies on what an authorised source says is a word.

         1. I come away from reading Mephisto blogs with the impression that Chambers sanctions just about every letter of the alphabet as an abbreviation for just about any word beginning with the letter.

            1. Agreed. It has a corrupting effect.

      2. I call these second-level abbreviations, in that they are only even seen in other abbreviations (acronyms in fact). Certainly A=American comes under this classification, and B=British and E=European as well.

         For example on an atlas you might see “Br. Virgin Islands”, but never “B. Virgin Islands”, in other contexts they are called “BVI”. So B=British only appears in other abbreviations.

         I still don’t like it though.

         1. what about the IMF?

   2. The Times has a list of allowed abbreviations for cryptics (except for the Mephisto where anything in Chambers is allowed) in guidance for setters so it must be on the list. I for international seems ok to me, as used in IMF or ODI.

      1. IMF/ODI – both classic “second-level abbreviations”, as described by Merlin. But if the Times has decreed that they are OK, I accept it. After all they run the crosswords …

         1. The TIARA clue as submitted attracted the Blue Pencil. Blue pencillings by Times Crossword editors are fantastic as far as I am concerned.

            It’s either good or bad that we setters only meet once a year: good as we only have the debate about single-letter indication annually, and bad because we only have the debate about single-letter indication annually.

            I = INTERNATIONAL is on the Daily Telegraph list, but not (currently) on ours.

            1. Thank you for your wise words, Wurm and I love your humour about S-LIs.
               Some of the debates here go way above my head, as do many of the clues tbh, but I (almost) always love the challenge and keep coming back for more ritual humiliation.

6. Enjoyed this one from Wurm, thanks.
   All done in 16.11 after pondering LOI side for a little while before putting it in. Also took a little time trying to fit in fibia for the bone.

   COD to Caesar, made us laugh. Reminds me of a record my dad had when I was young, by an American comedian called Flip Wilson. He told a very long gag about a woman who grew an enormous berry. She became famous and people travelled all over the country to marvel at it. One night some robbers turn up, and when turned away by the doorman who says come back in the morning they reply with “we come seize her berry, not to praise it”. I’ll get my coat ….

   Thanks Curarist.

   1. 🤣🤣

   2. With you on fibia.

7. 18.57 Quite solid work but much enjoyed. Bit slower than should have been on some. We, too, lacked the ‘be’ (INDIA) so speed there was not to be.
   Can someone please explain FACE= Features? Describe their features? Face?
   NHO EYEWASH but anagram and I like them : )
   We now aim around mid teens, but the step down to 10-13 seems a much bigger one and I appear to have short legs : (
   Happy weekend everyone and thanks to Wurm and Curarist.

   1. Yes, I think it’s as simple as that. Your features (collectively) can equal your face.

      1. Thank you! : )

8. A couple of teasers hidden amongst the less difficult clues led to a slightly below average time. Plenty of contenders for COD but CODPIECES just beat CAESAR and SANPAPER as it appealedto my schoolboy sense of humour.
   Started with BENT and finished with INDIA in 7.23.
   Thanks to Curarist and Wurm.

9. 4:36. CODPIECES a clear standout! I could do without the NHOIRL ‘eyewash’ appearing again and again. Thanks Wurm and Curarist.

10. Slowish today at 20.26. Badly held up by the NHO EYEWASH, and trying to figure out if the INDIA clue was a mistake or a clunky surface.

    CODPIECES made me smile. I once did (innocently) ask a shop assistant where I could find cod pieces for a fish pie. Realising how that sounded, I laughed and apologised. She stared at me blankly, clearly not understanding what the deal was. Which made it all even more awkward. Obviously not a fan of medieval fashion…or Blackadder.

    Pi ❤️

11. 11:19 troubled only by the account of bacteria in Caesars codpieces… but not for long. QTPi again today but only just QTTina who is getting back into the swing of things very nicely🙌 Agree with Shred that eyewash seems to be confined to crossword land and is as nonsensical as the word yeehaws 😉
    Ta CAW

    1. ❤️

12. Some very good clues (and some MERs as listed by others above). CODPIECES raised a grin. I spent minutes at the end unable to see my LOI DETESTED before I entered the SCC and, was given an ‘unlucky’ message when I completed the grid. I had mis-typed the N instead INDIA by hitting the adjacent B.
    Not a happy end to my week but thanks to Wurm and Curarist.

13. I had no particular problems other than with the parsing of KEEP MUM. I couldn’t see that KEEP = respect but the K checker worked. My favourites were CAESAR and HAMMERED. Thanks Curarist. 7:10

14. 12:48. I didn’t even notice the lack of a “be” in the INDIA clue until reading the discussion here.
    LOI BACTERIA needed paper and pen to untangle.
    COD to CODPIECES.

    Thanks Curarist and Wurm

15. Am enjoyable QC, if a bit tricky in parts. Biffed RITZ – had forgotten the crackers. Could not see the parsing of INDIA, but appreciate the clue when light dawned. COD CAESAR. Thanks Curarist and Wurm.

16. 17:11 – quite quick for me. No problems, apart from not parsing TIARA. One of Wurm’s gentler puzzles, I thought.

17. Slid into the SCC on 20 minutes mostly due to taking an age to see how 6dn worked. I was surprised because it had seemed quicker. Still an improvement on the last couple of days.

    FOI – 1ac BENT
    LOI -9ac SIDE
    CODs – almost too many to mention. I particularly liked CAESAR, RITZ and CODPIECES

    Thanks to Wurm and Curarist.

18. 9:34. A good warm-down after the 15×15. Nothing to cause significant problems and I could parse everything except a slight MER at KEEP for ‘respect’ which Curarist has explained well. I like SCIMITAR and CODPIECES.

    Thanks to Curarist and Wurm

19. Less wiggly than Wurm often is, for me. I started with BENT and then rambled round the grid, chasing first letters until I didn’t have any more of them. Ended with SIDE: that, TIARA and HAMMERED were the only ones which gave me much pause.

    Finished in 06:47 for a Very Good Day. COD to SCIMITAR, for its brilliant surface.

    Many thanks Wurm and Curarist.

    1. Cracking time 😊 I’m still a few minutes behind you on the quickie, but snap on the concise. I do it offline, but 2:39 today – and I even saw the nina 😅

20. Thank you Wurm. After a dismal few days, a QC I finished and enjoyed.
    Parsing of INDIA eluded me and I spent far too long trying to make LOI 12across KRAKEN but all fell into place at 20 mins.
    COD CODPIECES
    Thanks to both.

    1. Are you a Spurs fan or into trading crypto?

21. I defined a new metric for myself: how many can I get in 30 minutes. And today the answer was 18. Three more with help from crossers after that.

    Didn’t see bent, side or en-suite.

    Thanks Wurm and Curarist

    1. Great new metric, Nutshell! I may well report my score in future posts. What should it be called? We need something snappy.

       1. Times hunt I try club using an anagram finder.

22. From BENT to INDIA in 6:13. Despite having the corrected clue on the club site, I didn’t see how it worked until I had the crossers and put it in. Liked HAMMERED and CAESAR. Thanks Wurm and Curarist.

23. DNF

    Completed in 19 mins but failed on DESTESTED. Didn’t think of test = tax, couldn’t think of another tax that would fit and so biffed resented.

    The rest were ok though failed to parse INDIA and TIARA. LOI RITZ.

24. A slow tour of rabbit holes, capped by the (v actor me)* elephant trap at 22ac, which had me trying to think of obscure wines for more time than I care to record. Loi India went in unparsed, just to avoid having to stand. CoD, inevitably, to Codpiece. Invariant

25. I was doing fairly well with this until I ran into what finally became CODPIECES, for a total of 13:46. Enjoyed it all, and a nice way to finish the week.

    Thank you for the blog!

26. 7.05

    Good QC fare – liked SCIMITAR

    Thanks Curarist and Wurm.

27. 15.24 Slow today. I was parsing the clues successfully but struggling to solve them. LOI BENT. Thanks Curarist and Wurm.

28. AAs with Teazel yesterday, this was very hard to finish off. I made a slow/steady start, sped up a little through the mid-phase, but really struggled at the end. A very typical pattern for me. 39 minutes in total.

    My F2I were DANE (easy) and SCIMITAR (rather more challenging) and progress was somewhat fitful after that. I never did parse INDIA and my LOI, which took 8-9 minutes (!), were BENT, EYEWASH. and SHAKEN.

    Many thanks to Curarist and Wurm.

29. Found this harder than yesterday for some reason. Spent a long time trying to parse INDIA as the iPad version is still missing the ‘be’. No problems with EYEWASH. Fairly common usage I would say, but maybe for those over a certain age 😆. COD CAESAR, although also liked TIARA (and I now know that international can be I as well as int). Slow brain day, but enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks all.

    1. I’m reassured that someone thinks EYEWASH is common usage. Because it’s a great word. I think I’ll see if I can propagate it among my acquaintances.

30. Kept me busy whilst waiting for my dentist appointment, so a very good puzzle for that reason alone 😆. Lovely puzzle, COD split between CODPIECES, and INDIA, which I only understood the wordplay when I looked at the blog. Thanks 😁

31. 18 mins…

    Have to agree, there were some great clues today. 12ac “Shaken”, 14ac “Caesar”, 23ac “Pick Me Up”, 22ac “Hammered” and 5dn “Codpieces” all had smiley faces next to them. It was a good job 2dn “Eyewash” was an anagram as I probably would have struggled to recall that in any other context. I never did parse 7dn “India”.

    FOI – 10ac “Dane”
    LOI – 1ac “Bent”
    COD – 14ac “Caesar”

    Thanks as usual!

32. Another awful day.

    Somewhere just short of 30 mins.

    Useless performance. Took forever to see INDIA (!) and CODPIECES. So obvious. RITZ was a guess. I can’t work out anagrams quickly or without writing out the letters by hand.

    A dreadful week on the QC. Nothing changes. I was on just 25 minutes after Monday & Tuesday, but then – as ever – it all came crashing down.

    I don’t see any possibility of an improvement in my times. Given the hours I have spent on the 15 x 15, that is very frustrating.

    1. I write the letters out by hand every time!

33. With one exception, I found this one completely straightforward; the exception was SIDE, which I entered but with very little confidence. I could see that it had to be a double definition and I could see how “bank” could sometimes be a synonym for “side”, but “subsidiary”? I’ve just checked the definition in the Concise Oxford and can only assume that the setter is making an equation between a “subsidiary issue” and a “side issue” – too much of a stretch for me.

34. No problems at all, though my LOI unaccountably held out after the second pass was completed.

    FOI BENT
    LOI SIDE
    COD SHAKEN
    TIME 3:45

35. Completed ( first this week)needed CURARIST to explain biffed TIARA, thanks

36. 16:43
    Couldn’t parse INDIA (thanks Kevin) or TIARA (thanks Curarist).
    CODPIECES presented a beautiful challenge. Not so beautiful was having RECOUNT instead of ACCOUNT which delayed my LOI.
    My LOI was further delayed by not being able to get the murdered Publius Septimus GETA out of my head.
    FOI: DANE
    LOI: CAESAR
    COD: HAMMERED

    Thanks to Wurm and Curarist

37. No problems with INDIA with the correctly printed clue in my paper. In fact not too many problems with any of it, finishing in a fairly tidy 7.10. My LOI SHAKEN cost me a little time, as I failed for a while to think of the chemical symbol for tin, rather being preoccupied with thinking of a synonym such as can.
    My total time for the week was 47.27, giving me a daily average of 9.29, a pleasing half minute under target.

38. 20:33, for I think the first finish of the week. NHO EYEWASH as nonsense, or “ta ra” as anything. And here I thought all those viewings of Happy Valley made me fluent in Northern English.

    LOI CODPIECES, which is a great clue.

39. A speedy 7:21 for me. For almost all the clues, my first thought turned out to be right or very close to right (apart from DESPISED for DETESTED, but BAT quickly showed that that was wrong).

    Thanks to Wurm and Curarist.

40. Nice variety in the clues and big smile at seize ‘er! Took a while to wean myself off the red Moselle (not known to me) and lift and separate – HAMMERED followed. A ham actor in a codpiece was a nice image as I entered loi EYEWASH in 12 minutes. Thanks Wurm and Curarist.

41. Nice puzzle, we enjoyed the amusing comments above. Finished in about 40 m, quite acceptable for us and enjoy our gin.

42. 4:57. LOI DETESTED held me up at the end. A typically witty QC from Wurm. Thanks to him and Curarist for the blog.

43. HAMMERED at The RITZ, conceivably the first but I can’t remember and never aspired/went/invited to the second! A strain on the brain but a finishing Friday. Thanks all week.

44. I have been amused since childhood seeing EYEWASH printed on a small metal box attached to tanker lorries, presumably containing toxic chemicals. As a youngster I couldn’t understand why nonsense should be tinned . . . I still see it occasionally today.

45. This one really made me chuckle – there were so many amusing surfaces that I found it hard to choose a COD. Smiley faces went next to CAESAR, RITZ, and EYEWASH, and 5d could have been COD-PIECES! But there was one that just pipped it to the post.
    No problem with INDIA – I realised there was a missing word, so in it went. I read it as a cryptic rather than a DD.
    Either Wurm is getting less wiggly or I’m finally getting on his wavelength, but I have really enjoyed his last few offerings 😊 And how nice of him to pop into today!
    9:29 FOI Bacteria LOI Side COD Hammered
    Many thanks Wurm and Curarist

46. Not often you’ll need a scimitar to open up codpieces before getting to the en suite, but it got me over the line.

    FOI CAD
    LOI Side
    COD India – failed to parse it so it held me up beautifully.

    Thanks Wurm and Curarist

47. I was slow on the uptake today, taking 16:43 to finish. SIDE seemed very remote, I keep forgetting about “red” and “white” for wine, and the NATO alphabet slipped my mind. I finally decided to interpret 7d as “I” occurs twice (is “represented”) in INDIA, very lame, but the best I could do. I seem to be still in re-entry mode from taking off three weeks, so no complaints, a good puzzle, and considering it’s Wurm, pretty gentle.

    Thanks Wurm and Curarist.

48. 5.50.

Comments are closed.