8 minutes. I was looking for something here to mark the occasion of the 700th Quick Cryptic but haven’t been able to find anything special, just another excellent puzzle, perhaps a little easier than on most days last week. Here’s my blog…
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Striker in game (5) |
| MATCH – A double definition of sorts but I’d say the first is more of a cryptic hint | |
| 7 | Bringer of information one can run off (9) |
| ANNOUNCER – Anagram [off] of ONE CAN RUN | |
| 9 | Look threatening in small hood (5) |
| SCOWL – S (small), COWL (hood) | |
| 10 | Working for oneself, run through payment, clean out (9) |
| FREELANCE – R (run) inside [through] FEE (payment), anagram [out] of CLEAN | |
| 11 | Heads for the early afternoon refreshment (3) |
| TEA – First letters [heads] of T{he} E{arly], A{fternoon} | |
| 12 | Plant lies tangled with weeds (9) |
| EDELWEISS – Anagram [tangled] of LIES WEEDS. “Bless my homeland for ever”. | |
| 14 | Safe to go round cupola, counting steps with this? (9) |
| PEDOMETER – PETER (safe) goes round DOME (cupola). A trickier clue that requires the solver to have two pieces of GK. “Peter” for “safe” comes up regularly in cryptics and is well worth remembering. | |
| 16 | Fool put 11 in it (3) |
| MUG – A straight definition and a cryptic one referring back to “tea” at 11ac. Clues in Times puzzles don’t often refer to other answers; the Guardian is the place to go for that sort of thing. | |
| 18 | Sort of music / from Ancient Rome? (9) |
| CLASSICAL – A straight definition and a cryptic hint with reference to Roman traditions and culture. | |
| 20 | Be discriminatory in absence of head (5) |
| EXIST – {s}EXIST (discriminatory) [ in absence of head] | |
| 21 | Disciples look back, covered in blossoms (9) |
| FOLLOWERS – LO (look) reversed [back] inside [covered in] FLOWERS (blossoms) | |
| 22 | Opera performer finally fails, becoming char (5) |
| SINGE – SINGE{r} (opera performer) [finally fails] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | One bringing luck calm finally on racecourse (6) |
| MASCOT – {cal}M [finally], ASCOT (racecourse) | |
| 2 | Two personal weapons used with utmost vigour (5,3,4) |
| TOOTH AND NAIL – TOOTH AND NAIL (two personal weapons) | |
| 3 | Holiday, or several weeks at school? (4-4) |
| HALF-TERM – A straight definition and a cryptic one | |
| 4 | Woman houses old lover in extension (6) |
| ANNEXE – ANNE (woman) contains [houses] EX (old lover) | |
| 5 | Expected large fight (4) |
| DUEL – DUE (expected), L (large) | |
| 6 | Underwear barrister receives (6) |
| BRIEFS – A straight definition with a cryptic hint | |
| 8 | Religious rite gives assurance (12) |
| CONFIRMATION – Two straight definitions | |
| 13 | Sort of network criminal relies on entering borders of Wales (8) |
| WIRELESS – Anagram [criminal] of RELIES entering W{ale}S [borders of] | |
| 14 | Get calm fast, if cuddled (6) |
| PACIFY – PACY (fast) with IF inside it [cuddled] | |
| 15 | Label: approve it, we hear (6) |
| TICKET – TICK (approve), sounds like [we hear] “it” | |
| 17 | Mild contribution to urgent letter (6) |
| GENTLE – Hidden [contribution to] {ur}GENT LE{tter} | |
| 19 | Fruit is late, we hear (4) |
| SLOE – Sounds like [we hear] “slow” (late). I’m not convinced that “slow” and “late” mean the same thing. | |
Heartily agree re- slow and late being interchangeable – they are not quite the same.
WOD EDELWEISS
COD 15d Ticket.
The last three took ages to go in:
18a, easy on reflection.
2d tooth and nail. Made harder because there were only 2 checking letters for tooth.
19d sloe.
Couldn’t parse 14a pedometer so thanks for the blog.
Safe/Peter has been added to the (expanding)list.