Times Quick Cryptic No 668 by Izetti

Author   rolytolyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A nice sprinkling of history in today’s tricky offering from Izetti. We had a Victorian cardinal, the First and Second World Wars, an old clan member (if we’re to stretch a point), and two references to the Bronze Age – one Middle Eastern and the other, albeit indirectly, to a small town in the north of Wales. I don’t know how well known that town is at 1ac – it was certainly unknown to me, but it has a long Wikipedia entry for a place with a population of 10,000, and with good justification. This, and a few other difficult clues pushed my time to 18 mins – by my reckoning the hardest of the week so far. Lots of nice clues, my favourite being 8d with its lovely surface reading that almost makes a short short story. Definitions underlined, and many thanks to Izetti for a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle.

Across
1 Plant a piece of equipment in Welsh town
MARIGOLD: A RIG (a piece of equipment) goes inside MOLD (Welsh town). So yes, I’d never heard of it, but it has a rich and varied history dating back to the Bronze Age. Most notably, a golden cape was discovered there in 1833 (in smithereens). At nearly 4,000 years old it was made from a single gold ‘ingot’ the size of a golf ball, beaten into an incredibly thin sheet, and decorated with a precision and artistry that make it the finest example of prehistoric metalwork yet found in the whole of Europe.
5 Wild animals, a nuisance for the most part
APES: A PEST (a nuisance); for the most part = mostly = tailless = endless = dock the last letter.
9 Rice Paul cooked around one
PILAU: anagram (cooked) of PAUL, goes around I (one).
10 Sparkly stuff not much good — rubbish
GLITTER: G = not much good, in a similar vein to 5ac; LITTER (rubbish).
11 A city’s dream I recollected sometime in November
ARMISTICE DAY: Anagram (recollected) of A CITY’S DREAM I. I was slow getting this – I was thinking ___’s Day.
13 Acknowledges it’s mad getting drunk
ADMITS: anagram (getting drunk) of IT’S MAD.
15 Fresh fellow who became a cardinal?
NEWMAN: NEW (fresh) MAN (fellow). Made a saint in 2010 – the only English saint since the 17th century, no less. The Victorian cardinal has been busy of recent, performing two healing miracles since 2001 that led to his beatification.
17 Something good for cricketers? It helps one strike the right note
PERFECT PITCH: double definition, the first one semi-cryptic. My LOI, for some reason – seems very gettable in hindsight.
20 English Literature is initially timely for choosy person
ELITIST: E (English), LIT (literature), IS, T (initially timely).
21 What fat a person carries to get thinner gradually
TAPER: hidden in “faT A PERson”, clued by “what ___ carries”. Read the clue as ‘What “fataperson” holds = the definition’. A similar device is used in 14d with “gathered”.
22 Female bringing joy ultimately to boy
LADY: bring Y (joy ultimately) to LAD (boy). You can make as much of this surface reading as you choose.
23 One of the old people says Iran must reform
ASSYRIAN: anagram (must reform) of SAYS IRAN. Assyria would have included modern day Iran, which is neat. The empire was just starting to expand out across the region around the same time as the person was buried wearing the golden Mold Cape.

Down
1 Look gloomy as this person outside work
MOPE: ME (this person) outside OP (work – short for opus).
2 Governor that helps to lay down a measure
RULER: double definition.
3 Become excited as passengers leaving Heathrow must
GO UP IN THE AIR: double definition, both semi-cryptic as far as I’m concerned.
4 More than one luminary comes down to earth
LIGHTS: another double definition (think “alight” for the second one) – very nice, this one.
6 Map’s dot could show where important conference was held
POTSDAM: anagram (could show) of MAP’S DOT. Our WWII reference.
7 Stopping outside front of restaurant or wandering off?
STRAYING: STAYING (stopping) outside R (front of restaurant).
8 Science laboratory’s termination follows this microbe getting out of control
BIOCHEMISTRY: Y (laboratory‘s termination) follows an anagram (getting out of control) of THIS MICROBE. It’s a short short story with the hint of a cliffhanger…
12 Settlement with alarm finds old clan member
CAMPBELL: CAMP (settlement) with BELL (alarm).
14 Like a husband or wife being spoilt, one gathered
MARRIED: MARRED (spoilt) holds, or collects, or gathers I (one).
16 Conditions for different parts of America?
STATES: double definition – the fifth of the puzzle.
18 Island that’s cold most of spring month
CAPRI: C (cold) APRI (most of APRIL)
19 Hard work finishing early? Smile
GRIN: GRINd (hard work, finishing early).

11 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 668 by Izetti”

  1. Nice puzzle, took just under an hour to finish.

    Hadn’t heard of Go up in the air, but it was easy to guess.
    Didn’t know 15a Cardinal Newman or see the hidden taper in 21a but solved using the other bits of the clue.

    Last couple in were 4d (lights) and 12d Campbell.
    I was thinking of a person for luminary, rather than a light.

    Had a go at the main puzzle and got about 7 answers.

    thanks for the blog.

  2. A steady solve for this enjoyable puzzle, finishing in 20 minutes, with all parsed – unusual for me with Izetti’s offerings. I spent a bit of time in 1a trying to fit ‘kit’ into the answer which held things up a bit and my LOI 8d seemed a bit baffling until I twigged it was an anagram.
    Thanks for the very informative blog roly, I’m off to read up about Mold now as it sounds like an interesting place
  3. I didn’t spend all 45 minutes doing the crossword, but a fair bit of them. Answers like “perfect pitch” and “states” eluded me for quite a while – my brain was overcomplicating things.

    Is “go up in the air” an expression? I’ve tried to google an example and can’t find one.

  4. Had vaguely heard of MOLD, but after reading the blog realised that I recently saw the Mold Cape in the British Museum, an astonishing artifact. PERFECT PITCH is only good for batsmen, not bowlers. NEWMAN is well known in the Midlands, there is a university and schools named for him. I agree that GO UP IN THE AIR is not really a phrase. 5’17”, thanks roly and Izetti.
  5. 10 minutes but yet another skin-of-teeth job. I was conscious whilst solving that several items were perhaps a bit on the obscure side for a QC but we all need to be tested occasionally.
  6. This puzzle scored highly on an important test: when you get the answer, you hug yourself in pleasure. Biochemistry! PerfectPitch! Married! Lady! Lights! Ho, ho, ho.
  7. Twenty minutes for me today finishing with the anagram at 11a. I thought it had to be somebody’s day and so had the S in the wrong place.
    I enjoyed this puzzle. All the GK required was, I thought, general and not too obscure.
    Favourites were 17a and 8d. David
  8. I had all the required GK so no real problems with this one. I have been to MOLD – it was closed ( with apologies to W.C. Fields.)
  9. Slightly on the tough side and I was slowed to 11.08

    FOI MOPE LOI 20ac ELITIST

    8dn BIOCHEMISTRY COD

    WOD MARIGOLD

    MOLD will be busy this week-end methink.

    horryd Shanghai

  10. Thought hubby and I had done well today. We had 3d be up in the air finally changing it to IS up in the air to fit in with 1a myrtille. We were playing with Merthyr and till (piece of equipment)
    So failed today, but not epically

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