Quick Cryptic 624 by Joker

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I’m standing in again as the vacancy for a Friday blogger has not yet been filled. If anyone’s interested in taking this on regularly please let me know and I shall pass it on.

10 minutes for this one which seemed reasonably straightforward apart from one rather strange definition at 6dn and a slight error in the wordplay at 10ac. 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
7 Former partner taken back by woman in part of house (6)
ANNEXE – ANNE (woman), EX (former partner) reversed [taken back]
8 Plant clubs joined by admirer (6)
CLOVER – C(clubs – cards), LOVER (admirer)
9 An unspecified amount of notes (4)
SOME – SO (note – #1), ME (note – #2)
10 Penitent half continued with ceremony (8)
CONTRITE – CONT{inued} [half!], RITE (ceremony). Either we have a misprint here (‘continued’ for ‘continue’?) or Joker’s having counting problems!
11 Specialist food shop needs extra shipment (8)
DELIVERY – DELI (specialist food shop), VERY (extra)
13 Average emergency call needs oxygen (2-2)
SO-SO – SOS (emergency call), O (oxygen)
15 Public school to see going west (4)
ETON – NOTE (see) reversed [going west]
16 Ordinary dormice mistreated by English (8)
MEDIOCRE – Anagram [mistreated] of DORMICE, E (English)
18 Where food is served with pill before surgery? (8)
TABLETOP – TABLET (pill), OP (surgery)
20 Agreed to put on Shakespeare finally (4)
DONE – DON (put on), {Shakespear}E [finally]. As one might say when a deal is done.
21 Nearly is unable to name piece of artillery (6)
CANNON – CANNO{t} (unable to) [nearly], N (name)
22 Gentle / proposal (6)
TENDER – Two definitions
Down
1 Pub’s been given old American coin — not guilty! (8)
INNOCENT – INN (pub), O (old), CENT (American coin)
2 Screen gondolier perhaps unable to see (8,5)
VENETIAN BLIND – VENETIAN (gondolier perhaps), BLIND (unable to see)
3 Show regret about escape and liberation (6)
RESCUE – RUE (regret) containing [about] ESC (escape – key).
4 Revealing where the pigs are eating food tin (6)
SCANTY – STY (where the pigs are) containing [eating] CAN (food tin)
5 Showing relations / exchanging letters (13)
CORRESPONDING – Two definitions
6 Temporary address regularly used in Ethernet (4)
TENT – Alternate letters [regularly used] in {e}T{h}E{r}N{e}T. The definition seems a bit loose. Does one ever actually have an address in a tent?
12 Drink in East Sussex town (3)
RYE – Two definitions. The American whiskey and one of the historic Cinque Ports
14 Unfamiliar visitor starts to suspect the park keeper (8)
STRANGER – First letters of [starts to] of S{uspect},T{he}, RANGER (park keeper)
16 My unit is involved in open uprising (6)
MUTINY – Anagram [involved] of  MY UNIT
17 Stand-in sets record in responsibility (6)
DEPUTY – EP (record – Extended Play) in DUTY (responsibility)
19 A route from here (4)
AWAY – A, WAY (route)

23 comments on “Quick Cryptic 624 by Joker”

  1. I also wondered about TENT, which I believe was my LOI; but I suppose it works if one thinks of ‘address’ as meaning ‘place one lives’. The ODE gives separately ‘the particulars of the place where someone lives…’ and ‘the place where someone lives …’ I didn’t even notice the problem with ‘continue(d)’, although I did start off thinking ‘peni-‘. Nice surface with MUTINY, COD maybe SCANTY. 3:55, the first time I’ve got in under 4 minutes.

    Edited at 2016-07-29 03:45 am (UTC)

  2. Inexplicably held up in SW corner, due to not being able to see past 18a ending in STOP.
    Typical Joker, apart from the inability to divide by 2, a pleasant ending to the week.
    I don’t have a problem with TENT, in fact it is my COD for a very nice surface.
    Thanks blogger and Joker
  3. Good to see Ethernet in there, as a tech word, in the surface. DNF on three across clues on left side, sometimes you just don’t see them: nothing unfair and a pleasing ‘of course’ when I visit the blog to get the ‘reveal’. I put a hard stop at 30 mins, so three short today. Missed those Sound of Music notes, not for the first time (SO-ME), and made a mess of 18a as could not think of crosswordese for ‘surgery’ (OP). 13a (SO-SO) COD.
    Been a lot of discussion about levels of difficulty : this one from today from Joker seems about right in the middle.
    –Thanks Jack for doing double duty this week. What are the qualifications for being a blogger ?
    1. Hi, Merlin,

      I think others have already said what there is to say about qualifications for blogging. I have passed your expression of interest on to Andy (Linxit) who manages and co-ordinates TftT. If you take it on you can count on my support.

      1. Jack, I’d be happy to have a turn at blogging the Quicky as well. Could do alternating Fridays with Merlin (or whoever) if that’s a suitable arrangement.
    2. Hi Merlin,

      Can you just drop me a personal message on LJ to confirm your interest in doing alternate Fridays and I’ll get you set up.

  4. Merlin – to be a crossword blogger the expression DNF cannot come into your vocabulary!

    And to ‘parse all understanding’.

    This was ‘a hurtle’ compared to today’s 15×15

    LOI TABLETOP – 6.55 COD

    horryd Shanghai

  5. There are no qualifications for being a blogger though I think enthusiasm will be generally a factor. DNF applies to bloggers like anyone else. In those circs, searches can be made using the letters already there on websites such as OneLookDictionary or another solver/blogger can be asked before the blog is finalised.
  6. Can I apologise on behalf of myself and our Editor, who is away this week,for not noticing his amendment to my clue to CONTRITE rendered it unsound. The original clue was “Penitent continued with ceremony (8)”, making use of the abbreviation CONT.. The Editor thought this might be a bit obscure/difficult and substituted what he thought was a simpler way of cluing these four letters. Unfortunately I did not notice he had miscounted when he sent me the final puzzle.
    Joker

    1. Many thanks for your response, John. At least it wasn’t as glaring as the recent nine/cube incident in the 15×15. It seems most solvers didn’t even notice this one.
  7. Well yesterday it was raining so I thought I would have a crack at the 15×15 and much to my surprise I completed it. Some words were new to me but could be parsed to correctly guess them.

    So I eagerly tucked into Joker today and according to my wife it was well under 10 mins to finish. Pride before the fall no doubt but all the bloggers on the Quick Cryptic have been a massive help. So thanks!

  8. Started well enough, but then needed a second sitting for the NW corner. I once advised someone to look at the other end of the clue if they were stuck. That was very good advice, and I only wish I had followed it myself for 11ac, which consequently took ages to see. Invariant
  9. Poke him in the eye. I enjoyed this puzzle. Trying an anagram of “screen gondolier” and not seeing 9a for a while took me just over the 10 minute mark. Today’s 15×15 was a bit beyond me, but thanks to the quickies I am improving and looking at the wordplay with more clarity. COD to 16d. Thanks blogger
  10. Just found today’s blog as it was posted so early, couldn’t find it earlier! COD TABLETOP. Managed six minutes today, could do the blog if needed.
  11. A nice gentle end to the week, in fact I had to double check that Joker was the setter after finishing in 14 minutes as I usually find him one of the tougher setters. I was particularly pleased to get 9a without too much trouble as ‘notes’ have tripped me up numerous times in the past.
    COD 18a.
  12. After so many disappointing times, at last a 28 minute finish. Maybe the start of an upturn in fortune? Some enjoyable clues today too.
  13. 10 mins 20 secs. stuck on 3d for over a minute (loi) – don’t know why it is obvious in retrospect
    9a a beautiful clue
    Also 2:27 for the Ken Ken – really warm up those brain cells!
    1. Wasn’t expecting a puzzle in comments.
      What did u mean by “also 2.27 for the Ken Ken”
      Cheers
      Johnny
      1. It’s one of the other daily puzzles offered by The Times. Never tried it myself, but I’m into Killer Sudoku.
      2. Jackkt has already replied, it is the numerical puzzle inside times 2

Comments are closed.