Times Quick Cryptic No 184 by Mara

Author   macavity123Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Solving time: easier end of things.

A nice straightforward puzzle in today’s QC slot with a number of Mara’s slightly risqué answers or clues. Very enjoyable and nothing that really held me up.

Incidentally, thanks for covering for me last week. I’m still experiencing lots of trips to hospital for clinics etc. Speaking of which…. toodle-oo!

Across
1 CANNABIS – Definition is ‘pot’. IS following CAN (WATERING VESSEL) + NAB (BAG).
6 MARK – Double Definition – to score and an evangelist who wrote some work.
8 SCUD – Definition is ‘move like clouds’. The first letters (Initially) of Some clouds (unexpectedly) don’t.
9 SOUS-CHEF – Def is ‘kitchen assistant’, not Cook, which here is an anagram indicator. An anagram of FOCUSES with H (hot starter) inside.
10 WEREWOLF – Def = howler. WE + the reversal (from right to left) of a word meaning plant, i.e. FLOWER. A clever clue.
11 BACK – Double definition.
13 SITTING PRETTY – A way of cryptically dscribing what a model does can also mean ‘doing well’.
16 STIR – A double definition. A word meaning to mix in is a slang word for prison.
17 CELIBACY – Def is ‘a priest’s promise’. An anagram (to fix) of A BICYCLE.
19 ORGANIST – Def = player. An anagram (nuts) of ROASTING
21 ASIA – Def = Thailand is here. A + the old name for Thailand, minus its last letter.
22 ANNE – Def = Queen. Hidden (indicated by “some….” inside “WOAMN NEFERTITI”.
23 OVERTIME – Def = “extra work”. This is a wordsum. OVERT (clearly evident) + I’M + E (energy).

Down
2 ALCHEMIST – The definition is “Fellow going for gold”. An anagram (extraordinary) of ST MICHAEL.
3 NUDGE – Def = elbow. G (good) inside NUDE (sort of painting).
4 BASSOON – Def = “Blow it!” meaning a musical instrument. BOON (gift) with ASS (idiot) inside.
5 STUFF – Double definition. Something that means load and a word for ‘things (in general)’.
6 MACABRE – Def = that’s grisly. CAB (vehicle) inside MARE (horse).
7 ROE – Def = eggs. Hidden (hoarded by) inside CROESUS.
12 CATECHISM – Def = religious instruction. An anagram (kind of) of SCHEMATIC.
14 TERRACE – Def = paved area. A wordsum. T (close to [last letter of] MUTT) + ERR (stray) + ACE (one).
15 PALETTE – Def = ‘range of colours’. PALE (white) + TTE (first letters of Teal, Turquoise and Ecru).
17 CAIRO – Def = capital. AIR (atmosphere) inside CO (company).
18 BEAST – Def = wild animal (or the nickname Mark Labbett off ITV’s The Chase!). BEST (it’s most recommended) with A inside.
20 RUN – Double definition. A word meaning to manage and to go fast.

15 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 184 by Mara”

  1. 6 minutes, so equalling my PB for a Quickie which I have only achieved once before. I may crack 5 minutes one day if I give up parsing as I go.
  2. Very enjoyable but I found this quite hard, in particular the top left with WEREWOLF last in. Managed to parse all the answers. Several good clues and difficult to pick a favourite but my last in just gets the nod over CANNABIS and ASIA.
  3. Also very quick by my standards. I do not time myself, allowing pauses for any distractions that might appear, but this time my first read through of the across clues put in so many that it was just a procession from there. Then about 30 minutes for the attempted
    parsing. I do not count completion as a success, so sadly I am yet to solve a single puzzle. This time I failed on ASIA and TERRACE, the latter still baffling until I finally comprehended the double meaning of ‘close’.
    What this amounts to is that there would be no point whatever in my persevering with these puzzles if this blog did not exist, so once again many thanks to all the bloggers who are guiding me little by little into the dialect of crosswordary.
    1. I agree. Without the blog I would give up. I gave never completed a puzzle although have got close. Did not think this was easy but then I never do
      1. Agree too. I need the explanations. Terrace was classic: I “got ” it quickly but I couldn’t put it in because I couldn’t begin to see how it fitted.
        Contrast 6dn which I got brilliantly with CAR c ASS. OK I couldn’t quite see how the extra c worked or that carcass was especially grisly. But with such an inspired answer it took me way too long to take it out.
        I do enjoy it though and this blog is critical to that: thanks b
        ( I do it every day and visit every day but don’t always comment.)
  4. I wasn’t particularly quick on this but I did really enjoy the clues – 19a and 17a in particular! Couldn’t parse Terrace though so thanks to Macavity, and to Mara for another fun puzzle (much more on my wavelength than yesterday…)
  5. 12 mins for me. I finished with the top left corner again for some reason (same as yesterday) with 1a being my LOI. Liked the anagram at 2 and the reversal at 10
  7. 6’50” for this. I thought the NW was considerably harder than the rest. In that sector, the direct lifting of a word in the clue (IS and WE in 1a and 10a) is a device rarely found in the Times main cryptic – not being considered elegant – but quite common in the Guardian and other cryptics.

    NIT and ASS are probably the most common three-letter crossword idiots, with TWIT (and just for Kevin) TWAT possible four-letter ones.

    1. Fascinating, as Mr. Spock always said. Is ‘fanny’ as verboten in the UK as ‘twat’ (first time I’ve ever written that word–absolutely beyond the pale; not even I would dream of using it) is in the US?
  9. Managed to complete this one in, for me, a good time for once – split between home and Costa. Didn’t spot 12d as an anagram but it had to be the right answer. Liked 21a ‘ASIA’ as a good double think. It’s good to come here and find out just WHY/HOW some of them work… Thx to all bloggers!

  10. No problems… until TERRACE, which I could not see at all. Thanks for the explanation.

  11. Reading the other comments here, I feel as though I may not have a good day. While that may be true for other reasons, I still thought this was a bit tough for a quickie. Finished OK, but can’t say I zipped through it. Enjoyed CANNABIS, WEREWOLF and ALCHEMIST so many thanks Mara and also to our blogger. BTW is Macavity the cat or is it Scottish for toothache?
  12. Lovely puzzle from Mara & many thanks to Macavity XXX

    I had a kick-start & a few revs from Z8, but got finished in 22 mins so feeling good!

    There were some glorious anagrams, particularly CELIBACY, CATECHISM and ORGANIST.

    COD was STIR – simple double meanings tickle my fancy.

    LOI was ORGANIST just the way I moved down the grid.

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