QC 1045 by Hurley

Author   astartedonPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Good morning happy bloggers! I am afraid I don’t have much time this morning what with clearing up after yesterday’s obligatory Mother (Ma, Mam, Mum, Mama, Mater, Mum, Dam, hush, sh, quiet, stum etc to you lot)-fest. Meal went well apart from it being roast beef for the unreconstructed meat-eating elder relatives, which is something I have not cooked for ages since the younger generation started tripping off onto their conscientious objection spectrum through vegequarian/piscatorian tendencies to veggie to full vegan militancy. Thus (a) I was cooking something currently unfamiliar to me (although after a while the cookery muscle memory kicks in, a bit like the finger muscle memory when you don’t play the piano for ages and then pick up a once familiar piece) and (b) I was having to ccok for the veggie representative of the younger generation as well (involving the adaptation of various elements of the standard fare (e.g. Yorkshire Pudding) to provide fitting veggie substitutes (e.g. veggie Toad in the Hole)). Dessert, thankfully, had no meat in it at all and was a Poached Pear concoction with Sablé Biscuits and Lime Caramel Sauce which was happily consumed by all.

So to this morning. Relatively straightforward again, about 8 minutes for me. The lovely lady at 1A slipped happpily into place first off, and I think my final resting place, perhaps appropriately after yesterday, was 10A. And I think I really did rather fall for that delightful young girl in New York for my COD. Not difficult but just a pleasing surface image putting me in mind of my youth and endless Lou Reed:

“Jackie is just speedin’ away
Thought she was James Dean for a day
Then you know she had to crash
Valium would have helped that dash
She said ‘Hey Babe, take a walk on the wild side…'”

Ah, takes me back, and reminds me that my girlfriend at the time was called Jacky (with a ‘Y’) and was actually the one who awakened me to Lou Reed and all that anyway!

Many thanks to Hurley for some elegant clues. Definitions are underlined and all cryptuc parsing is explained just as as my stream of unconsciousness sees it.

Across
1 Beautiful woman in New York taking speed? (5)
NYMPH – NY (New York) + MPH (speed).
4 Jack in Police Department is commended (7)
PRAISED – RAISE (jack) in PD (Police Department).
8 Inferior old strongholds, small inside (2,5)
OF SORTS – O (old) + FORTS (strongholds) with S (small) inserted.
9 In Perth an esteemed title, once (5)
THANE – Macbeth’s title was ‘Thane of Cawdor’, I seem to remember, hidden in PerTH AN Esteemed.
10 After victory English trader, we hear, goes here for drinks? (4,6)
WINE CELLAR – WIN (victory) + E (English) + CELLAR (sounds like seller = trader).
14 Shot girl receives known the world over (6)
GLOBAL – a GAL (girl) receives a LOB (shot).
15 Chesspiece that is used by new recruit (6)
ROOKIE – ROOK (chesspiece) + IE (that is).
17 Oonagh went for reform, avoiding alcohol (2,3,5)
ON THE WAGON – anagram of OONAGH WENT (‘reform’). Interesting etymology I heard once about this phrase. Many years ago, if you were unlucky enough to be sent for execution at Tyburn (somewhere near the modern location of Marble Arch in London) they would put you on a cart with all the other unfortunates and you would all ride to the place of execution together. On the way, the cart would stop at a local inn and all the prisoners would be offered a final drink before proceeding on to their deaths. If you decided to accept a drink, you would be said to have ‘one for the road’. If, on the other hand you refused this last drink but just sat where you were waiting for the final journey you would be said to be staying ‘on the wagon’.
20 Some trial, a month in siege site (5)
ALAMO – hidden in triAL A MOnth.
22 Purr — it’s over rider’s equipment (7)
STIRRUP – PURR IT’S reversed (over).
23 Sea duty arranged — twenty-four hours (7)
TUESDAY – anagram of SEA DUTY (‘arranged’).
24 Building we found in shelter of hill (5)
TOWER – TOR (hill) ‘sheltering’ WE.
Down
1 Noble opposed old king initially in secluded place (4)
NOOK – take the initial letters of Noble Opposed Old King.
2 Nearly all Medical Officer’s time (4)
MOST – MO’S (Medical Officer’s) + T (time).
3 Where recluse lives — male in tradition passed down (9)
HERMITAGE – M (male) ‘in’ HERITAGE (tradition passed down). In my experience the definition has acquired a modern irony in that some of the most luxuruios hotels I have stayed in during my life have been called The Hermitage. To say nothing of the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg which I re-visited last year.
4 Fish pies seen around South Carolina (6)
PISCES – PIES ‘around’ SC (South Carolina).
5 Suitable physical training after first of August (3)
APT – PT (physical training) after A (first of August).
6 Saw ankle moving in ballet (4,4)
SWAN LAKE – anagram of SAW ANKLE (‘moving’).
7 More dismal, stop working clutching back? Right (8)
DREARIER – DIE (stop working) ‘clutching’ REAR (back) followed by R (right).
11 Environmental refusal supported by film magazine (9)
ECONOMIST – ECO (environmental) + NO (refusal) + MIST (film).
12 Not knowing inn argot, confused (8)
IGNORANT – anagram of INN ARGOT (‘confused’).
13 More about origins of that good and generous loan (8)
MORTGAGE – MORE ‘about’ the first letters (origins) of That Good And Generous).
16 Spoils hay at edges, likely to get wet (6)
MARSHY – MARS (spoils) + HY (hay at edges).
18 Pressure over spat in part of boat (4)
PROW – P (pressure) ‘over’ in this down clue ROW (spat).
19 Fight playfully with Pole (4)
SPAR – Hmmm. I think I have to admit to an MER* here. Or maybe even a symmetrical arrangement of 2 MERs. It’s obvioulsy a double definition, but I have a slight problem with the second definition being capitalised (‘Pole’), as this specifically points to a native of Poland, rather than to just any old elongated lump of wood one might have lying around. I am also not entirely sure about the preposition ‘with’ and how it relates to the rest of the clue. If I fight playfully with you, then I spar WITH you. I do not SPAR you, whereas the first definition seems to be ‘fight playfully with’. The alternative is that ‘with’ is a separator of the two definitions in which case I suppose it is the difference between a preposition and a conjunction that is the problem in my mind. It is fine to have a double definition as ‘A and B’, as the sense is that the definition can mean A and can also mean B. Whereas if we use ‘with’ instead of ‘and’ then we end up with the two definitions in a disjunctive sense, which means that only the surface makes sense and not the underlying cryptic. I don’t think I’ve explained that very well, and maybe I’m making a Juggernaut out of a Jiffi bag but I hope you can see what I mean, or alternatively tell me that I’ve got it all wrong or that I should get out more.
21 Strange, like one or three (3)
ODD – double definition, one slightly cryptic, with one and three both being ODD numbers.

*Mild Eyebrow Raise – see earlier blogs.

32 comments on “QC 1045 by Hurley”

  1. 8 minutes. I see no problem with the capital P in Pole as that’s within the established conventions of diversionary tactics. The ‘with’ issue never occurred to me but if one is analysing the clue to the nth degree I’d just call it padding (linking the two definitions) and move on.

    Edited at 2018-03-12 08:53 am (UTC)

    1. Yes, I think you are absolutely right. Once I got involved in it though it was difficult to back out, and as I say, Time’s wingèd chariot was hurrying near. So I left it on the basis that at least it gives people something to talk about. I will chalk it up to inexperience and keep a lighter hand on the wheel in future. I do remember once reading a crossword analysis book when I was much younger in which misdirection by a capital letter was frowned upon but the wingèd chariot has obviously moved on quite a bit since then!
  2. One coffee and interruptions but a decent 19 minutes.
    Started badly with nmphy for 1a, which took a few seconds to fix.

    Global (shot for lob…), praised, and drearier also needed a second look to understand the parsing.

    CsOD pisces and economist.

  3. 20 mins, but did put ECOLOGIST in, after seeing all the checkers and biffing based on the first word and nit thinking another word could fit.

  4. I made the same mistake as merlin and even spent some time unsuccessfully trying to parse it. Other than that I was held up by reading the definition in 4a as ‘condemned’. So overall a bit of a careless Monday morning. Shame as I enjoyed the puzzle.
    Thanks for the blog
  5. No eyebrows raised here. As Jack says, the P of ‘Pole’ is unproblematic; the ‘with’ (=’and’) ditto. As for the explanation you cite of ON THE WAGON, as I forget the name of the philosopher would say, believe it if you can. 3:42.
    1. Yeah you’re probably right. Probably has more to do with a water wagon somewhere along the way. But I found it entertaining when I heard it and what difference will my drop of pollution make in the otherwise crystal pure ocean of fake news.
      1. I don’t know; I’ve always thought one was obliged not to spread misinformation.
        1. Great time Kevin. My times are generally very close to your’s but you beat me by a clear minute today.

          The ‘one for the road’ story is well known to me. However, my understanding of ‘on the wagon’ bears reference to the Temperance Societies that historically toured neighbourhoods on horse drawn wagons, preaching the dry gospel and encouraging converts to join them on said vehicle.

        2. I agree, and I would never knowingly spread misinformation. All I said was that I had heard this, and you very sensibly pointed out that I might be giving it more credence than it deserved.
  6. 13 minutes for me so an easy start to the week. Didn’t parse global so thanks to Astartedon for that and the great wagon fact. LOI was economist mainly because once I had the e I couldn’t get out of my head the film magazine empire.
  7. Pole, meaning rod, is entirely substitutable by Spar in this sentence.

    Of course it wouldn’t be acceptable to try and clue a denizen of the European country with “pole”, as you can never uncapitalise *that* kind of Pole. But you can capitalise the other one.

  8. I enjoyed this one and finished it with no need to resort to ‘aids’ more than a couple of times. Even done by lunchtime…

    11d, I did get wrong initially but it was clear once I realised that. Struggled with 4ac – I could see the answer but not how it was parsed and I’m still not entirely convinced even thought I’ve used a jack many times when tyres seemed less robust than these days.

    Had no problem with Pole as capitals seem to get scattered around with no rhyme or reason. Trick seems to be to ignore them…

    Thanks Hurley for a puzzle a relative novice could enjoy and to the blogger for the bits I had to bifd (eg 3d & 7d).

  9. I did this in 7:38 but with another silly error, WINE SELLAR! (Raises eyes to the heavens). Nice puzzle, rubbish solver. I’ll put it down to a convivial family day yesterday. I cooked a pork joint for the unrecontructed omnivores of the family, a vegetarian dish(frozen, bung in the oven when there’s a space) for the brother’s granddaughter, and kept one plate(and the starter and pud) gluten free for his (coeliac) wife. Two types of stuffing, one proper stuff, and one sausage meat and gluten free, two types of yorkshire pudding(cheated, with Aunt Bessie’s and Morrison’s Gluten Free), and two types of gravy. (Raises eyes to heaven again!). Thanks Hurley and Don.
    1. Right. Sounds like I had an easy ride then yesterday. I’m out of breath just reading about it!
  10. A gentle start to the week. Had no problem with Pole/SPAR. perfectly common piece of misdirection I thought. Can also be N or S when capitalised, so not necessarily a native of Poland.
    Enjoyed.
    PlayUpPompey
  11. Yes, this was a gentle enough 24 mins start to the week. Like others, I was initially tempted by Ecologist for 11d, but when it wouldn’t parse a re-think produced Economist, and made sense of the magazine at the end of the clue. Only other significant hold up was 16d, where I couldn’t even decide which end of the clue to concentrate on. For that reason, Marshy is my CoD. Invariant
    1. I put Marshy in, then doubted myself, as surely the word implies already wet, rather than likely to become so? Just musing. Sal.
  12. No hold-ups today and over the line in about 11 minutes. LOI was Global and COD to 1a Nymph.
    After the harder weekend puzzles, the Monday QC often seems relatively easy. This was a nice puzzle. Care needed on 10a where I nearly wrote in Seller. David
  13. Also had ecologist for 11d and though I couldn’t parse it, couldn’t see another option. 10a why not wine dealer? FOI 9a. LOI 16d. COD 1a. Helpful blog and thx to Hurley for a Monday workout
  14. Thanks, Astartedon, for a great blog. You’re always worth reading! I knew the origin of “on the wagon”, but didn’t realise “one for the road” came from the same source.
    Thanks, too, for parsing MARSHY. I had HATSHY, properly giggling now at my stupidity…but if you were hat-shy, you would indeed be likely to get wet 🙂
    1. Hey thanks Lucy! I love your enthusiasm – and thank you for expanding my vocabulary with HATSHY! The OED new word list beckons…
  15. Not really on the wavelength- found it tough and DNF – missed global, mortgage (didn’t check for the obvious!) and marshy
    Nick
  16. Entertaining blog as ever. Thanks! The origin of “on the wagon” was fun, true or not. Nothing here to hold me up too much, but a few made me think. Like others I was tempted by ecologist for 11d, but that doesn’t parse. No MER for SPAR for me, though, but others have already expressed that view. Slightly faster than average,which I guess means it’s right in the zone for a QC. If only Cawdor was in Perthshire… that would have made 9a rather special. Thanks Hurley and Astartedon.
    1. Thanks John. Since writing that blog I have realised how much my domestic arrangements interfered with it! Firstly, on looking back, had I had more time for consideration I would certainly have been less strident about 19D and may even have just passed it over. But secondly, it is only after your post that I realise that a whole lump of text that I had written about 9A did not end up in the final version! I was making the case indeed for an & Lit. as you suggest, but without any need as I see it for redrawing the map to bring Cawdor within Perthshire, because the climax of the play occurs when Birnam Wood come to Dunsinane and both those sites are in Perthshire. Although as I have mentioned before I am the world’s worst quiz team member for geography, I remember Birnam well for having played Dunkeld & Birnam golf course in a gale and blizzard with my son some years ago. We were staying at Gleaneagles and all the local courses were completely whited out and we were going stir crazy for a round. D & B was the closest course that was actually open and when we turned up to play, the husband and wife team who seemed to run the place looked at us incredulously and said “Ye’re nivver gang oot in that, are ye?” They were so surprised that they didn’t charge us, just said “good luck to you”. As it happened it turned out not to be a bad round for me at all (by my poor standards). I think the thoroughly adverse conditions had the effect of making me concentrate properly and so play above my normal standard. Although the course is quite a bit shorter than normal, it was probably one of the most tiring rounds I have ever played, partly because of the weather conditions, but more so because it is a relentless hike up and down steep inclines. Probably the hilliest course I have ever played!
  17. I had never heard the ‘on the wagon’ story before, so thank you for that. I am always pleased if I can finish the crossword before going to bed, so am learning all the time. The blog really helps.

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