QC 1082 by Hurley

Author   nick_the_novicePosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Good puzzle for the newer solvers today – nice variety of clue types and all pretty straightforward, I believe.  One obscure bird at 23ac, but the wordplay was very generous and (if one regards the QC as a training ground for new solvers who want to “graduate” to the 15×15 Times cryptic one day) it is important to learn how to put in unknown words as answers with some confidence based on wordplay: even the most experienced solvers often find one or two unknown words in a Times cryptic.

Bit of a “no frills blog” today as I am absolutely smashed at work at the moment and have minimal time at my disposal.  But, thanks to Hurley and here’s how I think it all works…
Definitions underlined:  DD = double definition:  anagrams indicated by *(–):  omitted letters indicated by {-}

Across
1 Frank old writer (4)
OPEN – O (old) + PEN (writer)
4 Some swell night? Almost (4-4)
WELL-NIGH – Hidden in (some) sWELL NIGHt
8 Like distinguished lady from Tyrol man upset (8)
MATRONLY – *(TYROL MAN) with “upset” pointing to the anagram
9 Novice that you rule out initially (4)
TYRO – First letters of (initially) That You Rule Out
10 Cut with sharp instrument making you tetchy,
avoiding outsiders (4)
ETCH – {t}ETCH{y} – outside letters removed (avoiding outsiders)
11 Rep I mess about in place of business? (8)
PREMISES – *(REP I MESS) with “about” signposting the anagram
12 We hear ship’s company do needlework for
castaway (6)
CRUSOE – Sounds like (we hear) CREW (ship’s company) + SEW (do needlework)
14 Adjusted in advance — Peter’s arranged for it (6)
PRESET – *(PETERS) with “arranged” indicating the anagram
16 Make assessment of camp regularly —
commendation follows (8)
APPRAISE – Every other letter (regularly) of cAmP ‘followed’ by PRAISE (commendation)
18 Manager back in harness, so busy (4)
BOSS – Reverse hidden (back in) in harnesS SO Busy
19 Display behind Medical Officer, working (4)
MOON – MO (Medical Officer) + ON (working)
20 Permitted to back one politician? It’s suggested, but
not stated (8)
IMPLICIT – LICIT (permitted) comes after (to back) I MP (one politician)
22 English soldiers in canvas shelter or another
building? (8)
TENEMENT – E MEN (English soldiers) ‘in’ TENT (canvas shelter)
23 Bird he’s introduced to artist (4)
RHEA – HE inside (introduced to) RA.  Did not know the bird, but the wordplay made it a write-in.  Apparently it’s a South American thing distantly related to the ostrich and emu.
Down
2 Colonizer pupil at first learnt about (7)
PLANTER – P (Pupil at first) + *(LEARNT) with “about” signposting the anagram
3 Direction from minor thane (5)
NORTH – Hidden in (from) miNOR THane
4 White end falls off magic rod (3)
WAN – WAN{D} – magic rod minus its last letter (end falls of)
5 A ploy Peel developed for experts? No (9)
LAYPEOPLE – *(A PLOY PEEL) with “developed” indicating the anagram
6 Similar to some fruit teachers find agreeable (7)
NUTLIKE – NUT (teachers – National Union of Teachers) + LIKE (find agreeable).  I cannot think of any nuts that are similar to fruit, so I assume the definition is based on “fruit” and “nut” both meaning someone who is crackers. 
7 Shrub — small, covered by red stuff (5)
GORSE – S (small) ‘covered by’ GORE (red stuff)
11 Price changed, price not right? Precarious situation! (9)
PRECIPICE – *(PRICE) – with “changed” signalling the anagram – and P{R}ICE (price without its R – ‘right’)
13 Street cooker — that’s odd! (7)
STRANGE – ST (street) + RANGE (cooker)
15 Like bathrooms maybe, enamel originally, executive
used in northeast (2,5)
EN SUITE – E (Enamel originally) + SUIT (executive) inside (used in) NE (northeast)
17 Verify quietly on ramble (5)
PROVE – P (quietly) + ROVE (ramble)
18 Pipe from Rhode Island displayed in pub (5)
BRIAR – RI (abbrev. Rhode Island) ‘displayed in’ bar (pub)
21 Letter-perfect postman (3)
PAT – DD (as in “off pat” and the animated postie narrated by Ringo Star)

27 comments on “QC 1082 by Hurley”

  1. Nuts ARE fruits. The RHEA is a frequent visitor to the NY Times puzzles. I liked MOON. I had a perfectly decent time, 4:25, spoiled by typing BRIER and failing to notice.
      1. Peanuts are not a fruit as such, but are seeds. The pod is the fruit. Peanuts are no longer served on Singapore Airways as they are considered too dangerous to eat (for toddlers).
      1. Indeed, it doesn’t; I was responding to Nick’s comment. While I’m here, let me ask if ‘fruit’ can mean ‘bonkers’ in UK English; it’s not in ODE. I only know it as an offensive, and dated, term for a homosexual.
        1. Aha – didn’t read the whole thing. “Nutty as a fruitcake” certainly; not familiar with “fruit” alone in this sense.
  2. More on the puzzle later, but just a note for now to mention that this is Hurley’s 100th QC. Congratulations! We seem to be having a run of ton-ups at the moment.
  3. 6 minutes, so on the easy side perhaps, although perhaps not for those not so familiar with old crossword favourites such as TYRO and RHEA, that’s often (though not today) clued wih reference to the fact that it can’t fly. MOON was fun. CRUSOE turned up in two recent 15x15s, on 14 March and 24 April.

    Edited at 2018-05-02 04:32 am (UTC)

  4. 19 minutes, would have been much quicker but hit jackkt’s wall/breeze block with LOI 2d. I had P_A_T_R and guessed planter but couldn’t see how lanter = “learnt about” until the penny dropped.

    Dnk briar for pipe.

    Very enjoyable, liked moon but COD to planter.

    Edited at 2018-05-02 07:48 am (UTC)

  5. Dear, dear, dear. Oh Nick, what a blunder!
    It was Thomas the Tank Engine that was voiced by Ringo Starr (now John Hasler or Joseph May depending on the UK or USA version).
    Pat was/is voiced by the late Ken Barrie or Lewis Macleod.
    Thought I’d better get that one straight.
  6. Nice to get two good times on consecutive days at 14:56. Thanks and congrats to Hurley on his century
  7. LOI also 2dn PLANTER otherwise a respectable 12:47. TYRO as Novice was easy to work out but unknown to me.
  8. Just as day is dawning …

    That’s my ear worm for the day!

    Same as others really – fairly straightforward, MOON raised a chuckle, LOI was PLANTER. Cracking MATRONLY took a surprisingly long time, anagrams normally fly in for me. Just outside 3 Kevins thanks to those two clues.

    Thought it was a bit unimaginative to have TYRO as the answer for the clue printed directly beneath the word TYROL!

    Thanks to jack and congratulations to today’s centurion, Hurley.

    Templar

  10. Reasonable time today on what I thought was a straightforward puzzle. Precipice clue made me smile but then again my sense of humour has got me in trouble before.
  11. 24 minutes with my only real hold ups being 2d, where I was trying to think of someone’s name, and 5d. For some reason I completely missed the ‘no’ after the question mark and was looking for a word meaning expert, so Laypeople wasn’t top of the list. The neat surface for 11d, Precipice, gets it my vote for CoD, but there were contenders around the grid. A nicely crafted puzzle, and worthy landmark for Hurley’s ton. Invariant
  12. A top to bottom solve for me starting with OPEN and finishing with RHEA. No unknowns. Liked MOON and PRECIPICE. 7:11. Congrats to Hurley on his century and thanks to Nick for the blog.
  13. A more straightforward challenge today which took me 15 minutes.
    I did not help myself by putting Neath for 3d (anagram of THANE). It didn’t feel quite right at the time but I ploughed on. Hence 8a was LOI after necessary correction. COD to 11d.
    And congratulations to Hurley on his century. David
  14. Ringo Starr was followed by Michael Angelis from Liver Birds and Boys from the Blackstuff. They sounded identical. Whether Michael can sing Octopus’s Garden is not known. OG is 14 letters which won’t fit the QC. Shame it would be some clue. John
  15. Some much needed light relief after the last couple of days. Completed in 9.19 with LOI 6d and CoD going to 11d.
  16. Yes, this was Hurley’s 100th appearance in the Quick Cryptic series. Thank you for your kind remarks. Hurley
  17. A pleasant change to get a gentle one after 4 trickier ones in a row. I made almost a clean sweep on the across clues, so had plenty of checkers for the downs, getting me over the line in 3:51… in my top ten fastest QC solves. Thanks Hurley for all the good puzzles so far. Keep them coming!
  20. But I liked this puzzle. Relatively quick for me (19m). I didn’t know what a Tyro was, so biffed it. I didn’t remember that a Briar can refer to a smoking pipe, because of the wood it has been made from, but again biffed it.

    Nutlike is my most uncomfortable answer.

    Yes – botanically, nuts are fruits. And botanically – a peanut is not a nut.

    But in real life, peanuts are nuts just like hazelnuts or walnuts, and nuts don’t taste like fruit.

    But the botanic connection probably works better than the mad connection.

    Moon is my COD. Just because.

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