QC 1655 by Trelawney

Author   astartedonPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Sorry, no time to say very much this week, too much going on in the world outside the blogosphere.

Another very gentle Monday. One of those ones where I think I might have had a PB under ideal conditions. As it was I got home in about 7 minutes without really trying to bust the clock.

Many thanks to Trelawney for providing another one of those valuable puzzles that gives everybody (I hope?) a boost of confidence at the start of the week.

FOI was the obvious anagram at 7A. LOI was 21D because, well, it was the last clue I came to. And in these gender-fluid times when I read everybody’s arguments and see everybody’s points of view and just thank my lucky stars that I am reasonably secure in my boring old male heterosexuality and so personally don’t have to worry about any of all that (in spite of the influence of my beloved avatar as mentioned in recent weeks), my COD was 18A for its nimble playfulness.

Can I just say as well many thanks to somebody who has been very kind to me. I hope he knows who he is and I will write him a grateful email shortly but sadly it has just been a very hectic week.

Definitions are underlined and everything else is explained just as I see it in the simplest words I can manage.

Across
1 Very easy task collecting river junk (5)
DROSS – DOSS (very easy task) ‘collecting’ R (river).
7 Cartel had demolished place of worship (9)
CATHEDRAL – straight anagram (‘demolished’) of CARTEL HAD.
9 Greek character hiding in handsome garden (5)
OMEGA – hidden word: ‘hiding in’ handsOME GArden.
10 A close friend beginning to mistrust NATO, for example (7)
ACRONYM – A + CRONY (close friend) + M (‘begining to’ Mistrust).
11 Noblewoman starts to develop unusual board game (7)
DUCHESS – D + U (‘starts’ to Develop Unusual) + CHESS (board game).
12 Alerts posh folk, embracing one quietly (7)
TIPOFFS – TOFFS (posh folk) ’embracing’ I (one) + P (piano, quietly).
15 Worker returning woman’s aerial (7)
ANTENNA – ANT (worker) + ENNA (ANNE (woman) ‘returning’).
18 Fe-male superhero? (4,3)
IRON MAN – IRON (chemical symbol = Fe) + MAN (male).
20 Sprinted to grab magical device from African country (7)
RWANDAN – RAN (sprinted) ‘grabbing’ WAND (magical device).
22 Tuna swimming with small relations (5)
AUNTS – anagram of TUNA (‘swimming’) + S (small).
23 Irish city’s sailors producing bottle opener (9)
CORKSCREW – CORK(‘)S (Irish city’s) + CREW (sailors).
24 Knock out jockey regularly — that’s strange! (5)
KOOKY – KO (knock out) + OKY (jOcKeY ‘regularly’)
Down
1 Robot starts to design rocket on its doorstep (5)
DROID – ‘starts to’ Design Rocket On Its Doorstep.
2 Gloomy about group of actors (8)
OVERCAST – OVER (about) + CAST (group of actors).
3 Climbed like an armadillo, perhaps? (6)
SCALED – an armadillo has scales.
4 Triple jumping — go for it! (3,3)
LET RIP – straight anagram (‘jumping’) of TRIPLE.
5 I was in charge of foreign land (4)
IRAN – I + RAN (was in charge of).
6 Fashioned himself a European language (7)
FLEMISH – straight anagram (‘fashioned’) of HIMSELF.
8 Are nitrates changing brewing equipment? (3,8)
TEA STRAINER – straight anagram (‘changing’) of ARE NITRATES.
13 Long-legged creature burning oxygen (8)
FLAMINGO – FLAMING (burning) + O (oxygen).
14 Fancy putting limit on staple food (7)
CAPRICE – CAP (limit) ‘on’ (i.e. ‘above’ in this down clue) RICE (staple food).
16 Detectives imprisoned by lunatic who’s barely seen? (6)
NUDIST – DIS (Detective Inspectors) ‘imprisoned’ by NUT (lunatic). Cryptic definition.
17 After a short time, tout punk rock hairstyle (6)
MOHAWK – MO (short time) + HAWK (tout).
19 Finally clean a pig enclosure that’s unpleasant! (5)
NASTY – N (‘finally’ cleaN) + A + STY (pig enclosure).
21 Farm building lacking roof is well ventilated (4)
AIRY – dAIRY (farm building) minus the first letter (i.e. ‘lacking roof’ in this down clue).

44 comments on “QC 1655 by Trelawney”

  1. Pretty straightforward, aside from LOI DROSS–DNK DOSS in the relevant sense, and waited until I got DROID to make sure. Today’s 15×15 is definitely one to have a go at; it took me almost exactly twice as long to do as this one. 4:42.
    1. Above is an example as used by schoolboys in the early 80s. My father didn’t use the word in this way. That’s etymology for you.
      According to an old Scottish lecturer dross was the glowing embers of a fire that you could reinvigorate the following morning. Anyone concur? Johnny
    2. … solved! Only the second time I have done so completely unaided, and in 25:53 which at 3K I will treat as a very good day.

      Thank you Kevin and others for directing us to it.

      Cedric

  2. Held up in the SW. Having all but three completed in 9 minutes then took another three to get RWANDAN, AIRY and LOI CAPRICE only to find I’d ruined CATHEDRAL by clumsily typing REA STRAINER. Annoying but at least I spotted TIPOOFS before submitting – not that I could be any lower on the leaderboard! Good start to the week – inspired by comments above I shall move on to the 15×15 at elevenses.
  3. Liked some of the clues even if they were reasonably straightforward – LET RIP for example which may be a chestnut but not seen by me before and a v smooth surface. Also FLEMISH and particularly TEA STRAINER were pleasing anagrams and surfaces. Thanks Trelawny and Astartedon
  4. 8 minutes here. Like Kevin, I didn’t know the required meaning of DOSS. I had to look twice at ‘about = OVER’ before realising that of course it’s fine. And although IRON MAN clued as ‘Fe-male’ was a gift I can’t say I ever heard of the superhero – another to add to the list started last Thursday when we had the Marvel comics Nina.

    Edited at 2020-07-13 05:34 am (UTC)

  5. 8.38, only hold ups were rwandan and airy.

    Liked ironman and aunts
    COD flamingo

  6. I’m not sure I’ve ever known what the meaning of CAPRICE is and a brain freeze on synonyms for ‘limit’ meant that I stared blankly at _A_RICE for a couple of minutes before the penny dropped. Other than that no real hold ups, although I had to avoid the temptation to biff DRONE for 1d. Finished in 10.58 with a tip of the hat to IRON MAN.
    Thanks to astartedon
  7. Thought I was going to get a PB here but ended up spending ages on CAPRICE, having to do an alphabet crawl – 14:44.

    FOI: cathedral
    LOI: caprice
    COD: iron man

  8. Although I got held up on caprice and dross, it wasn’t for long, so I came home in 8:05. Liked Ironman and nudist.

    Edited at 2020-07-13 07:51 am (UTC)

  9. Another who didn’t know the required meaning of DOSS, so I waited for the checkers before typing it in. I also wanted to put DRONE at 1d, but forced myself to read the clue properly before moving on. LOI was CAPRICE. 7:23. Thanks Trelwaney and Don.
  10. I thought I would be joining the previous posters with a good time but, after a great start and a quick completion of most of the top half, I slowed markedly. It didn’t help that, in my rush to fill the grid, I had biffed partner (close friend/NATO) for 10a but came to see that T_P STRAINER wasn’t going to get me anywhere and thought again more carefully. FLEMISH (quite well hidden, at least for me) then dropped out, too. Over target but avoided the SCC. I liked TIP OFFS, NUDIST, TEA STRAINER, RWANDAN, and LOI CAPRICE and I only parsed IRON MAN after entering it – doh! Good puzzle from Trelawney and very helpful blog comments from Don. Thanks to both. John M.

    Edited at 2020-07-13 08:51 am (UTC)

  11. I agree this was a gentle start to the week and i enjoyed it so thanks setter and blogger. Is there a dictionary that gives doss for an easy task. Mine only give the common uses eg to sleep roughly or to spend time idly etc
    1. DOSS is “a task very easily accomplished” according to Chambers. Of course, Chambers does have some off-the-wall words and definitions, and this meaning was new to me. Fortunately, it was obviously correct.
      1. Ah Thanks
        I’ve got a Chambers but its 20 years old and no mention. I knew it had to be right though.
  12. … 14 down, CAPRICE. I know that I wasn’t alone today in stumbling over that one. I don’t know why, though because it’s perfectly straightforward once you’ve got it. I ended up having to do an alphabet trawl. That took a perfectly decent time (for me) of 18 minutes (pre 14 down) way up into a hideous stratosphere (after it) . Ah, well…
    Some super clues today, I thought. I very much liked CORKSCREW and TEA STRAINER. Fab.
    I’m feeling encouraged by the comments of the experienced posters here so, if I get the chance, I’m going to have a go at the 15 X 15 crossword today.
    Thanks so much, Don, for your, as always, helpful blog and many thanks, too, to Trelawney

    Edited at 2020-07-13 09:33 am (UTC)

  13. Thought I was going to land inside 15 minutes today, but last few (TIPOFFS, CAPRICE, FLAMINGO) pushed me over 20. Brilliant puzzle nevertheless. FOI – DROID; LOI – LET RIP (got stuck on hop, skip, and a…); COD – FLAMINGO. Enough encouragement to tackle 15×15 as an experiment (later). Thanks blogger and setter.
  14. Fast fun today after a slowish start with CATHEDRAL. COD to LET RIP but several other candidates. Last in were DROSS and DROID. 07:02 on the clock. David
  15. Having seen Trelawney’s name at the top of the puzzle meant I girded myself to try to go fast and maybe break my pb which has stood at 16:01 for far too long (10th Sept 2019). However, although I did find most of the clues fairly straightforward, too many of them did take one or two moments thought to come to mind and it all added up. I then stalled entirely with just 13 and 14d left. I got CAPRICE fairly soon although it was only a very vaguely familiar word (it’s the name of a supermodel to me), but FLAMINGO took many minutes before the penny dropped and left me with a just outside target time of 30:56.
  16. May I add my encouragement to anyone thinking of trying the 15 x 15. Today’s is as easy as they get (from my experience).
  17. A gentle start to the week but it still took me 9 minutes (not sure why). A bit of a MER with TIPOFFS. I thought it was either two words or hyphenated. CAPRICE and CORKSCREW held me up at the end. Thanks
  18. ….in the great magnetic field” (“IRON MAN” by Black Sabbath – not for those of a more aesthetic bent !)

    I’ve discussed “doss” above, but MER at TEA STRAINER. Only the teapot is brewing equipment surely ? The strainer is a post-brewing accessory. No other problems.

    FOI CATHEDRAL
    LOI AIRY
    COD ACRONYM
    TIME 0.79K

  19. Pretty much bang on 15 mins for me today which is just over my PB.

    Nothing too tricky I think, although for 8dn I initially started looking for obscure beer fermenting equipment. Didn’t have a problem with 14dn “Caprice” but, like many, had to wait for checkers for 1ac.

    FOI – 9ac “Omega”
    LOI – 1ac “Dross”
    COD – 4dn “Let Rip”

    Thanks as usual.

  20. Just an additional comment to encourage attempts at today’s 15×15. I was slow to start but persevered and found it fun. I only took twice my QC time so was pleased with that. John M.
  21. Just inside top target time of 15 minutes, but it should have been quicker – I’m probably still half asleep after a tough night with a cold compounded with hay fever. I’ll leave tackling the 15 x 15 until I’m awake. Thanks setter and blogger.
  23. I enjoyed this, finishing in 39 minutes which is very good for me. Like others, I got held up on 14D Caprice, but also on 15A Antenna for some reason. I kept trying to put the “worker” in backwards, not the woman’s name. Some lovely clues as well, 8D Tea Strainer, 18A Iron Man and 20A Rwandan were particular favourites.

    FOI 9D Omega
    LOI 14 Caprice
    COD 18A Iron Man – a clever surface particularly if you know the character

    Thanks astartedon for the blog and Trelawney for the confidence-boosting puzzle! On to the 15×15 following everyone’s recommendation.

  24. Nice and Monday-ish. I paused only on TEA STRAINER (had a different type of brewing on my mind) and, like others, the first bit of CAPRICE. Biffed LET RIP and checked Don’s excellent blog for the (it has to be said, straightforward) parsing that eluded me.

    Thanks Trelawny for the confidence boost, much needed after submitting yesterday’s solution with an answer missing… Guess the pen will have to wait until next week.

  25. Thought I had completed this smoothly in a fairly good time (albeit with interruptions) only to find when reading down Astartedon’s solutions that I had overlooked 16dn completely (solving on paper). Never mind – it was an enjoyable crossword with several good contenders for COD. I also belong to the club who had never heard of DOSS in this context and had to wait to get 1dn to confirm.

    FOI – 7ac CATHEDRAL
    LOI – would have been 16dn if I had noticed it!
    COD – 18ac IRON MAN (luckily my grandsons have educated me in the names of superhero characters).

  26. I wanted to write in Dross straight away, but NHO Doss for easy task, so I ‘jumped’ to the NE with Let Rip and then down the RHS, before working back towards the NW. The first few downs then confirmed 1ac had to be Dross, and so with the clock just over 20 mins I only had 14d to solve. Just couldn’t see for the life of me what to put in front of -rice, and was laboriously working through double alphabet trawls when Mrs Invariant did her usual ‘this is the answer without reading the clue’ trick. Apart from that, a very enjoyable puzzle with (chestnut or not) 4d, Let Rip, my stand-out CoD. Invariant
  27. Agree with everything and everybody!
    LOI CAPRICE. About an hour in three goes, half the time on LET-RIP and the afore mentioned LOI. May have a go at the grown ups puzzle later to see if the encouragement is well placed.
    Thank you Trelawny and Astartedon and all.
  28. then held up by DROSS and SCALED, then realised I didn’t have CAPRICE either, which took my out to a disappointing 8:26. Might leave the 15×15 until later!
  29. I very rarely even attempt the full puzzle, but blitzed it today. Seemed like a straightforward QC with a few extra letters.
    Enjoyed this one. Nothing tricky, just good fun.
    PlayUpPompey
  30. As everyone else has said – a nice start to the week. Lots of great surfaces and witty anagrams – I particularly liked CORKSCREW, SCALED and LET RIP, but agree with the comments on doss. I’m another one who only knew the lazing about meaning, so DROSS was very nearly LOI. All the same, although everything went in fairly smoothly, I wouldn’t say this was a complete doss!

    FOI Cathedral
    LOI Iran
    COD Iron man
    Time 10 mins

    Thanks Trelawney and Don

    If it’s not too late, I will echo the recommendations to have a go at the biggie if you’re not a regular over there 😄

  31. A lovely puzzle to breeze through after a wedding anniversary picnic lunch on the riverside.
    I really liked RWANDAN, CAPRICE and FLEMISH but I am another member of the DNK DOSS club and I also thought that TIPOFFS should be hyphenated.
    COD goes to NUDIST for raising a smile.
    Thanks to Trelawny and Don for giving us a great start to the week.

    Edited at 2020-07-13 02:19 pm (UTC)

  32. Despite having been a regular at Le Caprice during my carefree, child free 20s, I still sat and stared at 14dn for a good 3-4 minutes … just couldn’t see it!

    Great fun puzzle, lots to enjoy. LET RIP and FLEMISH were really well-concealed anagrams.

    FOI CATHEDRAL, LOI CAPRICE, COD IRON MAN. Done in a whisker over 2k for a Good Day.

    Many thanks Trelawney (NB the spelling, Don!) and Don.

    Templar

    1. Oh dear that is a bit of a glaring error isn’t it. Sorry, I’ll amend it.
  33. who say have a go at the 15×15 today.

    I managed it in 22 seconds less than today’s QC, and smashed my PB by approx 4 minutes.

    1. According to Collins, ‘tipoff’ can be one word but only in the sense of a move in basketball, but I can’t find any support for it with the meaning intended by the setter.

      Edited at 2020-07-13 05:32 pm (UTC)

  35. … with all done and (for once) parsed in 8:10. As a sub-10 finish is increasingly rare (and a sub-2K one even rarer). I feel set up for the week. Thank you Trelawney!

    COD 18A Iron man; clever concatenation of Fe and male!

    Thanks to Don for the blog
    Cedric

  37. The hectic week continues and, sadly, the QC isn’t our top priority. That said, we loved Trelawney’s puzzle – thank you – it was a perfect pause – so nice to use our brains instead of our brawn. A quickish time for us today, can’t give a number but definitely less than 15 mins.

    FOI: droid
    LOI: caprice
    COD: so many candidates but we liked acronym, Flemish, let rip and scaled

    Thanks to Astartedon for the blog

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