Welcome to 2024, and on my “1 second = 1 year” system my target for the puzzle now creeps up to 20:24. I did not make it today.
Rattled along but saw red squares at 2d, and I don’t think I’ll be the only one with that error.
Having failed to find a Nina each time one appears I asked ChatGPT if there was a possible theme between these words. The answer was
In summary – with the information provided, I do not see enough consistency or critical mass of words relating to any one theme to confidently identify an overarching topic or meaning.
Definitions underlined in bold , synonyms in (parentheses) (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, other wordplay in [square brackets] and deletions in {curly} brackets.
| Across | |
| 8 | Councillor, old and restful, avoiding one game on lawn (7) |
| CROQUET – CR (Councillor) + O{ld} + QU{I}ET (restful) [“avoiding one” = remove the letter I] | |
| 9 | Bad-tempered woman, former spouse recalled, into French wine (5) |
| VIXEN – EX(former spouse) [recalled = reversed] contained in VIN (French wine)
I always thought a VIXEN was a seductress or a cunning woman, rather than bad-tempered. |
|
| 10 | Group of stars having duck and port with knight (5) |
| ORION – O (duck) + RIO (port) + N [=Knight in Chess] | |
| 11 | Famous scientist dreamy, wanting diamonds for wife (7) |
| FARADAY – FARAWAY (dreamy) with D{iamonds} replacing W{ife} | |
| 12 | Place for valuables close, turning key fast (5,4) |
| NIGHT SAFE – NIGH (close) +E (musical key) FAST [turning=reversed]
Not a fan of using “key” to indicate one of 7 letters. |
|
| 14 | Health centre son joined with father (3) |
| SPA – S{on} + PA (father)
A chestnut, I’m sure we had this recently, clued this way. |
|
| 16 | Regularly tell off mischievous child? (3) |
| ELF – {t}e{l}l{o}f{f}
Mischievous is more often an Imp. At my primary school (Telford School, Leamington Spa) the classes were called Fairies, Imps, Nymphs, Elves, Pixies, Gnomes, Sprites and Brownies. |
|
| 18 | Put restrictions on gang criminal (4-5) |
| RING-FENCE – RING (gange) + FENCE (criminal)
This is FENCE the noun, a dealer in stolen goods. “Criminal” not an anagram indicator today. |
|
| 21 | Weather feature depicted by artist in East London area (7) |
| RAINBOW – RA (artist) + IN + BOW (East London area) | |
| 22 | One in road moved fast (5) |
| RACED – RD (road) contains ACE (one) | |
| 23 | Article, current, on unknown Antipodean soldier (5) |
| ANZAC – AN (article) + Z (unknown) +AC (current)
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, part of the allied Mediterranean Expeditionary Force during the First World War. |
|
| 24 | Citizen‘s aquatic vessel caught in stream (7) |
| SUBJECT – SUB (aquatic vessel) + JET (stream) contains C{aught}
British passports used to all say British Subject, but as of 1981 they now they say British citizen. The ANZACs mentioned above were all British subjects. |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Sponge transformed rugs once (8) |
| SCROUNGE – (RUGS ONCE)* | |
| 2 | Scrapping an Olympic sport (6) |
| ROWING – Double def.
This is the cause of my, and probably many other pink squares today. Since BOXING is a reasonable answer. The reason that on reflection ROWING is likely to be correct is that a double def usually has one cryptic definition, and ROWING requires a vowel change to get the other definition. |
|
| 3 | Smart black vase (4) |
| BURN – B{lack} + URN (vase) | |
| 4 | Post first-class to reach Scottish island (6) |
| STAFFA – STAFF (Post) + A (first-class)
It’s a speck of an island off the coast of Mull, only 1/8 square mile. Was visited by Sir Joseph Banks who named the main sea cavern ‘Fingal’s Cave’. The 239th biggest Scottish Island. |
|
| 5 | Botanist may look thus on next page (8) |
| OVERLEAF – Double def
A Botanist would look over a leaf to study it, I presume. |
|
| 6 | Displays suede pants — around five pairs? (6) |
| EXUDES – X [10 in Roman Numerals, = 5 x 2 ] + (Suede)* [“pants” as anagram indicator] | |
| 7 | Up in Rhyl, Noel’s alone (4) |
| ONLY – Hidden and reverse in Rhyl, Noel | |
| 13 | Group of workers with Royal Navy support retreat (4,4) |
| TURN BACK – T{rade}U{nion} (Group of Workers) + R{oyal}N{avy} + BACK (support)
TUC is common, but TU for just Trade Union is rare, but it appears in Collins. |
|
| 15 | Deacon broadcast both sides of the short story (8) |
| ANECDOTE – (DEACON)* + T{h}E [Both sides] | |
| 17 | Reportedly stabilise architectural adornment (6) |
| FRIEZE – Sounds like FREEZE (stabilise) | |
| 19 | Most modern members of flock probing religious books (6) |
| NEWEST – EWES (members of flock) inside NT(religious’ books)
I had NEST for members of flock, but that leaves WE or EW |
|
| 20 | Person who steals a pound (6) |
| NICKER – Double def.
NICK= slang for steal, so a NICKER is one who steals. NICKER is also dated slang for a pound, often used for higher numbers such as “fify nicker”. OED has “origin unknown” |
|
| 21 | Sheets of paper, yellowish-white, Charlie removed (4) |
| REAM – {C}REAM (yellow white) [C{harlie} removed] | |
| 22 | Fleece covering English gown (4) |
| ROBE – ROB (fleece) + E{nglish} | |
16:27 WOE. I won’t tell my rower daughter that BOXING came to mind before ROWING if no-one else does. Whoops, that’s a bit embarrassing. 😳
I had ROWING. I thought Breadman is considered one of the “easier” setters, or do I have my wires crossed, again?
08:33
Getting stuck on LOI frieze has its advantages as I was able to have second thoughts about boxing.
Liked anecdote, overleaf, and COD exudes.
Didn’t like frieze.
3:57 but with BOXING, which went straight in and is clearly a better fit than the “correct” answer. Distinctly unimpressed.
Boxing for me too, drat. Thanks Breadman and Merlin. Merlin, I think your entry is categorised under Daily Cryptic instead of Quick Cryptic. I couldn’t find it at first because my bookmark is set to Quick Cryptic.
Thanks, fixed now
Thanks Merlin
WOE is me 😅 I also forgot to put the timer on, but think it would have been just under 10 minutes. But it doesn’t count … Frustrating, because I rather enjoyed this – RAINBOW raised a smile and I liked OVERLEAF and NEWEST too.
Strangely, I know exactly where Telford Primary School is, because my son used to live in Leamington, and we regularly passed your old school when visiting! I certainly don’t think of an elf as a mischievous child though, and your class names remind me of Brownie sixes.
FOI Vixen LOI Scrounge, but to no avail.
Thanks Breadman and Merlin
Luckily “boxing” never occurred to me, so a very pleasing (to me) time of 12:57 setting a new personal best for a Breadman puzzle. FOI = CROQUET, LOI = SUBJECT, COD = NEWEST. Thanks to Merlin and Breadman.