QC 3083 by Jalna

Author   MerlinPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Not too much trouble from Jalna here, 7:57 for me.

Two very similar clue formulations at 8A and 22D, which is a little unsatisfactory.

Definitions underlined in bold, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, synonyms in (parentheses), deletions in {curly brackets} and [ ] for other indicators.

Across
1 Sweet price periodically given by computer firm (5,3)
APPLE PIE – P{r}I{c}E follows APPLE (computer firm)

This would be sweet as in dessert.
6 Impulsive  outbreak? (4)
RASH – Double definition
8 In the end, you often tended to cancel (4)
UNDO – Final letters of “you often tended to”
9 More flexible about one service provider (8)
SUPPLIER – SUPPLER (more flexible) contains I(one)
10 Level covering a certain historical period (5,3)
STONE AGE – STAGE (Level) contains ONE (a certain)

This could be Level as in a computer game.
12 Assessment time put back (4)
TEST – T{ime} + SET (put) all reversed [back]

I kept trying to make this work with the wrong T, this led to my thinking up alternatives

  • Assessment time estimated (T +EST)
  • Assessment of note with saint (TE +ST)
  • Assessment of Hardy girl short on time (TES + T)
13 Complex  way to finish a phone call (4-2)
HANG-UP – Double def

For the kids, phones used to have two elements, a hand set which was attached by cable and a box bit with an element called the cradle. When you were finished you placed it in this cradle, and this was called hanging-up. Next week, we’ll learn about “dialling”.

And of course the other meaning is “an emotional or psychological problem”, its much newer than the other one, and dates from the early days of psychiatry, when they still used couches.
16 Extreme part of Christmas Eve revelry (6)
SEVERE – Hidden [part of] in “Christmas Eve revelry”
17 Do not remove 12 changes (4)
STET – Cryptic, with cross reference

Stet, is a typesetting instruction meaning “leave this alone”, or “don’t remove the changes”. The 12 indicates the answer to the clue at 12 across, “TEST” and the “changes” is an anagram indicator. Hence (TEST)* = STET.

Maybe this one escaped from the 15×15.
18 Reserve towel to begin with when visiting beach? (3,5)
SET ASIDE – T{owel} contained in SEASIDE (beach)

Not sure why we need a ? here, its a good clue, no whimsy needed.
21 Warning signal mistakenly altered after start of riot (3,5)
RED ALERT – (ALTERED)* follows R{iot}

Tricky as “altered” is usually the anagrind, and here it is the anagrist.
22 Get away from interminable filming session (4)
SHOO – SHOOT{t} (filming session)
23 Old chum is a gem (4)
OPAL – O{ld} + PAL (chum)
24 Splash of liquid in small dish (8)
SPLATTER – S{mall} + PLATTER (dish)
Down
2 Nothing in glass of beer and wine (5)
PINOT – O(nothing) contained in PINT (beer)

I tried POINT at first, it has many meanings, but I don’t think wine is one of them.
3 Ladies possibly love to wear large ring (3)
LOO – L{arge} + O(love) + O (ring)

It’s not so easy to get these in the right order. I guess “wear” can be used as a “precedes” indicator, but that doesn’t seem very natural.

This is gives two alternatives depending on which of the O’s you assign the Love and Ring to. Its either LO on O; or L on O, then O.
4 Ristorante dish done with artichokes originally (5)
PASTA – PAST (done) + A{rtichokes}

The use of Ristorante is supposed to cue up the fact that this is an Italian dish, but these “clues” often distract more than help.
5 Fast train   say (7)
EXPRESS – Double def

Say=express. Although it could be a triple definition, as express=fast (as in Express Checkout), and express is also a train (“Take the 10:00 Express from Euston”).
6 Fantastically versatile family (9)
RELATIVES – (VERSATILE)*

I’m always excited to see a new long anagram, where they are both single long words and most of the letters move about. Good one, Jalna.
7 Series featuring writers and poet (7)
SPENSER -SER{ies} contains PENS

Edmund SPENSER (English Poet 1552 -1599)  has appeared in these puzzles before. Wrote The Faerie Queen, then learnt to spell.

But seriously SER for series? I had to check, and found The ISO 4 international standard for abbreviating scientific journal titles, where “Series” does indeed become “Ser.”
11 Weird thing initially frightens everybody when it gets dark (9)
NIGHTFALL – (THING)* [weird] + F{rightens} + ALL (everyone)
14 Port — a new one worthy of contempt (7)
ANTWERP – A + N{ew} + TWERP (one worthy of contempt)
15 Have sheriff’s gangs succeeded? (7)
POSSESS -POSSES (sheriff’s gangs) + S{ucceeded}

That placement of the apostrophe means that one sheriff has multiple posses available. /pedantry
19 Complete  wreck (5)
TOTAL – Double def

Total as in the verb, usually used in reference to a wrecked vehicle by an insurance company, short for “Total loss”
20 Monotonous sound of remote-controlled aircraft (5)
DRONE – Double def
22 Firm ultimately bucks the market (3)
SET – Last letters of “bucks the market”

85 comments on “QC 3083 by Jalna”

  1. After yesterday’s quick time, I felt I wasn’t quite on the ball today, although 7.07 is respectable enough, I felt I never really got on the wavelength of the setter. I paused too long at TEST as the parsing didn’t come to me, and I only inserted it after solving STET. I thought it was tougher than yesterdays, but still pretty straightforward.

  2. A case of more haste less speed. I had to unpick a few answers because I didn’t read the clues fully. The ones I biffed from the definition were puT ASIDE, NIGHTtime and mate! It didn’t take long to correct my errors and I crossed the line in 5:33. FOI APPLE PIE, LOI POSSESS, COD HANG-UP. Thanks Merlin, particularly for your parsing of HANG-UP!

  3. 12.32 with a minute until PDM with SPENSER. NHO SER = series
    Went to Telegraph museum with daughter and g’children. ‘Oh, look! An old fashioned ‘phone – your grandmother will show you how it works!’ I looked twice at daughter, who then added, ‘ I have never used a dial phone in my life.’
    We now have an old Fisher Price toy phone (EBay) to amuse visiting small people.
    Thank you Jalna and Merlin – an education as always

  4. 8 minutes for me. LOI SPLATTER which required several looks en route and a final think.
    COD to NIGHTFALL; liked HANG UP too.
    Wondered about SER, like others.
    David

  5. Very nice crossword, thanks to Jalna and Merlin.
    Even forgave 17A – an indirect anagram AND a cross-reference in the same clue. Tut tut tut tut tut.

  6. 8:16 yet another rare sub10. Held up by Spenser until the Pens dropped moment. Took a double take at stone age thinking level was a 7 letter word ending in ge…
    Nice puzzle and I’m not complaining about the couple of spot the last letters clues; happy to have a few bones thrown my way!
    Ta M&J

  8. I won’t complain at my 9:50, though I think I should probably have been quicker, and I needed help to parse STONE AGE. Much to enjoy, anyway – COD SET ASIDE.

    Thank you for the blog!

  11. DNF

    13:06 but a DPS for POSSEES. I know, it’s obvious in hindsight. Otherwise a gentle solve. Wanted to put a C in SPENCER but saved by the checker. LOI RASH.

  12. Not quite as straightforward as yesterday but finished easily enough over coffee. Held up by ANTWERP where I had wrong definition for a while. Struggled initially to parse STONE AGE and had to take ser=series on trust. COD HANG UP. Very nice. Thanks Merlin and Jalna.

  13. Not as fast as yesterday and our 7:22 did not include parsing any of TEST, STONE AGE or SET ASIDE. No difficulties elsewhere though we assumed rather than knew SER was a valid abbreviation for SERIES. Thanks, Merlin and Jalna.

  15. Kind of a bumbling solve with my terrible typing skills getting in the way, but enjoyed my 10 minutes. The versatile RELATIVES were thrilling! Having filled a bit part on a TV show a few years back, I found the interminable filming session at 22a all too evocative.

    Thanks Jalna, and special thanks to Merlin for explaining about HANG UP haha.

      1. Your imagination will be far more entertaining than my memory!

        Played an old-timey fiddler for one episode of a show that sank without a trace. Great sets though.

  16. Quick for me with rare under 20 mins. Old enough to have used dial phones and stet in work, and at leisure messy enough to splatter pinot and pasta. Prefer a crumble to pie thou’.

    FOI Apple pie
    LOI Stet
    COD set aside

    thanks Jalna and Merlin.

  17. Personal second-best, after yesterday.

    I found 1A a little confusing: is ‘given by’ a standard indicator for comes after? Seemed counterintuitive.

    1. I took it to be “periodically given” telling that PIE is given to us by alternate letters.
      Separate from “by” = beside

      1. Ah! That makes sense, thank you. I have a habit of thinking one indicator is over as soon as I have figured out what it means, which can leave something unworkable after it.

  18. 10:16 here, faster than average but nowhere near a PB. I spent the last two minutes on SPLATTER, where I had all the crossers but the answer just wouldn’t come. Very frustrating! But enjoyed it anyway.

    Thanks to Jalna and Merlin.

  19. Phone call interruptions were our main problems but we got there in the end, enjoyable puzzle.

  20. Bit of a disappointment with this, as I always look forward to a Jalna, but this was decidedly unchallenging, with a top to bottom solve. Not really interested in a personal best time, more in keeping the little grey cells on their toes. A harder one next time, please?

      1. Well, I do the 15 x 15 most days when I get time, but I always like to tackle the known setters I enjoy on the Quick, such as Izetti, Asp, Jalna and Cheeko. There are plenty of easier setters, so it’s a shame when the more difficult ones are scaled right back and lose their challenge.

  21. Well swooping along again today saw STONE AGE but thanks for parsing. Grateful for actual key to POSSESS after looking hard at‘ed’ ending even after seeing ‘Have’ as defining word. Happy for all help given.

  23. Nearly all done in 10 minutes but 11d and 23a still to do, and they took a while, esp because I had biffed NIGHTMARE at 11d (frightens everybody when it gets dark) and I then took a while to ‘get’ OLD PAL, or OPAL. So NIGHTFALL followed and loi ANTWERP. Lots of fun along the way. Thanks to Jalna and to Merlin for a very decent workout. Quite enjoyed TEST and STET, even though X-refs seem frowned on normally.

  24. 19 minutes.

    Another dreadful performance given the Snitch rating and many of the other times recorded. I remain miles behind the competition and I’m wasting my time if this is the best I can do. Thought I’d done ok until I came here.

    Did ok on 15 x 15, but that is of no consolation (haven’t checked the Snitch yet but I bet it is very low).

    Well done to those who achieved great times today.

  25. All done but 2 clues NFPd. Good fun. We especially liked Merlin’s tutorial on “hang-up”. We also enjoyed the youtube video on dialling.
    Thanks very much Jalna and Merlin.

  26. 7:59. fairly straightforward, for some reason couldn’t see SPLATTER for ages which held me up and was my LOI. I liked SHOO and STET which I biffed. thank you both!

Comments are closed.