Back in tricky territory again this week, I felt. Made up a word at 1a to begin with (cellural, anyone?) and stared long and hard at 18a before realisation dawned. I knew the word play was correct but didn’t see the definition; a brilliant piece of misdirection by the setter and hence COD. To the chemical symbols, Greek letters and cricket positions a solver needs to know, might I add a smattering of Cockney rhyming slang!
Thank you Tracy.
Across | |
1 |
Artistic sect by river in Russia: CULTURAL Sect = CULT, river in Russia = URAL. I think we’ve had this river fairly recently. |
5 |
Flick through second novel by Kipling: SKIM Second = S, Kipling novel = KIM. The Jungle Book just wasn’t going to fit! |
8 |
Bearlike creature from Japan, daunting: PANDA Hidden word |
9 |
Lieutenant, perhaps female I wanted in reformed force: OFFICER Female = F, I = I, inside anagram (reformed) of FORCE |
11 | Aloof rugby player is hard: STANDOFFISH Rugby player = STANDOFF, apparently short for ‘stand-off half’, well it makes a change from cricket, is = IS, hard = H |
13 | Got to know English humorist associated with the National Trust: LEARNT English humourist = LEAR, National Trust = NT |
14 | Bleach – the WI changed name: WHITEN Anagram (changed) of THE WI, name = N |
16 | To lose an opportunity, has to be straying in fog: MISS THE BOAT Anagram (straying) of HAS TO BE, inside fog = MIST |
18 |
Tower Hill by rail, shortened?: TRACTOR Rail shortened = TRAC(k), hill = TOR; something that tows rather than something that towers |
19 | A practice generating a great deal of interest?: USURY Cryptic definition |
20 | Got rid of, the woman departs: SHED The woman = SHE, departs = D |
21 |
Toast friend, briefly home after church: CHIN CHIN Friend briefly = CHIN(a) (Cockney rhyming slang), church = CH, home = IN |
Down | |
1 |
Manage to catch leader of event: COPE Catch = COP, leader of Event = E |
2 | Left one celebrity’s gallery in Texas: LONE STAR STATE Left = L, one = ONE, celebrity’s = STAR, gallery = TATE |
3 | In serious difficulty contending with Italian: UP AGAINST IT Contending with = UP AGAINST, Italian = IT |
4 | In disagreement when going round to daughter and duke: AT ODDS When = AS, going round to = TO, daughter = D, duke = D |
6 |
Put out of play to evade an issue: KICK INTO TOUCH Double definition |
7 | Trader from Maine with tirade about check: MERCHANT Maine = ME, tirade = RANT, about check = CH |
10 |
Subversive group – one in five row: FIFTH COLUMN One in five = FIFTH, row = COLUMN, though I always thought rows horizontal and columns vertical |
12 | Climate affected small climbing plant: CLEMATIS Anagram (affected) of CLIMATE, small = S |
15 | Want expensive article, not English: DEARTH Expensive = DEAR, article, not English = TH(e) |
17 |
Song of praise that man heard: HYMN Homophone (heard ) of that man = HIM |
ps blogs are invaluable wouldn’t have improved without them- thanks
Excellent puzzle, not too difficult but still a challenge.
So arrived at “tractor” instead.
I thought row/column might be another of those definitions that relies on what one of our contributors has termed ‘a three-point turn’ to get from one to the other, the middle step in this case being perhaps ‘line’ or ‘queue’, but on checking I found that Collins kindly obliges with a word-for-word definition: column = row.
Edited at 2016-02-19 09:56 am (UTC)
Have you done what others recommend, which is compiling a booklet of crossword tropes: abbreviations, anagrinds, rivers (Dee, Ural seem common), synonyms (e.g. “Bishop = B, DD, RR)?
I’ve got a lot better simply by concentrating on the beginning or end of the clue; makes it so much easier when you know what is the likely definition.
I really agree with your points about the needless bragging about doing it in 7 mins etc. Surely a sign of deep down personal inadequacy having to crow like this.
I’m glad you find the blog helpful, but it’s a shame you felt the need to make an anonymous and disparaging remark about some of the people who voluntarily provide the service and other contributors to the discussions. As for solving times, the clue is in the name of the forum.
Edited at 2016-02-19 09:16 pm (UTC)
DG
EMU66 writes “a brilliant piece of misdirection” but hasn’t “Tower Hill” gone beyond that?
“Tower Hill” is a place in London but that place has nothing to do with any part of the clue or the answer.
Edited at 2016-02-19 11:52 am (UTC)
I’ve been doing QCs for about 6 months and can’t recall seeing this type of “misdirection” before – could you point a previous occurrence?
GeoffH
So I seem to be getting on with the QC quite well.
With time on my hands I tried today’s main crossword. I got 5 clues and then gave up. It is a major step up to take on the 15×15 but the QC and these blogs in particular make it possible. I may get 6 clues tomorrow! David
It usually takes me around 30 minutes.
Where in the clue does it tell us to double Chin?
A couple of points: There is nothing wrong with people posting fast times – 45 minutes is about par for me these days and I just accept that the 5-10 minute guys are better than me. Secondly, the jump from QC to 15×15 is enormous, so the odd ‘difficult’ one is actually helpful. I think it’s the obscure fact/word that causes most anguish with newbies (and I still include myself in that group). Invariant
Agree that recent offerings have been tougher, but I think difficulty levels are tricky to gauge.
No problem that some finish in under 10 minutes, gives us something to aim for, however unrealistic it may seem!
I might be posting this a bit late for anyone to read but with regard to the times people solve the puzzles in I use them as a way of telling how easy/difficult others found the puzzle – I really don’t see it as bragging. As a relative newby (I started at QC no. 1) this blog has been an invaluable learning tool and the comments of the experienced solvers have been a key part of that.
The online thingy told me I had something wrong, so I checked and it told me that the I should be a C, but to me TRACTOR mad no sense at all so I assumed it was a mistake in the puzzle. Thanks to this blog for setting me straight.