Quick Cryptic 1015 by Orpheus

Author   astartedonPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

I do normally like to ramble on a bit in the preamble, talking of this and that, of shoes and ships and sealing-wax and cabbages and kings…, but this week I find I have rather run out of time. I am building up my experience of setters though: I’ve had Teazel, Flamande, Grumpy and now Orpheus, and I have to say that Orpheus has provided me with my stiffest challenge yet. Probably took me about 12 minutes, so on the difficult side of medium for me.

I think I was down to 11A (one of my specialist subjects, as you will see) before I had my FOI, and then my LOI was probably 1D. And as I remember it I had most of the grid filled in fairly quickly before noticing that I hadn’t really done much in the SW corner. So I moved over there and found myself getting a bit bogged down in the West Country as it were.

But all clues perfectly formed with no complaints. A very good puzzle I thought, which by my definition means that it caused me more than usual difficulty at the time, but when I look back on it it all seems perefectly obvious and I can’t understand why I didn’t do it much more quickly. For me that is always the litmus test of the skilful deployment of the setter’s skills. So many thanks to Orpheus, and I look forward to grappling with you again at some time in the future!

No clear COD, I quite liked a lot of them, but I will plump for 4D for the smoothness of the surface.

Definitions are underlined, and cryptic parsing is explained as I see it in the plainest English I can manage.

Across
1 Small body of soldiers also included in scheme (7)
PLATOON – TOO (also) included in PLAN (scheme).
7 Old Italian composer finally prepared and cooked too much? (7)
OVERDID – O (old) + VERDI (Italian composer) + D (finally preapareD).
9 First-class male in torn clothing (7)
RAIMENT – AI (first-class) + M (male) in RENT (torn) giving RAIMENT. One of those words that I think we all know but on very scant acquaintance. In my case it comes back to me from the Old Testament stories of patriarchs who would rend their RAIMENT when some particularly horrible sin was committed by one of their family so that the fruit of their loins would be accursed forever etc.. Come to think of it the use of the word RENT to mean ‘torn’ takes me back to that source as well. I also seem to remember that Joseph’s brothers did this to his coat of many colours before covering it in blood and slinging him into the pit.
10 Popular king satisfactorily providing writer’s aid (3-4)
INK-WELL – IN (popular) + K (king) + WELL (satisfactorily).
11 Metal device for controlling dog (4)
LEAD – double definition, second one slightly cryptic. First definition is LEAD, element number 82 in the periodic table. Described here as a metal but it is a fairly atypical one and just about makes it into the metals classification, the elements above it in Group IV starting off as not being metals at all but then gradually increasing in metallic characteristics (Carbon, Silicon, Germanium and Tin). Sorry. I don’t know much about geography, birds or plants. But I do know something about chemistry.
12 Sick cat faints? That’s bizarre (9)
FANTASTIC – anagram (‘sick’) of CAT FAINTS. Reminds me of a tour of Italian wineries I went on last year. We were in a cookery demonstration and I got talking to this highly intelligent woman who was doing some fascinating work at Oxford on medical nanotechnology applications. This is exactly the sort of thing I could talk about all day and we had just set out the conversational parameters and were beginning to get into detail, when one of the other participants floated by and just remarked in passing to this woman: “Hey! Loved your cat video!” Immediately her brain turned to mush and they were off talking about how cute cats were and how many hundreds of cat videos they would be able to exchange now that they had discovered their mutual enthusiasm. Having said that, I know there are a lot of ‘cat people’ on this forum and I am sure they are now sitting up and spitting at their screens: “You idiot! You know nothing! Those women had moved on to a higher intellectual plane, the existence of which you can only dream about, and were exchanging concepts that make the Taniyama-Shimura-Weil conjecture look like your supermarket shopping receipt!” I know. I’m sorry. I’ve just never quite ‘got’ cats I’m afraid.
14 Showing commitment, as some books may be (9)
DEDICATED – double definition, second one slightly cryptic.
16 Reportedly receive sound in this place (4)
HERE – can you HEAR (receive sound) what HERE sounds like?
17 Provoke trendy lover (7)
INFLAME – IN (trendy) + FLAME (lover, as in an old flame).
20 Wife abandons prize money for spell at wicket (7)
INNINGS – your prize money is your WINNINGS, and if the wife (W) abandons it then you find yourself facing the bowling.
21 Cricket ball found in meadow by the river (7)
LEATHER – more cricket! The sound of leather (ball) on willow (bat)! LEA (meadow) + THE (the) + R (river).
22 After short game, managed to make pouch (7)
SPORRAN – SPORT is a game, cut it short to make SPOR then add RAN (managed).
Down
1 Left invoice around country area in Dorset (8,4)
PORTLAND BILL – the left here is not the L in the middle of the definition, but the sailors’ version (PORT) at the start. PORT (left) + BILL (invoice) around LAND (country).
2 Lively girl on radio took a partner (8)
ANIMATED – ANI could be a girl (ANNIE) if you just heard her (i.e. ‘on the radio’). Or in my case it could just be a girl, as I do happen to know a female who calls herself Ani, as long as she doesn’t object to being called a ‘girl’ when she is in fact a grown woman with a baby. If she took a partner (as is obviously the case with the real-life Ani of my acquaintance) then she might be said to have MATED, and there you have it.
3 Old archdeacon’s kitchen appliance (4)
OVEN – O (old) + VEN (abbreviation of venerable, as in the Venerable Bede).
4 One taken in by unacceptable idea (6)
NOTION – I say! That is quite unacceptable! It’s just NOT ON! Insert I (one taken in) and you have the definition.
5 Adorn husband, as well as ship’s crew member (8)
DECKHAND – DECK (adorn, as in “deck the halls with boughs of holly”) + H (husband) + AND (as well as).
6 Unemployed superstar, by the sound of it (4)
IDLE – a homophone: IDOL (superstar).
8 Food shop in abandoned citadel to north of Ruhr city (12)
DELICATESSEN – anagram of CITADEL (‘abandoned’) to north of (i.e. ‘above’ in this down clue) ESSEN (a city in the Ruhr region of Germany).
12 Miserable-looking person following one twice around hospital (4-4)
FACE-ACHE – F (following) + ACE + ACE (one twice) around H (hospital).
13 Publican introducing French writer to sailor (8)
TAVERNER – running through my list of French writers I find Jules VERNE, and then if I insert him into (introduce him to) a TAR (sailor) I find the publican who in this case is a TAVERNER (pub landlord) as opposed to a (usually biblical) tax-collector, as in Matthew the Apostle (the other guise in which ‘publicans’ tend to appear in crossword land).
15 First of three successors belonging to them (6)
THEIRS – T (first of Three) + HEIRS (successors) gives the possessive pronoun.
18 Become tired making banner (4)
FLAG – straight double definition.
19 Facts kept in certain folders (4)
INFO – hidden in certaIN FOlders.

41 comments on “Quick Cryptic 1015 by Orpheus”

  1. 46 minutes with lots of interruptions at work and misspelt 2 words as delicatessan and tavernor.

    Must do better.

  2. A rare sub 8 minute solve for me. Thanks to Orpheus for a gentle Monday. COD LEATHER

    I enjoyed the blog. (Somewhere on the Internet there’s a woman blogging about the time she was chilling on an Italian cooking course when she was cornered by someone wanting to geek on about medical nanotechnology, so her best mate rescued her with cat videos …!)

    Templar (still stuck on a slow train outside London Bridge … grr …)

    1. Sadly I am sure you’re absolutely right. Probably the last thing she wanted to talk about on holiday!

      Congratulations on passing through it so easily, I do think I made heavy weather of it but I’m enjoying getting used to the different styles of the setters.

  3. 8 minutes with the last two spent working on 17ac and 18dn. There’s probably a term that describes getting within sight of the finishing post without any hold ups and then thinking “this can’t last” and brain freeze setting in. Whatever it’s called I seem to suffer from it two or three times a week on QCs.
        1. Yes, I love that too. Is Myrtilus looking in? he usually has his own take on neologisms…
      2. Perhaps you’d like to give us a name or nickname so we can credit you with the suggestion if it finds its way into the TftT argot?

  4. I think I may be within sight of the sub 10 minute close, at 10:30. Seemed to rattle along, and I thought that FANTASTIC was a definition of ‘sick’ at 12a, as that’s how my daughters use it.

    COD 5d although was sure it ended with -MATE.

  5. Came in at 15 mins which I think is my record but will ‘fess up to some casual biffing. Very much enjoyed the blog but glad I didn’t have to contribute anything on nanotechnology – would have been much happier talking about cats. Thanks to Orpheus and Astartedon. Nick
  6. Wikipedia tells us that in Ireland “Ní is used for women instead of Ó before a surname and comes a shortened form of the Irish word for a daughter, e.g. Máire Ní Bhriain (“Mary O’Brien”).
    I’ve frequently seen such names listed on credits for TV programs.

    So could “girl on radio” be taken to be “NI” inserted into “AM” (amplitude modulation)?

    I’m afraid I can’t supply any anecdotage to support my notion.

    KPC

    1. I love that, almost raises crosswording to the level of the Taniyama-Shimura-Weil conjecture! Only problem with it is that the M is required for both Modulation and Mated so I don’t think it quite works. But I like the way you were thinking…
  7. All I can remember now, 12 hours and 2 drinks later, is that I had (have) no idea what PORTLAND BILL is (or who, for that matter). 4:53.
    1. It’s just a headland off the South coast of England, with a lighthouse. The southernmost point of the county of Dorset.
      1. More specifically, it’s the southern point of the Isle of Portland which also has the remains of numerous defensive fortifications going back several hundred years, amongst other things. Well worth a visit if you’re ever in the area.
        1. Looking at a map I see it has a road going to it. Is it cut off by the tide like Lindisfarne?
          1. I’m pretty sure the answer’s no but it’s been a few years. I’ll visit this summer and report back!
  9. Four and a half minutes of steady solving left me staring blankly at 2d A_I_A__D. All I could see was ‘agitated’ which satisfied the definition but not the cryptic. Seconds ticked by as I trawled the alphabet, eventually limping home in 5’25”.
    I’m inclined to agree with ‘Anonymous’ above in as much that there were some quite convoluted constructions (9a, 21a, 8d, 12d etc) that could seriously stretch novice solvers. Nonetheless, all fairly clued and gettable
    Many thanks as always to Setter and Blogger.

    PS: Kevin, it’s what you pay for cement.

    Edited at 2018-01-29 11:41 am (UTC)

  10. A slightly strange solve for me as I completed the puzzle in 9.5 minutes (very quick for me) but a lot of the clues felt like they belonged at the trickier end of the spectrum; e.g. 1d, 9a and 12d. It must be that mysterious wavelength thing. LOI 2d, WOD 12d
    Thanks for the very entertaining blog – I think I would have been baffled by both the cats and the science!
  11. Rattled through this one in 7:31, with TAVERNER holding me up briefly at the end. LEATHER held me up too, although I can’t see why now. Nice puzzle. Thanks Orpheus and Don.
  12. This is the second ‘Orpheus’ QC on the trot that I have found harder than usual – I will be glad when the real Orpheus returns and normal service is resumed. . . The 9ac/2d intersection was responsible for most of the delay, though I wasn’t very happy with 21ac, Leather, for cricket ball, but the cryptic was clear that this was what the setter intended. 40 mins in total, so the hard side of average for me. Invariant
  14. Was too pleased with HIDEBOUND for 14ac which fitted the two checkers I had that I didn’t take it out for far too long.

    The thing about lead is: thermal creep

    1. Me too re: HIDEBOUND. A better answer, I think! Last ones for me were ANIMATED and TAVERNER…pretty tough today. Took two attempts – did better after work with a glass of wine. Thanks Orpheus and Astartedon (I love your blogs btw. Useful and mucho entertaining).
      1. Thanks lucybrooke5, that’s really kind of you. I think you’re right. Alcohol usually lubricates the gears. I’ll try to keep the blogs the way you like ’em!
  15. I think I must have worn myself out with the weekend puzzles as I was not quick off the mark here. Eventually got started with 10a and then solved steadily. There was nothing that looked too hard and I knew all the GK like Portland Bill. Just a bit slow that’s all. My last two were Leather and, after quite a pause, Taverner. Lunch interrupted my solve but 20-25 minutes in total.
    A good challenge. David
  16. Got off to a flyer with the first 6 across clues, before hitting 14a… which became my LOI. Very neat cluing with nice surfaces. 4d my favourite. NITCH of 78, so I didn’t find it as hard as others.
  17. Great blog! Especially for giving cats the (non-physical, I’m not a monster) kicking they so richly deserve. Dog people forever!
    2. Thank you kindly. I agree, no kicking. We should all just be able to buy humane little Schrodinger’s boxes in which to bed them down for the night.
  18. Thought I was heading for a new pb. After 7 mins had all but 13d . After 30 mins still had all but 13d.
    6 & 12d both great clues.
    I too have a chemistry degree so nice to see one clue vaguely scientific.
    1. We chemists do have to stick together. I’d say catenate but given 12A I’d probably have to think of an awful pun and I can’t be bothered!

      I know the feeling. When you think you’re going to break all your own records and then you get breeze-block (see above!). A great coinage I think.

  19. I thought this was on the easier side for a change. If I hadn’t put in remnant instead of raiment it would have been a pb. First rate blog.
    Andrew
  20. Cracking blog and a good start to the week. 14:04 so a bit better than average for me.

    COD 8d for a nice and initially misleading surface which had me trying to think of 12-letter German cities until the penny dropped.

  21. Great start to the week with masses of beautiful mis-directions and some elegant clues. FOI 1a LOI 13d COD 14a where I was determined to find something from dogged/dogeared etc (yet another dog owner here). Thx for the blog pointing out some solutions where I had confidently buffed ag 8d. No rush this evening so just an enjoyable 45 minutes maybe. Just loved this one.
  22. Thanks, and yes I feel there was a wavelength factor for me. Looking at it in cold blood I think it is one I would normally expect to do more quickly… but hey, that’s what happened on the day.
  23. Took well over an hour but thoroughly enjoyable- difficult but fair with no obscure clues – exactly as a QC should be!
    Nick

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