Quick Cryptic 1054 by Des

Author   CuraristPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I rather liked this. Not sure I have blogged Des before, but this one has a certain wit about it and certainly raised a few smiles. At one point I thought there was a very cruel Nina appearing, with row 1 looking like it was going to spell ‘HOWZAT”, which certainly would have triggered  ex-fans of cr**ket like myself. Maybe Des is from New Zealand. Anyway, this was perhaps more challenging than the average quickie, by virtue of some of the wordplay and some nicely disguised surfaces. Lots of favourites 12a, 23a, 3d, 4d. 8 minutes.

Across
7 Hum as vet reassembles what’s needed (4-4)
MUST-HAVE – anagram (‘reassembles’) of HUM AS VET
8 A head teacher’s content (4)
EACH – hidden word tEACHer
9 Disregard sign with no start, or end of message (6)
IGNORE – (S)IGN + OR + E (end of ‘message’)
10 One unsuccessful in different roles (5)
LOSER – anagram (‘different’) of ROLES
11 Small marsupial tailed black bird (3)
ROO – Black bird is ROOK, ‘tailed’.
12 Area by railway where air travel the norm? (6)
AVIARY – A (area) + VIA (by) + RY (railway on OS maps)
14 Initially trite and wholly uninteresting, becoming cheap and tacky (6)
TAWDRY – TAW (inititials of TRITE AND WHOLLY) + DRY (uninteresting)
16 Left one in short dress to dance about (6)
FROLIC – L + I inside FROC(K) (short dress)
18 Tiny amphibian of mine can be heard (6)
MINUTE – sounds like MY NEWT
19 Drooled off and on, finding caviar (3)
ROE – alternate letters of DROOLED
20 Bother filling bag (groan) (5)
AGGRO – another hidden word bAG GROan
21 Stones a couple of bishops breaking the law (6)
RUBBLE – BB (two bishops) inside RULE
23 Pulse started, heart failing (4)
BEAN – Started is BEGAN, with its heart (G) absent. Nice
24 Plant scientist into bats, surprisingly (8)
BOTANIST – anagram (‘surprisingly’) of INTO BATS

Down
1 Was threatening, like a drunk the following morning? (4,4)
HUNG OVER – double definition.
2 German, maybe teetotaller, going in circles (4)
OTTO – Teetotaller is TT inside OO (circles)
3 We try a shot that’s far from neat (6)
WATERY – anagram (‘shot’) of WE TRY A. Very nice.
4 Fanatic from Zimbabwe’s outside often (6)
ZEALOT – Zimbabwe’s outside is ZE, A LOT is often.
5 Whingers unsettled composer (8)
GERSHWIN – anagram (‘unsettled’) of WHINGERS
6 Small vehicle making permanent mark (4)
SCAR – S + CAR
13 Claiming everything, for example, is about spirit (8)
ALLEGING – ALL + EG ‘about’ GIN
15 Harsh description of defective Old Testament? (8)
RUTHLESS – nice double definition.
17 Old singer troubled by score endlessly (6)
CROSBY – anagram (‘troubled’) of BY SCOR (‘score endlessly’). Did Bing sing Gershwin? I guess he must have.
18 Values customer, it seems, in part (6)
MERITS – hidden word: custoMER IT Seems
20 Article we picked up again (4)
ANEW – article is AN, ‘we’ picked up is EW
22 Small boy exited finally, giving bow (4)
BEND – BEN is a small boy. Or he could be. Or maybe it’s a small word for boy. One of these crossword tropes that’s never quite explained. Whatever. + D (‘exited’ finally)

17 comments on “Quick Cryptic 1054 by Des”

  1. Very nice puzzle completed in 1 minute under my target 10.

    Des has set only 2 or 3 each year of the QC to date (starting with the very first in March 2014) making a total of 13 puzzles so far. If that pattern continues we shall hear from him only once more this year or possibly not until 2019.

    Bing made many recordings of Gershwin songs.

  2. of the QC with 5dn GERSHWIN COD and
    15dn RUTHLESS – Operation Ruthless? WOD

    So a minute over my target of ten.

  3. I don’t normally do the QC but had 10 minutes to kill while waiting in the car (parked I hasten to add). Rather enjoyable I thought though I realise my doing the 15×15 in any sort of equivalent time is a pipe dream. 16 mins
  4. Got caught with 17 down – did not think of a name but had got Gershwin earlier! An enjoyable crossword. Thank you.
  5. Just over 15 minutes today. To think at the back end of last year it was taking me 40 mins upwards, really pleased. Improvement is all down to this blog so thank you to all the bloggers and commenters (or should that be commentators – I don’t know).
    LOI 23 across, must also be my COD as it really sent me on the wrong track, closely followed by 1 down, as that’s how I intend to be in the morning.
    1. Not my turn this week, but I do appreciate the comment, as, I’m sure, do my fellow bloggers. Good to hear how you are progressing. Keep going and we may see you at the Crossword Championship finals some time soon!
  6. A good workout which took me over my target 10 minutes by 47 seconds. I started with OTTO and finished with WATERY. I may have been a bit bleary eyed at the time. Liked RUTHLESS and GERSHWIN. Thanks Des and Curarist.
  7. On the tough side I thought with lots of very neat clues to enjoy. particularly liked 15dn. A bit annoyed by the time it took to get GERSHWIN and CROSBY, since both were of my era. Never did parse BEAN. I was convinced for a long time that it had to be BEAT. Now that it has been explained, lovely clue.
    Thanks setter. Good end to the week.
    PlayUpPompey
    1. I was wondering about this one for a while – I had the same as you small boy=b but then how does ‘exited finally’ give us end? Then the penny dropped and it is as our blogger explains.
      I join the 9 minute set today – and happy to do so – I thought some clues were tricky but none caused that complete hold-up moment.
    1. That’s how I see it. You often find the diminutive form of a longer name clued as “small” Eg Ed, Ted or Tim.
  10. I found this quite tricky, especially the four letter words (and last 3 in) at 8a, 23a and 22d. But plenty to enjoy with my favourites being 15d and 23a. Completed in 20 minutes.
  11. I feel as if I am going backwards at the moment. Raced through the top half of today’s and then came to a grinding halt. Very slowly completed the bottom half, though looking back I can’t see why I struggled. Must have taken about 40 minutes in total (though I forgot to time myself exactly). I usually manage to complete in about 20 to 30 minutes with occasional times either side of that, but this has been an incredibly tough week for me. Hopefully my brain will re-align itself with the hour change at the weekend and I’ll be back to normal next week!!! MM COD 13d
    1. Based on my own times, after a gentle February, the difficuly level has crept back up this month. Just keep practising and don’t worry if you find some tough – you’ll find that others have too.
  12. Like our blogger, after the first four down clues, I was anticipating and A and a T at the start of 5 and 6 down. But I wasn’t too disappointed – a great puzzle from Des with plenty to enjoy. It took me just about my average time with nothing particularly holding me up. 23a my favourite, but I liked the surface at 1d too. Thanks Des and Curarist.
  13. Found this tough and it took 40 mins. Although first day of the week so the mind is not back in gear properly.

    Was struggling to finish, alleging was the catalyst to get the final 3, frolic, agro and LOI Crosby.

    Crosby and bean went in unparsed, and I guessed there was a Ruth in the OT.

    COD Watery.

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