Quick Cryptic 1074 by Felix

20 comments on “Quick Cryptic 1074 by Felix”

1. All was going nicely until I had a mental block at 3dn faced with -A-E, the two vowel checkers being of little help. I began an alphabet trawl but there were so many words available that it was nigh on impossible to consider each of them in sufficient detail as to whether or not they fitted the definition(s). I think by the time I got to WA-E my concentration was flagging and I never noticed WAGE as the obvious answer. In the end I plumped for TAKE which might just possibly be considered as an alternative. If you TAKE somebody somewhere you ‘conduct’ them, and SOED has TAKE as ‘the money taken or received in payment or as the proceeds of a business or transaction’.

   14 minutes with one answer counted as an error.

   1. I think 4dn is a bit steep for a QC – it is literally my least favourite type of clue, the something vowel something E double definition. I almost went for FARE which, again, kinda almost works.
2. Slow today after a promising start. 33 mins. Adios, long wave and jacuzzis all held me up unnecessarily.
3. I did plump for FARE, so at least I’m almost in exalted company.
4. I was ok with 3d, and the left hand side of the grid in general, but struggled with the 5d/ 11, 14, 17ac combination. I was even trying to recall the names of dead snooker players at one point. Needed a second sitting before Squared came to mind, and hence Jacuzzi, Zooms and loi Rescuer. A tricky end to the week for me. Invariant
5. I didn’t notice there was no Y, so was convinced 3dn had to have a K – hence the only plausible answer seemed to be TAKE.

   Edited at 2018-04-20 11:09 am (UTC)

6. WAGE was my LOI, after an alphabet trawl which I fortunately started on the third letter rather than the first. Some straightforward clues interspersed with some tricky ones. OSLO went in first. I submitted at 8:08, but the site refused to display the completed grid. I resubmitted a number of times to no effect, then reloaded the page only to be told I was “Forbidden”. I eventually restarted and was shown my completed grid at 8:37. Weird! Thanks Felix and Curarist.
7. Easiest of the week for me, no particular hold-ups and with SQUARED as LOI. Took me a while to spot VERONA. Ironic really as I used to visit regularly for work.
   PlayUpPompey
8. As a beginner made decent progress. Cannot understand zooms, and cannot find a definition linking tears to it. As a qc thought it a poor clue. I did not mind 4 down thought it reasonable. Still learning with a very long way to go.
   1. Zooms about/tears about
9. One of those ones with all the letters in, today. Do they have a name?
   1. Re the pangram. I also worked along the lines that a K was needed to complete it so TAKE seemed a possible answer. But as phmfantom has pointed out there was also a Y missing so that scuppered the theory.

10. A poor end to the week with 5 short.

    ADIOS was toughest. Now I see I was on the wrong track with my troubles = AILS.

    14a did not know MS=manuscript.

    5d did not know trad=JAZZ.

    COD 19a for DOFF=she’s

11. Back after a break in Northumberland so I was a bit rusty. My journey started with Adios proceeded via Oasis[?] which I corrected and then stopped at Fare and Take, but I did then think of Wage. LOI was Jacuzzis which I’ll nominate as COD. Not quick but steady. David
12. This one was all falling very quickly into place until I returned to the NW corner which had just 2d & 3d remaining. Then it all came to a grinding halt. My problem was having OASIS at 10a. I read this as an &lit – O (none) + AS IS (as it happens), the whole clue referencing the fact that an oasis is not a producer of oil, the surface fancifully alluding to a desert environment. Talk about too clever by three quarters! In hindsight, way too obscure for your average 15×15, never mind a QC.
    Still, got it unravelled just shy of 6’.
13. I found this quite tricky and had to get to 22a for my FOI. Working the downs from the bottom up got me going but there were a couple of toughies to hold me up at the end – 3d and 11a – finally got over the line in 18.20. COD to 12d
14. Extra late today as I mislaid my Times2 somewhere between the cafe and the post-office and had to wait to print off the grid at home… Honoured to be in such exalted company with 3d ‘take’. Started looking for a panagram and that helped in a tricky NE with 11a ‘squared’ but I no Y was a disappointment. Not sure why 19a has to be ‘ward off’ instead go ‘warn off’…is this a case of shedding a garment? Doffing one’s hat I understand well enough, but not anything else. I failed to see the anagram in 7d but got there the hard way. FOI 9a LOI 6d COD 13d.
15. Way too difficult for me. Imprecise use of language made this an unrewarding slog. Will avoid this setter in the future
16. 22 minutes with alphabet trawl for 3d, wage.
    Guessed set fair.
    COD a bad egg.
17. As a beginner made decent progress. Cannot understand zooms, and cannot find a definition linking tears to it. As a qc thought it a poor clue. I did not mind 4 down thought it reasonable. Still learning with a very long way to go.

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