Quick Cryptic 1114 by Izetti

Author   CuraristPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Right. Somewhat more challenging than usual I’d say – 12 Minutes for me. Having said that the wordplay is never that sneaky, although 11dn might trip up some. I think it is down to some slightly left-field definitions. There were a couple I had not heard of (17ac, 18dn), and a couple I stared at for ages (16dn, 22ac) before having a pleasant ‘Doh’ moment. All in all, rather satisfying, but chacun à son goût etc.

Across
1 Painful experience when river floods holiday site? (5)
CRAMP –  Holiday site is CAMP. I guess putting R for river inside it counts as ‘flooding’ it
4 Party female, university learner looking embarrassed (7)
BASHFUL – BASH is party, F is female, U is university, L is learner
8 “Sir”, name possibly used in class (7)
SEMINAR – anagram (‘possibly’) of SIR NAME
9 Delight shown by member joining church (5)
CHARM – CH is church, ARM is member
10 Goliath, one troubling student of religion (10)
THEOLOGIAN – anagram (‘troubling’) of GOLIATH ONE
14 Erotic song that’s supposed to impress listeners (3,3)
HOT AIR – HOT is erotic, AIR is song.
15 Teased for wearing tatty clothes (6)
RAGGED – double definition.
17 Left-winger joining country dance (6,4)
TURKEY TROT –  a ballroom dance to ragtime music, apparently.
20 More than one cad gets better, we hear (5)
HEELS – HEEL is a dated word for a rotter. Sounds like ‘heals’
22 Greek character gets corporal punishment for trick (7)
CHICANE – CHI is the greek character, CANE is corporal punishment
23 Disease set aunt into a spin (7)
TETANUS – anagram (‘into a spin’) of SET AUNT
24 Person goes round far end of the capital city (5)
SEOUL – a person is a SOUL, the far end of ‘the’ is E

Down
1 Start to chop wood for money (4)
CASH – C is start of ‘chop’, ASH is wood
2 Intentions of excellent modern miss (4)
AIMS – AI is excellent, MS is the marital-status-independent alternative to Miss or Mrs, and therefore ‘modern’, though I expect there are some who already consider it old-fashioned.
3 Funny last words in old magazine leading to row (9)
PUNCHLINE – The old magazine is PUNCH, row is LINE
4 Actor Richard seen in Staffs town (6)
BURTON – double definition
5 It was written thus, sounding bad (3)
SIC – sounds like ‘sick’
6 Something that’s pink or bright red, a circular shape (8)
FLAMINGO – FLAMING is bright red, O is circular shape
7 What could be ale — demon drink (8)
LEMONADE – anagram (‘what could be’) of ALE DEMON
11 Inner group of moral politicians will appear in places of worship (9)
ORATORIES – inner group of ‘moral’ is ORA, politicians are TORIES, oratory as in a private chapel.
12 Problem when spiteful female comes round for gossip (8)
CHITCHAT -problem is HITCH, spiteful female is CAT.
13 Most harsh task — rest after working (8)
STARKEST – anagram (‘after working’) of TASK REST
16 Underground water reportedly doesn’t move (6)
STICKS – sounds like the underground River Styx
18 Old rodent climbing plant (4)
TARO – O + RAT backwards (‘climbing’ for a down clue). A new one on me.
19 Sunken shaft in good condition (4)
WELL – double definition
21 Star celebrated endlessly (3)
SUN – SUNG without its end.

38 comments on “Quick Cryptic 1114 by Izetti”

  1. The major problem I had with the puzzle was my klutzik typing; I typed TURKTY TROT or else PUNCHLINT and didn’t notice. Fortunately they only marked it as one error. I knew all the words, but CHICANE struck me as a bit much for a QC. I associated the TURKEY TROT with folk dancing, but what do I know? TARO is the source of poi. 7:07 but.
  2. I found this tricky too. The SE taking longest. TARO was unknown and I was not familiar with CHICANE in that sense, knowing it usually as chicanery, although I knew the word from its use in Grands Prix. I was also held up with 8a and 10a by not noticing I’d somehow typed URTON_ at 4d which gave me wrong crossers. 13:52. A good challenge from the Don. Thanks Izetti and Curarist.
  3. Yes, I fear this will have done nothing to mollify those posters (mostly anons) who yesterday expressed their concerns about the perceived level of difficulty of QCs at the moment. This one took me 16 minutes, my worst solving time for just over a month, with most of my problems in the SE corner where for a long time I had very few checkers to work with.

    ORATORIES, CHICANE, SEOUL and TARO were all hard, the last being completely unknown to me, so it was a case of spotting the wordplay and hoping for the best. The only way I was aware of ‘oratory’ as a place of worship was knowing of the Brompton Oratory in Kensington.

    I thought the definition at 14ac was a bit loose but in compensation the wordplay was simple enough.

    1. Quite right. I found it very hard. Even with a lot of ‘research’. Even when I had the answers to some clues, I had no idea why they were correct.

      I must admit that I get discouraged when they are tough. The more straightforward ones do help and I’d like a higher proportion.

      I rarely post as it’s usually late evening or the next day before I get to finish, assuming I do.

      I can understand anonymous posters as I sometimes have trouble logging in.

      F.

  4. Like others found this hard, particularly the SE corner. Spent ages over 22a, 24a and 19d. 23 min time but pleased to have solved it at all.
  5. Have to agree with much of the above. My personal view is that you might have an obscure or tricky clue or an obscure definition for the answer but if you have both it elevates the clue beyond what might be expected for a quick cryptic. All made sense though, except that hot air to me is talk that doesn’t impress..
    1. I tend to sympathise with the view that having both in one clue is a bit much for newcomers but what we have (rather unusually) today is a concentration of 3 if not 4 clues like this all in one quarter. I count myself as an experienced solver but I felt really stuck for 4-5 minutes in the SE at the end.

      I didn’t mention TURKEY TROT in my earlier posting. I think that’s difficult too although it was a write-in for me with my interest in music of that era.

      I’m not complaining about anything, btw, just making observations in view of recent discussions here. We need to accept that different people want different things from the QC and the setters and editor have to try to balance things out, which on the whole I think they do successfully over a period. It would soon die if newcomers could solve it in 5 minutes every day.

      Edited at 2018-06-15 10:18 am (UTC)

  6. We can expect the anons a little later then. That will be annoying.

    What is the right level of difficulty for a quick cryptic? What sort of solver does a quick cryptic? If these are people who wish ultimately to solve the daily, then there will have to be some exposure to the more tricky clue-types, or subtle definitions, and surely this is not unreasonable. All I’ll say is that as a relatively experienced, if somewhat slow, daily puzzle solver, I experience the QC without fail as being an easy romp, and usually a lot of fun. Today’s is no exception.

    Thank you both.

    1. Can I say I am anon as I rarely write a comment so have not bothered to get a tag. Maybe I should. However, your comment that anons are annoying reinforces those who have written that these puzzles are mainly for experienced solvers to display their quick times. Some of us are not interested in the main puzzle but just want to learn. I fully expect there to be some challenging puzzles but I agree with whoever wrote that lately there is rarely a puzzle that new people can solve.

      The bloggers are great and they certainly help but as anyone in education knows occasionally you have to feel like you are getting somewhere, so having maybe one day a week that is a little easier might help encourage those like me who do not have crossword brains and who do not find the QC a easy romp.

      1. That’s all very well, but having taken the trouble to write such interesting comments, not adding a name-tag means that when you come back another time we won’t remember you, which is a pity. It’s your privilege of course but it’s not very helpful to constructive dialogue. How much time does it take to add a name-tag at the end of a comment?

        jackkt

        Edited at 2018-06-15 01:16 pm (UTC)

        1. Fair enough I will use the name nakrian kikiat next time I write. I will even try to sign up but that ended in failure last time.
        1. As do I. A rather unnecessarily smug and unfriendly comment, jackkt. Does our being anonymous irritate you? Or the fact that we ask questions? I really enjoy the Quick Crossword but sometimes it can take me half a day to finish it. Sometimes I just can’t finish it at all. I look forward to reading this blog and learning new knowledge, skills and tricks to help me improve and I sometimes need to ask supplementary questions which are, without fail, answered quickly and courteously. Your comment has made me feel rather stupid for not always getting it and embarrassed about occasionally asking for clarification. I, too, have tried to join the group and the technology defeated me. I will try again but, in the meantime, jacktt, my name is Louisa.
  7. I struggled to get my brain into gear for this and ground to a complete stop over the SE corner. TARO unknown, but had to be that from the wordplay. Got stuck over trying to put an L (end the capitaL)rather than E inside the person. But once I finally got SEOUL and CHICANE the rest (WELL and STICKS) followed. Over 2 1/2 times my average time and my slowest since 8th January at 16:42. I often manage the 15×15 faster than that – good luck to the neophytes with this one!

    Edited at 2018-06-15 08:18 am (UTC)

  8. This was a very slow solve and took a good 30 mins to complete. TURKEY TROT, CHICANE (as trick) and TARO all unknowns. 14ac HOT AIR clue doesn’t really work for me although the online dictionary does have ’empty talk that is intended to impress’ as a definition. Inexplicably my LOI was 19dn WELL, inexplicable because I rely on well water to supply my finca.
  9. Quite right, though Chambers allows both. Apparently the phrase “sick ‘im Wellard” can also be spelled without the K, as can the Scots sich, but that’s by the by.
  10. 13 minutes today: something of a brain freeze in the lower left sector. That bit I mentioned yesterday about doing the QC as a warmdown applies: I find myself over-complicating the clues. “Erotic song” threw me even when I had all the crossers.
    I also found it irresistibly tricky to get from “moral politicians” to Tories. There surely must be some…
  11. Classic Hubris/Nemesis for me – whizzed through the entire top half in five minutes, sitting there smugly congratulating myself on having mastered the great Izetti, and then hit the SE …. oh dear! Three Kevins in the end.

    I don’t like working out an answer and then having to google it to see if it’s real. So I got to 18dn being either OTAR (parsed as O for “old” followed by “rodent climbing”)or TARO. Knew neither, both fitted the wordplay, had to google them. Feels a bit grubby.

    I liked STICKS when I eventually got it, but the fact that “reportedly” as in the middle made it a much harder clue because I couldn’t work out whether the homophone was for the underground water or the immobility. (Also thought that “underground water” was a bit elliptical for the Styx in the QC when I got there. But it was very clever.)

    Anyway – I think of puzzles like this as being a bit like increasing your weights in the gym: it hurts and it’s a struggle, but you hope that if you stick at it eventually you’ll be kicking sand in the 15 x 15’s face!

    I don’t get all the people sniping at the “anons”. We’re all anonymous, unless penge_guin is someone’s real name, or The Rotter is actually Terry Thomas. And some of us are tech incompetents (I set up a Live Journal account but the blasted thing refuses to recognise my password and so I gave up.)

    Templar (not my real name)

    1. You’re not anonymous if you sign, with or without a pseudonym and LJ can be tricky at times. I was going to be Zabadak (surprisingly not my real name, but an identity nonetheless) but LJ told me that (and all variations until I used the 8s) was (were?) already in use. Still don’t believe it.
    2. Your’e quite right of course, Templar, that there’s nothing wrong with posting under an anonymous account, but what doesn’t go down well with some – including myself on occasions – is when people come here solely to make critical comments and then scurry off without leaving a name-tag of any sort. We like to have this so that we can engage in conversation with them, perhaps over a period, and offer encouragement when needed.

      Edited at 2018-06-15 10:27 am (UTC)

      1. That is an excellent point. And if you are serious about learning to solve, i.e. with a view to solving the daily at some point, why would you not wish to be engaged with by more experienced people? OTOH dashing in — and out — with flip or even unpleasant remarks is unlikely to help anyone, it seems to me.
  12. I don’t recognize sic as pronounced sick. I’ve always pronounced it seek.
  13. Relatively new but definitely not anon here 🙂 Funnily enough, I got the SE corner pretty quickly (albeit lightly pencilled in until I was sure they were correct) — it was the SW side, specifically CHITCHAT/TURKEY TROT that did for me. Admit to having to use an aid for 12D which set me back on the right path. Btw, to new solvers (whether anons or not), the online aids are really helpful when you’re learning; you still have to work out the clue to make sure you’ve got the right answer. That’s my excuse, anyway. If it helps you improve your cryptic skills, who cares?
  15. …despite it taking 20 minutes. Mostly the same difficulties as others, but also lost some time working on DO for party, and trying to make DOLEFUL fit either the wordplay or the definition. TURKEY TROT known from our golf club December medal rather than a dance, but the clueing was generous. TARO also unknown, but much more likely than OTAR I thought, probably because Tarot is so familiar.

    Only one anon comment so far, and that isn’t really negative, more a question of received pronunciation. Maybe yesterday was a blip.

    I am not really Terry Thomas, as anyone who has met me will attest. However, I am something of a Rotter.

    Edited at 2018-06-15 12:10 pm (UTC)

  16. Two sittings in the end, despite a really quick start that even had Turkey Trot and Hot Air inserted without too much difficulty. As others have noted, the SE corner wasn’t the friendliest part of the grid, though for some reason I also spent a good few minutes fixated on 6d, Flamingo. Once I had the answer, 16d became my CoD. Invariant
  17. A suitably tough end to a tricky week of QCs, which took me 26.40 to solve. The SE was tough, despite having heard of taro before. My biggest hold up however was 12d as I couldn’t figure out why chitchat was the answer – and I never did parse it. Thought 16d was very clever, although made particularly difficult with reportedly in the middle of the two parts of the clue.
  18. Home late,did this puzzle on the train.
    It felt easier than yesterday but took me longer -about 30 minutes.
    Taro was unknown but gettable and Flamingo LOI where I had a mental block.
    Good challenging QC but tough for beginners. David
  19. Took about three hours, off and on – maybe a bit more.
    Tough but quite fair – didn’t know TARO but got it from the clue.
    Makes sense to have the Friday one a bit harder.
    Nick
    1. Times crossword management strenuously deny there is a policy that any day of the week should be easier or more difficult than any other day, but speculation about this continues amongst many regular and seasoned solvers.

      I believe there was a policy (and maybe still is) at the Daily Telegraph that their Monday 15×15 should be an easy one in order to smooth the start of the working week, but whether it was supposed to extend beyond that with Friday or Saturday being the hardest I couldn’t say. I haven’t done one of their puzzles in years.

      Edited at 2018-06-16 04:53 am (UTC)

      1. I’m pretty sure the NY Times puzzles are meant to increase in difficulty from Monday to Friday; they generally do for me. My brother doesn’t bother with Monday’s and Tuesday’s.
  20. Thought this was tough but fair. I tried to create an account but to no avail, by the way. I personally have no interest in the 15×15 as I don’t enjoy it’s loose definitions, random girl’s names and words that have been used once in the past thousand years. Thanks to today’s blogger as ever
    1. My sympathies to all who failed to get an online account. It took me ages and several attempts but now I seem to have one!
  21. Quite tricky. Ground to a halt (!) with 16d as “stasis” which rendered 22a a dead end.
    Agree eith everyone’s comments. There is always another day.
    Richard

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