Quick Cryptic 12 by Rongo

Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Posting early because I won’t have time in the morning.

I found this puzzle tricky to finish. Most of it went in within 20 minutes but I spent another 45 on the remainder. Can’t really explain why. All the clues were straightforward. I nearly gave up when I exceeded my time limit but so pleased I didn’t resort to the Show Solution button in the end. I probably would have been better off putting it to one side and coming back later.

From now on I’m going to allow myself 20 mins on the main cryptic except for Saturday and Sunday when I will give it the full beans. I think I will learn more from spending the time understanding the wordplay on the main puzzle and I hope to get progressively more solutions in the 20 mins I allow myself. I shall sweat over the quick for as long as it takes though!

I’ve noticed a change in my solving. I used to spend all my time trying to deduce which part of the clue was the definition part, try to determine the solution from that and afterwards justify it with the remainder. I still do that but now I’m starting to spot little bits of construction from the wordplay that help me arrive at the solution more quickly.

Cross-referencing on-line puzzle with these blog posts is awkward on my devices. So, pending a print button, I’m following mohn2’s lead and incorporating the clues with definition parts underlined as appropriate.

Standard pop-up tool tips are easy but do not work on my touchscreen devices. I don’t think you can format the standard ones so clues with italics wouldn’t work. I’ve tried some slightly different HTML formatting instead that I hope makes my post a little more readable and easier just to scan solutions; if that’s your bag.

Across
1 Twists otherwise making a type of knot? (7)
WINDSOR – WINDS(twists) + OR(otherwise). My tie knot of preference due to the balanced look. Sadly, these days, ties seem to be made shorter than they once were. Consequently only a half is sometimes possible.
5 Part of fiscal policy that’s often hairy (5)
SCALP – hidden, fiSCAL Policy.
8 Other ranks box with allowance for scoring (13)
ORCHESTRATION – OR(other ranks) + CHEST(box) + RATION(allowance). Other Ranks came up in the main cryptic recently and that helped me get a lead for this one.
9 Liverpool team always getting score of one hundred (7)
EVERTON – EVER(always) + TON(score of one hundred). Actually the most they ever scored was 11 in the FA Cup against Derby County back in the 19th century.
10 Be quiet in public? Hardly! (5)
SHOUT – SH(be quiet) + OUT(in public). Hardly being quiet if you do this in public.
11 Got up after a moment, in a sulk (6)
MOROSE – MO(moment) + ROSE(got up).
13 Rant be damned, it’s playful teasing (6)
BANTER – Anagram of RANT BE indicated by damned.
15 Society to do away with expertise (5)
SKILL – S(society) + KILL(to do away with).
16 Increase time beyond a month, chaps (7)
AUGMENT – T(time) put after(beyond) AUG(month) + MEN(chaps).
19 Under development, to be delivered by Tube (2,3,8)
IN THE PIPELINE – Double definition.
20 Battle about old raid (5)
FORAY – FRAY(battle) about O(old).
21 Dine after host’s abandoned position of responsibility (3,4)
HOT SEAT – Anagram of HOST indicated by abandoned + EAT(dine).

Down
1 Unabridged opening in speech (5)
WHOLE – in speech means homophone. It took ages before the penny dropped for me on this one.
2 Fanatic securing outright victory before monarch’s post-war freeze (7,6)
NUCLEAR WINTER – NUT(fanatic) containing CLEAR WIN(outright victory) before ER(monarch).
3 In a group, you and I must be charming (5)
SWEET – WE(you and I) inside SET(a group).
4 What’s Falstaff like? A large cask in a bar (6)
ROTUND – TUN(large cask) inside ROD(bar). I know no Shakespeare but got this from the wordplay. I have since discovered that Falstaff is fat, vain, boastful and cowardly.
5 Waterbird on the waves in coastal city (7)
SWANSEA – SWAN(waterbird) + SEA(waves).
6 Shaking hesitation, bed one’s mistress (1,3,2,3,4)
A BIT ON THE SIDE – Anagram of HESITATION BED indicated by shaking.
7 Joker‘s son taken in by client (7)
PUNSTER – S(son) inside PUNTER(client).
11 Corpse covered by Ma Barker? (7)
MASTIFF – MA + STIFF(corpse). The COD definition for this breed describes their lips as pendulous. One of my favourite words.
12 Sediment mostly extremely pale and shiny
SILVERY – SILt(sediment mostly) + VERY(extremely). I wrestled with this for ages thinking extremely meant the outside letters of one of the words :-/
14 Party includes Northern Ireland outlaw (6)
BANISH – BASH(party) with NI(Northern Ireland) included inside.
17 Someone invited speculation, short on time (5)
GUEST – GUESs(speculation, short) + T(time).
18 Article on fort robbery (5)
THEFT – THE(article) on FT(fort).

26 comments on “Quick Cryptic 12 by Rongo”

  1. Only my third or fourth foray into Quick territory, but I thought this was a good advert for the 13×13 puzzle if the idea is to encourage new solvers. My reservations are slowly subsiding.

    9ac gave me a personal laugh. Everton scoring 100. Indeed! As a kid there was an incident when Everton lost by a cricket score at home and someone in the crowd kicked then manager Harry Catterick in frustration. Some wag in the sporting Pink added that it must have been a supporter; any of the players would have missed.

    Top blog Ian. Keep up the good work.

    1. Merseyside is full of wags isn’t it! On one occasion, in the 60s or 70s,after Liverpool had beaten Everton 5-0 in a derby match, you could buy a greetings card with a clock on the front with the question: “What’s the time?” Inside, the wording was: “5-past West”!
  2. 11 minutes fully parsed and marked up. Nice puzzle, nice blog. It’s certainly easy to read. Ian, you have a typo in the clue at 2dn.

    Edited at 2014-03-25 01:44 am (UTC)

  3. 23 mins again but a lot less input from Z8. He’s turned 62 today so I expect he’s slowing down. Or it might be that I’m beginning to learn what to look for…

    CoD 8ac, LOI 19 but went in v fast.

    Super blog, Ian, crystal clear 🙂

  4. I like your blogging style, Ian – underlining the definition bit of the clue also visually separates it from the interpretation, and makes for a clear read. Good stuff – and your comments suggest the Quickie is achieving its purpose of introducing ad honing solving skills.
  5. Good cross section of different clue types I thought – anagram, homophone, double definition, use of popular cryptic abbreviations (OR, T etc.) and so on.

    None of it too tricky, but tricky enough for the quickie.

    About 20 minutes for me. COD to EVERTON simply because of its extreme irony…

  6. I don’t have online access so I was stuck with the wrong grid in the paper. World class publication indeed …………
  7. Well done, ianb21. The way you set out the clue and underlined definition is excellent. And thank you for explaining windsor and orchestration. With the latter I was working on OR around W. Solving time: 22mins.

    Edited at 2014-03-25 12:10 pm (UTC)

  8. What a let down ….anticipation, consternation, frustration…etc..on to the Killer(with feeling)
  9. I am using the email version of the puzzles from my tablet and the grid has no relation to the clue lengths. Disappointing as cannot try to solve although excellent blog.
  10. Another with the wrong grid. Just settled down to this and only noticed the mistake when I ran out of letters for ORCHESTRATION! Can’t decide whether it’s worth doing online. Or maybe I can make up the grid from the answers – it wouldn’t be the first time. Fortunately, the daily cryptic printed OK. Ann
  11. Great blog Ian,
    I know that a number of my friends had difficulties with the numbering here but no issue solving on iPad from The Times app.
  12. Jiminy Ximenes! My edition’s grid doesn’t fit the clues! I can see solutions but there’s nowhere to put them.
  13. I am newbie to cryptic crosswords, but the TQCC has drawn me in. Started with at best one or two answers, but now am up to eight!

    Was really disappointed with the wrong grid as I was looking forward to having another go, but had a go at solving the clues without.

    I like your blog style Rongo. Where I could not get the answer, I was able to scroll slowly down to the first line highlighting the definition, which gave me one final chance at getting it.

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