Quick Cryptic 133 by Grumpy

Author   nick_the_novicePosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A puzzle at the easier end of the spectrum today, I thought. Good range of clue types, and little or no obscure GK or vocabulary required.

At time of posting, SNAFU Central appears to have struck again with the puzzle being unavailable online. You may be able to find it at this link http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20140910/264/

Thanks, as ever, to our setter.

Across
1 STEP – Action taken is the definition. Answer also derived from PETS backwards (“favourites backed”)
4 INFORMAL – relaxed is our definition. This is a composite word type of clue, with the answer also coming from IN FORM (“class”) A L (abbreviation of “learner”)
8 ABSEILER – one who lets himself down is the definition. The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “That’s wrong”) of “Able rise”
9 VIAL – Small bottle is the definition. The answer is also contained within (“contributing to”) “conviviality”
10 MESS – The first of several double definition type clues. The mess is where soldiers eat, and if you make a bit of a hash of something, you make a mess of it
11 BUCKSHEE – free is our definition. Answer also derived from BUCK (“Male”) with SHEEP (“member of flock almost” – i.e. sheep with last letter removed). Yes, various ribald possibilities came to mind when first examining this clue…
12 TUNDRA – Arctic region is the definition. Answer also derived from HARD NUT backwards – “Cockney tough guy to retreat” (Cockney generally being a crosswordland indicator of a dropped H)
14 ENDURE – Another double definition type of clue – “go on” (as in “how long did that go on / endure?”) and “stomach” (as in “I’m not sure how much longer I can stomach / endure watching Boycott bat”). OK, apologies to any Yorkshiremen for gratuitous iconoclasm. However, my introduction to sports crowd wit was as an 8 year old watching Somerset play Yorkshire at Taunton, with Boycott taking something like 2 hours to accumulate 10 runs: an announcement came over the PA system “would the owner of car XXX YYY please move it as it’s causing an obstruction”, whereupon the gruff old chap sitting next to me yelled “it can’t be Boycott’s – he can’t drive…”
16 IN POCKET – Another double definition. The reciprocal of the better known “out of pocket” coming from “better off”, with “potted” conjuring up images of the magnificent Jimmy White potting another ball in the pocket en route to a 147
18 SETT – badger’s retreat is our definition. Answer also derived from SET (“place” – as in place it / set it down here) with a T (abbreviation of “time”)
19 STAG – for men only is the definition. Answer also comes from S (abbreviation of “small”) with TAG (“label”)
20 UNVEILED – exposed is the definition. The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “shockingly”) of “Live nude”
22 INSTANCE – example is the definition. Answer also derived from IN (“batting” – i.e. cricketing term for the side that is batting) and STANCE (“position”) – with this also tying into the cricketing theme of the clue for good measure (stance being the posture of the batsman facing the bowling)
23 LUSH – And another double definition – “rich” as in LUSH pasture, and “she’s an old LUSH” (as my grandmother used to say of her sherry swilling neighbour – whilst granny herself modestly quaffed a few medicinal brown ales before lunch). Must admit I’m struggling to see where the “American” bit of the clue comes into play. Initially I thought it must be somehow connected with the US letters in the answer, but I can’t see how. If the idea is that lush is an American term for alcoholic, I would respectfully refer to the aforementioned granny from Devon who had almost certainly never met – let alone conversed with – anyone from the other side of the pond…

Down
2 TABLEAU – scene is the definition. Answer also from TAB (“Bill”) with a homophone (indicated by “we hear”) for “depressed” – viz. LOW
3 PRESS – And another double definition. Nice and easy entry point into the puzzle
4 ILL – I (“one”) on LL (“outskirts of Liverpool” – i.e. first and last letters thereof). Another straightforward one to get you going
5 FIRECREST – Bird is definition (the firecrest is a rarity in the UK: if I ever saw one, I probably mistook it for a goldcrest – see “confessions of a teenage twitcher” passim…) For those not familiar with this exemplar of avian exotica, the answer is also derived from FIR (“tree”) with ECREST (anagram – signalled by “cuckoo”- of “secret”)
6 REVISED – The whole clue leads to the answer, and it is also an anagram (indicated by “amendments”) of REVISED. Not quite sure what the appropriate terminology is for this type of clue – any help from the senior pros here much appreciated!
7 AMAZE – Stagger is the definition. Answer also comes from A with MAZE (“labyrinth”)
11 BLACKBURN – Lancashire town is the definition. Answer also comes from BLACK (“jet”) and BURN (“stream”)
13 DROUGHT – prolonged shortage is the definition. Answer also comes from DR (“doctor”) with OUGHT (“is obliged to”)
15 ROTTERS – Wrong ‘uns is the definition (picture a roomful of Terry Thomas types – bad business). Answer also comes from R (“Right”) with OTTERS (“animals”). As it turned out, nothing to do with googlies, Bosies or Doozras which is where I started…
17 NOT ON – Unacceptable is our definition. Answer also derived from the wordplay NOTION (“idea” with “I discarded”)
18 STILL – Another double definition. Further explanation probably superfluous
21 VIE – And just to wrap it up, yet another double definition – this time with a Gallic twist…

13 comments on “Quick Cryptic 133 by Grumpy”

  1. I probably struggled most with INFORMAL – the simplicity of these charades sometimes trips one up. I thought this a very nice puzzle, with quite a bit going on. Not sure what the American is doing at 23a. I think your description of 6d is spot on to describe a clue where the wordplay is also the definition.
  3. I did not even recognise lush as “to drink heavily” but I now see that in US “a lush” used to be a heavy drinker. Otherwise the easiest for me yet
  4. I succumbed to a catnap during this (in keeping with my new Quickie logo) so I have no time to offer but I don’t think I had any problems with it.

    I’d suggest re 23ac that it’s usage rather than origin that may account for “American” in the clue as LUSH does seem to be more prevalent across the pond than it is here, and indeed Chambers qualifies its definition by adding “esp. N Am”. With ref to Nick’s Granny in Devon, didn’t some of the early settlers hail from that region? Maybe they took the word with them.

    Edited at 2014-09-10 05:46 am (UTC)

    1. Well, one of the great things about this business is the weird byways it can take you down! Seems like it may originate from an old German word “loschen” meaning strong beer, with it then emerging as a popular term in 18th / 19th century London.

      It apparently then travelled to California (as well as Devon!) where it became widely used.

      http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-lus1.htm

      1. Interesting about its origins in the US as I’d certainly associate it more with the world of Hollywood than the East side. But maybe that’s because there were so many Hollywood lushes and they were so famous that we got to hear about them!
    2. In Devon these days lush means lovely. Not a pisshead. However my useless for crosswords knowledge includes Dallas so I had no problems with that. Sadly I’ve never heard of either a firecrest or a buckshee. 🙁
  5. Roughly 3.45. A pleasant QC, IMHO, and my last ones in were the BUCKSHEE/FIRECREST crossers.
  6. I didn’t time myself solving this, but my impression is that it took me a bit longer than it should have done. Congratulations to those who managed very quick times.
    As usual, Andy completed in less time than it takes me to find my glasses.
    Thanks for the blog Nick – I think it’s about time you dropped ‘the novice’, you’re doing a great job, and I’m convinced that you are solving more clues and more quickly. Onwards and upwards.
    1. Thanks for the very kind comments – much appreciated!

      I do feel I’m making progress, but still struggling to bridge the chasm between the Quickie and the main event – although I do seem to be able to knock over the weekend cryptics on a regular basis now.

      Maybe I will relinquish my novitiate status when I complete two weekday ones in the same week: the problem then, of course, is identifying the appropriate progressive handle…

  7. I went a bit astray with Blackpool rather than Blackburn. I got about half today. I loved tundra-hadn’t heard of the firecrest
    Thanks all
    Hannah
  8. I hope Nick will forgive my tongue in cheek suggestion that, since this is a cryptic crossword site, and he currently has no vice, he should move to a more “worldly” moniker.

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