Quick Cryptic 156 by Grumpy

Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
The puzzle can be found at http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20141013/288/

A straightforward Quicky with just the odd bit of general knowledge that might cause a delay. Some smooth surfaces again, though you’ll have to excuse a small amount of venting on my part re superfluous articles.

Definitions are underlined.

Finally, I have a favour to ask of (one of) the current bloggers – I will be on holiday from 28th October-16th November and will not be able to fulfil my Quicky blogging duties in 4 weeks’ time (i.e. Monday 10th November). Would someone perhaps be able to swap with me, either before or after? Please send me a message if you can help – thanks! Thanks to all the volunteers for their kind offers!

Across
1 Recommend a Scottish lawyer (8)
ADVOCATE – double definition, though the superfluous “a” might raise eyebrows for those of us who like our clues filler-free. For the second definition, Chambers says “In Scotland and some other countries, a person who is qualified to plead before the higher courts of law, a member of the Bar (corresponding to a barrister in England)” then helpfully adds “(only in Aberdeen) a solicitor”
6 Long sentence in biography (4)
LIFE – double definition
8 Claim a clergyman’s backing (4)
AVERA + VER (clergyman’s backing, i.e. Rev written backwards, with Rev being short for Reverend)
9 Rational but erroneous description of Henry VIII (8)
THINKING – though Henry cut a fine figure in his youth, in his later years he became severely obese hence could only erroneously have been described as a THIN KING
10 Rare gems scattered in Lakeland village (8)
GRASMERE – anagram (scattered) of RARE GEMS. Pretty village in the Lake District where Wordsworth lived and is buried. Also a hotbed of gingerbread manufacture
11 Nothing holds a fastener (4)
NAILNIL (Nothing) around (holds) A
13 State that may be so ideal for sap? (5,8)
FOOLS PARADISE – semi-&lit, being an anagram (may be) of SO IDEAL FOR SAP, as well as the surface reading of the clue providing an appropriate description (a sap being a fool)
16 Fuel used in older vehicles (4)
DERV – hidden (used) in olDER Vehicles. This is how diesel fuel for cars, lorries etc is often referred to in the UK. It’s an acronym of Diesel Engined Road Vehicle, to distinguish it from the diesel used for boats, generators, etc (which is taxed at a lower rate)
17 Is a Tudor playing checkers? (8)
AUDITORS – anagram (playing) of IS A TUDOR
19 Hypocrite taking pence before he accepts a pay increase (8)
PHARISEEP (pence) + HE around (accepts) A RISE (pay increase). The Pharisees were an old Jewish sect who made several appearances in the New Testament, where their depiction as self-righteous rules followers has led to the equivalence used here. Whether that’s entirely fair on them is another question
21 Not new, being exploited (4)
USED – double definition
22 Notice a blemish (4)
SPOT – double definition, again exercising my eyebrows with that “a”
23 Tease the silly art lover (8)
AESTHETE – anagram (silly) of TEASE THE
Down
2 Port only provides fish (5,4)
DOVER SOLEDOVER (Port) + SOLE (only)
3 Monsters consequently turning on head of security (5)
OGRESERGO (consequently) reversed (turning) + S (head of security, i.e. first letter of Security)
4 An ass somewhere in Belgium (7)
ANTWERPAN + TWERP (ass). There are several Antwerps in the US as well as one in Australia, but the Belgian version is perhaps the best known. It’s the second largest city in Belgium, second largest port in Europe, and a renowned diamond-trading centre
5 Best part of Japanese literature (5)
ELITE – hidden in (part of) JapanesE LITErature
6 Described as similar fancy man (7)
LIKENEDLIKE (fancy) + NED (man)
7 Cooler supporter (3)
FAN – double definition
12 Rebel in south demanding immediate action (9)
INSURGENTIN + S (south) + URGENT (demanding immediate action)
14 Young creature always allowed outside (7)
LEVERETLET (allowed) around (outside) EVER (always)
15 Extremely rude costume put right (7)
REDRESSRE (Extremely rude, i.e. the extremes of the word RudE) + DRESS (costume)
17 Where flounders may be found floundering (2,3)
AT SEA – double definition
18 Disappointment, ultimately, that hurts very little (5)
TOUCHT (Disappointment, ultimately, i.e. the last letter of disappointmenT) + OUCH (that hurts). The definition presumably refers to touch in the sense of a small quantity (e.g. a touch of class), but I can’t off the top of my head think of a sentence where “touch” can be replaced by “very little” without introducing (or removing) auxiliary words
20 Dance the foxtrot speedily, just taking seconds (3)
HOP – the second letters (just taking seconds) of tHe fOxtrot sPeedily. Chambers has hop as being an informal term for a dance, though it seems as though it may have been more commonly used in times gone by (you may know the ’50s song “At the hop” by Danny and The Juniors) and it’s also present in the name of a type of swing dancing called Lindy Hop that originally evolved in pre-war days

8 comments on “Quick Cryptic 156 by Grumpy”

  1. I thought this was one of the best quickies I’ve done; especially liked 9ac, 4d (where I spent time looking for a-s-s or n-i-t before actually using what little knowledge I have of Belgian geography), 6d, 12d, and 20d. I was wondering about the ‘Scottish’ (didn’t much mind the ‘a’) in 1ac; I had just assumed that ‘advocate’ was a generic term applicable to a lawyer. And I’m old enough, alas, to remember ‘At the Hop’ (and old enough to have forgotten the name of the group), as well as ‘sock hops’ in the junior high school gym. 7:45.
  2. 9 minutes for this very pleasing puzzle. Ref TOUCH, SOED offers: “A very small quantity, a very slight amount; a dash, a trace; a slight attack of a condition affecting the body, a twinge. L16.
    G. Greene A roast with a touch of garlic.”
  3. Either I was having an unusually lucid Monday, or this was at the easier end of the scale – all went in pretty rapidly.

    COD undoubtedly to THINKING – very droll.

    Good quickie and very nice blog – thanks to Grumpy and mohn.

  4. 5 mins. As has already been said, a good puzzle. FOOLS PARADISE was my LOI and even with all the checkers I didn’t see it quickly.
  5. Can’t be completely sure of time for this as I spent ten minutes with only two filled in, went away for an hour and was then able to suddenly see everything when I came back to it. Very accessible though, I thought, and several of Grumpy’s usual humorous clues in Fools Paradise and Thinking. Derv was a new one on me but, once I had the V, the hidden answer was much easier to spot. Thanks for the blog.
  6. A pleasant and enjoyable puzzle, with some nice surfaces that misdirected me a few times and made the solving more fun. Didn’t see the anagram for FOOLS PARADISE, solving it as a semi-lit and rather enjoyed THIN KING 🙂
  7. Lots of fun and, apart from PHARISEE, all fairly straightforward. Took me a while to look for the non-terrestrial FOOLS PARADISE despite seeing the anagram on first glance – the trouble with not having pen and paper to hand whilst solving!

    Thanks Mohn.

Comments are closed.