Quick Cryptic 2024 by Izetti

Author   CuraristPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I found this awkward to start with, though it started to flow once I got going. I’ll be interested to see how others get on, but I reckon this is at the trickier end of the scale. There are some chewy compound anagrams and a couple of bits of arcane general knowledge, too. 10 minutes for me, way over target.

Across

1 What abused pussy did was greatly appreciated (4,4,4)
WENT DOWN WELL – double definition
8 Note small amount drunk (5)
MINIM – a note worth two crotchets, but also a unit of volume, equivalent to 1/60th of a drachm
9 European lying in his love-nest (7)
SLOVENE – hidden word: hiS LOVE NEst
10 Keep quiet with yen to be diffident (3)
SHY – SH + Y
11 Eurasians who may have lived in the 1700s? (9)
GEORGIANS – double definition
13 ”One who avoids work being performed” is about right (5)
DRONE – DONE (performed) around R
14 End of Christmas month? One may be glowing (5)
EMBER – [DEC]EMBER
16 Being very scared, became very hard (9)
PETRIFIED – double definition
17 Little man in fleece (3)
ROB – double definition
19 Unsteady elephant transporter accompanying ruler (7)
ROCKING – ROC + KING. A roc is a mythical bird that once carried an elephant for some reason
21 Having resolution halved, being put off (5)
DETER – DETER[MINED]
22 Writer’s essay — Milking in a New Way (8,4)
KINGSLEY AMIS – anagram (‘in a new way’) of ESSAY MILKING. Amis is responsible for my favourite piece of life-coaching advice “No pleasure is worth giving up for the sake of two more years in a geriatric home in Weston Super Mare”

Down
1 Caribbean politicians who lack confidence to act? (5)
WIMPS – WI (West Indian) + MPS
2 Minder of child facing attack — one doesn’t offer human milk! (5-4)
NANNY-GOAT – NANNY (minder of child) GO AT (attack)
3 Making unattractive maiden get out and celebrate (13)
DEMAGNETISING – anagram (‘out’) of MAIDEN GET with SING (celebrate)
4 Wife is beginning to demand order — that’s being prudent (6)
WISDOM – W + IS + D(emand) + OM (Order of Merit)
5 Thus Barry could become Harry as mindless mistake gets made? (13)
WRONGHEADEDLY – kind of self-explanatory
6 Policy to omit name in story (3)
LIE – Policy is LINE, take off N for name
7 Meals served with hesitation — there’s a problem (6)
TEASER – TEAS + ER
12 But roamer may get confused in this tree garden (9)
ARBORETUM – anagram (‘may get confused’) of BUT ROAMER
13 Go quietly when external trade is bad (6)
DEPART – P for quiet with anagram (‘is bad’) of TRADE round the outside
15 Poet, six, extraordinary girl (6)
VIRGIL – VI (6) + anagram (‘extraordinary’) of GIRL
18 They are tedious drills (5)
BORES – double definition
20 Less than completely stylish character in Athens (3)
CHI – CHI[C]

75 comments on “Quick Cryptic 2024 by Izetti”

  1. With only 3 clues solved after my first pass, and still only 6-7 solved as I entered SCC territory, this had ‘DNF’ written all over it. I was shattered. It was my 400th puzzle since starting these QCs on 1st June last year and I had so wanted it to go well. However, if I’ve learned one thing in the past 18 months it’s not to throw in the towel too soon (giving up is for WIMPS). So, I continued to plug away and, to my amazement, I managed to cross the finish line unscathed in 46 minutes.

    I had NHO the ROC/elephant connection or a MINIM as a unit of volume. All four of the longest clues (WENT DOWN WELL, KINGSLEY AMIS, DEMAGNETISING and WRONGHEADEDLY) took absolutely ages to find, as did GEORGIANS. So many empty cells in the grid for so long! Also, I never fully parsed NANNY GOAT or WISDOM so, overall, I count myself very fortunate to finish today.

    Many thanks, as usual, to Izetti and curarist.

    2. Well done for persevering! This time I chucked in the towel – a rare thing for me as I usually push on until it’s done.
  2. It’s probably no surprise when I say that, unlike Mrs Random, I struggle with words. This is partly why I put myself through QC torture every day. Also unlike Mrs R, numbers are my true comfort zone, and I have kept track of our QC adventures ever since my first attempt – No. 1625 (Joker, 01/06/20), which ended as a thumping DNF (7 clues unsolved).

    For anyone out there who may be interested, the metrics below give a flavour of how we have developed our crosswording skills over the past year and a half.

    First 100 puzzles:
    No. successfully completed: Mr R = 47, Mrs R = 80
    Median time (excl. DNFs): Mr R = 43 mins, Mrs R = 30 mins
    Total no. clues unsolved: Mr R = 187, Mrs R = 30

    Most recent 100 puzzles:
    No. successfully completed: Mr R = 76, Mrs R = 90
    Median time (excl. DNFs): Mr R = 35 mins, Mrs R = 27 mins
    Total no. clues unsolved: Mr R = 41, Mrs R = 15

    In summary: an improving picture for both of us, but such a long way still to go (especially for me). And, we are both in awe of the real speedies.

    Very many thanks to all involved – setters, bloggers, posters, lurkers, … It’s exasperating and great fun at the same time. Roll on the next 400!

  3. Well I just about finished but only using all possible aids and still not fully understanding 6 of the answers. Seemed like one of the hardest QCs yet.
  4. One hour and quarter to finish this one, admittedly with a phone call and a much needed revigorating g&T. We found this very tricky and needing much perseverance.
  5. Definitely tricky! I wrote in about four answers (the same ones as others had problems with) and had to read the blog to help with parsing. Good to be stretched.
  6. This was a quick cryptic for me as I bailed out with more than half the clues unsolved. Very glad I did.
  7. Heartening to see the experts struggling with this one. Failed with DEMAGNETISING and DRONE.
  10. Well, after reading the above comments I’m quite pleased with my finishing time of 27:28. I did think it was quite tricky, but once I had got started things started to go in at a reasonable pace. My last two were the two long ones. WRONGHEADEDLY in particular is a word I shall not be surprised never to use again, but thanks anyway to Izetti and Curarist.
    1. But if you do use it again at some stage you will have thought you won’t WRONGHEADEDLY.
  11. A DNF – my first in a long time. Well and truly trounced by a Setter I generally reckon to be hard but fair with all the answers being clear enough. Maybe it was a slow day for me but left with 8 to do/wrong by the time I called it a straight defeat. 1a went for the wrong end and couldn’t see beyond ‘well, well, well’ and was encouraged by some of the crossers even though it was clearly insufficient . 13a toyed with the Drones Club option but didn’t make the full connection (damn). 19a I should have got but settled for ‘shaking’ despite not being able to parse it and another to kick myself about. Solved 9a but failed to see the hidden. 2d was completely bamboozled… my earlier errors or failures robbed me of 20d chi and 13d depart. So not too pleased with myself this evening!
  12. Did this half cut on the train back from a superlative dinner at Core. Thought I would’ve been slow and put it down to the wine but now feeling maybe in fact I was too fuzzy to spot the problems!

    FOI WENT DOWN WELL, LOI KINGSLEY AMIS, COD VIRGIL, time 09:48 for a Red Letter Day

    Thanks Don and curarist

    Templar

    Edited at 2021-12-11 12:29 am (UTC)

  13. I started this yesterday evening, and had to go to bed with 8,13 and 3d unsolved. Once I had the long anagram at 3d sorted, I had 8, although didn’t understand it/ never heard of the unit of volume- and I carelessly put in DROLE. So I end the week as I began, with one clue wrong.
  15. Really a quick cryptic? Or trying to get rid of newbies to crosswords? Minim as a unit of volume?? Roc as an elephant transporter??? Clearly we dont have the general knowledge to do “quick” crosswords 😥 Dave ans Sal

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