Quick Cryptic 22 by Izetti

Author   ianb21Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic

At time of posting, the Times online link was broken.  I presume the automated process still requires attention but one would think they would have got their act together by now.  I got access to the puzzle via the trick spotted by mohn2 and was able to prepare this post in advance.

This one seemed relatively easy to me except for 8a IRONING BOARDS. Perhaps my aversion to using them was unconsciously affecting me.

Definition parts of clues underlined where appropriate.

On edit: Thanks to jackkt and chrisw91 for educating me on &lit.  Also took the opportunity to fix some punctuation.

Across
1 Entertained in the morning, employed afterwards (6)
AMUSED – AM(in the morning) +(afterwards) USED(employed).
5 Irish port — girl needs route (6)
GALWAY – GAL(girl) +(needs) WAY(route).
8 They support evening activity in the household (7,6)
IRONING BOARDS – I not sure what you call this type of clue. &lit maybe? Cryptic definition. I thought it was a clever use of double meaning of evening both as the time of day and to flatten. I know I shouldn’t but I often get sucked into the surface meaning.
9 Bird stuck in gate alas! (4)
TEAL – hidden indicated by stuck in, agTE ALas.
10 Prisoner to hand around jam (8)
CONSERVE – CON(Prisoner) + SERVE(to hand around).
11 More competent gambler (6)
BETTER – double definition, means both more competent and a gambler.
13 Unspoilt scenery Nathaniel found by northern river (6)
NATURE – NAT(short for Nathaniel) + URE(a 74 mile long river in North Yorkshire that I had never heard of).
15 Letters seen in LONDON, PARIS, … (8)
CAPITALS – clever visual clue I thought. The places are capital cities and they are written in capital letters.
17 Summit where you’ll see Bill and me (4)
ACME – A/C(account or Bill) + ME(literally in the clue).
19 Whip pet with as many appendages as lives! (3-1-4-5)
CAT-O-NINE-TAILS – CAT(pet that according to myth O-NINE(has nine) lives, unless you are in Germany, Greece or some Spanish-speaking regions where they have seven. Six in Turkish and Arabic traditions) + TAILS(appendages).
21 Session at school to get shorter, we hear (6)
LESSON – homophone, sounds like lessen.
22 Holding the girl, father ran quickly (6)
DASHED – SHE(the girl) inside(indicated by holding) DAD(father).

Down
2 Inventor of some dotty characters (5)
MORSE …. .   ..- … . -..   -.. .- … …. . …   – — — Another &lit? Cryptic definition.
3 Carol hired something to wear (7)
SINGLET – SING(carol) + LET(hired).
4 Assume this person might be at Oxford (3)
DON – double definition, means both assume (in the put on sense) and a senior member of an Oxford college.
5 Travel with food and become crazy (2,7)
GO BANANAS – GO(travel) + BANANAS(food).
6 Depart from the French avenue (5)
LEAVE – LE(French for the) + AVE(short for avenue).
7 A new place in Kent? It’s in Hampshire (7)
ANDOVER – A + N(new) + DOVER(place in Kent). Also in Massachusetts, I’ve driven through it.
10 Flower people hiding under vehicle (9)
CARNATION – CAR(vehicle) +(hiding under) NATION(people).
12 English fellow had a meal spread out (7)
EMANATE – E(English) + MAN(fellow) + ATE (had a meal).
14 They may get into hot water in the afternoon break (3,4)
TEA BAGS – &lit again? Cryptic definition.
16 I sold silly objects to be admired excessively (5)
IDOLS – Anagram of I SOLD indicated by silly.
18 Rumpus? Some feel empathy when turning up (5)
MELEE – Hidden reversed fEEL EMpathy. Thanks to the anonymous poster who pointed out this omission.
20 The aim is to finish (4)
END – double definition, means both the aim and to finish.

29 comments on “Quick Cryptic 22 by Izetti”

  1. Yes, the Play button link is broken once again so I accessed by changing the last digit of the url from 2 to 3. I note that the control buttons beneath the grid which were changed yesterday have reverted to their previous design and position.

    7 minutes for this one which is my fastest solving time so far. My previous fastest, 9 minutes, was for a puzzle by the same setter.

    I lost a few seconds along the way making sure of the 5th letter in 21ac as it’s so easy to make an error on such clues.

    I’d have described some of your &lit queries as cryptic definitions but I usually avoid committing myself on such matters when blogging because somebody always comes along and tells me I’ve got it wrong. There’s another category semi&lit which is a definite no-go area for me.

    Nice blog, Ian.

    Edited at 2014-04-07 11:41 pm (UTC)

  2. The link came up fine just now (a bit before 2:00 BST) and I was done in under 5 minutes. No idea why seeing the CAPITALS took so long. Hiding in plain sight!
  3. Very enjoyable puzzle. Second quickest to date at about 12 minutes. My quickest also by Izetti.

    Had a broad smile when I twigged what meaning evening had in 8a and that was my COD, but also noted 4d. LOI LESSON.

  4. Good blog Ian – I’ve started thinking about making mine simpler to understand as I’ve just been coaching my Father-in-Law (a veteran concise solver stepping into cryptic for the first time – so the Quick Cryptic IS doing it’s job). I’ve also been wondering about clue types – but only since blogging – and I think the ones here are cryptic definitions – there’s no word play (Flower of London = Thames is a cryptic definition). The literally so &lit clues have the word play in the clue which is the whole clue (Spoil vote! = veto). Thoughts and examples from Wikipedia.

    Edited at 2014-04-08 08:36 am (UTC)

  5. Definitely one of the easiest yet. My wife was really chuffed as it’s the first she’s completed.
    So to echo Chris’ comment: yes, it IS doing its job (I hesitate to point out the superfluous apostrophe – sorry, Chris, it’s the pedant in me).
  6. Thanks for interesting blog Ian. I was fascinated by the diverse quantities of cat lives granted by different cultures. Still pondering whether this tells us more about the inherent generosity of those cultures, or about the relative survival skills of felines in those locations.

    All of which probably indicates I found the blog somewhat more diverting than the puzzle, which I personally thought was a bit too far on the easy side today.

    That said, I did not spot the “evening” pun in 8ac – just stuck in the answer on the basis it was a somewhat weak cryptic clue.

      1. Bandit? Moi?! I inhabit that purgatory between finding the Quickies (usually) pretty simple, and the full monty (usually) pretty tough – but very occasionally solvable.

        Bit like golf – been called bandit there as well, as I am presenting (and generally playing) at 25 handicap, but will sometimes come in at 14, irritating the consistent 18’s. Erratic – no idea why.

        So, bandit it seems to be…

        1. With that performance against your handicap, the only thing missing from your avatar photo is a mask and sword! Would compliment the fedora nicely. 😀
          1. Yeah, right – and a bag marked “swag” slung across shoulder… 🙂

            If I was a Medieval bloke, I’d buy an indulgence so I could spring from purgatory to heaven. Since I’m not, I guess I’ll just have to keep on practising… Hard life (but a good one)…

  7. Thanks for the blog, Ian. I, too, get confused about what constitutes a ..lit (where does one find that first symbol?). That was also my fastest Quickie- 8mins.
    1. It is the humble ampersand Martin but looks strange in the default font used by Live Journal. Shift-7 on a standard UK keyboard.
  8. This was my quickest ever solve, and it’s an absolutely perfect beginner’s puzzle.
    1. Go on, don’t be modest. Did you break 2 minutes? If so I finished in a little under 3 Ks.
      1. No, just under 3. I don’t think I can put the answers in much faster than that on the iPad app.
  9. A few seconds over 3 mins so my faster time for a QC. This was the proverbial top-to-bottom solve for me with IDOLS my LOI. As a few of you have said above, a near-perfect beginner’s puzzle.
    1. Thanks, whoever you are, for pointing this out. Blog updated accordingly. Would be great if you logged into Live Journal so we know who pointed this out.
  11. My best too with 16 clues solved in about 45 mins…so doing it’s job but slowly for me! This blog really helps, thanks.
  13. Nice easy start to my day – fastest yet at under 10 mins and one coffee…..
    COD definitely 8ac
  14. Another good puzzle from Izetti for us newbies. Enough in there to get me started, and then a few harder to puzzle over. LOI ironing boards; I didnt get the double meaning of ‘evening’ until it was pointed out in this blog. I like the style of this one with the clue repeated with the definition underlined on the first line. Is it cheating to use an atlas to get ‘Ure’ and ‘Andover’?
    1. My view is that it’s up to individuals to decide their own ‘rules’ of solving according to a number of factors including their experience, what they are trying to achieve (if anything other than, presumably, a completed grid) etc. The most important thing is that the solver enjoys the experience of solving.

      On the examples you quote there’s no shame in not knowing the town or the river and in that case, in a literal puzzle like the Times Two, there may be no alternative to resorting to aids to look them up. But in a cryptic like this one, for those who wish to persevere and improve their ability to solve there is nearly always a second way to arrive at the answers and to be pretty sure that they are right, so all that’s needed then is to get out the atlas or whatever to confirm the details, and learn something new in the process.

      ‘Cheating’ really only comes into it if one is being dishonest with oneself or making false claims to others about one’s achievements.

      Edited at 2014-04-09 05:59 am (UTC)

  15. Regrettably missed Monday’s & only began this when it was almost Wednesday. Lovely blog, Ian, thanks.
    Did it in 14 mins almost completely all by myself. (Just had a couple of confirmatory groans from Z8, who is suffering from a nasty coughing lurgy.)

    My COD and LOI was 15 ac -loved the visual effect. The more I get stuck in the even greater my enjoyment.. I may try to do a double tomorrow Mon & Wed! I am getting *so* hooked! 🙂

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