Quick Cryptic 2573 by Alex

Author   BletchleyRejectPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

 

Few obscurities in this pleasant puzzle from Alex.

Plenty of one-word definitions which in general make the going easier. However, I did get stuck on my last in at 16d which took my time out to over 11 minutes. Is Alex giving us poor solvers a bit of stick with 9a, 10a and 15a?

One potential area of controversy at 12d, admittedly only identified after I’d finished the puzzle. Favourite was 15a; a hybrid clue of sorts.

Thanks to Alex

Definitions underlined in bold. Deletions indicated by strikethrough.

Across
1 Resting place by river for rodent (8)
DORMOUSE – DORM (‘Resting place’) OUSE (‘river’)

DORM as an abbreviation for “dormitory”. I won’t inflict them on you, but I can still remember the names of the ones I slept in at school 50+ years ago.
5 Mailbags oddly depleted sadly (4)
ALAS – Odd letters of ‘MAiLbAgS‘ deleted (‘oddly depleted’)
9 Scold son behind schedule (5)
SLATE – S (‘son’) LATE (‘behind schedule’)
10 Work party with number initially being neglected (3-4)
RUN-DOWN – RUN (‘Work’) DO (‘party’) W (‘with’) N (‘number initially’=first letter of ‘Number’)
11 Typist’s chair adjusted for doctor (12)
PSYCHIATRIST – Anagram (‘adjusted’) of TYPIST’S CHAIR
13 Ms Gardner and sailor in film (6)
AVATAR – AVA (‘Ms Gardner’) TAR (‘sailor’)

AVA Gardner, the film actress and AVATAR, the 2009 film
15 Minor insult (6)
SLIGHT – Double definition

‘Minor’ as an adjective, ‘insult’ as a noun or verb

It depends on whether one regards a SLIGHT as a ‘minor insult’, but it seems close enough to me, so the whole clue can also be seen as a non-cryptic definition.
17 Bad-tempered beagle raised poorly (12)
DISAGREEABLE – Anagram (‘poorly’) of BEAGLE RAISED
20 Girl missing in action hiding currency (7)
MIRANDA – MIA (‘missing in action’) containing (‘hiding’) RAND (‘currency’)

We used to hear a lot in the 70’s and 80’s especially about captured American soldiers in the Vietnam War who were MIA but who were believed to be still alive.

RIP Glynis Johns who only died last week, my idea of a mermaid.
21 Suffer again, cursing inwardly (5)
INCUR – Hidden (‘inwardly’) in ‘agaIN CURsing’
22 Language of male getting cross (4)
MANX – MAN (‘male’) X (‘cross’)
23 Redesign opening on control (8)
REINVENT – VENT (‘opening’) following in an across clue (‘on’) REIN (‘control’)
Down
1 Medicate deer around south (4)
DOSE – DOE (‘deer’) containing (‘around’) S (‘south’)
2 Studies grasses when speaking (5)
READS – Homophone (‘when speaking’) of REEDS (‘grasses’)
3 Asking too much from grocer having bananas (12)
OVERCHARGING – Anagram (‘bananas’) of GROCER HAVING
4 Injure artist during pirouette (6)
SPRAIN – RA (‘artist’) contained in (‘during’) SPIN (‘pirouette’)
6 Observing throne with head of state (7)
LOOKING – LOO (‘throne’) KING (‘head of state’)

LOO and ‘throne’ both colloquialisms for “lavatory” if spelt with a U, “toilet” if spelt without a U.
7 Hospital above city accepting time for purity (8)
SANCTITY – SAN (‘Hospital’) over in a down clue (‘above’) CITY (‘city’) containing (‘accepting’) T (‘time’)

SAN an abbreviation for “sanitorium”
8 Popular transport hub includes everything fitting (12)
INSTALLATION – IN (‘Popular’) STATION (‘transport hub’) containing (‘includes’) ALL (‘everything’)
12 Spice king perhaps meets a mother (8)
CARDAMOM – CARD (‘king perhaps’) A MOM (‘a mother’)

Creeping Americanisms; where will it all end? Or so I thought, as I’d only ever come across the -MOM spelling before. However, looking it up in the usual dictionaries afterwards CARDAMUM is given as an alternative spelling, as is CARDAMON. MUM is the more usual British term for ‘mother’ and with the O not being checked, it would seem to me that there are two equally legitimate answers here.

Not directly relevant for a puzzle in a British paper, but the -MUM spelling is not given as an alternative in Merriam-Webster.
14 A London orchestra managed without a place (4-3)
ALSO-RAN – A LSO (‘A London orchestra’) RAN (‘managed’)

‘Without’ meaning “outside”, ‘a place’ meaning eg the top finishers in a sporting event. LSO = London Symphony Orchestra
16 Entertain with revolting beer and ecstasy (6)
REGALE – REGAL (‘revolting beer’=reversal of LAGER) E (‘ecstasy’)
18 Money is enticement across China’s capital (5)
LUCRE – LURE (‘enticement’) containing (‘across’) C (‘China’s capital = first letter, or the upper-case letter, of the word ‘China’)

As in “filthy…”
19 Regularly turnout for jog (4)
TROT – Alternate letters (‘Regularly’) of ‘TuRnOuT‘

93 comments on “Quick Cryptic 2573 by Alex”

  1. Not so long ago we had Rumanian for Romanian, so I thought that cardamum must be another alternative spelling, as Mom is one of the few American English words that has not yet been adopted by British English speakers. I am glad that I can still count this as a successful solve.

  3. put mom as that is how I used to spell the spice.
    mum seems wrong as it sounds like the queen mum

  4. A very unhappy 20 mins.

    I thought this was hard and was thrilled to be on my way to an SCC escape. Then, of course, reality struck. First, 5 mins to get REINVENT and so no SCC escape. Second, came here and saw it wasn’t difficult at all. Potential elation quickly became desolation.

    Another day spoiled. Only one SCC escape so far this year. It’s not being a poor solver I mind, so much as my complete inability to improve, despite trying so hard.

    Thanks for a great blog BR.

  5. I love cooking with what I thought were cardamon seeds, but now I have another look at the spice jar and I see it says cardamom. Well I never!

    Another day where I did not get far with this over my morning coffee. Strange how I come home tired from the day and manage to see a load straightaway.

    Was trying to fit MORWENA on 20A. It didnt’t happen but brought back nice memories of our favourite Doc Martin.

    PDMs for DORMOUSE, READS and LUCRE.

    Thanks BR and Alex

  6. 14:18 here, coming to this late in the day. Luckily I had never heard of the -MUM spelling of the spice. Never spotted that OVERCHARGING was an anagram, so thanks for that.

    Thanks to Alex and BR.

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