As at time of writing, the Quick Cryptic link from the Times site is incorrect – you can access it via http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20140414/127/
Looking at other Quicky blog posts, it seems as though people are warming to the idea of having the clue explicitly included rather than just available by hovering, so I’m returning to that practice for now. Definitions are underlined.
This was another good entry-level puzzle with no obscurities or convoluted wordplay. I must admit that I was worried that the Quickies would be awash with some of the simpler clue types in Crosswordland, such as anagrams, hidden answers, and strings of initial letters, so it’s been a very pleasant surprise that these don’t seem to be appearing any more frequently than in the main cryptic.
Across |
|
1 | Biscuit that’s grand – a humorously vulgar one (9) |
GARIBALDI – G (grand, as in the slang word for a thousand) + A + RIBALD (humorously vulgar) + I (one). A concoction of currants and biscuit dough that for some reason rarely features in anyone’s top 100 favourite biscuits | |
6 | Mischief maker well-off but oddly lacking (3) |
ELF – even letters (oddly lacking) of wElL-oFf | |
8 | Popular turn entertaining former partner? That’s not quite right (7) |
INEXACT – IN (popular) + ACT (turn, as in a star turn) around (entertaining) EX (former partner) | |
9 | A bone to pick with children? (5) |
ISSUE – double definition | |
10 | Pole playing a part in television or theatre (5) |
NORTH – hidden in televisioN OR THeatre | |
12 | Young family making a mess (6) |
LITTER – double definition, the first a reference to, say, a litter of puppies | |
14 | Celeb must take novel he wrote (6,7) |
SAMUEL BECKETT – anagram (novel) of CELEB MUST TAKE. Beckett’s most famous work is probably “Waiting for Godot”, originally written in French | |
16 | Consternation when boy returns with girl (6) |
DISMAY – SID (boy) reversed + MAY (girl) | |
17 | Element in technical speech Jack ignored (5) |
ARGON – jARGON (technical speech) without the J (Jack ignored, where J is an abbreviation for a jack from a pack of cards). Argon is quite a popular element in Crosswordland and is also encountered as its chemical symbol Ar | |
19 | Heartless dame resides in Greek island and works as a programmer (5) |
CODES – DE (Heartless dame, i.e. dame missing its interior letters) inside (resides in) COS (Greek island). In Crosswordland, cos can also be a lettuce, a mathematical function, or a Chief of Staff | |
20 | Line taken by part of Europe or part of Africa (7) |
LIBERIA – L (line) + IBERIA (part of Europe). Liberia has a unique history in Africa, being colonised by African Americans, many of whom were freed slaves. Its capital Monrovia was named after then-US president James Monroe, who had encouraged the founding of the colony. | |
22 | Spoil a short month (3) |
MAR – an abbreviation (short) for MARch | |
23 | Damned business bigwig, highly regarded (9) |
EXECRATED – EXEC (business bigwig) + RATED (highly regarded) |
Down | |
1 | Freedom of speech – blessing in disguise? (8) |
GLIBNESS – anagram (in disguise) of BLESSING. The definition is slightly oblique. Almost the exact same clue was used in a Guardian Quiptic in December 2010 | |
2 | Old port or whisky (3) |
RYE – double definition. Wikipedia tells me that Rye in East Sussex was an important sea port several hundred years ago, but environmental changes have since “moved” it a couple of miles inland | |
3 | Self-assertive bachelor lacking prudence (5) |
BRASH – B (bachelor, as in BA for Bachelor of Arts) + RASH (lacking prudence) | |
4 | Hornblower as an infant down in the dumps (6,3,4) |
LITTLE BOY BLUE – the definition refers to the nursery rhyme beginning “Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn”. LITTLE BOY (infant) + BLUE (down in the dumps) | |
5 | From the first it’s daft – it’s obvious that it’s crazy (7) |
IDIOTIC – the first letters (From the first) of It’s Daft – It’s Obvious That It’s Crazy. I would probably call this an extended definition clue, as otherwise crazy is being used twice | |
6 | Segregate nutty chocolate product (6,3) |
EASTER EGG – anagram (nutty) of SEGREGATE | |
7 | Release without charge (4) |
FREE – double definition | |
11 | Jogger carrying a cut-price book (9) |
REMAINDER – REMINDER (Jogger, such as a memory jogger) around (carrying) A. Perhaps most often encountered in the phrase “remaindered book”, a remainder is a book that isn’t shifting copies and hence is sold at a low price in order to clear out the inventory | |
13 | Normal colours (8) |
STANDARD – double definition, the second referring to a flag (e.g. the Trooping of the Colour) | |
15 | In a group coming from France (2,5) |
EN MASSE – a thinly veiled cryptic definition, in the sense that en masse is French | |
17 | Warning when first couple have left room (5) |
AMBER – the definition refers to the amber signal on a traffic light. Remove the first two letters (first couple have left) of chAMBER (room) | |
18 | Despicable people in dirty film? (4) |
SCUM – double definition, the second referring to stuff floating on the surface of a liquid. I wouldn’t have complained if the question mark had been omitted | |
21 | Rocky outcrop stuck up? Nonsense! (3) |
ROT – reversal (stuck up) of TOR (rocky outcrop) |
Edited at 2014-04-14 12:31 am (UTC)
Thanks in anticipation
Thanks for parsing AMBER mohn2: was scratching around looking for all sorts of exotic justifications for the answer (including going so far as to think the A and E may have been first couple as in Adam and Eve!) but missed the (relatively) obvious chAMBER.
Yet another day when the global brand for excellence in journalism demonstrates its inability to organise a modest celebration in a place where they make beer. The faulty link that I see gives a final number of 129,indicating the program counts weekend offerings (when there aren’t any). Just how bad does it have to get before the threshold of embarrassment is breached for these people? But enough – I have ranted before on this topic…
Edited at 2014-04-14 10:15 am (UTC)