Quick Cryptic 26 by Grumpy

Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
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)
GARIBALDIG (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)
INEXACTIN (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)
DISMAYSID (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)
CODESDE (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)
LIBERIAL (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)
EXECRATEDEXEC (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)
BRASHB (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)
REMAINDERREMINDER (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)

11 comments on “Quick Cryptic 26 by Grumpy”

  1. This is Grumpy’s fourth puzzle and they seemed to be getting harder each time until today’s easier one which I finished in 11 minutes. Time was lost parsing 10ac where I tried to make life complicated by reading NOH as the theatre reference before spotting the more obvious hidden answer.

    Edited at 2014-04-14 12:31 am (UTC)

  2. For future reference what is the significance of the “127” at the end of the website – often on a Monday I cannot access it but if I could understand website derivation I’d not have to wait for the link.
    Thanks in anticipation
    1. The last part of the website address is always a 3-figure number that can be worked out from 100 + Number of Puzzle + 1. So today’s is 100 + 26 + 1 = 127. Obviously you will need to keep track of the puzzle number that’s due to appear.
  3. 4 mins, and I thought that this was another pleasant QC. EXECRATED was my LOI. I agree with mohn2 that the standard of these puzzles has been consistently good so far.
  4. This one took me a bit longer than usual, but no obvious reason – all pretty standard fare really. That said, I probably did lose quite a lot of brain cells over the weekend thanks to some extraordinary hospitality from a bloke who puts the “epic” in epicurean…

    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)

  5. I’m having real problems filling in the grid today. I use an iPad and do not have the ‘app’ subscription so am using the Safari browser. Some letters fill into the grid but others stubbornly refuse to function. Anyone else have the problem – or even better – the solution?
    1. I think people have had problems with solving the main cryptic on an iPad, for which one of the suggestions was to try using the Puffin browser, but I don’t recall seeing any prior comments about problems with the Quicky. You could perhaps try asking this question in one of the main cryptic threads, as the readership of those is larger than here and hence there may be more chance of a helpful response.
  6. Thanks Mohn very clear, lucid blog. 22mins a little bit of Z8ery on request helping to show the break-downs of a couple of clues. COD 6dn very topical! Very pleased to get several clues instantly.

  7. Thanks, mohn2 for a very clear blog. 16mins in total but it took an age to see 5d, for some reason.
    1. Interesting question. I don’t know the answer, but seeing as crossword setters and editors have been visiting this site (and the other main blogging sites) for years without any complaint, I’m assuming that either they don’t care or permission has been given or permission isn’t required. I would say that the blogging sites have provided a nucleus for the solving community and have attracted new solvers to the pastime, so it’s arguably beneficial to the newspapers/setters to see the blogs continue.

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