Quick Cryptic 2669 by Jimmy

Author   BletchleyRejectPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Aren’t I a lucky boy then; another new setter after Bubbles’ debut a couple of weeks ago.

I found this an enjoyable first offering from Jimmy. There are some good surfaces with a few harder ones and another on the edge of my knowledge of pop culture which only extends to about the late 70’s!

Finished in 8:34. Thanks and welcome to Jimmy

Definitions underlined in bold, deletions indicated by strikethrough.

Across
1 Mother blocking change in old school, say (4,5)
ALMA MATER – MA MA (‘Mother’) contained in (‘blocking’) ALTER (‘change’)

The ‘say’ is in the def as an ‘old school’ is one example of an ALMA MATER which could also be another educational or training institution such as a university or a hospital.
6 Small, silver sink (3)
SAG – S (‘Small’) AG (‘silver’)

Ag as the chemical symbol for silver.

Silver, just about always being AG in crossword land, is easier than gold, which can be either AU or OR.
8 Class remains disorganised (7)
SEMINAR – Anagram (‘disorganised’) of REMAINS
9 Mythical ship, on lake, proceeding slowly (5)
LARGO –ARGO (‘Mythical ship’) following (‘on’) L (‘lake’)

‘Proceeding slowly’ in musical terminology.
10 Change of a blueprint struggling commercially (12)
UNPROFITABLE – Anagram (‘Change’) of OF A BLUEPRINT
12 Playing boules in female attire (6)
BLOUSE – Anagram (‘Playing’) of BOULES
13 Manages to carry you, we hear, in cars (6)
COUPES – COPES (‘Manages’) containing (‘to carry’) U (‘you, we hear’= homophone of ‘you’)

COUPÉ in British English, COUPE in US English, as in Little Deuce Coupe.
16 Italian team needing goal and break in play, say (12)
INTERMISSION – INTER (‘Italian team’) MISSION (‘goal’)

As for 1a, the ‘say’ as a ‘break in play’ is one example of an INTERMISSION, which may also be a break in studies or in one’s career. The ‘Italian team’ is Inter Milan.
19 One’s energy returns, getting fizzy drink (5)
PEPSI – Reversal (‘returns’) of IS (‘One’s) PEP (‘energy’)

I’ve had a few of these commercial names on my watch. I don’t know that I approve.
20 Runners of errands welcoming learner drivers, perhaps? (7)
GOLFERS – GOFERS (‘Runners of errands’) containing (‘welcoming’) L (‘learner’)

I don’t know how often GOFER is used in the UK. Collins has it as “slang chiefly US & Canadian“. You need to separate the ‘learner’ and ‘drivers’, something I didn’t do for a start. Not the sort of ‘drivers’ we were led to expect from the surface.
22 Secretary getting unknown remuneration (3)
PAY – PA (‘Secretary’) Y (‘unknown’)
23 Some characters in exquisite Levi’s edited broadcast (9)
TELEVISED – Hidden (‘Some characters in’) ‘exquisiTE LEVI’S EDited’

Good hidden, extending across three words. Neither ‘edited’ nor ‘broadcast’ are anagram indicators here, as I had first thought they were going to be.
Down
1 Too dismal, sordid houses (4)
ALSO – Another hidden (‘houses’) in ‘dismAL SOrdid’
2 Souvenir of chaps in feminist movement briefly (7)
MEMENTO – MEN (‘chaps’) in ME TOO (‘feminist movement briefly’)
3 Perhaps bishop‘s staff (3)
MAN – Double definition

‘Bishop’ as a chess piece (or man) and ‘staff’ as a verb.
4 Argument about a right price (6)
TARIFF – TIFF (‘Argument’) containing (‘about’) A (‘a’) R (‘right’)
5 Stories from Dumas père and fils or Martin and Kingsley Amis? (9)
RELATIONS – Triple definition

RELATIONS as in accounts, narratives or ‘Stories’. I parsed this as a triple def, with the other two defs being definitions by example. ‘Dumas père and fils’ and ‘Martin (fils) and Kingsley (père ) Amis’ are relations and as it happens writers of stories. 

Alexandre ‘Dumas père’ wrote The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. In my ignorance I’m not sure I’d heard of ‘Dumas fils’ before but he wrote La Dame Aux Camélias on which La Traviata is based. In turn, the père de ‘Dumas père’ had an extraordinary life – here is his Wikipedia page.
6 Clean vessel with king aboard (5)
SCRUB – SUB (‘vessel’) containing (‘aboard) CR (‘king’)

SUB as an abbreviation for submarine, CR for Charles Rex.
7 They keep people locked up and glare so awfully (7)
GAOLERS – Anagram (‘awfully’) of GLARE SO
11 Check transport during time off work (9)
RESTRAINT – TRAIN (‘transport’) contained in (‘during’) REST (‘time off work’)
12 What Oasis made, having drained beer, vermouth and soft drink (7)
BRITPOP – BEER (‘drained beer’) IT (‘vermouth’) POP (‘soft drink’)

Outside my popular music comfort zone which is much more Little Deuce Coupe, but even I had heard of them and could appreciate the surface reading. Oasis were an English rock band from 1991-2009 and a big part of the Britpop movement. I remember one of the Gallaghers was a bad boy while on a trip here many years ago.

IT for ‘vermouth’, short for Italian or sweet vermouth, is a crossword favourite; gin and It is a cocktail which only exists in crossword land in my (limited) life experience.
14 Skill shown by journalists drinking old whiskey (7)
PROWESS – PRESS (‘journalists’) containing (‘drinking’) O (‘old’) W (‘whiskey’)

No stereotypes here! There was a discussion a little while ago on a Sunday Times 15×15 blog (see the posts as well as Guy’s explanatory comments for 10a) about the ‘whiskey’ v whisky thing, including its use for W in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
15 Ancient poet runs wearing watch (6)
VIRGIL – R (‘runs’) contained in (‘wearing ‘) VIGIL (‘watch’)
17 Hint sentry’s outside, slightly sozzled (5)
TIPSY – TIP (‘Hint’) SENTRY (‘sentry’s outside’)
18 Crossword setters and our boss getting employed (4)
USED – US (‘Crossword setters’) ED (‘our boss’)

ED as the usual abbreviation for “editor”, or our (‘Crossword setters’) boss
21 Algarve oddly ignored for convenience (3)
LAV – Even numbered letters of ‘ALgArVe’

90 comments on “Quick Cryptic 2669 by Jimmy”

  2. 25 min finish. Struggled with Golfers and Virgil. Got. Britpop on sight. Perhaps at 63 I’m young for this blog?

    Thanks BR and Jimmy

  3. not happy
    first dnf for 3 weeks
    not overly happy with one or two of the clues either

  4. 13:56

    No real difficulties but had to think about PROWESS and LOI GOLFERS which I only parsed after biffing.

  5. 19 minutes

    Didn’t enjoy this and my time was lousy. Not a criticism of the setter BTW, rather a reflection of how I’m feeling about the QC at the moment. Another day when I wish I hadn’t come here and seen so many great times. I found this a slog and guessed several answers. Don’t like doing that.

    Thought 10ac ended in TROUBLE and didn’t get 1ac immediately. Several other silly mistakes and generally not with it.

    Thanks for the blog.

  8. Enjoyed this one, just the right level for a QC I thought.
    Welcome Jimmy, thanks for the blog BR.

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