I found this one from Orpheus to be at the gentler end of the spectrum, finishing in a sprightly (for me) 10:25. It would have been a rare sub-10 finish if I hadn’t got the wrong idea for 12ac.
Unusually, there were only two anagrams. Even more unusually, I saw them both quite quickly.
Definitions underlined, synonyms in round brackets, wordplay in square brackets and deletions in strikethrough. Anagram indicators italicised in the clue, anagram fodder indicated like (this)*.
| Across | |
| 1 | School principal’s dreams involved with thesis (12) |
| HEADMISTRESS – (DREAMS THESIS)* | |
| 9 | Subsidiary picture of fashionable group (5) |
| INSET – IN (fashionable) + SET (group). | |
| 10 | Brief account of problem by quite contrary girl (7) |
| SUMMARY – SUM (problem, as in maths) + MARY (quite contrary girl).
This is a reference to the “Mary, Mary, quite contrary” nursery rhyme. |
|
| 11 | Declared a retired minister leftist (7) |
| AVERRED – A + REV (minister), reversed [retired] + RED (leftist). | |
| 12 | Brilliant effect initially conveyed in story from the East (5) |
| ECLAT – First letter [initially] of C This was my LOI. Fortunately I didn’t let myself be convinced that EELAT was a synonym for “brilliant”. |
|
| 13 | Learned person and I had returned in flat-bottomed boat (6) |
| PUNDIT – I’D (I had), reversed [returned] in PUNT (flat-bottomed boat). | |
| 14 | Comparatively affected holiday-maker (6) |
| CAMPER – CAMP (affected), made into a comparison [comparatively]. | |
| 17 | Greek character immersed in home game (5) |
| OMEGA – hidden [immersed in] |
|
| 19 | Thin tip of lead in transmitter? (7) |
| SLENDER – first letter [tip] of L |
|
| 21 | Hard to catch four aboard English vessel (7) |
| EVASIVE – IV (Roman for four) in [aboard] E (for English) VASE (vessel).
Not a ship, then. |
|
| 22 | Start of terrible drubbing? Something fishy here (5) |
| TROUT – First letter [start] of T |
|
| 23 | Organised transport I appreciate crossing loch (12) |
| BUSINESSLIKE – BUS I LIKE (transport I appreciate) containing [crossing] NESS (a loch). | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Oriental barge finally at the rear of vessel (7) |
| EASTERN – Last letter [finally] of |
|
| 3 | Resolution to put off motorway race (13) |
| DETERMINATION – DETER (to put off) + MI (M1, a motorway) + NATION (race).
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this one before. |
|
| 4 | Popular team serving porridge (6) |
| INSIDE – IN (popular) + SIDE (team).
“Porridge” as slang for being in prison apparently emerged in the 1950s. I only know it from the TV show from the 70s, although I see that a remake was made in the 2010s. |
|
| 5 | Touchy male parent met at sea (13) |
| TEMPERAMENTAL – (MALE PARENT MET)* | |
| 6 | Message from the Spanish about a month in France (5) |
| EMAIL – EL (the, in Spanish) containing [about] MAI (the month of May, in French). | |
| 7 | Crooked lawyer seems hysterical at heart (7) |
| SHYSTER – hidden in |
|
| 8 | Pass exams at last in Roman way (4) |
| VISA – Last letter [at last] of |
|
| 13 | Saw someone wandering around in lead (7) |
| PROVERB – ROVER (someone wandering around) in PB (chemical symbol for lead).
Pb for lead comes from the Latin plumbum, which is also the source of the word plumber, since pipes were often made of lead. |
|
| 15 | Field cut below apartment? (7) |
| PADDOCK – DOCK (cut) after [below, since this is a down clue] PAD (apartment). | |
| 16 | Evaluate a couple of ships rounding point (6) |
| ASSESS – A + SS for steamship twice [a couple of ships] surrounding E (East, a point of the compass). | |
| 18 | Welshman’s vehicle in centre of Oswestry (5) |
| EVANS – VAN (vehicle) in the centre letters of In crosswordland, all Welsh people not named Williams or Jones are named Evans. And Welsh women are all called Sian. |
|
| 20 | Estimate speed (4) |
| RATE – A double definition. I’m struggling to come up with an example where “estimate” and “rate” are interchangeable, but there’s definitely some overlap in the concepts. | |
When I see lead I’m automatically seeing Pb and ignoring the other meaning – duh
Teaching myself how to solve Cryptic crosswords, so nowhere near as fast as all of you!
Really enjoyed this one, at first look it was quite daunting, however got into a steady rhythm, and only had to get help for four of the clues.
Enjoyment is the main thing, Nevets, don’t worry about speed.
Well done Nevets!
I strongly suspect that you are nearly or at least as fast as some of us (e.g. I took 40+ minutes today). Please don’t get hung up about times. First and foremost, you should enjoy the process.
Good luck tomorrow!
Very well done – keep enjoying yourself! Hope you’ll also keep us updated on your progress 😊
Well, late here but never too late to do a QC IOHO. Greatly enjoyed, and just over 18 which for us is not too bad … would have been faster had we not leant toward PB for the first LEAD reference (19a) rather than for the second..PROVERB (13d)
Speed further compromised by inserting ELUSIVE instead of EVASIVE and VIVA in lieu of VISA (the latter sat uncorrected until rejected by the ‘you have finished’ friend… oh, PASS! we both said.. ).
Fun though. We were happy. Thanks to all.
COD BUSINESSLIKE
31 minute DNF.
Put ELUSIVE for EVASIVE and, as a result, had the meaningless EBUSS instead of EVANS. That pretty much says it all.
I’m on the verge of chuckling this in. I struggled throughout and the brilliant times of others I was once comparable with have convinced me that I will never get anywhere with this.
To be honest, it seems unfair that I have put in long, long hours on the 15 x 15 and my reward is to go backwards whilst others seem to have no difficulty in getting to grips with this.
When the rest of you found this so easy, what does it say about my lack of ability when I found it like wading through treacle? Reading all the comments about how simple it was made me feel worse than ever about my own efforts. What do the good solvers possess that I lack?
Is there any point in carrying on with these infuriating puzzles? I don’t derive any enjoyment from being so bad at this, and I don’t know how to improve. It is so frustrating!
Above my pay grade. I don’t know how people do them so fast.