Parksolve time = 39:20 (slow run, medium solve)
I’m less diligent than others in tracking the offerings of the various setters, so I’m not sure what the expectation is of a Rongo Quickie. But I found this to be a bit of a Goldilocks puzzle, sitting somewhere in the middle in terms of difficulty.
How did you go?
(In the clues, definitions are underlined and anagram indicators are in bold italics. In the explanations (ABC)* indicates an anagram of abc. Deletions and other devices are indicated accordingly, I hope).
| Across | |
| 1 | Part of Kurdistan that’s remote (7) |
| DISTANT – Hidden (part of) in kurDISTAN That’s | |
| 7 | Repeat of contest about lighter alternative? (7) |
| REMATCH – RE (about) + MATCH (lighter alternative) | |
| 9 | Short-route transport is closed and let out (7) |
| SHUTTLE – SHUT (closed) + (LET)*
Plenty of shuttles are “short-route” of course, from the hotel to the airport, or the car park to the tourist trap, but I’m not sure that “short” is part of the definition. There have been a few famous shuttles that covered quite a considerable distance. Just an observation, not a quibble. Pretty straightforward clue. |
|
| 10 | Mother keen on Papa’s platform on a ship (7) |
| MAINTOP – MA (mother) + INTO (keen on) + P (Papa)
A platform around the head of the lower section of a sailing ship’s mainmast. Me hearties. |
|
| 11 | Joke using ambiguity, primarily known for rebellious style? (4) |
| PUNK – PUN (joke using ambiguity) + K [first letter of (primarily) Known]
The punk era pretty much coincided with my adolescence but I wasn’t quite cool (or angry) enough to embrace it. If anything I’m more rebellious now, hence my attraction to hotbeds of subversity like the TftT website. |
|
| 12 | On drugs — or a clothes line? (6,3) |
| STRUNG OUT – Double definition*
*Not reeeaaaally. Only if you read the second bit as “on a clothes line” which I suppose you can. |
|
| 14 | Prompt AI, setting anagrams (9) |
| INSTIGATE – (AI SETTING)*
Fancy using anagrams as an angrind. |
|
| 16 | Humorist secures right legal document (4) |
| WRIT – WIT (humorist) “secures” R (right) | |
| 17 | Doctor or I must travel (7) |
| TOURISM – (OR I MUST)* | |
| 20 | Wacky Ealing comedy’s opening is very innocent (7) |
| ANGELIC – [EALING + C (Comedy’s opening)]* | |
| 21 | Obstinately reactionary daughter that is difficult (3-4) |
| DIE-HARD – D (daughter) + IE (that is) + HARD (difficult)
Also the name of a movie that I’ve yet to see. No spoilers please. |
|
| 22 | Look back on turbulent sea or spray (7) |
| AEROSOL – OL [LO (look) “back”] on (SEA OR)* | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Frustrated duke is given a job (12) |
| DISAPPOINTED – D (duke) + IS + APPOINTED (given a job) | |
| 2 | South of us, loch shows acidity (8) |
| SOURNESS – S (south) + OUR (of us) + NESS (loch) | |
| 3 | Creative pronunciation of radio talker’s introductions (4) |
| ARTY – Homophone (pronunciation) of RT [first letters (introductions) of Radio Talker’s] | |
| 4 | Vibration of vacant tower Italian city erected (6) |
| TREMOR – TR (“vacant” ToweR) + EMOR [ROME (Italian city) reversed (erected)]
As a reversal indicator, “erected” obviously only works in a down clue. |
|
| 5 | Atmosphere of mixed feelings after Val’s departure (8) |
| AMBIENCE – AMBI |
|
| 6 | Leaders in Sunday Times editions transmit editor’s instruction (4) |
| STET – First letters (leaders) of Sunday Times Editions Transmit
Some solvers won’t have come across this one before but it pops up from time to time. If a word or phrase is marked for deletion, but the editor wants in left in, he or she will mark it with the word “stet”. |
|
| 8 | Conceptual policy that he developed (12) |
| HYPOTHETICAL – (POLICY THAT HE)* | |
| 12 | Scene one: note sailor’s curved sword (8) |
| SCIMITAR – SC I (scene one) + MI (note) + TAR (sailor)
A weapon you’ll most likely associate with being lobbed by moistened bints. |
|
| 13 | Protective clothing completed start of Shakespeare comedy (8) |
| OVERALLS – OVER (completed) + ALLS [start of ALLS well that ends well (Shakespeare comedy)] | |
| 15 | First man with Rear Admiral raised fleet of warships (6) |
| ARMADA – [ADAM (first man) + RA (rear Admiral)] reversed (raised) | |
| 18 | Druggie’s trick, putting the head all the way down (4) |
| USER – RUSE with “the head” (R) moved to the end (put all the way down) | |
| 19 | Slavic man’s first person to become Republican (4) |
| IGOR – I (first person) + GO (become) + R (republican) | |
Fortunately, disappointed was a write-in; I suspect we have seen this before. On the other hand, hypothetical took a long time. I did nearly put Egor, but then I stopped and re-parsed the clue. I found my LOI, arty, rather difficult, but I finally biffed it and then saw how it worked – well, I did have the r, t.
Time: 9:30.
I think the first word in 12a ‘on’ is doing double duty, as in ‘on’ drugs or ‘on’ a clothes line, not that it matters. Some tricky ones amongst gimmes here but all good in the end.
Thanks G and setter.
Yes, that’s my take as well. The only thing I was questioning was my own classification of it as a double definition.
14 minutes with an error. My pencil seems to have written PUNA at 11ac of its own accord.
What Q says about the clothes line. Absolutely fine.
A nice Saturday teaser with a few waves on an otherwise calm sea. Put TOURIST without thinking but ARMADA saved the day (ho ho). A two part solve about 20 mins all done.
Thanks Rongo and Galspray
(caveat. Die Hard 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 ahead. No spoiler intended but allow sufficient time if it’s your kind of thing).
Much appreciated Steak, but of course the tongue was firmly in the cheek. I’m pretty sure that it’s not my kind of thing. Loved Mr Willis in Pulp Fiction though!
29:23 for the slowest successful solve of the year so far.
Reaching the SCC I still had OVERALLS, MAINTOP, AMBIENCE, PUNK, DISAPPOINTED to get. I’m sure it would have been quicker if I’d known the ship’s platform to bif. Inexplicably unable to get from OVER-L-S to the answer albeit never seen a contraction clue which deleted 4/5s of the material.
Sometimes it’s more about the destination than the journey ND!
My first DPS for a while – I couldn’t parse AMBIENCE and as a result misspelt it by giving it an extra ‘a’.
Other than that a grid I ‘completed’ in a time that was a smidge over average with the NW providing most of the delay – SOURNESS, ARTY, SHUTTLE and LOI PUNK being the main culprits.
Thanks to Galspray
10 mins on the nose, with two of those working out LOI ARTY – obvious when you see it.
5 minutes later I’m still laughing at ‘moistened bints’ – I’d forgotten that one – thank you for a wonderful start to my day 🙂
I confess that I had to search for ‘moistened bints’. Must be losing my memory.🙄
. . .that’s two of us, then
A mixed set of clues but plenty to stretch my Saturday morning brain.
Luckily, I got the two long answers quickly so the crossers were helpful but I still spent too long on USER, MAINTOP, and STRUNG OUT. I seemed to finish fairly quickly so I was surprised to see 18.50 on the clock in the end. I liked AMBIENCE and INSTIGATE.
Thanks to Rongo and galspray.
Fairly new to this, having graduated in January from the nursery slopes of Grauniad’s Saturday cryptic-for-beginners (only 4 types of clue each week, all explained in advance).
My first complete solve, in around 35 minutes. Surprised to come here and find it considered mid-table. Possibly, because more clues than normal were biffable (FOI DISAPPOINTED) and I have yet to develop an aversion to that kind of behaviour.
👏🏻. The first of many. A nice mix of clues today, I thought. Enough of the easier ones to give help on the thinkier ones.
From DISTANT to OVERALLS in 9:08, so not a stroll for me. All fair and square though. Thanks Rongo and Galspray.
All green in 14:11, and I think I made heavier weather of this than I should have, because on reflection (and on reading the blog), I cannot now see where the hold-ups were. But I took a long time to see DISAPPOINTED (I tried dissatisfied and discontented first, before discarding them because I couldn’t parse them), and to remember MAINTOP, and to find STRUNG OUT, which is not a phrase I know. LOI was ARTY, and a real D’oh moment when the penny dropped.
ALLS as “start of Shakespeare comedy” is I suspect a familiar trick but it was new to me and I was pleased to work that one out.
A good puzzle and a fine blog, both enjoyed – what more can one ask for! Many thanks Galspray and Rongo.
I meant to mention in the blog that I don’t recall seeing that device before either Cedric.
13:38 for a nice friendly Saturday puzzle. Took a while to see both PUNK, where I had to stop myself writing in PUNA, and OVERALLS, which wasn’t …SHOE or even …COAT. The PDM earns it my COD.
Thank you galspray for the moistened bint and her scimitar. I offer in return the AEROSOL from the Swedish Chemist
Swedish chemist a family favourite 🤣
19 mins…
A pleasant and surprising Saturday solve. Started off slowly but seemed to get quicker once I got a few in the NW corner. A couple of fingers were being crossed on 10ac “Maintop” and 19dn “Igor” though.
FOI – 1ac “Distant”
LOI – 10ac “Maintop”
COD – 5dn “Ambience”
Thanks as usual!
There must be a setter who could give us a Pythonesque puzzle ( if someone hasn’t done so already). I know I am one of many who starts singing the song to themselves whenever a clue mentions philosophers. The scope is vast. We have had the Inquisition already this week, now scimitars. Cheese next…
Anyhow, relaxed Saturday solve, thanks Rongo for that, Galspray for the summary.
If you’re looking for something Pythonesque, you will want to revisit Felix’s puzzle from the start of this year – 2nd January – QC 2875
I also recall Norwegian Blue coming up in one of the early puzzles I attempted in 2022
I achieved nine. Three or four were semi biffs where I half parsed the clue. Missed a few easy ones. Strung out came easy enough despite the fact that I avoided drugs in the 1960s. I had better things to spend my student grant on like upgrading my HiFi. David Bowie’s Gean Genie includes strung out in the lyric. Seriously.
Or was it Ashes to Ashes? Maybe both.
Does a parksolve have to be done consecutively? Or does anyone do it concurrently?
Concurrently Matt. Running backwards after eight pints of Guinness. Would be much too easy otherwise.
10:10
All good – no dramas.
Thanks, g.
6:57
I didn’t find this too tricky – I have Rongo’s four previous attempts marked down as three on the easier side and one on the tougher side – just one longish delay thinking of LOI 5d and then wondering if the fifth letter should be E or A.
NHO MAINTOP, but then none of the parts of boats and ships that turn up in these puzzles surprise me, I just try and follow the cryptic, hopefully guided by a few checkers. I missed the ALLS reference, not sure I would have got it particularly quickly if my life depended on it.
Thanks Rongo and Galspray
Started with 1ac/d as write-ins, and that set the tone for a fairly quick solve, right up until loi Ambience. I guessed it had to start with a vowel, but nothing would come to mind, so I went back to the cryptic. . . and tried to think of words beginning/ending in Val 🙄 All sorted in the end, but by then I had narrowly missed a sub-15. Rare enough on the best of days, but doubly so on a Saturday.
CoD to the Arty character at 3d for the smile.
My thanks to Rongo for a well-judged QC and to galspray for a matching blog. Invariant
11.50 Mostly a steady solve. IGOR was biffed. SHUTTLE, DISAPPOINTED and PUNK held out until the end. I liked ARTY. Thanks galspray and Rongo.
I found this a nice mix of straight forward clues and then some harder ones to finish but could not see AMBIENCE and decided enough of Saturday had gone by so a DNF. Also had the little known Slavic tribe UGER instead of IGOR.
COD to OVERALLS for the neat Shakespeare reference.
Thanks Rongo and Galspray for the blog and parsing ARTY which I thought might be a homophone from a hearty welcome from the radio host.
Maybe the UGERS fit into the Finno-Ugric classification? Or cousins of the Uighurs?
Fairly steady solve today. MAINTOP was unknown but wordplay was friendly. LOI STRUNG OUT after I belatedly realised ‘on’ was doing double-duty. Despite being a bit wordy ARTY was COD. Many thanks galspray and Rongo.
DNF. Not on the wavelength. I guess I might have got ANGELIC and IGOR if I hadn’t been too worn out by then. Slow on AMBIENCE – had to look up MAINTOP. Struggled with INSTIGATE and needed a hint with DISAPPOINTED. If I hadn’t been out all day in the lovely sun, I might be a bit grumpy, moaning that this QC is too difficult.
Liked DIE HARD, PUNK.
Thanks for blog, Galspray – much needed.
STET is Latin for Let it Stand, I dimly remember. I am old enough to have used it when proofreading.
15:20. Enjoyed AMBIENCE, MAINTOP, OVERALLS, and SOURNESS most. For the last one I originally thought sulphur would somehow figure in.
I enjoyed this a lot, despite failing in 23:03 cos apparently I can’t spell AMBIENCE. Didn’t even cross my mind that it might not contain a second A. Oh well.
Thank you for the blog!
14:58 here. DISAPPOINTED reminded me of an Eric Morecambe one-liner: “‘I didn’t get the job’, he said, disappointed.”
Thanks to Rongo and galspray.
Finished this one in an hour, though would have been quicker but kept making funny mistakes. Had ambivalence for mixed feelings, and never noticed the val in the middle. Thank you for explaining the clues, especially AEROSOL, only got it through checking letters and drove myself crazy trying to figure it out 🙂
I did this while eating before going off to my first stint back volunteering after the winter break, so no exact time. It’s definitely easier to focus without a knife and fork, as well as a pen, in hand 😅
Quite tricky but at least I finished today. Unfortunately I misread 14a as Al (as in ‘you can call me Al’ , rather than AI, which slowed things down a bit. I liked HYPOTHETICAL and Ambience. No reflection on anyone called Val though!
About 13 minutes, with tomatoes on toast
FOI Distant LOI Strung out COD Angelic
Thanks Rongo and Galspray
Hope you didn’t stick your biro absentmindedly into the toast!
Mmmm – tomatoes and ink 😋
Cracking blog, which made me chuckle aloud several times. Had to google the moistened bint, though, which I did with some trepidation having discovered many years ago that Googling things you don’t understand can lead to Trouble. (The Guardian had used the word “milf”. Don’t Google it.)
07:37, getting a little stuck on MAINTOP (must read those nautical novels everyone mentions whenever something like “mizzen” or “orlop” comes up) and DISAPPOINTED. But a Very Good Day.
Many thanks Gallers and RightoRongo.
I remember the 50-something guy I worked with, who had a good rapport with one of the younger women in the office trying to convince her he should be considered a DILF 🤣 It was all good natured, no harassment. Actually now I come to think of it they were both lawyers …
10.02.