Quick Cryptic 2933 by Izetti

Author   BletchleyRejectPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

 

Izetti in a fairly gentle mood today.

I found this to be a medium level difficulty QC without any of the obscure words which Izetti sometimes likes to foist upon us unsuspecting solvers.  Five clues involving letter deletions but none too difficult. I’m not 100% confident of the parsing of 11a and as usual there are a few clues which are difficult to categorise, notably 6d.

I’ll go for the ‘French city’ as my favourite – well and truly sucked in to going down the anagram route.

All finished in 11:48.

Thanks to Izetti

Definitions underlined in bold, deletions and letters in wordplay not appearing in answer indicated by strikethrough.

Across
1 Expert off home after end of job (6)
BOFFIN – OFF (‘off’) IN (‘home’) following (‘after’) joB (‘end of job’)
5 French city in danger somehow (6)
ANGERS – Hidden (‘in’) dANGER Somehow
8 Stirs up a US soldier with a test that’s new (8)
AGITATES – A (‘a’) GI (‘US soldier’) then anagram (‘that’s new’) of A TEST
9 Setter duplicated content that goes viral (4)
MEME – ME + ME (‘Setter duplicated’)

One of those many words which I wouldn’t be confident enough to use in general conversation. Collins gives two senses for MEME, the second one of which, first appearing in 1998, applies here: “an image or video that is spread widely on the internet, often altered by internet users for humorous effect”. I’ve just learnt from the OED that the first sense, for a cultural element or aspect of behaviour which is imitated and passed on by non-genetic means, was coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 in The Selfish Gene. But I’m sure you all knew that (seriously).
10 Bar weapons being returned (4)
SNUG – Reversal (‘being returned’) of GUNS (‘weapons’)

A small, private area, often behind the main bar, in a pub. I was going to say it’s a term that’s never used in this part of the world, but Google proved me wrong straight away. I liked this site which describes the role of the SNUG in Irish pubs and provides some interesting tidbits into various Irish social customs of the 19th century.
11 Most likely fit for investigation, seemingly (8)
PROBABLE – PROBE ABLE (‘fit for investigation, seemingly’)

PROBEABLE, but not PROBABLE, is in the dictionaries as an adjectival form of PROBE, so I suppose the ‘seemingly’ could be indicating a theoretically possible alternative spelling.
12 Presents in boxes unopened (6)
OFFERS – COFFERS (‘boxes unopened’)
14 Some Parisian with wrath and lust? (6)
DESIRE – DES (‘Some Parisian’) IRE (‘wrath’)
16 One coming down with another kitchen item (8)
COLANDER – Definition with cryptic hint – a CO(-)LANDER (‘one coming down with another’)

A fellow passenger in an aeroplane could whimsically be called a CO-LANDER.
18 One musical instrument or another not initially loud (4)
LUTE – FLUTE (‘another not initially loud’)
20 Stadium overlooking new field (4)
AREA – ARENA (‘Stadium overlooking new’)
21 One’s single lab chore must be organised (8)
BACHELOR – Anagram (‘must be organised’) of LAB CHORE
23 Like advert about storing email at regular intervals (6)
ADMIRE – AD (‘advert’) and RE (‘about’) containing (‘storing’) eMaIl (’email at regular intervals’)
24 Cask kept in bar for stout (6)
ROTUND – TUN (‘cask’) contained in (‘kept in’) ROD (‘bar’)

The second boozy reference in the puzzle, but this time a misleading one. Good surface.
Down
2 An ear maybe for something musical (5)
ORGAN – Double definition

With just the initial checked O in place, I’ll own up to initially putting in OPERA
3 Overweight, one visitor needing to shed stone, showing tiredness (7)
FATIGUE – FAT (‘Overweight’) I (‘one’) GUEST (‘visitor needing to shed stone’)
4 Trap number turning up (3)
NET – Reversal (‘turning up’) of TEN (‘number’)
5 Awfully bad crones who will do a bunk? (9)
ABSCONDER – Anagram (‘Awfully’) of BAD CRONES
6 Third character seen in newspaper in Athens (5)
GAMMA – Cryptic definition cum double definition
7 Walker to go at easy pace between two rivers (7)
RAMBLER – AMBLE (‘to go at easy pace’) contained in (‘between’) R and R (‘two rivers’)
11 Dad’s blood circulating with energy in dance (4,5)
PASO DOBLE – PAS (‘Dad’s) then anagram (‘circulating’) of BLOOD then E (‘energy’)

The rearrangement of the letters in BLOOD isn’t consistent with ‘circulating’ being used as a synonym for “cycling”.
13 Silly fool looking embarrassed, dumbfounded (7)
FLOORED – Anagram (‘silly’) of FOOL then RED (‘looking embarrassed’)

Very appropriate on all levels, both definition and wordplay. My LOI; I don’t know why, rabbit frozen in the headlights I suppose, but I just couldn’t get the FOOL anagram.
15 Prominent stranger in street (7)
SALIENT – ALIEN (‘stranger’) contained in (‘in’) ST (‘street’)
17 Fine instrument used by dramatist (5)
AMATI – Hidden (‘used by’) drAMATIst

A violin made by the Italian family of violin makers. For a couple of reasons, I don’t think you could use the term “a poor man’s Stradivarius” to describe one.
19 Old character that could get under your skin and be a pain (5)
THORN – Definition with cryptic hint (‘that could get under your skin and be a pain’)

The ‘Old character’ (letter) Þ used for ‘th’. With the advent of printing, there was no Þ in some of the early printing character sets (or whatever the correct term is) and y/Y was used instead, giving rise to “ye/Ye” for “the” as in “Ye olde”.

On edit: See vinyl1’s post below.
22 Worry when the bottom drops off vehicle (3)
CAR – CARE (‘worry when the bottom drops off’)

101 comments on “Quick Cryptic 2933 by Izetti”

  1. 17:57, with the last 6 or 7 minutes spent on the ADMIRE / AMATI crossing pair. Eventually twigged how ADMIRE worked, and then put AMATI in with a shrug, not seeing the hidden until afterwards. That now gets my COD, for the “d’oh!” moment.

    Thanks to Izetti and BR.

  2. PROBABLE went in with a shrug but otherwise very straightforward, esp for an Izetti. Come back, all is forgiven! 7 mins exactly.

  3. I thought that Izetti had gone soft until I got to the SW corner. 22:11 in total, with thanks to Izetti for reining it in a bit through most of the puzzle.

    Thank you for the blog!

  5. Got off to a cracking start in the NW but soon floundered. A DNF for me because of Amati (NHO).

    Got COLANDER but couldn’t parse it so grateful for that and all the other explanations. Incidentally, do people pronounce it colander as in cOg or colander as in come? I say the latter and my children think me hopelessly old-fashioned.

  6. back in the day Minnie Caldwell, Martha Longhurst, and Ena Sharples used to meet up for a chat and enjoy a milk stout in the SNUG of the Rovers Return.

  7. 11:02

    Very slow for me, but to be fair, that time was with constant interruptions by Mrs Oompah, so not as hard as all that. However LOI COLANDER was tricky and not my cup of tea, and GAMMA is barely cryptic. Lots to like though, thanks all.

  8. After a couple of tricky days, I was glad to see Izetti today – my best solve for a while 😅 I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago!
    After a quick start, the SW corner slowed me down, with COLANDER taking a minute or two – I could have biffed it, but always like to parse if possible. Got it eventually! Ditto GAMMA, although I still had my doubts, and will join in the group MER at this one. I liked SNUG, OFFERS and BACHELOR. I knew AMATI but spent too much time looking for a dramatist beginning with F.
    10:42 FOI Angers LOI Amati (foiled by a hidden – again!) COD Rotund
    Thanks Izetti and BR

    Following the ongoing discussions about difficulty levels, I’m sure that the puzzles are getting harder. Every now and then I go back to old puzzles in the Crossword Club to do a bit of practice, and I still finish them more quickly than the current crop – generally in the 8-12 minute range. In the last year or so, I reckon it’s more often the 10-15 minute range.

  9. 18m
    Done in 2 shifts so no accurate time.
    Thought gamma and probable were weak.
    COD colander.

  10. DNF, SW corner was troublesome. Didn’t get OFFERS or FLOORED. Didn’t parse COLANDER, thought it might be COLER with AND inside “with another”. NHO AMATI, and had PROBABLY for a potential pink square.

  11. According to the snitch, half the ref solvers had errors! So it was PROBABLY difficult

  12. Really hate failing the QC on days I complete the main one but it wasn’t to be today.

    Had TROLL (old character, someone on the internet getting under your skin) which blocked me getting ROTUND. Couldn’t see the correct THORN (I didn’t have the needed GK) so had to chuck the towel in and click that dreaded reveal button.

    I found the QCs harder than the main ones the last two days. Maybe I shouldn’t save them for the evening.

    Some lovely and tricky clues in this. Liked COLANDER and FATIGUE.

    Thanks blogger and setter.

  13. 22 minutes. Maddening!

    Easily inside SCC until AREA and AMATI, both of which were straightforward. How could I not get them immediately?

    Only conclusion to draw is that I am still nowhere with this. Only Tuesday and already at 57 minutes for the week!

    To make it worse, I got all bar 4 answers to 15 x 15 in 20 mins, and then hit a brick wall. Got 3 more eventually but then guessed the last. Luckily got it right but can’t really claim any credit for that. For a brief moment, I thought I was getting somewhere. Should have known better.

  14. Phew, got there in the end after a rather busy day 36:50.
    Lovely Izetti puzzle.
    Thanks both.

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