10:23 for me, how did everyone else get on?
Definitions underlined in bold, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, synonyms in (parentheses), deletions in {curly brackets} and [ ] for other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Unfashionable garments for the suburbs? (9) |
| OUTSKIRTS – OUT (unfashionable) + SKIRTS (garments) | |
| 6 | Reduced share of profits? (3) |
| CUT – Double def
This clue exactly matches clue 6d in yesterday’s 15×15. |
|
| 8 | Artilleryman introducing a herbaceous plant (7) |
| GUNNERA – GUNNER (artilleryman) + A
NHO of this one, I was going to post a picture but it’s just a green plant with big leaves. Imagine it, you’ll be close enough. |
|
| 9 | Turn right, initially seeing evergreen shrub (5) |
| GORSE – GO (turn) + R{ight} + S{eeing} + E{vergreen}
And a GORSE is in fact an evergreen: it doesn’t maintain green foliage in the traditional sense like a pine or holly tree, but is still considered an evergreen due to its persistent green stems. |
|
| 10 | Coward, possibly, digesting beginning of Victorian literary work (5) |
| NOVEL – NOEL (Coward) contains V{ictorian}
Other famous Noels: Edmonds, Gallagher, Fielding. So Noel Coward shades it as The First Noel, I think. |
|
| 12 | Rampager in Brazilian port starts to terrorise edgy residents (6) |
| RIOTER – RIO (Brazilian Port) + T{errorise} E{dgy} R{esidents}
This word is not in Collins, but is in Chambers. And it also features in the story about LA in The Times today. |
|
| 14 | Railway employee adjusting to steam trains (13) |
| STATIONMASTER – (TO STEAM TRAINS)* | |
| 16 | Absorbent paper he removed from the children (6) |
| TISSUE – THE ISSUE (the children) with HE removed | |
| 17 | Ravine originally accessed on ship (5) |
| ABYSS – A{ccessed} + BY (on) +SS (ship) | |
| 19 | Put up beams, reportedly (5) |
| RAISE – Sounds like RAYS (beams) | |
| 20 | Old flame worked as model — with nothing on? (7) |
| EXPOSED – EX (old flame) + POSED (worked as model) | |
| 22 | Twisted grass, by the sound of it (3) |
| WRY – Sounds like RYE (grass)
I always though WRY was more like “ironic”, but Collins has twisted as a possible synoym. |
|
| 23 | Denigrator of French farm vehicle (9) |
| DETRACTOR – DE (‘OF’ in French) + TRACTOR (farm vehicle)
There was a storm about “racist” interpretations of “denigrate” a few years ago. |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Manual worker producing notes in church? (8) |
| ORGANIST – Cryptic definition
The term “manual” distinguishes the hand-played keyboards of an organ from the pedal keyboard that is played with the feet. Most church organs have two or three manuals. |
|
| 2 | Heavyweight head dismissed from school in Berkshire (3) |
| TON – {E}TON (school in Berkshire)
There are 412 schools in Berkshire, guess which is needed. |
|
| 3 | Genuflect, hearing Lord Kinnock’s name? (5) |
| KNEEL – Sounds like Neil (Kinnock)
Pretty easy since a 5 letter word for Genuflect is pretty simple stuff, even if you’ve never heard ex-Labour leader Neil Kinnock. |
|
| 4 | New order ran greater men ragged (13) |
| REARRANGEMENT – (RAN GREATER MEN)* [ragged]
This was a bit tricky to parse, as “New order” is the definition, not the anagram indicator. |
|
| 5 | Sons mostly disregard a married woman in Rome (7) |
| SIGNORA – S{ons} + IGNOR{e} (disregard) + A
The “in Rome” indicator means we are looking for an Italian (or Latin) word, (the Latin would be femina). I’m not sure why the plural “Sons” is used here, I can’t see how S can refer to Sons. |
|
| 6 | Woodwork in vehicle parking on arrival (9) |
| CARPENTRY – CAR (vehicle) + P{arking} + ENTRY (arrival) | |
| 7 | River in remote estate (4) |
| TEES – Hidden in remote estate
Caerful, the first river I saw in there was the Test. |
|
| 11 | Practicality little Violet put before skill (9) |
| VIABILITY – VI{olet} + ABILITY (skill) | |
| 13 | Campaigner from South Africa in simpler setting (8) |
| CRUSADER – SA contained in CRUDER (simpler) | |
| 15 | At home juggling dates as an alternative (7) |
| INSTEAD – IN (at home) + (DATES)* | |
| 17 | Top-grade hotel in mountain area (5) |
| ALPHA – H{otel} inside ALP (mountain) + A{rea} | |
| 18 | Ship’s company uttered exultant cries (4) |
| CREW – Double definition
The second is the strong verb form of the past tense of “crow”, like blow/blew. Most famous in the story of St Peter: “And the second time the cock CREW. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. “ – Mark 14:72 Many strong verbs are now replaced with their weak -“ed” alternatives. Other examples
|
|
| 21 | Determined group (3) |
| SET – Double definition | |
I hope you don’t mind me joining your community? Having taken some time away from the Quick Crossword while recuperating, I was very pleased that the stars aligned today and gave me one of my fastest ever times -5:15. I may have to go and lie down with the shock! Thanks to Orpheus and Merlin.
You’re more than welcome! Congratulations on such a terrific comeback, and good luck with your future recuperation 😊
Welcome… we are comparative new arrivals… find all to be very tolerant of the slower beings..Himself and I are often in the SCC (slow coach corner) ..looks like we may not see you there often. Hope the recuperation has gone to plan.
Very straightforward – a quick (for me) finish in 14:45. Please can we ban anything to do with ETON from crosswords?
I saw 5d possibly another way.
‘Signor’ are mostly sons in Italy if you disregard the a ?
Amazed by the number of NHO GUNNERA admissions: until recently we could sit under the leaves of ours (by a mini lake) and enjoy a glass of rosé: but the main trunk seems to have died and it is no longer the giant rhubarb of our village! It’s a spectacular plant – loves shade and damp. We hope it’s going to regenerate.
Generous clueing led to a fast solve (for me) of 9 minutes plus. STATIONMASTER and REARRANGEMENT helped with lots of crossers. Thanks Orpheus and Merlin.
We sit and merrily do that very thing under the canopy of our leaves, looking out onto our canopied stream..
These days, it is illegal to have the plant in the world.. however, if you happen to be in or toddling through Cornwall and want some for a private world……..
7.54 A new PB!!!! Very excited and happy. We look back to our early days, when, with Andy’s Anagram solver, thesaurus, and ‘check’ function all in full swing, we were happy to get half done in half an hour. Today – all done, dusted and parsed in under 8 minutes.
We cannot take all the credit – much is due to the wonderful bloggers whose explanations have helped immeasurably and to all those who comment – the forum adds much merriment as well as supplementing the blog – and to the setters, whose brains clearly work differently from ours….and we rejoice in that.
For those who may still be about to see it – Gunnera – I have posted more above – worth the scroll https://www.cornwalllive.com/whats-on/whats-on-news/gallery/gunnera-goes-gargantuan-after-months-9317225
Happy days – time for a celebratory glass?
Thank you ! and the glass? have been practising for a while… (wanted to be sure to be ready)
: )
13 minutes. Awful. Ages to get VIABILITY. Why?
Reading all those fast times above makes me want to scream. Why am I so slow? What do the rest of you have that I lack? So many people have begun the QC after I started and now put me to shame with their performances. How is it that I slog my way through 15 x 15 in an effort to improve and am still at the back?
Yet another fail on 15 x 15 (which was probably a walk in the park). Short by one answer. Demoralising.
PS. Yes, as I thought, 15 x 15 was ‘easy’ according to Snitch and expert commenters. Even more demoralising.
After a PB yesterday this brought me right back to earth with a DNF. Couldn’t do anything in the bottom left, a triple homophone (always find them tricky) and synonyms that I couldn’t think of for viability and tissue as well.
Botanist. Got Gunnera then spent the next 15 minutes distracted learning all about it. Glad I do the cryptic on paper!