Because of the broken link at the Times I’ve put up today’s Quickie #31 here:http://jackkt.livejournal.com/
This one took me 11 minutes so was possibly at the easier end of the spectrum for a Quickie, but it’s another excellent puzzle with a good variety of clue types. It’s still not available on the button and the usual trick adjusting the url didn’t work for me so I had to wait hours for the facsimile to appear on-line. I hope this gets sorted out soon so that all those who want to access the puzzle can do so. In the meantime I’m running late so I’ve kept things fairly brief in the blog.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across |
|
---|---|
1 | In Australia a capital idea and deal that’s extraordinary (8) |
ADELAIDE – Anagram [extraordinary] of IDEA DEAL. It’s the capital city of South Australia. | |
5 | Dessert made by wife with it (4) |
WHIP – W |
|
8 | Fellow boxing minute title-holder (5) |
CHAMP – M (minute) inside [boxing] CHAP (fellow) | |
9 | Effectiveness of company shown by data extremely clearly (7) |
COGENCY – CO (company), GEN (data), C |
|
11 | Feel airport needs changing to grow rapidly (ll) |
PROLIFERATE – Anagram [needs changing] of FEEL AIRPORT | |
13 | US author to judge verse (6) |
POETRY – POE (US author), TRY (judge) | |
14 | Complete current book and part of play (6) |
INTACT – I (current),NT (book – New Testament), ACT (part of play) | |
17 | Boy accompanying queen twice is a Casanova (11) |
PHILANDERER – PHIL (boy), AND (accompanying), ER ER (queen twice) | |
20 | Famous authoress with no name on grave (7) |
AUSTERE – AUSTE |
|
21 | Group of revolutionary activists with duke in charge (5) |
CADRE – D (duke) inside CARE (charge) | |
22 | American is a jerk (4) |
YANK – Double definition | |
23 | Traveller always recalled carrying one spare (8) |
REPRIEVE – REP (traveller), I (one) inside [carrying] EVER (always, reversed) | |
Down |
|
1 | Knowing military music hasn’t started (4) |
ARCH – |
|
2 | Model partner once generous (7) |
EXAMPLE – EX (partner once), AMPLE (generous) | |
3 | Take illegally? Right (11) |
APPROPRIATE – Double definition | |
4 | Nothing that is dear (6) |
DUCKIE – DUCK (nothing – cricket), IE (that is). I’m not sure if this very English endearment is known abroad. | |
6 | Dye hard girl picked up (5) |
HENNA – H (hard), ANNE (girl, reversed) | |
7 | Nasty MEP fiddled allowances (8) |
PAYMENTS – Anagram [fiddled] of NASTY MEP. The Times continues its campaign against Mr Farage! | |
10 | Market trader perhaps is inexperienced and rather vulgar, we hear (11) |
GREENGROCER – GREEN (inexperienced), GROCER sounds like [we hear] ‘grosser’ (rather vulgar). I think the clue should be ‘rather more vulgar’. | |
12 | Curate finally happy in restored church festival (8) |
EPIPHANY – |
|
15 | Cross written at bottom of a contract (7) |
ABRIDGE – A, BRIDGE (cross) | |
16 | Stick lands regularly at this spot (6) |
ADHERE – |
|
18 | Playwright identified by some lines bitterly upset (5) |
IBSEN – Hidden and reversed in liNES BItterly | |
19 | Garden party making fortune reportedly (4) |
FETE – Sounds like [reportedly] ‘fate’ (fortune) |
Is it just me, or is the link (around 10.30 pm Monday UK time) taking us to puzzle 27 pulished middle of last week (well mine is anyway)? Also the trick with the URL (“back door” that has proved useful in the past) does not seem to work anymore either.
I’m currently on holiday in New Caledonia where there is a more relaxed approach to time and precision, and I’m using a hotel internet service that can at best be described as eccentric, but I don’t think either of these would explain getting last week’s puzzle?
Appreciate any insights, as I have my blogging day coming shortly (Wednesday) and feeling a bit jittery about these access issues!
On edit: now the 22nd April crossword is displaying fine through the link. I notice the last three digits have changed to 137, so seems like the numeric sequence has shifted…
Thanks
Edited at 2014-04-22 12:29 am (UTC)