Quick Cryptic 3112 by Pipsqueak

91 comments on “Quick Cryptic 3112 by Pipsqueak”

1. Not too many problems for me, 7.16 with two clever clues – FATALIST and INANE – bringing up the rear. Thanks Jack and Pipsqueak.

2. I whipped through most of this, and then got completely stuck. With cryptic definitions, you either see it or you don’t, and usually the crossing letters are all vowels. For some reason transpire was also tough, even though I only had to place five letters.

   Time: 12:19

3. DNFed on FATALIST and INANE. Found the rest pretty easy, so had a long time to think about these before giving up. I don’t think more thinking time would help with FATALIST (this just increases my dislike of cryptic definition clues), but I should have thought of INANE.

4. Had ‘knot’ for KNIT, should have read the clue! I had DIGEST as a triple definition, mull over, absorb, summary. Liked FATALIST when I eventually twigged. TRANSPIRE had to wait for most of the checkers. Nice mix of biffs and tricky ones.
   Thanks Jack and setter.

   1. Thanks, yes, triple is better.

5. There’s an agonising wait of about four seconds after pressing submit for the Club to confirm all is well which I usually use to open this page and start reading. Today I had a rising sense of dread as I read Quad’s comment – ‘I don’t remember KNIT’ being in the grid’. And it was’t in mine, I’d entered ‘unit’ which sounds like ‘you nit’ but doesn’t actually spell ‘unite’ so I can’t even feel aggrieved. FATALIST held out to the end – needed to find a word that fitted then see if it parsed – great groan when I saw it. Not all green in a little over eight.

6. 12:34. A pleasingly sequential time but with one pink square. FOI CHAD – no problem – but entered as CHAT. And I faffed around with 21ac, juggling with KNOT and (K)NUT before KNIT came to the rescue. I liked INANE. Thank you jackkt and Pipsqueak

7. Generally fairly straightforward but FATALIST needed an alpha trawl at the end – as Vinyl said ‘you either see them or you don’t’.
   Started with CHAD and finished with FATALIST in 5.55.
   Thanks to Jackkt and Pipsqueak

8. Felt a bit tough but surprised to see the clock at only around 16 minutes with only 3 left. Took until 23.35 to unpick carol (after trying coral), afraid and fatalist. Also entered knot before seeing knit.

   Thanks Pipsqueak and Jack

9. 14:54 Struggled to remember Tesla is a scientific unit and BIFD inane so thanks Jack for the PDM. Had to solve in list format as the grid sizing on my android Pixel 8 is still microscopic…
   TaJAP

10. 6:15. Was desperately trying to break the FATALIST clue into two parts but no. I’d like to see a def ‘I don’t think a lot’, though. ‘Fidel ally’ was a nice change for CHE. Was not aware of the musical.

11. 24:25 (average: 35, target: 32)

    I thought there were some really good clues in here that required a lot of different gears. I can’t decide between FATALIST, INANE and RESTLESS as my favourite.

    For a four letter word KNIT took some considerable construction and was my LOI. I too wasted a lot of time going back to try and make UNIT fit every other thought.

    Thanks Jack and Pipsqueak

12. Mainly straightforward, but struggled to see LOI, FATALIST. AWARE was FOI. 7:52. Thanks Pipsqueak and Jack.

13. 5:08 of which about half a minute was on my LOI, you’ve guessed it, FATALIST. I liked LASSIE and BEAU best. Thanks Pipsqueak and Jackkt.

14. All was going well and I was on for a time of about 15m but FATALIST DNF’d me in the end.

    Pi ❤️

15. 20:21 with much of it taken up with FATALIST, INANE and KNIT. Otherwise a fairly steady solve.

16. 12:12 for a good solve, though it felt stickier than that as I was doing it. There seem to be two clues of special note judging from the comments before me; of the two, I thought INANE was a great clue once I had seen it (until then I was rather less enamoured as nothing seemed to be working!), and as for FATALIST, you either like cryptic clues or you don’t, and I always find them very tough because there is not much to go on if the answer doesn’t fairly immediately appear. My only other hold-up was CAROL, as I was not aware of/had forgotten that as well as the standard 2-letter state abbreviations, California can be CAL.

    Many thanks Jack for the blog. And can I also point everyone at John Interred’s post on the costs of upgrading this site to its new host – quite apart from all the work he and others have done for us all, hosting the site is not costless.

17. INANE – IN AN ‘E’ (election beginning thus) …. please explain the IN AN bit of this answer. Feeling dense this Monday morning!

    1. How does ‘election’ begin? Why, it begins IN AN E!

       1. I just don’t see that as good English. It begins with an e. A piece of music might start in E…

          1. That miffed me, slightly, too, Groucho!

18. A good puzzle that I dealt with unusually quickly until I came back to 1ac. FATALIST came to mind early (as soon as I had the four checkers) but I hesitated for a long time. This, and INANE, took me from a potentially quick finish up to a solving time of almost 15 mins.
    In the end I biffed both of them so thanks, jackkt, for parsing INANE and confirming the rather odd 1ac.
    The anagrams came very quickly and there were some very nice clues. I first entered CORAL (a woman’s name; we have a neighbour called Coral) but flipped a coin and chose CAROL. I think either one is valid.
    Thanks, Pipsqueak.

    1. Except the clue says “run over” (=RO) not “over run” (=OR).

       1. You got me! I used ‘over’ twice…….. 😉

19. 16 min struggle with tiny grid. Have tried clearing App and reinstalling. any ideas on the fix for Android?

    1. I’d like to know this too! I’ve tried using the Times Puzzles app as well as my usual Times app. On the Puzzles app the grid and clues are the right size but the keyboard doesn’t fully fit on the screen so it’s impossible to complete crossword there. And on the Times app the grid is too tiny to see.
       I’ve given feedback and emailed The Times to report but no reply of course.

       1. Email, again, Ann. I got it sorted after emailing for a second time.

    2. Same problem here with tiny grid on Android phone. It’s been fine since the change, until Saturday.

    3. Many seem to be having this problem – see Saturday’s QC blog. I’ll be emailing daily screenshots to [email protected] until they fix it.

       1. 😀

       2. Which they now have … at least, for my Android phone it is working again. Commendably quick of the Times web-team – but why on earth did they not check it before putting the new version live??

       3. 👍🏻

    4. I phoned them up on Saturday. It is a “known issue”. Huh.
       Two to three weeks ago I phoned them up about problems getting into crossword club – another ” known issue”.
       Needless to say neither has been fixed.

       Like others the grid is OK on puzzles app, but accessing 3rd row of QWERTY is extremely difficult.

       I despair of Times IT and the service they provide. It really is unacceptable.

       I just hope their cybersecurity team is better.

    5. I complained, twice, to The Times and, this morning, it’s back to (the new) normal. I think the email address I used was [email protected], but it’s on the Your Account page.

20. Another who struggled to see FATALIST, just squeezing in under my 15 minute target.
    Started with CHAD and my COD is usually one which makes me smile, in this case, INANE.

21. Luckily FATALIST sprang to mind after I went to make my porridge. LOsI included BEAU and STOLEN. Not my day for seeing hiddens. Also slow on KNIT, ASSAULT.
    Could not parse AT ISSUE, as I didn’t think of T for Tesla. INANE clever. Also liked CHASTISE and RESTLESS.
    Many thanks, Jack.

22. Got it all except Fatalist eventually. Doesn’t help with cryptic clues if the definition is dodgy. IMHO Fatalist doesn’t mean nothing can change, it means the outcome will be the same despite the changes. A quick dictionary trawl backs me up. Literature is full of characters that change everything to escape their prophesied fate without success. As a Southampton fan we believed that we were going to be relegated by half way through last season. We changed the players, the formation, the tactics and the manager (twice) and lo and behold were still relegated as the fatalists amongst us had always known we would be. Still enjoyed doing the rest though. Thanks to Pipsqueak and jackkt.

    1. I read it as cannot change a ‘lot’ Ie the outcome, your fate. Rather than cannot change ‘a lot’ meaning can’t change much

       In which case it would fit your definition

       1. Yes, that was how I (eventually!) read it too.

       2. Thanks, Paul. I didn’t see ‘lot’ as ‘fate’ when solving but it all makes much more sense now.

    2. Yes, a fatalist might say, ‘nothing will improve, despite the changes’.

23. Slow to start then quick finishing in 9 minutes. LOI KNIT.
    Some nice clues including PARADISE and RESTLESS.
    David

24. I really don’t like the new format on my Android phone. It’s enough to block my solving Chi, such as it is. I will have to use my tablet or desktop I guess, but I would prefer to just use my phone as I have that everywhere.

25. OK sort of finished, but guessed INANE (not really = ludicrous) and Carla, but once RESTLESS was clear that was rather randomly adjusted to CAROL, job done. But turned to Jack to find out why, thank you.
    Drat: had KNoT, of course KNIT is right. Can’t see that FATALIST and EXTRA are cryptic, surely both literal definitions?
    Yes, that’s a point: in what context is Tesla = T? Not the NATO alphabet I think?

    1. Tesla is the unit for magnetic flux density. Abbreviated to T

       1. Goodness, magnetic flux density! What’s that when it’s at home? No worries: wouldn’t understand the answer to my own question. Failed Physics A level not once but twice. Thank you!

          1. Just a posh way of saying magnet strength really

             1. Thanks for the simple language! Now that sounds interesting; I could get worked up about a way of measuring the strength of my various magnets. I suppose there must be a way of doing that, but probably not for mere mortals (laymen). Similarly it would be lovely to be able to put a chilli on some kind of scale and find its strength in SHUs.

                1. A standard fridge magnet is about 5 thousandths of a Tesla (or 5 miliTesla)

          2. Oh, what delight! I love knowing there are people like me out there (at least like me to some extent..I am loathe to suggest you are as ignorant as am I with Physics, when that is v unlikely to be the case).
             Anyway, congratulations for even reaching Physics A level. I didn’t.
             In my world, Apple falls from tree so that I can eat it. End of story. Why the apple falls – not rises – of no interest to me. : )

             1. Thank you for that – loved it – laughed out loud. I was forced to take Physics A level in order to do maths which was the only subject I could do. “Of no interest to me” reminds me of the Shah of Persia who, when invited to attend a horse race, replied: “I know very well that one horse can run faster than another. It is of no interest to me which horse it is”. Sleep well and we hope for a more friendly QC in the morning!

                1. 😆

26. 20 mins…

    Right on the cusp – not helped by the 1ac cryptic “Fatalist”. The rest went in fairly steadily, although I didn’t realise Tesla was an actual scientific unit which left me initially baffled as to the “T”.

    Been to Baden-Baden a couple of times. Some lovely lakes in the northern edges of the Black Forest.

    FOI – 2dn “Aware”
    LOI – 1ac “Fatalist”
    COD – 13ac “Inane”

    Thanks as usual!

27. I was on for a sub eight minute time until I got to …. yep, you guessed it FATALIST. By the time I had worked it out, the clock had moved on to 13.38. No gripes from me with the inclusion of a purely cryptic clue, but I think in this case it was more 15×15 than GC standard.

    1. Can’t complain about a cryptic clue in a cryptic crossword!

28. Very pleased to finish in 24 minutes today, because I was able to extricate myself from several seemingly impossible situations in fairly quick time.

    I started with CAROL and my LOsI were BEAU (which always nearly defeats me), ASSAULT and FATALIST up in the NW corner.

    My COD was KNIT, because it brought back memories of the (very) old advertising slogan ‘Wendy is a great knit’. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

    Many thanks to Jack and Pipsqueak.

29. Sign me up to the “Ban cryptic definitions” club, but I finished this one in 10:06 so I’m mainly just relieved that my disastrous streak of calamities has been broken.

    Thank you for the blog!

30. A breezeblock solve with ASSAULT and FATALIST bringing up the rear. I wasn’t sure of T for Tesla as I was thinking about the car rather than the unit of magnetic flux density! I also forgot to hit submit when I finished. 7:40 and thanks Jack

31. My hold-ups were AT ISSUE/AFRAID; didn’t know Tesla = T (but I do now). Enjoyed FATALIST and, like Paul, saw ‘ a lot’ as one’s lot in life – what a great clue. The rest went in steadily but rather slowly. Just my cup of tea. Thanks Pipsqueak and Jack.

32. Most of this went in quickly but I was left with a handful of clues which tipped me over the 20 minute mark and into the club. These were mostly in the NE because I had forgotten that CAL was a valid abbreviation for California and that Tesla was a scientific unit. I also toyed with ‘knot’ at 21ac but couldn’t parse it so thought again.

    FOI – 5ac CHAD
    LOI – 1ac FATALIST
    CODs – INANE and RESTLESS

    Thanks to Pipsqeak and Jack

33. Yet another who struggled with FATALIST. Just back from a Times-free holiday, so maybe I’m just rusty. We’ll see tomorrow. Liked INANE

    Thanks Pipsqueak and Jackkt

34. 5:30

    Blasted around the grid, but held up for a while at the end on FATALIST – deserved to be in the 15×15, that one.

    Thanks Jack and Pipsqueak

35. Good puzzle.
    1a Fatalist, long pause and all crossers required. It’s OK but it is just a cryptic def with no wordplay.
    18d Chess, DNK the musical but took a punt.
    21a Knit, as Mendesest above, at first I biffed Unit (you nit) but it doesn’t work, unite would have the required meaning.
    7d At Issue caused a pause for thought. Ah, Tesla the SI Unit, not the car!
    20d Spa, I missed it so DNF. There are few words fitting S_A apart from Spa and Sea.
    Thanks Pipsqueak and jackkt.

36. Was on for a PB until trying to solve my LOI you know what … my initial thought was an anagram of “lot can be” but checkers put paid to that so alphatrawl it was. Thank goodness F comes early in the alphabet! (Though someone once advised on here that you should start trawls at M, for a very convincing reason which I’ve now forgotten. Unfortunately I only ever remember this advice after I’ve got to M.)

    Anyway. All done in 05:59 for an Excellent Day. COD to CHASTISE. Many thanks Pip and Jack.

    1. Can you imagine how annoyed you’d be if you started a trawl at ‘M’ and the letter you were looking for was ‘L’?

       1. Yes!

37. 6.23

    Almost chucked the towel in but persevered until FATALIST appeared when I got away from thinking of LOT as either “much” or a “sale item”. That clue was v tricky but it passed the cryptic “smell test” imho.

    Thanks Jackkt and Pipsqueak

38. What a silly KNOT, I got one pink square. Spent too long on it as I had ELATIVE, which sure looks like a word, and there are many homonyms of the MEAT/MEET BEAT/BEET, SENT/CENT variety that need to be checked.

    Missed the hidden BEAU, thought Aunt Beau was a literary character from say Thackeray or Gaskell.

    COD INANE

39. Successfully biffed rather too many, so thanks to Jackket, 15 mins, without hanging about trying to parse

40. DNF. Didn’t like INANE because we could neither parse it (good clue though once explained) nor see that it was the same as ludicrous, though it was a better choice than our other options: irate and image. It was FATALIST (on which enough has already been said) that did for us though. We just couldn’t see it and lost patience and looked it up after 13 minutes. Thanks, Jack and Pipsqueak.

41. 11:14 Mostly quick but it took me several minutes at the end to realise that FATALIST was a cryptic definition after I’d rejected FARAGIST. Thanks Jack and Pipsqueak.

42. Like many ( I suspect) I finished all except 1a and then stared at it for 10 minutes. I was trying MANA…BARA…PATA… until FATALIST hit me but I couldn’t square it with “I don’t think…” . I thought it had to be third person, not first, but I suppose on reflection that “I am a fatalist” is fine. So I got there but a full 30 minutes in the end. Liked DIGEST, CHAD and LASSIE to name but three. Thanks Pipsqueak and Jack

43. How is a cryptic clue defined? You could say all the clues of a cryptic puzzle are cryptic. Is it just that there is no wordplay to confirm the meaning?

    1. Strictly speaking, I think FATALIST was a cryptic definition.

44. Besides 1a, carol caused us problems. Overall quite tricky today.

45. Surrendered @ 23 mins. Was never going to get Fatalist but Digest was a poor miss. Thanks Hack and Pipsqueak.

46. BEAU is back, though I was slow to see it, Aunt Maud didn’t seem to fit. I did wonder why a Tesla needed a tissue, did it catch a cold. In my day there were Gauss’s (Physics, sorry), I just thought Tesla was a car!

47. 10:30. TRANSPIRE was the biggest holdup for me- couldn’t see the definition for a long time.

48. A bit of a tussle! Pushing at my GK with 18d Chess. Always interesting to see familiar answers with yet more inventive clues. How about 20a as ‘a German cake without port’?
    FOI 8a LAssie
    LOI 18d Chess
    COD 6a Chad – amusing!

49. 1ac looks like a straight definition rather than a cryptic one, if you replace “I don’t” by “one who doesn’t”. Isn’t a cryptic definition supposed to look like something else at first glance?

    1. I think it counts as cryptic because it relies on two meanings of the word lot. The surface reads naturally as ‘I don’t think much can be changed’ which is non-specific, but to get to FATALIST you have to ignore that and think of one’s lot in life.

       1. Thank you for your explanation which makes sense (although I still think there’s not a lot in it).

50. 11:07 fatalist the big hold up

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