Quick Cryptic 3187 by Izetti – Ouch!

Author   vinyl1Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic

You may be surprised to see me here.    Templar did solve the puzzle, and did prepare a blog, but unfortunately it was eaten by a nasty system crash when he tried to post it.   I told him to go to bed, and I would handle the blog when the site came back up, which I am now attempting to do.    I will be hitting ‘save draft’ every fifty keystrokes!
OK, the puzzle.   I found it pretty easy, but not up to Don Manley’s usual standard.   Too many cryptic definitions, too many hiddens, too many stock clues.    The top quality clues: dislodge, student, relate, disciple – these are the sort of clues I would expect an Izetti Quick Cryptic.
Time:  7:45
Across
7 They may succeed in due course (5)
HEIRS – Cryptic definition.
8 They leave their country, changing regimes (7)
EMIGRES – Anagram of REGIMES.
10 Story a nobleman heard (7)
ACCOUNT – Sounds like A COUNT.
11 See Conservative beginning to upset male stand-in (5)
LOCUM – LO + C + U[pset] + M.
12 Given a new coat? (9)
REPAINTED – Cryptic definition.
14 Stuck in America, dreadfully bad person (3)
CAD – Hidden in [Ameri]CA, D[readfully].
15 Winning the prize ultimately? Wow! (3)
GEE – [winnin]G [th]E [priz]E.
16 Happened to be banished (6,3)
TURNED OUT – Double definition, one of which is more or less a cryptic hint.
18 Some princess ending in German city (5)
ESSEN – Hidden in [princ]ESS EN[ding].
20 Taciturn prisoner in American city ignored curfew initially (7)
LACONIC – L.A. (CON) I[gnored] C[urfew].
22 Learner in hospital department trailing after boss (7)
STUDENT –  STUD + E.N.T.    As I always say, there are two different words spelt ‘boss’ with completely different meanings and etymologies, and the setters like to play with them.
23 Goddess shortened end of programme in sports stadium maybe (5)
VENUE – VENU[s] + [programm]E.
Down
1 Greatest hero excited people looking for entertainment (12)
THEATREGOERS – Anagram of GREATEST HERO.
2 I’m A Believer — record on random pile (8)
DISCIPLE – DISC + anagram of PILE.
3 Hairy man and son in water in France (4)
ESAU – E(S)AU.
4 Act like bird and go away! (4,2)
BEAT IT – BE A TIT!
5 Is learner involved in clever trick free? (8)
DISLODGE – D(IS L)ODGE.
6 Reptile caught by fabulous bird (4)
CROC – C + ROC.
9 Having something in common with next door? (12)
SEMIDETACHED – Another cryptic definitions.
13 One set of religious books completed as planned (8)
INTENDED – I N.T. ENDED.
14 Ceremonially installing knight with boasting all round (8)
CROWNING -CROW(N)ING.
17 Tell family member, one very small being ignored (6)
RELATE – RELAT(i,v)E.
19 Evade southern invader (4)
SHUN – S + HUN.   Does shun really mean evade?
21 Desperately want to leave king’s underground chamber (4)
CAVE – C[r]AVE.

48 comments on “Quick Cryptic 3187 by Izetti – Ouch!”

  1. Solved gently over lunch (about half an hour) but I couldn’t parse CAVE and DISLODGE took absolutely ages at the end. Which was daft because I realised there was an ISL in it, but still couldn’t see -ISL-D-E because I hadn’t twigged that the penultimate letter must be G. But still good fun overall.

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  2. 21d and 23a were last in. Spent quite a lot of time playing with catacombs, crypts and cellars before caverns came to mind and so realised that Venus was the one of many possible goddesses to shorten.

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  4. 11 minutes on the nose for a remarkably gentle Izetti which would have been quicker were it not for my clumsiness. I agree that some of the cryptics were a bit weak but overall it was an enjoyable start to the year.
    FOI: EMIGRES
    LOI: SEMIDETACHED
    COD: BEAT IT

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  6. 4:22

    Fairly blasted through this with all across entries in on the first pass – think that is the first time I have ever managed that. Slight hitch with the downs, having to scribble down the letters for 1d to see LOI THEATREGOERS, but otherwise, an extremely gentle NY hangover cure.

    Thanks for stepping up Vinyl, and for the puzzle, Izetti

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  7. 10:48, and a fair number of write-ins would have made it much faster, but that I couldn’t think of SEMIDETACHED for a long time. Of course I’ve seen it but (whining) it’s not in my dialect. Liked THEATREGOERS.

    My, my, my, it’s winter here. Beautiful. After going to bed early last night, I woke thinking “what’s that noise?”, got up, and raised the blind just in time for one gorgeous fireworks explosion. Went right back to sleep too. An auspicious start. May you all have good beginnings and even better continuations.

    Thank you to Izetti, to Templar for putting in the work, and to vinyl for saving the day.

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  8. 8:52 here. All the acrosses bar VENUE went in on the first pass, so I had plenty to work with on the downs. But DISLODGE wouldn’t come to mind: the three minutes that I spent gazing at _ISL_D_E pushed this out of Very Quick territory.

    Thanks to Izetti, Templar and Vinyl1.

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  10. Happy New Year.

    A miserable 22 minutes, just when I thought there was a possibility that I might achieve 5 SCC escapes in a week.

    A bad start to the solving year. Why am I not surprised? How so many solvers go through these puzzles so quickly never fails to astonish me. I still find this hard, even when the Snitch is lowish.

    At least two short on 15 x 15. Took forever, parsed very little and felt like I have learned nothing.

    PS Had one of missing clues but didn’t enter it as I was unable to parse it. Other one was gettable. ☹️

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  11. 17 mins…

    I didn’t find it that straight forward, but I’ve had worse Izetti’s. Some good clues overall though.

    FOI – 3dn “Esau”
    LOI – 7ac “Heirs”
    COD – 4dn “Beat It”

    Thanks as usual!

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