Quick Cryptic 3233 by Pedro

Author   BletchleyRejectPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

 

Time: 09:11

A good Pedro puzzle – enough tricky clues to make this more than a breeze, particularly getting the last few in.

Thanks to Pedro

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

Across
1 Salad vegetable right with a serving of food (6)
RADISH – R (‘right’) A (‘a’) DISH (‘serving of food’)
5 Father embracing a deity in eastern temple (6)
PAGODA – PA (‘Father’) containing (’embracing’) A (‘a’) GOD (‘deity’)

I liked the surface all the more for its simplicity.
8 Scattered pieces of paper etc? Not if tidied up (8)
CONFETTI – Anagram (‘tidied up’) of ETC NOT IF

Another natural surface making up an extended definition.
9 Bungle in leaving cake (4)
MUFF – MUFFIN (‘in leaving cake’)

MUFF as a noun or verb.

I became stuck on Eton mess which is not a cake. As I remember, the usual muffins here years ago were the bread-based English ones but the American variety now seems to have taken over as the default muffin and “English muffin” is noted as North American English in Oxford Dictionaries and Collins.
10 Nothing runs, nothing, after size reduced by 50 per cent (4)
ZERO – R (‘runs’) O (‘nothing’) following (‘after’) siZE (‘size reduced by 50 per cent’)
11 Dramatic departure involving leader of Conservatives (8)
EXCITING – EXITING (‘departure’) containing (‘involving’) Conservatives (‘leader of Conservatives’)

EXITING as a noun, though EXIT by itself would usually do.
12 Cold aboard lorry, very cold (6)
ARCTIC – C (‘Cold’) contained in (‘aboard’) ARTIC (‘lorry’)

What in these parts we would call just a plain old “truck” is known as a ‘lorry’ or an ARTIC (short for “articulated lorry”) in the UK.
14 Vegetable placed in stewpot at once (6)
POTATO – Hidden in (‘placed in’) stewPOT AT Once

Maybe not as healthy as 1a but tastes much better.
16 Certain to get behind request for amusement (8)
PLEASURE – SURE (‘Certain’) following (‘to get behind’) PLEA (‘request’)
18 What thief will do in prison (4)
NICK – Double definition

One of the many colloquial terms for ‘prison’ beloved of our setters.
20 Programmer’s favourite source of coffee? (4)
JAVA – Double definition

The computer programming language or the island of Indonesia, one place where coffee beans are grown.
21 I travel freely after November period (8)
INTERVAL – Anagram (‘freely’) of I TRAVEL following (‘after’) N (‘November’)
23 Silent film star ruined no take (6)
KEATON – Anagram (‘ruined’) of NO TAKE

I don’t think this refers to a mute Annie Hall.
24 Puzzle to act as inspiration? (6)
BEMUSE – Definition with cryptic hint: to BE a MUSE (‘act as inspiration?’)
Down
2 Love party to occupy most of region (5)
ADORE – DO (‘party’) contained in (‘to occupy) AREA (‘most of region’)
3 Leading popular promenade (2,5)
IN FRONT – IN (‘popular’) FRONT (‘promenade’)

FRONT for ‘promenade’ as in “a paved public walk, typically along the sea front at a resort” (Oxford Dictionaries).
4 Sexy husband on bed, topless (3)
HOT – H (‘Husband’) COT (‘bed, topless’)

Made it past the censors – very naughty.
5 Law has intellectual property left in control of royalty (9)
PRINCIPLE – IP (‘intellectual property’) L (‘left’) contained in (‘in control of’) PRINCE (‘royalty’)

A PRINCE being an example of ‘royalty’.
6 Range that’s good with a stomach being upset (5)
GAMUT – G (‘good’) A (‘a’) then MUT, a reversal (‘upset’) of TUM (‘stomach’)
7 Finished entertainment in December, heading for theatre (7)
DEFUNCT – FUN (‘entertainment’) contained in (‘in’) DEC (‘December’) then Theatre (‘heading for theatre’)

My LOI. I was thinking about something to do with Christmas festivities.
11 Ruling out our group in revised lexicon (9)
EXCLUSION – US (‘our group’) contained in (‘in’) anagram (‘revised’) of LEXICON
13 New record regarding rental agreement (7)
RELEASE – RE (‘regarding’) LEASE (‘rental agreement’)

A RELEASE implying that a new record has become available.
15 Tot’s first tucking into light brown liquor? Childish rage (7)
TANTRUM – Tot’s (‘Tot’s first’) contained in (‘tucking into’) TAN (‘light brown’) RUM (‘liquor’)

Oh joy.
17 Change promotional material, appending a point (5)
ADAPT – AD (‘promotional material’) then (‘appending’) A (‘a’) PT (‘point’)
19 Opening for college girl in group of students (5)
CLASS – College (‘Opening for college’) LASS (‘girl’)
22 Bathroom item with short pipe (3)
TUB – TUBE (‘short pipe’)

80 comments on “Quick Cryptic 3233 by Pedro”

  1. Started off very well but as usual the last few put paid to a reasonable time. Finished in 21 minutes with a couple which I didn’t bother to parse completely.

    FOI – 1ac RADISH
    LOI – 7dn DEFUNCT
    COD – 24ac BEMUSE

    Thanks to Pedro and BR

    Reply

  2. 7:17, and I surprised myself with a quicker solve than I’ve had lately, and no silly mistakes. The only thing that made me feel stupid was needing three looks at my LOI ADORE. To me a MUFFin is not a cake, but I’m learning to ignore such quibbles and get on with it. Of course HOT made me laugh, but PRINCIPLE wins COD with TANTRUM close behind. Great puzzle.

    Thanks Pedro and Bletch.

    Reply

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