ParkSolve Time: 35:55 (solid run, middling solve)
My third Joker in a row. I don’t usually pay much attention to who’s setting the puzzle, but I’m becoming more aware of his(?) style. He seems to embrace a wider spread of clueing techniques than other Quickie setters. Not big on anagrams, but doesn’t mind a reversal or a double definition, as is particularly event today.
For me that makes for a slightly slower but no less enjoyable solve. How did you find it?
BTW, I’m the worst Nina-spotter in the business but I notice that lines three and eleven spell out RUNNING TOTAL THREE HUNDRED. A milestone for the Joker perhaps?
(In the clues, definitions are underlined and anagram indicators are in bold italics. In the explanations (ABC)* indicates an anagram of abc. Deletions and other devices are indicated accordingly, I hope).
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Criminal man with influence (10) |
| MALEFACTOR – MALE (man) + FACTOR (influence)
Another word for a wrong’un. |
|
| 8 | Current means of keeping fit (7) |
| RUNNING – Double definition | |
| 9 | What could be grand wreck (5) |
| TOTAL – Double definition
Second def refers to something (usually a vehicle) being “totalled”, as in a total write-off. |
|
| 10 | Capital L (4) |
| LIMA – L = LIMA in the NATO alphabet
Not often the wordplay consists of a single letter. |
|
| 11 | Delta pilot carrying unknown worker on junket? (8) |
| DAIRYMAN – D (delta) + AIRMAN (pilot) “carrying” Y (unknown)
For the surface reading, junket means a work trip where you don’t actually work. Don’t think I ever managed to score one of those. For the definition, junket refers to the curd-based dish. |
|
| 13 | Past error by church (5) |
| SINCE – SIN (error) + CE (church) | |
| 14 | Course smothered in Tabasco traditionally (5) |
| ASCOT – Hidden (smothered) in tabASCO Traditionally | |
| 16 | Illuminating landing (8) |
| LIGHTING – Double definition | |
| 17 | Wintry fall today on sierra (4) |
| SNOW – NOW (today) on S (sierra)
Another visitor from the NATO alphabet. |
|
| 20 | Group of men in a boat you once cut by four, ultimately (5) |
| THREE – THEE (“you” once) cut by R (fouR, ultimately)
Three Men in a Boat being the famous novel published in 1889. |
|
| 21 | Number under mixing in high-definition (7) |
| HUNDRED – (UNDER)* in HD (high-definition) | |
| 22 | Set poetry mangled English cliché (10) |
| STEREOTYPE – (SET POETRY)* + E (English) | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Painting taking up the French spirit (5) |
| MURAL – LARUM [LA (“the” in French) + RUM (spirit)] reversed (taking up) | |
| 2 | Supervisors who look after railway? (4,8) |
| LINE MANAGERS – Double definition
The second definition is just a bit of whimsy, I don’t think railways actually have “line managers” in that sense. Or maybe they do? |
|
| 3 | Just a long way round island (4) |
| FAIR – FAR (a long way) round I (island) | |
| 4 | Good brandy may turn clubs around (6) |
| COGNAC – CANGOC [CAN (may) + GO (turn) + C (clubs)] reversed (around) | |
| 5 | Beginning of public holiday (8) |
| OUTBREAK – OUT (public) + BREAK (holiday) | |
| 6 | In core may get developed — this? (6,6) |
| ATOMIC ENERGY – (IN CORE MAY GET)*
The core being where fission occurs in a nuclear power plant. |
|
| 7 | Programme on alien world (6) |
| PLANET – PLAN (programme) on ET (alien) | |
| 12 | Conscious feeling avoided by millions (8) |
| SENTIENT – SENTI |
|
| 13 | Greet Aleuts when travelling (6) |
| SALUTE – (ALEUTS)* | |
| 15 | Fix a new task that’s unfinished (6) |
| ANCHOR – A + N (new) + CHOR |
|
| 18 | Golf club first to win advantage (5) |
| WEDGE – W (first to Win) + EDGE (advantage) | |
| 19 | Particulars of Northern Ireland must be raised (4) |
| INFO – OFNI [OF + NI (Northern Ireland)] reversed (must be raised) | |
17 minutes with time lost on my last two in, crossing answers OUTBREAK and TOTAL. Very nice puzzle though.
Joker is John Grimshaw, so I think you’re okay with ‘he’, Galspray.
I hadn’t spotted the Nina. My calculation of Joker’s total to date taken from the spreadsheet I update daily is 298 rather than 300. There’s always the possibility I may have made an error, however I then searched the TfTT archive which also has 298.
Anyway, no matter whether it be 298 or 300, Joker’s back catalogue of puzzles is impressive and I would like to express thanks for all the pleasure he has given to so many at TfTT since his first Quick Cryptic (#5) appeared on 14th March 2014. Many congratulations, Joker, on your 12th anniversary!
18:00 for the solve. Feel like a party pooper but once again Joker failed to entertain me became a grind; 5th puzzle this year and all of them have been slower than my average by some margin. I still mourn the loss of the Joker who was once my favourite setter for his first 250 or so puzzles as they were always good fun, accessible and relatively quick but we all move on in life to be different people and so it goes.
Today I was particularly held up by the intersection of the second half of MALEFACTOR, DAIRYMAN the latter of which I had no idea of junket, TOTAL first def iffy and OUTBREAK (LOI but fair enough).
Thanks to Galspray and Joker