8:02 for me, so harder than usual, with more than a couple of biffs along the way. There are a couple of somewhat offbeat definitions which might trip some, together with at least one slightly outré anagrind, but all in all, pretty fair and doable.
| Across |
| 1 |
Dad’s good-humoured joking — something useful on his travels (8) |
|
PASSPORT – PA’S + SPORT |
| 5 |
Drink, quiet, for those left (4) |
|
RUMP – RUM + P |
| 8 |
Disdain introduction of some banal material (5) |
|
SCORN – S[OME] + CORN |
| 9 |
Maybe Ivy’s more weird after one’s left (7) |
|
CREEPER – CREEPIER minus the I |
| 11 |
Dancing events seen (about five) with little between contestants (4-7) |
|
EVEN-STEVENS – anagram (‘dancing’) of EVENTS SEEN with V (five) |
| 13 |
Out of fashion, a French firm, old, ultimately eliminated (6) |
|
UNCOOL – UN (‘a’ in French)+ CO (firm) + OL[D] |
| 14 |
Initially attempt to buy energy supplies tested under most favourable conditions (2,4) |
|
AT BEST – acronym |
| 16 |
Feature of court’s employment policy (7,4) |
|
SERVICE LINE – SERVICE (employment – bit of a stretch but just about works) + LINE (policy) |
| 18 |
Worried — a learner, ready to fight? (7) |
|
ALARMED – A + L + ARMED |
| 19 |
Train trouble — just a bit for a start (5) |
|
INTRO – hidden word |
| 20 |
Unhappy about northern beach feature (4) |
|
SAND – SAD outside N |
| 21 |
Unwind regularly, welcomed by group of three in island (8) |
|
TRINIDAD – TRIAD with uNwInD inserted |
| Down |
| 1 |
Put forward non-poetic writing — Romeo no longer features (4) |
|
POSE – PROSE minus R for Romeo. ‘Put forward’ as in pose a question, I suppose |
| 2 |
One demonstrating, saying little, a popular bathroom feature? (6,7) |
|
SHOWER CURTAIN – SHOWER (one demonstrating) + CURT (saying little) + IN (popular) |
| 3 |
Men unpaid — mob almost involved in uproar (11) |
|
PANDEMONIUM – anagram (‘involved’) of MEN UNPAID MO[B] |
| 4 |
Break in secluded place (6) |
|
RECESS – double definition |
| 6 |
New, excited punter needed calming at first (13) |
|
UNPRECEDENTED – anagram (‘excited’) of PUNTER NEEDED + C |
| 7 |
No self-reliant type — operating as pirate (8) |
|
PARASITE – anagram (‘operating’) of AS PIRATE. I, a veteran, realise that absolutely anything can be used as an anagrind, but this sort of thing might trip up newcomers. |
| 10 |
Nice, clear it’s changing, light’s better, thanks to him? (11) |
|
ELECTRICIAN – anagram (‘changing’) of NICE CLEAR IT |
| 12 |
Study sea’s unusual weekly occurrences (8) |
|
TUESDAYS – anagram (‘unusual’) of STUDY SEA |
| 15 |
Something maybe written on back of envelope in Land’s End erroneously? (6) |
|
SENDER – hidden word |
| 17 |
Beastly sound? Daughter’s temper (4) |
|
MOOD – MOO + D |
UNPRECEDENTED took ages at the end. Finally realised what it must be an typed in UNPREdEDENTED anyway. TRINaDAD was just momentary madness – I don’t even say it like that. Long run of error free solves comes to an end. Quarter of any hour of fun though – expect for the time spent wondering what three letter drinks there were except for tea (and sup). RECESS was beyond my reach for ages too.
Those of us with an alcoholic nature immediately think of Ale,gin,rum and kir.
Hic! 🙂
Indeed!
Had no issues with the alcohol, but left it for the end because I’d never heard of that definition.
Also tot and nip!
13 minutes. SERVICE LINE just in time for the French Open which starts on Sunday!
Felt like there were a couple too many anagrams but otherwise a decent test.
Started with PASSPORT and finished with SENDER in 8.34.
Thanks to Curarist and Hurley.
10:20, not too bad. LOI SE corner with MOOD/INTRO
Surprised at the noun CORN for banal material. Never heard it used.
One of the small differences between the US and the UK is the position of the SENDER’s address on an envelope. In the US it’s on the front, in the UK on the back.
In the US, the sender’s name and address can go on the front (upper left) of the envelope or on the back, while in the UK the front is verboten.
I think it’s to do with the roll out of automated scanning systems by the US Postal Service in the 50s as big companies computerised. It could only read the front. Zip codes and two letter state abbreviations were introduced at the same time.
In Britain, letters were still mainly handwritten until quite a bit later.
Although the British Alphanumeric postcode turned out to be a brilliant innovation when electronic maps became common.
I have just returned from a holiday driving in France, and found using the SatNav quite a challenge without the very precise post codes we have in the UK, so I heartily agree with your last comment!
Touch screens have certainly made a huge difference.
Ha, yes, I live in 17800, the postcode of which applies to the town and three villages.
We enjoyed it. Do like the analogy of PARASITE and pirate…. plundering away..
Slow to get RECESS and UNPRECEDENTED (the latter took time even when all else done and dusted). NHO noun CORN in context of banal. Slow to get PASSPORT even with PAS… and even though it is the obvious answer. Sigh.
Thank you Hurley and Curarist.
Happy weekend everyone.
Describing something clichéd as ‘corny’ was in common use when I was growing up and I assume that corn as a noun developed from that.
Another enjoyable Hurley QC. I thought there was a forbidding number of long answers when I saw the grid but I was surprised how quickly they came to me (given a couple or crossers) and I enjoyed the anagrams. I finished in 13.40, all parsed (although it took a moment or two to relate CORN(y) to banal material). Within my normal range for a Hurley, these days.
Many thanks to setter and blogger.
I got really stuck on LOI RECESS, having thought of “recuse” and then struggling to unthink it. Big old trawl.
Otherwise quite quick. I did like RUMP and TUESDAYS. Got there in 07:03 for a Good Day.
[Curarist – at 14a I think it’s an acrostic not an acronym? And at 2d you need to include the A.]
Many thanks curarist and Hurley.
6:09. A minute over target, held up by EVEN-STEVENS and RECESS at the end. Like Plett1 I thought there were maybe too many anagrams, with 5 out of 6 down clues from 3D to 12D, but no matter – nice crossword. COD to TUESDAYS. I’m wondering of Hurley needs a passport to enjoy the sand in Trinidad on Tuesday.
17:08 I was flying through this until I wasn’t. Done by 5a which I found to be somewhat of a proverbial pain in…
TaCAH
13:17 for the Quitch solve. My slowest solve for Hurley this year – I had to grab the pen & paper for most of the anagrams and that slowed me because as they were generally longer they contained more checkers that would have helped out elsewhere.
Don’t understand why Rump=those left? And wasn’t keen on sport=good humoured joking but could see the connection between them, phrase like “be a good sport” and don’t think I’ve heard “even stevens” this century. Both seem like the kind of phrases my Dad would have used.
Nonetheless a good puzzle with clear clues indicating what needed to be done, so thanks to Hurley. And thanks to Curarist
‘Rump’ always brings to mind the Rump Parliament for me (17th Century); don’t know why – I am no historian.
Rump means ‘a small, often inferior remnant of a group, organization, or territory that stays behind after the majority has left, been expelled, or broken away’ according to online dictionaries.
Thanks Blighter – never heard of the Rump Parliament but the “behind” bit makes sense. Feels like it might have similar etymology to runt but probably just a coincidence they both start ru-
Rump: (Collins) The rump of a group, organization, or country consists of the members who remain in it after the rest have left.
The third definition of RUMP in the SOED is
3 A small, unimportant, or contemptible remnant or remainder of a parliament or similar body. M17.
b Any remainder or remnant. M20.
Hi, I’m new to the cryptic world, can you explain use of ‘quiet’ to get P?
P is a music symbol for quiet just as F means loud.
I find it helps to know what is behind abbreviations. I believe they are Piano and Forte
In music p = soft or quiet
There was a kids show called Even Stevens in the 00s, its where Shia Le Beouf got his break
Ive heard of teasing someone for sport before, not sure how good natured that is necessarily
I was OK with SERVICE=EMPLOYMENT. A maid ‘in service’ sprang to mind. And indeed, the SOED gives
7 The condition, status, or occupation of being a servant or employee, esp. (foll. by of or with possess.) of a specified person or organization. ME.
As the first instance of the second sense of the word.
10:16 for a sprightly solve, though I needed a surprisingly long letter search for my LOI SCORN. I mean, how difficult can it be to fill in the gaps in S-O-N? Answer: very, apparently, if one does not think of corn as banal material.
SERVICE LINE (well, the LINE bit) and RUMP also took a little finding; both only emerged once I had found UNPRECEDENTED – excellent anagram.
Many thanks Curarist for the blog.
15D reminded me of S.W.A.L.K. and similar acronyms on the back of envelopes. Enjoyable QC. Thanks Hurley and Curarist
And what similar acronyms might there be, Yorkshirelass? Nothing smutty, I trust 🤐🤭
WYCOMBE
See if you can work that one out (!)
HOLLAND is a bit easier.
I’m from too far west to know Holland or Wycombe!
I’m working on one for Mevagissey but it’s not easy….
My
Eyes
View
All
Girls,
I
Swear,
Sweetheart,
Except
You
Bravissimo! Or, to apply local phraseology, ‘ansum.
Wouldn’t that get you a slap and a strop? 🙂
when you come over my bed’s empty
hope our love lasts and never dies
NORWICH should be pretty well known
😝
Couldn’t possibly say in this forum 🤣🤣
Hurley in another guise set a puzzle on this theme elsewhere.
I enjoyed this although it required more attention than I was giving it for most of the time, so a slow solve.
Typically5A- P obviously, plus tea, ale, sup, tot, nip…. Oh, rum, yes. And I am familiar with the word RUMP in that sense so I don’t know why it took so long.
Also ran through the days of the week initially without spotting Tuesday, which is worrying! I’ll avoid any brain surgery or rocket science for the rest of the day and stick to gardening…
21:21. An average time for me. Perhaps too many anagrams, but a good puzzle just needing a couple of biffs to get home (TRINIDAD, SERVICE LINE).
Oh darn, DNF RECESS – of course.
Quite slow on RHS but enjoyed the struggle.
Slow on eg UNPRECEDENTED and CREEPER (despite garden being full of ivy).
Liked TRINIDAD, INTRO, SCORN, UNCOOL, among others.
Thanks vm, Curarist.
I seemed to have lost my anagram sorting hat. I also biffed SERVIng LINE which was only corrected when I spotted SENDER. FOI PASSPORT and LOI INTRO. 8:40 Thanks Curarist
15:28
I wasted ages trying to find an anagram for “excited punter” before finally seeing what was needed. I took a long time to see my LOI, RECESS.
Thanks Curarist and Hurley
I struggled with quite a lot of this, though to be fair to Hurley most of my problems were self-inflicted – eg ServiNG Line made the hidden Sender positively invisible for quite a long time. I should probably have pulled stumps at my 30min cut off, but battled on until loi Recess became a fed up Recuse. One to forget.
CoD to Shower Curtain for the smile. Invariant
5:44 – which looks to be ‘on wavelength’ today. I didn’t think this was easy at all, my mind is obviously just working fast. Lots of fun and great clues all round. COD to EVEN STEVENS for me.
I finished after 50 minutes, last one in mood.
My thought is anagram after double definition, hidden and acrostic.
CoD electrician where I spent ages working it out.
Thanks C and H
24 mins…
Those anagrams took a fair chunk of time and seemed to come one after another. 10dn “Electrician” and 6dn “Unprecedented” took ages, as did 9ac “Creeper” until I realised “Climber” wouldn’t fit. Chuckled at 17dn “Mood” – great surface and sometimes quite apt.
As a few above have noted, haven’t heard “Even Stevens” for years.
FOI – 1dn “Pose”
LOI – 5ac “Rump”
COD – 6dn “Unprecedented”
Thanks as usual!
11 minutes. PASSPORT was a good one to start with and I was heading for a sub-10 minute solve until I came up against UNPRECEDENTED as my LOI – as others have said, a v. good anagram. ELECTRICIAN was my favourite
Thanks to Curarist and Hurley
Breezeblocked by LOI, RECESS for a sluggish 12:22. PASSPORT was FOI, but the whole puzzle felt a bit trickier than usual for a Hurley. Thanks Hurley and Curarist.
26 minutes to finish which is quicker than the snitch would suggest.
I was dubious about LOI SERVICE LINE until I worked out that ‘employment policy’ needed a lift and drop.
INTRO was a well hidden hidden, at least for me.
Thanks Curarist and Hurley.
13:13
Distracted by having to work at the same time, slow on the LHS to see 10d and 21a and several others
Thanks Curarist and Hurley
Lovely friendly Friday, thank you Hurley. Only doubtful about LOI SERVICE LINE which amazingly I seem to have got away with ‘cos frankly it could have been almost anything e.g. SERVICE TIME, NHO either equally. Enjoyed the anagrams. Thanks Curarist.
I was a bit sleepy when doing this, which may explain my time of 17.49. I think it was on the tough side anyway, but I was definitely not at the races today. On seeing ‘Drink’ and ‘Left’ mentioned in the clue for 5ac, I biffed PORT which of course needed correction once I finally decided to parse it.
My total time for the week was 55.50, giving me a daily average of 11.10. A bit of a step back after last weeks sub eight minute average.
I didn’t get started until EVEN-STEVENS turned up, but I made steady progress for a while after that.
Only 22 clues to solve today, but none with three-letter solutions, which often provide a slight foothold around the grid.
As usual, my last few in were very hard to work out and I crossed the line dead on target at 30 minutes.
Thanks to Curarist and Hurley.
It’s all been said before. Had to Bif SENDER as I failed to scroll past the bottom of the clue on my phone to see the last word “erroneously”!
No time as I started briefly last night and finished today. Sadly it is pack up and clean the house day before returning to UK tomorrow. No more sand, sea and sunsets for a while. 🥲
Thanks Curarist and Hurley
The weather’s very good here in West Sussex, Steakcity. We can do the sea and good sunsets, but sadly no sand until you get to the Witterings in the west of the county. But shingle/pebbles is/are less likely to get in your sandwiches.
Safe journey!
Wasn’t sure why RUMP = those left, but now understand having read the comments – thanks all. LOI SENDER, having failed at first to spot the hidden. Biffed SHOWER CURTAIN and forgot to go back and parse. Rather liked EVEN-STEVENS for the nostalgia (doubt it’s used much today). COD CREEPER for the surface. Many thanks both.
DNF Creeper and Recess beat me. For Creeper I spent far too long assuming weird was an anagram indicator dropping the I out of Ivy. Needless to say no answer appeared!
Thanks all
I went down that rabbit hole on the first pass as well. Needed crossers to get it.
22 clues – shortest I can remember. Although some long words
I don’t imagine anyone is confused, but it looks like you left the A (from clue) out of your parsing of SHOWER CURTAIN.
Trotted through this at a reasonable pace except for the northeast corner where RECESS, UNPRECEDENTED and RUMPI slowed me down. All parsed a d correct before the cuppa was cold, though. Did know about the Rump parliament.
Thanks Hurley and curarist
Found this tough, and needed to write out the UNPRECEDENTED anagram. Also breezeblocked with RECESS, where earlier I couldn’t get REPOSE out of my head: it maybe just about works as a very weak double definition (if unlikely given the POSE at 1d). All that pushed me out to 11:10, my slowest in a while – thanks Hurley and curarist.
7.20 Quickest of the week. Maybe because it’s warm for nearly the first time this year. I liked MOOD and PARASITE. LOI RUMP. Thanks Curarist and Hurley.
Nice tasty puzzle with some hard centres to chew.
FOI 1d Pose
LOI 5a Rump
COD 10d Electrician
15 minutes
1 hr, 41 mins for the week.
19:31 for me. Definitely heavy on the anagrams. My COD goes to ALARMED, which may be a chestnut but still made me smile.
Thanks to Hurley and Curarist.
Didn’t mind the long anagrams and all done in 25m (so SCC) but I biffed SILENT CISTERN at 2d (silent to mean saying little) until SCORN at 8 scotched that one. By contrast, SERVICE LINE went straight in: I’m thinking a lot about tennis court markings at the moment, first game on grass next Tuesday! Did you know the check measurement from netline to opposite corner of the service line is 53ft 7/8inch. It’s fiendish to get it spot on with minor surface imperfections! But even if slightly out of kilter, it’s 11a for all four of us! Thought 17d would be DIRE at first: daughter’s ire meaning beastly, but INTRO and TRINIDAD made me think again. Slow pounding overall but enjoyable solve: thanks s & b.
Which side of the tennis lines do you measure from/to? Get that wrong and it must be an inch or two added.
Yes! It’s fiendish. You measure to the outside edge of the white line because any ball that hits the line is ‘in’. Outside edge to outside edge is 36 ft wide and 78 ft total length (39 ft each court).
I get one bit right and when I check things seem to move slightly. But hey, we only play friendlies!
blimey. sounds like it’s time to invest in an electric measured like they measure javelin throws with!!
Not easy, but nothing too hard.
Finished in 10 minutes with LOI MOOD.
COD RUMP.
David
14:3
Medium difficulty for a steady solve. LOI SENDER.
19 mins. I was so convinced 5ac would be a drink I tried justifying soup, gulp etc before finally seeing the light with a groan. Enjoyed this one – hit that gentle but non-trivial mark for me.
FOI Passport
LOI Rump
COD Electrician
Thanks Hurley and Curarist
I managed 13 on the 15 x 15 today, with 2 that I didn’t enter in the grid because I couldn’t parse also turning out to be correct.
Tough!
Actual time on this one is hard to say because I left my tab open for a huge chunk of the day so it looks like a spent over six hours on this crossword which I did not!
That said, I probably spent an appreciable portion of two hours getting through it.
Long acronyms are my nemesis and I’m not much better with double definitions but at least I came out error free today.
👍