Quick Cryptic 360 by Izetti

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
This is the first of Izetti’s puzzles to fall on my watch for nearly a year and I found it quite tricky to get started on, but once I had struggled to put in a few answers it began to flow quite nicely and I ran out eventually in 15 minutes. At that point I actually had an error in the vowel at 23ac but I’d marked it as a query and had always intended to go back and have another look at it. There are a couple of proper names that may not be familiar to some, at 5dn and 13ac.

Here’s the link if you’re having access problems: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20150727/8393/

Definitions are underlined. { } = deletions and [ ] = indicators

Across
1 Is girl embraced by boy about to get the sack? (9)
DISMISSAL – IS + MISS (girl) inside [embraced by] LAD (boy) reversed [about]
6 Fellow that sits in the Irish Sea (3)
MAN – I read this as a cryptic definition with two points of reference, the fellow and the Isle
8 Rude gesture comes with little hesitation in game (7)
SNOOKER – SNOOK (rude gesture), ER (little hesitation)
9 Have no money – malice is concealed (5)
VENOM – Hidden [concealed] within {ha}VE NO M{oney}. The definition is mid-clue on this occasion.
10 Suitable land finally commandeered (12)
APPROPRIATED – APPROPRIATE (suitable), {lan}D
12 Chief, endlessly formal (4)
PRIM – PRIM{e} (chief) [endlessly]
13 I am leading very good group of warriors (4)
IMPI – I’M (I am), PI (very good – pious)
17 Principal desires maths to be given new look (12)
HEADMISTRESS – Anagram [given new look] of DESIRES MATHS
20 Garden plant turned up at front of London school (5)
PULSE – UP reversed [turned], LSE (London School – of Economics). I’m not quite sure why ‘garden’ is specified, but there’s no denying pulses can be grown there.
21 Old ruler had managed to seize India’s capital (7)
HADRIAN – HAD, then I{ndia} inside RAN (managed)
23 Sort of line in grassy area (3)
LEY – Two definitions, the second requiring knowledge of an alternative spelling of ‘lea’ of which I was unaware
24 Runners bringing computer peripheral aboard ship (9)
SPRINTERS – PRINTER (computer peripheral) inside [aboard] SS (ship)

Down
1 Bit of colour in line of text? (4)
DASH – Two definitions, the second being a line, a punctuation sign, that may appear in a piece of text
2 Nosy type soon disturbed, person half hidden (7)
SNOOPER – Anagram [disturbed] of SOON, PER{son} [half hidden]
3 Type of dairy product maiden dished out (3)
ILK – {m}ILK (dairy product) with ‘m’ for ‘maiden’ omitted [dished out]
4 Fight ending in horrible graze (6)
SCRAPE – SCRAP (fight), {horribl}E
5 Old chemist who could make air so vile (9)
LAVOISIER – Anagram [could make] of AIR SO VILE. A name I dredged up from long ago schooldays.
6 Artist making endless cash over time (5)
MONET – MONE{y} (cash), T (time)
7 Numbers entertaining deranged tramps? (6)
NOMADS – NOS (numbers) containing [entertaining] MAD (deranged). The definition is not an exact match for the answer, I’d say, but the question mark covers that.
11 Doesn’t forget about those who have paid their subs? (9)
REMEMBERS – RE (about), MEMBERS (those who have paid their subs)
14 In leisure activity I am covered in glue (7)
PASTIME – I’M (I am) inside [covered in] PASTE (glue)
15 Fellow starts to exclaim loudly in place of worship (6)
CHAPEL – CHAP (fellow), E{xclaim}, L{oudly}
16 Woman among bravest heroines (6)
ESTHER – Hidden in [among] {brav}EST HER{iones}
18 Passage offered by old ship not good (5)
ALLEY – {g}ALLEY (old ship) with ‘g’ for ‘good’ removed
19 N Europeans rejecting loud places to drink in (4)
INNS – {f)INNS (N Europeans) with ‘f’ (loud – in music) removed
22 Academic party joined by any number (3)
DON – DO (party), N (any number), and our setter signs off with his first name! On edit: See also 6ac and 23ac! (thanks to KM for pointing this out)

14 comments on “Quick Cryptic 360 by Izetti”

  1. Like Ulaca, I enjoyed 16ac (never knew the king was Xerxes; always knew him as Ahasuerus) for its and-litness. I have trouble with hiddens, but here was a hidden that said so and I still took forever to twig. LEY must have appeared in a 15×15 sometime, or I wouldn’t have known it; or rather them, since both meanings were barely known to me. 3d very tricky; my COD. 8:45.
    1. Indeed, the Hebrew name is Ahasuerus, but he’s usually identified with Xerxes I.
  2. Quite tricky this one, with the various obscurities Jack mentions. I particularly enjoyed the ad-littish flavour of 16d, referencing the Biblical Jewish Queen of Xerxes I. 11 mins.

    Edited at 2015-07-27 02:41 am (UTC)

  3. A hard challenge to start the week – the NW intersections of dash, snook and ilk and the SW with garden plant = pulse and ley.
  4. 6:13. I was fortunate to know the obscure words, so no hold-ups. I found it slightly unnerving having my daughter sat opposite reading upside-down as I filled it in. “There’s no such word as ILK”, she said. I explained. “But do you know the word for fear of chickens?”. She got me there! 1a my COD for nice surface.
  5. Got there in the end, but couldn’t parse 13ac having never seen pi as an abbreviation for pious. I also think that describing ‘pulse’ as a garden plant was a bit dubious. Invariant
    1. All your points taken, but “pi” is a real old chestnut in cryptic circles – I first met it about 40 years ago – so it’s well worth remembering.
      1. Thanks for replying. Re Pi, it seems I’m not alone in being slow to pick up a new language. I’m sure with the help of this blog we will all get there in the end. Invariant
  6. I took a break from the QCs from about May onwards. Now, having attempted several in the past couple of weeks, I am wondering if the level of difficulty has notched up a bit? It may just be that I’m rusty but the ones I’ve attempted have been quite a struggle.

    In any event, managed to finish today, but good that I knew Impi because, like Invariant, I’d never heard of the abbreviation pi. Also like Invariant and others I struggle to see why a pulse is described as a garden plant. Obviously it can be grown in a garden but so can potatoes, lavender and (size permitting) oak trees.

  7. Failed on one – IMPI as I’d never heard of them or thought of PI.
    Aren’t pulses are grown in a vegetable garden?

    Brian

  8. I don’t want to bore anyone so I’m just going to say it was tricky but I eventually finished it. For the rest I refer you to the comments of Invariant and tonygg.
  9. I see that Don has been signing his work again. This time three of the four 3-letter words do it! KM
  10. A more difficult puzzle from Izetti but as ever precise clueing helped.
    I derived Impi without knowing it and like,others,got a bit stuck on some of the shorter answers.
    But I got there in the end and enjoyed it. Favourite clue was 3d. David

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