Quick Cryptic 385 by Teazel

Author   mohn2Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I found this puzzle to be of average difficulty though I can’t adequately explain 8D – any suggestions would be most welcome. 22A and 13D might not be words that solvers bandy about in everyday conversation. I’m assuming that the appearance of ERIC and OLAV in the first column/row of unchecked letters is purely coincidental.

The puzzle can be found here if the usual channels are unavailable: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20150831/9548/

Definitions are underlined.

Across
1 Exclude bachelor that’s in love (5)
DEBAR – B (bachelor) inside DEAR (love, as a term of endearment)
4 Stir up unknown spirit (6)
WHISKY – WHISK (Stir up) + Y (unknown, e.g. in a mathematical equation)
9 Tearing apart rock (7)
GRANITE – anagram (apart) of TEARING
10 Offered large hammer (5)
GAVEL – GAVE (Offered) + L (large)
11 Approval to arrest one lout (3)
OIK – OK (Approval) around (to arrest) I (one). I can’t see this word without thinking of the Jennings books, though the meaning there wasn’t quite the same as in this clue.
12 Turning, American spots bears (8)
SUSTAINS – reversal (Turning) of US (American), + STAINS (spots)
15 Miss, perhaps, her chocolates being dished out (13)
SCHOOLTEACHER – anagram (being dished out) of HER CHOCOLATES. Nice anagram, though I see that it cropped up in an Izetti in July as well as in a very similar construction in the main Sunday cryptic in June.
17 Make to combine in official fashion (8)
FORMALLY – FORM (Make) + ALLY (to combine). My last one in.
18 Fault in hi-fi equipment that’s amazing (3)
WOW – double definition, the first referring to the pitch variation sometimes found with records or tapes (and encountered in the expression “wow and flutter”), the second an interjection
20 Army accepting one’s lift (5)
HOIST – HOST (Army) around (accepting) I (one)
22 Husbandry only exercised when young? (7)
TILLAGE – double definition, the second kind of cryptic in that you could say it is TILL AGE, i.e. until old age, i.e. only when young. Hmm. Last seen in these parts in a Hurley in April of 2014.
23 I make my way into place for stuff (3,3)
PIG OUT – I GO (I make my way) inside PUT (place)
24 Small fruit and a little asparagus (5)
SPEAR – S (Small) + PEAR (fruit)
Down
1 Where boxer retires in disgrace? (8)
DOGHOUSE – sort of a cryptic definition, trying to make you think of pugilists rather than dogs. A boxer (dog) would retire to the doghouse for a nap, and figuratively if you are in the doghouse then you are in disgrace.
2 Bishop, something missing for chess-player (5)
BLACK – B (Bishop) + LACK (something missing)
3 Minor star’s explosion brings violent weather (9)
RAINSTORM – anagram (explosion) of MINOR STAR
5 Keep to oneself horrendous own goal at first (3)
HOG – initial letters (at first) of Horrendous Own Goal
6 Keep quiet about race, say, being behind six others (7)
SEVENTH – SH (Keep quiet) about EVENT (race, say)
7 Shortly you will scream (4)
YELL – contraction (Shortly) of YE (you) WILL, i.e. YE‘LL. I think I’ve seen this before but I still liked it second time around.
8 The breadth of talent to produce any kind of poetry? (11)
VERSATILITY – I’m stumped by this one. The only explanation I can see is that it’s a jocular play on the fact that it could be interpreted as verse-atility, but surely not …
13 Lily‘s broken arm, I’ll say (9)
AMARYLLIS – anagram (broken) of ARM I‘LL SAY. Chambers says: “The belladonna lily, forming the genus Amaryllis which gives name to the narcissus and snowdrop family Amaryllidaceae, differing from lilies in the inferior ovary”
14 Get close, pictured on organ (4,4)
DRAW NEAR – DRAWN (pictured) + EAR (organ)
16 Expressing disapproval of field sport that hasn’t begun (7)
HOOTING – {s}HOOTING (field sport that hasn’t begun, i.e. “shooting” without its initial letter)
18 Sea creature‘s sad cry some may hear (5)
WHALE – homophone (some may hear) of WAIL (sad cry)
19 Composer’s dropped in for a meat dish (4)
CHOP – CHOP{in} (Composer’s dropped in, i.e. “Chopin” without the “in”)
21 Foreign character all but tight (3)
TAU – TAU{t} (all but tight, i.e. all but the last letter of TAUT (tight))

22 comments on “Quick Cryptic 385 by Teazel”

  1. I believe it’s the Washington Post that runs a contest where one submits a new word and its definition; either a real word with a new definition (e.g. lymph: to walk with a lisp) or a real word with one letter altered (e.g. intaxication: the euphoria you feel when getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money all along). Anyway, VERSATILITY reminded me of that. Not to mention I can’t come up with a better explanation of the clue. I liked PIG OUT, the way ‘stuff’ was used so misleadingly (my LOI). 7:07.
    1. Your Washington Post mention reminded me of the radio panel show “I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue”, in which there’s a round called “Uxbridge English Dictionary” which involves something similar.
      1. Yes, I’d forgotten all about that; Stephen Fry’s definition of ‘countryside’ comes to mind, although I forgot the individual’s name.
  2. I found this quite hard too and took 16 minutes to finish it off. I think the blogger’s explanation of VERSATILITY is as good as it gets – sort Uxbridge English Dictionary stuff but too literal actually be humorous. Cf 21dn with “Foreign character that’s tight taking time off” at 7dn in today’s 15×15.

    Edited at 2015-08-31 08:16 am (UTC)

  3. I thought the clue for VERSATILITY was a gem. Funnily enough the puzzle in the Merle Reagle slot in yesterday’s Washington Post contained a lot of clues/answers of this sort.
  4. I have been getting on well with the quick puzzles, but found today’s very hard. After looking at the blog I actually feel the clues were not great, but accept more experienced solvers will not have found that.
  5. As a 1 hour plus beginner I enjoyed most of this, but three clues 8D, 22AC, and 21D, simply don’t make sense. The fact that two have come up before is of no use to me, and ‘versatility’ seems like guesswork.
    This one has left me rather frustrated.
    Brian
    1. I agree wholeheartedly. I am between 12 and 25 minutes on most days and those 3 today left me clueless, although they obviously didn’t, but they did…..you know what I mean
    2. Sorry for the late reply. I can see why both 8D and 22A might seem a bit unfair to beginning solvers – even as an experienced solver, I still encounter clues that can frustrate (e.g. anagrams for words I’ve never heard of). The best approach is to mutter a few choice words to the setter and chalk it up to experience. I always make a note of any unusual techniques that I come across, or words that I don’t know, so that (in theory …) I won’t get caught out that way again.

      I would certainly recommend learning the Greek alphabet, as its letters regularly crop up in crosswords. I didn’t study Greek at school but I encountered most of the alphabet in maths/physics, so I know the letters – if not necessarily the order in which they occur!

  6. The answer to 21 down requires an awareness of the ancient Greek alphabet, which may seem tough. However, I always relate that I used this language for essential communication (with a Cypriot monk during National Service) before I ever needed to rely on French.
  7. Surely the reference in 22A is to before coming of age, i.e. 18 or 21, not to becoming elderly.
    1. Sorry for the late reply. Among its many definitions for “age”, Chambers has “Legal maturity” and “The time or fact of being old”, however I’m not convinced that the former definition is applicable here as it would imply that 18 or 21 is the boundary at which someone stops being young. As a 44-year-old man, I can not countenance such a theory.
  8. Returning to the QC after a week’s holiday I found today’s puzzle enjoyable but quite tough.
    I liked 15a and 23a and have no problem with 8d.
    My last two were 20a where I had tried RAISE but had to delete that when I thought of Chopin. After Hoist I was left with 21d. I was looking for a Greek letter but did not know TAU. I plumped for TOU being the French Tout (indicated by All) minus the final T.So a DNF but an enjoyable exercise.
    David
      1. Sorry for the late reply – I would guess the T.So in the last line was at “fault”, as LJ seems to think that a full stop with a non-space character on either side is a URL.
  9. After great success last week, this one had me stumped. DNF with 1d, 2d, 8d, 9a, 11a remaining, and 21d incorrect. Did think of GRANITE (because it fits), but couldn’t parse “tearing apart” – “apart” doesn’t suggest mixing up to me.
    1. Sorry for the late reply. I didn’t think twice about “apart” at the time, but it doesn’t appear in any of the (admittedly not exhaustive) lists of anagram indicators on the web. Collins has “to pieces or in pieces” as one of its definitions (with an example “he had the television apart on the floor”), which it could be argued indicates an element of mixing.

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