[Posted at 12:53 – I’m not sure if our blogger is around today and it’s nearly 1:00pm, so if there’s no word by 1:30 I shall post an emergency version. I’ve disabled comments so that if the blog appears in the meantime I can just delete this thread]
Right it’s 1:30 now so here goes, and the thread is open for comments:
8 minutes for this one, so it was a return to form for me after more than a week of failing to crack my 10-minute target. Having said that, I think this is really quite tricky for less experienced solvers and there are one or two clues that may cause real problems.
|
Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | I log in to attempt a really long read (7) |
| TRILOGY – I + LOG inside TRY (attempt) | |
| 5 | Port, and what keeps it in the bottle? (4) |
| CORK – A straight definition with a cryptic hint. The “it” being kept in the bottle could refer back to port (as in port wine) or perhaps could be taken in its own right to be Italian vermouth known as “it” when ordered with gin, for example. Clue of the day for me. | |
| 8 | Almost revere a large senior officer (7) |
| ADMIRAL – ADMIR{e} (revere) [almost], A, L (large) | |
| 9 | A defender so taken by surprise (5) |
| ABACK – A, BACK (defender) | |
| 11 | Refuse to accept how coin has landed? (5,3,4) |
| ARGUE THE TOSS – Not sure whether this is straight with a cryptic hint or &lit | |
| 12 | False stroke: this spins on motorway (6) |
| MISHIT – M1 (motorway) + anagram [spins] of THIS | |
| 14 | Make one’s way so carefully in walk round hospital (6) |
| THREAD – TREAD (walk) goes round H (hospital) | |
| 15 | Influential person going first, cheerful (7,5) |
| LEADING LIGHT – LEADING (going first), LIGHT (cheerful) | |
| 17 | Officer to stick around other ranks (5) |
| MAJOR – JAM (stick) reversed [around], OR (other ranks). It’s not often we see “other ranks” clueing OR as it’s more usually clued by “men”. | |
| 18 | One Greek taken in by friend, having to move abroad (7) |
| MIGRATE – I (one) + GR (Greek) taken in by MATE (friend) | |
| 20 | A tiny bit of a hurry? (4) |
| DASH – Two definitions, the first as in “a dash of orange in the vodka please”. | |
| 21 | Seemed criminal is casing new estate (7) |
| DEMESNE – Anagram [criminal] of SEEMED encloses [casing] N (new). A very unfamiliar word, I’d have thought, and perhaps not belonging in a Quickie. I happen to know it because I used to get paid for reading leases and other deeds of title to property. | |
|
Down |
|
| 2 | Perch, caught with this? (3) |
| ROD – A straight definition (rods, poles and perches are old measures of distance, and all the same length – 16.5 feet) and a cryptic one with reference to fishing. | |
| 3 | Relaxing and telling stories (5) |
| LYING – Two straight definitions | |
| 4 | Most important individual item in cemetery (10) |
| GRAVESTONE – GRAVEST (most important), ONE (individual) | |
| 6 | Weird tribe in gold planet (7) |
| ORBITER – Anagram [weird] of TRIBE inside OR (gold) | |
| 7 | Attacks pastry, to begin decisively (4-5) |
| KICK-START – KICKS (attacks), TART (pastry) | |
| 10 | Have conversation with woman housekeeper (10) |
| CHATELAINE – CHAT (have conversation), ELAINE (woman). Another perhaps less than familiar word. | |
| 11 | Pests in a group that may cover the hair (5,4) |
| ALICE BAND – BAND (group) encloses [may cover] LICE (pests). And another unusual answer though it does come up occasionally in the main puzzle so is worth remembering for those who aspire to moving up. | |
| 13 | Rough skin on old American is ugly (7) |
| HIDEOUS – HIDE (rough skin), O (old), US(American) | |
| 16 | Prickly shrubs draw blood, catching end of fingers (5) |
| GORSE – GORE (draw blood) enclosing [catching] {finger}S | |
| 19 | Beat time and nod heads (3) |
| TAN – T{ime}, A{nd}, N{od} [heads] | |
Just under my target time of 10 minutes, but mainly because I had the right vocabulary.
I didn’t find it that straightforward, though easier than a few this week where I’ve struggled getting the last few answers.
LOI 21a with a sigh of relief, especially after totally misspelling CHATELAINE (I was certain there was an “R” in it somewhere).
Thanks for stepping into the breach.
Maybe it is the dreaded wavelength thing but spent ages on some of the clues, for example 19d. First thought TAP, then TOE before the penny dropped as I got DEMESNE.
Favourite ALICE BAND.
Overall a very enjoyable puzzle
Thanks for stepping in Jackkt.
I was all ready to post from my hotel in Woburn and found there was no wifi, and no EE signal to operate my mobile broadband.
Back next week!