Quick Cryptic 453 by Hurley

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I’m not sure if our esteemed Thursday blogger is available for duty today but if there’s no news by 1:30 I shall post an emergency blog. I have disabled comments on this thread for the moment so as not to complicate matters if his blog appears in the meantime.

Right, it’s 1:40 so here goes and we’re now open comments…

This took me 12 minutes. There’s probably nothing too difficult here though there’s an expression at 4dn that I have managed never to come across before today.

Across
1 HADRIAN’S WALL – Anagram [excitedly] of HAILS LAND WAR. Def: barrier
9 MEDIA – M (male), AIDE (assistant) reversed [backing]. Def: means of communication
10 BURGEON – SURGEON (doctor] with new start becomes BURGEON. Def: flourish
11 CHESTER – CHEST (box), ER (little hesitation). Def: city
12 BLAME – B (book), LAME (unconvincing). Def: find fault with
14 CORIANDER – COR (gosh!), IAN, DER (the, German). Def: aromatic plant
18 AESOP – Cryptic definition giving us the Greek author of fables
20 BRISKER – B (bishop), RISKER (one taking chance). Def: more vigorous
21 NEPTUNE – PEN (write) reversed [about], TUNE (melody). Cryptic definition: Distant Revolver
23 DENSE – DENS (haunts), {arcan}E. Def: impenetrable
24 DONKEYS YEARS – Anagram [reformed] of NERDS OKAY YES. Def: long time

Down
2 AUDIENCES – Anagram [review] of IN CASE DUE. Def: formal interviews
3 REACTOR – RECTOR (clergyman) encloses [secures] A. Def: source of energy
4 AMBER GAMBLERS – AM (in the morning), B (British), ERG (work unit) , AMBLERS (walkers). Def: dangerous drivers. A new one on me!
5 SCRUB – Two definitions: abandon / stunted vegetation
6 ABE – {c}ABE{r} with both ends removed [stripped]
7 LINNET – L (lake), IN (home), NET (catch). Def: bird. ‘South’ here just indicates the position of each element of the clue to the preceding one within the grid
8 SMOCK – S (small), MOCK (imitation). Def: protective garment
13 AFRIKANER – Anagram [abroad] of ARE KIN FAR. Def: one with Dutch heritage
15 DWINDLE – Hidden in {expecte}D WIND LE{vel}. Def: diminish
16 BANNED – BAND (group) encloses NE (northeast). Def: prohibited
17 CREED – C (conservative), RE (referring to), ED (editor). Def: statement of belief
19 PRUNE – Two definitions: remove unwanted parts / fruit
22 PAN – Two definitions: criticize / camera movement

12 comments on “Quick Cryptic 453 by Hurley”

  1. Amber gamblers certainly a new one on me. Fortunately not a particularly cryptic clue. Actually found this one quite hard to get into, but got there eventually.
  2. Never heard of AMBER RAMBLERS but it was the only answer which made any sense. Otherwise fairly straightforward.
  3. I think Amber gamblers are both common as a saying and sadly as a reality here in the uk. Fairly obviously it refers to those who push their opportunity to include the period of Amber before a red and at the other end Amber and red before green. I probably see at least one a day without much trouble. Characteristically they tend not to have accidents but cause others to and like McCavity Eliots cat, when the trouble happens they are not there!
  4. Please could someone explain how Neptune is a cryptic definition of distant revolvers? I understand the parsing but not the answer! Chrisrs
    1. Neptune, the planet, is distant from the Earth and revolves (orbits) around the sun. Invariant
  5. Well, that was an interesting QC, made considerably more difficult by my early punt at ‘leave’ for 5d. . . Don’t be an Amber Gambler was the catch phrase on a public information advert from the 60s (?), which I would venture fits in with Hurley’s age group given that he/she is a pre SI erg user. Invariant
  7. You are more likely to notice that Neptune revolves on its axis rather than round the sun as this takes much longer. I also got stuck with leave and so this one took a long time
    1. I agree that 16hrs is a lot shorter than 165 years, but suspect that the change in relative position is easier to view than the rotation of a gas giant. Any astronomers out there ?
      Invariant
  8. Struggled with the top half of this especially 5d,10a and 12 a.
    Had Shrub for 5d so one wrong. David
  9. I think Amber gamblers are both common as a saying and sadly as a reality here in the uk. Fairly obviously it refers to those who push their opportunity to include the period of Amber before a red and at the other end Amber and red before green. I probably see at least one a day without much trouble. Characteristically they tend not to have accidents but cause others to and like McCavity Eliots cat, when the trouble happens they are not there!
    1. Bryan, you won’t appreciate how much amusement your remark about the missing cat has caused me! Thanks for that.

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