Quick Cryptic 464 by Hurley

Author   emu66Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Some nice anagrams and surface readings here, I thought, and good to see a different Chinese dynasty from the more usual Ming appearing. I was slightly misled by trying to find a particular country for 3d, and I need convincing that there isn’t an F in 18d doing double duty.
Thanks Hurley.
Amendment: thank you to Jackkt and Pip for correctly parsing 18d; my mistake, not the setter’s, should have realised that!

Across
1 SUNGLASSES – shades; Chinese dynasty = SUNG, girls = LASSES
8 TRAINER – shoe; preview ad = TRAILER, with N (name) replacing L (left)
9 TEASE – playfully vex; English = E, after drinks = TEAS
10 READ – study; not fully prepared = READ(y)
11 FEARLESS – courageous; outsiders in FrancE = FE, ARLES, Initially Seen = S
13 SNARE – trap; SoN cArRiEs (oddly)
14 ALLEY – double definition
16 REALISED – became aware; Madrid team = REAL, is =IS, journalist = ED
17 COMB – search; company = CO, doctor = MB
20 MOLAR – tooth; blemish = MAR, covering most of OLd
21 CARDIFF – capital; ace = CARD, maybe = IF, folio = F
22 BENEVOLENT – charitable; anagram (arranged) of EVENT NOBLE

Down
1 SITAR – musical instrument; teacher = SIR, receiving thanks = TA
2 NIAGARA FALLS – tourist attraction; anagram (transformed) of RAIL FANS GALA
3 LAND – country; fellow = LAD, embracing new = N
4 SURREY – cricket team; confident = SURE, about runs = R, before end of daY = Y
5 EXTERNAL – coming from outside; never changing = ETERNAL, about vote = X
6 BAKERLOO LINE – travel route; anagram (redeveloped) of REAL BOON LIKE
7 FEISTY – lively; hidden in TeneriFE IS TYpically
12 PEDIGREE – ancestry record; anagram (curiously) of I PEERED and good = G
13 SHRIMP – fish; quiet = SH, Rhode Island = RI, politician = MP
15 RESCUE – free; break curtailed = RES(t), signal = CUE
18 BEFIT – exactly what’s needed; British Expeditionary Force = BE(F?), suitable for = FIT
19 BRIO – spirit; hidden in reverse (on the up) of chOIRBoy

13 comments on “Quick Cryptic 464 by Hurley”

  1. A very nice puzzle solved in 11 minutes when I was in the throes of being distracted so I think I may have done better in ideal circumstances. I agree there’s something odd about 18dn and even allowing for the possibility of double duty it doesn’t seem quite right so I’m going to have another think about it.

    Edit after reflection. I think the definition is ‘Are suitable for’. BEF (as above) + IT (exactly what’s needed – as in ‘that’s it!’)

    Edited at 2015-12-18 09:05 am (UTC)

  2. My reading of it is:
    BEF, IT = exactly what’s needed (“that’s it!”), Def. are suitable for. Best regards pip
    EDIT sorry jackkt my edit crossed with yours

    Edited at 2015-12-18 09:17 am (UTC)

  3. I should have been quicker than I was at about 15 minutes, nearly as long as for the 15 x 15 today, which was much easier than usual (as long as you had the right GK for the NW corner). Got held up by LOI BRIO which should have been obvious.
  4. Found this one tough going – no time as I made phone calls etc during the solve but definitely spent 30 mins + on it today. Was just not on the right wavelength and therefore so many clues felt like a battle.
  5. 28 minutes, so slightly harder than the past couple of days. LOI LAND which cost a few minutes.
  6. A shrimp is a crustacean and most definitely not a fish unless crosswordland allows such a loose definition. As a newby reading this blog for some months, inexactitude is not a known feature of bloggers!
    1. But the verb ‘to shrimp’, is ‘to fish’ (for shrimp). I fully expect this is what emu is referencing in this excellent blog.
    2. Emu is not responsible for the accuracy of the definition in the clue – that’d be a matter for the setter except in this case it’s supported by the usual dictionaries along the lines already explained by William so there’s really nothing wrong with it. By all means feel free to express misgivings about clues but please don’t have a go at the blogger.

      Edited at 2015-12-18 06:07 pm (UTC)

      1. Oh dear! I was most certainly not having a go at Emu (I really appreciate all the efforts). I was just gently questioning Hurley’s clue. I still think the word “shrimp” (either as a verb or noun) is not equivalent to “fish”. If I am incorrect I am more than happy to be corrected by more experienced bloggers. I think in future it’s probably better as a newby just to read the blog and not comment in case I, inadvertently, give offence.
  7. I found this one harder than some of the recent ones, but got there eventually. There were a couple of things I wasn’t sure of. How does marble relate to alley – I’ve had a quick look at some online dictionaries and can’t find any references to it. In 22a is it unusual to have no indicator that you are looking for a word hidden in choirboy?
    COD for me was 1a for sending me down completely the wrong route – I was determined to fit Ming into it somewhere.
    1. I too was flumoxed by marble/alley – but found the answer in Wiki-knows-everything:

      “Alley or real – made of marble or alabaster (alley is short for alabaster), streaked with wavy or other patterns with exotic names like corkscrew, spiral, snake, ribbon, onyx, swirl, bumblebee, and butterfly.” Gosh . . .

      Every day I learn something new (and forget a bit more)

      Philip

  8. I found this very difficult. I nearly gave up but got the last answer this morning (15d Rescue).
    Looking back some great clues and answers especially the anagram of Bakerloo Line which took me ages to see( I knew it was an anagram, just couldn’t crack it for a while). David

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