Quick Cryptic 474 by Des

Author   emu66Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A nice crossword to start the New Year. That popular port of crossword setters makes another appearance – is it possible to know how many times it came up in 2015? My favourite clue, 3d, because, for some time, I couldn’t make it more than the sum of its parts, wondering what a dee-butt could possibly be. Thanks to Des.
Happy solving for 2016.

Across
1 AGED – ancient; silver = AG (chemical symbol), English = E, penny no longer in circulation = D
4 GOALLESS – cryptic definition
8 MARBELLA – Spanish resort; anagram (ordered) of BAR MEAL outside large = L
9 MILK – exploit; one = I, in Dutch airline = KLM, all backwards (recalled)
10 EDIT – amend; hidden in (part of) uncorrectED ITem
11 SIDESHOW – minor event; teams = SIDES, anagram (spoiled) of WHO
12 ADVICE – counsel (noun form); lawyer repelled = DA backwards, wickedness = VICE
14 NIMBLE – sprightly; doctor = MB, entering African river = NILE
16 SPLENDID – smashing; anagram (upset) of SPINDLE, then daughter = D
18 SKYE – Scottish island; sort of blue = SKY, plane’s last = E
19 QUIT – leave; absolutely, without finishing = QUIT(E)
20 OVERLOAD – too big a supply; deliveries = OVER, boy = LAD, receiving none = O
22 NO MATTER – double definition, one cryptic
23 TREE – ash, maybe; last letters of griT, oR, whitE, cigarettE

Down
2 GRANDAD – old relative; superb = GRAND, publicity = AD
3 DEBUT – beginning; of Gallic = DE, objection = BUT
4 GAL – young lady; old convict upset = LAG backwards
5 ABANDONED – deserted; a group of players = A BAND, one = ONE, haD finally = D
6 LUMP SUM – a lot of money to pay; I hesitate to say = UM, after some sugar = LUMPS
7 SALVO – volley; hidden (some) in colosSAL VOlley. I believe that this is what’s termed an &lit clue, not often seen in the Quick
11 SPEEDBOAT – racing craft; anagram (manoeuvring) of BE SO ADEPT
13 INERTIA – reluctance to move; anagram (bats) of ARE IN IT
15 LAY BARE – reveal; song = LAY (a favourite terminology in crosswordland), homophone (broadcast) of endure = BEAR
17 PLUTO – double definition, one cryptic (animated as in cartoon)
18 SPLIT – double definition
21 EAR – cryptic definition

16 comments on “Quick Cryptic 474 by Des”

  1. Tackled at 1:45 this morning I found this quite hard work and needed 17 minutes to complete it. For some reason (probably related to being tired if not particulaly emotional) 19ac would not come to mind and I ended up going through the alphabet, carefully ignoring the first rule when stuck, that if there’s a U with a blank in front of it consider Q before anything else.

    Edited at 2016-01-01 09:11 am (UTC)

      1. I should have remembered that too! It was my SLOI after an alphabet trawl. 4a my last. Draw has many meanings, hasn’t it? I should have realised it would be the football sort sooner. Some nice clues in a good puzzle to start the year 5d and 13d deserve an honorable mention, but 22a was my favourite for making me laugh. No! Matter! indeed. Just over average time for me.
    2. Ingenious parsing of 11a – I never spotted that. Anyone for SHOWMATE as an alternative answer?
  2. Happy New Year to all! And many, many thanks to all the setters and bloggers for their efforts, particularly those who have been here from the beginning. I started with puzzle 1 knowing absolutely nothing about cryptics and wouldn’t have made it thus far without you. Still have some DNFs, and could never aspire to the times posted here, but love trying and beating my own efforts! And every day I learn something new. Looking forward to no. 500! Pam
  3. I biffed in the first 9 across clues, thinking I would beat my Quick cryptic record of 19mins. But SOMEWHAT (anag of ‘teams who’) which also seems somewhat of a ‘minor event’ stopped my NE corner. Also 15d left incomplete, as never come across LAY for song before.
  4. This turned out to be a little trickier than it seemed at first, with the 12/13 pairing holding me up in the SW corner. Average time overall. Invariant
  5. I enjoyed this puzzle;not quite up to yesterday’s outstanding offering but a good start to the year.Really liked 22a.
    I finished it quite quickly but was held up at the end by 12a having confidently written in Grandpa for 2d; a sloppy error (PA =sort of advertising?).ADVICE for 12a seemed obvious after a long while searching for other solutions. I too took quite a time to get 19a. David
  6. Another enjoyable puzzle, with lots of clever deception. I got stuck in the NE corner so I looked up ‘Goalless’ and then the rest fell into place. Strangely, I got 19A immediately first time round, and could someone explain why ‘Gallic’ is ‘De’?
    I would like to add my thanks to The Times, and the setters and bloggers for helping me get into cryptics. I started in May with two or three answers per day, now I finish more often than not although I still have the odd disaster.
    One more thing, please don’t make me wait until Monday for the next one!
    Thanks again,
    Brian

    Edited at 2016-01-01 12:42 pm (UTC)

    1. It’s the combination ‘of Gallic’, meaning French for of, ie, de. Other favourites in crosswordland include, a German (ein), the Spanish (el) etc etc
      1. Thanks for the explanation. I know about ‘in France’ etc, I didn’t make the connection for ‘Gallic’.
        Brian
  7. And French art = es (as in tu es). It’s a so-and-so but once met a few times it will be engrained on your mind!
  8. A strange one for me this as I whizzed through most of it in what looked like being record time and then came to a grinding halt. It took me three more sittings to get my final three answers (19a, 15d and 23a). COD 22a for making me chuckle.
  9. This took rather a long time; got them all except 19a. Eventually got tired of alphabet-trawling and quit.

    Edited at 2016-01-01 05:06 pm (UTC)

  10. Totally agree. I would love to see a quick cryptic on Saturdays. Please powers that be surely it must be possible?

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