Quick Cryptic 516 by Hawthorn

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
On the easy-ish side today in around 10 minutes. The ‘ish’ is thanks to the SE corner which held me up for a while. Good fun as there are lots of clues where word play needs to be engineered but the definitions are mostly quite simple.
I don’t keep records and can’t remember seeing Hawthorn’s name before. If this is a new setter then you are very welcome – if not then welcome back!

ACROSS

1. Attack – strike. Nail (TACK) after A, time (T).
5. Stench – awful smell. Poisonou(S), fish (TENCH).
8. Keen as mustard – very eager. Anagram (converts) of UNDERTAKE MASS.
9. Mess – double definition.
10. Verbatim – precisely as reported. 2/3s of (VERM)in around (eat) an anagram (prepared) of BAIT.
11. Sprain – injury. Pirouette (SPIN) around A, R backwards.
13. Legend – tall tale. In (accepted by) gullib(LE GEND)arme.
15. Outgoing – double definition.
16. Nook – a little space. Certainly not (NO), right (OK).
17. Persian carpet – rug. Long haired feline almost (PERSIAN CA)t, runs (R), favourite (PET).
21. Stroke – double definition.
22. Dilute – tone down. I’d turned (DI), old instrument (LUTE).

DOWN

2. Theme – subject matter. Article (THE), yours truly (ME).
3. Amnesia – brain condition. Anagram (afflicted) of MEN inside ASIA.
4. Kos – double definition – KOs and the island.
5. Square leg – fielder in cricket. Level (SQUARE – all square), runner? (LEG – one uses two of these to run and there’s the term ‘to leg it’).
6. Extra – more. Old (EX), paintings – art backwards/returned (TRA).
7. Carrion – rancid meat. Anagram (worked) of AIRCON around/covering (R)ancid. Rancid is part of the word play and can also be part of the definition.
10. Vindicate – clear. Signal (INDICATE) after five (V).
12. Prudent – wise. (P)lay, rugby (RU), depression (DENT).
14. General – overall. In (holding) backwards (up) dec(LARE NEG)otiations.
16. Gusto – enthusiasm. Anagram (in trouble) of GOT US.
18. Overt – open. Oven that’s not closing (OVE)n, right (RT).
20. Cad – rogue. State in Africa (C)h(AD) without hospital (H).

18 comments on “Quick Cryptic 516 by Hawthorn”

  1. This was slowish going, not knowing 5d (or any other cricket term), and being my usual dim self when faced with a hidden clue (13ac). But my main foulup was flinging in ‘ventilate’ at 10d without bothering to think it through, then forgetting about it until too late. This was the first time under the new dispensation that I had an error; instead of the grid disappearing and ‘Congratulations!’ appearing, it disappeared and ‘Not quite right’ or something appeared. Returned to the grid, looked for a typo, and only then finally realized how dumb ‘ventilate’ was. What I should have done then was erase all the wrong letters at once and typed in the right ones; but I stupidly did it one at a time, causing the grid to disappear 3 times. So 7:59.
  2. A new world record of 32 minutes for me. Welome to Hawthorn and Hello to Jason Isaacs.
  3. This is Hawthorn’s second QC, the first having appeared in January this year.

    Fairly straightforward stuff here which delayed me only 8 minutes. Although it seems to have appeared several times in the main puzzle, KOS with a K only registered in my brain a few moths ago when it appeared in a QC set by Teazel. Somebody commented that there’s no C equivalent in the Greek alphabet so the K spelling is probably more authentic.

    Edited at 2016-03-01 09:04 am (UTC)

  5. 29 minutes for me and a record. Was definitely a lot easier than others, or at least I found it so. My definition of a quick cryptic

    Dobree

    1. Very droll! In writing this entry am I maybe subject to the “Hawthorn Effect”?
  8. This seemed easy enough and I completed it in well under 30 minutes. Once I saw the long anagram at 8a, the rest followed. I did not see the parsing of 14d till now-so thanks for that. Always seem to miss hidden answers. And LOI was 3d- perhaps I’d forgotten it! David
  9. Yes, that was very skillfully hidden. Today’s 15×15 is worth a shot if you feel like it and have the time. 6.21
  10. Took me a little time to adjust to Hawthorn’s (exact) style, but then a steady solve until loi 10d. Obvious eventually, but took ages to see it. Invariant
  11. One of my best ever times, 20 mins, and I think this one just clicked for me. No super cryptic abbreviations today, flew through the top half once I got the anagram at 8a. 16a LOI, and 5d COD as I know how popular cricket terms with the bloggers. Looking forward to Hawthorne’s next one.
  12. I thought I might beat yesterday’s record of 24 mins but then took about 30 mins over my last four answers. 14d held me up in SE corner and thanks for the parsing of that.
  13. A nice quick solve apart from the fact that I also chucked ventilate into 10d as my LOI, but I couldn’t make it work so then spent a few minutes figuring out the correct answer.
  14. Took ages just staring to get started and then not so tricky until LOI 14d General – the blog makes it so simple! Though, in truth, I ought to have deduced it properly from quite an obvious clue. Deducting breaks, and once started, I’d estimate an unashamed 90 minutes! It takes me 10 minutes to thoughtfully read 24 clues….
  15. How incredibly rude the last two posts are. I am posting this under the cloak of anonymity for obvious reasons. Don’t fret Teazel and Izetti: we all appreciate you.
    1. Two comments – possibly borne of frustration – removed above. All setters here are truly appreciated.
  16. Took ages just staring to get started and then not so tricky until LOI 14d General – the blog makes it so simple! Though, in truth, I ought to have deduced it properly from quite an obvious clue. Deducting breaks, and once started, I’d estimate an unashamed 90 minutes! It takes me 10 minutes to thoughtfully read 24 clues….

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