I’ve very much enjoyed meeting the contributors and bloggers and getting to know some of the setters, and by the autumn I’m confident I’ll be seeing many of you on the 15×15 blog here or perhaps on the Club Forum. In the meantime I’ll still have a gig here every third week blogging the weekly TLS in rotation with a posse of others. So the baton passes, to whom I’m not sure.
Oh yes, the puzzle! Absolutely first rate one with excellent neat clues. One WWI battle that isn’t as well-known as some but is certainly not obscure and the knowledge isn’t really needed to get the answer. And a minor quibble, as usual. Definitions in italics underlined. Answers in bold caps.
Across
1, Unofficially disliking DJ’s choice? (3,3,6)
OFF THE RECORD. Double definition and a succinctly amusing one.
8. Dad has German electronic device (5)
PAGER. PA=dad. GER=German. This abbreviation is often seen in cryptics, as with FR for French and GR for Greek. I’ve never used one but I imagine they’ve long been superseded by phones.
9. Singer in Smetana’s first opera losing heart? Not so (7)
SOPRANO. First letter in S[metana]. OP[e]RA – losing the middle letter (heart). NO=not so.
10. Knocked over by car? Brief report needed (7)
RUNDOWN. Double definition. And another masterpiece of brevity.
11. Fancy Andrea making sandwiches (5)
DREAM. Containment clue indicated by “sandwiches”. [An]DREA M[aking]. Neat.
12. University trained nurse lacking confidence (6)
UNSURE. U=university (it’s sometimes UNI in cryptics). Anagram (trained) of NURSE.
14. Selected socks and tights placed in empty carton (6)
CHOSEN. HOSE=socks and tights. In C[arto]N (empty).
17. To sleep in centre of city is not appropriate (5)
INAPT. NAP=sleep. In [c]IT[y].
19. Part of book on farm animal creating storm? (7)
RAMPAGE. PAGE=part of book on RAM=farm animal.
21. Castigated upper class sort pinching antique (4,3)
TOLD OFF. TOFF=upper class sort, containing (pinching) OLD=antique. Nice one.
22. After 1915 battle, English set free (5)
LOOSE. LOOS=battle. With E[nglish]. In crosswordland we’re more likely to see the Somme or Mons. In the real world, unfortunately, the English were anything but set free by this battle on the Western Front in Northern France. The losses were terrible and our side also used poison gas at that time. My grandfather was in it as a very young officer with the Post Office Rifles. I’ve read his letters home.
23. When to take down Christmas decorations and play (7,5)
TWELFTH NIGHT. Double definition. The Shakespearean play features my namesake and very tiresome she is.
Down
1. They’ll take their chance, reorganising top sport in US (12)
OPPORTUNISTS. Anagram (reorganising) of TOP SPORT IN US.
2. Dickensian villain with cigarette lit (5)
FAGIN. From Oliver Twist. FAG=cigarette. IN=lit. Here’s the quibble – I’m not too sure about “in” for “lit” but the answer is clear.
3. Sixty minutes outside disreputable bar in port (7)
HARBOUR. HOUR=sixty minutes, outside anagram (disreputable) of BAR.
4. Begrudge money paid to landlord round the South-East (6)
RESENT. RENT=money paid to landlord. Round SE.
5. Constant work top journalist managed (5)
COPED. C=constant (very often in cryptics). OP=work. ED[itor]=top journalist.
6. They enjoy books about snakes on daughter rejected (7)
READERS. RE=about. AD[d]ERS=snakes, removing (rejected) one of the Ds=daughter.
7. Almost praise building material for a start (12)
COMMENCEMENT. COMMEN[d]=praise leaving off the last letter (almost). CEMENT=building material. In the US this is the term for high school and university graduation ceremonies – the occasion for the most tedious speeches imaginable.
13. Superficial entertainment captivates everyone (7)
SHALLOW. SHOW=entertainment. containing (captivates) ALL=everyone.
15. Hail men transforming rat-infested town (7)
HAMELIN. Anagram (transforming) of HAIL MEN. In the Teutonic folk legend (popularised by the Brothers Grimm) the Pied Piper was hired by the burghers of Hamelin to get rid of the rats and he did, They followed him out of town to the tune of his pipe. But when the burghers stiffed him, he went back and played his pipe again and this time all the children followed him out of town.
16. Financial gain – university employee needs it (6)
PROFIT. PROF=university employee. Plus IT.
18. Ugly little creature finally bit on some bread (5)
TROLL. Last letter in [bi]T on ROLL=bread. I thought they were ugly big creatures from Scandinavian folklore. But the dictionary says they can also be dwarves which must be the correct way to think of the internet pests.
20. In the middle of Sam’s songs – the middle of each (5)
AMONG. The middle section of [S]AM[‘s] and [s[ONG[s].
Kevin is quite right about fires being ‘in’ and it has caused much discussion here over the years.
Thanks for your excellent blogs over the past few months, Olivia, and I hope you have a great time in paradise!
As for next week, I have tried to contact Andy to find out if anyone is lined up to take over but the message bounced back as undeliverable because the mailbox is full. I have since sent to his LJ account but the notification message may suffer the same fate as my direct email so he may not be alerted to it. Anyway I have offered to fill any gaps in the QC schedule so something will appear here next Thursday, but if anyone else wants to volunteer now might be a good time to speak up and have a go.
Edited at 2016-03-24 05:34 am (UTC)
Overall an enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks for your blog over the last few months Olivia – it’s always greatly appreciated.
To print: Click on the “hamburger” symbol(RH next to the timer) and select “print”. It then downloads and opens automatically in PDF format and you can print from there as normal by clicking the print icon.
P.S. I should have said, click the Play button on the front crosswords page to open the Quickie and then proceed as above. There’s no QC Print button on the front page as there is for the main Cryptic and Times Two.
Edited at 2016-03-24 10:06 am (UTC)
Edited at 2016-03-24 09:30 pm (UTC)
Rita
Sorry to hear that you are leaving us Olivia. I have enjoyed your blogs and the helpful advice contained therein. Have a good time. Invariant
As a newbie,just had to say that today was first time I completed QC!!
Only started a few months ago, nearly completed on Tues- one left so really chuffed today.
Really enjoying the blog, and have learnt a lot.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers Jagsmansandy
Brian
I shall miss your blogs Olivia. Have a good summer
PlayupPompey
Enjoy your break Olivia and thanks for your blogs.
Also enjoyed discovering that “inapt” is a word! I shall attempt to use it in conversation today…
Brian
I probable personal best for me too. It would have helped if I had checked the spelling of Hamelin. A good week, so far…
I always solve on paper and prefer it.
Many thanks to Olivia for all her help and encouragement to the QC community. David