It took me a while to get going on this one, with several of the across clues in particular bringing nothing to mind on first reading. Looking back, I’m not sure why that was but it made it that bit more satisfying when everything finally clicked into place. No obscure vocab in this one apart from possibly 19D, but the wordplay doesn’t admit any obvious alternatives. I liked the misleading axes in 8A and the usage of “put out feeler” in 12D.
Not being accustomed to seeing such things in a Quicky, I was somewhat taken aback on completion to find a Nina lurking in the grid – the first row spells out ARRANGED and the last NEUROSIS. The phrase ARRANGED NEUROSIS doesn’t seem to mean anything but, like any right-minded crossworder, I can’t see ARRANGED without thinking it’s some kind of anagram indicator, however the only anagram of NEUROSIS that Chambers comes up with is RESINOUS. Perhaps the Nina was simply a device employed by Teazel to help with the initial filling of the grid.
The puzzle can be found here if the usual channels are unavailable: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20160411/14884/
Definitions are underlined.
| Across | |
| 3 | Wander in the mountains (5) |
| RANGE – double definition, the first a verb the second a noun | |
| 7 | Record-holder rolled up in warm weather? (6) |
| SLEEVE – double definition, referring to vinyl and shirts respectively | |
| 8 | Picture gunmen surrounded by axes (1-3) |
| X-RAY – RA (gunmen, i.e. the Royal Artillery) inside XY (axes, i.e. the axes on a two-dimensional graph) | |
| 9 | A police check that gives crucial result (4,4) |
| ACID TEST – A + CID (police) + TEST (check) | |
| 10 | Nothing by writer is publicly accessible (4) |
| OPEN – O (Nothing) + PEN (writer) | |
| 11 | Entertainer in revolt quits dancing (13) |
| VENTRILOQUIST – anagram (dancing) of IN REVOLT QUITS. Nice anagram. | |
| 15 | On the border, welfare is a perk (6,7) |
| FRINGE BENEFIT – FRINGE (border) + BENEFIT (welfare) | |
| 16 | In cell, a malign priest (4) |
| LAMA – hidden (In) in celL A MAlign | |
| 18 | Look determined: I’m expected at first to fall behind (4,4) |
| LOSE TIME – LO (Look, as an interjection) + SET (determined) + I’M + E (expected at first, i.e. the first letter of “expected”) | |
| 20 | Moorland is deadly (4) |
| FELL – double definition, the second perhaps most often seen in the phrase “one fell swoop” | |
| 21 | Power in a simple electrical unit (6) |
| AMPERE – P (Power) inside A + MERE (simple), for the SI unit of electric current | |
| 22 | United in love, we make money on the continent (5) |
| EUROS – U (United) in EROS (love). According to Chambers, love can mean the god of love, i.e. Eros/Cupid. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Thoroughly understood there is no danger (3,5) |
| ALL CLEAR – ALL (Thoroughly) + CLEAR (understood) | |
| 2 | Cause distress to Republican, on purpose (4) |
| REND – R (Republican) + END (purpose) | |
| 3 | Give new meaning to stop sign, with ultimately severe penalty (8) |
| REDEFINE – RED (stop sign) + E (ultimately severe, i.e. the last letter of “severe”) + FINE (penalty) | |
| 4 | Following, cross, into trap (4) |
| NEXT – X (cross) into NET (trap) | |
| 5 | Trade fair certain to get publicity (8) |
| EXPOSURE – EXPO (Trade fair) + SURE (certain) | |
| 6 | Made out pantomime figure (4) |
| DAME – anagram (out) of MADE | |
| 12 | Having a number to deal with, king put out feeler (8) |
| TENTACLE – TEN (a number) + TAC{k}LE (to deal with, king put out, i.e. “tackle” (to deal with) without the K (king)). The most complex clue in the puzzle. | |
| 13 | Abroad as ever so horrible (8) |
| OVERSEAS – anagram (horrible) of AS EVER SO. Another good surface. | |
| 14 | Shines faintly, being hot, and cooks gently all round (8) |
| SHIMMERS – H (hot) with SIMMERS (cooks gently) around it | |
| 17 | Answer people, having the last word (4) |
| AMEN – A (Answer) + MEN (people) | |
| 18 | Den left impression (4) |
| LAIR – L (left) + AIR (impression) | |
| 19 | Pith helmet, best one (4) |
| TOPI – TOP (best) + I (one). As worn by, say, Lofty in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Perhaps not that common a word, but those in possession of an elephantine memory may recall that it came up in Quicky 220 at the beginning of last year. | |
Incidentally, what’s the origin of the term “Nina” for hidden words?
Edited at 2016-04-11 08:43 am (UTC)
Albert “Al” Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars.
He had a daughter called NINA – from c.1945 he would hide her name within his drawings – often more than once. A series of his philatelic charicatures of famous Americans stamps all have NINAS.
NINA appears to have been adopted recently as the name for the same phenomenon in Crosswords. The first known example was back in July 1967 Biddlecombe) but when the word was adopted is far more recent.
I rarely spot’em! Just last week some eagle-eyed blogger noticed that the alternative latters of two desecenders spelt out TABLE TENNIS TABLE! This must add huge difficulty to the setter’s task and a FRANKLIN would have to be used for the construction.
Will somebody please invent the FREDERIK so that NINA has a companion!?
horryd Shanghai
PlayupPompey
I think it will be a long time before I’ll be spotting Ninas and other hidden things as I’m usually just chuffed to have finished the puzzle.
Finished the quickie in about 15 mins so will now take solvers’ advice and try the main crossword.
Rita