Quick Cryptic 549 by Izetti

Author   emu66Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Something of a French flavour this week, with 1a (knew the word, but not the spelling until I got some checkers), 6d and even 1d (my LOI). Clever anagrams at 8d and particularly 17a, I thought, and I liked the elegance of 19a. 18d tricky. All in all, a good challenge.
Thank you Izetti.

Across
1 Entertaining interlude makes ten react excitedly: ENTRACTE
Anagram (excitedly) of TEN REACT
5 Little Princess’s beginning to cry: WEEP
Little = WEE, Princess’s beginning = P
9 Rubbish in church taken by a couple of females: CHAFF
Church = CH, a = A, couple of females = FF
10 Speaks ill of maiden and allies: MALIGNS
Maiden = M, allies = ALIGNS
11 One that can be higher than a king: ACE
Double definition
12 Money that is hot perhaps got rid of: CASHIERED
Money = CASH, that is = IE, hot perhaps = RED
13 How to get NI to surrender: TURN IN
Double definition, one cryptic
15 A quiet examination would be most appropriate: APTEST
A = A, quiet = P, examination = TEST
17 Come in and upset authority: DOMINANCE
Anagram (upset) of COME IN AND
19 Haircut for your uncle: BOB
Double definition, one cryptic
20 Map with territory will do for settler: PLANTER
Map = PLAN, territory = TER
21 Language of some yelling obscenities: LINGO
Hidden word
22 Group of volunteers repeated last message: TA-TA
Volunteers = TA, so repeated = TA-TA
23 Reprocessed bike given coat of colour: RECYCLED
Bike = cycle, inside (given coat of) colour = RED

Down
1 Leader lacking in taste and charm: ENCHANT
Taste = PENCHANT, without P (lacking leader)
2 Time to hurry a bit: TRACE
Time = T, hurry = RACE
3 Loving a coffee – ‘taint unusual: AFFECTIONATE
Anagram (unusual) of A COFFEE TAINT
4 I am to infiltrate revolutionary group for months maybe: TIMES
I am = IM, inside revolutionary group = SET reversed
6 Warning given with grenade exploding: EN GARDE
Anagram (exploding) of GRENADE
7 Sat in cabin going round Home Counties: POSED
Cabin = POD, round Home Counties = SE
8 Singer has lips severely damaged: ELVIS PRESLEY
Anagram (damaged) of LIPS SEVERELY
14 Artist meeting politician, worker out of control: RAMPANT
Artist = R(oyal) A(cademician), politician = MP, worker = ANT
16 Paper label, look, with identification: TABLOID
Label = TAB, look = LO, identification = ID
17 Dorothy keeping record in warehouse: DEPOT
Dorothy = DOT, keeping record = EP
18 One of those that’s got on in a trying situation: NERVE
Cryptic definition
19 Prohibition? Capone gets worn out: BANAL
Prohibition = BAN, Capone = AL

35 comments on “Quick Cryptic 549 by Izetti”

  1. I had the same doubts as Jack about TER, but figured it had to be OK. Have we had solutions with apostrophes before (ENTR’ACTE)? I can’t imagine it made any difference to anyone here, but it can be annoying–but unavoidable. (Looking for a 6-letter playwright, say, one tends not to think of O’Casey.) 14d is a fine example of cryptic clichés: RA+MP+ANT. I especially liked 8d and 17ac. 5:49.
    1. Have we ever seen an apostrophe indicated in a clue? If so, I don’t recall it.
  2. I started by thinking this was easier than many an Izetti QC but ran out of steam part way through and only just crawled home a few seconds under 15 minutes. For some reason 13ac held me up as I was convinced the first word was “give” or “gave”. I looked twice at the unfamiliar TER = “territory”; it’s in Chambers (secondary to “terrace”) but not in COED or Collins. It had to be right though.

    Edited at 2016-04-15 06:29 am (UTC)

  3. That’s what I was trying to get at: The enumeration in a clue indicates hyphens, but not apostrophes. In the club forum, this fact has been bemoaned from time to time, although as I said above, I think it’s unavoidable: noting the apostrophe in the clue would make it too easy to solve.
  4. I object to TER meaning territory. It may be buried in Collins but is not known elsewhere. Why use such an obscurity in a QUICK cryptic when it must have been easier to find an alternative clue construction. Use it in the main crossword but not here. I don’t feel I’ve learnt a new word to my benefit as often happens with obscurities, so just feel cheated. I got the answer anyway but didn’t feel happy with it until checking here. I still don’t feel happy with it!
    1. Well you’ve learnt a new abbreviation. As have I. What’s wrong with that? We both seem to have solved the clue anyway.
      1. Well, you might as well just make something up as dig up something so obscure that nobody has ever heard of it. I’m sure there are lots of ancient words buried in obscure tomes that would be useful to crossword setters, but for a Quick Cryptic I think we should expect to find words or abbreviations used that are at least fairly common knowledge.
        I’ve made comments along these lines before and received pretty short shrift so I guess I am out of line with those who frequent these parts. I am in my late 60’s so I can relate to a lot of the phrases, words and abbreviations that are used in crosswords and seem to come mostly from the middle of the twentieth century. No complaints from me there though younger puzzlers might struggle. I do get irritated (as you can tell!) with what I consider to be needlessly obscure words/abbreviations that just seem to serve the purpose of enabling a lazy clue construction.
  5. A DNF with 1A and 1D remaining, but still a decent result for me on an Izetti. 1A was unknown to me although I guessed it was a music term and I may have got 1D if I’d got the first checker.
    Since I’ve been doing cryptics I’ve realised two things – any random letter or letters can be used as an abbreviation and any random word can be an anagram indicator!
    Brian
    1. You’re right about the abbreviations but maybe not with the anagram indicators – although the list seems endless with new ones being coined on a regular basis. Think of it as the setter updating their defences against the remorseless assault of the solver. Nice puzzle with the NW corner pushing me beyond 10 minutes. Thank you emu66 and Izetti.
      GeoffH
  6. I wondered if there was not another valid answer to 5a of YELP, but realised Weep was better. One of Izettis kinder days I think
  7. I started off confidently with 1a – Entreact and then proceeded steadily enough around the grid. The anagram at 3d started to give me a problem and, adopting a new technique of perhaps I’ve made a mistake if a clue seems difficult, I realised my misspelling. After that I was left with 20a and 18d. I nervously put in Planter (couldn’t think of anything else) and had to work really hard not to put in Nurse for 18d. But in the end all done in just over 30 minutes. Another good puzzle from Izetti. David
  8. Not too hard compared with some this week: 32 mins

    I knew the word ENTRACTE because I watched Gone With The Wind a few weeks ago, and that has one in the middle. Not sure if a still image covered by the word “ENTR’ACTE” with some music playing is particularly entertaining though…

  9. Missed answer is recycled not shown but no difficulty there !

    I also have an issue with 20 why is settler = planter ? Is that an obscure definition

    I can see Map and ter(ritory) logic there though I agree TER is not an abbreviation I have come across but I am (relatively) new to Quick Cryptics

    1. It seems that in Irish History a planter was a English/Scottish settler on confiscated property in the 17th Century. Obscure perhaps, but I worked it out from the checkers. This was one of my better Izettis – I only had to look up a couple. Perhaps he was being kinder today! I enjoyed this one greatly.

      Aristotle

    2. It seems that in Irish History a planter was a English/Scottish settler on confiscated property in the 17th Century. Obscure perhaps, but I worked it out from the checkers. This was one of my better Izettis – I only had to look up a couple. Perhaps he was being kinder today! I enjoyed this one greatly.

      Aristotle

  10. First DNF for a few weeks due to 1a and 1d, I agree about planter both as a settler and the use of ter and I can’t quite equate pod and cabin but on the plus side 12a and 13a were delightful.

    Tyro Tim

  11. Not too difficult – took about 20 mins. Didn’t think of pod for cabin and agree with others about ter for terminus.

    Rita

  12. Glad to actually finish today after three DNFs in a row. 38 mins not bad for me. Same as everyone else though – put in planter and then had to hope that ter was a legitimate abbreviation for territory.
  14. I think that’s my second successive Izetti DNF. Just couldn’t see 1ac/1d even with checkers in place. Invariant
  15. I struggled over the finish line with this one. My last two in were the 1a/1d combo – once I had finally got 1d it was a case of guessing the order of the letters in the 1a anagram and I got lucky.
  16. My first comment, and I thank the TfT bloggers for all the help since I started the QC’s two years ago.

    Re planter, the early settlers of the Americas were called planters, and the land they farmed were plantations.

    Also re 18D. I had NERVE but I do not understand it.

    BobMcC

    1. I’ve got a song that’ll get on your nerves,
      Get on your nerves, get on your nerves;
      I’ve got a song that’ll get on your nerves,
      Get get get on your nerves!
  17. Second DNF of the week, so seem to be regressing. No excuse for missing RECYCLED, good clue. For 7d I had the form for –SED, but didn’t see POD. Was pleased to get Entr’acte, as recall that Gilbert & Sullivan have them. I thought CASHIERED was a great clue.
  18. I’m sorry but we still fail to understand why ‘how to get NI to surrender’ gets to turn in. Where does the NI come in?
  19. 19d Got banal as it was the only possibility but don’t understand why. Banal means boring, run of the mill etc, not worn out.

    16d how does tag + lo + id make tabloid?

    Sorry, but I am a beginner!

    1. It doesn’t ! But I think the blogger intended to write tab + lo + id, where tab = label. Invariant
  20. I’m sorry but we still fail to understand why ‘how to get NI to surrender’ gets to turn in. Where does the NI come in?
    1. Surrender = turn in
      and
      ‘how to get NI’ can be by reversing the letters of IN ie turn in
    2. I assume you are happy with turn in = give back = surrender ?
      Izetti has used the ‘no surrender’ rallying cry of (Protestant) Northern Ireland to make a pun about reversing (turning) IN/NI to make quite a neat clue.
      I hope that helps. Invariant

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