Quick Cryptic 581 by Joker

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A challenging crossword which I managed to get through in just over 10 minutes – but they weren’t easy minutes and included a great deal of interest and a blind guess. I’m not sure how a new crosswordlander will get on and would be fascinated to hear your tales of battle. This blog site loves helping people out and explaining so feel free to ask. I may not personally answer today as I’m travelling but I know there are plenty that will.

ACROSS

1. Superior – having higher status. Police officer (SUPER), I (I) before (must lead) other ranks (OR). Alternatively you may consider lead as the leading or first characters of Other Ranks but I’m not sure what the ‘must’ would be doing.
5. Echo – sound reflection. In (concealing) spe(ECH O)nly.
8. Photo – picture. Public house (PH), time (T) with a couple of rounds (OO) thrown in.
9. Andante only moderately moving. A musical term (to be performed) at a moderately slow tempo. I toyed with the delicious idea that this could be al dente – cooked so as to be firm when eaten – so not hard or soft but moving moderately when bitten. Article (AN), DANTE.
11. Obsolescent – discontinued. Old boy (OB), only (SOLE), perfume (SCENT).
13. Ensure – make certain. Anagram (working) of NURSE with English (E).
14. Soccer – game. (S)tars (O)f (C)helsea (C)an (E)xpect (R)easonable.
16. Pollination – process of generating growth. Election (POLL), one (I), country (NATION).
18. Athlete – sportsman. Allowed (LET) inside an anagram (different) of HEAT.
19. Idiot – fool. I’d (ID) taken back (reversed) to island (I OT).
20. Expo – international show. Former partner (EX), work (op) over (backwards) (PO).
21. Teenager – youngster. Anagram (throwing out) of GREEN TEA.

DOWN

1. Saps – double definition.
2. Proconsulship – governors office. This one has to be put together piece by piece but they are easy enough pieces. Both for and against (PRO CON), us (us) climbing (SU), large (L), vessel (SHIP).
3. Room service – facility for those staying (residents in hotels). Space (ROOM), period of employment (SERVICE).
4. Oracle – infallible expert. In the clue (partly) f(OR A CLE)ver.
6. Condescending – patronising. Conservative (CON), going downhill (DESCENDING).
7. Overturn – upset. Plain to see (OVERT), vase (URN).
10. Disposition – character. Daughter (D) is (IS) to take attitude (POSITION).
12. Keepsake – memento. Store (KEEP), rice wine (SAKE).
15. Gamete – germ cell – which you’ve either heard of or you haven’t. I may have but couldn’t remember – tageme, gateme magete didn’t ‘feel ‘ as good as gamete. Anagram (modified) of GET ME A.
17. Stir – double definition.

18 comments on “Quick Cryptic 581 by Joker”

  1. I found this in the middle of the range. Like the blogger GAMETE was there in the recesses but needed winkling out. I thought this a typical Joker with everything falling into place with once you had worked out what was going on. Thanks to Joker and blogger.
  2. I found this easy, actually; I even spotted the hidden right away, something I tend not to do. I’m not sure what the ‘must’ is doing in 1ac in any case; and it was kind of the setter to say ‘other ranks’ rather than ‘men’. 3:14, a PB, I believe.
  3. I agree this was on the hard side and I was quite surprised as I entered my last answer, to find that my solving time was under 10 minutes – if only by a few seconds. I had PRO and SHIP at 2dn and all the checkers in between and was losing faith in my ability to come up with an answer that when suddenly it came to me.
  4. Well as a relative newbie who finishes about two in five, I was surprised to find I’d completed this within 40 minutes. I was able to work out many of the answers from the cross checkers without necessarily and then understanding the clue.
    So I’m encouraged for once…
    Dave the Diver
  5. A newbie to cryptics, I’ve been doing the quickie from the start, and I found this the easiest ever, completing it in 7 mins!
    I’ve learnt so much from the blog, thank you to all the bloggers.
  6. It looked very tough to me but Poppy polished off all the long and difficult ones whilst I managed a couple of short beginner clues. The result was a completed puzzle just after finishing our breakfast! Lovely!
  7. Having failed to complete *any* of last week’s QCs, I don’t mind saying that I raced through this in record time. Must have been sub-10 minutes.

    Thanks to setter, and to bloggers for their wisdom and encouragement!

  8. Apart from “gamete” (a blind guess because the alternatives looked even more unlikely) I found this about average, some fairly straightforward and some needing serious attention.
    So overall, good balance I thought.
    PlayupPompey
  9. Under 6′ but with SOPS, wrong. Lots of cluing involving stringing together shorter words, OVERT-URN LOI.
  10. Struggled with this one especially in the NW corner. Failing to see 8a straightaway was frustrating as I am keen photographer!! Endorse earlier comment re bloggers….keep up the good work.
  11. It’s been asked in a couple of places why ‘l MUST lead’ and not just ‘I lead’ at One across
    The latter would be ungrammatical as the I is the letter I

    RR

  12. I found this quite tricky, not helped by being unclear on the definitions in a few clues e.g. 1a (looking for a police officer), 7d (Plain to see), 2d (some sort of ship). I also seem to be redeveloping my blindspot for hidden clues and ended up biffing 4d.
    However perseverance paid off and I eventually completed this in about 40 mins – LOI 10d
  13. After a very wet dog walk I was ready for a cup of tea and an attempt at the puzzle. As our blogger says it wasn’t easy but I solved steadily; paused at 9a and remembered 15d from school. The long answers were well clued and gettable; and finally I was left with 3d and,despite having all the checkers, it wasn’t immediately obvious to me. I had Roof for the first word for a time. But I got there in the end in 14 minutes. David
  14. Pleased to break 30 mins, with 27:44. My teenage daughter, who is starting to get the hang of cryptics was able to do quite a few, so hope for the next generation. Her COD, 6d.
  15. 11 minutes to get all but 9a and 10d.10d took another 15mins and never did get 9a
  16. Didn’t get to this until this evening, so probably the last comment (as usual). Found this a difficult one but got there eventually but with some help needed for 15d gamete. I often felt I had sufficient justification for entering a number of answers without full understanding, so thx to our blogger! An example would be 13a ensure, where I had ‘srn’ without grasping it was the whole word ‘nurse’ before moving on to the next clue. Similarly 19 a idiot, and some others. Enjoyable puzzle, so thx to Joker too. For me, if it’s not a workout for the old grey cells, it isn’t going to be fun or an achievement and time is irrelevant.
  17. I sussed 20ac (international show 4 letters) would be expo – former partner = ex, fair enough, but how does work = op??
  18. Op is short for “Opus” (which means “work” in Latin), and is commonly used as a way of cataloguing musical works.

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