Quick Cryptic 590 by Izetti

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Despite blogging Quick Cryptics every week since Day One in 2014 this is only the 5th occasion I have been on duty for one of Izetti’s puzzles which are often amongst the most interesting offerings. Today’s is as skilfully constructed as we have come to expect but at the easier end of the spectrum in my opinion – and none the worse for that of course as the QC has to cater for varying levels of solver. There’s nothing particularly obscure here but the method of torture at 19ac may not be familiar to some – as a word, I mean not the experience I hope! I completed this in 7 minutes.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [indicators in square ones]


Across
1 Fund-raiser in vehicle, one by a restaurant (9)
CAFETERIA – FETE (fund-raiser) in CAR (vehicle), I (one), A
6 I may be put out by person serving at table (5)
WATER – WA{i}TER (person serving at table) [I…put out]. The definition is &lit in the form of a riddle where something that’s inanimate, in this case water, is personified.
8 More than one kitchen item gets grime unfortunately (3,6)
EGG TIMERS – Anagram [unfortunately] of GETS GRIME
9 Fail to admit love, being vague (5)
LOOSE – LOSE (fail) contains [to admit] 0 (love – tennis)
10 Pottery Caroline smashed goes to tip ultimately (9)
PORCELAIN –  {ti}P [ultimately], anagram [smashed] of CAROLINE
12 Set of instructions to get new piece fitted to back of door (6)
RECIPE – {doo}R [back of], anagram of PIECE. An identical construction as in the preceding clue.
13 Our navy goes inside a border, causing battle (6)
ARNHEM – A, RN (our navy – the Royal Navy), HEM (border). The battle for the “bridge too far” that cropped up last week in the main puzzle.
16 Told about company about to be moved somewhere else (9)
RELOCATED – RELATED (told) contains [about] CO (company) reversed [about]
18 Youngster guarded by neurotic Hilda (5)
CHILD – Hidden in [guarded by] {neuroti}C HILD{a}
19 A bandit so bad gets a form of torture (9)
BASTINADO – Anagram [bad] of A BANDIT SO. Aka “foot whipping”
21 Change commercial about workers (5)
AMEND – AD (commercial) contains [about] MEN (workers)
22 Passing rain’s unfortunately penetrating temporary shelter (9)
TRANSIENT – Anagram [unfortunately] of RAINS inside [penetrating] TENT (temporary shelter)
Down
1 Some decree pupil is to approach slowly (5,2)
CREEP UP – Hidden in [some] {de}CREE PUP{il}
2 Illustration of tree overlooking northern river (6)
FIGURE – FIG (tree), URE (northern river). “Overlooking” simply places one element of the clue above the other in a Down answer.
3 Banal ending for magnificent ceremony (5)
TRITE – {magnificen}T [ending], RITE (ceremony)
4 Regret being impolite, putting daughter out (3)
RUE – RU{d}E (impolite) [putting daughter out]
5 Sad men in debt woefully distracted (6-6)
ABSENT-MINDED – Anagram [woefully] of SAD MAN IN DEBT
6 What could make one rebel — this raw item of food (5,7)
WELSH RAREBIT – Anagram [what could make] REBEL THIS RAW
7 ‘Very hot‘ and ‘in the news’ is about right (8)
TROPICAL – TOPICAL (in the news) contains [is about] R (right)
11 The fellow’s in a sleazy bar, bonding (8)
ADHESIVE – HE’S (the fellow’s) in A DIVE (a sleazy bar)
14 Soldier rated ‘terrible’ Commanding Officer’s kept in (7)
REDCOAT – Anagram [terrible] of RATED contains [kept in] CO (Commanding Officer)
15 A guy relaxed (2,4)
AT EASE – A, TEASE (guy – mock)
17 Carpenter‘s food (5)
CHIPS – Two definitions with “chips” as slang for “carpenter” or one cryptic if you prefer
20 Resort featured in this paper (3)
SPA – Hidden [featured in] {thi}S PA{per}

14 comments on “Quick Cryptic 590 by Izetti”

  1. Fairly smooth sailing, although I rashly biffed ‘recounted’ at 16ac, which slowed things down. The anagrams were fairly evident, fortunately. 5:45.
  2. 25:50, though at least half of that was spent wrestling with the on-screen keyboard. Must admit, my acquaintance with biblical modes of torture is slight, so BASTINADO was a fortunate guess.

    Edited at 2016-06-13 04:05 am (UTC)

  3. Gentle start to the week at 8.56 – I shall have a Welsh Rarebit for lunch.
    horryd – Shanghai
  4. I found this on the trickier side, slow but steady, don’t know why. I may be wrong,and frequently am, but I seem to remember our blogger not being in favour of anagrams for uncommon words and I don’t recall using BASTINADO in general conversation for a bit now, although once all the checkers were in it couldn’t be much else. Second appearance for GUY in a few weeks. Thanks Izetti and blogger.
    1. Yes, Tim, you’re quite correct in saying that I have raised issues about obscure words, particularly foreign ones, being clued as anagrams. On this occasion I happened to know it so the situation didn’t arise for me. I mentioned it as a difficult word in my intro but at that point I had forgotten it was an anagram or I might have drawn attention to the fact.
  5. Izetti one of my favourite setters, just right to keep me going, and an acceptable time of 42:27. BASTINADO completely unknown, but not too many ways to squeeze the anagram into the checkers, and first one worked, validated by dictionary (allowed in my rules). TROPICAL was COD, and AT EASE LOI, due to the ridiculous ‘guy’ for ‘tease’ which no-one has used in 50 years.
    Did not really understand 5A, thanks blogger for the hint, though &lit clues never quite work for me. For 6D I had another anagram possibility ‘one rebel this’ which led me looking for raw items of food. Still not sure why setter had ‘one’ in the def.

    Edited at 2016-06-13 08:09 am (UTC)

    1. Yes, “one” in 6dn confused me too and I started by taking it as an ‘I’ for inclusion in the anagrist until I found it was surplus to requirements.

      Edited at 2016-06-13 09:10 am (UTC)

  6. Always used to call it ‘Welsh Rabbit’ when I was small, and according to Brewer this is correct. The term is on a par with ‘Bombay Duck’ or ‘mock turtle’. ‘Bastinado’ known from childhood boys’ stories, and it featured in an episode of Spooks. Thanks setter and blogger. 4’34”.
  7. Comfortably sub-ten minutes for me; I was lucky enough to have heard of the BASTINADO term, but if I hadn’t, I’m sure that the clear anagram indicator would have led me to it.

    Guy is quite often a tease, jape or trick in crosswordland, so I didn’t have an issue with it, although I do agree it is a little dated.

    Thanks Setter and Blogger, a gentle start to the week.

  8. I got through most of this quite quickly and then came to a grinding halt. Not helped by missing the anagram in 6d until after I’d got the answer and a complete mind blank for 1a, where I’d worked out the structure of the answer but couldn’t think of any words for fundraiser. For 2d my LOI I was looking for a river ending in ‘N’ for a while. Fortunately taking a break and coming back with a set of fresh eyes seemed to do the trick. It probably took me around 40 mins in total.
  9. Enjoyable crossword. Like many I had to guess BASTINADO. I am sure we had to GUY as to TEASE a couple of weeks ago. But I did not remember this until I had already put it in.
  10. If you ever need an exemplar of the &lit clue 6a is surely it. Definitely my COD. Otherwise a gentle start to the week from Izetti, making me wonder what devilish offering he/she has up the sleeve for next time. 5′ 30″.
    GeoffH
  11. I agree with most of the other bloggers, a nice gentle run out to start the week. LOI = Bastinado for the simple reason that once the checkers were in it couldn’t be much else.
    PlayupPompey
  12. I enjoyed this. 20 minutes to finish it and LOI was Bastinado which I did not know but guessed, correctly as it turned out.There were some excellent clues and a mixture of what I thought fairly easy and then more complex; but I can see from the daily comments how subjective these things are. Favourite clue was 6a.
    And now back to the challenge of Saturday which I am finding even harder than the previous week. David

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