Quick Cryptic 757 by Joker

Author   william_j_sPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A true quickie today, but not chock-full of double definitions, so still satisfying. I’m a little unfamiliar with 17ac; presumably the clue is referring to one who stares into space? And it took me a minute to decide which end of 11dn was the definition (shameful, I know). Thanks, Joker, for a nice distraction from the world news pages.

Definitions underlined.

Across
1 Finally abridged book of maps (5)
ATLAS – AT LASt (finally) without the last letter (abridged).
4 Threatened fix involves good service (7)
MENACED – MEND (fix) surrounding ACE (good service, tennis).
8 Sexy urge for Shakespeare’s Percy (7)
HOTSPUR – HOT (sexy) and SPUR (urge).
9 Colour of wine almost as dark as can be — little new in that (5)
BLANC – all but last letter of (almost) BLACk (as dark as can be) with N (new) inside.
10 Company partner covering deficit in a really big way (10)
COLOSSALLY – CO (company) and ALLY (partner) around (covering) LOSS (defecit).
14 Tell senior churchman is losing power (6)
RELATE – pRELATE (senior churchman) missing the P (power).
15 Sharp hit — that is right for sharp sword (6)
RAPIER – RAP (sharp hit), IE (that is) and R (right).
17 One going off to moon with odd ready-made lander finally (10)
DAYDREAMER – anagram of (odd) READY-MADE, then last letter of (finally) landeR.
20 What shows the time clubs close securely? (5)
CLOCK – C (clubs) and LOCK (close securely).
22 Text summary needs English to be accurate (7)
PRECISE – PRECIS (text summary) and E (english).
23 US politician’s south-eastern military alliance meeting resistance (7)
SENATOR – SE (south-eastern), NATO (military alliance) and R (resistance).
24 Stick a blade into small fruit (5)
SPEAR – S (small) and PEAR (fruit).
Down
1 Pain in course of stomach exercises (4)
ACHE – hidden in (in course of) stomACH Exercises.
2 Many which will appear in auctions (4)
LOTS – double definition.
3 Football fan has to drink dark ale (9)
SUPPORTER – SUP (to drink) and PORTER (dark ale).
4 Dark red jumper chap’s carrying (6)
MAROON – MAN (chap) surrounding (carrying) ROO (kangaroo, jumper).
5 Part of pen made from scrap that’s turned up (3)
NIB – BIN (scrap) reversed (turned up).
6 Tea taken with rather uninteresting clergyman (8)
CHAPLAIN – CHA (tea) and PLAIN (rather uninteresting).
7 Where ships may be refitted to cut off three feet (8)
DOCKYARD – DOCK (to cut off) and YARD (three feet).
11 Wanton hassles me disgracefully (9)
SHAMELESS – anagram of (disgracefully) HASSLES ME.
12 In favour of channels showing manufactured goods (8)
PRODUCTS – PRO (in favour of) and DUCTS (channels).
13 Seek to minimise children’s games with feathers (4,4)
PLAY DOWN – PLAY (children’s games) and DOWN (feathers).
16 Cured pork for each basket of food (6)
HAMPER – HAM (cured pork) and PER (for each).
18 Sack female over anger (4)
FIRE – F (female) on top of (over) IRE (anger).
19 Social worker runs for a drink in the pub (4)
BEER – BEE (social worker) and R (runs, cricket)
21 Last of junk IT equipment (3)
KIT – last letter of junK with IT.

24 comments on “Quick Cryptic 757 by Joker”

  1. For some reason–I think it was just the influence of neighboring BLANC–I biffed ‘merlot’ (‘dark red’) and forgot about it until I got the ‘hard lines’ sign, when I finally took the clue seriously. Vinyl may be the first one here to use the term ‘momble’, sometimes used by solvers of the 15x15s: I forget who coined the term, but it’s a solution that could be an English word, but happens not to be; like ‘chabland’. 5:41.
  2. 10ac DAYDREAMER was my COD and WOD

    Fairly anodyne stuff from the Joker (and no jokes) esp. around the NW corner – which makes life easier.

    Time 7.02

    Agree – today’s 15×15 was fairly tough but engaging.

    Edited at 2017-02-01 08:53 am (UTC)

  3. I think a pb today of 19 mins.

    Maybe it was the combination of late night watching footy and wine (blanc).

  4. 7 minutes for this one where I solved most clues on first reading.

    There was a recent discussion here (yesterday’s 15×15 perhaps?) about words originally with innocent meanings that come to have dodgy overtones in the light of modern usage, and the dodgy meaning now prevails. It struck me that “moon” at 17ac is one such example.

      1. I wasn’t aware that term ever had a previous meaning. And you would surely argue that it doesn’t even exist?
  5. A fairly straightforward offering today, but I was held up significantly at 15ac. I’ve never heard of a rapier, and had to go through the alphabet when thinking of a word for “sharp hit”. I’m also not familiar with the Shakespearean Percy. However, the clue was generous. I was also reminded of the Hotspur pub on Percy Street in my homeland of Newcastle. Merely a coincidence? Gribb.
    1. Harry Hotspur – son of the Earl of Northumberland, whose family name was Percy. So probably not a coincidence!
  6. After a year of struggles my first sub 10. Indeed sub 9! Mind you its the 1st of February and I’ve been on Dry January. So a wonderful double reason for celebration. Thank you so much to all the setters and wonderful bloggers. You make an old man very happy. Sometimes.

    The Briefless Barrister

  7. I would say a piece of cake but that seems to have joined the growing list of things we are not allowed to enjoy.
  9. Very easy by Joker’s recent standard. At 19 mins only my second ever sub 20 finish, and all the more welcome for that. I initially read 17ac as off to ‘the’ moon, which made daydreamer even more of a stretch. . . Invariant
  10. Today I was able to write the answers in almost as I read them. A very pleasant puzzle as so often from Joker. LOI was 16d but had no hold-ups at all.
    The clock had not quite completed its seventh minute so a PB for me. David
  11. Inside my target of 15′, but only just, so not that easy for me. I can’t for the life of me think what held me up, maybe I was just distracted.

    Thanks Joker and William

  12. 10 min – much faster than usual. I would like to think I am improving rapidly but perhaps it was just an easy puzzle. Attempts to transfer to the 15×15 have not been very encouraging so far…
  13. An average 8:50 for me with 19d and 24a holding me up for no good reason. The rest went in more or less on reading the clue, although I did have to return to 9a after I solved DOCKYARD. Thanks William and Joker.
  14. Probably our quickest solve yet at around 20 mins, a steady solve with no real holdups. Last one in 10a trying to sort out the spelling. Elin and Ian.
  15. My time came up at the end as 3hrs 35 mins! Given that I started less than half an hour ago I think that’s quite clever. Nowhere near a PB for me despite the NW corner going straight in. I’m glad it wasn’t as I would never have known what time I got.
  16. All pretty straightforward today. Took a mo to recall 19d bee connection and that made 24a pop as LOI. FOI 1a. COD 17a. About 35 minutes of unhurried work. Not what I anticipate when I see Joker as setter!
  17. A very gentle offering completed in 11 minutes. Not much more to add. LOI 10a but the rest went in pretty much in order.

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