Quick Cryptic 771 by Flamande

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I’m really pleased to have been on blog duty for this one. Solving took 8 minutes (so a good quick QC) but compiling the blog allowed me to fully relish some of the clues. I’d like to highlight 24ac, 13dn and 20dn but pick your own favourite. Good one, Flamande.

ACROSS

8. Israeli – from Jewish state. Is (IS), queen (R), a (A), priest (ELI).
9. On ice – kept for later. Nothing (O), pleasant (NICE).
10. Get on – prosper. Not say (NOT EG) retired (backwards).
11. Officer – constable. Fine one (F I) inside an anagram (troubled) of FORCE.
12. Eurocrats – masters in Brussels. Anagram (organised) of ART COURSE.
14. Egg – &lit. Something v(EGG)ie eats (has inside).
16. Rip – tear. R.I.P.
18. Rounded on – verbally attacked. Rotund (ROUND), English (E), teacher (DON).
19. Redress – correct. Put clothes back on (RE-DRESS).
22. Rebel – dissenter. Part of film – in the old days (REEL) about British (B).
23. Miler – runner. Q. Who looks happy? A. A smiler. Missing the start=s(MILER).
24. Oration – speech. From H(ORATIO N)elson. Quite clever – CS Forester wrote the excellent Horatio Hornblower fictional books based on Nelson.

DOWN

1. King Lear – tragic ruler. Anagram (terribly) of LARGE with family (KIN) made prominent – raised up to the front.
2. Grater – kitchen implement. Homophone (we hear) of greater.
3. Fern – plant. Marshy area (FEN) around river (R).
4. Mimosa – tree. Anagram (high) of MOM IS, on top of a (A).
5. Confused – bewildered. Wrongdoer (CON), female (F), employed (USED).
6. Circle – double definition. Group of people – one’s circle, theatre seats above the stalls.
7. Peer – noble. Disciple – St. Peter – losing heart (PEtER).
13. Car ferry – a form of transport the queen is unlikely to take to get to the Continent. Heading for France (first letter – F), the queen (ER), inside (goes aboard) transport (CARRY). A nice clue which makes you jump about a bit – any questions just ask.
15. Gangling – lanky. (G)uy, catching fish (ANGLING).
17. Peddle – try to sell. Homophone (you say) of pedal.
19. Upshot – result. An up shot would fire into the air.
20. Dublin – city. Anagram (drunk) of BLIND going round university (U). This is a great clue full of cross reference and personal reminiscence. Dublin is a lovely city with the university right in the centre and open for public access. Anyone having previously visited the Temple Bar area may so wander through the university. COD.
21. Rump – portion of steak. (P)ie after drink (RUM).
22. Read – study. Article (A) penned by communist (RED).

20 comments on “Quick Cryptic 771 by Flamande”

  1. ‘Masters in Brussels’? I wonder how Flamande voted. Some nicely worded clues, including 12ac, 22ac, and (my COD, too) 20d, although there were also a couple of gimmes, like 24ac. 4:32.
  2. All done in 33 minutes with about half of those spent on 6d, 7d and especially 13d.

    COD to 4d for the funny surface.

  3. A very pleasant crossword today. I was quite confused about the parsing of 15dn, thinking LING = fish, and then not understanding the “gang” part. Is “ling” ever “fish” in crossword land, or is it always “heather”? Gribb.

  4. 24 mins, done by Surbiton.

    Blew a good 5 mins in LOI of 12a. Was looking for masters (DONS, MAS) and then just ART as the anagrist. Nice clue.

    COD ROUNDED ON.

    Did not know that MIMOSA was a tree, only know it as a cocktail.

    I thought that the bike part homophone at 17d might be PIMP for ‘try to sell’, when said in an Edinburgh accent.

  5. Just on the dot of 10 minutes again for me. Held up at the end by 7d, and then having thought of PEER as the answer I had to trawl through the alphabet to understand the “disciple” reference in the wordplay.
  6. More Hancockovia additional to today’s 15×15.

    merlin old bean – Surbiton did for Reggie Perrin.

    MIMOSA has the most beautifully musky-scented proliferation of yellow flowers – enormous trees -smelt ’em in Oz and Cal. Also known downunder as wattle.

    7.34 so no hold ups,

    COD The Ikean CAR FERRY WOD MIMOSA

    1. Horryd, old bean, Reggie was was in Climthorpe, Tom and Barbara Good and the Leadbetters were in Surbiton.

      Edited at 2017-02-21 09:38 am (UTC)

      1. Jack mon cher haricot – I was referring to Episode Five when Reggie’s excuse for being- “Eleven minutes late – somebody had stolen the lines at Surbiton!”

        Reggie puts ‘Climthorpe near Norbiton’ in another episode.

        Edited at 2017-02-21 04:16 pm (UTC)

  8. Well, living proof that sometimes everything just falls into place. At 16 mins, fully parsed, this was easily a new PB, and probably about as fast as I can go. Wrote in all the across clues bar 18ac, and most of the downs as well. No doubt back to normal tomorrow, but I will enjoy today first. Invariant
  9. Many fun clues in this. Across COD to 18a and down COD to 20d -but lots of competition.
    I pretty much wrote in the answers on reading the clues; a slight hold-up on LOI 4d. Between 8 and 9 minutes. David
  10. After my FOI, FERN, I had to skip around the grid to get a foothold, needing crossers before I could make much progress. Eventually finished with GRATER after 10:20. Nice puzzle. Thanks Flamande and Chris.

    Edited at 2017-02-21 01:27 pm (UTC)

  11. Another pleasant 20 minute solve for me today. I really did think that Car Ferry was an excellent clue!
  12. Flew through this today, heading for a new PB by a mile, then got stuck for ages on 7d.

    Never mind, still highly enjoyable – I especially liked the use of ‘penned’ in 22d.

  13. Nice and gentle today with lots of enjoyable clues, with COD just going to 20d. It took me 14 minutes in the end with the unknown and unparsed 4d taking the last 3 of them, as I completely missed the anagram.
  14. Late to this today but breezed through in about 5.20. Can’t be exact as my wife asked me a question mid solve and, somewhat unreasonably I felt, expected me to answer.

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