Quick Cryptic 829 by Teazel

Author   galsprayPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Opinions will differ, as they always do, but I thought this was another one at the tougher end of the spectrum.  It seems to me that the Quicky is following its big brother’s lead in establishing Friday as the day for a challenge.
It kicked off with a nice anagram for BOUQUET GARNI, which was an unknown for me, and I suppose if you got that one immediately the rest of the grid may have fallen into place more quickly.  CHAGALL may have also held some solvers up, and I also took time over INITIAL and EXITED.  And I had TAKE instead of LIKE at 23ac for far too long, which didn’t help matters.

About 15 minutes in total.  Thanks for the exercise Teazel, here’s how I parsed it….
Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined.  Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised.  Then there’s the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay.  (ABC)* means ‘anagram of ABC’.

Across
1 Rang boutique — ordered sachet for kitchen (7,5)
BOUQUET GARNI – (RANG BOUTIQUE)*
A bundle of herbs, tied together and used as a stock.  I didn’t know it, and it took me ages to piece the anagram together.
9 Cause annoyance, grabbing fine weapon (5)
RIFLE – RILE (cause annoyance) “grabbing” F (fine)
10 First to mark as read, perhaps (7)
INITIAL – Double definition
11 Unknown having to leave Cornish town in expiation (7)
PENANCE – Z (unknown) leaving PENZANCE (Cornish town)
12 Gas round area (5)
OZONE – O (round) + ZONE (area)
13 Good reputation: Conservative and Socialist have it (6)
CREDIT – C (Conservative) + RED (Socialist) + IT
14 Responds in scripture lesson, given part of Bible (6)
REACTS – RE (religious education, or scripture lesson) + ACTS (part of Bible)
17 A university degree is targeted from the first examination (5)
AUDIT – First letters of A University Degree Is Targeted
19 In dock, going to make test voyage? (2,5)
ON TRIAL – ON (going) + TRIAL (make test voyage)
21 Not recaptured as a body (2,5)
AT LARGE – Double definition
English, eh? The fact that “at” and “large” go together to form a meaningful expression is strange enough.  That it would have two different meanings is downright weird.
22 Bale out from European plane, leaving a hundred inside (5)
EJECT – C (a hundred) inside E (European) + JET (plane)
23 Not be choosy very much (4,8)
LIKE ANYTHING – Double definition
First def….if you’re not being choosy, you might like anything.
Second def as in “it was raining like anything” or “they were cheering like anything”.
Down
2 Crime of dealer in stolen goods (7)
OFFENCE – OF + FENCE (dealer in stolen goods)
The fence is the crossword setters’ favourite criminal.
3 As monarch, Veronica quite extraordinary (5,8)
QUEEN VICTORIA – (VERONICA QUITE)*
4 Got out, thrilled to avoid the cold (6)
EXITED – EXCITED (thrilled) to “avoid” C (cold)
5 Prepare for ordeal: use abrasive dentifrice? (4,4,5)
GRIT ONE’S TEETH – Double definition
6 Fearsome beast makes Greek character keep at home (5)
RHINO – RHO (Greek character) keeps IN (at home)
7 One litre fewer, round middle of evening — it makes me sick (7)
ILLNESS – I (one) + L (litre) + LESS (fewer) round N (middle of eveNing)
8 Hit, say, to cover (4)
WRAP – Homophone (say) for RAP (hit)
13 Artist’s conversation cut short with bitterness (7)
CHAGALL – CHA [CHAT (conversation) cut short] + GALL (bitterness)
15 In church, one thin South American (7)
CHILEAN – CH (church) + I (one) + LEAN (thin)
16 Happen to acquire pass (4,2)
COME BY – Double definition
18 Exterminator in valley beginning to kill (5)
DALEK – DALE (valley) + K (beginning to Kill)
20 Old Testament character, hard and reluctant (4)
LOTH – LOT (Old Testament character) + H (hard)
2nd biblical reference for the day.  Why can’t we have more Catch-22 and Moby Dick references?

34 comments on “Quick Cryptic 829 by Teazel”

  1. 1ac definitely tough if one doesn’t know the term. Luckily I did, but it took the Q before I saw it. Lucky also in remembering DALEK from other cryptics (never seen Dr. Who). I also thought first of ‘take’ at 23, and it took a while for the penny to drop. Generally slow but steady, but still slow. 6:08.
  2. Bouquet Garni went straight in from a quick perusal of the anagrist, and the rest of the top half followed quickly. I then slowed down a bit and an urgent call of nature dragged me away from the screen for 2 or 3 minutes at which point I had 20d and 22a left to go. I was held up by 22a as 15d had gone in as CCHILEN due to my fevered efforts to finish before sprinting upstairs. The clock finally congratulated me at 11:54. DALEK and CHAGALL were no problem. I first watched the daleks from behind the sofa in the 60s. WRAP needed an alphabet trawl. Nice puzzle. Thanks Teazel and Galspray.
  5. … but I thought this was a breeze. 1a was a write-in and that gave the first letters of six easy down clues. The checkers then fell in such a way that I had OZONE, RIFLE and INITIAL in my head before reading the clues. My only pause was with the second part of 16d, which LIKE ANYTHING provided. 5.18
  6. Again, I simply don’t understand what makes a crossword more or less difficult. For me, as a newbie on QC001, this was probably my fastest of the 829 and came close to beating the 10 minute mark. I even did half of Big Brother earlier in the week!

    And it would never have been possible without the help from everyone here. Thank you all!

  7. I found this the easiest of the week (20 mins or so, quick for me). Like others it took me a while to trawl through the alphabet to arrive at WRAP. “Monarch” and an anagram with Q in it does not leave much to the imagination, and the Q checker instantly gave 1 ac. Pretty much plain sailing from there.
    PlayUpPompey
  8. I have been fascinated by the recent preoccupation with levels of difficulty. As one who never got involved with newspaper crosswords until the quickie came along, I must say that today’s offering is exactly the right level. I can complete in half an hour and congratulate myself at the end of it. But, like most other things in life, many others outperform me and always will! For what it is worth, after a couple of years one just begins to distinguish some of the setters. For me Teazel is the best for the level of challenge consistently provided. Today’s puzzle has a lovely variety with some subtlety and misleading surfaces as well as an appropriate requirement to have some cultural awareness (Chagall, Daleks, the Greek alphabet) as well as a grasp of many crossword conventions (unknown = z; fine = f; one litre = il; Socialist = red; round = o; hard = h). DM
  9. I found this the easiest of the week (20 mins or so, quick for me). Like others it took me a while to trawl through the alphabet to arrive at WRAP. “Monarch” and an anagram with Q in it does not leave much to the imagination, and the Q checker instantly gave 1 ac. Pretty much plain sailing from there.
    PlayUpPompey
  10. Slightly quicker than yesterday and Monday, but slower than Tuesday and Wednesday, so a good level of challenge as far as I am concerned. It went in in dribs and drabs rather than me being held up anywhere in particular other than being convinced that 5d was going to be Gird ones Loins despite not understanding how the clue would work!
    Thanks to Teazel and Galspray as always.
  11. Quite an easy one today, though clearly knowing 1ac makes a big difference. I drew four blanks before I got my first answer (PENANCE) – so that was the first minute gone already – but after that things slotted quickly into place. I did biff TAKE at 23ac but then I realised that the artist starting CHA- must be CHAGALL. LOI COME BY, COD DALEK.
  12. I found this the toughest of the week – WRAP was LOI, but expecting pangram meant it wasn’t necessary to go through alphabet.
  13. I thought this was an excellent puzzle. I had to search around to get started with 12a. 3d was relatively easy and opened up the puzzle for me. I saw the anagram at 1a but needed nearly all the checkers to get it;the second word ending in I looked funny but it helped in the end. LOI was 14a. I nearly put Take at start of 23a but it did not feel right. And I got Chagall fairly easily. 21 minutes in total. David
  14. The earlier anonymous comment about the QC becoming inaccessible raises the question of what its purpose is. The QC is meant to be quick but not necessarily easy. It is a great place for newcomers to cryptic crosswords to get a grounding in basic techniques and to gain confidence by achieving an increasing number of completed grids. However, I do not think it if ‘for’ beginners. It is quite appropriate that there should be varying degrees of difficulty across the week, as occur in other regular puzzles in The Times. How else will the beginner become no longer a beginner?
    Enough of my ramblings. Seriously held up at the EXITED/INITIAL crossing for a tardy 8′.
    GeoffH
    1. I think the offerings are about right….Im a 20-60 minute man depending on degree of difficulty and of course there are always a few DNFs. Im willing to devote this much time in morning and find it enjoyable. Those that finish under 12 minutes leave me in awe and clearly find it very easy but it makes me wonder what enjoyment there is in it for them. I use to do the New York Times crossword and found the Monday/Tuesday offerings so easy I gave them up and just settled on Wednesday to Saturday.
  15. I realise I will never rise to the level of the tough daily puzzle. Nor frankly do I care but I do want a quick cryptic that is doable. This was not even close for me full of obscure answers. No fun at all.
  16. What’s with the obscure artists?
    Second day in a row done in by one
    about 10 mins for all except 13d and first word of 23
    Re difficulty, my record is 7:20 and my normal 15-20. I do find it a bit annoying to race through almost all of it and then get stuck on a word that you have no chance of getting, even with all the crossers in place
    I also get a bit miffed when bloggers call even the most elementary scientific term obscure, but at the same time assume that everyone is encyclopedic on 20th century art. Same old Oxbridge/Military/Cricket brigade I guess

    Edited at 2017-05-12 02:07 pm (UTC)

    1. I wouldn’t get too miffed by the bloggers, they are volunteers you know.

      To quote myself, as boring as that may be, I said “CHAGALL may have also held some solvers up”. In other words, I imagined he would be obscure to some, but not too others. This gentle non-assertion seems to have been borne out by the comments so far.

      Speaking as a complete philistine, I knew the name CHAGALL as an artist, though I wouldn’t recognise him if he stood up in my soup. Not sure where that places him on the obscurity scale.

      I also disagree that the clue was not solvable without knowing the artist. With C_A_A_L, in place, I don’t think CHA(T) and GALL were much of a stretch for a ten-minute solver.

      Anyway, as someone once said (near the top of this page in fact) opinions will differ.

      1. Humble apologies – I didn’t mean the original blogger, your comments were completely accurate, its some of comments you get as replies that irritate
        1. Ah, I see. Apology accepted, and apologies for misunderstanding. Yes, I tend to distinguish between bloggers and commenters, but I notice that many people use “blogger” to mean anyone that comments on a blog.

          I take your point re some comments on these pages, but hey, at least they’re better than the ones on youtube!

          1. (And by “apology accepted”, of course I mean “no apology necessary”).
  17. As many have commented, this puzzle split opinions. My view is that it is fair (and necessary) for some harder puzzles, especially on a Friday. This will give improvers a good idea on tackling the main puzzle. I urge those posting anonymously to get a login and “join the fun” – you will find bloggers and regulars very supportive. And don’t give up if the odd puzzle proves difficult – just enjoy the ones you like. After all these are not meant to be compulsory. Thanks as ever to setter and blogger. Oh, I took about 10 minutes and I was also a very average solver but these blogs have helped me gain huge enjoyment from some of our wonderful setters.
  18. A DNF with 23a as ‘take’ and looking in vain for RA + TART somehow (anyhow) for 13d. Some toughies today compared with some of the clues in the 15×15 this week. FOI 1a. LOI 8d (I thought this a weak homophone) COD 18d. Thx to the setter, blogger and ‘commentators’ (I too refer to all as bloggers, but perhaps I am in error?)
  19. No, not easy, dnf, but I enjoy it all the same and you’ll never get two people of the same ability. I do seem, albeit very gradually, to improve though. Satisfying.

    I’ve just tried to put a photo on my profile., but it keeps on coming out upside down for no apparent reason. Any ideas from one of you amazingly helpful people?

    Diana.

    2. I don’t think you can change the orientation once you have uploaded something to LiveJournal, so I would suggest that you turn the photo upside down on your computer and then try to upload it from there. (The orientation is usually contained in the EXIF data attached to the image, but it’s possible LiveJournal interprets it in a strange way.)
      1. Thanks Mohn, I’ll have another go. If I was Australian, anonymous, I’d leave it as it is – that’d puzzle you!

        Diana.

    3. I’ve only ever loaded the one photo – all I did was click the choose from file (my photo stream), selected one and had no problems. Not much help maybe – except to say that it does work so you could try experimenting with a different one – and make sure it’s the right way up in your own file to start with. Good luck!
  20. A bit of a struggle today with a mix of clues that were write ins (3d, 14a, 2d) and those that I found difficult. Like Andrew Turner, above, I spent some time trying to fit RA + Tart into 13d until realising I was looking for an artist and even then it took a while to figure out. Also struggled with 16d (LOI), 4d, 10a, 23a and 1a.
    A good challenge but no time recorded due to a long break after getting stuck.
  21. Definitely not easy from my perspective, but I did finish – eventually. Most of the top went in quite quickly but I got stuck on the thin south african for ages. Ditto 13ac and the other bottom left area clues. Dalek didn’t occur to me at all until I had all the checkers.

    No problem with the cookery and royal anagrams, even I (who really struggles with many anagrams) could see those.

    Thanks to galspray and the commenters for their insights.

  22. Like the above, I had TAKE ANYTHING for 23ac, so biffed in CHATART for 13dn, hoping he was an artist. I don’t think this was as easy as some people felt, but I think it’s all down to experience. There are words and crossword conventions I find easy now that I never would have got when I started the quick cryptics. I do tend to agree it would be sad if they became too easy. I might moan about an obscure answer, but I love the challenge it brings. The 15×15 just isn’t as fun for me. Gribb.
  23. Same issues as our blogger – but a longer time – 17 minutes. NW last to fall.
  24. 70 minutes, but defeated by another artist. Magritte last week and now Chagall!

    I thought 1a, 14a, 13d and 16d were quite tough.

    COD 10a initial.

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