Quick Cryptic 904 by Noel

Author   CuraristPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
So I’m typing this from Switzerland with a breathtaking mountain view and rather dodgy wi-fi, so fingers crossed it makes it through. Quite a straightforward offering today I think. There are some old chestnuts which may bore seasoned neutrinos, but they are a necessary part of the education of a beginner.
Last one in was 19ac. I didn’t spot it was an anagram until an extended period of barking up other trees. Overall time 9min. I don’t know about anyone else, but I couldn’t even type the answers in in 2 minutes, let alone solve it as well. Not at this time in the morning anyway.

Across
1 Troops from south coming in roaring drunk (8)
GARRISON – S (south) in ROARING anagrammed (‘drunk’)
6 Club one associated with Reagan? (4)
IRON – I + RON
8 Some returned from enchanted mountain (4)
ETNA – ‘some’ always sounds the hidden word alarm, in this case backwards (‘returned’) inside ENCHANTED
9 Exaggerates about deer (8)
OVERDOES – OVER + DOES (female deer)
10 Your setter’s maybe so exhausted! (3-5)
DOG-TIRED – hooray! The setter = dog thing! We haven’t seen it for at least a day and a half.
11 Draw on exaggerated promotion (4)
PUFF – double definition
13 Language fashionable — impudence intended to be humorous (6-2-5)
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK – TONGUE (language) + IN (fashionable) + CHEEK (Impudence)
16 Ultimately, flood may soak the embankment (4)
DYKE – last letters of flooD maY soaK thE
17 Labourers going around spotted tools (8)
HANDSAWS – HANDS (labourers) arranged around SAW
19 Stuff on computer mistaken for waste (8)
SOFTWARE – anagram (‘mistaken’) of FOR WASTE
21 Tip from Times, after copy (4)
APEX – APE (copy) + X (times). ‘Times’ can also be ‘BY’, “TT”, or refer to the paper.
22 An advantage being very rich, mostly (4)
PLUS – most of PLUSH (‘very rich’)
23 Defy hail, working in farmer’s meadow? (8)
HAYFIELD – anagram (‘working’) of DEFY HAIL

Down
2 Interest in stars of the future? (9)
ASTROLOGY – cryptic definition.
3 Cater for reform, and respond (5)
REACT – anagram (‘for reform’) of CATER
4 Small firm with drive is a great menace (7)
SCOURGE – S (small) + CO (firm) + URGE (drive)
5 Very much a lack of purpose (2,3)
NO END – double definition
6 Pint he’d prepared, being thorough (2-5)
IN-DEPTH – anagram (‘prepared’) of PINT HE’D
7 Lines up in the dormitory (3)
ODE – another backwards hidden word – thE DOrmitary
12 Deliver something needed for steering to coast (9)
FREEWHEEL – FREE (deliver, verb) + WHEEL
14 Goth set out for slum areas (7)
GHETTOS – anagram (‘out’) of GOTH SET
15 Artilleryman losing head in New York convent (7)
NUNNERY – Only one synonym for convent, really. Wordplay is GUNNER, losing the G, inside NY
17 Old PM displaying intense feeling with husband (5)
HEATH – HEAT + H (husband).
18 Second volunteer army is raised for secret police (5)
STASI – S (second) TA (volunteer army) SI (‘is’ raised, i.e. upside down). ‘Volunteers’ always means TA, even though the regular army are all volunteers as well.
20 Loud cry from Cockney bird (3)
OWL – Cockneys drop their aitches –  (H)OWL.

19 comments on “Quick Cryptic 904 by Noel”

  1. A very enjoyable 10-minute solve (apart from the setter/dog reference which there’s been a surfeit of recently). Like our blogger today, my last one in was 19ac SOFTWARE.

    This setter is a very occasional contributor who so far has been limited to one puzzle per year. In 2014 he treated us to the special Christmas Day QC (hence the name?) which only appeared on-line and went unnumbered so that, as noted earlier in the week, puzzle 900 which I blogged on Monday was actually the 901st QC. In 2015 his puzzle appeared on 22 July, and in 2016 on 11 October but on that occasion he was setting as ‘Alfie’. This year he’s back as Noel. It’d be nice to hear from him more frequently.

    Edited at 2017-08-25 06:58 am (UTC)

    1. Having a problem signing in – this is chrisw91.

      There’s a message in the unchers – second tenth. Any thoughts?

  2. Sailed through this until I had only 11ac and 12dn left. And then I came a cropper. It took me ages to realise the type of “deliver” meaning I was looking for. Still, left with P_F_ I was stumped, and popped in PUFF with a shrug and a prayer. Is this the first crossword we’ve had from Noel? Gribb.
  3. 15:44 today so an easier offering in my view. It seemed obvious that 2d must be Astrology but I didn’t really get the crypticness of the clue. Nonetheless a good puzzle.
  4. An enjoyable solve today with nothing too tricky, although it took me a while to spot what was going on with my last 2 in – 11a and 12d (COD). Crossed the line in 16 minutes.
    I have a memory of Noel setting a puzzle with no Ls in it once so I was half looking out for a something similar today, which distracted me a little!!
    1. Well we have SECOND in the second row and TENTH in the tenth!

      The NO ‘L’ puzzle was QC 357 on 22 July 2015

      Edited at 2017-08-25 10:17 am (UTC)

      1. Managed to login – and catch up with the comments. The second and tenth lines makes sense – although this seems a little tame compared to the great no-L double lipogram. Can’t help feeling I’m missing something.
      2. 6:32. Yes I too spotted it was Noel who was our setter and wondered if we might find something here after the delights of QC 357. I saw the ‘second’ and ‘tenth’ and I’m curious as to the significance. Any ideas anybody? A nice puzzle of about average difficulty, judging by my solving time.
  5. Couldn’t decide between ASTONOMY and ASTROLOGY due to not being quite awake yet, and plumped for the wrong one. Otherwise all done in 7:27. Managed to misspell RESUSSITATION in the Concise too, so a bad start to the day. A nice puzzle, with some thought required. Thanks Noel and Curarist.
  6. 13:13 for me, at least the last three of those spent on the crossers of OWL, which I just couldn’t see, and SOFTWARE. Another case of knowing a bit too much about a subject bringing to mind too many possible answers to see the more obvious ones (I’m an IT consultant, among other things…)

    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  7. 11 minutes for me today, with a couple of distractions. Garrison took me a while to spot, but everything else went in easily enough.
  9. Good to see Noel back who set my all-time favourite QC some time ago.
    I was looking for some tricks or hidden messages but there’s nothing I can see.
    I had everything bar 19a in 16 minutes. I then took a break and after quite a while finally saw Software as the answer -so that’s my COD ahead of 15d.
    There were so many words which fitted the space -Boatrace, Bootlace and Mortgage (which contains ROM backwards) were some which I considered.
    I also needed to work out Garrison post solve. Very enjoyable puzzle. David
  10. 29 mins.

    Guessed puff so pleased it was right.
    Didn’t see either definition for smoking or advertisement!

    COD owl, i sometimes struggle with the cockney clues

  11. 15:44 today so an easier offering in my view. It seemed obvious that 2d must be Astrology but I didn’t really get the crypticness of the clue. Nonetheless a good puzzle.
  12. Got a bit stuck in top left after seeing 3 down as an anagram of co + drive & ending up with divorce. Still sorted it in the end.
  13. We got 6a via a different route – a club is an Iron, and one associated with Reagan is the Iron Lady!
  14. 11ac I can see puff (on a cigarette) but but not the connection to ‘exaggerated promotion’? To puff something up.?…..a bit weak.

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