Quick Cryptic 907 by Teazel

Author   william_j_sPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A tricky quickie, with many unusual synonyms playing a role in both cryptic and definition parts of the clue. I was very slow to fill in the right hand side, and discovered two errors (!) upon completion; I had hastily entered Doctor of Letters into 13dn (resulting in some quite unwieldy spelling), and then, as if to compound my non-membership of either club, opted for ‘pin’ at 2dn. Now feeling quite lucky to have got 19dn…

There was, as ever, lots to enjoy along the way. My COD goes to 4dn for the sparse definition (easily mistaken for an indicator).

Definitions underlined.

Across
1 Pieces of pork, and seconds, eaten with these? (10)
CHOPSTICKS – CHOPS (pieces of pork) and TICKS (seconds).
8 Out-of-date announcement for the police? (3,4)
OLD BILL – OLD (out-of-date) and BILL (announcement).
9 Some loony alarmed antelope (5)
NYALA – hidden in (some) looNY ALArmed.
10 Lowered head for speaking tube (4)
DUCT – homophone of (speaking) “ducked” (lowered head for).
11 Everything in hot gospel is a sign of quality (8)
HALLMARK – ALL (everything) inside H (hot) and MARK (gospel).
13 Two couples eating large meal (5)
FLOUR – FOUR (two couples) containing (eating) L (large).
14 In agreement to make amends (5)
ATONE – double definition.
16 Giving birth — it may be done in a van (8)
DELIVERY – double definition.
17 A mother? He didn’t have one (4)
ADAM – A and DAM (mother).
20 Landowner’s manner welcomed by lord (5)
LAIRD – AIR (manor) inside (welcomed by) LD (lord).
21 Pens ran out; that’s a wrench (7)
SPANNER – anagram of (out) PENS RAN.
22 Bolero isn’t bad: it’s got three stars (6,4)
ORION’S BELT – anagram of (bad) BOLERO ISN’T.
Down
1 Black bird died in flock (5)
CROWD – CROW (black bird) and D (died).
2 Getting on train, Bond shows badge of loyalty (3,6,3)
OLD SCHOOL TIE – OLD (getting on), SCHOOL (train), and TIE (bond).
3 Big shots turn over this rogue trader (4)
SPIV – reversal of (turn over) V.I.P.S (big shots).
4 Frantic finale is out (2,4)
IN LEAF – anagram of (frantic) FINALE.
5 Tragedy of monarch at meadow, heading for Runnymede (4,4)
KING LEAR – KING (monarch), LEA (meadow), and first letter of (heading for) Runnymede.
6 Vacation axed to work out money-saving scheme (3,9)
TAX AVOIDANCE – anagram of (to work out) VACATION AXED.
7 Handful of hair perhaps that is something for wiping nose (6)
HANKIE – HANK (handful of hair perhaps), and I.E. (that is).
12 For short film, right supplier (8)
PROVIDER – PRO (for), then all but the last letter of (short) VIDEo (film), and R (right).
13 Cheat’s set of papers opened by doctor (6)
FIDDLE – FILE (set of papers) containing (opened by) DD (Doctor of Divinity).
15 Slave turns up with company artwork (6)
FRESCO – SERF (slave) reversed (turns up), then CO (company).
18 Foreign sea — it becomes desert (5)
MERIT – MER (foreign sea) and IT.
19 Exam success? I don’t know (4)
PASS – double definition.

31 comments on “Quick Cryptic 907 by Teazel”

  1. Yes, I found this a little tricky too but ran out in 11 minutes, so only 1 minute over my target 10.

    Will, you have an A surplus to requirements in the answer at 6dn

    Edited at 2017-08-30 05:53 am (UTC)

  2. 35 mins.

    2d was last one in, as I decided between pin and tie.

    dnk
    merit for desert
    hank for hair
    Not sure how atone = in agreement.

    Lots of good clues, favourites orion’s belt and delivery

  3. I thought this was one of the hardest quickies we have had for a long time – I nearly gave up without a single obvious answer having gone in allowing me to get a foothold. I eventually finished in 38 minutes with help from a Thesaurus and needed the blog to explain one or two again today. However, at my stage of doing these puzzles (2yrs +) it’s good to have a real challenge now and again.
      1. Me too – took me 5 minutes to put pen to paper but eventually finished in 45 minutes with one mistake. I had AVOWE instead of ATONE (which I had originally but couldn’t see the AT ONE!)
        LOI – ORIONS BELT
    2. Well, as very much a green horn who has struggled mightily for quite a few of the recent QCs (eg yesterday was a DNF), despite others’ comments, I didn’t find this too bad.

      1a went in straight away, I wasn’t sure about the antelope but it seemed right. Once I had a few in, most of the others fell into place from the crossers.

      I did struggle with, eg, 18dn, 20ac and 12dn, among others. I was pretty sure I had the answers correct but needed the blog to tell me why. Thanks, William..

      I know better than to think I’m getting the hang of these as, no doubt, tomorrow I’ll be flat on my face again!!!

      Edited at 2017-08-30 08:23 pm (UTC)

  4. I’m confused as to the purpose of the Quick cryptic. Is it a sort of warm up for the ‘experts’, or is it to help those of us who are new to the game get to grips with the mysteries of solving cryptic crossword? If it’s the latter, I suggest that today’s failed miserably.
    1. I think in terms of difficulty, there is a gap for beginners to the quickie level, and then again from the quickie to the main crossword.

      When I started, just over a year ago, I used aids (anagram solver, thesaurus etc.) to help with the clues I couldn’t get, along with of course this blog.

    2. Not wishing to get further into a discussion about today’s level of difficulty (having already said I thought it was above average in that respect) I think that a puzzle that could always be solved quickly by beginners would very soon become a pretty pointless exercise.

      Edited at 2017-08-30 01:02 pm (UTC)

  5. Tricky and enjoyable – thanks. Well over half an hour, largely because I was researching speaking tubes known as ‘ducks’. Honestly. And I thought I was improving!!
  6. I found this tricky too. I didn’t get an answer until 9a, followed by 11a, then I went south and eventually came back to the NW where I finished with 2d. Didn’t see SCHOOL for TRAIN. I had to think long and hard before I saw the just desert meaning for 18d. The definition for 4d was particularly well hidden. 14:16. Good challenge. Thanks Teazel and William.
  7. Definitely trickier than usual – it took me 17 minutes to complete.

    QCs do vary from simple to this end of the spectrum. The types of things that can make a difference for me include more advanced general knowledge (today examples include NYALA, the merit definition of DESERT (as in ‘to get one’s just desert’) and SPIV, and deliberate misdirection by the setter (‘speaking tube’ for example).

    As a slightly more experienced solver and blogger, I relish the challenges of the more difficult puzzles, but I can see how these may put off beginners.

  8. delightfully clever cluing – a joy to parse – eventually.

    I never rail against difficulty or otherwise of the QC. I imagine it is taxing enough to build any grid, let alone one where either the standard doesn’t vary between clues, or from one day to another. We should be grateful for the compilers for what we get.

    Imagine how many complaints would be posted if the challenge was the same every day. I look forward to all offerings, even if subsequently I either raced through or DNF. You win some, you lose some – like life.

    Philip

    1. Well said. I am at the stage where I can complete the quickie every weekday, the Sunday xwd (usually), but only about 6 of the clues in the 15×15. So, I hugely enjoy –
      and find useful – Tim Moorey’s tougher quickies. Pam G
  9. A grown-up test today which required a lot of the QC experience I have built up over my solving career. I was held up particularly in the SW but my last two were 22a ,where I spent ages trying to solve the anagram, and 18d which was fiendishly clever.
    I have discovered that crosswords take you into the worlds of antelopes, plants the bible and astronomy and we had most of those today. I shall try to remember Orion’s Belt.
    Lots of excellent clues -2d 6d and 18d to name some, but too hard to pick a COD.
    36 enjoyable minutes to finish this. David
  10. 8 minutes 36 for me, so a little slower than yesterday. FOI SPIV, LOI PASS, though it was the SW corner I had most problems with.

    Sometimes you just get lucky with a harder crossword. I lucked out in a few places today, from ORION’S BELT being one of the few things I can point out in the night sky to the fact that I did the QC while the rice cooked for a stir fry I’m planning to eat with CHOPSTICKS.

    (On the other hand, today’s 15×15 was generally accepted as being relatively easy, I believe, and my luck ran rather in the opposite direction, stretching me out to 59 minutes…)

  11. Tricky today, especially some of the parsing e.g. 7d (never heard of hank before), 12d and 13d, but lots of entertaining clues. I particularly enjoyed 4d, 14a (LOI and a big doh! moment) and 13a.
    Completed in 22 minutes.
    1. This was another example of my luck today: I read Nicholas Fisk’s excellent juvenile SF novel A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair when I was a kid. I’m not sure I’ve heard it used outside that phrase, which I think might come from an old song. (Kipling used it too, apparently, but it looks like it predates him…)

      Edited at 2017-08-30 08:33 pm (UTC)

  12. I thought this was one of the hardest quickies we have had for a long time – I nearly gave up without a single obvious answer having gone in allowing me to get a foothold. I eventually finished in 38 minutes with help from a Thesaurus and needed the blog to explain one or two again today. However, at my stage of doing these puzzles (2yrs +) it’s good to have a real challenge now and again.
  13. This was tough, but really enjoyable. I am embarrassed to admit that it took me about 45 minutes, but I got there in the end and that’s the important bit… I think! I am afraid that I was unable to parse 2d and still don’t know why school = train. Can anyone explain, please?
    After the other comments I feel chuffed that nyala was a write in for me. Does that mean I’ve entered crosswordland??
    Thanks once again for all the help provided by you all. MM

  15. 21:28, one of my better times. I liked ORIONS BELT, but NYALA was a new word for me.

    I’ve been on the QC for a year or so, times range from 15 to 30 mins, with a DNF twice a week. I’m still miles off the 15×15, but thanks to this blog I’m slowly cracking the lingo, and starting to see some old friends : like ADAM today.

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