This took me 12 minutes including understanding the wordplay but the last two of those were spent on 2dn where I suffered a mental block. As with most of the Quick puzzles so far, the surface readings of the clues are excellent. I particularly liked 5dn today. As at the time of blogging the link on the Play button is not working (page not found) so here is a link to the puzzle through the back door for those of you who are unable to access it by other means:
http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20140324/111/ Across |
|
---|---|
7 | ACHE – Hidden inside teACHErs. Definition: smart |
8 | RIGHT OFF – Sounds like (one might say) “write off” (damage beyond repair). Definition: immediately |
9 | QUOITS – O (ring) inside QUITS (ends). A popular cruise-ship activity. Definition: game on deck |
10 | DOLLOP – DO (carry out), POLL (survey) reversed (about). Definition: lumpy food – I read this as a lump of food. |
11 | MESS – Triple definition: where captain may eat, hash, stew |
12 | ROMANTIC – Anagram (swimming) of MINORCA with T (time) inside it. Definition: dreamy |
15 | STRIDENT – S (small), TRIDENT (spear). Definition: penetrating – as a voice may be, for example |
17 | JAPE – J (judge), APE (parrot). Definition: joke |
18 |
GAFFER – GAFFE (mistake), |
21 | HOARDS – Sounds like (said to be) “hordes” (large groups). Definition: collections |
22 | FLAMENCO – F (following) + anagram (all over the place) of COALMEN. Definition: steps taken i.e. a dance |
23 | NANA – AN, AN (articles repeatedly) reversed (returning). Definition: fool – possibly in this context it’s short for banana. I think the second part of the clue should be ‘article repeatedly’ |
Down |
|
1 | SCHUBERT – Anagram (confused) of BRECHT US. Definition: composer |
2 | GENIUS – I (one) inside GENUS (type). Definition: mastermind |
3 | PRESERVE – P (page), RESERVE (book). Definition: keep |
4 |
AGED – DEGA |
5 |
STOLEN – STOLE (woman’s fur garment), |
6 | AFRO – Anagram (change) of FOR A. Definition: bushy hairstyle |
13 | MATCHBOX – MATCH (game), BOX (penalty area). Definition: where strikers are in |
14 |
IMPUDENT – IMP |
16 | INFAMY – Anagram (drunk) of MANY IF. Definition: wickedness |
17 |
JOANNA – JO |
19 |
ALLY – |
20 | RANK – Double definition: revolting, row |
When I look at the solution to today’s regular cryptic I feel I wouldn’t have finished even if I had spent all day on it. Rarely being able to finish is a little demoralising. That’s what I like about the quickie.
I think that once you get used to the style, you will be knocking out quick cryptic solutions very rapidly indeed.
Great blog jackkt.
Edited at 2014-03-24 09:41 am (UTC)
The daft thing is that I can analyse why I have difficulty but don’t seem able to correct it. I’ll get there eventually I suppose.
But then again, I’m the guy who thought ‘Finno-Ugric’ was obvious…
I wonder whether expectations played a part in your difficulties, v. Certainly I found my first Quickie (#01) the hardest to date although there were other factors in play that day.
From the comments read both here and in the Club forum I’d say the new puzzle is proving remarkably popular with new solvers but less so with older hands for whom the puzzle is not really designed anyway.
Edited at 2014-03-24 05:42 am (UTC)
Beautifully clear blog, Jack, many thanks!
I thought last week and again today that it may well be the same setter for both daily cryptics. Today we had a sprinkling of Js Qs and Xs in each and an overlap of the French artist. 7 minutes for me including the usual hiccup with the letter skipping. Very good blog.
Edited at 2014-03-24 10:28 am (UTC)
I’m 100% in favour of the Quickie. Crossword solving is not for an exclusive club. Almost all of us had to do the hard miles – take comfort from the experience of this site’s founder (and current ST crossword editor Peter Biddlecombe). After starting with the Times as a teenager, he became dispirited and switched to the Telegraph, before returning to the Thunderer. Two Times championships later…
When I started doing cryptics about 22 years ago I did the Telegraph and I didn’t complete one for ages. I got gradually better at it and reached the point where they were no longer much of a challenge. I switched to the Times after I drunkenly picked up a half-completed one on a late-night train journey from London back to Basingstoke and managed to complete it, and I decided I liked the style of it. When I first found this site I was completely blown away by the times some of the regular contributors were doing them in, particularly Peter Biddlecombe (when I first saw a time like 7.24 I thought he was telling us what time in the morning he did the puzzle). I persevered, and with practice and an ever-expanding vocabulary I have got considerably faster over the years, so all I would say to the newer solvers out there is “keep at it, you’ll reap the rewards”.
Edited at 2014-03-24 11:54 am (UTC)
This was my fastest of the short cryptics (I’m also getting more used to looking at the grid while entering answers so I don’t waste a minute deleting and backing up), whole thing finished in under 5 minutes.
I’d rather do the easy before the traditional cryptic, but it appears they’re not going to be linked at the same time, so I’ll probably go back to loading it up at work and doing it on a coffee break
Love to all
Joe
HarperCollins Publishers
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
Hammersmith
London
W6 8JB
Here’s their entry under ACHE:
hurt, suffer, burn, pain, smart, sting, pound, throb, be tender, twinge, be sore
To compensate, they don’t make the same mistake in their entry for SMART. Roget does!
I’m well impressed with how quickly you experts are completing these puzzles — I’ve decided not to start timing myself until I can at least complete a whole puzzle unaided ;-/