Quick Cryptic No 140 by Joker

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Another entertaining, very fair offering from Mr Joker. Two clues – 6d and 13a – I thought were candidates for my ‘Smart Clue of the Month’ award. No obscure words or horrible homophones, nothing controversial I hope.

Across
1 CROSSWORD – CROSS = hybrid, WORD = promise (‘I give you my word…’); not often you see CROSSWORD as the answer to a crossword clue.
6 DIP – DI = Detective Inspector, P = pressure; a slang word for a pickpocket.
8 EXTRA – Def. additional; hidden word in CONT(EXT RA)RELY.
9 ELEGANT – (GET LEAN)*, def, graceful in form.
10 SNOWDROP – SOWN ‘around’ = SNOW, fall = DROP, def. plant.
11 LUTE – FLUTE (one of the woodwind) is missing its F (leading note), def. instrument.
13 SECRETARIAL – This either makes you laugh or groan. SECRET (unknown) ARIAL (typeface); def. used in the office.
17 TIDE – Cryptic def., and it sounds like TIED = bound.
18 HEADACHE – HEAD = nut, ACHE = pine, long for, def. problem. Or, problem with nut, indeed.
21 TORPEDO – (DEPOT)* with R inserted, then O (round); def. naval weapon. Sorry, I didn’t highlight the O on the end in first edition.
22 TERSE – Hidden word in BAT(TERSE)A, def. definitely not rambling.
23 SPY – Double definition. SPY = make out, see at a distance; spy = secret agent.
24 UNDERLINE – UNDER LINE, cryptic definition; def. stress.

Down
1 CREASE – CEASE = end, as a verb, around R = top of rope, def. fold.
2 OUTDO – OUT DO = outside do, alfresco party; def. put in the shade, do better than.
3 STANDARD – STAND = place for taxis to wait, on A RD, def. quite normal.
4 ONE FOR THE ROAD – Hidden phrase, TYR(ONE FORT HERO AD)MITTING, def. drink before driving. These days, probably a soft one, unless the other half is driving.
5 DUEL – DUE = expected, L = large; def. head to head confrontation.
6 DRACULA – (LAUD RAC)* ‘turning’, the amusing def. is ‘one fed up with punctures’.
7 PUTTER – P = parking, UTTER = say, def. golf club.
12 PREDATOR – (REPORT)* around DA, def. an exploitative character.
14 ELDERLY – ELDER = tree, LY = largely, hollow; def. ancient. I prefer to think of myself as elderly, rather than ancient; I hope there’s a difference.
15 STATUS – STATUES = figures, has E = energy removed, def. standing.
16 SEVERE – I can see two ways to parse this: 1. SEV (cut stopped) ERE (before); 2. SEVER (cut) E (completion of before); the def. for either is harsh. The second is probably better because it uses the ‘completion’ bit, but then why have ‘stopped’? EDIT The third way, as pointed out below, SEVERE(D), past tense.
19 CORGI – COR = my, as polite expletive, GI = American soldier; def. Welsh dog, popularised by Her Majesty but nowadays rare.
21 PERU – First letters of Playing Excellent Rugby Union; def. country.

16 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 140 by Joker”

  1. After what I thought was the most difficult ever QC yesterday, I managed to break my own record today. Loved this one and enjoyed ‘secretarial’. Only groaned a little bit. Thanks to pipkirby for entertaining blog. LOI 5d Duel.
  2. I read this as [past tense] cut = SEVERE[d] (stopped before completion).

    Edited at 2014-09-19 06:50 am (UTC)

  3. Yet another puzzle where one elusive answer virtually doubled by solving time – on this occasion to 20 minutes. I simply couldn’t see SECRETARIAL for ages.

    I agree with Ulaca re 16dn. I hadn’t seen it myself until he pointed out the past tense.

    Edited at 2014-09-19 06:50 am (UTC)

  4. 5:50, but I didn’t see how SECRETARIAL worked until coming here; and Arial was one of the 2 default typefaces on my previous Mac. A number of lovely surfaces (1ac, 8ac, 10ac, 14 and 15d), and a fine hidden at 4d. I thought that 19d could have done without the ‘Welsh’; I, for one, can think of no other Welsh dog. I thought that I’d finally trained myself to watch for ‘my’=COR, but missed it here–the ‘Welsh’ came first and then I realized how the parse worked.
    1. I thought along similar lines, but, since this is a Quickie, it’s understandable. So long as newer solvers cotton on to my = COR, then all well and good.

      An outstanding effort on the Concise today, sir!

  5. 5 mins. I agree that the clue for DRACULA was a belter, and I only saw it after I got the U checker from LUTE. SECRETARIAL was then my LOI.
  6. Would have been 25 mins if I’d got secretarial quickly but 30 as I didn’t. Dracula made me laugh out loud.
  7. Another good puzzle. 1a took longer than it should. 6d made me smile and was my clue of the week. Last one in DUEL, initially I put in an unsatisfactory DUET but corrected.
  8. Just over 5 mins. Thought this to be a straightforward, enjoyable puzzle, but with some ups and downs. The up side – some very enjoyable surfaces,(like others, DRACULA brought a particular smile to my face); the down side, too many “hidden”s (three in total). I thought there was a general convention not to include more than one in any one puzzle – or am I making this up?
    1. There’s generally not more than one hidden in the main cryptic, but I haven’t been keeping track of whether that rule has been followed for the Quicky. Three does some like too many, though, especially as the setter had really gone for broke with 4D.
  9. I enjoyed this because I found it really easy after a DNF after 90 minutes on the big one. All bar 2 clues went in on first read through but there was plenty to make one smile. I liked the plant.
  10. Some easy, some v clever, I didn’t manage most of SE corner. How does my = cor (oh my?)
    Hannah
    1. 3) As interjection. Expr. surprise or admiration. Also redupl. (my, my!) and oh, my! E19.

      (Shorter Oxford)

  11. It certainly isn’t as stated in the blog: it has seven letters and the blog only accounts for six of them. But what is it? It looks to me as if the definition is simply ‘weapon’ and it’s r in (depot)rev. with the second o equalling naval. Hmm.
    1. The second O is clued by “round”.

      So: R (right) inside DEPOT (reversed/turned), O (round). Definition “naval weapon”.

      Edited at 2014-09-19 10:25 pm (UTC)

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