Quick Cryptic No 221 by Tracy

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
The crossword became available online just after midnight. On edit – I have removed a comment here after extra information from Jerry below (for which – thanks!).
The crossword, once accessed, was a really tough one. I wouldn’t be surprised if some just starting to grapple with cryptics struggle – however I’ve been wrong on this before so let me know! There are long interlinking answers which weren’t obvious (well, to me), a couple of less than usual terms and words like king and boy where there are multiple examples and you have to pick the right one.

Definitions are NOT CURRENTLY underlined – just spent an extra hour with an ‘irreparable mark up error’ which included a ‘u’ so I’ve taken all the underlines out to post the blog. Will look to add underlines shortly. On edit – all now fixed and definitions ARE underlined

Across
1 Worry unnecessarily about eastern safety devices (5)
&nbsp &nbspFUSES – Worry unnecessarily (FUSS) around eastern (E).
4 Beginning to tackle extortionate charge for a horizontal beam (7)
&nbsp &nbspTRANSOM – First letter (beginning to) of Tackle, extortionate charge (RANSOM – as in a charge for extortion). A transom is a horizontal member that separates a door from a window over it – you also attach the outboard to one in a dinghy.
8 Woodland plant, unique, given inaccurate name originally (7)
&nbsp &nbspANEMONE – Unique (ONE – I’d have thought ‘only one’ would = unique) before which (originally) is an anagram (inaccurate) of NAME. I’m more familiar with sea anemones which are FAR more interesting as, not only are they called anthozoan coelenterates, esp of the order Actiniaria, but they also have a polypoid body with oral rings of tentacles.
9 Small friendly crowd (5)
&nbsp &nbspSWARM – Small (S), friendly (WARM).
10 Where players play in front of play’s players, perhaps (9,3)
&nbsp &nbspORCHESTRA PIT – A rather poetic cryptic definition.
12 Countersign, please, in absence of head (6)
&nbsp &nbspRATIFY – Please (gRATIFY) without the first letter (absence of head).
13 Second best comic? (6)
&nbsp &nbspSCREAM – Second (S), best (CREAM).
16 King, or fine English author (6,6)
&nbsp &nbspGEORGE ORWELL – King (pearl one from many – this one’s GEORGE), or (OR), fine (WELL).
18 Pick up king, then knight (5)
&nbsp &nbspLEARN – King (LEAR), knight (N).
20 Sailor, unaccompanied, finds shellfish (7)
&nbsp &nbspABALONE – Sailor (AB), unaccompanied (ALONE). To continue our dive into the depths an abalone is an edible marine gastropod mollusc of the genus Haliotis, having an ear-shaped shell that is perforated with a row of respiratory holes.
21 Cut glass items – shed tears by booth having only one left (7)
&nbsp &nbspCRYSTAL – Shed tears (CRY), booth (STALl) with only one ‘L’.
22 Gunpowder constituent in silver tinderbox brought back (5)
&nbsp &nbspNITRE – The answer is in the clue silvER TINderbox backwards.

Down
1 Fancy keeping Latin tone (7)
&nbsp &nbspFLAVOUR – Fancy (FAVOUR – I suspect this is to do with the something a lady gave to a knight – discussion appreciated), inside which (keeping) is Latin (L – not seen this device before). Tone as in style, I think.
2 What may help one improve delivery? (6,7)
&nbsp &nbspSPEECH THERAPY – Cryptic definition. As always with these, they’re easy when you’ve got them but I was off in the land of babies and cricket balls.
3 Track about boy and female, romantically attached? (6,3)
&nbsp &nbspSPOKEN FOR – Track (SPOOR) around boy (KEN), female (F).
4 Deal with country at last in pact (6)
&nbsp &nbspTREATY – Deal with (TREAT – a little old fashioned but if it’s in the dictionary it’s fair game), with the last letter (at last) of countrY.
5 Donkey in Christmas story (3)
&nbsp &nbspASS – The answer is in the clue christmAS Story.
6 Unfortunate retirees, so sad leaving Blackpool, maybe (7,6)
&nbsp &nbspSEASIDE RESORT – Anagram (unfortunate) of RETIREES SO SAD. ‘Leaving’ is simply padding (relevant to retirees) which made the clue harder.
7 I am contracted in Maine to produce a type of theatrical drama (4)
&nbsp &nbspMIME – I am contracted (IM – a shortened version of I AM), in Maine (ME).
11 Get to know when definite (9)
&nbsp &nbspASCERTAIN – When (AS), definite (CERTAIN).
14 French dramatist’s further entertaining story (7)
&nbsp &nbspMOLIERE – Further (MORE) including (entertaining) story (LIE).
15 Remember about ring (6)
&nbsp &nbspRECALL – About (RE), ring (CALL).
17 Endlessly obstruct alliance (4)
&nbsp &nbspBLOC – Obstruct (BLOCk) without the last letter (endlessly).
19 Catch number coming up (3)
&nbsp &nbspNET – Number (TEN) backwards (coming up).

26 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 221 by Tracy”

  1. Well this took me about the same time as the main cryptic today, about 10 minutes. The rhs went in fairly quickly but some of the clues on the left I found quite tricky.
    So far as accessing the grid in advance is concerned, I see tomorrows is available so presumably no change in policy. However I try not to mention it more than necessary, let sleeping dogs lie I say!
  2. Thought this was going to be a real toughie as I struggled to get going but turned out to be just over average solving time for me.

    If asked pre solve to spell 4a I would have gone for AM at the end. Did not know ANEMONE as a woodland plant but was able to work out the word play. Last in FLAVOUR and RATIFY. Favourite GEORGE ORWELL.

  3. I don’t time my QCs any more but this definitely felt trickier than usual. Like Jerry I found the LHS much harder than the RHS, and I finished back in the NW with the FLAVOUR/RATIFY crossers after ANEMONE.
  4. Far far trickier than usual. Took ages. Hardest one for months, for me. COD probably Ratify. LOI George Orwell. I had to resort to running through the alphabet in my head even with ALL the crossers. Feeling a bit dejected to be honest, even though I did finish inside an hour.
  5. My sympathies to you re. the late availability Chris – nightmare scenario for the blogger! (Been there myself – on my first ever blog in fact!)

    I must have had my eye in today as I got through this one pretty much OK, but LOIS ORCHESTRA PIT and RATIFY held me up for an age.

    Thanks to Tracy for an enjoyable puzzle, and to Chris for a sterling effort in adverse circumstances.

    1. Cheers, mate! Appreciate it. I was against the clock to post it as it wasn’t there in advance, got it all done and then this irreparable markup error showed up in ‘preview’ showing the blog followed by the whole html stuff. Couldn’t see the problem for ages – until I’d taken out all the ‘u’ bits – then found a single ‘>’ missing. Was intending to have a quiet day today but the wife’s just said we’re off to IKEA 🙁

      Edited at 2015-01-14 09:03 am (UTC)

  6. 6d – leaving: might not that suggest “resulting in”?

    Among the best and most challenging TQCs – loved it.

    Philip

  7. Can someone please forward the link? I am unable to access through my Times subscription- an ailment that affects only the Quick Cryptic for some reason.
    Thanks!
  8. Definitely trickier than usual – was onto the down clues before I got a foothold. Now looking back all was perfectly fair – just not on the same wavelength today. 28 minutes
  9. My brain cells definitely need a rest after that. Didn’t think I was going to get more than a handful at first. In the end got most of it apart from NW corner which had me completely baffled. For 2dn I couldn’t get cricketers and postmen out of my head. Overall though not too unhappy as a few months ago the majority of the grid would have been blank, so progress is being made (however slowly).
    Thanks for the informative blog
  10. Yes, this was definitely harder than usual for Tracy. Only the fear of a second consecutive DNF kept me going. Got there in the end, but it was an all afternoon job, so hardly counts as a finish. Thought 10ac was very neat. Invariant
  11. I must have been on the wavelength today because I completed this in 10 minutes after 16 for yesterday’s. I often end up with a couple that prevent me closing out quickly, but not on this occasion.
  12. Having been thoroughly demoralised by getting no more than a handful of the main crossword only to find a comment that it was “easy peasy” I then failed on spoken for, orchestra pit, speech therapy , learn , ratify, fuses and flavour.

  13. Pretty tricky, with ANEMONE my LOI. I somehow dredged up TRANSOM, and only knew ABALONE as a result of its use in fret marks and around the sound hole of guitars. That and the only-obvious-when-you’ve-solved-them cryptics meant I was glad to finish!

    Thanks for SPOOR, Chris. Completely new to me.

  14. A most enjoyable puzzle! So many thanks Tracy. For sure at the trickiest end of a quick cryptic and in comparison to yesterday’s main puzzle, a far more satisfactory offering. I’ve no idea about time as too many interruptions, but I would guess at closer to 30 than 10mins.

    Too many enjoyable clues to specify a COD, but RATIFY, CRYSTAL and SPOKEN FOR come to mind.

    Thanks for the blog chrisw91.

  15. Technically in normal architectural nomenclature a transom is any horizontal division in fenestration. It’s vertical counterpart is a mullion.
  16. Hardest for a long time in my opinion. Much not gettable esp 2 down as adjacent clues very hard.
    NW corner a blank but the NE AND SE quarters OK.
  17. Sadly much too hard for me. I solved 5 clues in total after revisiting it several times. So I came here to see what I’d missed then buzzed off to do the super-fiendish sudoku to cheer myself up.
  18. As a novice I was reasonably pleased to complete most of this one but struggled with a few in the NW sector (3d & 8a). Thanks Chris for helping to explain and fill in the gaps.

    Marky J

    1. Welcome Marky J! Completing most of this one puts you above novice status, I think. So, well done and keep at it. If you register for a free LiveJournal logon then you also get an email notification when someone responds.

      Edited at 2015-02-02 05:42 pm (UTC)

  19. Alternative answer for 2 down which works perfectly but doesn’t fit: ‘second service’. An interesting coincidence.

Comments are closed.