Quick Cryptic No 261 by Dazzler

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
If it’s possible to be on a setter’s wavelength then it’s also possible to be off it. I thought I was in the latter category today but on reflection, having now completed the blog, I think it was just plain hard (20 minutes). There were some easy clues but also some less than straightforward terms and a niggle or two about word play construction which may work better in the 15×15. I’ll be interested to hear how you all got on.

Definitions are underlined.

Across
1 Drink of beer knocked back by a prince from India (4)
&nbsp &nbspRAJA – A drink of beer is jar – backwards (knocked back) gives (RAJ), a (A).
3 Son quiet after confusing subject (8)
&nbsp &nbspQUESTION – Amagram (after confusing) of SON QUIET. I didn’t easily see subject = question.
8 Second American I joined in queue for large car (9)
&nbsp &nbspLIMOUSINE – Took the longest time to parse this one. Second (MO), American (US), I (I) all inside queue (LINE).
10 Back of page showing dandy (3)
&nbsp &nbspFOP – Of backwards (FO), page (P).
11 A unit of soldiers or travelling actors, we hear (5)
&nbsp &nbspTROOP – Homophone (we hear) of travelling actors (troupe).
12 Back Cockney’s filly following tip (7)
&nbsp &nbspENDORSE – Cockney’s filly (‘ORSE) following tip (END).
13 Resident’s study linked to current sort of Buddhism (7)
&nbsp &nbspDENIZEN – Another which singularly failed to leap out at me. Study (DEN), current (I – I’ve repeatedly learned painfully and then forgotten that this is the symbol for an electrical current in a diagram), sort of Buddhism (ZEN – as in The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance).
18 Aim to prepare for match (5)
&nbsp &nbspTRAIN – Double definition.
19 Passage right inside bar (7)
&nbsp &nbspEXCERPT – Right (R) inside bar (EXCEPT).
20 Dance with short man again and again (3-3-3)
&nbsp &nbspCHA-CHA-CHA – Short man (CHAp), again (Chap) and again (CHAp) making three in all – or as I’ve heard an Irish friend describe a trio of lumberjacks – tree fellers.
22 Small hotel or pub: money-spinner to some extent (3)
&nbsp &nbspINN – The answer is well hidden in the clue (to some extent) money-spINNer.
23 But one could be a Himalayan creature (4)
&nbsp &nbspYETI – But (YET), one (I). I thought the clue should have a question mark due to the unproven existence of said creature but then realised that ‘could be’ provides the uncertainty. I have therefore extended the definition to ‘could be a Himalayan creature’.
24 Left posh lass somewhere in Europe (8)
&nbsp &nbspPORTUGAL – Left (PORT), posh (U), lass (GAL).

Down
1 Give an account of Tralee in novel form (6)
&nbsp &nbspRELATE – Anagram (in novel form) of TRALEE.
2 Crosswords for those with good memories (6)
&nbsp &nbspJUMBOS – Double definition – both of which are a trifle tenuous IMHO – but maybe I’m just grumpy because I didn’t see it for ages.
4 Place to study one half of Manchester’s football team (3)
&nbsp &nbspUNI – One half of (UNI)ted. I’m interested in the opinion of the more experienced on the lack of a question mark or ‘for example’ as Manchester United is not the only ‘united’ football team. If it’s the choice (two halves of Manchester) – City or United – then the ‘one half’ is doing double duty.
5 Drug dealer: chap who drives extremely quickly (5,8)
&nbsp &nbspSPEED MERCHANT – A drug dealer who sells speed can be described as a speed merchant.
6 I name body put in the picture (6)
&nbsp &nbspINFORM – I (I), name (N), body (FORM).
7 Family member’s new record cut (6)
&nbsp &nbspNEPHEW – New (N), record (EP), cut (HEW).
9 Last of many men het up possibly about tabloid’s leader (9)
&nbsp &nbspUMPTEENTH – I have never thought of umpteenth as ‘last’ of many but as one of a great many – with possibly more to come. I’m not prepared to change that on the basis of this clue but if someone could put forward a case I’d be happy to consider it. Anagram (MEN HET UP) about the leader of (T)abloid.
12 Cream from the East with few calories (5)
&nbsp &nbspELITE – East (E), few calories (LITE).
14 Put up with year becoming awkward (6)
&nbsp &nbspSTICKY – Put up with (STICK), year (Y).
15 Small bible and a collection of books for learned person (6)
&nbsp &nbspSAVANT – Small (S), bible (AV – authorised version – apparently the Puritans didn’t like the Great or the Bishop’s Bible so King James brokered this one), a (A), collection of books (NT – New Testament – which was originally all Greek to everyone).
16 Attempting to be tiresome (6)
&nbsp &nbspTRYING – Double definition.
17 An alto unusually discordant (6)
&nbsp &nbspATONAL – Anagram (unusually) of AN ALTO.
21 Exclamation of surprise that’s almost hip these days (3)
&nbsp &nbspCOO – Hip being a bit old fashioned – the more up to date term is ‘cool’, almost takes off the last letter (COOl). However, I think Dazzler is a bit out of date if he thinks that ‘cool’ is used ‘these days’. I rather think that wicked, awesome or sick are more de rigeuer.

18 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 261 by Dazzler”

  1. Well I’m very much on your wavelength over this one, Chris. In fact I wondered for a moment or two if I would ever get started on it, but eventually I did and I completed the grid in 16 minutes.

    And I agree with you completely over UMPTEENTH, however it seems we have Chambers to thank for the rogue definition as they have it ONLY as “Latest or last of many”, neither of which I recognise.

    Edited at 2015-03-10 06:40 am (UTC)

  2. It just goes to show – unlike Chris I was clearly “on it”. This took me under the 10 minute mark – quicker than yesterday’s. Stumbled a bit on my LOI at 19, but other than that I had no real problems, no hold ups, no difficult vocabulary – though being a fan of the Saturday Jumbo crossword helped and UMPTEENTH came to mind pretty quickly.
    And it also should be pointed out: it’s a pangram! Pretty unusual for the Quickie.
    1. Thankyou for spotting the pangram – and thankyou to Dazzler for such a dazzling achievement! All is forgiven (even the umpteenth!). 😊
    2. Damn! I wondered whilst solving and made a note to check but never got round to it.
  3. I too thought it was easier than yesterday’s. Wavelength thing, I guess. No river names, no cricket or rugby terms, no horticultural knowkedge required, no odd animals – right up my street
    1. Because it’s more focussed, I think the QC is more susceptible to the wavelength issue. We’ve had requests in the past for a traffic light system – easy/medium/hard but its so difficult to call. We also had requests not to show times but I’ve now reverted to putting mine in as it, at least, gives my individual reflection of difficulty which people can take or leave as they please.
  4. I didn’t have a problem with the use of this word, my Mother when exasperated at my intransigence would often exclaim “for the umpteenth time”, meaning for the final time. By the way, I still cannot see how this clue is a pangram, or was that a reference to a different clue?
    1. Well, that’s interesting, I have the same ‘Mother history’ but I’d always thought of it as meaning ‘I’ve told you so many times I can’t remember how many’ rather than as a final warning.
      The crossword itself is a pangram – it uses every letter in the alphabet. If you’ve ever tried putting answers into a grid (even before setting clues for them), you will soon realise that it’s pretty hard to get sensible words in there. To get sensible words AND use every letter is a rare feat – especially in the smaller 13×13 grid.
  5. I suspect that the unnecessary ‘s’ in 4 down may have been inserted simply to enrage City fans, implying as it does that there is only one ‘real’ team in Manchester. Dazzler the Red Devil?
  6. Fairly tricky in places, but going along nicely until my last two: 12 and 13. I bet I am not the only one held up by these two today. Still, on the plus side, I now actually know what Denizen means. . . Invariant
  7. My mother used to say in desperation, after I had been nagging to go somewhere she didn’t approve of, for the umteenth time….NO. And i always took that to be the last warning!
  8. My fastest Quickie completion to date, 24 minutes. Most of it went in on my first reading which is very unusual. Now what shall I do with my spare time today?
  9. I’m with those who thought this was quite tricky. Despite that I did finish it but with a number unparsed (or wrongly parsed), so thanks for the informative blog.
  10. Too tricky for me today. 25 mins and dnf. Stuck on both 13a and 15d. Thanks Chris for the blog and clear explanations.
    Funnily enough Umpteenth leapt out at me.
  11. I’ll join the group that found this quite a straightforward puzzle. Only one went in without full parsing, LIMOUSINE, (MO and US was enough to put it in), otherwise the definitions and cryptics seemed pretty clear. For some reason I wanted to put in citizen for DENIZEN, but couldn’t work out why CIT=study, but then saw DEN (an old chestnut oi t’ink).

    Cool is still used these days, but usually in a completely different context. It seems to mean OK/great/fine and is used as a one word reply to a comment you may make. At some bars, coffee shops, cafes and such like, the person serving you might say it incessantly. e.g. I’ll have the steak today – response “Cool”, we’ll have the Chianti – response “Cool”, and on and on and on…..

    Edited at 2015-03-10 08:10 pm (UTC)

  12. I haven’t attempted this for a few weeks & got most of them. How is 9d a pangram – I had to look it up- there are several letters missing incl c q and z?
    Thanks Hannah
    1. The comment above was only coincidentally mentioning 9dn.

      The crossword itself is a pangram – it uses every letter in the alphabet. If you’ve ever tried putting answers into a grid (even before setting clues for them), you will soon realise that it’s pretty hard to get sensible words in there. To get sensible words AND use every letter is a rare feat – especially in the smaller 13×13 grid.

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