Quick Cryptic No 276 by Tracy

20 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 276 by Tracy”

1. Yes, a combination of the unusual definitions Chris talks about, some stiffer than usual GK (eg BALDWIN) and some cunning clueing made this a tricksy offering. I baulked slightly at ‘right’ for REAL but on reflection it seems fine. AESOP took longer than he ought, as I couldn’t think beyond Homer as my 5-letter Classical Greek author. I specially liked the culinary flavour of 6d, not least as I am rather partial to both! 10′ 50″.

   There is a small typo at 23a.

2. I agree this felt rather tricky whilst solving so I was surprised to find I had completed the grid bar three letters in 11 minutes, only 1 minute over my target of 10. However the unchecked letters at 14ac proved elusive and I needed a further 5 minutes to think of WRATH for “anger” and “WRAITH” for “apparition”.
   1. That was one of the tricky items of vocab that made this a good taster for the main puzzle. No problem for fans of the Lord of the Rings, I imagine.

      Hope everything goes well today.

      1. Thanks for the good wishes, u. Yesterday was the dodgy day but there was a possibility it might have affected today too though that’s not how things turned out, other than I’m feeling a bit frazzled, so I was pleased not to be blogging.

         Edited at 2015-03-31 06:54 am (UTC)

         1. Pleased all (most) is well.
3. Yup, the 10/11 minute mark for me too, though I can’t fathom out why this was more difficult than most recently.
   I wanted to put in WALLPAPER for 12a for ages, despite the fact it had nothing at all to do with the clue.
   Chris: slight typo in the answer to 23a.
   1. Thank you!
4. I thought it was fine, despite the foody clues (in which I include gastropub – not something in my everyday experience being neither a drinker nor an ‘eater out’) and the ‘name that animal’ clue. Baldwin was fine – it’s c18 PMs that stump me, I’m fine from Pitt onwards. Finished in 20 which is a good time for me, but makes me sad when I see others found it really tricky so it took 10-11 minutes – it is useful to know and I don’t want people to stop giving their times but it underlines how far I still have to go! Which in itself is useful too. 🙂 I didn’t know HE was shorthand for ambassador – I thought there might be an abbreviation that included R (resident?) but She is the only 3 letter novel I know and it worked so I went with it. I do wonder if this is childrens’ literature week – yesterday we had stoats and weasels, today paddington – will tomorrow see Aslan or Milly molly Mandy? Let’s hope. I’m good on that. Much better than I am on food or names of animals (unless they feature in kids books).
   1. It’s like being in the food chain.

      I get to work nice and early, reckon I post a decent time on the main puzzle and feel good about myself – only to find my Antipodean oppo has halved it, a drunken fellow blogger has quartered it, and world champion Magoo has – well I didn’t even bother to find out.

5. Three quarters went in smoothly but held up by AESOP, WILLPOWER, BROWNIES (my COD) and finally PADDINGTON.

   I had some dodgy parsing of 7a (right about) RE (front of gallery) GAL.

   1. About = re – so if it hadn’t been for the ‘right’ this might have worked better – but I’m sure there would have been grumbles! (There usually are!).
6. The titular She in the H Ryder Haggard novel was referred to as “She Who Must Be Obeyed”, which was ofcourse appropriated by John Mortimer for use by Rumpole when referring to ‘er indoors. I thought todays quickie quite straightforward and completed it in 46 minutes.
7. Definitely a few tricky ones here. Struggled with WILLPOWER and BROWNIES: the former because I didn’t pick up either of the component part definitions, and the latter because I’m sadly lacking in any kind of knowledge of chocolate cakes: I think of Brownies as girls who are about to evolve into Guides who are about to evolve into women who can tie a bowline in a Force 8 whilst simultaneously gutting a freshly caught Snapper – the perfect companion, really…

   Whilst I managed to complete, my overall time was not much less than that for today’s 15×15 puzzle. So if any Quicky aficionados want a crack at one of the more friendly 15x15s, today’s might be a good one.

   1. You can search the Brontes, the Shakespears and the Vogues as much as you like and you won’t find a more poetic description of perfect womanhood. 😊
8. I was surprised to find that others thought this was on the trickier end of the scale. I managed it in under half and hour and in one sitting, which is very rare. I guess it’s that wavelength thing again
   Like deezza I couldn’t get wallpaper out of my head for 12a until the penny dropped and to be fair I didn’t fully parse 1d and 9d – once I’d gotten Togo and Arch I just filled the rest in.
   Wraith went in straightaway, having been a fan of Stargate Atlantis (not sure if I should be admitting that here though!), where the baddies are wraiths.
9. Around the hour mark for me, so an average QC. Held up like others by the 6d 14ac combination, despite Tolkien! 23ac was today’s favourite. Invariant
10. Enjoyably difficult for me. Couldn’t parse NAP except by assuming down = asleep.

    Brilliant clueing.

    Philip

11. Did it online as was trying unsuccessfully to guess Friday’s URL for a blog. About 10 minutes, with an antelope I had heard of, for once. Didn’t really twig NAP = down, but N*P and a hidden clue… what is the opposite of BIFD?
    1. I realise I’m being dense – but having looked up
       – The Bifurcations and Instabilities in Fluid Dynamics Association (BIFD)
       – The British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD)

       I just have to ask…

       1. Bunged in from definition, otherwise biffed…. in other words, correct but you don’t bother to find out why.

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