Quick Cryptic No 2946 by Joker

Author   DoofenschmirtzPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

 

I found this one harder than average, but still enjoyable. I finished in 24:21, held up by a couple of incorrect entries that needed revisiting because they were blocking whole areas of the grid.

My FOI was the (incorrect) LABEL, my first correct one in was OAT, and my LOI was SEVERE, with its spectacularly unhelpful crossers. COD to ELFIN, by a nose from COMMENTATE.

Definitions underlined, synonyms in round brackets, wordplay in square brackets and deletions in strikethrough. Anagram indicators italicised in the clue, anagram fodder indicated like (this)*.

Across
1 Provide a report from inferior gallery, it’s said (10)
COMMENTATE – Sounds like [it’s said] COMMON (inferior) TATE (a gallery).
7 Name the Spanish bird flying west (5)
TITLE – EL (the, in Spanish) + TIT (bird), all reversed [flying west].

As it’s a palindrome, TIT doesn’t change when reversed, but I think this is the reading that works best.

I did myself no favours by entering LABEL here initially, thinking “must check whether there’s a bird called a ‘leb'”.
8 Have trouble with gums? Here’s support article (6)
TEETHE – TEE (support, on the golf course), THE (article, in grammar).
10 Taro from the east? That’s not right for cereal plant (3)
OAT – TARO reversed [from the east] without the R [not right].

I quite like the fact that Joker indicated reversal as “flying west” in 7ac and “from the east” here.
12 Rue arrest when changing financial officer (9)
TREASURER – (RUE ARREST)*
13 Ridicule father embracing heartless aunt (6)
SATIRE – SIRE (father, as a verb), containing [embracing] AunT [heartless].
14 Sway from side to side on street walk (6)
STROLL – ROLL (sway from side to side) after [on] ST (street).
17 Chosen exam about system of appointing MPs? (9)
ELECTORAL – ELECT (chosen, usually with “the”), ORAL (type of exam).

This held me up for ages: I was trying to remember whether subjects (and hence exams, my logic went) you opt to take at school or college were ELECTIVES or ELECTIONS. I opted for ELECTIONS, only to be forced into a rethink when some of the downs wouldn’t work.
19 Flower garland that is left to be sent back (3)
LEI – I.E. (that is) + L for left, reversed [to be sent back].
20 Bad cut with end of knife (6)
SEVERE – SEVER (cut) with the last letter [end] of knifE.
21 Delicate, small, of mini dimension ultimately (5)
ELFIN – Last letters [ultimately] of the first five words.

I’m going to risk being sent to blogger detention by calling this an &lit: the whole of the clue forms both the definition and the wordplay.
23 Cooked them evenly with great heat (10)
VEHEMENTLY – (them evenly)*
Down
1 Source of oil is too scented unfortunately (10)
COTTONSEED – (too scented)*
2 Rug is housemate’s in part (3)
MAT – hidden in houseMATe’s [in part].
3 One putting up with English clergyman (7)
ERECTOR – E for English + RECTOR (a clergyman).
4 Shred potato, adding in last bit of salt (6)
TATTER – TATER (slang for potato in the UK and – if memory serves – in The Shire), including the last letter [last bit] of salT.
5 Force failing to open lock (5)
TRESS – sTRESS (force) without its first letter [failing to open].

That’s a lock of hair, of course.
6 Initially coordinated hues, a mixture of coral and dark grey (8)
CHARCOAL – The first letters [initially] of Coordinated Hues, + A + (coral)*.

This clue would fit right in the 15×15 most days.
9 Fish I like lacking female’s vividness of colour (10)
BRILLIANCY – BRILL (a fish) + I fANCY (I like), minus the F for female [lacking female].
11 Staggered by Edward eating carnivorous animal (8)
TOTTERED – TED (Edward) containing [eating] OTTER (a carnivorous animal).

I’ll confess that “otter” wasn’t my first choice for a carnivore, but it’s definitely true that otters are carnivorous.
15 Hydrocarbon is blue in general character, not black (7)
TOLUENE – bLUE [not black] in TONE (general character).
16 Current  easy task (6)
BREEZE -A double definition.
18 Topic those people echo (5)
THEME – THEM (those people) + E (echo in the NATO alphabet).
22 That woman has left dad very overweight (3)
FAT – HER (that woman) taken away from [has left] FATher (dad).

I think that “very” is superfluous here.

95 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 2946 by Joker”

  1. Even having a degree in chemistry and being quite familiar with toluene it wouldn’t have been my first thought for hydrocarbon until I reasoned that we we were looking for one with LUE somewhere in it. Quite a few tricky clues I thought, COTTONSEED was a long way from being a familiar oil source but again the word play helped. Liked COMMENTATE but it was a PDM once we had sufficient checkers. 11:05 all in which we were very happy with. Thanks, DOOFERS and JOKER.

  3. Started after supper with a day in the garden behind me and took a while to get going. Defeated by COTTONSEED, TATTER and TEETHE – with TOLUENE a total biff (I’ve now looked it up). Got VEHEMENTLY before 9d so no problem with BRILLIANCY. Good 30 minutes, enjoyable but on the hard side. Thanks Joker and blogger.

  4. I gave up after an hour with 7 answers outstanding and 1 incorrect. Given my level of experience, this has to be my worst ever performance. You cannot imagine the humiliation I feel coming here and reporting this.

    Most clues seemed impenetrable and I was driven mad by the frustration of not being able to get any kind of start.

    I desperately need either help to improve or someone to tell me what I think I know, namely that I do not belong here and should just leave. I am at my wits end with these puzzles! My confidence is shattered and I cannot understand how those who began when I did are able to record great times and I remain utterly incapable of doing this. All those hours trying to improve by doing the 15 x 15, and I am still totally inept! Those of you who can do this in the blink of an eye will not understand this, but my fellow strugglers will.

    Thanks for the blog.

    1. You are a more than capable solver who belongs here. The only problem is getting in your own way by undermining your own confidence with judgemental self-reference. It’s hard to imagine anyone would progress if they received the day-in, day-out berating you give yourself.

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