Quick Cryptic No 316 by Hurley

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Two long anagrams, an unusual instrument and a great clue at 20ac add interest and challenge. Congrats to Norwich City for their success yesterday (commiserations to Boro) – I don’t think I can blame the celebrations for all my slowness today.

A note to bloggers:
1. I couldn’t find today’s crossword in advance.
2. I will be away next week where wifi is extremely unlikely – could someone please cover for me?

Definitions underlined, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition, deletions CROSSED OUT

Across
1 Troubled co-star shunning second player? (5)
&nbsp &nbspACTOR – Anagram (troubled) of COSTAR without the second (S).
4 Publicise drink additive? (6)
&nbsp &nbspSPLASH – dd. The first is (transitive) to print (a story or photograph) prominently in a newspaper, the second is the splash of soda in whisky – not enough of the former in too much of the latter caused some of my problems today.
9 Enemy of wood in school time, biter at heart? (7)
&nbsp &nbspTERMITE – School time (TERM), bITEr.
10 Time and volition to get fabric (5)
&nbsp &nbspTWILL – Time (T), volition (WILL).
11 Intimidate farm animal (3)
&nbsp &nbspCOW – dd.
12 One acting desultorily, Harry meeting Queen? (8)
&nbsp &nbspPOTTERER – Harry POTTER, ER. I may be one of these round the garden today.
15 Creed (Lord’s one) converted this group? (8,5)
&nbsp &nbspENCLOSED ORDER – &lit and anagram (converted) of CREED LORDS ONE.
17 Newspaper I am getting in healthy period of rest (4-4)
&nbsp &nbspHALF TIME – Newspaper (FT) and I (ME) I’M inside HALE – after which BORO put on a strong performance and were unlucky not to score.
18 Not quite mature, move rapidly (3)
&nbsp &nbspRIP – RIPe.
20 Group that remains identified by ethnicity first of all (5)
&nbsp &nbspTRIBE – Took ages to see – first letters of That Remains Identified By Ethnicity. Lovely surface and my COD.
22 Portion of cosmetic henna in Madras once (7)
&nbsp &nbspCHENNAI – Cosmeti(C HENNA I)n.
23 Private investigator to think highly of law-breaker? (6)
&nbsp &nbspPIRATE – Private Investigator (PI), RATE.
24 Your old extremely mature shrub (5)
&nbsp &nbspTHYME – Old version on your (THY), MatureE.

Down
1 One criticising later, losing head about cheap stuff (8)
&nbsp &nbspATTACKER – LATER around TACK.
2 Flummox heartless tough — dispute follows (5)
&nbsp &nbspTHROW – TougH ROW.
3 One painting home first to praise high point resistant to moisture (9)
&nbsp &nbspRAINPROOF – RA is often the Egyptian Sun God in crosswordland who, if he had painted, would, I’m sure, have been welcomed into the Royal Academy of Arts (RA), home (IN), (P)raise, point (ROOF) – a highest or topmost point or part ⇒ Mount Everest is the roof of the world.
5 Advice about mine (3)
&nbsp &nbspPIT – TIP backwards.
6 Some attendees in atrium brought up spicy item? (7)
&nbsp &nbspANISEED – Atten(DEES IN A)trium backwards.
7 Hearts on top of tree — leadership position (4)
&nbsp &nbspHELM – Hearts (H), ELM.
8 Principal feature of abnormally nice peer, etc (11)
&nbsp &nbspCENTREPIECE – Anagram (abnormally) of NICE PEER ETC.
13 Running away to join up? Open, let me out! (9)
&nbsp &nbspELOPEMENT – Anagram (out) of OPEN LET ME. Another great clue.
14 Chart — it’s associated with English form of carbon (8)
&nbsp &nbspGRAPHITE – Chart (GRAPH), IT, E.
16 Instrument in car I’ve adapted safeguarding learner (7)
&nbsp &nbspCLAVIER – Anagram (adapted) of CAR IVE plus learner (L). It is any keyboard instrument or the keyboard itself.
18 Lacking consistency — amusing with beginning changed (5)
&nbsp &nbspRUNNY – Amusing (fUNNY) with a different first letter.
19 Discontinue street work (4)
&nbsp &nbspSTOP – ST, OP.
21 Consume beef, say, when starter’s off? (3)
&nbsp &nbspEAT – MEAT.

8 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 316 by Hurley”

  1. 13 minutes, so on the chewier side of things. LOI POTTERER; I have no interest in Harry and am always very slow to think of him when solving.
  2. Found this quite tough, but got there in the end. The ones I struggled with were parsing the first half of 3d, 1d I’ve not heard of ‘tack’ being used in that context before and I’m not entirely sure what a 13a is. Thanks to Chris for the blog which helped clear up my queries.
    LOI was 16a which I needed all the checkers for. COD for me was either 6d as I managed to solve a hidden word which was reversed or 17a.
    1. My computer logged me out for some reason. The comment above was from plett11
      1. Well, I wasn’t entirely sure about 13ac either – so here’s the definition – a Christian religious order that does not permit its members to go into the outside world. ‘Enclosed order’ sums that one up pretty well.
  3. The parsing of ‘half -time’ should surely be
    FT – newspaper
    HALE – hearty
    I’M
    ?
  4. Really struggled with this, having to resort to Andy’s help with the anagrams. The unknown Chennai didn’t help things. Hoping for some better luck tomorrow. Invariant
  5. Quite tricky today.
    I thought I’d got it with doubts about 1d. I put “articles” meaning stuff and just about retro-fitted the clue; it contains later and One = A and criticising as an odd anagram indicator, leaving a couple of odd letters I know.
    And for a while I had half term for 17a because it is!

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