I started this one at breakneck pace: the first four went in at first glance and I thought I might be on for a very fast time. Then things slowed down to a more normal pace, and I finished in 11:11 which I’m happy with both as a time and aesthetically. This is below my average time.
As I wrote the explanations, I became conscious that there were no extraneous words in any of the clues. Not one. Well played Hurley, that can’t have been easy.
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 | Argument against transit changing is limiting factor (10) |
| CONSTRAINT – CON (argument against), plus (TRANSIT)*. | |
| 8 | UK phase revamped in major change (5-2) |
| SHAKE UP – (UK PHASE)* | |
| 9 | Extremely clear fool is grossly insensitive (5) |
| CRASS – First and last letters of C |
|
| 10 | Place to hide, leafier, regularly visited (4) |
| LAIR – every other letter [regularly visited] of L |
|
| 11 | Trust nice earl abroad (8) |
| RELIANCE – (NICE EARL)* | |
| 13 | Is able to broadcast in French film festival resort (6) |
| CANNES – Sounds like [broadcast] “can” (is able to).
“French film festival resort” only brought one thing to mind for me, and it was the right answer. |
|
| 14 | Again peruse repeated Religious Education promotion (6) |
| REREAD – RE (Religious Education) twice [repeated], then AD (promotion). | |
| 17 | Duck nurses English child not drinking? (8) |
| TEETOTAL – TEAL (duck) contains [nurses] E for English and TOT (child). | |
| 19 | Young deer to show slavish devotion (4) |
| FAWN – A double definition. | |
| 21 | With tips on decor, copy curtain (5) |
| DRAPE – Outer letters [tips] of D |
|
| 22 | Three attempt to embrace home computing (7) |
| TRINITY – TRY (attempt) containing [to embrace] IN (home) and IT (information technology: computing). | |
| 23 | Decisive play at Wimbledon? Secure Cup? About right (3-7) |
| TIE BREAKER – TIE (secure), plus BEAKER (cup) containing [about] R (right). | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Acclaim some innovations (7) |
| OVATION – hidden in [some] |
|
| 3 | Appear to notice Mike (4) |
| SEEM – SEE (to notice), M (Mike, in the NATO phonetic alphabet). | |
| 4 | Sword originally received as present is excellently rated (6) |
| RAPIER – first letters [originally] of all the words after “originally” in the clue. | |
| 5 | Willing daughter supporting popular Conservative policy (8) |
| INCLINED – D for daughter below [supporting] IN (popular), C for Conservative and LINE (policy). | |
| 6 | Prepare series (5) |
| TRAIN – Another double definition, the second as in a “train of events”. | |
| 7 | Dominance can end, say campaigners at first, animatedly (10) |
| ASCENDANCY – (CAN END SAY C I didn’t parse this one while doing the puzzle: just worked it out now as I’m writing the blog. |
|
| 8 | Worry, being alone, sick at heart to be put inside (10) |
| SOLICITUDE – SOLITUDE (being alone), with the middle two letters [at heart] of I had to do some research to convince myself that “solicitude” can work as a synonym for “worry”. The first online definition is “care or concern for someone or something”, and it isn’t that big of a step from “care or concern” to “worry”. But my first reaction was “hold on, can that be right?” |
|
| 12 | Fuel reek, one’s frantic (8) |
| KEROSENE – (REEK ONES)* | |
| 15 | Not straightforward, bringing up the visa vexatiously to some extent (7) |
| EVASIVE – Hidden [to some extent] backwards [bringing up, as this is a down clue] in |
|
| 16 | Preview kitchen item, missing nothing (6) |
| TASTER – T With _A_T_R as the crossers, I needed an alphabet trawl for this. Fortunately, when I got to C the word “coaster” came to mind, and from there I was able to jump over D-S and get to “toaster”. |
|
| 18 | Praise former partner, a little tentatively initially (5) |
| EXALT – EX (former partner), then the first letters [initially] of A L |
|
| 20 | Support first-class Verdi opera (4) |
| AIDA – AID (support), A (first-class). | |
5:22
I biffed CANNES, TEETOTAL, TIE-BREAKER, & SOLICITUDE. ‘Verdi’ was hardly necessary in 20d; ‘opera’ (4) is going to be Aida ((5)=Norma).
I started slowly but sped up. Some of the answers aroused suspicion by their simplicity – Cannes, really? I was a little annoyed I could not see constraint at once, but it was easy enough when I had the checkers. I finished by biffing rapier, only to discover post-solve that it had a very simple cryptic.
Time: 8:00
4:13. Agree that this was an exemplar of a Quick Cryptic.
I also hesitated over 8dn, but for me it was “ah, so that’s what SOLICITUDE means”.
Thanks Hurley and good blog Doof. You should put your feet up after an 11:11.*
* (obscure cricket reference warning).
Really obscure! Something to do with a Nelson?
10 minutes. Very enjoyable. Another here who didn’t know what SOLICITUDE meant.
Couldn’t nut out TASTER for preview so a DNF in 11.21. Nice QC, thanks to Hurley and the Doof.