Quick Cryptic No 331 by Tracy

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Some challenging clues in an entertaining, medium difficulty (12 minutes) puzzle. The SW caused me more problems than elsewhere but I’m not sure why now. Some of the word play took a little puzzling out – here’s my take on it.

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

Across
1 Stuff in most of hamper (4)
&nbsp &nbspCRAM – CRAMP As in cramp/hamper my style.
3 Sam, with Latin dancing, displays charm (8)
&nbsp &nbspTALISMAN – Anagram (dancing) of SAM LATIN.
8 Girl — is she French? (7)
&nbsp &nbspESTELLE – ‘Est elle’ in French means ‘is she’.
10 Almost overlook blacksmith’s place (5)
&nbsp &nbspFORGE – FORGET.
11 Come with brewed cider — all the best (11)
&nbsp &nbspARRIVEDERCI – Come (ARRIVE) with an anagram (brewed) of CIDER gives the Italian for goodbye for which ‘all the best’ can be a substitute.
13 At home ahead of us rejected lieutenant makes offensive remark (6)
&nbsp &nbspINSULT – IN, US (backwards), lieutenant (LT).
15 Rope may appear after a trial gets rigged (6)
&nbsp &nbspLARIAT – Anagram (gets rigged) of A TRIAL.
17 Where theatre-goer may be in frock? Globe? (5,6)
&nbsp &nbspDRESS CIRCLE – Frock (DRESS), globe (CIRCLE).
20 Top copper going back inside is easy to understand (5)
&nbsp &nbspLUCID – Top (LID) around copper CU backwards (UC).
21 One grand impressive base (7)
&nbsp &nbspIGNOBLE – one (I), grand (G), impressive (NOBLE).
22 Quiet and revolutionary, the German machine in office? (8)
&nbsp &nbspSHREDDER – Quiet (SH), revolutionary (RED), the German (DER).
23 Genuine old Spanish coin (4)
&nbsp &nbspREAL – dd. A real is a former small Spanish or Spanish-American silver coin. My cynicism of money in football (for which FIFA is only partly responsible) led me to have a quick check as to whether Real Madrid may have been so named after the filthy lucre but my suspicions are baseless – the word Real is Spanish for Royal and was bestowed to the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem.

Down
1 Climbing plant in variety of climates (8)
&nbsp &nbspCLEMATIS – Anagram (variety of) CLIMATES.
2 Boy, not beginning to adjust (5)
&nbsp &nbspALTER – I had to go through most of the alphabet to get WALTER.
4 Programme requires a good finish, on top of action (6)
&nbsp &nbspAGENDA – A, G, END, (A)ction.
5 Data showing how Red Arrows fly? (11)
&nbsp &nbspINFORMATION – The always impressive Red Arrows fly IN FORMATION.
6 Alcoholic drink — swallow first in inn (7)
&nbsp &nbspMARTINI – Swallow (MARTIN), (I)nn. Martins are any of various swallows of the genera Progne, Delichon, Riparia, etc, having a square or slightly forked tail. I tell them apart from common swallows as they have shorter tails, whereas swifts are the spitfires.
7 Christmas book, missing volume (4)
&nbsp &nbspNOEL – NOVEL.
9 Degree made for showing good common sense (5-6)
&nbsp &nbspLEVEL HEADED – Degree (LEVEL), made for (HEADED).
12 Heavenly in chalet here — Alicante (8)
&nbsp &nbspETHEREAL – Chal(ET HERE AL)icante.
14 Subordinate going on about right cocktail (7)
&nbsp &nbspSIDECAR – Subordinate (SIDE), about (CA), right (R).
16 Dream of high praise (6)
&nbsp &nbspASPIRE – A spire on top of a church is high up. I thought this was a bit weak as a definition on its own so thanks to johninterred and eurcon for pointing out that it’s also an anagram (high) of PRAISE. As such gets my COD.
18 Message a bishop left in church (5)
&nbsp &nbspCABLE – A, bishop (B), left (L) inside CE.
19 Additional matter involving learner driver (4)
&nbsp &nbspPLUS – Matter (PUS) around L.

15 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 331 by Tracy”

  3. Assuming you didn’t persevere with your hunt for the url,Chris, it’s a shame because you wouldn’t have had far to go after all – only 12 up from the day before!

    A very pleasing puzzle that delayed me for 8 minutes only. It doesn’t bother me one jot, but I’m sure some will be unhappy with CIRCLE being clued as ‘globe’.

    1. I have to admit the mixing of 2D and 3D in 17a made me wince a bit. But I wouldn’t go as far as wanting the clue rewritten as “Where flatland theatre-goer…”.
  4. 6:52 and I felt it was medium difficulty too. 16d is, rather cleverly I thought, also an anagram of ‘praise’. 22a and 19d were my last two in – trying to start 22a with a p didn’t help. I liked the mademoiselle at 8a.
  5. At 9dn is “made for” really synonymous with “headed”? I can see it being synonymous with “headed for”, “headed to” or even “headed at”, but not headed on its own. Maybe it is just me and I’m missing something obvious.
  6. Medium difficulty for me. Needed the word play to get the i’s and e’s in the right place in 11a. Also missed the praise anagram with ASPIRE my last in.

    In 9d I just took made as headed.

    Favourite IGNOBLE.

  7. Until I realised it didn’t work with 1D and 2D I got GISELLE for 8A – G (for girl), IS, ELLE (she French) and the whole made a French girls name. Well, I thought it worked!
  8. I was completely baffled by 14d and eventually chucked in ‘seducer’ as the only word I could think of which fitted the checkers. I was pretty sure it would be wrong but I’d had enough of staring at it by that point. I’ve not heard of the cocktail and I’m still not sure how subordinate equates to side – I always thought it meant below or under. Any clarification would be welcome.

    Other than that a very enjoyable puzzle. I particularly liked 11a and 22a.

    1. Collins has the 26th (!) meaning of side as ‘not main; subordinate or incidental ⇒ side door, side road’. This cocktail is one used reasonably frequently in Crossword-land so it’s as well to try to store it away for future use!
  9. I thought this was the toughest for some time and I do not like 25A at all – far too obscure. My brain hurts even trying to understand it!

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