Quick Cryptic No. 352 by Flamande

Author   nick_the_novicePosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Maybe because my brain is in holiday mode at the moment, I found this one quite tricky in parts. No obvious reason why – all good, very fair clueing and no obscurities (other than possibly for overseas solvers the reference to the UK’s favourite radio soap).

Due to holiday activities, may not be able to access later to field any comments – see how we go…

Thanks to Flamande for a neat offering.

In case of any access problems the puzzle is at this link:
http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20150715/7789/

Definitions underlined, DD = double definition, anagrams indicated by *(–)

Across
1 Participate enthusiastically where team plays at home (5,2)
PITCH IN – PITCH = where team plays, IN = at home
5 Small Mediterranean island with top-grade channels of communication (5)
MEDIA – MED (small Mediterranean) + I (island) + A (top-grade)
8 Busy on the golf course deceiving one’s spouse? (7,6)
PLAYING AROUND – If you’re busy on the golf course then you are playing a round (unless you are the greenkeeper, I guess)
9 Beastly long time to be in queue (7)
LEONINE – EON (long time) inside LINE (queue)
10 English composer having little time to go on vacation (5)
HOLST – HOLS (vacation) with T (little time). Notwithstanding being born Gustavus Theodore von Holst, he of the Planets Suite was indeed an Englishman
11 I felt abandoned by European socialist (6)
LEFTIE – *(I FELT) – with “abandoned” as the anagrind – + E (European)
13 Shopkeeper is less refined you say (6)
GROCER – Homophone (indicated by “you say”) of “grosser” (less refined)
15 American soldier’s way of working gadget (5)
GISMO – GIS (American soldier’s) + MO (way of working – modus operandum)
16 Summon hooligan from California? (4,3)
CALL OUT – CAL (standard abbreviation for California) + LOUT (hooligan)
19 In a cruiser, rat on the loose creates a bit of drama (7,6)
CURTAIN RAISER – *(A CRUISER RAT ON) with “loose” as the anagrind
20 Decline of North Scandinavians reported (5)
LAPSE – Another homophone (indicated by “reported”) of Lapps
21 Substitute‘s reduced status (5-2)
STAND IN – STANDING (status “reduced” by removal of last letter). Cunning clue, I thought
Down
1 Schoolkid, one into trashy pulp (5)
PUPIL – I (one) into *(PULP) with “trashy” as the anagrind
2 Carpet? Roughly remove a thin piece (4,3,1,5)
TEAR OFF A STRIP – DD
3 Caribbean territory captured by militia hastening northwards (5)
HAITI – Hidden (indicated by “captured by”) and reversed (northwards – within the context of a Down clue) in milITIA Hastening
4 Worried old horse starts to get extremely distressed (6)
NAGGED – NAG (old horse) + first letters (starts to) of Get Extremely Depressed
5 Protester married Ambridge resident (7)
MARCHER – M (married) + ARCHER (Ambridge resident – a reference to the UK’s longest running radio soap)
6 Spoiled ballot paper, perhaps, being conned (6,7)
DOUBLE CROSSED – Primary definition supported by a nice secondary cryptic one
7 One checks out raid at sea (7)
AUDITOR – *(OUT RAID) with “at sea” as the anagrind
11 Gallon I imbibed in nearby pub? That’s reasonable (7)
LOGICAL – G (gallon) + I taken into (“imbibed in”) LOCAL (nearby pub)
12 Silver hoarded by Irish individual for a long period (4,3)
IRON AGE – AG (silver – scientific symbol) inside (“hoarded by”) IR ONE (Irish individual)
14 Son has money for bouquets (6)
SCENTS – S (son) + CENTS (money)
17 Beast of burden left by Buddhist priest (5)
LLAMA – L (left) + LAMA (Buddhist priest)
18 Person from Istanbul maybe briefly in Italian city (5)
TURIN – TURK + IN. Istanbul person may well be a Turk, with “briefly” indicating removal of the final letter.

15 comments on “Quick Cryptic No. 352 by Flamande”

  1. As a newbie I, of course, fell for putting MALTA into 5a as I had the first and last letters. Couldn’t parse it naturally. Then got 6d so had to unpick things a bit. Got there in the end though,thanks to the blog’s help over the last few months. Keep up the good work! BTW do lots of other blog followers live in Norfolk UK as I do? There seem to be lots of Norfolk-themed comments lately.
    1. I hadn’t noticed that… but maybe because I live in Suffolk. As I often do, I found downs easier than acrosses on first pass through. No hold ups, though, so just over 7 minutes. I enjoyed the 13-letter clues.
  2. Another beginner here – I actually got Media first but couldn’t parse it as I couldn’t fit the ‘Small’ in so I changed to Malta before the penny dropped.
    This is the first one I’ve finished without cheating with my checker app or Bradford’s. OK, it took well over an hour but I’m really pleased, like John I give a big vote of thanks to the bloggers for getting me to this stage.
    My favourite clue was Leftie, I’m not sure why.

    Brian

    Edited at 2015-07-15 09:15 am (UTC)

  3. Took a long time to complete this. It did not help that initially I put Lapps in 20a. Last in SCENTS with the excellent cryptic definition of DOUBLE CROSSED my favourite.
  4. Pretty straightforward, though I had a deal of trouble with SCENTS for bouquets, as I was fixated on a bunch of flowers, so ‘sprays’ was a candidate for longer than it ought to have been. Also had ‘putting around’ for the golf clue and ‘gizmo’ for a while, which made 2d interesting. 7.5 minutes – a very tidy quickie, I thought.
  5. Crept in under 10 minutes (9) for the first time in a while but any restoration of confidence was short-lived when I tackled today’s 15×15 and was knocked sideways by it.

    Edited at 2015-07-15 10:22 am (UTC)

  6. Got there in the end, which was a relief after two DNFs. Like others I thought long and hard about putting Malta in for 5a. Still didn’t parse it properly as I thought there might be an island by the name of Media. Also missed the parsing of 21a so thanks for the clarification.
  8. As a newby – have only been doing the times quick cryptic since it started! – I actually did this in less than an hour – I too was Malta(ing) and as for Haiti I had the right idea (northwards) but was looking for a militia group called Itiah (Haiti backwards). Leonine was a bit like Jacobite the other day ie beyond my Ken. My big worry is that having spent a week in Cognac with my bro doing the Telegraph cryptic, 300 odd Times quick cryptics didn’t help me at all – different ball game. Does looking up synonyms count as cheating? – needed that for scents though spotted it was an odour not a bunch. Sorry for length – Malcolm, London – now starting sudoku – just as hard
    1. I’d find it hard to imagine that 300+ Times Quickies wouldn’t help new solvers to cope with the Telegraph Cryptic, or the main Times puzzle for that matter, as many Quick clues would not be out of place in either crossword. One of the purpose of the Quickie is to get solvers used to the various types and styles of “cryptic” clues, and once learnt these principles are universal at least to a degree, and certainly applicable in the DT and Times 15×15. Persevere and practice and you’ll make the transition if that’s what you want to do.

      There’s no need to pout anything in the subject line unless you want to, though it may help to make clear to others what you are referring to.

      ‘Cheating’ depends on the rules one is playing by, and this is down to the individual, though obviously it’s not helpful to mislead others about one’s achievements or to kid oneself for that matter.

  9. Oh and I had Ron for individual in Iron Age but at least I got there.
    How do I not be anonymous and what are you meant to put in subject line ?
  10. Just scroll to the very top top of this page and you will see a link to register yourself with Livejournal. In the subject line you can put anything which interests you, possibly a side issue, and then other bloggers may pick up on your thread and add to it.
  11. I still can’t parse this one. How is it a definition for “tear off a strip”?
    1. If you are “carpeted” I have always thought it was a (military?) term for being told off or “torn off a strip”. Nowadays I think it’s called “an interview without coffee”!

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