Quick Cryptic No 426 by Mara

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
This looks like a decent challenge for a QC – no unusual vocabulary (well, except for polled maybe) but not a breeze through either. No time here due to distractions but an enjoyable solve.

7. Owlet – wise young thing. Anagram (ordering) of TOWEL.
8. Parsnip – vegetable. Standard (PAR), bargain (SNIP).
10. Rooster – early bird. W(O)rms inside register (ROSTER).
11. Suite – set of matching furniture. Homophone (we hear) of sweet (delightful).
12. Spectator – witness. Anagram (suspect ) of PROTECTS A.
14. Foe – enemy. In the clue (arrested), backwards (retired) polic(E OF)ficer.
15. Ass – idiot. Like (AS), (S)impleton.
16. Whitebait – fish. Anagram (gathered) of A BIT WET I plus fis(H).
18. Cider – it’s the drink. Anagram (drunk) of CRIED.
20. Seattle – US city. SETTLE around A.
22. Romance. (C)remona, (E)xonerated after Italian (ROMAN).
23. Cross. Double definition.

DOWN

1. Morris Dancer – traditional English performer. Anagram (version) of RECORDS MAIN plus sita(R).
2. Bloomers – double definition.
3. Stet – mark of a printer. Anagram (out) of TEST.
4. Spirit – double definition.
5. Preserve – keep. Quiet (P), book (RESERVE).
6. Anti – adversary. Soldier (ANT) with one (I).
9. Present Tense – in current form. Grant (PRESENT), anxious (TENSE).
13. Towering – mighty. Anagram (anyhow) of TIGER WON.
14. Fraction – a bit. (R) ough inside party (FACTION).
17. Issues – more than one edition. IS SUE’S.
19. Damn – oath. Homophone (they say) of dam (barrier).
21. Arch – curved structure. Tree L(ARCH) with the first letter cut off. Polled being clipped or sheared. Maybe also to do with pollarded vs coppiced as in trees (as learnt by me in Epping Forest).

8 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 426 by Mara”

  1. I spent too much time trying to put LA in 20ac, but otherwise wasn’t slowed up much; but biffed a couple, like 1d. I just noticed that Cremona is an anagram of ROMANCE, for what that’s worth. 5:45.
  2. I’m never sure whether on tackling a Quickie having just solved and blogged the main puzzle one should expect to be on top form or half way to brain dead (I suppose it might depend on the difficulty of the 15×15 and the complexity of its clues when it comes to explaining them), but I certainly found Mara’s offering today on the tough side and I needed 14 minutes to fill the grid, though it seemed to take even longer than that. I can’t see now that there’s anything particularly difficult here but I took ages to get started and then had to keep hopping around the grid taking what pickings I could find.

    Edited at 2015-10-27 06:51 am (UTC)

  3. Well, this took me longer than yesterday’s, but I found it much more enjoyable. Some nice wordplay leaves 10 and 12ac as my joint favourites, but there were lots of others close behind. Invariant
  4. I found this quite a steady solve. Was completely bamboozled by the parsing of 14a (My LOI as a result). I’m not sure I’ve seen arrested as an indicator of a hidden word before. Also had 21d unparsed.
  5. Solved yesterday’s QC on a train in fairly quick time.Today’s seemed harder at first but once I read the clues properly it was eminently doable and enjoyable. I could not parse 22a and could see it was an anagram of Cremona but not according to the clue. I assume this was deliberate. Anyway it had to be Romance.
    Coming home last night I picked up the Evening Standard and tried its cryptic. I had to finish it this morning and just managed it; harder than most QCs, but easier than the Times main crossword.
    I will finish this without a full stop to try to avoid being blasted to Spamland David
  6. Spent ages on 14d and 5d (LOI). Nothing complex about them, just brain fade.

    I WILL complete all five this week. I will.

  7. Enjoyable puzzle with a slow but steady solve. Held up with my last 2, 10a and 2d as early on I put in an an unparsed SLIPPERS for 2d. When I finally got ROOSTER 2d fell into place. Favourite PRESENT TENSE.

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