Quick Cryptic No. 43 by Teazel

The last few days have seen an increasing degree of difficulty for the Quickie, as if the setters had decided that 8 weeks was enough time to get the newcomers to develop their skills and now is the time to start upping the ante. Until today.

I thought this puzzle was fairly straightforward (certainly relative to the last few offerings), albeit with a couple of clues that struck me as a little bit odd – but no real complaints.

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Across
1 PASSWORD – “Security Code” is the definition. The solution is also derived from PASS (“send on”) and WORD (meaning “message”- as in “spread the word…”)
5 SLAV -Definition (or, at least, exemplar) is “Russian perhaps” – Slavs being an ethnic group to which many Russians belong. The solution is also from the wordplay of SAV (“half savage”) “swallowing” (i.e. including) L (“litres”)
8 MOURN -Definition is “Lament loss”. The solution is also from the wordplay of MO (“second” – as in ” ‘alf a mo, squire…”) and URN (“vessel”)
9 BEST MAN -Somewhat unsatisfactory clue I thought. Sort of jokey “& lit” (I believe the crossword cognoscenti call it – where the whole clue gives the solution). No word play to validate if it was correct, and not really a double cryptic definition either (which also helps validate)
11 DANGER MONEY -Similar style of clue to 9 ac, and equally unsatisfactory to me
13 TURBOT -Definition is “fish” (turbot being a particularly tasty flat fish). The solution is also from the wordplay of “TO BRUT” backwards (“turning”) – with brut meaning “dry” (think champagne…)
14 FENCER -Neat double definition
17 BRAINWASHED -Double definition type of clue, with the second definition (“avoid dirty thoughts”) being somewhat cryptic / jokey (hence the question mark at the end – generally an indicator that the setter is having a bit of fun…)
20 OVERSEE -Definition is “Manage”. Solution also derived from wordplay of OVER (“some cricket” – being a segment of play comprising six deliveries) with SEE (“watch”)
21 UNCLE – Definition is “Family man”, with the answer also coming from the first letters (“starting”) of Up New Company Lives Easily
22 NOTE -Definition is “Observe”. Solution also derived from wordplay ETON backwards (“school’s back”). In crosswords, “school” is often a pointer to Eton (and sometimes Harrow or Rugby) – and I guess a few others also get an occasional outing: North Town Junior is, however, unlikely to get a run…
23 WATERLOO – Definition is “Battle”. Wordplay is anagram of “later” (signalled by “lost”) inside (“in”) WOO (“court”). Do people still woo one another in these days of the Tinder app (which I only know about from reading the last Sunday Times, I hasten to add…)? Come to that, do they still court? Vocabulary from a bygone era…

Down
1 PUMA -Definition is “Cat”. Wordplay is “up” backwards (“turned”) with MA (“mother”)
2 SHUDDER -Definition is “Show horror”. Wordplay is anagram of “rushed” (signalled by “madly”) round D (standard abbreviation for “daughter”)
3 WIN ON POINTS -Similar type of clue to 9 and 11 (and, predictably, I’m not a fan of this one either). To win on points is to “succeed” in a fight that “goes the distance” (as opposed to ending prematurely with a knock out etc.).
4 RUBBER -Double definition type of clue. Card players in particular speak of “rubbers”, and I guess some pencils still have a handy rubber on the end (but, come to think of it, I have not seen – let alone used – a pencil in years: maybe they are still widely used amongst the wooing classes…)
6 LEMON -Definition is “Fruit”. Wordplay is M (abbreviation of “millions”) inside LEON (Spanish city). Must admit I did not know this particular place: but once you’d got the L, M and N and were looking for a fruit, it had to be lemon really… Subsequent research reveals Leon is a regional capital in north west Spain
7 VINEYARD -Definition (and I use the term loosely!) is “part of chateau”: thought this was a bit odd as whilst many chateaux do indeed have vineyards, many do not. Anyway, it was a fairly clear anagram (signalled by “winding”) of “drive any” which yielded the answer, notwithstanding the slightly odd definition
10 SUMMER HOUSE -Definition is “pavilion”. Wordplay also leading us to the answer is “adder” (giving SUMMER – one who adds) and “nest” (HOUSE)
12 STUBBORN -Definition is “Obstinate”. Wordplay also giving the answer is BUTS (“objections” – as in “ifs and buts…”) backwards (“raised”) with BORNE (“almost carried”- i.e. borne – carried – without the last letter)
15 CODICIL -Yet another clue of the 9, 11 and 3 type (say no more…!) Codicil being a subsequent addition or change to a will
16 CAMERA -Definition is “film-maker”. The answer is also hidden in part (“to some extent”) of the remainder of the clue – “became ratty
18 ADEPT -Definition is “Expert”. Wordplay also yielding the answer is D (abbreviation of “died”) inside (“in”) anagram of “peat” (signalled by “treacherous”)
19 HERO -Definition is “brave man”. Wordplay is HER (“woman’s”) with O (“love” – as in tennis score)

23 comments on “Quick Cryptic No. 43 by Teazel”

  1. Teazel’s two puzzles during the first month struck me as rather difficult with each stretching me to 20 minutes but today’s took me 15 so it was a little easier.

    LEON was unknown to me too, and I struggled to understand the purpose of ‘reach’ in 7dn, eventually concluding it’s supposed to be read along the lines of you reach this word by making an anagram of ‘drive any’.

  2. 8 minutes, so as you say quite a bit easier than of late. I have no problem with the cryptic definitions at 9 and 11 across – indeed, DANGER MONEY was my LOI and COD – nor with ‘reach’ at 7dn performing the function described by Jack at a prototypical chateau.

    León is arguably the most beautiful city in Spain, well worth a visit for the Cathedral and the frescoes in the crypt next to the Basilica of San Isidoro.

  3. I am with our friend from North Town Junior in his lack of appreciation of cd and &lit type clues as I enjoy the word plays so much. However they are part of the game and once upon a time were most of the game, I believe. I was happy with 7dn as mis en bouteille au chateau is a phrase I am familiar with. A shame that it took so long for Southern Hemisphere wines to appear in the UK for general consumption. 16 minutes for me.

    Edited at 2014-05-07 09:09 am (UTC)

    1. Thanks for the feedback Chris. Fair call (if I may say) re. cd and &lit type clues: I also take on board Ulaca’s observations re. the same issue. Of course, I defer to both of you.

      That said, from the Newbie’s perspective (and wittingly or otherwise I seem to be a representative of that constituency through this blog) much is made in the various commentaries on “how to do Times cryptics” of the fact that cryptics are easier / better because you always know when you have the correct answer (essentially the equivalent of three way validation). This goes out the window with such clues.

      From a purely personal perspective, maybe it’s about wit. If something makes me laugh, I’ll forgive (and enjoy) pretty much anything. Unfortunately, none of these did!

  4. 6 mins, which would suggest that it is a little harder than some of the QCs, but from the other comments it would appear that I’m in the minority so maybe it was the proverbial wavelength issue. WIN ON POINTS was my LOI.
  5. I was put on the back foot by reach, too, but Jack’s explanation makes it clear. Didn’t know the card connection to RUBBER and was unsure about CODICIL, my LOI. Took me about 20 mins, so slightly quicker than recent attempts.

    Thanks for an entertaining blog, Nick.

  6. I try to do these in clue order and I only had about 2 answers in after going through all the acrosses, so I found this harder than average. Of the cryptic definitions, I thought DANGER MONEY was the best, though the checkers initially brought dinner money to mind.

    I think most Seat car models are named after Spanish cities, and one of them (at least in the UK) is the LEON.

    1. Thank for reminding me, mohn – the ambiguity with regard to ‘dinner mooney’ made this clue even better for me.
  7. Thanks for a great blog. As a newbie, I found this harder than yesterday. I’m finding I’m geting quicker but still only managing to get about half way through Not sure how to break through to finishing – they all seem pretty clear when they’re explained!
    1. I’ve been on board since the first puzzle and this is only the second one I’ve properly finished: I promise it *does* get easier. On my first look through this puzzle I didn’t get any of the answers and thought this was going to be a really hard one but slowly the mist cleared and the answers started to pop into my head. I got stuck on dinner money, loved brainwashed, and only understood why hero was right when I read this blog.

      My advice to you is to
      1. Perhaps name yourself? You could get a livejournal id or just type a name at the end of your comment
      2. Spend time just poring over the clues waiting for something to click
      3. *Always* go through the ones you didn’t get with the fantastic explanations from this blog so you understand exactly where the answers came from
      4. Don’t stop trying!

      Edited at 2014-05-07 07:31 pm (UTC)

      1. Couldn’t agree more – or explain it any better. I’d only add that the definition is usually at one end of the clue. Stick around docbee6 – there’s a blog spot available if you want it! 🙂
        1. Stick around docbee6 – there’s a blog spot available if you want it! 🙂
          *faints with pride*
          Thanks for the compliment chrisw91 but I’d need to get an awful lot better first!
      2. Thank you for this encouragement, DocBee, in response to anonymous.

        I’m a complete cryptic novice (having been an avid T2-conciser for years) but have always really wanted to break into the cryptic side. The new quick cryptics and the blogs to explain them are an absolute godsend.

        I am glad I’m not the only one who finds them hard though (so thank you to anonymous for the comment). Reading the blog (and comments) I sometimes feel I’m the only true novice out there! I have yet to finish a puzzle, let alone in the seemingly minuscule amounts of time everyone else seems to manage. I can easily spend 3 hours grafting and only fill one or two in.

        That being said, I’m already hooked, as the satisfaction of finally working one out is definitely far greater than any satisfaction from the concise crossword. (Though I will always love the concise as the entity that introduced me to crosswording in general).

        I will keep trying and keep learning. But I’m not sure I’ll ever join the “today’s was so hard that it took me all of 11 minutes” type club!!

        1. Until 43 days ago, armed only with a recent 2-hour how-to-solve-cryptic crosswords tutorial from a friend, I was a total cryptic novice too. I too am a graduate of the T2 Crossword, which in its original form was good training for a cryptic as there was always just one answer to each clue, but lately I’m totally hooked on the thrill of being able to work out the cryptic clues.

          Like anonymous person #2, I can’t imagine being one of the “11 minutes” club. At the moment I could never finish it in a single sitting and I’m counting in hours and sometimes days if I manage to finish it at all! But then again I’m enjoying the process of slowly honing my skills. I’m not fussed about how long it takes to finish the puzzle, although I do aim for the same day!

          I’m reminded of meeting someone who polished off the grown-up Times Crossword in a farcically short amount of time (<10 minutes?). I was completely in awe and not a bit surprised when I heard that in his second career Richard Browne had become the Times Crossword editor. After my conversation with him I decided I’d like to get into cryptic crosswords when I had the time and it’s taken more than 20 years, but here I am. Thank you Richard.

          1. I’m anonymous person number 2 – have taken your advice docbee and created an account for me to comment from!

            Agreed too about enjoying honing skills, even if it does take hours (days) to complete…

            Looking forward to learning more and posting comments too.

        2. I’ve just started the cryptics so please don’t make them too difficult too soon! Did all but two today so really thrilled! Have done Times 2 crosswords for ages but always wanted to tackle cryptics so thank you for quick cryptic – loving them. Sarah
  8. I don’t think you’re appreciating the elegance of &lits. In an &lit all the wordplay is there, just as in a ‘normal’ clue; it’s just that the whole clue also gives the definition. 9ac has nothing &lit about it. It’s just another of those appalling CDs, and I’m fully in agreement with people both here and elsewhere about their awfulness.
  9. 16 minutes. I rather liked WIN ON POINTS and thought it quite a clever clue.
    Leon was also the original capital of Nicaragua, by the way….
  10. Just under 20 minutes. I thought this was a cracking puzzle.

    Right hand side went in quickly apart from my LOI FENCER. Looked blankly at the left hand side for a couple of minutes until I saw PUMA and then the rest followed.

    STUBBORN and TURBOT were clever clues and I only saw the wordplay after entering on definition.

    BRAINWASHED and WATERLOO made me smile. Initially I was also in the DINNER MONEY camp.

    Cryptic clues are fine if you get them and they are witty but are so frustrating if you don’t. Don’t mention SCAREDY CAT to me.

  11. Great to see nick_the_novice developing so well as both a solver and a blogger. While I completed this puzzle o.k., I did not find it a pushover, and I congratulate the ‘newbies’ who completed it, or made significant progress.
    The advice from docbee6 is very sound and, from experience, I can say that consistent practice will lead to improvement, and that you never stop learning. It’s good to see the Quick Cryptic bringing in new solvers. If you don’t already know about it, the Guardian also has an online only puzzle every Monday for beginners and improvers, called the Quiptic, and it is available free online. One word of warning: it can vary quite a lot in difficulty, and is sometimes harder than the daily cryptic in the same paper.
    One more word of advice: always try to keep the lateral thinking capacity alert. Crossword setters are always looking for new ways to bamboozle solvers, and while practice will help you to learn the conventions and established tricks, there will be something different waiting round the corner.
    1. Somewhat belatedly, just wanted to thank you very much for your kind comment. Whilst still very much on the nursery slopes when it comes to the main puzzle, this extraordinarily supportive – and fun – community is helping me enormously in making progress.
  12. Been doing the quick cryptic for just over 2 weeks now with no previous experience. Been slowly getting better and gradually increasing my understanding how cryptics work.

    Have really struggled the last few days but found today easier, getting my personal best, having 10 clues remaining.

    Having said that, it was the least enjoyable QC so far, and having looked at the blog, I agree that some of the clues today were very poor.

  13. 9t5WiR Thank you for your post.Really looking forward to read more. Fantastic.

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