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.
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… |
</tr>
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) |
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’.
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.
Edited at 2014-05-07 09:09 am (UTC)
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!
Thanks for an entertaining blog, Nick.
I think most Seat car models are named after Spanish cities, and one of them (at least in the UK) is the LEON.
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)
*faints with pride*
Thanks for the compliment chrisw91 but I’d need to get an awful lot better first!
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!!
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.
Agreed too about enjoying honing skills, even if it does take hours (days) to complete…
Looking forward to learning more and posting comments too.
Leon was also the original capital of Nicaragua, by the way….
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.
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.
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.