Quick Cryptic No 431 by Izetti

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
This is the first wifi challenge on my travels – but when you’ve got views over Lake Macquarie you don’t really need wifi – well, except to fulfil the duties of a QC blogger. Fortunately the very friendly and wifi-functional Wangi-Wangi public library has been my comfortable home for the 12 minutes it took to complete this entertaining Izetti. I was pleased to find this not such a stern challenge as I first feared as the library doesn’t open until 2pm and the Melbourne Cup is being shown at the RSL at 3.

Minor hold ups included the location of miracles and 18dn which I approached from completely the wrong angle.

ACROSS

1. Leathered – beaten. Lead outside there.
6. Bee – insect. (BEE)f.
8. Liberal – generous. Artist (RA) inside defamation (LIBEL).
9. Forte – loud. Supporting (FOR), (TE)am.
10. Brain Teasers – problems. Anagram (around) of NASTIER BEARS.
12. Keep – double definition.
13. Inca – old ruler. Not all in Spa(IN CA)red.
17. Old Testament – ancient texts. Anagram (translated) of MODEST TALENT.
20. Knave – scoundrel. Homophone of nave.
21. Elapsed – slipped away. ED around LAPSE.
23. Toy – model. (TO)r(Y).
24. Take Heart – feel encouraged. Prerequisite for a heart transplant.

DOWN

1. Loll – relax. (LOLL)y.
2. Auberge – French hostelry. (AUBERG)in(E).
3. Her – that woman. (HER)o.
4. Relate – double definition.
5. Defeatism – giving up too easily. Anagram (somehow) of I SEEM DAFT.
6. Barge – double definition.
7. Even So – nevertheless. EVE, anagram (fantastic) of SON.
11. Implement – tool. Some s(IMPLE MENT)ality.
14. Canasta – game. A street (A ST) inside place with wedding feast (CANA). This was the location of the water into wine miracle (which I’m sure would be much appreciated at the RSL in a few minutes).
15. Rocket – double definition.
16. Streak – double definition.
18. Diary – log book. Girl (DI), a (A), line (RY- as in railway line). I was looking for a 5 letter girl’s name for a while.
19. Adit – passage to mine. Notice (AD), IT. The going down may indicate that the IT is under the AD.
22. Ash – double definition.

12 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 431 by Izetti”

  1. Nothing particularly problematic, although I stupidly flung in the wrong testament at first. I didn’t realize (or, as I prefer to say, I forgot) that the Inca was the head of the Inca. 5:50.
  2. A pleasing puzzle completed by me in 8 minutes. I wondered about ‘going down’ at 19 but I suppose it helps the surface and without it the clue might seem to end abruptly.

    If anyone has not read yesterday’s Quickie blog since about 5pm I would suggest you might like to take another look as we discovered late in the day that it contained an excellent example of a Nina (hidden words or message) to mark the arrival of the new month. I’d spotted one of the words when I blogged it but missed the remainder so I was indebted to a couple of Anon contributors who pointed this out. Here’s the link for ease of access:http://times-xwd-times.livejournal.com/1410308.html#comments

    Edited at 2015-11-03 05:25 am (UTC)

  3. And here was me thinking there was only Wagga Wagga, Curl Curl, Bong Bong, Kurri Kurri and Woy Woy. Obviously been away from NSW for too long.

    5 or 6 minutes for the puzzle. Some nice anagrams.

    Hope you backed the winner Chris.

  4. Thanks for visiting and mentioning our Library, it was lovely to meet you.
    Enjoy the rest of your trip 🙂
    Giselle
  5. I remember being there 9 years ago. A grand day out. Thanks for the reminder. Meanwhile back at the puzzle… I was a bit slow off the blocks today, but in the end nothing too tricky. I was surprised to see a proper french word at 2d. I thought 16d was an anagram of ‘Mark to’ at first – good misdirection. Enjoyable.
  6. Adit was completely unknown to me, (and my phones spell checker come to that), so I’m not too surprised to find that edit is the wrong answer for 19d. Other than that, I thought this was a slightly easier Izetti than normal. Invariant
    1. Adit was also unknown to me. Having put ‘edit’ in as a guess I therefore have to count this one as incomplete. I know that these are meant to be testing but do wonder why the setter puts in a rather obscure word when there was a clear alternative. As someone who attempts this crossword most days but with only a perhaps 50% success rate this can be a bit frustrating! Still enjoyable though.
  7. Not the hardest Izetti but I made my life difficult by confidently writing in Open heart for 24a;and I nearly put in Diana at 18d.I thought the anagrams were easy to spot and nothing too rare or remote I thought (I remember Adit has come up recently) David
  8. Have just checked yesterday’s puzzle and seen the hidden poem extract -brilliant. Thanks to Jackkt for pointing it out. David
  9. This continued my recent trend of slow but complete solves. I remembered ADIT from a previous crossword. Last in AUBERGE with favourite EVEN SO.

    Missed the superb Nina yesterday. Juno set my favourite ever quick cryptic on D-Day 2014 (just beating Noel).

  10. Failed to get Adit which I’ve not heard of before, although if it’s appeared here before I must have done.
    Also made a mistake in 23a. I put in Try – as in if you try something on you might model it. The correct answer makes a lot more sense though.

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