Quick Cryptic No 452 by Vista

Author   nick_the_novicePosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A straightforward and pleasant puzzle from Vista. No obscurities (except possibly one of the two definitions in 22a) and nothing too tricksy. Blog is a bit brief due to time constraints, but please ask if any further comment is needed.

Thanks, as ever, to our setter.

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

Across
1 PC – or where one might record a crime? (8)
NOTEBOOK – DD. Notebook being a small type of personal computer (PC), and the little black book where the boys in blue wrote fiction or non-fiction – depending on whether you were for the defence or the prosecution…
5 Part of Rastafarian song (4)
ARIA – Hidden (indicated by ‘part of’) in ratafARIAn
8 Hit on the head or face (5)
CLOCK – DD. Couple of slang terms – “clock him” and “look at his clock”
9 Bulb everybody’s seen in photograph (7)
SHALLOT – ALL (everybody) ‘seen in’ SHOT (photograph).
11 Irritable PM berated crooked editor (3-8)
BAD TEMPERED – *(PM BERATED) with “crooked” as the anagrind, + ED (editor)
13 Just outside gym in full view of everybody (6)
OPENLY – ONLY (just) ‘outside’ PE (gym)
14 After turning dark, become extremely small (6)
MIDGET – DIM reversed (after turning dark) + GET (become)
17 Hat you need before noon in north-east oddly (3-1-7)
TAM O SHANTER – *(AM – before noon – + NORTH EAST) with “oddly” as the anagrind
20 Quickly accepts explanation primarily in calm state (2,5)
AT PEACE – AT PACE (quickly) ‘accepts’ (takes in) first letter (primarily) of Explanation
21 Girl – in France she has new following (5)
ELLEN – ELLE (girl in France) + N (abbrev. new) ‘following’
22 They are not working clothes (4)
DUDS – DD. Duds don’t work, and the word also means scruffy clothes
23 Picture left – it is by artist (8)
PORTRAIT – PORT (left – at sea) + RA (artist) + IT (it is by artist)
Down
1 Prison panicked to some extent (4)
NICK – Hidden (indicated by ‘to some extent’) in paNICKed
2 Problem taking time and money abroad (7)
TROUBLE – T (time) + ROUBLE (money abroad)
3 Dessert King ate finally in awful state in America (5,6)
BAKED ALASKA – K (king) + E (last letter – finally – of ‘atE’) ‘in’ BAD (awful) + ALASKA (state in America)
4 Wretched story about English seafood item (6)
OYSTER – *(STORY) with “wretched as the anagrind also containing E (English)
6 Monarch starts off reforms using laws everyone respects (5)
RULER – First letters (starts off) of Reforms Using Laws Everyone Respects
7 Unusual diet not a remedy (8)
ANTIDOTE – *(DIET NOT A) with “unusual” as the anagrind
10 Meeting to select people ending in fight (11)
APPOINTMENT – APPOINT (to select) + MEN (people) + T last letter (ending) in fighT
12 Job Jack possibly pursues – one with seaside prospects? (8)
POSTCARD – POST (job) + CARD (Jack, ‘possibly’ the playing card required) for the item with views of the seaside. The writing of seaside postcards possibly reached its apogee with “Weather is here, wish you were lovely”
15 Primate runs with difficulty in part of India (7)
GORILLA – R (runs) + ILL (difficulty) in GOA (part of India)
16 Manage to form a party (4,2)
MAKE DO – Straightforward DD
18 Small bike with engine was blue (5)
MOPED – Another DD – the second mildly cryptic
19 Head of green and brown climbing insect (4)
GNAT – G (head of Green) + TAN reversed (brown climbing)

11 comments on “Quick Cryptic No 452 by Vista”

  1. I found this on the tricky side and needed 14 minutes. DUDS, with its secondary unknown meaning, was my last one in. This is only Vista’s fourth contribution since his/her debut with puzzle 67 on 9th June 2014. The most recent offering before today was in April this year.
  2. Found this tough going and got 12d wrong at first attempt so no time for me.

    I answered 12d as boathand. Have to say I’m still of the view that it is a not completely stupid answer to the clue if read as a cryptic definition

    1. Yes, I can see where you are coming from (particularly with all the cross checkers matching). I think the “prospects” would be a bit of a stretch (relative to the close connection between postcards and seaside views), although I suppose a case could be made…
      1. Don’t get me wrong, postcard is defintely the better answer, but pleased to hear I’m not completely mad!
    2. You are not the only one going down the jack tar/ boathand route for 12d. Quite a tricky SW corner, but at least it took him/ her 6 months to set it up. . . 😊 Invariant
  3. Another boathand here although I was pretty sure it was wrong. Also did not know the second definition of DUDS.

    Favourite GNAT.

  4. A bit trickier than average I thought. 12d my LOI, but my favourite. I’ve not heard anyone use DUDS for ‘clothes’ for many years, but I did know it. 7 1/2mins.
    1. Don’t think I’ve seen Vista before, either.

      By the way, it’s worth having a crack at the 15×15 today. I’m very pleased with myself for getting about a third of the way through – I’m sure other QC-ers will do even better!

  5. Took quite a long time, and POSTCARD eluded me. ‘Jack’ seems like one of those words with multiple obscure definitions that setters love – in the 15×15 the other day we were supposed to know that it’s an obsolete nautical term meaning sailor (an abbreviation of JACKTAR?), which should therefore be entered in the grid as AB (an abbreviation of ABLE BODIED). I get the impression that the typical crossword setter is a sailor ex-convict who enjoys cricket. Anyway, I didn’t make the rather more obvious link to playing cards.

    Edited at 2015-12-02 02:37 pm (UTC)

  6. I thought this was going to be very easy with all the top half going in quickly. But I got stuck on 5 clues in the SW and SE and had to come back for a second look. I’m glad I did as, on reflection, this is a high quality puzzle with some excellent clues ( I liked 1a,12d,15d,3d).
    My last in were 13a,14a,22a and finally 12d which was beautifully clear with hindsight and I liked the Jack trap (when Jack is so often a sailor in crosswords and we had a seaside element) and I thought the clue meant a sailing job at first. David
  7. I thought this was really tough and almost gave up before having one last look (for 13a and 12d) before checking the blog. 17a was unparsed, I completely missed the anagram but the letter distribution meant it was a write in.
    Too many good clues today to select one as COD.

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