As usual on a Monday the button’s not working, so here’s the url of today’s Quickie: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/timescrossword/20140616/178/
Tracy’s two most recent puzzles were very easy but this one has a little more depth to it and took me 13 minutes. I’ve kept the blog fairly sparse but if there are any queries please don’t hesitate to ask as I shall be around to deal with supplementaries.
Across |
|
---|---|
1 | Not completely how steeples are built? (2,2,1,5) |
UP TO A POINT – Double definition, one of them cryptic | |
8 | Unnerve leader in rainforest, pointing to snake (7) |
RATTLER – RATTLE (unnerve), R |
|
9 | Dance beat good orchestra originally provides (5) |
TANGO – TAN (beat), G |
|
10 | A strange plant with arrow-shaped leaves (4) |
ARUM – A, RUM (strange) | |
11 | Buzzer on low woodland flower (8) |
BLUEBELL – BLUE (low), BELL (buzzer). I’m not entirely convinced about bell/buzzer and it’s not really supported in any of the usual sources, but SOED has buzzer as “an electric bell”, so I suppose that makes it okay. | |
13 | Married girl in spite (6) |
MALICE – M (married), ALICE (girl) | |
14 | Contrivance used in ground-breaking public school (6) |
HARROW – Double definition as the farming implement and what used to be my school up the road, aka the Dump on the Lump | |
17 | Activity outside called mad (8) |
DERANGED – DEED (activity) ‘outside’ RANG (called) | |
19 | Girl teen idol embraces (4) |
ENID – Hidden inside teEN IDol | |
21 | Suffer at home, remedy falling short (5) |
INCUR – IN (at home), CUR |
|
22 | Squad also included in scheme (7) |
PLATOON – TOO (also) ‘included in’ PLAN (scheme) | |
23 | Booty found by harbour brings misery (10) |
SPOILSPORT – SPOILS (booty), PORT (harbour). This word turned up only last Tuesday in the 15×15 clued as “Plunder left misery” and gave me some difficulty, but it went straight in today. | |
Down |
|
2 | Terrier mine? Nonsense (3,4) |
PIT BULL – PIT (mine), BULL (nonsense) | |
3 | Just over 50 in New York (4) |
ONLY – O (over – cricket) then L (50) inside NY (New York) | |
4 | Conditional release initially playing a part (6) |
PAROLE – P |
|
5 | Certain hat being used (2,3,3) |
IN THE BAG – Anagram [used] of HAT BEING | |
6 | Under emotional strain in past, perhaps (5) |
TENSE – Double definition | |
7 | Understand English teacher at university left later for the same place (8,2) |
FOLLOWED ON – FOLLOW (understand), E (English), DON (teacher at university) | |
8 | Footballers here, very very enthusiastic, deliver (4,6) |
REAL MADRID – REAL MAD (very, very enthusiastic), RID (deliver) | |
12 | So, Racine changed storyline (8) |
SCENARIO – Anagram [changed] of SO RACINE | |
15 | Managed to risk incurring endless bitterness (7) |
RANCOUR – RAN (managed), COUR |
|
16 | Friendly foreign correspondent, maybe (3,3) |
PEN PAL – Cryptic definition | |
18 | Darts run by experts (5) |
RACES – R (run – cricket), ACES (experts) | |
20 | Stinging insect was on piano (4) |
WASP – WAS, P (piano) |
Edited at 2014-06-16 01:08 pm (UTC)
Less fulfilling when you get the answer before the clue.
Especially like 1 and 2.
Generally, I’m really pleased with the level of challenge. I still have very little hope of completing the main cryptic every day, but I wouldn’t want this smaller one to be a push-over either. Learning how to channel the frustration, and forcing yourself to change your mind when something isn’t becoming clear is all part of the training, isn’t it?
Very clear, helpful blog, as always. I’m sure the comments will come flooding in once everyone overcomes the attempts of The Times to hide the best part of their publication, and gets a chance to have a second look at some of the trickier clues.
Thanks jackkt.
Edited at 2014-06-16 02:03 pm (UTC)
Do get yourself a screen name and do keep up the good work!