Quick cryptic No 713 by Marty

Author   TheRotterPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I don’t think I remember coming across Marty before (but no doubt, Jack will correct me), but this was a relatively simple QC although my time was still one minute over my new target of 15 minutes.  There were a good smattering of anagrams to get me going, and nothing too obscure or difficult, so I have no idea why I was so slow.

Sorry for the slight delay in posting the blog – I had some difficulties with my broadband after the guys repaving my drive managed to cause a problem with the cabling – all sorted now.

Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}

Across
1  Alec stands waving something on the beach (10)
SANDCASTLE – Nice easy anagram to start (clued by waving) of [ALEC STANDS]
8  Offer comfort to Tory only (7)
CONSOLE – CON{servative} for Tory, and SOLE equals only
9  Some backing from fair American girl (5)
MARIA – Hidden reversed (backing) in {f)AIR AM{erican}
10  Jolly experience with LSD (4)
TRIP – Double definition, a jolly as a noun is an outing or TRIP, and I am led to believe that a TRIP of another kind results from an experience with the hallucinogenic drug LSD
11  Rudely jeer any English novel (4,4)
JANE EYRE – Another simple anagram (clued by rudely) of JEER ANY E{nglish} to give the Charlotte Bronte classic
12  Expelled school inspectorate, making one change (6)
OUSTED – the school inspectorate is OFSTED, and the one change is to swap the F for a U
14  Entices office workers?  About time (6)
TEMPTS – The office workers are TEMPS, and insert T{ime}
17  Raw treat prepared for amphibious rodent (5,3)
WATER RAT – Anagram again (clued by prepared) of [RAW TREAT]
19  Wonderful going around foremost of night spots (4)
ACNE – ACE is wonderful, around first letter (foremost) of N{ight}
21  Does walk, say, regularly, in Japanese city (5)
OSAKA – Alternate letters (regularly) of {d}O{e}S {w}A{l}K {s}A{y}
22  Minor quarrel to have in Cheltenham? (3,4)
SPA TOWN – A minor quarrel is a SPAT followed by OWN (to have).  Cheltenham is an example of a SPA TOWN
23  Music hall song, unspecific request to golf caddie? (3,3,4)
ANY OLD IRON – what a golfer may demand of his caddie, when any old club will do for the next shot (unspecific).

Down

2.   Article completes the undoing of relatives (7)
AUNTIES – The article is A and UNTIES is to complete the undoing
3  Party, alternatively, providing means of escape?(4)
DOOR – Party in crosswords is usually a DO, and OR is alternatively
4  Primate’s name secretary recalled (6)
APEMAN – As instructed, reverse NAME and PA (secretary) to give a generic name for any of several extinct primates, or Tarzan’s handle
5  Be visibly embarrassed after little boy beamed? (8)
TIMBERED – To BE RED is to be visibly embarrassed, after TIM (little boy, as in Tiny Tim Cratchit in the Scrooge story (A Christmas Carol)).  I’m sure that, like others, I was looking for the being embarrassed to be the clue until I saw the other meaning of beamed.
6  Nobleman years ahead of his time (5)
EARLY – The EARL is the nobleman concerned, ahead of Y{ears}
7  Maybe Chinese food at the back (3,7)
FAR EASTERN – Food is FARE and at the back is ASTERN, put them together to get the answer.  Another anglo-centric clue.  China isn’t far-eastern to Horryd for example.  And what do American’s use to describe what we describe as the middle-east?
8  Protective material, designed to cool, won’t (6,4)
COTTON WOOL – Another anagram, this time clued by ‘designed’, of [TO COOL WON’T]
12  To prepare vintage, tread year’s contents(3,5)
GET READY – cleverly hidden in {vinta}GE TREAD Y{ear’s}
15  Picture army officer with old musical instrument (7)
PICCOLO – PIC{ture} followed by COL{onel} and O{ld}
16  Young lady distributed medals (6)
DAMSEL – anagram (clued by distributed) of [MEDALS]
18  Jewelled headdress: it elevated a painter (5)
TIARA – IT reversed (elevated in a down clue) followed by A and RA (which we should all recognise by now as the abbreviation for R{oyal} A{cademician}, or painter or artist)
20  Garment sarts off small and rarely increases(4)
SARI – first letters (starts off) S{mall} A{nd} R{arely} I{ncreases}

19 comments on “Quick cryptic No 713 by Marty”

  1. I thought Marty was smartie and this was particularly tough!

    10.59 with no respite – one demanding clue after another.

    COD and LOI JANE EYRE – simple I think not Mr. Rotter!

    I still think of China as FAR EASTERN – a different mind set is required at all times and I’ve been here over 20 years now.

    Western logic and Oriental logic are very different. Have you met the current Mrs H?

  2. Good point re Anglocentrism, but then the crossword is that of the London Times. For some reason we don’t have a Near East. Enjoyed SPA TOWN and the aforementioned FAR EASTERN. Noted TIM, one of the very common three-letter male names, which are verging on the ubiquitous. Very nearly a sub5 again, flying this week. Thanks rotter and Marty.
  3. I enjoyed this. Relatively easy, with well-written clues (except 23ac) – only 5dn and 7dn held me up. There were quite a lot of anagrams, but that makes a nice change now and again.
  5. Finished in 25 minutes, so a fairly decent time for me. 12dn held me up for ages as I just couldn’t couldn’t spot that it was a hidden clue. Not familiar with 5d, but it couldn’t be anything else. 23ac is also quite tricky, not knowing the song, but it’s a great clue. I’m sure we’ve had water rat in a recent crossword. Gribb.
  6. 10 minutes by a whisker. I was heading for a really fast time but was held up at the last minute by 5dn having thought of TIMBERED but I had in mind of the wrong sort of “beamed” so couldn’t square the two for a while.

    I think by convention “little boy” just means we’re looking for an abbreviated name, so it’s not necessary to justify it with reference to Tiny Tim, though if that helps anyone to get to the answer it’s absolutely fine of course.

    This is Marty’s 10th outing having started with QC37 in 2014. He set 3 more in that year, 3 in 2015 and 3 in 2016 so far.

    1. Thanks Jack, I knew you would have the stats at your fingertips.

      I was using Tiny Tim as an example, and didn’t mean to discount the diminutive but general abbreviation of Timothy, but thanks for pointing that out.

  7. FOI Sandcastle
    LOI Apeman hence also COD with a nod to 11a for potentially misleading double anagrind (rudely and novel)
    5’ish
    GeoffH
  8. Fairly straightforward I thought. SANDCASTLE came late to me, but then I was brought up by a shIngle beach so that is my excuse! TIMBERED also held me up as i didn’t think of that meaning of beamed – nice piece of misdirection on me at least.
    PlayupPompey
  9. This is the week for second sitting QCs. Had to come back to 5 and 7d and even then needed electronic help with 5d – appropriately red faced as the answer appeared on screen. Invariant
  10. 11:15 for me, LOI SARI, with only a few—TIMBERED especially—not falling on the first pass. It seems I’m getting quicker at the QC and slower at the 15×15 this week.
  11. 24 minutes, which is my PB. Getting faster slowly. Still can’t do the main crossword. FOI sandcastle LOI acne. Just didn’t get the spot reference. Was convinced night spot was some kind of club.
  13. This was a strange one for me. I whizzed through it and had completed all bar 4 & 5d in 12 minutes and then I got horribly stuck. On my second sitting I managed to get 5d. However I couldn’t figure out what was going on in 4, I figured it must contain Ape and then a reversal of PA but the closest I got was Apesap – which was clearly never going to be right. As usual the answer seemed so obvious once I’d consulted the blog – so a DNF today on what should have been a straightforward solve.
    Thanks to therotter for the blog
  14. I struggled with the Evening Standard cryptic on the way home tonight (still unfinished) and then had a quick look at this. It seemed easy in comparison; I started quickly and kept going. A possible record was stymied by 5d, 9a and my LOI 7d. But all done in 14 minutes. Maybe the warm-up helped. David
  15. Adrian. Have been trying to reach you via email regarding the Turkey but not getting responses. Could you check your junk folder?
  16. Well, that’s 14 minutes off the airport wait for the flight back to Blighty. Very enjoyable minutes too – I very much enjoyed the mental leap required at 5dn.

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