Quick Cryptic No. 88 by Izetti

Author   piquetPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
For once I am on UK time and awake late enough to do this before hitting the hay. Also relieved that our holiday house has broadband so there’s no need to decamp to McDonalds for breakfast. This seemed a fair puzzle with some obvious clues and a few smart ones, although I am finding it difficult to know whether these quickies are all at the same level or getting trickier; it took me 7 minutes before I started writing the blog.

Across
1 CAMPBELL – CAMP = mincing, BELL = telephone, def. ‘Scottish clan’. I dare not comment further.
5 DEAR – Double definition,
9 TYPOS – Hidden word, UNIVERSI(TY POS)ITION, def. ‘mistakes’.
10 FLOWERS – F (female) LOWER (more depressed) S (little son), def. ‘blooms’.
11 DETERIORATED – DETER (put off), I, ORATED (made a speech), def. ‘broke down’.
13 TRICKY – T (start of term) RICKY (Richard), def. ‘a bit difficult’.
15 CHARON – (ANCHOR)*, def. ‘mythical man afloat’. Charon was the chap who rowed you across the river Styx, or Acheron, into the underworld,
17 ALPHABET SOUP – cryptic def.
20 NOISOME – NO I (Number one) SO (thus) ME (this person), def. ‘offensive’.
21 AITCH – Spelling of the letter H, A ITCH (a longing).
22 DADA – AD AD reversed, DADA or Dadaism being the avant garde art movement which began in 1915 or 1916 in response to negative reaction to the horrors of WWI.
23 CAREFREE – CARE (medical attention), FREE (without expense), def. ‘laid back’.

Down
1 CUTE – CUT (fashion style), E (ultimate in elegance), def. ‘lovely’.
2 MAPLE – MAP (plan) LE(A) (meadow without A), def. ‘tree’.
3 BUSTER KEATON – The Spoonerism would be CUSTER BEATEN.
4 LEFTIE – E FT (English newspaper) has LIE (story) about, L(E FT)IE, def. ‘radical politician’.
6 ELECTOR – EL (The Spanish) ECTOR (HECTOR the hero, H-less), def. ‘one registered to vote’.
7 RESIDENT – SIDE (team) is housed in RENT (paid money for accommodation), RE(SIDE)NT def. ‘someone in neighbourhood’.
8 FOURTH ESTATE – ESTATE = car follows FOURTH = follows three others, def. ‘the press’. See the interesting article on Wikipedia for when and how this term came to mean the media especially the written variety, if you don’t already have the detailed GK.
12 STRAINED – S (saint) TRAINED (taught), def. ‘uncomfortable’.
14 IMPLIED – IMP (troublesome youngster) LIED (wasn’t honest), def. ‘understood’.
16 GENEVA – GEN (information) on top of AVE reversed, def. ‘city’.
18 UTTER – Double def., utter = say and utter = perfect, as in ‘utter nonsense’.
19 SHOE – SH (quiet) OE (one losing heart), def. ‘Oxford’. Whenever you see Oxford in a crossword, footwear is often involved.

9 comments on “Quick Cryptic No. 88 by Izetti”

  1. I struggled a bit with this one and lost track of time (i.e. I fell asleep) but I think it was about 22 minutes in all, which is bad for me. A have an absolute aversion to Spoonerism clues and I was unable to solve this one until I had all the checkers in place.
  2. 7′, with some time taken following wrong leads: e.g. looking for a U in 9ac, EGO in 20ac, ST for ‘saint’ in 12d, EC for ‘city’ in 16d, … I don’t have strong feelings about Spoonerist clues, although given my poor ability to figure them out, I suppose I should hate them; this one came fairly quickly. All in all, an enjoyable puzzle.

    Edited at 2014-07-09 05:56 am (UTC)

  3. Being a fan of Don Manley’s, I always look forward to Izetti on the byline. I thought this was a testing puzzle, with the right amount of deviousness for “false beginners” and intermediates. After all, at some stage they will need to tackle tougher stuff if the Times Cryptic is the goal.

    Specifically here, I thought the hidden TYPOS and FLOWERS were particularly good and I was taken down several garden paths (including ‘apple’ for MAPLE and something like ‘tweebone’ for CAMPBELL!). Without a checked first letter, CHARON may trip some up, even if the anagram limits possible options.

    Those who finish this should try Monday’s main puzzle, which is rather easier.

    Edited at 2014-07-09 03:46 am (UTC)

  4. Completed and parsed in about 25 minutes. Completion seemed unlikely after 10 minutes when I only had a few solved but then started to get some of the long clues which opened it up. Definitely a bit 13a in places but 3d made me chuckle. Last one in CUTE.

    Very enjoyable and one of my favourite quickies, thanks setter.

  5. 22 minutes for me – just starting to feel I can look at these and not think “help – I don’t know where to begin” Held up by 3dn as kept thinking “Custer’s last stand” but couldn’t spoonerise that into anything that made sense. Needed all the checkers before I twigged on 17a. LOI 19D – was being to literal and trying to think of a place in Oxford.
  6. 8 mins, but I attempted it straight after the nightmare I had with the main puzzle and I should probably have had a cup of coffee or three first. This was a typically good Don puzzle IMHO, and I finished with the GENEVA/CAREFREE crossers.
  7. 22 minutes. Wanted to put CHIC in at 1d, cleverly (I thought) seeing a triple definition. LOI therefore TYPOS!
  8. Oh no! Another DNF. I had never heard of CHARON, DADA or FOURTH ESTATE. I put it down to a lack of arts education. I didn’t get AITCH either.

    Nice puzzle though and tip-top blog!

  9. Well I was pleased that I managed a couple that even Ulaca had problems with, but have to confess that the majority of today’s clues were difficult. At least I did well with the easier one on Tuesday. Who knows if I keep on trying I might one day be able to solve a few of the main puzzle clues. K

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