Quick Cryptic Number 377 by Izetti

Author   william_j_sPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I consistently struggle with the main cryptic to the point of failure, so I enjoy these Quickies best when they’re testing, and this certainly was a stretching but satisfying crossword. I suspect the other novices relished the challenge too, and that the more experienced can help with the parsing of 1dn. Several others were guesses of varying degrees of education (3dn, 19dn, 22ac, 23ac).

I liked ‘top speed’ and ‘NATO and suchlike’, my COD.

Thanks setter; more like this please.

Definitions underlined.

Across
8 When students enjoy fund-raising and music (7)
RAGTIME – double definition, the first alluding to ‘RAG week’..
9 Top speed estimate for old vehicle (5)
CRATE – C (speed of light, top speed) with RATE (estimate, as in rate highly/high estimate).
10 Fruit giving energy to fellow (5)
MANGO – GO (energy) on MAN (fellow).
11 Foot of pig or horse? (7)
TROTTER – double definition, the second lateral.
12 Lament about trade in store supplying naval equipment? (9)
CHANDLERY – CRY (lament) around HANDLE (trade).
14 Odd drink (3)
RUM – double definition.
16 Observed something in the carpenter’s workshop (3)
SAW – double defintion.
18 Vehicle bringing delight (9)
TRANSPORT – double definition.
21 So April could become a star (7)
POLARIS – anagram of (could become) SO APRIL.
22 Ancient deity was a tyrant to some extent (5)
SATYR – hidden in waS A TYRant.
23 Second original tempting woman, one held to be a riddle (5)
SIEVE – S (second) and EVE (original tempting woman), holding I (one).
24 Political party’s tasks (7)
LABOURS – double definition.
Down
1 Divine sisters restricting your writer’s scowls (8)
GRIMACES – GRACES (divine sisters) containing I’M (the way the setter might say “your writer is”). I saw this from the checkers alone and cannot for the life of me find a satisfactory link between graces and divine sisters. Hopefully I will be enlightened soon! On edit: see comment below, and also here. Thanks Bob!
2 Information held by woman that forms basis of meeting (6)
AGENDA – GEN (information) inside ADA (woman).
3 Novice in convent I robed (4)
TIRO – another hidden answer, within convenT I RObed.
4 A bit of money about in HQ? (6)
CENTRE – CENT (a bit of money) and RE (regarding, about).
5 Scorn may upset NATO and suchlike (8)
ACRONYMS – anagram of (upset) SCORN MAY.
6 Bird of prey enthralled soldiers (6)
RAPTOR – RAPT (enthralled) and OR (other ranks, soldiers).
7 Listen to organ, not staying to the end (4)
HEAR – HEARt (organ) without the last letter.
13 Put off sin after short time — caught in the act (8)
DETERRED – ERR (sin) after T (abbreviation for time), all inside DEED (act).
15 I’m sort to travel around (8)
MOTORIST – anagram of I’M SORT TO indicated by travel around. This is an ‘and literally’ or &lit clue, since every part of the clue is involved in the wordplay and the whole thing is the definition.
17 Everything packed into damp bag (6)
WALLET – ALL (everything) inside WET (damp).
19 Corrupt men, alas, bumping off a saint (6)
ANSELM – anagram of (corrupt) MEN ALAS, without the letter A (bumping off a). A saint that was not in the front of my mind, was my LOI, and needed looking up to be sure.
20 Information emerges from this unfashionable place (6)
OUTPUT – OUT (not in, unfashionable) and PUT (place).
21 Letters provided by job agency? (4)
POST – double definition.
22 Old boy aboard ship expresses sorrow (4)
SOBS – OB (old boy) inside SS (steam ship).

15 comments on “Quick Cryptic Number 377 by Izetti”

  1. The clue may be referring to the statue by Canova called “The Three Graces” – these were (courtesy of Wiki)three daughters of Zeus …

    Bob

    1. Thank you Bob. I was googling around but got nowhere; just goes to show that you need some knowledge to find more! I’ve put a link to the Wikipedia page in the blog.
  2. 3D is misclued in the iPad version – the clue says ‘conventS I robed’. Which didn’t help matters.
  3. Found this far too difficult. I thought I was getting better with this crossword but this one was did nothing for my confidence. Even after seeing the answers some of them were extremely obscure.
  4. I found some clues obscure as well,but managed to get the difficult ones only to fail on two of the easier ones, CRATE and HEART (after an hour or so).
    I still have a few problems with the clues – Satyrs are not deities but well down the list, I don’t think ‘rate’ is good for ‘estimate’, and I’m afraid ‘I’m sort to travel around’ makes no sense at all.

    Brian

    1. Some trickery here, but enjoyable and just over average solve time for me. I liked the way RUM followed the naval clue and 18a reminded me of the Flanders and Swann song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVHbF0jAzMw . I wasn’t convinced by I’M for “your writer’s”, but get it now – thanks William. Unlike Brian I liked 15d – my COD.
      1. Unspammed. The url did for it. I’d suggest breaking links up so that the censor doesn’t kick in as people are savvy enough to put them back together if they wish to explore what’s on offer.
  6. Another very enjoyable offering by this setter. I struggled over CHANDLERY as a last one in in a recent puzzle so it went in almost immediately on this occasion.

    I can’t have been doing cryptics all these years without learning that C represents the speed of light (9ac) so I’ll put my ignorance today down as yet another indicator of approaching senility.

  7. A typically tricky offering from Izetti. I was foiled by 4d, which I should have got, and 19d who I’ve never heard of. I figured it was an anagram of men alas but couldn’t work out what the definition was. COD 23a.
  8. Took some time over this, but a very satisfying full house in the end, albeit with one or two previously unknown. Wouldn’t have got anywhere with this 6 months ago, so there is some hope for me. Crate was my favourite as well – a pleasure to see a bit of physics creeping into the QC. Invariant
  9. Anselm was a leading thinker, contributing hugely to western thought. It is a great shame that his name remains unknown to so many, especially to readers of a quality paper. Must say something about modern culture, but maybe crosswords can add to new awareness! Thanks for all feedback. Izetti
  10. Seemed to get through this one quite easily, apart from that iPad edition problem – I knew the word ‘tiro’ but inked in ‘siro’ due that misplaced s on the end of ‘convent’.
  11. I look forward to Izetti’s puzzles and so was not deterred by today’s harder than normal offering.I made slow progress ending up with 19d. I looked for an anagram and for the names of saints; in the end I assumed the answer meant Corrupt and I invented the word Assalt as a combination of Alas and St. I did not know Anselm. Nevertheless much enjoyed and I liked 5d. David

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