Times Quick Cryptic 1020 by Flamande

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

I needed 12 minutes for this but am at a loss to explain why I failed to hit my 10-minute target as it all seems perfectly straightforward in retrospect. There are a few UK-centric references which may give some of our overseas contributors pause for thought but I can’t claim that as an excuse.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]

Across
1 Walked in shallow water, or rowed in boat (7)
PADDLED – Double definition
5 Puzzle concerning naval vessel turning over (5)
REBUS – RE (concerning), SUB (naval vessel) reversed [turning over]
8 Character with book showing area of countryside (6,7)
NATURE RESERVE – NATURE (character), RESERVE (book)
9 A person selling pieces of wood, maybe: backing for garden structure (7)
PERGOLA – A + LOG REP (person selling pieces of wood, maybe), reversed [backing]
10 One book by Sterne? Oddly, a different writer (5)
IBSEN – I (one), B (book), S{t}E{r}N{e} [oddly]
11 Mischief makers behind church — they’re little monkeys (6)
CHIMPS – CH (church), IMPS (mischief makers)
13 Just me, playing lyre (6)
MERELY – ME, anagram [playing] of LYRE
15 Saga inevitably reduced in length once more (5)
AGAIN – Hidden [reduced in length] in {s}AGA IN{evitably}
16 On day after Feb 28, talk endlessly about union (7)
MARITAL – MAR 1 (day after Feb 28), TAL{k} [endlessly].
19 How one might go and dispose of some fishing tackle? (5,4,4)
SLING ONE’S HOOK – Two meanings. The first is thought to be of nautical origin with reference to the anchor (or hook) which has to be secured in its sling at the bow before a ship can sail.
20 Clergyman shot in billiard hall, we hear (5)
CANON – Sounds like [we hear] “cannon” (shot in billliard hall).  It’s a stroke in which the player’s cue ball is made to hit both other balls
21 Attack puts one out (3,4)
SET UPON – Anagram [out] of PUTS ONE
Down
1 Someone attractive and fashionable embraced by young boxer? (3-2)
PIN-UP – IN (fashionable) contained [embraced] by PUP (young boxer?). Another from the list of expressions soon to be banned if it’s not already.
2 Country people initially put off motorway drive (13)
DETERMINATION – DETER (put off), M1 (motorway), NATION (people)
3 Some scholar googles “Music by Handel” (5)
LARGO – Hidden in [some] {scho}LAR GO{ogles}. Handel’s Largo is the nickname of the tune that opens his opera Xerxes, usually, although not always, in an instrumental version as played at concerts or in church. In its original form it’s the aria Ombra mai fu and actually bears the musical direction Larghetto.
4 S African port, for a start definitely not rural (6)
DURBAN – D{efinitely} [for a start], URBAN (not rural)
5 Impatient, note, to reach Cornwall resort shortly (7)
RESTIVE – RE (note), ST IVE{s} (Cornwall resort) [shortly]
6 Sons tried pub’s exotic Chinese food (5,4,4)
BIRDS NEST SOUP – Anagram [exotic] of SON’S TRIED PUB’S
7 Desire to have animals raised in part of East London (7)
STEPNEY – YEN (desire) + PETS (animals) reversed [raised]
11 Maybe Derby girl is enlisted by commander-in-chief (7)
CLASSIC – LASS (girl) contained [enlisted] by CIC (commander-in-chief). The five British Classic races are the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas (Newmarket), the Derby and the Oaks (Epsom), and the St Leger  (Doncaster). They are all run on the flat and are restricted to 3-year-old horses.
12 Nip round, meeting merry king for a drink (4,3)
PINK GIN – NIP reversed [round], anagram [merry] of KING
14 Changes American aims (6)
AMENDS – AM (American), ENDS (aims)
17 During break one’s to take another test (5)
RESIT – I (one) contained by [during] REST (break)
18 Compare Alfie regularly with little Kenneth (5)
LIKEN – {a}L{f}I{e} [regularly], KEN (little Kenneth)

22 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1020 by Flamande”

  1. Man that SW corner: You what your hook? Huh? Classic…derby? Right… So I was forced to rely on my knowledge of gin (uh-oh) and billiards (bugger)
    1. Ha, same! I found this inexplicably difficult after last week’s triumph…glad it wasn’t just me 🙂
  2. I suspect PADDLE is a UK term (I say ‘wade’); I only know it from ‘Pirates of Penzance’. Like Vinyl, I had trouble remembering ‘Stepney’. Never parsed RESTIVE. LOI 19ac, where I dithered between SLING and SWING; I’ve come across the phrase somewhere, sometime, but didn’t know what it meant. 6:44.
    1. I wondered what is the US equivalent of a kiddies paddling pool and discovered it’s called a ‘wading pool’ which fits with your comment, Kevin. But I think of wading as walking through much deeper water, perhaps waist-high or more, and possibly with some difficulty.

      Edited at 2018-02-05 05:31 am (UTC)

  3. 58 minutes of wading/paddling through thick soup.

    Spent ages on rebus, merely, canon, restive, the soup, Stepney and LOI determination.

    Determination has some unusual anagrams:
    Treated minion: lost spunk.
    Maiden inert to frisky willpower.
    Ion tit renamed “crazy grit”
    Intimate drone liquid discovery.

    Couldn’t parse restive.

    COD pergola.

    Edited at 2018-02-05 10:48 am (UTC)

  4. On target for 10 minutes until the SE – especially the 13ac/7dn pair pushed me back to 13. I agree with jackkt’s assessment completely.
  6. Like most of the comments so far I found this a slog, coming in at 46 minutes. Didn’t like the SW corner at all. It was all a bit much for my Monday morning brain. I have a feeling I always struggle with a Flamande QC. Thanks to Jack and Flamande
  7. The ‘Classics’ are indeed restricted to three year olds. The Derby is colts only, the Oakes and the 1000 Guineas are fillies only whilst the 2000 Guineas and St Leger are open to both.

    Not that I solved the clue easily! I came up with ‘ceramics’ based on ‘mare’ being a girl inverted in ‘cic’ – should have realised it was wrong as I couldn’t really justify the inversion. Eventually got home in 7’30”.

    Really liked the truncated Cornish resort in 5d so my COD.

  8. I found that a real toughie. In retrospect I think I made many of the clues harder than they actually were. So credit to the setter for repeatedly sending me off down the wrong track. Not seen “AM” used as an abbreviation for American before. DERBY misled me wonderfully as I was convinced it had something to do with china. COD SLING ONES HOOK. Not heard that for many a year.
    PlayUpPompey
  9. This did feel quite tricky in places. 9a caused me a few issues as I couldn’t get pagoda out of my head and I was also confused by pieces of wood being plural whilst log was singular, or is that covered by the maybe? I was held up at the end by 14d and LOI 16a where I was tried to overcomplicate things by wondering if 1st of March had some special significance.
    An excellent puzzle which I completed in 19 minutes
  10. … and much fun for it too!
    c. 40 mins which is average for me.
    I couldn’t parse 9. I’ve heard 19a plenty – maybe a northern expression?
    COD: 16, I quite liked the use of the date.
    LOI: 7, it took me a while to see Stepney.
    thanks Flamande & Jackkt. Carl
  12. In reply to Plett. You have a log salesman not a logs salesman, but he would sell lots of logs!

    I was delighted to complete this, fully parsed, in 19 minutes which is one of my best times. I have been close, but haven’t managed under 20 for a while, so I was really surprised to find that some of our experts hadn’t found it so easy (albeit they all have much better times than me!).

    No real sticking points today, but my COD must go to 9a which, I thought, was very cleverly clued.

    Thanks to Flamande for being on my(!) wavelength today and to Jackkt for always explaining everything so well. MM

  13. Well that wasn’t a very friendly start to the week. I knew it was going to be difficult as soon as the first pass was complete with
    only three clues answered. The key to unlocking this grid was always going to be the four long answers – I struggled with all four and so had to be content with a time of just over 40 mins. My last pair were 5ac and 7d, with 9ac chipping in an extra few minutes along the way. Hopefully a bit easier tomorrow. Invariant
  15. Seem to have been on the wavelength today as I had all but merely and Stepney in under 7 mins finally finishing in 9:41. Thanks setter and blogger.
  16. Am I alone in finding this the dullest QC for ages. Not a single clue that made me smile and so many old chestnuts in the wordplay

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