Times Quick Cryptic 1040 by Flamande

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

I needed 1 minute over my target 10 for this one which I think was entirely due to 6dn as my last one in. On reflection it all seems quite straightforward but I shall be interested to find out what others made of it.

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 Showing no respect, in spite of everything (10)
REGARDLESS – Straight definition with a cryptic hint. Double definition. Thanks to those who pointed out the obvious as missed by me first time round. 
8 Prague hostelry, we’re told, will offer desk to register (5-2)
CHECK-IN – Sounds like [we’re told] Czech inn (Prague hostelry)
9 Friend joins mother in Spanish city (5)
PALMA – PAL (friend), MA (mother)
10 Pet turning up near ship (4)
PUSS – UP reversed [turning], SS (ship)
11 Robbery involves Mafia leader who seeks pleasure? (8)
HEDONIST – HEIST (robbery) contains [involves] DON (Mafia leader)
13 Course, no longer popular, in RE (5)
ROUTE – OUT (no longer popular) contained by [in] RE. If anyone’s not aware of it, RE in this context stands for Religious Education.
14 Melody occurring in anthem endlessly (5)
THEME – Hidden [occurring in] {an}THEM E{ndlessly}. ‘Endlessly’ more usually indicates {deletion} so its presence here may be intended as a rather cunning misdirection from the hidden construction.
16 Uncivilised drinking places I found near heart of Chicago (8)
BARBARIC – BAR BAR (drinking places), I, {chi}C{ago} [heart of]
17 Retreat by Prime Minister and a Conservative faction (4)
CAMP – PM (Prime Minister) + A + C (Conservative) reversed [retreat]
20 Turf out a hundred boarding European plane (5)
EJECT – C (a hundred) contained by [boarding] E (European) + JET (plane)
21 Stool is specially made for piano player, perhaps (7)
SOLOIST – Anagram [specially made] of STOOL IS
22 Two women together are poison (10)
BELLADONNA – BELLA + DONNA (two women together) aka deadly nightshade, but I understand it can also be used therapeutically in the treatment of certain conditions so it’s not always a poison.
Down
1 In summary, picked up speed after start of race (5)
RECAP – R{ace} [start], PACE (speed) reversed [picked up]. Another example of misdirection here as ‘picked up’ would more usually indicate a homophone, but in this clue it signals reversal.
2 Equerry’s girl, awfully wild creature (4,8)
GREY SQUIRREL – Anagram [awfully] of EQUERRY’S GIRL
3 Incline to be a playboy? (4)
RAKE – Two meanings, the first commonly encountered in theatres where stage and seating may be ‘raked’ to give the audience a better view. The other rake is a man who leads a self-indulgent, promiscuous life-style as illustrated in the series of paintings and engravings by William Hogarth called ‘A Rake’s Progress‘.
4 Songbird left in trap (6)
LINNET – L (left), IN, NET (trap). As mentioned in the song made famous by Marie Lloyd. Altergever nah:
My old man said “Foller the van,
And don’t dilly dally on the way”.
Off went the van wiv me ‘ome packed in it,
I walked behind wiv me old cock linnet.
But I dillied and dallied, dallied and I dillied
Lost me way and don’t know where to roam.
Well you can’t trust a special like the old time coppers.
When you can’t find your way ‘ome.
5 Encourages university players initially joining in soccer etc (8)
SUPPORTS – U (university) + P{layers} [initially] contained by [joining in] SPORTS (soccer etc)
6 Nothing but repetition? Rather regular repetition, perhaps (12)
ALLITERATION – ALL ITERATION (nothing but repetition?) and a definition by way of illustration
7 Trotskyist extremists featuring in story that’s idle gossip (6)
TATTLE – T{rotskyis}T [extremists] contained by [featuring in] TALE (story)
12 Witty banter about article Peter Strange has penned (8)
REPARTEE – RE (about), anagram [strange] PETER containing [has penned] A (article)
13 Dangerous disease among animals: is bear affected? (6)
RABIES – Anagram [affected] of IS BEAR
15 Type of fuel ceases to work well, oddly deficient (6)
DIESEL – DIES (ceases to work), {w}E{l}L [oddly deficient]
18 Bread is mine — thank you (5)
PITTA – PIT (mine). TA (thank you)
19 Welsh boy in pale denims (4)
ALED – Hidden [in] {p}ALE D{enims}. We have two straight hidden-word clues today which is contrary to one of the Times puzzle conventions.

25 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1040 by Flamande”

  1. Never met ALED–I though all crossword Welsh boys were named Dai–so I had to read through the clue again to make sure it was indeed a hidden. Is the one-hidden (or one each forward and backward hidden) convention applied to the Quickies? I had vaguely thought not. I knew the LINNET from Yeats’s “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”: ‘And evening full of the linnet’s wings”–here’s the man himself reading it, with all the bardic stops out:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGoaQ433wnw
    4:45
    1. I wouldn’t be surpised if somebody is keeping track and can give a defintive answer one way or the other, but my impression is that it’s very rare, even exceptional, for two straight hiddens to appear in a QC. I’m pretty sure that there’s been no official statement from RR or David P but I’ve always assumed the same conventions apply to both QC and 15×15.

      As to Aled, there’s been one very prominent in the UK and to some extent abroad since the mid-1980s, i.e. Aled Jones who shot to fame as a boy chorister, his biggest success being ‘Walking inthe Air’ written for the film ‘The Snowman’. Aled didn’t sing it on the soundtrack (that was Peter Auty) but he made the hit recording. As an adult he diversified into TV and radio presenting, and is one of the regular ‘DJs’ on Classic FM.

      Edited at 2018-03-05 07:01 am (UTC)

  2. 22 minutes. Didn’t know LOI belladonna or linnet, soloist and alliteration also held me up.

    COD hedonist.

  3. “When, linnet-like confinèd I
    With shriller throat shall sing
    The sweetness, mercy, majesty
    And glories of my King;
    When I shall voice aloud how good
    He is, how great should be,
    Enlargèd winds, that curl the flood,
    Know no such liberty.”

    That’s where I mainly know linnets from.

    1. Thanks, I remember Lovelace appeared recently in the 15×15 (Feb 14). I’ve read the whole poem now so should be prepared next time!
    2. It also used to be the (not particularly imaginative) nickname of King’s Lynn’s football team.
  4. I am sure the number of straight hiddens has been blogged before, also without resolution. What would be the point of the rule, you might as well limit to only one anagram.
    Belladonna means beautiful woman because it dilated the pupils, thereby making women more alluring.
    1. Anagrams offer a lot more scope for variety in clues (partials for example, where anagrist is combined with words clued by other means), whereas a hidden answer is simply a consecutive run of letters however skilfully disguised it may be. The convention on ‘hiddens’ in the 15×15 is long-established and very rarely ignored so it might stand to reason that the QC’s smaller grid shouldn’t exceed the 15×15 quota.
  5. Eden went straight in at 19dn causing a hold up with 21 and 22ac – otherwise a fairly steady. 11 minutes in total. COD to 12dn for the surname anagrind.
  6. Excellent puzzle today with most of it going in at a steady pace. However I spent a while trying to see how either M or Capo would fit into 11a and I needed all the checkers to see what was going on in LOI 6d.
    Completed in 16 minutes with my COD going to 11a.
    Thanks for the blog
  7. Spent far too long trying to work out who Peter Strange was, then the penny dropped. Nice one setter (my COD).Also took me a while to realise that “Mafia leader” was not “M”, as I expected, but “DON”. So nicely misled today. 6dn (LOI) was a real challenge. Needed the blog to parse it.
    PlayUpPompey
  8. Not too difficult but careful deconstruction of the clues was required, i.e. not many biffs. Particularly liked 11a and COD 6d.
    Many thanks to Jack and Flamande
    5’45”
  9. Nice and straightforward for me today. 6:02. Close to a PB. Started with RECAP and finished with EJECT. Liked ALLITERATION. Thanks Flamande and Jack.
  10. So a rare venture into sub-verlaine territory (OK, only a second but I’ll take every win however small) and with a smidgeon less hesitation could even have been sub-magoo.

    Most of said hesitation was the not-immediate-spot of the clearly-telegraphed 13d anagram.

    I had 1a as a DD btw

    1. Don’t worry I returned to my normal form on the 15×15 with a stupid mistake.

  12. DNF: quite a few short today, mainly in the top half. I liked Belladona, what a euphonious word.

  13. Slow start to the week, with the 6d/11ac combination responsible for most of the delay, albeit assisted by 1ac for some reason. I’m sure 6d was in a recent puzzle, so I’ve no excuse at not seeing it sooner. I did manage to parse everything, which I trust means there is still some hope. Not too sure what our cousins will make of ‘my old man’, but it was good to see it written out, so my thanks to Jackkt, and Flamande. Invariant
    1. Well remembered, anon! This appeared in QC 1008 set by Joker as blogged by Rolytoly in January this year :

      A feature of double dosing doing everything with repetition (12)
      ALLITERATION – a feature of “double dosing doing”: ALL (everything) with ITERATION (repetition).

      Edited at 2018-03-05 02:05 pm (UTC)

      1. . . . I see you are getting your own back for the jacket/Jackkt slip up, and there was me being doubly careful this time round.☺ Invariant
  14. A shade over 12 minutes today, so fast for me.
    The Monday QC is always a relief after the more difficult weekend puzzles.
    I started with 19d, first clue I read, and then proceeded steadily. Certainly not a pushover and some nice clues; I liked 10a and 11a and 2d was an excellent anagram.
    I left 6d till nearer the end;not that obvious, and LOI was 22a. David
  15. Well chuffed with my sub-verlaine & Magoo time, which will probably never be repeated. Quite a biffable puzzle. I agree that 1ac is a double definition. Linnets are pretty common in the UK (not just in poetry & songs), but maybe not t’other side of the pond.
  16. Not too strenuous a start to the week and managed to dawdle my way through as and when I had opportunity. Was tempted by PEST for 10 (pet + s). FOI 1a. LOI 6d (also my COD).

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