Times Quick Cryptic 1080 by Teazel

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

I needed 17 minutes to complete this, held up by a few things bordering on the obscure. On edit, perhaps I should have said ‘bordering on the obscure even in the main puzzle, but definitely so in a Quick Cryptic’.

And on further edit: STOP PRESS. Today is Teazel’s 100th Quick Cryptic. Congratulations!!

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 Rhyme initially penned by favourite waggish poet (8)
PETRARCH – R{hyme} [initially] contained [penned] by PET (favourite) + ARCH (waggish). Francesco Petraca 1304-1374. Never ‘eard of ‘im, Philistine that I am.  Also, I knew several meanings of  ‘arch’ but ‘waggish/playful’ was not amongst them. The dictionaries are fine with it, however.
5 Hearts having trouble in bad weather (4)
HAIL – H (Hearts – cards), AIL (trouble – vb.)
8 One wrapped round neck / joint(5)
SCARF – Two meanings. I thought at first this was a clumsy cryptic definition but SOED has ‘scarf’ as: Carpentry & Shipbuilding. A joint by which two timbers are connected longitudinally, the ends being bevelled or notched so as to fit into each other with mutual overlapping. Also scarf joint. The overlapping of adjacent timbers in a ship’s frame to ensure strength at the joints. Never ‘eard if it.
9 Drunkard tours dining-room to find bulb (7)
SHALLOT – SOT (drunkard) contains [tours] HALL (dining-room). ‘Hall’ for ‘dining-room’ may be one of its many meanings but not one that immediately sprang to my mind.
11 Pulse of youngster returning (3)
DAL – LAD (youngster) reversed [returning]. Well-known enough now I suppose in connection with Indian cuisine , but not something engrained in me from an early age.
12 Comes back to collect fruit (9)
REAPPEARS – REAP (collect), PEARS (fruit)
13 Caught by yobs, getting blows (6)
CLOUTS – C (caught), LOUTS (yobs)
15 On detective, large bite (6)
MORSEL – MORSE (detective), L (large)
18 Guardsman re-reading novel (9)
GRENADIER – Anagram [novel] of RE-READING
19 Shortly choose film (3)
PIC – PIC{k} (choose) [shortly]
20 Oblique symbol from sensible American (7)
SOLIDUS – SOLID (sensible), US (American). More obscurity, but those who remember British currency pre-decimalisation may know that ‘solidus’ was the name of the oblique line that separated shillings from pence e.g. 2/6d.
21 Endure one day in Lincoln (5)
ABIDE – I (one) + D (day) contained by [in] ABE (Lincoln)
22 First of rings dropped — I was clumsy (4)
OOPS – {h} OOPS (rings) [first…dropped]
23 One terrifies child, rattling moneybag (8)
BOGEYMAN – Anagram [rattling] of MONEYBAG
Down
1 Graduate student’s job: physician (7)
POSTDOC – POST (job), DOC (physician). Again not something in my vocabulary, meaning a postdoctoral fellow or appointment, but no doubt common enough amongst those who say ‘youknee’.
2 Lag, right in the back (5)
TRAIL – R (right) contained by [in] TAIL (back)
3 To start with, pass directly (2,5,4)
AT FIRST HAND – AT FIRST  (to start with), HAND (pass)
4 Sort of worker / with sloppy attitude? (6)
CASUAL – Two meanings
6 In various areas, Liberals listening carefully (3,4)
ALL EARS – LL (Liberals) contained by [in] anagram [various] of AREAS
7 Lily’s yoga position (5)
LOTUS – Two meanings
10 Nick is fit (11)
APPROPRIATE – Two meanings, where ‘nick’ is slang for ‘steal’
14 Partly cover lapel? (7)
OVERLAP – Hidden [partly] in {c}OVER LAP{el}, and we have an overlap of wordplay and definition here
16 Stand in church, left centre, roughly (7)
LECTERN – L (left), anagram [roughly] of CENTRE
17 Following one, a second business failure (6)
FIASCO – F (following), 1 (one), A, S (second), CO (business). A favourite word at 23, Railway Cuttings, Cheam.
18 Burst with old enthusiasm (5)
GUSTO – GUST (burst), O (old)
19 Proper to welcome a Trojan king (5)
PRIAM – PRIM (proper) contains [to welcome] A. Those who know about the Trojan War may recognise this name.

32 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1080 by Teazel”

  1. I knew of Petrarch all right, although I doubt that I’ve ever read anything of his. Did not know of the other meaning of SCARF, but one was enough. I mistakenly assumed at 1d that there would be an I before the C, which wasted some time. (We don’t say ‘uni’ in the States, but postdocs are well known, especially as it’s getting harder and harder to find a tenure-track job.) All in all, a struggle; I’m surprised I didn’t go over 10′. 8:47.

    Edited at 2018-04-30 05:18 am (UTC)

  2. Both crosswords tricky for a Monday.
    Maybe the editor needs a clout up the solidus.

    Couldn’t get Petrarch.
    Also postdoc, solidus, dal, trail and casual quite hard.

  3. Too obscure for me. After my 30 minutes target I only had half the answers and no prospect of any more so I gave up.

    Brian

  4. I thought this was verging into 15×15 territory in places today so it was probably a bit harsh for a QC. The unknowns at 1a, 1d and 20a all had me floundering for a while. Completed in 21.18 with LOI 1a
  5. DNF. Gave up at 23 minutes with 3 to go. 1ac, 1dn, 4dn. Never heard of PETRARCH (despite having PET and R) and didn’t equate CASUAL with sloppy attitude.
  6. After a flying start with several old chestnuts (hail, shallot, reappears, grenadier, lotus, etc) I quickly came to a shuddering halt. The remainder had to be ground out . All very fairly clued but not one to give newbies much confidence.
    10’45”
  7. Blooming impossible for a Quickie. NW corner in particular. I only managed to finish with the help of many aids and as with others several words were unknown to me. It’s good to have a good mental workout from time to time but not on a Monday morning.
  8. Too obscure for me. After my 30 minutes target I only had half the answers and no prospect of any more so I gave up.

    Brian

  10. Definitely one of the hardest QCs that I can remember, taking me over 20 minutes. There was nothing I didn’t actually know, but dragging PETRIARCH, SOLIDUS, SCARF joint and PRIAM from the depths of my memory took more effort on the Monday after a family wedding than I was prepared for. Congratulations to Teazel on achieving this landmark, and to Jackkt for the blog.
  11. No beginner should be disheartened by this puzzle. I had to have a peep at 1ac to get under way; then no more cheating but as long as I have ever spent! DM
  12. I thought perhaps my brain cells had deserted me as I scoured the clues trying to find a way into this puzzle. HAIL eventually came to my rescue and I worked my way in a clockwise direction until I was left with 1a, 3d, 4d and 20a. A bit of Ikea work on 1a finally yielded PETRARCH, whose work I haven’t read, but whose name did ring a bell. CASUAL then appeared, after which I postulated SOLIDUS for 20a, which gave me HAND for 3d. I then submitted warily and was rewarded with all green squares. A tough workout! 16:31. Congrats and thanks to Teazel, and thanks to Jack for the blog.
  13. When it gets this obscure I lose interest. I enjoy doing the QC because I can usually do it (or most of it) I have no desire to be able to solve this.

    Best advice I was ever given – other than it was too late – is to look at the final exam papers you will have to take when you finish the course and ask yourself the question: do I want to know how to answer this? If not, choose another course.

  14. Only 30s over average, but it did feel quite tricky for a QC. All fairly clued, I thought, although maybe some of vocab is bit obscure. OOPS my favourite.
  15. This felt like a Monday 15×15 so I am not surprised by the comments above. I started with Priam reading from the bottom and thought quite tricky today? And so it proved. Having tried the weekend puzzles I was prepared for a good test. There was a lot to like -18a and 10d etc. I worked out Petrarch and had heard of him. I did not know the second meaning of Scarf and assumed Solidus had to be right. Excellent puzzle but I agree rather hard for beginners. Solve was interrupted by lunch but let’s say 30 minutes. LOI was Clouts. David
    1. I think you’ve described it well, David…. it may be at the hard end of the scale for a QC, but is a nice bridge to the 15×15 and of similar difficulty to a typical Monday 15×15. But don’t look at today’s as an example… from the SNITCH it is the hardest Monday 15×15 since SNITCH records began!
  16. Absolute stinker. Hardly a QC at all. Heard of PETRARCH but had no idea who he was. Never heard of POSTDOC. Never heard of “arch” being used to mean “waggish”. I happen to know of “scarfing joints” because my Dad was a joiner. A bit off the scale for most people I would have thought. Only ever seen DAL spelt DHAL, but willing to be corrected. Heard of SOLIDUS, but didn’t know what it was. Don’t understand how F can be an abbreviation for “following” other than in the context of F/O = following on.
    Real struggle.
    PlayUpPompey
    1. f. is an abbreviation for ‘following’. It is written after a page or line number to indicate that you are referring to both the page or line mentioned and the one after it. You use ff. when you are referring to the page or line mentioned and two or more pages or lines after it.
  17. Blimey, Teazel has dropped a right Jimmy for his 100th, had to ask the trouble for help but still felt like a kick to the orchestras – but I must tip my titfer for the sheer bubble of it. Here’s to yer next ton son.
  18. Very happy not to have had that one to blog – well done jackkt! I got stuck and left it to look at later – not realising the timer was still going. Eventually worked my way through but what a struggle – still, it probably did the brain cells a bit of good.
  19. Brutal, just brutal. I always struggle with a Teazel but this was another level above that. So many unknowns, shared by a lot of the previous commenters. Thanks Jack for unpicking it all. I believe the other famous Jack – Hobbs – often retired when he had hit 100. Just a thought Teazel

    Edited at 2018-04-30 06:02 pm (UTC)

  20. But misery loves company so it was very comforting to read the comments. What a stinker that was, limped my way through only just within my target of 3.5 x Kevin (I’m going to amend it to 3x, I’m being cowardly).

    Gosh there was some obscurity in there, it really felt like the few occasions when I try the Big Boy puzzle and retreat in despair.

    Great blog from jackkt as always, thanks.

    Templar

  21. I am not convinced a post-doc — someone who has got a PhD – is called a graduate student. That is confined to those who have a first degree and are doing a Masters or a Doctorate.
  22. As a beginner I can only say that I hope this setter doesn’t move on past his 100 mark and is put out to pasture ASAP. These “quick” cryptics are supposed to be achievable and a stepping stone to the 15 x 15 – this crossword was impossible and completely out of place. Waste of time for all but the most experienced solvers. Please Mr Editor let’s have no more from Teazel.
  23. I am running behind with crosswords after a busy weekend so got to this one late. I think it’s fair to say it was more like an easy to medium 15×15 than a Quickie!

    As to dining halls, a mess hall is certainly a dining room.

  24. Far too hard for a QC. Self indulgent by the author and the editor. The crossword is part of the product for the readers to enjoy not a showcase for the setters.
  25. Only got round to this today (7 May) and it was a real test. I would disagree with the two recent anons calling for Teazel to be ‘retired’. We need a spectrum of difficulty in the QC. Otherwise it would be come just a procession. If we sometimes get tested too far – well, that’s no disgrace, but is an opportunity to learning wonder. I took absolutely ages to complete the puzzle but it felt all the better for that!

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