Times Quick Cryptic 1090 by Flamande

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Once again we celebrate a ton-up as Flamande reaches his 100th QC today, so congratulations and thanks to him for this fine puzzle. I think only one other of the original setters is due to achieve this milestone in the near future having currently clocked up 99. This one took me 9 minutes.

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 Son turned out decent, smelling sweet? (7)
SCENTED – S (son), anagram [turned out] of DECENT
5 Pile of sheaves / appeared insecure? (5)
SHOOK – Two meanings. I thought at first that the setter had confused the answer with ‘stook’, as that’s what I’d have called a ‘pile of sheaves’ in the sense of e.g. corn that’s been harvested and bundled in the field, but Collins confirms this can also be a ‘shook’ or even a ‘shock’.
8 Monarchs, for example, creating feeling of anxiety (11)
BUTTERFLIES – Two meanings. The monarch butterfly is large and orange and black in colour.
10 Meat flambé, with ends trimmed (4)
LAMB – {f}LAMB{é} [with ends trimmed]
11 Two articles in hut, well-protected (8)
SHEATHED – A + THE (two articles) contained by [in] SHED (hut)
12 Worship always has its place in religious education (6)
REVERE – EVER (always) contained by [has its place in] RE (religious education)
14 We hear rent is dearer than before (6)
HIGHER – Sounds like [we hear] “hire” (rent)
16 Terrible actor missing entrance? This person might have something to say (8)
DIRECTOR – DIRE (terrible), {a}CTOR [missing entrance]. The definition is &lit.
18 Partly open a glass container (4)
AJAR – A, JAR (glass container). When is a door not a door?
20 Publicising ruins gran visited (11)
ADVERTISING – Anagram [ruins] of GRAN VISITED
22 Around second part of Lent, don’t eat sumptuous meal (5)
FEAST – FAST  (don’t eat) contains [around] {l}E{nt} [second part of]
23 Refused stewed prunes and custard in the end (7)
SPURNED – Anagram [stewed] of PRUNES, {custar}D [in the end]
Down
2 Horse runs over a dangerous snake (5)
COBRA – COB (horse), R (runs), A.  A cob is a sturdy short-legged riding horse.
3 Distinguished aristocrat defending Territorial Army (7)
NOTABLE – NOBLE (aristocrat) containing [defending] TA (Territorial Army). We know the TA doesn’t exist any more but the abbreviation is still valid historically.
4 First lady always lacks Republican backing (3)
EVE – EVE{r} (always) [lacks Republican backing]. ‘Backing’ refers to R as the last letter ‘ever’ rather than being a reversal indicator; a good example of misdirection by the setter.
6 Unnamed male is leader of this robbery (5)
HEIST – HE (unnamed male), IS, T{his} [leader]
7 Indecent picture introduced by old boy (7)
OBSCENE – OB (old boy), SCENE (picture)
9 New student / giving more cheek (7)
FRESHER – Two meanings
11 Singular set of clothing, including oddly twee pullover (7)
SWEATER – S (singular), WEAR (set of clothing) containing [including] T{w}E{e} [oddly]
13 Move to another country, avoiding Greek capital and Dubai, say (7)
EMIRATE – EMI{g}RATE (move to another country) [avoiding Greek capital]
15 Around Channel Islands, large unwieldy mass of ice (7)
GLACIER – Anagram [unwieldy] of LARGE containing [around] CI (Channel Islands)
17 Former singer, English, is about fifty five (5)
ELVIS – E (English) + IS containing [about] LV (fifty five). We don’t need ‘former’ just because he’s dead. It helped that the King came up in Izetti’s most recent puzzle published on 3rd May.
19 Some unpopular guests clash verbally (5)
ARGUE – Hidden in [some] {unpopul}AR GUE{sts}
21 Naughty child is much punished, heads revealed (3)
IMP – I{s} M{uch} P{unished} [heads revealed]

23 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1090 by Flamande”

  1. I ground to a halt at LOI 5ac, never having heard of SHOOK or ‘stook’ or ‘shock’; searched my memory for a while, then went with the definition. 12ac was a nice, witty clue. 4:55.
    1. Word for word the same comments to make as Kevin, same time as well.
      Congratulations to setter and thanks as ever to blogger.
  2. I think this is not just superfluous but wrong. An erstwhile singer would be someone still around who has retired from the profession.
      1. Well it’s an idea, but I don’t see any need to refer to the matter at all. If one was clueing Leonardo da Vinci for example one wouldn’t be expected to put ‘dead painter’, so why the equivalent of ‘dead singer’ for Elvis?

        And quite apart from anything else Times crosswords don’t allow references to living people in answers to clues (with the single exception HM the Queen) so the matter shouldn’t arise in the first place.

  3. 26 minutes, was flying but then ground to a halt with butterflies, sheathed, higher, fresher and LOI shook left to do.

    I don’t think shook is a great clue, dnk the definition for sheaves. Alternative:

    Quiet ducks close to riverbank appeared insecure?

    Thanks Jackkt and congrats Flamande.
    COD director.

    Edited at 2018-05-14 06:38 am (UTC)

  4. A fraction inside 10 minutes held up by the same suspects as others. I add ‘sweater’ to the list as I hadn’t rationalise set of clothes to wear. I’d always considered beachwear, eveningwear as a type of clothing and a set of clothes to be an outfit. Live and learn. 12 and 16 tie for cod.
  5. 6 minutes followed by another 3 trying to get 5a by working through the alphabet. Got there in the end. Thanks Flamande for a gentle workout with a sting in the tail.
  6. Congratulations again to a setter reaching a century. This was a nice gentle one from Flamande, with only DIRECTOR and SHOOK giving me any significant pause for thought. We’ve had sheathe, heist and ajar in other puzzles recently, which helped. About 15s slower than my PB and my fastest since September last year.
  7. I also found this straightforward apart from SHOOK and DIRECTOR. Like Jack I new STOOK, and as the H was a definite, went with the other definition as confirmation of SHOOK. 8:55. Congrats to Flamande and thanks to Jack for the blog.
  8. I started with 5ac, which went in easily after I had chewed my pencil for a few minutes over 1ac and failed to get it. I then worked clockwise round the board, with 1ac being my LOI amid much self-kicking for missing it first time. About 2.5 Kevins in all.

    Really liked both BUTTERFLIES and REVERE, very witty.

    All these people having a problem with Elvis being a former singer … do you know something we don’t?!

    Thanks jack and congratulations to Flamande.

    Templar

  9. Also held up by SHOOK and LOI DIRECTOR which pushed me over my 10 minute goal.
  11. Congrats to Flammande on his century. I thought I was on for a 10 minute solve today but I had no idea what was going on with LOI 5a. Eventually after a few alphabet trawls and much cursing I guessed the answer. Completed in 20.01
  12. Congrats, Flamande! And thanks Jackkt for checking SHOOK, saved me having to look it up (I wanted to put STOOK, too).
    A great time for me today: 9 minutes! And it’s my birthday! Particularly liked BUTTERFLIES, having seen a tortoiseshell, several holly blues and an orange tip this morning while out with the dog. Only 4 more hours at work before I can crack the fizz 🙂
      1. Thanks 🙂 I do the QC every day (and usually attempt the 15×15, with varying degrees of success). I always read the blog, but don’t always get time to comment — do it in my dinner hour, so it depends how quick I complete the puzzle. Or don’t complete it, as the case may be…
  13. Apart from the same difficulty as everybody else with SHOOK (asking a bit much for a QC I thought), and a little hesitation over DIRECTOR, I found it very straightforward.
    Congratulations on your ton.
    PlayUpPompey
  14. I wish I had timed this as it all went in without a struggle….now got to dig out a book for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I hope to get some more testing puzzles as I feel a bit cheated when they flow too easily! FOI 5a. LOI 16a. COD 8a. Good to see the centuries being reached and thx for the blog.

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