Times Quick Cryptic 113 by Dazzler – A Chewy Pangram

Author   nick_the_novicePosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Quite a chewy Quickie, I thought, with several of the clues taking a bit of unravelling. Looking back at it, there does not really appear to be much to frighten the horses as jackkt says – no arcane GK or obscure vocabulary – it just felt tricky… Around half the clues would sit quite well in the main cryptic I reckon (at least in one of the easier offerings), so this is probably just about right for the QC in terms of degree of difficulty.

The solution is also a Pangram (i.e. every letter of the alphabet is used in the grid). Must admit I’ve never been quite sure why Pangrams seem to generate particular interest amongst the crossword fraternity – to use a twitcher’s analogy, not quite at the level of an Osprey sighting but seemingly up there with the Bearded Tit in terms of noteworthiness. Maybe it reflects a special level of skill on the part of the setter, in which case hats off to Dazzler. Anyway, here is one in all its glory…

Thanks to Dazzler for a very enjoyable puzzle.

Across
7 REQUIRED – Essential is the definition. Answer also derived from QUIRE (“set of papers”) surrounded (“penned” – as in penned in) by RED (“socialist”).
8 AXIS – Alliance is the definition (think Axis powers during WW2). Answer also from the wordplay A with SIX reversed (“boundary’s rejected” – i.e. ultimate scoring cricket shot backwards)
9 BOOKIE – chap giving better payout is the definition. Answer also from the wordplay BOOK (“reserve”) with IE (“that is”). Odds are that the redoubtable (and apparently fast growing) band of female bookies may take exception to the gender assumption inherent in this clue…
10 SIGHT – Double definition, with one being a homophone. “A sense” gives us SIGHT, and “place, so to speak” gives us SITE. Neat clue
11 AGO – in the past is the definition. Answer also derived from part of (“some of”) “hexagonal” which is “housing” the answer
12 AS WELL – too is the definition. Answer also comes from the wordplay of L (abbreviation of “Lake”) included in (“found in”) anagram (indicated by “possibly”) of WALES
14 NATIVE – Mother is the definition (as in “motherland”) – albeit this is probably a definition that would not work too well outside of Crosswordland. Answer also derived from NAIVE (“easily taken in”) with (“accepting”) T (“tittle-tattle at outset” – i.e. first letter thereof)
16 SWITCH – a change is the definition. Answer also from SW (“bridge opponents”- i.e. South and West being conventional opponents in bridge literature) with ITCH (“longing”)
18 SPRING – Double definition – not much to usefully add
19 ODE – Lyric poem is the definition. Answer also from every other letter (“read regularly”) of “soldier”
20 FRAIL – feeble is the definition. Answer also derived from FAIL (“to sink”) around R (“crossing river” – R being standard abbreviation of river)
21 LEAGUE – class is the definition. Answer also from the wordplay LE (“the French”) with AGUE (“shivering fit”) “after”
23 ZINC – Element is our definition. The answer is also built from Z (“unknown”) IN and C (“capital of China”)
24 IN CAMERA – privately is the definition. The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “treated”) of AMERICAN

Down
1 TENON SAW – Carpenter’s tool is the definition. The answer also comes from WASN(ONE)T – i.e. “wasn’t holding one” backwards (“up”)
2 JUNK – Double definition type of clue. Junk is “Scrap” (i.e. rubbish) and also a type of boat plying Oriental waters
3 ORDEAL – baptism of fire is the definition. The wordplay also giving the answer is OR (abbreviation of Other Ranks – “soldiers” – a commonly used device in cryptics) with DEAL (“give out” – as in deal the cards out)
4 EDISON – inventor is the definition (he of the light bulb, amongst many other things). The answer also comes from NO SIDE (“lack of team”) backwards (“upset”)
5 LAUGHTER – Sniggering is our definition. The wordplay is SLAUGHTER (“butcher” – the verb rather than the jolly chap in the striped apron) without its first letter (“loses head”)
6 DIET – what one may regularly eat is the definition. The wordplay is DIE (“cut out” – as in an engine cutting out or “dying”) “over” T (abbreviation of “time”)
13 ENTRANCE – Double definition. “Way in” is obvious – “transport” may be less so (in this sense it’s “carry away by strong emotion” – Chambers). Spike Milligan’s Transports of Delight came to mind for me…
15 VANGUARD – Front is the definition (generally a military term – the troops up front). The answer also comes from VAN (“vehicle”) “seen on” GUARD (“screen” – as in fireguard)
17 HOLD IT – stop! is the definition. The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “getting drunk”) of I TOLD with H (abbreviation of “husband”)
18 SELECT – Single out is the definition. The answer is also constructed from the last two letters (“last couples”) of THOSE AVAILABLE CORRECT
20 FOIL – Double definition. Took me a while to see this due to the cunning misdirection with the food wrapping reference pointing to picnic hampers rather than hamper as in “foiled again!”
22 ARMY – soldiers is the definition. The wordplay is MARY (the celebrated contrarian lass with the garden of nursery rhyme fame) with her first letter (“head”) being “lowered” (i.e. removed from the top and placed further down – this being a Down clue). Quite neat, I thought.

16 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 113 by Dazzler – A Chewy Pangram”

  1. A little under 8 minutes, with the 20s last to fall. I thought three of the acrosses (9, 14 and 21) were particularly good.

    Mother as a noun modifier equivalent to ‘native’ is seen perhaps more clearly in phrases such as ‘mother/native tongue’.

  2. Top notch but tricky crossword. Over 30 minutes to complete. Last one in BOOKIE, and although the word play is clear, the aim of a bookie is to avoid a payout .

    Many fine clues with my favourite IN CAMERA, not the hardest and probably not original but a good, concise clue.

  3. 11 minutes for this one with a few moments thinking about ‘native/mother’ before coming up with the example given by ulaca above.

    Edison is one of many credited with the development of the electric light bulb though it seems to be accepted that he was responsible for the first commercially viable one.

    I didn’t know about Milligan and his “Transports of Delight” but for Brits of my generation that phrase (at least in the singular) will forever be associated with Flanders & Swann and their song about the London Bus. I tried to find the true origin of the expression but failed.

    Nice puzzle and blog.

    Edited at 2014-08-13 05:46 am (UTC)

  4. ‘And o what transport of delight from thy pure chalice floweth…’ From ‘The king of love my shepherd is’, written by Henry Baker in 1868, based on Psalm 23… And sung at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales.
  6. 5 mins. That felt like a decent time for this puzzle because, as others have noted, there were a few clues here which wouldn’t have been out of place in the main puzzle, much like yesterday’s offering. DIET was my LOI after the JUNK/REQUIRED crossers.
  7. Though a pangram is more of a setter’s indulgence than anything else, it can be useful to the solver if you suspect one might be on the cards, as it will identify letters that must appear in any remaining unsolved answers. Having said that, I don’t think I’ve ever noticed one while solving …
  8. A very difficult one for us newbies. I got stuck with a “chain saw” and then could not do what was “required”
  9. Another difficult puzzle. Pangram completely passed me by. LOI was JUNK as I was convinced that ‘out east” meant it ended in ‘e’
  10. As usual, did not spot the Pangram. Always impressed by those who do. I guess if a Z is in there it’s worth a check?

    Yes, a good chewy crossword, as others have said, and a few moments of doubt as to whether a successful completion was on the cards. LOI 7ac, REQUIRED. Didn’t know quire and also agree native for mother would only be seen in “crosswordland”. Put it in from wordplay, but never find such clues very satisfactory.

    Nigel from Surrey

  11. Struggled tonight. I rather like the description of ‘chewy’ to this quickie – after 40 minutes my jaws need a rest! My lesson learnt tonight is OR for soldiers; I knew the convention of RE and TA, but OR is new to me.
  12. Yes, I went down the “must end in e” road for a while. Penny only dropped when the K from BOOKIE went in – and as that was one of the trickier ones, JUNK was actually my last one in!

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