Times Quick Cryptic 1320 by Breadman

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Solving time: 8 minutes. I hesitate to say this was easy but my timing indicates that I found it so. I think the clue construction is mostly straighforward but there could be a few pieces of GK that some won’t be familiar with.

Today’s setter, Breadman , has produced only 14 puzzles to date but seems to be appearing more frequently now. He set only 1 puzzle each in 2015 and 2016, and 2 in 2017. Last year he gave us 5 but this year he has already matched that with another 5 and it’s still only 1st April . Writing the date has just reminded me to check for something in the puzzle to mark the occasion, but if it’s there I can’t see it.

As usual, all comments are welcome and I will attempt to answer any queries not covered in the blog.

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

Across
1 Central character is removed from well-liked tree (6)
POPLAR – POP{u}LAR (well-liked) [central character is removed]
4 Crazy about eastern honey-based drink (4)
MEAD – MAD (crazy) containing [about] E (eastern)
9 Combatant pleased with schedule one brought over (9)
GLADIATOR – GLAD (pleased), ROTA (schedule) + I (one) reversed [brought over]
10 Initially pick each vegetable (3)
PEA – P{ick} [initially], EA (each)
11 Ancient piece of rock, relocated at store, fourteen pounds (7,5)
ROSETTA STONE – Anagram [relocated] of AT STORE, STONE (fourteen pounds). More about it here, if required.
13 Around back of library, Peter arranged to use keyboard again (2-4)
RE-TYPE – Anagram [arranged] of PETER containing [around] {librar}Y [back of…]
15 Plan section of Porsche meticulously (6)
SCHEME – Hidden in [section of] {por}SCHE ME{ticulously}
17 Private trick female recreated in detail (12)
CONFIDENTIAL – CON (trick), F (female), anagram [recreated] of IN DETAIL
20 Open meadow clear when boundaries gone (3)
LEA – {c}LEA{r} [when boundaries gone]
21 World War 1 battle, first two leaving Libyan capital after bitterness (9)
GALLIPOLI – GALL (bitterness), {tr}IPOLI (Libyan capital) [first two leaving]
22 Commotion also restricts daughter (2-2)
TO-DO – TOO (also) contains [restricts] D (daughter)
23 Old English king, for example, right to interrupt little Elizabeth (6)
EGBERT – EG (for example), R (right) contained by [to interrupt] BET (little Elizabeth)
Down
1 Young attendant annually emptied greenhouse (4)
PAGE – PA (annually – per annum), G{reenhous}E [emptied]
2 Greek character joins American returning on musical instrument (5)
PIANO – PI (Greek character), A (American), ON reversed [returning]
3 Type of band originates somewhere in mid-Australia (5,7)
ALICE SPRINGS – ALICE (type of band – for holding back hair), SPRINGS (originates)
5 Divorcee quietly learning to make a thorough investigation (7)
EXPLORE – EX (divorcee), P (quietly), LORE (learning)
6 Debate is moving about illness (8)
DIABETES – Anagram [moving about] of DEBATE IS
7 Pieces of information, whichever way you look (5)
STATS – A definition plus a hint that the answer will be a palindrome
8 Flatten incisive article perhaps taken out of newspaper (5,7)
PRESS CUTTING – PRESS (flatten), CUTTING (incisive)
12 Couple allowed jewellery (8)
BRACELET – BRACE (couple), LET (allowed)
14 Brown, curiously dark drinking vessel (7)
TANKARD – TAN (brown), anagram [curiously] of DARK
16 The man will start to offer greeting (5)
HELLO – HE’LL (the man will), O{ffer}[start]
18 Unique beer catches on (5)
ALONE – ALE (beer) contains [catches] ON
19 Motor-bike meeting outside in shade (4)
TINT – TT (motor-bike meeting – Tourist Trophy) contains [outside] IN

34 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1320 by Breadman”

  1. Pretty straightforward, but I didn’t know of an ALICE band, so biffed from checkers and def. TINT was my LOI, and took some time before I finally remembered TT–which, incidentally, has shown up a few times in the 15x15s, so verb. sap. 5:27.
  2. Slowish start to the week at over 20m. Held up by the long ones, ROSETTA STONE, ALICE SPRINGS and CONFIDENTIAL all held me up but it was TINT that really foxed me. Bottom half went in more easily that the top. In fact the NE was totally bare at one point with the bottom nearly all done. Needed the blog to parse PIANO.

    Edited at 2019-04-01 06:40 am (UTC)

  3. Most went in quickly, then held up for several minutes by EXPLORE (should have been a write in) and TINT and EGBERT. 14.17 in the end.
  4. Agree with johninterred – all very neat, tidy and a satisfying 6:42. Good start to the week.
  5. Well under 2 Kevins, a Good Day. Very enjoyable puzzle, thanks Breadman. LOI TINT, COD EGBERT.

    Thanks for the blog, Jack. I’ve never seen A clued as “American” before – is it common?

    Templar

    1. I so nearly commented on it but I checked that it’s in Collins and Chambers at least, and decided not to. I don’t think it turns up often though, as ‘American’ is more usually AM when it’s not US.

      Edited at 2019-04-01 08:37 am (UTC)

      2. I had a brief twinge of doubt at A but suppressed it. But e.g. ABC (American Broadcasting Co.), ASL (American Sign Language), and who knows? maybe many, many more.
        1. I believe Chambers has an almost endless supply of single-letter abbreviations but The Times has (or had) a policy of restricting setters to a fairly small list.

          One of the ‘rules’ that I understand to prevail is that single-letter abbreviations found only in longer abbreviations or acronyms are not permitted, so ABC (American Broadcasting Co.), ASL (American Sign Language) etc would not in themselves validate A = America.

          1. I think we had this discussion last year, only I was arguing in support of your position!
  6. Similar experience to Kevin, with TINT my LOI too, but EGBERT also gave me cause for thought. All very neat. 05:49
  7. 30 mins held up by explore, rosetta stone and loi tint, after discounting mint and hint.

    Cod explore.

  8. 14:42, a PB and under 15 minutes as well! I’m not sure why, but the checkers from the accross clues fell in the right spots (for once) and made the downs much easier.
    Thanks to setter and blogger, I expect a DNF tomorrow.
    Brian
  9. A good puzzle with a fair mix of the straightforward and the quirky. Under 3 Kevins with the NW the last to fall. LOsI were PAGE and POPLAR. ROSETTA took a while. I liked TINT, PIANO, and EGBERT but was only convinced when I finally parsed them. Thanks to Breadman and Jack. John M.
  10. 11 minutes so not far from PB territory for me. Really enjoyed solving this – I think because I parsed all the clues as they went in which is unusual for me as I normally biff a couple or take a lot longer to get there. COD for me was Egbert as I’d never heard of him, so I enjoyed getting that.
  11. I think this must have been a PB at 7.05 and I would have broken the 7 minute barrier if I’d been brave enough to forego proof-reading. My only minor pause was with LOI TINT.
    Thanks for the blog.
  12. Pretty much a write in but enjoyable nonetheless.
    My thanks to setter and blogger.
    4’10”
  13. A nice start to the week, particularly grateful that this seemed to be on the easier side given that the clock change left me starting today with a little sleep deficit and feeling a bit foggy headed. Finished in around 15 mins, which is quick for me. Nothing really gave me too much trouble – as mentioned above I did pause for a second on A for American, not something I’d come across before but still being relatively new to the world of cryptics I just assumed it was the case once ROSETTA and GLADIATOR went in. FOI POPLAR, LOI EXPLORE, COD TINT as I enjoyed having to read ‘meeting outside in’ a couple of times to get myself to focus on what I was being told to do. Thank you to both setter and blogger for a bit of light relief on a Monday.
  14. ….I came to RE-TYPE this, so my careless “eeplore” kicked me down the leader board. And that, folks, is why I solve it on paper !

    No problems, although LOI should have been FOI really I suppose !

    FOI MEAD
    LOI POPLAR
    COD PAGE
    TIME 3:26

  15. This was pretty straightforward with just a few minor hold ups along the way. I started to write in Press Clipping for 8d, but ran out of squares, and also spent several minutes looking at the wrong end of the clue at 9ac, and wanting to start with GI for the combatent bit. Crossed the line after 22mins, with 9ac, Gladiator, my CoD. Invariant
  17. EGBERT and TINT were my last two in and I submitted within my 10 minutes target but with a typo. Grr! I also confess to biffing PRESS CUTTING.
  18. Another enjoyable QC. Probably under 30mins, so breaking into SCC territory for a change. Had to biff 2dn and 17ac, so thanks for the explanations, Jack.
    Like others, 19dn was my LOI. Didn’t think of the IoM race and was fixated on the wrong meaning of shade.
  19. After 23 minutes with three left, I had to leave this to catch a train. Once I looked at it again the three went in quickly. I couldn’t remember the capital of Libya and my Australian geography is weak and Alice did not spring to mind. LOI was Tint.
    On reflection all was straightforward and I’ll blame my performance on the clocks going forward and the nagging train-to-catch feeling.
    David

  20. Agree with comments above, found this straightforward. Slowed down in not getting ayers rock out of our minds, but a good time for us at 25m.
  21. Nothing to frighten the horses here. FOI POPLAR, LOI, EGBERT. Top to bottom solve. 6:46. Thanks Breadman and Jack.
  22. Agree with most of the above commenters in finding this on the easier side with LOI TINT. COD ALONE for the nice surface and non-obvious definition. Surprised that EGBERT does not seem to have cropped up in the Times before except in a Club Monthly, but at least this version of his name looks likelier than one of the alternatives, Ecgberht, and the wordplay was kind. I didn’t raise an eyebrow at A=American as it is used in the other broadsheet crosswords, but a bit of searching on here only throws up the odd Mephisto reference.

    I see AARHUS in the checkers in the 8th row but that could be pure chance. Thanks Breadman and Jack.

  23. … so happily within my target 20 minutes and with everything parsed. Thanks Breadman for a really enjoyable QC and to Jack for the blog. MM

    FOI 1a
    LOI 19d
    COD (amongst many great clues) 9a

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