Times Quick Cryptic 1340 by Breadman

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

7 minutes and as my solving time suggests I found this one very easy  apart from one parsing which I explain in more detail in the blog. Breadman has set us only 15 puzzles since the end of September 2015 and was rarely sighted during the first two years, but he’s become more of a regular now, this being his 6th QC this year and it’s still only April.

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 Queen, during duty, to perform physical activity (8)
EXERCISE – ER (queen) contained by [during] EXCISE (duty – tax)
5 Some yobbos looted European capital (4)
OSLO – Hidden in [some] {yobb}OS LO{oted}
8 Trainee accountant Edward recalled (5)
CADET – CA (accountant), TED (Edward) reversed [recalled]
9 Suspect ponders answer (7)
RESPOND – Anagram [suspect] of PONDERS
11 First-rate Republican to be broadcast (3)
AIR – A1 (first-rate), R (republican). I looked twice at this thinking that the definition was ‘to be broadcast’ or ‘be broadcast’, and in either case the answer would need to be ‘aired’, but to get round this I think it has to be read as if the answer is ‘to be (a word meaning) broadcast’.
12 Modern fortification somewhere in Northeast England (9)
NEWCASTLE – NEW (modern), CASTLE (fortification). There’s also one in the West Midlands.
13 Strand of yarn spoiled red hat (6)
THREAD – Anagram [spoiled] of RED HAT
15 Weapon found in British river — good grief! (4,2)
DEAR ME – ARM (weapon) contained by [found in] DEE (British river)
18 Awfully petty war absorbs a lawman in American West (5,4)
WYATT EARP – Anagram [awfully] of PETTY WAR contains [absorbs] A. 1848-1929. Perhaps most celebrated for his part in the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
19 Poor book promotion (3)
BAD – B (book), AD (promotion)
20 Mostly respect a large naval commander (7)
ADMIRAL – ADMIR{e} (respect) [mostly], A, L (large)
21 An unmarried female, not suitable (5)
AMISS – A (an), MISS (unmarried female)
22 Shop distributed an element of beer (4)
HOPS – Anagram [distributed] of SHOP
23 Financial supporter wearing singlet and gold (8)
INVESTOR – IN (wearing), VEST (singlet), OR (gold)
Down
1 Charm, in French, church worker perhaps (7)
ENCHANT – EN (in – French), CH (church), ANT (worker perhaps)
2 Sea duck behind heard at regular intervals (5)
EIDER – {b}E{h}I{n}D {h}E{a}R{d} [at regular intervals]
3 Rosaceous shrub person from Dundee beheaded on holiday (11)
COTONEASTER – {s}COT (person from Dundee) [beheaded], ON, EASTER (holiday). Not familiar to all, I imagine, but I planted one in my garden some 35 years ago. By coincidence I plan to get rid of it very shortly in a makeover.
4 Wily little long-nosed animal digging primarily (6)
SHREWD – SHREW (little long-nosed animal), D{igging} [primarily]
6 Maybe town crier disturbed others around university (7)
SHOUTER – Anagram [disturbed] of OTHERS containing [around] U (university)
7 Elderly person outside taken away from soldier (5)
OLDIE – {s}OLDIE{r} [outside taken away]. Which reminds me that following the retirement of the original setter The Oldie ‘Genius’ crossword is not what it was. I may even cancel my sub to compensate for the increased cost of The Times.
10 Old playwright is visibly nervous with fruit knife, at the back (11)
SHAKESPEARE – SHAKES (is visibly nervous), PEAR (fruit), {knif}E [at the back]
14 Reportedly cycled with Pam, going over navigational aid (4,3)
ROAD MAP – ROAD sounds like [reportedly] “rode” [cycled], PAM reversed [going over]
16 European nursed indisposed customer possibly (3-4)
END-USER – E (european), anagram [indisposed] of NURSED
17 Damage line, dropping latest oceanic fish (6)
MARLIN – MAR (damage), LIN{e} [dropping latest]. Another less familiar word perhaps.
18 Extreme anger starts to worry receptionist at hospital (5)
WRATH – W{orry} R{eceptionist} [starts], AT, H (hospital)
19 Constructed raised bath to contain the Italian (5)
BUILT – TUB (bath) reversed [rasied] contains IL (the – Italian)

23 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1340 by Breadman”

  1. I hesitated a bit over COTONEASTER, a word that I suppose I’ve come across some time or other in the distant past; but the wordplay was clear. 6:09.
  2. All by three written in on the first pass of the acrosses made life easier for the downs. LOI was COTONEASTER, the definition spooked me and even with all the checkers it took a while for it to come to me – mainly because I failed to split on holiday into two parts. A rare sub-10 for me, nestling for now, just behind Vinyl on the leaderboard, and slighyly smarting from cotoneaster denying me a first sub-8!
  3. Just under my target for once at 19:36. It should have been even quicker but I mis-spelt ‘exercise’ with an S instead of C which meant the shrub, which I knew, started S_T – a silly mistake on the very first clue.
    I thought one or two of the answers such as ‘Shakespeare’ were a bit too biffable, but it was a nice start to the week.

    Brian

  4. Most of this was a write in, but the unknown shrub added a couple of minutes to my time of 9.22. I was trying to think of alternative words for vacation etc.
    Thanks for the blog
  5. 9.14 today, the last minute or more being on INVESTOR, not sure why now! Otherwise nothing too unheard of here

    NeilC

  6. A nice gentle start to the week – COTONEASTER, while I’ve heard of it, always causes me spelling grief, so good that the wordplay was clear.

    SHAKESPEARE from definition and a couple of checkers, LOI NEWCASTLE because, um, reasons.

    3.11

  7. Quick here too at 1.5 Kevins; it felt like a deliberately easy start to the week with quite a bit of underarm bowling (and none the worse for that!). I enjoyed the SW in particular and END-USER gets COD from me. Thanks Breadman and Jack.

    Templar

  8. A nice gentle start to the week. No real surprises and I managed a relaxed 11.15 so under 2 Kevins for a change. LI were SHOUTER and DEAR ME. Thanks both. John M.
  9. Good to go sub 10 with 9.45 after last week’s woes. INVESTOR held me up, too, along with SE corner. Quite a few biffed/seen immediately before full parsing e.g. EIDER, SHAKESPEARE, COTONEASTER.
  10. Thank you Breadman for a lovely doable QC….no obscure words, I knew of COTONEASTER, or dodgy definitions. FOI EXERCISE and LOI MARLIN in a very pleasing 7:32. Thank you Jack for the blog. I guess I didn’t overthink 11a.
  12. Didn’t get cotoneaster. Should’ve done from the word-play as it’s not too difficult really, but then that’s easier said in hindsight….

    Enjoyed the puzzle despite the failure.

  13. …. to start the week. It felt quicker but the clock doesn’t lie!! Had never heard of COTONEASTER (nor has my computer spellchecker – it has underlined it) but the wordplay was very clear. Enjoyed all the smooth surfaces created by Breadman and thanks,Jack, for the blog. MM

    FOI OSLO
    LOI AMISS
    COD WYATT EARP

  14. Just over the nine minutes for me, so I can agree that this was an easy start to the week. A couple of the write-ins I thought so easy that I must be missing something (AIR, AMISS, HOPS,OLDIE), but COTONEASTER caught me out, and was eventually dragged, kicking and screaming, to the surface helped by the wordplay. Thanks Jack and Breadman.
  15. 6 minutes, which is about as quick as it can be for me, as I now look out for typos while typing. No hold-ups, as the shrub is known – there’s one right outside here.
  16. No particular problems for me apart from not knowing the plant, which was my LOI. FOI, ENCHANT. 9:30. Thanks Breadman and Jack.
  17. ….and my last really should have been my first ! I have an aversion to EXERCISE and maybe that explains it – or probably not. Otherwise it was easy going.

    FOI OSLO
    LOI EXERCISE
    COD COTONEASTER (but then, I knew the shrub)
    TIME 3:34

  18. Held up at the end by DEAR ME and the unbiffable COTONEASTER. Otherwise all very straightforward.
    4’55”
  19. 11 mins.
    Worried about the shrub but it was clued kindly, if you get easter for holiday.

    Lots of nice surfaces, cod investor or dear me.

    The 15×15 is ok today.

    Thanks

  20. No problems here taking just over 8 minutes on paper. We have had cotoneaster in the garden so it’s one of a small number of shrubs which I know.
    LOI was OLDIE which seemed to take forever compared to the rest.
    Lots of nice clues; I think HOPS was my favourite. David
  21. I thought this was going in uncharacteristically easily for me, slowing only slightly toward the end, until I was left with an unknown rosaceous shrub. The definition seems to cover a large fraction of the world’s plant species, this was one I’d clearly never heard of, and although I had COTON I just couldn’t see EASTER. Never mind, always good to learn. My DD typed in her acceptance of university offers at Newcastle and Dundee last night, so entertaining to see them both featured today.

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