Times Quick Cryptic 1370 by Breadman

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

My solving time was 11 minutes. Regulars may know that I always include parsing in my stated times and it was that that took me over my target 10 minutes today; the answer at 21dn was obvious on first reading but I had a blind spot lasting more than a moment or two before I realised how it worked. It seems so obvious now!

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
8 Sword nicked by girl (7)
CUTLASS – CUT (nicked), LASS (girl)
9 Financial supporter not available to back hairdressing product (5)
ANGEL – NA (not available) reversed [back], GEL (hairdressing product). I first came across this type of angel as backers who invest in theatrical productions, but it can also be used for other kinds of enterprise.
10 Lowest emotional point of commemoration: a dirge (5)
NADIR – Hidden in [of] {commemoratio}N A DIR{ge}
11 The aim’s to change a lack of belief in god (7)
ATHEISM – Anagram [change] THE AIM’S
12 Adult heard complaint raised (5-2)
GROWN-UP – Sounds like [heard] “groan” (complaint), UP (raised)
14 Reveal temperature in Spanish city (3,2)
LET ON – T (temperature) contained by [in]  LEÓN (Spanish city). My knowledge of Spanish cities is somewhat limited and I’m afraid I didn’t know this one – not that I needed it to solve the clue.
15 Again plan harvest around first of May (5)
REMAP – REAP (harvest) containing [around] M{ay} [first]
17 Violent storm forcibly split a party (7)
TORNADO – TORN (forcibly split), A, DO (party)
19 Swindler runs past new sleuth (7)
HUSTLER – R (runs) comes after [past] anagram [new] of SLEUTH
20 A vocal expression in harmony (2,3)
AT ONE – A, TONE (vocal expression)
22 US soldier rejected toilet, dwelling in freezing conditions (5)
IGLOO – GI (US soldier) reversed [rejected], LOO (toilet)
23 Turned to welcome Shakespearean character (7)
OTHELLO – TO reversed [turned], HELLO (welcome)
Down
1 Closely examine small prison (4)
SCAN – S (small), CAN (prison)
2 Both Stuart and Dionne half-completed artist’s workroom (6)
STUDIO – STU{art} + DIO{nne} [both…half-completed]. I’m not sure if the names have any relevance here.
3 Trade show open (4)
FAIR – Two meanings, the second as in ‘open and honest’
4 Jazz pianist favoured by royal relative after award (5,8)
OSCAR PETERSON – OSCAR (award),  PET (favoured), ER (royal), SON (relative)
5 Unmarried man excited Chloe in pub (8)
BACHELOR – Anagram [excited] of CHLOE contained by [in] BAR (pub)
6 One who stands against the old decaying gates enclosing unit (6)
AGEIST – Anagram [decaying] of GATES containing [enclosing] I (unit)
7 Little Florence entertains blokes in Athletic club dance (8)
FLAMENCO – FLO (little Florence), contains [entertains] MEN (blokes) contained by [in] AC (athletic club)
12 US composer whinges awfully about intro of record (8)
GERSHWIN – Anagram [awfully] of WHINGES containing [about] R{ecord} [intro]
13 Recalled article by North European on military general (8)
NAPOLEON – AN (article) reversed [recalled], POLE (North European), ON
16 Perhaps calf is a beast of burden carrying sack regularly (6)
MUSCLE – MULE (beast of burden) containing [carrying] S{a}C{k} [regularly]
18 Everyone outside potty over handsome young man (6)
APOLLO – ALL (everyone) containing [outside] PO (potty), then O (over)
20 First couple of children in A&E hurt (4)
ACHE – CH{ildren} [first couple] contained by [in] A E (A&E – Accident & Emergenecy)
21 School prize went to son, finally (4)
ETON – {priz}E, {wen}T. {t}O, {so}N [finally]

29 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1370 by Breadman”

  1. I biffed a couple, including GERSHWIN, which I never went back to, and, stupidly, ADONIS at 18d even though I was sure it would have ALL in it. That came out soon enough, but still. 4:48.
  2. Held up at the end having also biffed ADONIS; and my spelling of Petersen did not help ( I thought it did end …EN). This meant a minute or two thinking of characters from Shakespeare beginning with E.
    But even with those delays I was finished in 12:18 which is more like my average.
    David
  3. Like David, I put PETERSEN in, but a careful check of the wordplay made me change it before I moved on. Fortunately I wasn’t distracted by Adonis. FOI SCAN, LOI, ETON. 6:33. Thanks Breadman and Jack.
  4. 13.18 so a minute slower than David.

    Got stuck on the unknown pianist, and loi apollo, haven’t seen potty = po before.

    Also haven’t seen ac/athletic club in a crossword before.

    Cod bachelor.

    Thanks

      1. Ma’s out, Pa’s out, let’s talk rude,
        Pee Po Belly Bum Drawers
        (as Flanders and Swann put it)
    2. I wondered if AC /Athletic Club existed only as part of longer abbreviations and therefore not allowed at least by convention, but it’s in Collins and the Oxfords. Not Chambers, though.
  5. Definitely one of the easiest for some time. Under 30 minutes, and no passes but squeezed in “poo” into “po”.
    Had never heard of Spanish city, Leon, but I guess SEAT named their model after it.
    Thank you Breadman, Jackkt and all.

    Edited at 2019-06-10 08:22 am (UTC)

  6. ….so knew it wasn’t “Adonis”.

    FOI CUTLASS
    LOI APOLLO
    COD MUSCLE
    TIME 4:01

  7. Never heard of APOLLO as meaning a handsome youth so Adonis was my reflex thought as well, but the wordplay sorted me out. Never heard of OSCAR PETERSON either, where the wordplay was much tougher. Thanks for unpicking it, Jack. Just under 2 Kevins, a Very Good Day.

    FOI CUTLASS, LOI OSCAR PETERSON, COD OTHELLO

    Templar

  8. A gentle start to the week, only being slowed down by the unknown pianist and the handsome young man. I’d not heard of PO before or, like Tempalar, associated APOLLO with being particularly handsome, but you learn something new each day. Completed in 8.27.
    Thanks for the blog
  9. 4:00 but I see I neglected to parse FLAMENCO and APOLLO. Nice to get an easier one for a change after missing my target 3 days in a row last week. COD to MUSCLE.
  10. I knew Oscar P and Leon but got in a pickle in SE corner. I was convinced 20a had to be AS ONE and 18d ADONIS but couldn’t parse either. Took an age (or so it seemed) to unravel my preconceptions, very surprised to stop clock at 5’50” so rest must have been easy.

    COD goes to FLAMENCO, not often that a ‘Russian doll’ clue appears in the QC.

    Many thanks, as ever, to setter and blogger.

    1. At one meaning in harmony with, and a tone for the vocal.

      The parsing wouldn’t work if it was a sone.

      1. Po was a common term used by my grandparents in the north of England to describe the ‘under the bed’ pot that was common in their day (days of outside lavatories and all that).
        1. aka a ‘guzunder’ because it ‘goes under’ the bed. Amazed to not this doesn’t appear to be in any of the usual dictionaries although it’s referenced across the web where such things are written about.
          1. You just beat me to it with that. I was in the process of checking spelling – gusunder/guzunder. Both are recorded. John.
          2. gazunder is in Chambers (but not Collins or ODO) with this meaning, though described as “informal, chiefly Aust”. I remember my (non-Australian) father using it – it seems like the kind of word more often heard than written.
            1. Thanks. Found it now in the printed Chambers. The free on-line version has it only in connection with buying and selling property, as compared with ‘gazumping’.
    2. Sorry my blog wasn’t more explicit on this but please see comments above, specifically kevingregg’s timed at 08:20.
  13. I just beat david today so that is probably a first. A good mix of the straightforward and the unusual. Enjoyed it. Thanks Breadman John M.
  14. A welcome return to the 20’s with today’s puzzle – 22mins in total. Looking at some of the comments above, I think 20ac is a good example of why I like to parse each potential answers as I go along. As One is probably the more common expression but, as Jackkt points out, it has to be At One to fit the clue. Invariant
  15. I had 20Ac as AS ONE – a sone is a unit of sound..
    Fits the definition better!
    Nick
    1. In a competition situation your answer may well be deemed an acceptable alternative by the adjudicators although it’s unlikely the average QC solver could be expected to know the word.

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