Times Quick Cryptic 1376 by Izetti

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
All bar one went in uncharacteristically fast for an Izetti – in about 8 minutes. That one was 21ac which, with all the checkers had me stumped. I could see a name which fitted but was at a loss as to why it was the answer. With the clock ticking towards 10 minutes I’d come up with nothing else so bunged it in and all was well. I then spent some time doing a crash course in etymology and the Restoration period. That much wiser, here’s how I got on.
Definitions are underlined.

ACROSS

1. Difficult to support one sort of book.
HARDBACK – difficult (HARD) to support (BACK).
5. Suggestion less than perfect.
IDEA. Less than perfect (IDEA)l.
8. By river, man of bygone era.
CAMBRIAN – of, denoting, or formed in the first 65 million years of the Palaeozoic era, during which marine invertebrates, esp trilobites, flourished. By river (CAM), man (BRIAN).
9. Experts in disgrace sometimes.
ACES – in disgr(ACE S)ometimes.
11. Production for people of a certain age.
GENERATION – double definition.
14. Friend follows soldiers, in truth.
REALLY – friend (ALLY) follows soldiers (RE).
15. Shrubs for senior citizens.
ELDERS – double definition.
17. When troubled, is not tense or rigid.
SET IN STONE – anagram (when troubled) of IS NOT TENSE.
20. Boy with nothing to eat in pack.
LOAD – boy (LAD) with nothing (O) to eat.
21. Girl in the era of Nell Gwyn?
CAROLINE – double definition. First we delve into the life history of Eleanor (Nell) Gwyn who was a prolific celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage, she became best known for being a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England and Scotland. Next we establish that a word which means ‘characteristic of or relating to Charles I or Charles II, kings of England, Scotland, and Ireland, the society over which they ruled, or their government’ is Caroline and, finally, equate that with a very pleasant girl’s name of the current era. Piece of cake.
22. Side falling apart fades away.
DIES – anagram (falling apart) of SIDES.
23. Good person has minor irritations, spasms of pain.
STITCHES – good person (ST), minor irritations (ITCHES).

DOWN

1. Beastly joint offering wine.
HOCK – double definition.
2. Hear tramp in capital city.
ROME – homophone (hear) of tramp – roam.
3. British command leads to row and division.
BORDERLINE – British (B), command (ORDER), row (LINE).
4. Holiday home, a property for tenants south of church.
CHALET – a (A), property for tenants (LET) south of (below) church (CH).
6. Got worse, being wrinkled at end of month.
DECLINED – wrinkled (LINED) at end of (after) month (DEC).
7. One who achieves a burning ambition?
ARSONIST – cryptic definition.
10. Leaving parade, disagreeing.
FALLING OUT – double definition.
12. Reacted angrily, getting hairy.
BRISTLED – double definition.
13. Chemical in acid and speed.
TARTRATE. Acid (TART), speed (RATE).
16. Map book landing on top of table finally.
AT LAST – map book (ATLAS), on top of (T)able.
18. Express regret, with vision falling short.
SIGH – vision falling short (SIGH)t.
19. Fish slumber mostly upside down!
EELS – slumber almost (slee)p – upside down p(EELS).

23 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1376 by Izetti”

  1. I needed the checkers to get BRISTLED and STITCHES. But even with the checkers, it took me a while to remember who Nell Gwynn was–I actually put in JACOBITE at first. 6:10. Chris, you’ve got a typo at 3d: B not BR.
  2. “Nell Gwyne? Who’s she when she’s at home?” Ha.

    Edited at 2019-06-18 03:15 am (UTC)

  3. There were two or three rather tricky ones here but they didn’t hold me up by much and I finished in a few seconds under my target 10 minutes. I got the Nell Gwyn connection immediately and fortunately I also knew of CAROLINE as a word used to describe that era.

    Edited at 2019-06-18 05:25 am (UTC)

  4. Another who didn’t know that meaning of CAROLINE so just biffed from the checkers. LOAD and BRISTLED my last 2 in. COD to GENERATION. 5:44
  5. Let me be the first of the SCC to post here (almost 4K). I thought I was motoring well but was slow to see IDEA and BRISTLED and was held up by GENERATION and ELDERS. CsOD CAROLINE, TARTRATE and CAMBRIAN. Thanks to Izetti for a fair but quite testing QC (for me) and to Chris for his usual crisp blog. John M.

    Edited at 2019-06-18 07:53 am (UTC)

  6. Not sure if this gave me sighs, minor irritations or spasms of pain, but I struggled and it took about 40 mins.

    Held up by not knowing a few bits, and having passing out/setting out for a while.

    Got Rome quickly although I see roam as travelling aimlessly whereas tramp is walking heavily.

    Guessed Caroline.
    Dnk elder bush, joint hock, or tartrate.

    Cod cambrian.

  7. I had a very similar solving experience to our blogger Chris. I was stumped at 21a and like Kevin I thought of Jacobite before selecting CAROLINE and bunged it in with fingers crossed. Other than that I needed all the checkers for 3d BORDERLINE, my penultimate solve. 10:09. Thanks for the CAROLINE explanation.
  8. DNF for me, NHO TARTRATE and couldn’t get the wordplay – I thought I was looking for a word meaning “speed”, probably ending “iage”. Oh well. Rest of it done in 2.5K so a Good Day But.

    Was I the only person to put CAROLEAN at first? I couldn’t parse the EAN so wrote it in very lightly expecting to have to over write in due course!

    FOI HARDBACK, LOI CAMBRIAN, COD EELS.

    Super puzzle as always, thanks Izetti and thanks Chris too.

    Templar

  9. I was off the wavelength for this one and took 15:19. CAROLINE was a biff. I understood the Nell Gwynne reference but failed to see the Charles’ reign definition. Thanks for that Chris. Took me ages to see GENERATION too, even with all the checkers. Nice one Izetti and thanks to Chris for the blog.
  10. Just inside my target of 15 minutes, but it felt longer. Another excellent Izetti puzzle.
  11. Please could someone explain why RE is soldiers and ST is good person?

    I’m attempting to get the hang of these things, but a lot to learn!

    1. RE – Royal Engineers.
      ST – Saint.
      Collins online is worth checking – bung in a letter or two and see what gets listed.
    2. RE is The Royal Engineers. ST is an abbreviation for Saint.
      On edit. Chris, our replies overlapped:-)

      Edited at 2019-06-18 08:54 am (UTC)

  12. ….CAROLINE, good times never felt so good. And my time for this was, indeed, good.

    FOI HARDBACK
    LOI TARTRATE
    COD SET IN STONE
    TIMR 3:15

  13. DNF due to my own ignorance today, I’ve always thought HOCK was spelt with an ‘H’ so was surprised when a pink square came up, but hopefully the correct spelling is now lodged firmly in my mind.
    Other than that I found this quite tough with the unknown TARTRATE going in from the word play and CAROLINE went in at the end with fingers crossed.
    Thanks to Chris
    1. Ah, it took me a while but I suspect you thought that hock was hocH – which is, actually, quite a decent German language take on the pronunciation.
        1. Well, I don’t know, how about we both have another glass and then we’ll understand each other perfectly!🙂
    2. Ah, it took me a while but I suspect you thought that hock was hocH – which is, actually, quite a decent German language take on the pronunciation.

Comments are closed.