Times Quick Cryptic 1431 by Hurley

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Not much to report back in here as it all seems fairly straightforward (sorry to anyone who found it otherwise) – although it had something which pushed me just over the ten minute mark, so I may be underestimating.

ACROSS

1. Some miss car centre that’s hard to find (6)
SCARCE – some of mis(S CAR CE)ntre.
4. Cup supporter’s impudent behaviour? Right! (6)
SAUCER – impudent behaviour (SAUCE), right (R).
8. Describing some games — too dour unfortunately (7)
OUTDOOR – anagram (unfortunately) of TOO DOUR.
10. Powerful person in pub, working (5)
BARON – pub (BAR), working (ON).
11. Permitted to be heard in normal voice (5)
ALOUD – homophone (to be heard) of permitted=allowed.
12. Next to vehicle, discard English rifle (7)
CARBINE – vehicle (CAR), discard (BIN), English (E).
13. One’s accepted by Asian country — or another (9)
INDONESIA – one’s (ONES) accepted by Asian County (INDIA).
17. Initially agree South African Rugby Union’s less European, predictably (2,1,4)
AS A RULE – initially (A)gree, South (S) African (A) Rugby (R) Union (U) (L)ess (E)uropean.
19. Dad meets rep on return — source of news? (5)
PAPER – dad (PA) meets rep on return (PER – rep backwards).
20. Indecision of daughter leading to breach (5)
DRIFT – daughter (D), breach (RIFT).
21. One’s pragmatic referring to names of top celebrities? (7)
REALIST – referring to (RE), names of top celebrities? (A LIST – from Collin’s – A-List of celebrities – a group of celebrities who are very famous indeed).
22. Style of large house spoken of (6)
MANNER – homophone (spoken of) of large house=manor. I feel we’ve had this very recently.
23. Encourage development of nursery doctor? (6)
FOSTER – Dr Foster went to Gloucester…

DOWN

1. Work hard on article that’s meant to be easily remembered (6)
SLOGAN – work hard (SLOG), article (AN).
2. What could be a Ruritania, hot, despotic? (13)
AUTHORITARIAN – anagram (what could be) of A RURITANIA HOT.
3. Full of people bird oddly dreads (7)
CROWDED – bird (CROW), oddly (D)r(E)a(D)s.
5. Find colour in Camberwell (5)
AMBER – to be found in C(AMBER)well. The definition not at the front or back of the clue – which is unusual.
6. Main feature of compass indicator plan needs rewriting (8,5)
CARDINAL POINT – anagram (needs rewriting) of INDICATOR PLAN.
7. One managing athlete (6)
RUNNER – double definition.
9. Eurocrat at work around November, an entertaining speaker (9)
RACONTEUR – anagram (at work) of EUROCRAT around November (N).
14. Very quiet artist, with little number, becoming singer (7)
SOPRANO – very (SO), quiet (P), artist (RA) with little (short for) number (NO).
15. Like some samples of money Mo brought up (6)
RANDOM – money (RAND), Mo brought up (OM).
16. Chapel in the end excluding Yankee speaker (6)
ORATOR – Chapel (ORATOR)y – at the end excluding Yankee (Y).
18. United Nations sports fixture for free (5)
UNTIE – United Nations (UN), sports fixture (TIE).

22 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1431 by Hurley”

  1. I finished in 8 minutes for the second day running slowed only by 6dn where I had to write down the unused anagrist and by being unable to solve 4ac until I had all its checkers in place.
  2. Going along lickety-split, but brought to a halt by 1d; had the checkers and N, and just couldn’t think of SLOG. 6:06.
  3. This seemed a gentler test than recent QCs. A few gimmes I thought but still testing in places. My LOI was SAUCER and prior to that I spent time writing down the anagram fodder to get CARDINAL.An enjoyable puzzle -12:47.
    David
  4. Bit rusty having missed a few for holidays but 8.44 today so not bad. Admittedly I didn’t know 12ac but decided CARBINE looked better than CARRIDE which was just as well. Anyone else do this or just a word unknown to me? Otherwise nice puzzle, thanks to setter and blogger alike

    NeilC

    1. I was familiar with carbine – war/western films perhaps? I can see where you’re coming from with rid – just as well you guessed correctly.
  5. Held up at the end by my last two ALOUD and SLOGAN – like Kevin SLOG was slow to come to my mind too. 5:42
  6. Just scraped under my target at 9:55 today, held up by CARDINAL NUMBER and SLOGAN. Nice puzzle. Thanks Hurley and Chris.
  7. Just under 2 Kevins for a Good Day. I was another person delayed by SLOGAN, which had a slightly elliptical definition (at least compared with the much more straightforward definitions elsewhere!). I also struggled with DRIFT since I had the definition at the wrong end to begin with, and I give that my COD. A very enjoyable puzzle, thanks Hurley and Chris.

    Templar

  8. The puzzle was very nicely compiled. I really enjoyed it.

    Edited at 2019-09-03 08:48 am (UTC)

  10. Quicker than yesterday, but I ran into roadblocks all over this excellent offering from Hurley. Didn’t immediately see “slog” at 1D, tried to anagrind “in pub” before seeing BARON, didn’t realise that “indecision” led to DRIFT, and failed to crack my LOI until I visited it for a third time once POINT was in place. RANDOM was another I didn’t see at first.

    FOI SCARCE
    LOI CARDINAL POINT
    COD FOSTER
    TIME 5:21

  11. I, also, was held up by Foster and Orator at the end. After a rapid start I was looking for a rare sub 10 minute time but ended up on 12:36.
  12. Taken over my 15m target by nearly a minute – held up in the end by last two in – ORATOR and FOSTER, which I should have seen earlier.
  13. I agree there was some easy stuff scattered around (inside) the grid, but I still needed two sittings to nail down the perimeter! In particular, 1d, 15d, 22ac and 23ac. For what it’s worth, I wasn’t that keen either on 7d Runner for manager, but it couldn’t really be anything else. I thought 4ac, Saucer, was probably a chestnut, but given Jackkt’s comment, I am now happy to make it my CoD. Invariant

    Edited at 2019-09-03 11:09 am (UTC)

  14. Easiest for a while. Enjoyed SAUCER (cup supporter – neat) and FOSTER (saw the answer before I made the nursery rhyme connection)
    PlayUpPompey
  15. Foolishly started to feel pleased with myself after all but one went in in just over 6 mins but, like others, inexplicably held up by 1dn which required a further four minutes to identify the two missing letters.
  16. Personal best of 15.51 for me. LOI were SLOGAN and RANDOM, which easily cost me a couple of minutes, so would otherwise have really smashed the PB. The rest seemed to just slot in nicely. Still can’t imagine being sub 10-minutes.
  17. Fairly straightforward today and was on for a very quick time until I got inexplicably stuck on UNTIE and RANDOM. Finished in 11.10.
    Thanks for the blog
  18. I only do one quick cryptic a week on paper, started about two years ago, so I’m easily misdirected.
    12a is a case in point, I thought it started with ‘close’, then you had to discard the ‘e’ and add a vehicle to find rifle. Luckily, I could see carbine, so didn’t waste too much time! I still count myself as a learner, so never time myself. It wouldn’t be in any way comparable to the times reported here.
    Always love the blog and mostly love the crosswords!
    Happy Potter

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