Times Quick Cryptic 1556 by Orpheus

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Not my best form, judging by the ‘doh’ count – not least LOI 9ac which I realised I’d known all along. So a longish 13 minutes with lots to enjoy, including COD 13ac but also with a golden raspberry at 20dn.

ACROSS
1. Bachelor, fairly flabby, like a cartoon colonel? (8)
BLIMPISH – Bachelor (B), fairly flabby (LIMPISH).
6. Old-fashioned bloke in sheltered inlet (4)
COVE – double definition.
8. Unproductive peer, by the sound of it (6)
BARREN – homophone (by the sound of it) of baron.
9. Futile, abandoning ship in Merseyside port (6)
BOOTLE – futile (bootless) abandoning ship (BOOTLE)ss.
10. Seabird using the front regularly (4)
TERN – (T)h(E) f(R)o(N)t.
11. One may produce milk, haphazardly as I infer (8)
FRIESIAN – anagram (haphazardly) of AS I INFER.
12. Weatherproof coat a nosy person talked of? (5)
PARKA – homophone (talked of) of a nosey parker (term of the day).
13. Consumed a bit of pie at Enfield (5)
EATEN – a bit of pi(E AT EN)field.
15. One who kills a couple of donkeys at home? (8)
ASSASSIN – a couple of donkeys (ASS ASS), at home (IN).
17. Small number with satisfactory hideaway (4)
NOOK – small number (NO), satisfactory (OK).
19. Capital fellow, the Italian ace! (6)
MANILA – fellow (MAN), ‘the’ in Italian (IL), ace (A).
20. Bloke digesting books of sexually explicit nature? (6)
EROTIC – bloke (ERIC) holding books (OT).
21. Supporting member making us smile broadly (4)
BEAM – double definition.
22. Thrashing learner restricted by deficiency (8)
FLAILING – learner (L) inside deficiency (FAILING).

DOWN
2. Permission to make tracks? (5)
LEAVE – double definition.
3. Underground worker arresting a Republican sailor (7)
MARINER – underground worker (MINER) with a (A) and Republican (R) inside.
4. Fashionable northern lodging-place (3)
INN – fashionable (IN), northern (N).
5. Male newlywed, an islander (9)
HEBRIDEAN – Male (HE), newlywed (BRIDE), an (AN).
6. Angry mule, for example (5)
CROSS – double definition.
7. Unavailing, nursing sick criminal (7)
VILLAIN – unavailing (VAIN) holding sick (ILL).
11. Employees tire first, running banner up this? (9)
FLAGSTAFF – employees (STAFF) with tire (FLAG) first.
12. Spend a very long time finding way through building? (7)
PASSAGE – spend (PASS), very long time (AGE).
14. Strange lot, if in thin wrapping (7)
TINFOIL – anagram (strange) of LOT IF IN.
16. A team only Mancunians originally saw? (5)
AXIOM – a (A), team (XI), (O)nly (M)ancunians.
18. Stars constantly yattering about Brazilian port (5)
ORION – constantly yattering (going ON) around Brazilian port (RIO).
20. Woman beginning to enjoy article going north (3)
ENA – (E)njoy, article – an – going north (NA).

51 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1556 by Orpheus”

  1. Slowed down a bit by FRIESIAN (only vaguely remembered), AXIOM (nice clue), and LOI BOOTLE, which had me worried until finally it leaped to mind–had no idea where Bootle is, ‘Merseyside port’ was a distraction rather than a useful hint. 20d is not a terrific clue, Chris, by why the GR? 5:36.
    1. I’m not a fan of names as definitions as there are so many variations. This one looked an unlikely leftover at the end of the crossword where nothing else would fit.
      1. It is indeed weak, and Orpheus could surely have clued either ERA or ETA more satisfactorily.
  2. After yesterday’s brain-freeze that took me to 15 minutes I was back on form today and completed this one, more or less a write-in, in 7 minutes including parsing all the clues.

    My only momentary hesitation was at 19ac where spelling MANILA with only one L looked wrong to me until I remembered it as an alternative to ‘manilla’ that I have met at least once before. The spellchecker that’s monitoring as I type this doesn’t like it either!

    1. Manila the city is definitely one-L. But there’s also Manilla paper, which can have two; I remember Manilla envelopes from elementary school, and not knowing what ‘Manilla’ referred to; the paper? the color?
      1. I knew of the brown paper and envelopes in my childhood probably long before I was aware of the city. I guess I saw the alternative spelling -ll- first and it stuck with me, never learning that the city is spelt with only one as instinctively it looks wrong to me.
    1. ‘axiom’ in the sense of ‘maxim’, ‘adage’; and ‘saw’ also–especially in crosswords–has the meaning of ‘adage’. (SOED sv axiom: 1)an established or generally accepted principle; a maxim, a rule.)
  4. An early solve before a red eye flight today, coming in at 10.06. Not the easiest, not the hardest and held up by BLIMPISH and BOOTLE at the end.

    NeilC

  5. Back over 15m today to rank slowest all green on the early leaderboard. The temptation to write ASIDE for a team at 16d was almost but not quite too great to resist. LOI was BEAM – simple once the M from AXIOM finally went in. Didn’t know bootless for futile which helped me get to 10a before finding a clue I could do, then a good run on acrosses to help with the downs.
  6. Got stuck in the middle today after a slowish start with TERN. But once FRIESIAN appeared I finished very quickly with PARKA LOI after 14:10.
    I was held up by the Merseyside port definition. I have been through Bootle and don’t remember any ships. It is best known to many as the home of a major HMRC tax office. However a quick look at the map shows its proximity to docks.
    David
  7. A very slow start. Apart from INN, I got nowhere in the top half and started in the bottom half. Still a slow climb and, like Chris, I had lots of ‘doh’ moments as things developed. Not a smooth experience for me and I was well on the way to 4K today. I quite liked FLAILING but was slow to see TINFOIL, probably because the description always annoys me – it is aluminium foil, not tin. LI were BOOTLE and CROSS (Yes, I know………). COD AXIOM. Thanks to both. John M.

    Edited at 2020-02-25 08:03 am (UTC)

    1. Mule = cross (cross breed). And ‘for example’ because it’s a definition by example; there are many other cross breeds.

      Edited at 2020-02-25 09:25 am (UTC)

        2. ‘Cross’=cross-breed has come up a number of times in the 15x15s, so it’s probably worth storing away in memory, as I expect it will return to the Quickies, too. (It’s not really that different from ‘flower’ and ‘banker’=river, although nowhere near as frequent!)
  9. No problems for me today, just a steady plod through, bringing me in at 7:59. FOI, BLIMPISH, LOI FLAGSTAFF. Thanks Orpheus and Chris.
  10. … And, like so many Orpheus crosswords, I came a cropper at the end. I didn’t find any of this straightforward. In particular, I found the South east corner difficult terrain with 16 down my LOI. I always know that I’m in for a rough ride when I start to actively seek out the 3 letter answers and was grateful today even for Chris’s GR, 20 down. My own gripe, if I had one, would be “on ” for “yattering ” because of its incompleteness – surely the preposition alone is insufficient to signify endless chatter? Anyway, not to be a grump, I DID like 6 and 7 down. Thanks so much for the blog, Chris, and thanks, too, to Orpheus.
  11. DNK bootless meant futile, but BOOTLE had to be the answer to 9A.5D helped me get the spelling for FRIESIAN right after toying with EI. Otherwise no difficulties. I liked AXIOM best. 4:22.
  12. 16 minutes, four under target, although it didn’t look likely when I only had MANILA and ASSASSIN after the first pass of the across clues. However, most of the downs went straight in which left me filling in unches to finish. I don’t have a problem with random names as answers, but I don’t like them as part of the wordplay, as ‘Eric’ is in 20A. DNK ‘bootless’ and that ‘yammering’ could be ‘on’.

    Brian

    Edited at 2020-02-25 10:28 am (UTC)

  13. I found this a bit of a guess fest at the top of the grid. I DNK Colonel BLIMP , COVE as a bloke or BOOTLEss as futile. 9a BOOTLE was my LOI and I couldn’t bring it to mind for a couple of minutes. Like Chris I did not enjoy 20d and reluctantly followed the wordplay. Just over 12 minutes.
  14. I thought this was difficult and DNF getting stuck on 16dn “Axiom” and 21ac “Beam”.

    Too many obscure references for me today – Bootle as a Merseyside Port (fine once I got it, but not obvious), Colonel Blimp, Cove, Cross for Mule etc. etc.

    FOI – 8ac “Barren”
    COD – 5dn “Hebridean” (was looking for something more exotic)

    Thanks as usual…

  15. I was on wavelength for this one, assisted by my knowledge of the Thriller in MANILA and Colonel Blimp. Like others I had a MER at “ON” for “constantly yattering”, and I only got ENA because it’s a joke name regularly used by correspondents to Private Eye (though I think a GR is a bit harsh!). But otherwise a straightforward solve for me and I liked VILLAIN and AXIOM.

    FOI BLIMPISH, LOI FLAILING, COD TINFOIL (I enjoyed the surface’s clever nod to the “tinfoil hat brigade”). All done and dusted in 1.6K for a Very Good Day. Thanks Orpheus and Chris.

    Templar

  16. ….accustomed spot on the leader board this morning, but I’m right on his coat tails with my fastest solve of the year so far.

    FOI BLIMPISH
    LOI PASSAGE (foiled my clean sweep !)
    COD AXIOM
    TIME 2:44

  17. Second day of this going fairly well for me. I got stuck at the end with 16d still don’t really understand why axiom = saw despite your helpful explanation! Just blocked with Beam. Otherwise a good effort today. Now to see if I can do any of the hard one!
  18. Semi biffed BOOTLE, figuring BOOTLESS must mean futile.

    Apart from that, a pretty standard puzzle completed in a standard sort of time – 7:08.

    LOI was BEAM after I’d replaced the erroneous ASIDE with AXIOM.

  19. Raced through at first, but stuck for a while on NE corner, then, after guessing Bootle, failed on SE with Axiom and Beam (latter shd have been obvious, oh dear, except member misled me).
    Thanks all round.
  20. For once, I was on the same wavelength as Orpheus, with Blimpish, Hebridean and Flagstaff going straight in and opening up the grid. Bootle is only a short drive away, so didn’t take much thinking about, even if the expression was unknown. I also managed to resist biffing Flogging for 23ac, when I only had the initial letter. Loi, after 23mins, was 6d Cross, with 11d Flagstaff my favourite today. Invariant
  21. Well over my target today, coming to the puzzle later in the day – I wonder if there is a connection. Held up by BOOTLE, AXIOM and BEAM. BOOTLE reminds me of Gerry Durrell’s childhood boat from My Family and Other Animals (my O level Eng Lit novel) which was named The BOOTLE Bumtrinket by his brother. Thanks all.
  22. In this context a saw is a saying or proverb, as in ‘that old saw’. Perhaps not used so much these days in fairness but it does pop up in Crosswordland quite often!
  23. At the risk of being pedantic, as an inhabitant of Liverpool, I am not aware of the port of Bootle. Liverpool North docks certainly extend into Bootle, and the container terminal which handles most of the traffic is in Seaforth, but they are all part of the Port of Liverpool. So there!
    1. Not disagreeing with local knowledge but as someone who’s never been within 100 miles of the place (and perhaps the setter hasn’t either) one relies on sources of reference.

      Collins has:

      Bootle – a port in NW England, in Sefton unitary authority, Merseyside; on the River Mersey adjoining Liverpool. Pop: 59 123 (2001)

      So once again complaints need to be directed to the lexicographers.

  24. A Very Good Day at 1.6K, or a new measure of 3.3 Phils (what a time!)

    Having been to Liverpool for a most enjoyable few days a couple of weeks ago, I now at least have some idea of where Bootle is! It has certainly made its appearance in similar clues in the past.

    FOI Barren
    LOI Axiom
    COD – none really stood out TBH but I liked 12d Passage for the surface
    Book of the day – My Family and Other Animals – my desert island book 😊

    Thanks Chris and Orpheus

      1. No, definitely not ! Remember I only publish my time when I’m sub 3 minutes or over 6 minutes. Yesterday was an exception because of my leader board status.
        1. It was a momentary aberration! I know Phil only puts in his time when it’s very special – but it was great. I know it’s been said many times but truly I can’t read the clues that quickly, let alone answer them. It would probably make more sense if people measured by PBs – that way they’d all be getting 0.something😄 Penny
  25. Steady going today with a brief pause over LOI BOOTLE – I’d vaguely heard of the place but not the bootless/futile synonym. Completed in 10.41.
    Thanks to chris
  26. A piece of football trivia. Bootle were founder members of the Football League Division 2 in 1892, but resigned after a single season. They and Middlesbrough Ironopolis are the only two clubs to spend only one season in the Football League.

    Bootle simply disappeared (financial problems the likely cause), and the current club was formed in 1953. They currently compete at the ninth level of English football.

  27. Didn’t know it was a port but that was where the unemployment giros used to come from back in the 80s when the only jobs in Liverpool were in the dole office. Johnny
  28. Bootle is also where the Midland Bank/HSBC had their computer centre full of Burroughs Mainframes. One of our engineers bought an old Rolls Royce and used to turn up for work there in it!

Comments are closed.