Times Quick Cryptic 1771 by Joker

I find the difficulty of this one hard to call. I seemed to struggle throughout yet surprised myself by finishing in 8:53. FOI 1ac and then I worked down the LHS before getting checkers to start the RHS. The SE was next which gave me enough checkers to make the second word of 5dn (and therefore the whole thing) obvious. Struggled to finish in the NE being misled about what was going on in 7dn and thinking I didn’t have the GK. LOI 6dn.

Yesterday’s concise quintagram is, I feeel, worth a mention. Without, I hope, spoiling it for those who want a belated go at it, I think I can reference these definitions from it – Quick (clever, witty), Cryptic (hidden, camouflaged). This does apply to all our QCs (for which – thanks to all setters) and particularly to this one from Joker which I’ve thoroughly enjoyed.

ACROSS

1. Financier having 100 for northern supporter (6)
Backer – financier (BAnKER) replacing northern (N) with 100 (C). It could be argued that a financier could also be a backer but it’s very clear what’s going on.
4. Priest perhaps given lodging by Uncle Richard (6)
CLERIC – lodging inside un(CLE RIC)hard.
8. Rough sketch of simple boat on delta (5)
DRAFT – simple boat (RAFT) on delta (D). Take D and put RAFT onto it.
9. Reformed lamina including uranium metal oxide (7)
ALUMINA – anagram (reformed) of LAMINA including uranium (U). Dnk this but had no hesitation putting in based on the anagram and because it was ‘like aluminium’. This turns out to be another name for aluminium oxide.
10. Formal agreement dropping the first parliamentary statute (3)
ACT – formal agreement dropping the first p(ACT).
11. Painter’s way of working with black to speed up task (9)
BRUSHWORK – black (B) to speed uo (RUSH), task (WORK). I immediately assumed that I didn’t have the GK for this but very quickly realised that it was simple.
12. Turned over furrow to pinch root vegetable (6)
TURNIP – furrow – rut – turned over (TUR), pinch (NIP).
13. In diamonds I go for blue colour (6)
INDIGO – virtually a hidden – in (IN), diamonds (D), I (I), go (GO).
16. Mass at church with the French saint is without equal (9)
MATCHLESS – Mass (M), at (AT), church (CH), ‘the’ in French (LES), Saint (S).
18. Chicken when headless (3)
HEN – take the head off w(HEN). Mrs Chrisw91 will object to this synonym (despite Collins being happy with it) as she differentiates hens as what run around in farmyards and lay eggs from roast chicken. If anyone wants to argue about the term ‘running around like a headless chicken’, she would counter that, obviously, at this stage the hen is in the process of being converted into chicken. I offer no opinion and suggest we move on to the next clue.
19. Make division time stand up before court (7)
TRISECT – time (T), stand up (RISE) before court (CT). Tough definition but clear cryptic.
20. Circulate gold piece (5)
ORBIT – gold (OR), piece (BIT).
22. Tell Romeo story in reverse, with end at the start (6)
RELATE – Romeo (R), story – tale – in reverse (ELAT), (E)nd.
23. Backed exams taken again eliminating English winter sportsperson (6)
SKATER – exams taken again – retakes – backed (SeKATER) – eliminating English (E).

DOWN

1. I must replace what’s at heart of bad offer (3)
BID – I (I) replacing the middle of (B a=I D).
2. Talk about milliner (7)
CHATTER – about (C), milliner (HATTER).
3. Men bash titles for representing upper echelon (13)
ESTABLISHMENT – anagram (representing) of MEN BASH TITLES. This one flew in after only the briefest glance at the anagram material.
5. Like Hal’s Hals’ cavalier with reputation as an object of ridicule (8,5)
LAUGHING STOCK – Like Hal’s Hals’ cavalier (LAUGHING), reputation (STOCK). Well, as I’ve said, once I’d got ‘stock’ the answer was obvious. I had no idea what was going on with Hals but did know about the Laughing Cavalier – it turns out that a chap called Frans Hals painted it.
6. Dangerous creature runs around round outside hotel and inside (5)
RHINO – runs (R) and a-round round (O) outside hotel (H) and inside (IN). I assume this is how it works although I don’t remember seeing around = O before. Thanks to Dante21c for pointing out the typo here – there never was an ‘a’ in round.
7. Addictive form of cocaine reduced in repressive measure (9)
CRACKDOWN – addictive form of cocaine (CRACK), reduced (DOWN). Initial thought was that the definition was addictive form of cocaine and I struggled until seeing the light.
9. An object to touch (4)
ABUT – an (A), object (BUT).
10. Change outside of one meteorological flight instrument (9)
ALTIMETER – change (ALTER) outside of one (I), meteorological (MET). Dnk this last abbreviation – but it’s in Collins.
14. Occupy one new hospital a little at a time (7)
INHABIT – one (I), new (N), hospital (H), a little (A BIT).
15. Take a gamble importing European root crop (4)
BEET – take a gamble (BET) importing European (E). Second root vegetable but it doesn’t seem to be a theme.
17. Hearing test (5)
TRIAL – double definition.
21. What can protect wood in burnt arboretum.
TAR – inside burn(T AR)boretum.