Times Quick Cryptic 1780 by Breadman

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Solving time: 9 minutes. I think this is all accessible to newbies, but I have got that wrong many times in the past.

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]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

Across
6 Old man cracked nut (6)
ALMOND : Anagram [cracked] of OLD MAN
7 English politician with passion for supreme dominion (6)
EMPIRE : E (English), MP (politician), IRE (passion)
9 Check   stalk of plant (4)
STEM : Two meanings
10 Huge tailless rodent follows one around river (8)
ENORMOUS : ONE (reversed) [around] , R (river), MOUS{e} (rodent) [tailless].
11 Carthaginian leader beheaded man-eater on horse (8)
HANNIBAL : {c}ANNIBAL (man-eater) [beheaded] is put on H (horse), remembering the rule in Across clues that ‘A on B’  = ‘BA’
13 Two marks found in each novel (4)
EMMA : MM (two marks) contained by [found in] EA (each). Another word that needs to be retired for a while, I think.
15 I was in charge of revolutionary food shop (4)
DELI : I LED (I was in charge of) reversed [revolutionary]
16 Sticky stuff covering poor Arnie’s flower (8)
GERANIUM : GUM (sticky stuff) containing [covering] anagram [poor] of ARNIE
18 Golf equipment also carried by gentleman working (4,4)
SAND IRON : AND (also) contained [carried] by SIR (gentleman), ON (working)
20 Quote Italian in Church (4)
CITE : IT (Italian) contained by [in] CE (Church – of England)
21 Way of cooking meat in France, on vacation (6)
FLAMBE : LAMB (meat) contained by [in] F{ranc}E [on vacation – emptied]
22 Soon perspire regularly in full-body garment (6)
ONESIE : {s}O{o}N {p}E{r}S{p}I{r}E [regularly]
Down
1 Companion in apartment lifeless, getting Mike worried (8)
FLATMATE : FLAT (lifeless), M (Mike – NATO alphabet), ATE (worried – what’s eating you?)
2 Old comedian‘s French knowledge (6,6)
NORMAN WISDOM : NORMAN (French), WISDOM (knowledge). His toe-curlingly awful films, usually playing a character called Norman Pitkin, brought him enormous fame both here and abroad especially in Albania. It’s a shame that this is what he’s mostly remembered for because he had started out as a very talented and versatile performer.
3 Notice vicar rejected key part of speech (6)
ADVERB : AD (notice – advertisement), REV (vicar) reversed [rejected] B (key)
4 Stagger back from park with painting (6)
RECOIL : REC (park – recreation ground), OIL (painting)
5 Language used by neighbour dubious (4)
URDU : Hidden in [used by] {neighbo}UR DU{bious}
8 Grill, with hesitation, US dough bread (12)
PUMPERNICKEL : PUMP (grill – interrogate), ER (hesitation), NICKEL (US dough – money). I’d rather eat cardboard!
12 Beer starts to affect lad excessively (3)
ALE :  A{ffect} + L{ad} + E{xcessively} [starts]
14 Horse, near Aintree’s front three, fell maybe (8)
MOUNTAIN : MOUNT (horse), AIN{tree} [front three – letters]. I lost time here thinking ‘mare’ for the horse. Aintree is the home of the Grand National.
16 Grand complex surrounds European area of cultivation (6)
GARDEN : Anagram [complex] of GRAND contains [surrounds] E (European)
17 Irregular money in South Africa doctor raised (6)
RANDOM : RAND ( money in South Africa), MO (doctor) reversed [raised]
19 Supporter runs away from mass meeting (4)
ALLY : {r}ALLY (mass meeting) [runs away]

67 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1780 by Breadman”

  1. Sand iron isn’t in my on-line dictionary so I put in grid iron which I’d never heard of as a golf club but could have been for all I knew. This meant I could not get Ally and so was a DNF.
    1. Check out Gene Sarazen who is generally credited with the invention of this instrument for escaping from bunkers, back in 1932. (Not 1945!)
      1. Actually it was invented and patented in 1928 by Edwin Kerr MacClain but only popularised by Gene Sarazen.
  2. ….a MOUNTAIN today, and this was pretty accessible.

    FOI ALMOND
    LOI ONESIE
    COD FLATMATE
    TIME 3:25

    1. Shocking time, Mr. Jordan! Now you’ve got your ONESIE on… I am unable to locate your new Weekend QC: where is it lurking?
      1. You’ll find the relevant links in Johninterred’s blog for QC 1779 (Izetti; 1 January).
    2. Phil, many apologies for not spotting your very clever Nina in the Saturday Special! As Fred Truman used to say to a lesser batsman he’d dismissed with a wonderful delivery, “That were wasted on thee, lad”.
  3. Worked steadily through this feeling rather proud of myself until I got totally stuck on RECOIL (forgot Rec for Park) and GARDEN (forgot ‘complex’ was anagram indicator.
    Too often I guess the answer then work backwards seeing how clues fit in. Still, helps me learn!
  4. Completely defeated by 2dn and the SW corner. DNK sand iron (not a golfer, although I do know of a sand wedge). Also failed to parse 11ac, 16dn or 1dn, although I found the right answers fairly quickly. Even allowing for me having what was clearly an off day I don’t think this can be classed as easy.

    FOI – 7ac EMPIRE
    LOI – DNF
    COD – 14dn MOUNTAIN

  5. We did not find this easy, vaguely knew the bread, but had to look it up. SE corner also held us up. Not a good day.
  7. Not my finest hour.

    Failed 11ac, 21ac, Norman (well known to me but could not bring to the surface), Bread and Speech. Slow going and even with a few checkers never really got out of 1st gear.

    Onwards and upwards
    Graham

  8. …from the German apparently. And hence I am not too upset at NHO it. Sadly another DNF for me due to that one.

    Also not helped by never being able to remember that the abbreviation for ‘each’ is ‘ea’ (for 13a) having never in my life seen it used that way.

    At least I have heard of Norman Wisdom and could get to sand iron from the cluing despite nobody actually calling it anything other than a sand wedge since it was invented and patented in 1928 by Edwin MacClain.

    Enjoying the QC despite too many DNF lately. Thanks jackkt for the blog.

    1. Actually, the Spoon was a wood:
      The golf club called a “spoon” was the wooden-shafted club in (primarily) pre-20th Century golf history that was most equivalent to today’s fairway woods of various lofts — 3-woods, 5-woods, 7-woods. There were various types of spoons in addition to the standard or basic one.
  10. No time since two sittings and taking down the tree in between. Pleased to get Flambé and Onesie, took time over Geranium and LOI Pumpernickel.
    I quite liked Norman Wisdom films but they could grate if not in the mood. But he was talented.
    There is a lovely YouTube clip of him with Michael Parkinson when he was older….
    Thanks all
    John George
    Must try the 15×15
  11. Late post as usual but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to say how talented Norman Wisdom was. A poor start in life clearly had a long term impact on his character but he was versatile and entertaining on stage/film and off. RIP.
    FOI 6a Almond. LOI 18a Sand Iron (NHO). Several contenders for COD 2d. 10a. 21a. 8d.
  13. Late post as usual but couldn’t pass up an opportunity to say how talented Norman Wisdom was. A poor start in life clearly had a long term impact on his character but he was versatile and entertaining on stage/film and off. RIP.
    FOI 6a Almond. LOI 18a Sand Iron (NHO). Several contenders for COD 2d. 10a. 21a. 8d.

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