Solving time: 10 minutes, but only just! There are a few clues that may be a bit tricky for newer solvers but there’s easy stuff too, hopefully sufficient to get some early answers in the grid on which to build.
Puzzle 1800 marks another milestone in the history of The Times Quick Cryptic and as we enter the next ‘century’ the audience for the puzzle as reflected by the number of commenters at TfTT has never been greater, and that is very satisfying. Many thanks to all who contribute to that success and to the setters and staff at The Times for giving us high quality puzzles to write about.
Last Thursday’s special topic with reports of individual solving experiences was extremely interesting and I look forward to reading more of these in the daily blogs.
And following on from that, this might be a good moment to emphasise that TfTT is a forum open to all solvers whatever their current standard, including newcomers who are trying their hand at cryptic crosswords for the very first time, and our aim is to be supportive and constructive at all times. Comments that attempt to diminish the efforts of other solvers or disrupt the prevailing atmosphere of friendly discussion will be removed.
And now to the business of the day…
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 | |
1 | International initiative to get trial on the move? (4,5) |
TEST DRIVE : TEST (international – cricket, rugby etc), DRIVE (initiative). The definition is cryptic. | |
6 | Dorothy‘s brief point (3) |
DOT : Two meanings. ‘Dot’ being short for Dorothy, famously ‘Dot Cotton’ a character in Eastenders, every crossword compilers’ s favourite soap as it gives them a way of cluing the dropped ‘h’. | |
8 | Opposed to once more going to street (7) |
AGAINST : AGAIN (once more), ST (street) | |
9 | Previous religious head (5) |
PRIOR : Two meanings. Head of a Priory. | |
10 | Darn green kit needing repair for school (12) |
KINDERGARTEN : Anagram [repair] of DARN GREEN KIT. These days it can mean any nursery school but originally it involved tuition according to enlightened methods devised by the German, Friedrich Fröbel. I had the good fortune to attend one such Kindergarten in the early 1950’s in leafy Stanmore, Middlesex, and it was a wonderful beginning to my education. I was less fortunate with my next school where I started at the age of 7; this was also run according to principles devised in a previous era, but they were those of Wackford Squeers at Dickens’s Dotheboys Hall. | |
12 | By the sound of it, worked in education, far from relaxed (4) |
TAUT : Homophone [by the sound of it] of “taught” (worked in education) | |
13 | Mountains are lovely places, scenic first of all (4) |
ALPS : A{re} L{ovely} P{laces} S{cenic} [first of all] | |
17 | Get decent air for a change after disposing of this? (9,3) |
CIGARETTE END : Anagram [for a change] of GET DECENT AIR. A brilliant &lit. | |
20 | Fruit, round, as it happens (5) |
OLIVE : O (round), LIVE (as it happens) | |
21 | Reverse taxi into printer’s sign? Disaster! (7) |
DEBACLE : CAB (taxi) backwards [reverse] contained by [into] DELE (printer’s sign indicating a deletion]. I didn’t know ‘dele’. | |
23 | Extract from southern article (3) |
THE : Hidden in [extract from] {sou}THE{rn}. The definite article. | |
24 | Nth sortie amazingly and the most difficult? (9) |
THORNIEST : Anagram [amazingly] of NTH SORTIE |
Down | |
1 | Vehicle in trading centre heading north (4) |
TRAM : MART (trading centre) reversed [heading north]. ‘Mart’ came up here very recently and some contributors claimed that it was obscure, but here it is again! | |
2 | Am captivated by newly-made Saint’s endurance (7) |
STAMINA : AM contained [captivated] by anagram [newly-made] of SAINT | |
3 | Daughter in from France finds secluded room (3) |
DEN : D (daughter), EN (in, from France) | |
4 | Following sequence from popular performance (2,4) |
IN TURN : IN (popular), TURN (performance – a speciality act, for example) | |
5 | In Cowes, plan a delightful walk (9) |
ESPLANADE : Hidden [in] {Cow}ES PLAN A DE{lightful} | |
6 | Move gradually away — ultimately sad breach (5) |
DRIFT : {sa}D [ultimately], RIFT (breach). I have a slight issue with ‘away’ as part of the definition here as drifting doesn’t involve movement in any particular direction unless specified. | |
7 | Seat flung in the air, we hear (6) |
THRONE : Sounds like [we hear] “thrown” (flung in the air) | |
11 | Discourage fellow cleaner (9) |
DETERGENT : DETER (discourage), GENT (fellow) | |
14 | Glass accommodating a church’s style (7) |
PANACHE : PANE (glass) containing [accommodating] A + CH (church) | |
15 | Challenge air conditioning price (6) |
ACCOST : AC (air conditioning), COST (price) | |
16 | Boss overseeing ten in workshop (6) |
STUDIO : STUD (boss of a shield) , 10 (ten). Stud, boss and umbo, meaning the nobbly bit in the middle of a shield are all standard crossword fare and worth remembering for the future. | |
18 | Dirt, unpleasant, at bottom of scuttle (5) |
GRIME : GRIM (unpleasant), {scuttl}E [bottom] | |
19 | Those remaining take it easy (4) |
REST : Two meanings | |
22 | Prohibition of financial institution? Not entirely (3) |
BAN : BAN{k} (financial institution) [not entirely] |
Amen to what Jack said, but I should echo what Richard Rogan said on the blog (paraphrased): the Quick Cryptic is meant to be a cryptic puzzle that doesn’t take as long as the 15×15 puzzle. That is why it’s smaller, that’s why the clues are shorter and more straightforward, etc. This makes the Quick Cryptic *somewhat* easier for new solvers, but not always: The straightforwardness of the clues is surely the biggest advantage for newer solvers. But even the smaller size of the grid can be a curse, rather than a blessing: there are more shorter words which have shorter clues and are less easy to guess from the definition, and fewer places in the puzzle to gain footholds. The 15×15 puzzle is surely harder to complete, but it may allow newer solvers to answer more clues successfully. And finally, we will surely continue to see abbreviations and short bits from the main puzzle like SA, IT, etc, in the Quick Cryptic because these devices are *quick*. Yes, they provide barriers to entry for beginners, but I can’t see them leaving anytime soon for the reason I mentioned.
Anyway, this is something for newer solvers to consider. I started on the Times puzzle 10 years ago, and surely struggled with it. But with the help of this blog, I was able to start completing them within a year. Sometimes it would be an on-and-off solve that could take the whole day, but more often than not, I could do it. I stagnated for many years, until last July, when I decided I would solve and time myself every day. Since then, I’ve improved considerably, again with the help of this blog. I still don’t complete the main puzzle every day (I only finished 2 out of 5 last week), but these days it’s usual for me to finish in somewhere around 20 minutes.
I also do the Quick Cryptic every day, and usually finish in somewhere around 7-8 minutes. But I will say, I do feel the Quick Cryptic is “harder” to finish in many ways. I rely much more on instinct and experience than I do with the main puzzle.
So, far be it from me to rain on anyone’s parade, but if you’ve been doing the Quick Cryptic for a year or more and feel stagnant, you might want to consider changing up your practice regime. You might actually develop more skill and get more satisfaction out of the main puzzle.
I’d also take issue with Jeremy on the relative difficulty of the Quickies and main puzzles. The QCs are intended to be easier, and they are. Jeremy’s average time on the 15x15s is, according to SNITCH, about 34′; on the QCs, 7-8. I’m at about 21′ and maybe 7. That sort of difference is not accounted for by the number of squares.
I do agree with Jeremy that you should have a go at the 15×15, and read the TftT blog on it.
Anyway, today was a straightforward solve for me; I biffed STAMINA only, and parsed afterwards.
I’m only reporting what Richard Rogan himself said when he was asked directly: “What is the QC about?”. His answer on the blog (and also during a Q&A session when I asked him directly) was clear: it’s a cryptic meant to be done more quickly. As he explained, this is the reason the puzzle is smaller, the wordplay easier to untangle, the definitions less obscure. Undoubtedly some of these factors will make the puzzle easier for newcomers, but not all — and some cut both ways, as I laid out in my original post.
Incidentally, my average may be 34 minutes on the SNITCH but this is due to the fact that on super hard puzzles, rather than giving up I may persist for an hour or more. My average over the last month is about 20 minutes. It’s true, number of squares alone doesn’t account for this difference, but the difference is closer.
I was speaking more to the objective experience of the solve. I think that QCs are much easier for people with lots of experience. I don’t know that they’re that much easier for people without that experience. I definitely have the sensation of being stuck much more with the QC than the main. Or, it’s a different kind of stuck that I don’t find enjoyable on the QC. For what it’s worth, my leaderboard scores are almost always higher on the main puzzle than the QC.
I think a lot of newer solvers might have a positive experience solving half of the main puzzle vs spending hours on the QC. There’s more clues to try, more ways to work your way around the grid, and you definitely sharpen your wits. I imagine someone spending a month trying the main would come back to the QC and find it a breeze. As you say, it’s worth a try.
To end where I began, I can’t truly argue that the main puzzle is easier (because it isn’t), but I do feel there’s something to what I’m saying!
Edited at 2021-02-01 04:10 am (UTC)
I started attempting the QC eight months ago and, looking back at my records, I managed to solve about 85% of the clues, but only 25% of the puzzles as a whole in my early weeks. Winding forward to now; I have successfully solved 98% of the clues and two-thirds of the puzzles set since Christmas. Clearly an improvement, which I put down to a combination of practice/experience, expert tuition from this forum (and, of course, from Mrs R) and greater patience on my part when doing the puzzles.
I don’t often try the 15×15, as I invariably really struggle to get started. The depth of ‘crypticness’ floors me, I think. However, I do have a go at the Cryptic Jumbo (23×23) from time to time, and I’m often pleasantly surprised at how far through it I can get with relatively little use of aids. The longer clues and longer solutions seem to provide more ‘handholds’ or ways to crack different areas of the puzzle.
I don’t time my attempts at the Cryptic Jumbo, and I tackle it in several stints spread over 3-4 days, so I probably sub-consciously feel less pressure than when the clock’s running on the QC.
Many thanks to all of the regular bloggers, and to everyone else who posts helpful advice here. It’s working for somerandomchap.
And, as Jeremy says, it is not necessary to complete the whole puzzle every time to gain pleasure and hone one’s cryptic skills.
Thanks for the encouragement, I’ll be tackling the 15×15 in earnest from April when my Telegraph puzzles subscription expires. I moved to the Times when a new job took me past a Waitrose every day and it turned out a Times voucher counted as a purchase so I got a free coffee — now I’m working from home all the time I’ve had to choose.
Edited at 2021-02-01 07:41 am (UTC)
Moving swiftly on:
FOI 6ac DOT
LOI 18dn GRIME – ’tis GRIM upt’north!
COD 5dn ESPLANADE
WOD 27ac BLETHER
Time 9 minutes
Edited at 2021-02-01 07:53 am (UTC)
Thanks to Jack
LOI 20A: OLIVE
Held up on CIGARETTE END.
Thank you, jackkt and Hurley.
… and finished in just over 9 minutes. SW corner was the hold-up for me — I took a long time to get 17A Cigarette end (what a super surface, definitely my COD) which then unlocked the rest of the corner.
LOI 23A The — I needed both checkers as until the T appeared I was convinced that the “southern” meant there was an S in the answer. Odd how once I have “seen” something like this, it becomes very hard to persuade myself I am wrong and rethink — does anyone else suffer from this?
Many thanks to Jack for the blog and the lengthy discussions from all on these crosswords. I have been doing the QC for 18 months, now completing 9 out of 10, and the 15×15 intermittently for around 9 months, completing about 1 in 5. Does this “prove” that the QC is easier? One assumes so, but part of it could also be that I am now much more familiar with its style.
Cedric
Edited at 2021-02-01 08:53 am (UTC)
I have been doing the Quickie since puzzle number 3 and still remember being completely bamboozled by one of Hurley’s first puzzles.
FOI Dot
LOI Grime
COD Cigarette End
Edited at 2021-02-01 09:32 am (UTC)
CIGARETTE END then GRIME were the last two in. NHO DELE, but easy enough to assume DEBACLE couldn’t be anything else.
Edited at 2021-02-01 09:42 am (UTC)
COD: ESPLANADE. A clever hidden clue across 4 words
COD 17a.
An interesting conversation earlier on, I might dare to try the main puzzle later on today, I’ve always avoided it as I feel very stupid when I’ve attempted it in the past and not managed a single clue. However that was several years ago now and I’m definitely better at the QC than I was then.
I started doing this one after a bad skiing accident and found it was the only thing my mind would take on board when convalescing. Now I’m hooked of course.
Thank you very much, all setters and bloggers!
Diana
FOI: 6a DOT
LOI: 17a CIGARETTE END
Time to Complete: DNF
Clues Answered Correctly (Without Aids): 20
Clues Answered with Aids (3 lives): 10a, 21a, 16d
Clues Unanswered: 2 (12a, 11d)
Aids Used: Chambers
Wrong Answers: 1 (19d)
Total Answered: 20/26
I found this puzzle to be a little frustrating. Not because it was hard, because it wasn’t particularly hard, but because I just couldn’t get the last two. Then to further my disappointment, I got one wrong answer.
My wrong answer was 19d – REST. I put “Left”. No idea what I was thinking here. I guess I saw the “those remaining”, and put down left without giving it proper consideration.
I needed to come here for 12a TAUT. Kicked myself when I saw the answer. I gave myself another kick after seeing the answer to 11d DETERGENT too.
Many thanks to the Bloggers
LOI GRIME
Held up by working out CIGARETTE END.
Liked DETERGENT, PANACHE, ACCOST
There is a squiggly Printer’s Mark for Delete, of course. (A bit like a 9 with extra circle at the top) Despite working in publications half my life I didn’t know it was called Dele.
A good start to the week. Thanks vm, Jack.
Nice to be back to something more like normality after the trials and tribulations of last week. I had to smile at Horryd’s WOD, although I do enjoy most of the loquacious banter that can happen here.
Thanks Jackkt and Hurley, and all commenters. Incidentally, is it a coincidence that a big H appears in the middle of Hurley’s chosen grid?
FOI DOT; LOI THORNIEST for which I had to write out the anagrist. COD to ESPLANADE; not difficult to solve but a nice image from a good hidden.
Big thanks to Jackkt and all who contribute to this site. I have improved hugely thanks to this resource and the helpful comments. You will improve if you solve regularly and come here for enlightenment.
David
On the 15×15, my difficulty is that although I know that the definition is (usually) at either end, they are often significantly more opaque than the QC, where I rarely now struggle too much to get the gist of what I am looking for. My GK is ok, and also my vocabulary so I usually know the word if I can get to it. However, if you can’t separate the definition from the clue readily, applying the parsing is hard! I think that is something that must just come with practice and familiarity, and once acquired to a reasonable degree makes it harder to see where newer or just less competent solvers will struggle. But all part of the fun, and I will take the advice to try the 15×15 more, even if I may end up with a lot of spare squares.
Otherwise pretty plain sailing over some very smooth and elegant surfaces.
FOI TRAM, LOI GRIME, COD DETERGENT, time 1.9K which was sub-8 so I’m still going to give this a Very Good Day.
Many thanks Hurley and Jack.
Templar
It was noticeblay more straightforward and imo could well act as a model for the appropriate QC difficulty level..
GW
About 9mins today but actually, sometimes finishing either genre has a downside… now it’s housework rather than an excuse!
Appreciation to blogger and setter.
This was definitely more straightforward than of late — although some time was spent on 17ac “Cigarette End” and trying not to include an “X” in 16dn. DNK “dele” either but as often it couldn’t be anything else.
FOI — 1dn “Tram”
LOI — 18dn “Grime”
COD — 1ac “Test Drive”
Thanks as usual.
Keep up the good work to all the contributors.
Graham
Held up at the end by 18d: GRIME (I had GUNGE to start with) and 20a: OLIVE (I was vainly trying to find a fruit to fit O_N_E), but I eventually realised my error in 18d and OLIVE followed soon afterwards. Also, I would have registered a DNF had I not persevered in trying to parse 11d: DETERGENT fully, as I initially entered DETERRENT.
N.B. Mrs Random finished in 16 minutes today – her best time since October – and all is calm in the Random household.
Many thanks to Hurley and to jackkt (whose comments, above, about the TfTT forum I wholeheartedly support).
This was back in the 90s.
I didn’t understand the ‘International’ cryptic reference in 1A until reading explanation here, nor the ‘stud’ of a shield in 16D.
Thanks for the fun crossword.
Was really pleased to get the long anagrams which is a weakness of mine and my COD is Cigarette End
Struggled with 15 down which I couldn’t see for ages and even though I am a fellow Spurs Fan didn’t know Dele either but it was obvious from the checkers and the reversed CAB
Thanks all
I’m always grateful to the bloggers for the blogs, even if I don’t routinely say so. But I will today. Thanks Jackkt for a particularly good one.
I’m tackling the 15×15 more and more, and I have no doubt that is more difficult. But we are allowed more time. Sometimes (certainly not always) sometimes I think the 15×15 is easier to finish in the hour than the QC in 20 minutes
FOI den
LOI grime — I took ages to spot cigarette end
COD throne- nice surface.
Long ago I used to enjoy doing Jumbo crosswords or 15x15s with other people — in the staff room when teachers had time for such frivolities or when my mother came to visit. On my own I could seldom get far. I was therefore delighted when the QCs began and I found I could do them by myself. I find they are just the right size to complete in a tea or coffee break. Long may they continue!
Blue Stocking
Andrew
Little to get upset about with this nicely pitched QC. NHO “dele” but with the crossers it was fairly straightforward to get to DEBACLE with the reversed taxi in the middle. OLIVE took me longer than it should have, which slowed me down in the SW corner, but all done before the coffee got cold.
Good start to the week – thanks Hurley and Jackkt
FOI: dot
LOI: olive
COD: detergent (lol!)
Thanks to Hurley and Jackkt.
Edited at 2021-02-01 05:39 pm (UTC)
Everything that I considered was pretty well spot on and so in it all went. FOI Tram was known from before as was Detergent. Had a wobble on Olive thinking of Orange and like others dnk Dele but decided quickly that it had to be.
I’ve just completed dry January so things will only go downhill from now.
Thanks to all the regular bloggers and contributors for making this so great with an extra tip of the hat to Jackkt.
And thanks to the setters too of course! Even Orpheus!
John George
FOI Dot
LOI Detergent
COD Esplanade — what a great surface (in more ways than one perhaps?)
Time 12 minutes
Thanks Hurley, and thanks as ever to Jackkt for your enlightening and supportive blogs 😊
I had the opposite experience to Templar — I saw TEST immediately, but not DRIVE — hence my unusual FOI as a down clue. Thereafter there was nothing to delay me (or even DELE me !) I promise many of the less experienced solvers that once you’ve been at it 10 years it becomes easier — by that time you’ll have seen chestnuts like DETERGENT and DOT so often that they’ll have become ingrained !
FOI TRAM
LOI KINDERGARTEN
COD CIGARETTE END (no ifs or butts)
TIME 3:39
One course
FOI – 6ac DOT
LOI – 11dn DETERGENT
COD – 17ac CIGARETTE END for the surface