Times Quick Cryptic 1801 by Teazel

Author   ChrisPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Just a few (9 – I counted them) seconds over 10 minute target but I felt pleased with the time as I wasn’t tuned in to the correct radio frequency. The only way of assessing how I did will be in relation to your times – so please do post away – fast, slow or by calendar entry (as mine were when I started) are all welcome. The NW and SE were the slowest to complete – ending with LOI 22ac. 20dn went in with a bit of shrug but there’s nothing wrong with it.

ACROSS

1. Unhappiness of Scrooge followed by joy at last (6)
MISERY – Scrooge (MISER), jo(Y).
4. To support monarch is correct (6)
PROPER – support (PROP), monarch (ER).
8. One tiny picture it is risky not to check? (3,5,5)
THE SMALL PRINT – one tiny (THE SMALL – although I’m not certain why one=the here), picture (PRINT).
10. Separated so, I won’t move (2,3)
IN TWO – anagram (move) of I WONT).
11. Farewell bargain announced (7)
GOODBYE – homophone (announced) of bargain=GOOD BUY.
13. Sauna made boiling until one was sick (2,7)
AD NAUSEAM – anagram (boiling) of SAUNA MADE.
17. Wife coming in, nowhere to sit? Don’t worry (2,5)
NO SWEAT – wife (W) coming into nowhere to sit (NO SEAT).
18. Access computer using firm’s symbol and name (3,2)
LOG ON – firm’s symbol (LOGO), name (N).
19. Sleeveless garment suitable for G&S production? (8,5)
PINAFORE DRESS – clothing appropriate to HMS Pinafore.
21. To tease a lord is obscene (6)
RIBALD – tease (RIB), a (A), lord (LD – not come across this abbreviation before).
22. Advert extols revealing top (6)
VERTEX – well, it had to be as the answer was inside (revealing) the clue – ad(VERT EX)tols. NHO this as the highest point – or in maths the point opposite the base of a figure.

DOWN

1. Mathematical array in jumble involving fiendish art (6)
MATRIX – jumble (MIX) inside which is (involving) an anagram (fiendish) of ART.
2. Cry as home for lawn-mower suffers damage (4,5)
SHED TEARS – home for lawn-mower (SHED – I liked this!), suffers damage (TEARS).
3. See old lover (5)
ROMEO – holy see (ROME as a change from Ely), old (O).
5. Carpet salesman on tour (7)
REPROVE – salesman (REP), on top of tour (ROVE).
6. Letter of alphabet representing measure of tyre inflation (3)
PSI – double definition – the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet and the abbreviation for pounds per square inch (although mine are in BARs now – not my usual use for the term).
7. Despicable type, that woman? I should say so (6)
RATHER – despicable type (RAT), that woman (HER).
9. Knee surgeon’s ball? (3-6)
LEG CUTTER – a type of bowling in cricket – knee surgeon – someone who cuts into legs (as I know to my cost – old – very old – football injury).
12. Get me busy travelling? Please continue (2,2,5)
BE MY GUEST – anagram (travelling) of GET ME BUSY.
14. Vital contribution from knock-kneed full-back (7)
NEEDFUL – from inside the clue – knock-(NEED FUL)l-back. Don’t remind me about knees again!
15. One shoots game bird, right? (6)
SNIPER – game bird (SNIPE – never seen this at a farm shop or on a menu – I’ve seen them over the Peak District though – anyone with more experience?), right (R).
16. Amorous activity at Oxford that all can sport? (6)
UNISEX – sport as in wear, I think. I was held up on this wondering if this was really The Times – amorous activity (SEX) at Oxford (UNI).
18. Shelf‘s left corner (5)
LEDGE – left (L), corner (EDGE).
20. Hairstyle swept up into small lump (3)
NUB – again – it had to be as the hairstyle is a bun – swept upwards (NUB) but I didn’t initially click with nub=small lump (Collins tells me it is though).

71 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1801 by Teazel”

  1. After yesterdays success I started well on this one with a number of the long clues causing little problem although try as I might my attempts at a leg cutter often get dispatched to the boundary

    However I then got bogged down, couldn’t see Vertex or Matrix and I biffed reprove with little confidence.

    16 down reminded me of a very old Monty Python joke

    “I’ve heard of unisex but I’ve never had it”

  2. I often am, and today was no exception!

    A very sluggish 10:34 for me, never really hitting the wavelength at all. That’s 2.5 times as long as yesterday’s.

    Jumping around all over the grid trying to get a hold.

    Last two in were the VERTEX and UNISEX crossers. UNISEX raised a schoolboy titter.

  3. I’d just like to thank you for the blog. I do lots of puzzles and am pleased to have found this. Some days I struggle to get answers, others I get answers but can’t always work out how (!) and sometimes it’s a clean and easy sweep. It’s nice almost to feel part of a community of solvers, especially during these trying times. All the best! Iain R
    1. Please feel free to delete the ‘almost’. You’re very welcome here – along with all solvers – new and experienced. It’s a real pleasure to see the progress made as people keep trying. If you get a free livejournal sign on you’ll get an email prompt should someone reply to you.
    1. A good point – I’m struggling here – I wonder if an edge with a 90 degree drop on the other side (cliff/curb) could be said to be a corner? There’s also a maths reference:
      Edge=a line joining two vertices of a graph – which would be a 90 degree corner?
      In trade there’s to corner the market – which gives an edge. Hmm – I’m running out of steam.
  6. For some unknown reason, we’ve taken to trying the 15×15 before the QC. After a somewhat metaphorical pummelling it’s so nice to come back to the cosy world of the QC. Really enjoyed Teazel’s puzzle (thank you) which we finished in 11 minutes.

    FOI: proper
    LOI: vertex
    COD: the small print

    Thanks to Chris for the blog.

  7. Nice puzzle from Teazel which I completed without any great problems in 18 minutes. DNK vertex but saw the hidden and checked 16dn for a possible ending in x before putting it in. Also completely missed the Greek letter at 6dn – just got it from the tyre pressure. Spent a little time mentally reviewing the titles of G&S operettas and thought of HMS Pinafore straight away but the penny didn’t drop immediately.

    FOI – 1ac MISERY
    LOI – 5dn REPROVE
    COD – 2dn SHED TEARS

  8. With half an hour on my clock, and with only eight clues solved, I noticed Mrs R (who had started a few minutes after me) put down her newspaper and start to read something else. I had to struggle on for a further 40 minutes, but I was successful in the end.

    FOI: 1a (MISERY)
    LOsI: 5d (REPROVE), 4a (PROPER) and 6d (PSI)

    I am rarely successful with Teazel, so I’m quite pleased today, in spite of my slow time. All the clues seemed fair to me, although I wasn’t sure about 20d (NUB) and 5d (REPROVE). My uncertainty was due to my relatively poor active vocabulary, rather than those clues or solutions being obscure.

    16d (UNISEX) made me chuckle when I solved it.

    Many thanks to chrisw91 and to Teazel

  9. A steady solve for us just about meeting our target. Enjoyed 9d, especially as both of us have had knee ops. Bottom went in quicker than the top.
  10. ….NO SWEAT, but I slowed down considerably in my latter stages, particularly in the extreme SE corner.

    FOI MISERY
    LOI VERTEX
    COD LEG-CUTTER
    TIME 4:06

  11. I went through this steadily and thoroughly enjoyed it. Under 25 minutes- I went to get a second cup of tea and answered a text in the middle I couldn’t imagine what 9d could be until the crossers made me realise what kind of ball it was and I then remembered some sort of ball in cricket. I could see nausea in the 13a anagram but couldn’t find a 7-letter word until my husband, who claims not to be able to do cryptic crosswords, gave me the answer. Interesting collection of remarks: rather, be my guest and no sweat. Those people who didn’t know vertex must have missed the maths lesson when you count the vertices, faces and edges of cubes, pyramids and other interesting solids.
    FOI psi
    LOI be my guest
    COD lots of clues made me smile but I particularly liked shed tears and unisex
    Thank you Teazel and Chris (I hadn’t spotted see=Rome)
    Blue Stocking
  13. After yesterday’s excitement a solid 20 minutes for me today.
    I just bunged in Tap Dancer for Knee surgeon’s ball thinking that it had to be… which of course it wasn’t and then trying to shoehorn in Ad Nauseam with a novel way of spelling. No Sweat resolved my error and the rest was ok. I’d seen Unisex before (when I didn’t get it) so that came in handy and pleased to see Pinafore to work out the G&S bit..
    Good fun
    Thanks all
    John George

Comments are closed.