Times Quick Cryptic 1850 by Oink

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

I completed all but 15ac within 7 minutes but then needed another 2 minutes, eventually resorting to an alphabet trawl, to come up with the answer.

FOOTNOTE: I recommend that anyone who has their sights on graduating to the 15×15 or just stretching their solving skills should tackle today’s example.

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 His Excellency joining newly-weds in Scottish isles (8)
HEBRIDES : HE (His Excellency), BRIDES (newly-weds). Very helpful wordplay as we were not made to work for the HE. In the main puzzle, and often in the QC we’d be presented with ‘Ambassador’ or ‘Commissioner’.
6 Two parties that never got off the ground? (4)
DODO : DO DO (two parties). I’m not sure I knew the dodo was flightless, but now I do.
8 Quash   spirit of the Highlands? (6)
SCOTCH : Two meanings. The first in the sense of scotching or quashing a rumour.
9 In Zermatt I repack clothes (6)
ATTIRE : Hidden [in] {Zerm}ATT I RE{pack}
10 Thought to be perfect but coming up short? (4)
IDEA : IDEA{l} (perfect) [coming up short]
11 Help net a surprisingly large creature (8)
ELEPHANT : Anagram [surprisingly] of HELP NET A
12 Beach where one meets 007? (5)
BONDI : BOND (007), I (one)
13 LSE admitting reactionary old man’s mistake (5)
LAPSE : LSE containing [admitting] PA (old man) reversed [reactionary]. It’s the London School of Economics. To appreciate the surface reading one needs to know that it’s considered by some to be a hotbed of socialism.
15 Understanding how Scrooge might be described? (8)
GRASPING :A straight definition and a cryptic hint. As evidenced in my intro I didn’t immediatley associate the word with Scrooge. This quotation from Dryden confirms the association: Like a miser ‘midst his store, Who grasps and grasps ’till he can hold no more.
17 Couple I encountered on way back (4)
ITEM : I, then MET (encountered) reversed [on way back]. Two people who are ‘an item’ are in some sort of intimate relationship.
19 Posh princess in cheap car (2-2-2)
LA-DI-DA : DI (princess) contained by [in] LADA (cheap car). Jake Thackray wrote a song about it but using an alternative spelling.
20 Giant welcoming island painter (6)
TITIAN : TITAN (giant) containing [welcoming] I (island)
21 Two chaps who’ll make you giggle? (2-2)
HE-HE : HE HE (two chaps)
22 Curse West Country river case (8)
EXECRATE : EXE (West Country river), CRATE (case)
Down
2 Spanish hero extremely equivocal with detectives (2,3)
EL CID : E{quivoca}L [extremely], CID (detectives – Criminal Investigation Department)
3 Learn something new about coach (7)
RETRAIN : RE (about), TRAIN (coach)
4 Cheat on husband? What an idiot I am! (3)
DOH : DO (cheat), H (husband). Much used at TfTT when we’ve missed something obvious.
5 Hurry up and fix gas leak, eh? (5,1,3)
SHAKE A LEG : Anagram [fix] of GAS LEAK EH
6 Language spoken by a Cockney’s wife? (5)
DUTCH : Two meanings. Here’s a link to the Music Hall song performed by the late Roy Hudd.
7 Send insane, angered terribly (7)
DERANGE : Anagram [terribly] of ANGERED
11 I line team up for murder (9)
ELIMINATE : Anagram [up] of I LINE TEAM
12 Storm created by anger in pub? (7)
BARRAGE : BAR (pub), RAGE (anger). Let’s hope for no rage and no storms as English pubs re-open today – outside service only. I’m planning a visit myself later to the local Mr Martin’s.
14 Might this indicate a dog? (7)
POINTER : Two meanings
16 Rotter having success in Home Counties (5)
SWINE : WIN (success) contained by [in] SE (Home Counties). Our setter’s trademark porcine reference. SE stands for South East. For the benefit of our overseas friends Wiki advises: The counties generally included are Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey, and Sussex. Other counties more distant from London—such as Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire—are also sometimes regarded as home counties due to their proximity to London and their connection to the London regional economy.
18 Former wife going to Ascot occasionally? That’s correct (5)
EXACT : EX (former wife), A{s}C{o}T [occasionally]
20 Get even with chap from Bangkok, did you say? (3)
TIE : Sounds like [did you say] “Thai” (chap from Bangkok)

69 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1850 by Oink”

  1. I had a similar experience, except it took 2 alphabet trawls to get 15a. As a result, today I did the 15×15 faster than this one!
  2. GRASPING was my LOI, too; luckily the alphabet trawl didn’t have to proceed very far. I don’t think I’ve ever seen HE-HE; heh-heh, but to me that’s a snicker, while a giggle would likely be te(e)-hee. 4:22.

    Edited at 2021-04-12 02:43 am (UTC)

  3. I’m another who only got to 15a by alphabet trawl. Very rapid progress in the top half but the bottom part needed careful extraction. All green in 11 which is fast despite hold ups at BARRAGE, EXECRATE, POINTER and LA-DI-DA. Also held up by ELIMINATE where I couldn’t see ‘up’ as anagram indicator (still can’t really!) until the checkers took those doubts away. Nice to see Rotter name-checked in the trademark clue.

    It might be correct from a compass point point of view but for users of the NUTS regional taxonomy Hertfordshire and Essex are in the East of England and Middlesex is in London

    Edited at 2021-04-12 06:34 am (UTC)

      1. … and I’m not sure Middlesex even exists as a county any more, except as a cricket club. Shame, because I was born there.
    2. I couldn’t see ‘up’ as anagram indicator (still can’t really!)

      In the right context ‘up’ is clearly a synonym for ‘wrong’ — e.g. “What’s up with you?” — so I see no problem whatsoever with it as an anagram indicator.

        1. Confess I has a MER at this too, for all AntsinPants’ explanation. It isn’t included in the very comprehensive list of anagram indicators (over 750 possible words listed!!) on Cryptipedia. See cryptics dot fandom dot com (and apologies for writing it out like this to get round the spamming rules).
          1. Well even the most comprehensive of lists isn’t going to be exhaustive. I have certainly seen ‘up’ used before in the other major publications — the Guardian, FT, Independent, etc. — so maybe Cryptopedia just needs to catch up? 😉

            —AntsInPants

  4. A very rare visit to sub 5 minute territory so this may well have been a PB. As Vinyl pointed out there were a number of very familiar clues which helped and my only slight pause was over my LOI EXECRATE, which was unknown to me.
    An enjoyable romp but I probably only fully appreciated the quality of the clues when reviewing post submission. Finished in 4.47 with COD to LA-DI-DA.
    Thanks to Jack and Oink

    Edited at 2021-04-12 07:11 am (UTC)

  5. This was pretty much a straight fill in until I reached the SW corner. LA-DI-DA caused a groan and I spent too long, like others, working out GRASPING. Still, I managed a minute under target so a fair start to the week for me. A puzzle that is likely to please most solvers. I thought it was a bit hard on therotter to be the only porcine reference from Oink. 🐷 Thanks to both, John M.

    Edited at 2021-04-12 07:47 am (UTC)

  6. Got held up with 16d. Couldn’t see an alternative to hit=success. Hence an alternative solution to 16d. Other than that, this was plain-sailing.
    Richardm
  7. On for a sub-10 until stopped in my tracks with BARRAGE and GRASPING. I was off target in thinking that “described” might be a homophone indicator, or some other cryptic way off describing him. I don’t understand how BARRAGE can be anger in pub, where Rage is adjacent to, after, or below Pub, but not in it.

    Threw the towel in at the target time of 20:21, even after a couple of breaks.

    COD and WOD LA DI DA, forever will be the put down in It Ain’t Half Hot Mum for the hapless Gunner Graham.

    1. Read them together as ‘BAR RAGE’ cf ‘Road rage’

      Edited at 2021-04-12 08:13 am (UTC)

  8. FOI: 1A – HEBRIDES and only struggled on LOI 15A: GRASPING.

    Thank you, jackkt and Oink.

  9. … maybe the little grey cells work better first thing. All done in just under 8 minutes, and no real hold-ups. 15A Grasping was my LOI, but that was on purpose as I suspected it might be a little more challenging, so I left it until I had all the checkers — upon which it emerged fairly quickly and painlessly.

    Unusual to have three clues which repeat two letter words (6A Dodo, 19A La-di-da and 21A He-he), though like Kevin I would naturally have added a few more Hs, as in La-di-dah and heh-heh.

    Having celebrated Freedom Day (well, partial freedom anyway) by bravely booking a holiday in Scotland I think my twin CsOD must be 1A Hebrides and 8A Scotch. Much of the latter will be consumed in the former …

    Many thanks to Jack for the blog
    Cedric

  10. I am always encouraged to get going with the top line and the first down clue and this was no exception. Was heading for a rapid solve as there were only two challenges: DUTCH (NHO meaning) and GRASPING which took 10+ minutes and despite being fairly sure they were right was frustrated at not being able to parse them satisfactorily, so thank you Jackkt.
    COD LA-DI-DA.
    Lowered our flag to half mast this morning. RIP. HRH. I met him three and a half times, on each occasion he was charming and very amusing.
  11. Like others I was heading for a record time but was held up by BARRAGE and GRASPING. So 12 minutes, and a good morning work-out; thanks, Oink.
  12. Gentle but enjoyable start to the week – thanks setter and blogger. I managed this in about 8 or 9 minutes too and you’re right about the 15 x 15. That is also very fair today not much longer than 30 minutes and sometimes I struggle to do half of it!
  13. Mostly plain sailing with only three or four to go after about ten minutes. Ended up finishing in 18:23 with GRASPING. COD to 8a. Thanks Oink and Jack.
  14. I couldn’t for the life of me work out LADIDA even after I’d got the other clues round it, and it was then my COD as well.

    The earlier bloggers are always entertaining as it’s obviously intense competition as to who finishes fastest. I drift along happily over breakfast and usually give in after about 40 minutes to look up the rest.

    The First Mate wanted to know how it all worked for the first time this morning but luckily decided it wasn’t for him after we’d gone through several clues together. I definitely don’t need competition!

    It’s all good fun and I sincerely hope good for the brain.

    Thank you everyone for providing a good start to my day.

    Diana

  15. if I had timed it. Much enjoyed this puzzle. Must have been on the wavelength today. Was waiting for the piggy clue and found it was LOI SWINE.
    Oddly enough I saw GRASPING quite quickly, ditto BARRAGE.
    Lots of great clues – LA DI DA (COD). BONDI made me smile. Yes, it’s encouraging when 1a comes to mind immediately.
    Many thanks, Jack.
  16. The HEBRIDES were my first entry, and first choice for a nice getaway as it happens. As for others, it was a straightforward solve until I arrived at LOI, 15a, which took a few moments and an alphabet trawl. 7:42. Thanks OINK and Jack.
  17. FOI: 9a ATTIRE
    LOI: 14d POINTER

    Time to Complete: DNF

    Clues Answered Correctly without aids: 20

    Clues Answered with Aids (3 lives): 13a, 20a, 22a

    Clues Unanswered: 12d

    Wrong Answers: 4d, 16d

    Total Correctly Answered (incl. aids): 23/26

    Aids Used: Chambers

    An enjoyable crossword, but one I did not finish, getting two answers wrong and one left unanswered.

    15a. GRASPING – This took most of my crossword time to answer. I just could not get it until the answer just popped into my head from nowhere.

    6d. DUTCH – I have heard of wives being called “ball and chain” or “trouble and strife”, but not Dutch. However, I did get this one right more from the letters present from other answered clues.

    2d. EL CID. I got this one right by parsing rather than knowing the nationality of EL CID. I always thought he was Roman or from that region. I just had a picture of Kirk Douglas playing an ancient hero in Rome.

    Oh well, at least I had my first haircut by a professional in a year today. Since the first lock down I have been attacking my hair myself. With results ranging from “Hey, not too bad!” to “What the bloody hell….!”

    Edited at 2021-04-12 09:10 am (UTC)

    1. Dutch for wife is a regular thing. In fact it came up in the clue to DOUBLE DUTCH on March 17 (QC1837) where you commented on it.
  18. On paper today when an exact time would have been interesting. Same as most others, I was very quick on all bar 15a GRASPING.
    Just under 7 minutes but was in PB territory for a while.
    Enjoyable. My favourite was LA DI DA.
    David
  19. LOI GRASPING which involved an alphabet trawl. I also biffed LA DI DA but submitted in a very fast (for me) 6:22.
  20. Friendly Monday. Nearly a true clean sweep but two acrosses resisted on first pass – TITIAN and EXECRATE.

    “Up” as an anagram indicator is a new one on me and I couldn’t understand it at the time; thanks to AntsInPants for the explanation, which I confidently predict I will forget.

    FOI HEBRIDES; LOI EXECRATE; COD LA-DI-DA; time 05:45 for 1.3K and an Excellent Day.

    Many thanks Oink and Jack.

    Templar

  21. Can’t add much to what everyone else has said here, a quick solve, then a pause in the SW which needed a bit more work, ending with an alphabet trawl for grasping. Knowing that Oink usually includes a piggy reference helped with swine. La-di-da held me up momentarily, as did he-he, but all done and dusted in ten minutes. Thanks, Jack, for the blog, and Oink for the nice, friendly puzzle. GW.
  22. Just to echo Jack’s comment at the top about the accessibility of today’s 15 x 15. I completed it in 35:51, which gives an indication of the sort of standard it is.
    1. Me too. Slightly longer time than you (40 mins) owing to a visit from the plumber. Accessible but some chewy clues. Satisfying. John.
      1. Hope your plumber was more successful than mine. Three visits last week to address haunted boiler and intermittent lack of hot/cold water. Now planning to return to remove a wall to get access to faulty pipework routing! So sad. Might just be understandable if it wasn’t that they installed it in the first place.
        1. He was successful, finally. We’ve had problems for months which was down to a faulty valve. Since the replacement was fitted, we’ve had a massive bang every time the heating kicked in. The (new) valve was finally replaced today and, touch wood, all is peaceful.
  23. Just inside my 15 minute target, so happy enough with that, after being held up by everyone’s LOI GRASPING. No problems with Oink’s trademark clue, naturally. I thought describing the Lada as a cheap car was a little rude — I imagine they are doing their best. Like others, the top half flew in, but then I had to work harder south of the equator. Thanks Oink and Jackkt.

    No spoilers, but yesterday’s cryptic was a bit of a beast I thought. I only mention it because I had my usual problem in trying to submit my completed puzzle. For some reason, it is impossible to submit when using the app on an IPad. Does anyone else have the same problem as me? It will only let me enter a single letter for my first name, and nothing at all for surname or email address, making submission impossible. Is this a general bug / feature, or is it just me?

  24. As noted above, today’s 15×15 is very approachable, and I posted a very decent time of 40 mins, a PB for me over there, by miles. But then I only attempt it when cued that it is one of the easier ones, so thanks Paul & Jack.
  25. Pretty much on par with everyone above — was on for a decent 15 to 20 min solve and then had to alphabet trawl for 15ac. In the end, came in at 26 mins.

    Other hold ups were in the SE corner, primarily 22ac where I initially put Exeplete — one of my invented words which sounded right but wasn’t. Have to admit, never heard of Do = Cheat.

    FOI — 6ac “Dodo”
    LOI — 15ac “Grasping”
    COD — 8ac “Scotch” — made me chuckle

    Thanks as usual.

      1. Totally recognise that – but would never equate it to something in the present tense.
  26. Completed and parsed in a satisfactory 13 minutes. Was held up slightly by not immediately seeing 5dn and 11dn as anagrams, but not held up by 15ac which I saw quickly after solving 12dn and 16dn. Basically solved from NW to SE without having to backtrack.

    FOI – 1ac HEBRIDES
    LOI – 22ac EXECRATE
    COD – 19ac LA DI DA, although I would have spelled it lah-di-dah.

    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  27. I don’t know what happened today – I started very quickly with all bar the SW corner done in six minutes. Then – disaster! No exact time (but not good) as Mr B had just come back from a walk and was in a chatty mood while I was doing this. The same struggles as everyone else, and in fact I had to ask him to help with 15a – he’s much better at DDs (which I would say this was a form of) than I am. That led me on to LA-DI-DA which made me laugh out loud, partly from relief that I’d finished, and partly because I think it’s really funny 😂
    I liked DODO too – simple but effective. I’ve always understood that part of the dodos’ problem was precisely because they were flightless and, as they had no natural predators, it was easy for hungry sailors / hunters to catch them.
    FOI Hebrides
    LOI La-di-da
    COD La-di-da

    Thanks Oink and Jack – off to the biggie now. I hope I won’t be disappointed after all the comments 😉

    On edit: 15×15 — 20 mins — only three minutes longer than the quickie and that included an alphabet trawl for 21a! Happy days — definitely echo the others who recommended it for big grid novices 👍

    Edited at 2021-04-12 01:17 pm (UTC)

  28. Going along quite well, with even the Barrage/Grasping intersection solved without too much delay, only to struggle in the SE corner. Pointer, Titian and the unknown Execrate took a long time to see, so I was grateful in the end to come home with a sub-20. CoD to 19ac, La-di-da. Invariant
  29. Think I needed 3 alphabet trawls for 15a and a good 2 minutes like our esteemed blogger. Only fell once I started alpha trawling the penultimate gap rather than the first letter and got to “p”. Strange really — not the hardest word to come up with but there were a lot of different combination of letters that might have worked

    Also EXECRATE didnt immediately spring to mind.

    The rest were on the gentle side

    Thanks Oink and Jackkt

  30. Just for info, ‘grasping’ is one of the first adjectives Dickens employs to describe Scrooge: ‘grasping, covetous old sinner’
  31. We raced through this one, finishing in 7 minutes (equalling our PB). We weren’t really held up by any of the clues (including 15A which Steed solved immediately) so we’re in awe of the chap who completed the puzzle in 1min 32 sec! Amazing.

    FOI: Hebrides
    LOI: doh
    COD: la di da

    Thanks to Oink and Jackkt.

  32. Decent start to the week though ‘Scotch’ = quash unknown to me and puzzled over the Scrooge reference to find GRASPING.

    With encouragement from many, I will give today’s 15×15 a go! woo hoo!

      1. Nope, never heard the expression to scotch a rumour! Thanks for the tip and will store that for another puzzle no doubt!
  33. Cheat on husband? What an idiot I am! (3)
    DOH : DO (cheat), H (husband).

    Why does DO represent CHEAT?!

  34. 17 clues solved on first pass through the grid – unheard of for me! Six more solutions added during the second pass through meant that, with 15 minutes gone and only three clues to solve, I was on for a clear PB. Alas, ELIMINATE, GRASPING and BARRAGE (all connected) together held me up for a further 10 minutes. However, I am ‘well good’ (as my younger son used to say) with a completion time of 25 minutes. I’m afraid I didn’t spot the porcine reference until I read jackkt’s blog – very good!

    Mrs Random smoothed her way to a 23-minute finish, to maintain her superiority here. Actually, she was on the look-out for a porky solution and it saved her from a DNF today. Her first solution for 16d was SHITE (it’s a valid alternative solution, I think), but she couldn’t believe The Times would stoop so low, so she reconsidered and fortunately came up with SWINE.

    Many thanks to Oink and to jackkt.

  36. Thank you so much Jacktt for your suggestion about today’s 15 x15. I have tried and failed hopelessly in the past but today I managed to complete it. Amazing sense of achievement that I thought would be forever beyond my pay grade. So many many thanks. You have made an old man very happy!
  37. Bar has two meanings. The one you lean on and the one you drink in. The former results in rage when not served first (remember those days?) and the latter being a boozer in a country not in the uk. Ever heard a Brit say- let’s go the the bar? So I don’t think the parsing works in these rainy islands.
    La-di-da. Can’t hear those words without thinking of Gunner Graham from It Ain’t Half Hot Mum. Made me smile. Johnny.
  38. Nice puzzle finished in just over 20m, like others we needed the alphabet trawl for 15a. Had not heard “shake a leg” for many a day, reminds me of National Service times.
  39. It’s something that is said, in a restaurant, when service is slow and there’s a member of staff not serving anyone, up at the bar.
  42. ….and I would never call Oink a SWINE.

    FOI HEBRIDES
    LOI DERANGE
    COD GRASPING
    TIME 2:46

  43. A fast solve but held up by 12d Barrage and 15a Grasping. I live in N Bucks – not so far from Northants and am amused to find myself in the SE when being roughly level with Bedford which seems not to be in the SE. I guess most people think Bucks = Amersham/Aylesbury and overlook it is a long thin county extending in a northerly direction. FOI 1a Hebrides. LOI 15a Grasping. COD 11a Elephant – an unlikely anagram. Glad of Jackkt’s blog for helping me to see a better parsing of 3d and to OInk for an enjoyable romp. Now to decide on whether to try the 15×15.
  44. 10:04. I was SO excited that I was going to beat 10 mins for the first time ever – and handily! No problem with 15A, LOI was 11D – I lost 2 minutes there. First time I have seen ‘up’ = anagram. Everyone knows that ‘team up’ is ‘edis’, especially in a D clue!! and with the E and the I already in I just couldn’t get past it. Curses
  45. Grasping is acquisitive miserliness the opposite not wanting to share or give whatever Dryden said !

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