Times Quick Cryptic 1992 by Tracy

Author   plusjeremyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
6:35 w/ 1 err.

A.
1 MANIFEST + O
6 B + AG
8 DEBACLE = L + CAB rev. in DEE
9 D(R)ONE
10 TIGHT{s}
12 P(LANE)T
14 TOOK ONE’S LEAVE = dd
16 S + TITCH
17 {f}RIGHT
19 AROMA = hid’n
20 SAN REMO = (RANSOME)*
22 FUN{d}
23 THREW + A + F + IT

D.
1 M(EDIT)ATE
2 N + A.B.
3 F(ACE)T
4 STEEPLECHASER = (REPLACES THESE)*
5 ODD + BALL
6 BOOMERANG = (EMBARGO ON)*
7 G + LEE
11 GHOST TOWN = HOST in G + (WON’T)*
13 BEETROOT = hom. of BEAT ROUTE
15 OUT + CAST
17 RENE + W
18 CALF = hid’n
21 EL + F

70 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1992 by Tracy”

  2. Thanks to those who were vaguely amused by this random experiment. I do scratch my head the idea suggested by pedwardine that I was doing it out of petulance — towards him, of course! I’m just a human being, not a DRONE, and sometimes I like to do things differently.

    Nevertheless, I am absolutely tickled at the emotional power I seem to yield over him and @horryd. (The latter of which added a “laughing” reaction to his own post — talk about having your head up your own ass!) I look forward to winding them up each day as I look forward to my morning cup of coffee.

    I only got to the puzzle after midnight. I had to take my wife to the ER because she had broken glass in her wrist. (She’s fine.) Perhaps these frightening and somewhat surreal circumstances led me to do something different this time. I suppose we can never know why we do what we do and why we are who we are. We can only watch ourselves, like raindrops on a windowpane, skittering this way and that like hungry ants.

    Edited at 2021-10-27 12:53 pm (UTC)

    1. Given the circumstances, you did well to produce the blog at all. As ever, I’m grateful for your efforts.
    2. Jeremy, could I ask you please to change the heading of the blog to something more conventional as TQC 1992 will not find the blog for those in the future searching the archive? Thanks. J
  3. 3:58 this morning, which currently would have been a top 20 finish but in my eagerness to post a quick time, I threw in a “throw” for 23 ac and the dreaded pink square appeared. When it’s unexpected, it really feels like a kick in the proverbials! One small consolation is that from some of the comments above, I realise several others suffered the same fate.
    Otherwise, happy with my solve of what I felt was the easiest QC this week so far.
    COD to 11 d “ghost town”.
    Thanks to Jeremy for the concisest blog ever, in what must have been rather trying circumstances, and to Tracy.
  4. I would encourage posters NOT to use the new facility referencing other commenters in their contributions. If anybody replies to a previous comment the person is notified by email. All this new thing does is duplicate the email notification. I have enough to delete already!
    1. What is the purpose of the new facility Jack? I don’t want to clutter commenters inboxes. I thought maybe this was an alternative to replying to a comment but embedded within one’s own contribution.
    2. It seems that you can’t even use a fellow commenter’s nom de blog without making a magnifying-glass icon appear above it that will obscure any text in the line above it.
      Anyway, I am going to experiment now and see if can get around it.
      Using your name, Jackkt, so excuse me please for the extra courriel.
      …
      OK, so nothing happened there. I guess I don’t even know how to use the new “functionality.” And that is just as well.

      Edited at 2021-10-30 07:21 pm (UTC)

  5. Almost crept out of the scc finishing in 22m. Nice steady solve with no real hold ups and managing to avoid the wrong tense at 23a.
  6. As a relatively recent starter on the QC, I’m grateful for the work don’t by all the bloggers. Without you, I’d be lost!
  8. I joined the Crispb club but finished with Took Open Leave thinking it wrong — just never thought of Ones — also Throw…
    No time for this mess but considerable.
    There are definitely weird things about the brain.
    PW sets an effective PB and I took forever.
    Congratulations again to the steady eddies who blitz it day in day out!
    Not keen on Drone among others.
    A strange mix of simple write-ins and very tricky I thought.
    Thanks all
    John George

    Edited at 2021-10-27 03:56 pm (UTC)

  9. A bit late to this again after having a west coast train nightmare, but an enjoyable 16 mins at least and luckily I didn’t fall into the 23ac Throw/Threw trap. 11dn “Ghost Town” had me humming to the Specials for a while as well.

    Only query is that I didn’t think tights were stockings (not that I’m admitting to be a specialist on that subject or anything) — however I will defer to those in the know if I am grossly mistaken.

    FOI — 2dn “Nab”
    LOI — 13dn “Beetroot”
    COD — 23ac “Threw a fit”

    Thanks as usual!

  10. Hello. Since signing in here for the first time in 2016 as a near non-solver, and now reaching the giddy heights of being a QC finisher quite a lot of days [I pondered a bit but did answer THREW not THROW today!], I thought I would start again with a new name. My first comment is Applause and Thanks for all Setters, Moderators, Bloggers, and Commenters who do so much work for us as learners.

    I do have a comment about SCC which seems to have lost its place a bit, at least in QC world. I love the idea of quoting times as arithmetic multiples of 20min, to 2 decimal places! The 20min itself doesn’t really have a meaning, it is not quick for quick people and it can be very quick for not quick people. I have no idea what time I take, I just like to finish if I can. It would be nice to have a neat acronym for anyone who is pleased and happy with their result on the day. Even QCC for Quick Cryptic (finished) Club might work?

    Good wishes. Sorry to be so late and so long.

    1. A great comment — I completely agree with the sentiment regarding the SCC. I have never finished a QC faster than 40 minutes, and to be honest I still have less finishes than I do DNF’s.

      That all being said, I am now regularly very satisfied with my efforts even if they don’t result in every square being filled. The satisfaction arises from the fact I am answering clues that I would have stared blankly at in the not too distant past. Progress!

      SCC = Slow coach club
      SCS = Satisfied crossword solver?

      1. I like your SCS, as I don’t use the timer, which is why I rarely comment. For me it is about a satisfying completion.
        While I accept that competitive people, (whether with themselves, or other solvers) want to know and quote their finish times, your idea would give space for those of us, who don’t.
        1. Just one person’s perspective: Solving with a timer is how I finally started being able to solve puzzles! I used to finish only rarely, picking away at the puzzles all day. So for me, it’s not really about being competitive with others or with myself (not like I could really compete with anyone anyway). It was about quantifying how I was doing, making it a bit more concrete. That really helped me improve.
      2. I enjoy doing the QCC. Sometimes do a few clues late at night, to finish next morning, but generally in one or two goes in the morning. For me it is yoga without movement, perhaps Zen when completed.
        I relish the 20 minutes pursuit, recognise that x2SCC tends to frustration and is reaching an awareness that I have something else to do.
        On the rare occasion that I come in under 1xSCC I put it down to being easier, rather than my prowess, sure in the expectation that tomorrow will be back to >1xSCC. Although I am sure I have improved.
        I am content to jog rather than sprint, happy to complete but not sad when I don’t.
  11. That’s a very good question, and I’m as baffled as you are but experience has taught that IT people feel the need to keep changing things that have worked well for years and nobody has asked to be changed.
  12. Only got to this on Thursday but wanted to post for the sake of completeness. We found this pretty straightforward and finished in 10 minutes.

    FOI: NAB
    LOI: DRONE
    COD: THREW A FIT

    Thanks Jeremy and Tracy.

  13. Only got to this on Thursday but wanted to post for the sake of completeness. We found this pretty straightforward and finished in 10 minutes.

    FOI: NAB
    LOI: DRONE
    COD: THREW A FIT

    Thanks Jeremy and Tracy.

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