Times Quick Cryptic 2050 by Oink

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Solving time: 9 minutes. I hope this puzzle will suit all solvers.

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 Terminated some of proven dedication (5)
ENDED
Hidden in [some of] {prov}EN DED{ication}
4 Shrug off Sid coming back with unmarried woman (7)
DISMISS
SID reversed [coming back], MISS (unmarried woman)
8 Band‘s origin (7)
GENESIS
Two meanings
9 Idiot whose whereabouts are a puzzle? (5)
WALLY
A definition with a cryptic hint. I wasn’t sure about the cryptic whilst solving as I’ve never heard of the puzzle-book series Where’s Wally? but you can read about it here if you wish.
10 Official‘s real income misrepresented (10)
CEREMONIAL
Anagram [misrepresented] of REAL INCOME
14 I start to complain and step back: it’s very cold (3,3)
ICE CAP
I, C{omplain} [start], then PACE (step) reversed [back]
15 Secluded spot for a break (6)
RECESS
Two meanings
17 The samurai somehow becoming clumsy (10)
AMATEURISH
Anagram [somehow] of THE SAMURAI
20 Article about Middle East setback? That’s the idea (5)
THEME
TH__E (article) containing [about] ME (Middle East) reversed [setback]
22 Think about Mafia boss keeping fit (5,2)
DWELL ON
DON (Mafia boss) containing [keeping] WELL (fit)
23 Escort about to arrest couple from the east (7)
RETINUE
RE (about) containing [to arrest] UNITE (couple) reversed [from the east]
24 Instrument Scotsman found in river (5)
PIANO
IAN (Scotsman) contained by [found in] PO (Italian river)
Down
1 For this reason monster is upset (4)
ERGO
OGRE (monster) reversed [upset]
2 Academic taking E is finished (4)
DONE
DON (academic), E
3 At end of his tether, as Dan famously was? (9)
DESPERATE
I’ve indicated this as an all-in-one clue. It’s a reference to  the former Dandy comic character Desperate Dan
4 One making a great show, on the pull at Christmas? (6)
DASHER
Two meanings, the second with reference to the name of one of Santa’s reindeer in the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas by Clement C. Moore.
5 Beastly female guide chucking Henry out (3)
SOW
S{h}OW (guide) [chucking Henry – H – out]. This setter’s statutory porcine reference.
6 Bill blowing top on occasion with daughter? That’s inappropriate (3-5)
ILL-TIMED
{b}ILL [blowing top], TIME (occasion), D (daughter)
7 What secret agent might use to see schooner? (8)
SPYGLASS
SPY (secret agent), GLASS (schooner). Schooners (e.g. of sherry) became very popular measures of drinks for ladies in pubs of 1960s.
11 Misbehaving peer loves to have a lie-in (9)
OVERSLEEP
Anagram [misbehaving] of PEER LOVES. I’m not entirely convinced of the definition.
12 Drunken star dies in accident (8)
DISASTER
Anagram [drunken] STAR DIES
13 After ten years National Trust in state of decline (8)
DECADENT
DECADE (ten years), NT (National Trust). A somewhat topical surface, at least in recent years.
16 Card game making you cross? (6)
BRIDGE
Two meanings
18 Circus performer to make a run for it, I hear (4)
FLEA
Sounds like [I hear] “flee” (make a run for it)
19 Ruin a French party (4)
UNDO
UN (a, French), DO (party)
21 Use heroin regularly for a long time (3)
EON
{h}E{r}O{i}N [regularly]

75 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 2050 by Oink”

  1. Profuse apologies to all, regarding the multiple anonymous posts above. For some reason, unknown to me, I have been struggling to post/reply properly recently.

    2. As suggested above, before you post you need to check whether you are logged in to Live Journal. If you are, your user name will appear top right of the screen.
    3. In the posting template there is also an option to post as someone else. If you have inadvertantly set it to “post anonymously” that would do it
      kapietro
      1. Actually no. I see it switches back automatically. Never mind. I’ll just go and make some onion soup

        Edited at 2022-01-17 06:58 pm (UTC)

  2. Took us longer than usual to solve the long, but clever, anagrams and a while to spot DASHER. Other than that, I’m not quite sure why we took 18 minutes to finish.

    FOI: ENDED
    LOI: DASHER
    COD: WALLY.

    Thanks Jackkt and Oink.

  3. Late today. Not much to say about this – it was easy, but I was slow, perhaps concentrating on preparing the French onion soup with the slice of cheese on toast in it. FOI ended, sixteen on first pass, LOI dwell on COD flea. All parsed for once, in just under twenty minutes. Thanks, Jack, and Oink.
    1. We had onion soup as well at lunch — one of the better suggestions in the Saturday Times magazine in recent weeks!
      1. Thank you for your reply. Soup was delicious. We went to the trouble of making a veg stock from scratch, and used 250 ml of Hock, as the recipe suggested. It took an age to cook, there was a load of washing up and it was well worth the effort. Best wishes.
  4. Like others I was held up by DASHER but I think I’m alone in having lost time on RECESS too. Only four on the first pass of acrosses but everything seemed within reach. Ended up all green in 18 but it was two slow alphabet trawls before I crossed the line.
  5. At least 5 of which on LOI Recess.
    Very enjoyable if tricky in places.
    My time would have been quicker had I not spent an age on both 10a and 17a longish anagrams..
    Also count me in for Sleepover before 10a letters led to rethink….
    Lots to appreciate.
    Almost had an end of Ashes Theme — Dismiss, Ended, Wally, Amateurish, Disaster, Done, ill-timed, Desperate, Recess…..
    Thanks all,
    John George
  6. I was. All good for me today, just 21 min, a GN4 probably my best, do I need to jump like a Flea? I was Desperate to have a cracker to pull at Christmas, but Dasher the reindeer pulling Santa’s sleigh seemed good enough to me. I remember Retinue from once before, and tried parsing ‘unit’ backwards plus ‘e’ [maybe a unit like item being two people] so a bit of a wobbly parse there. Oink Oink
  7. Found this to be a mixture of tricky and easier clues. Failed to get the reindeer at 4d, we bunged in Disney which we thought was relevant. Another Ian here, but no Scottish blood as far as we know. Finished in abt 35m over our target. Thanks oink.
  8. Did this in 11 minutes this morning before going out to a U3A lunch — what a treat to eat food someone else had cooked! I enjoyed the crossword too — there were some interesting definitions and very entertaining surfaces today – only to be expected from Oink. I liked GENESIS, OVERSLEEP and AMATEURISH in particular. I remember going to see Genesis in the 1832 club in Windsor in their very early days and paying about 40p to get in — normally entry was something like 20p so they were obviously already on their way up! Like Random, MrB is a big Steve Hackett fan.
    FOI Ended
    LOI Ceremonial
    COD Wally — I’m sure we’ve seen a similar clue in the past, maybe on the other side, but it still made me laugh
    Thanks Oink and Jack

    1. Please tell Mr B that I think Steve H is getting better as he grows older. May I also recommend some of The solo work by Nad Sylvan (Steve H’s singer)?

  9. Couple of problem clues but just over one course today.
    Quite clear where some people’s pop tastes lay!
  12. 1 second inside target! Started really easily but for some reason held up in NE with SOW, WALLY and LOI ILL TIMED.
  13. I managed to complete it, but found it an unsatisfying mix of very easy (“undo”) with slightly baffling (“piano”)…

    And now the buttons on this website are for some reason in German. Gah!

    Edited at 2022-01-17 11:09 pm (UTC)

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