I found this a very enjoyable QC taking 8:10. All very gettable, I thought, but interesting enough to have me referencing the dictionary for some fine definitions and the unknown instrument at 3dn. It’s worth taking a post-solve read through the surfaces – excellent stuff – thanks Breadman.
I noticed a money reference in 7ac – does Breadman ‘do an Oink’ at all? I haven’t previously noticed but I know you’re all keener eyed (and have better memories) than me.
Definitions are underlined in bold italics.
| Across | |
| 4 | Very cold, heron-like bird emitting note (6) |
| BITTER – (BITTER)n – emitting (giving off) note (N). Emitting is so much more satisfying for the surface than omitting – and avoids any duplication with 10ac. | |
| 7 | Top wine, one thousand pounds, rowing team picked up (5,3) |
| GRAND CRU -one thousand pounds (GRAND), homophone of crew. | |
| 8 | Chaps coming across to assist racehorse without a win (6) |
| MAIDEN – chaps (MEN) across assist (AID). | |
| 9 | British backing also affected military training centre (4,4) |
| BOOT CAMP – British (B), backing also – too (OOT), affected (CAMP). | |
| 10 | Leave out distinguished medal, Italian (4) |
| OMIT – distinguished medal (OM), Italian (IT). | |
| 12 | Jack prepared mainly orange seasoning (8) |
| TARRAGON – Jack (TAR), anagram of ORANGe. | |
| 15 | English painter captures revelry occasionally (8) |
| LANDSEER – captures (LANDS), r(E)v(E)l(R)y. My LOI. | |
| 18 | Upon retirement, received a one-piece garment (4) |
| TOGA – received – got – backwards (TOG), a (A). | |
| 20 | Method of cooking father and friend reinvented (3-5) |
| PAN-FRIED – father (PA), anagram (reinvented) of FRIEND. | |
| 22 | Returning in Cadillac: a placid South American creature (6) |
| ALPACA – in t clue backwards Cadill(AC A PLA)cid. | |
| 23 | Slovenly cricket fielder, Henry, covered in some turf (8) |
| SLIPSHOD – cricket fielder (SLIP), Henry (H) covered by some turf (SOD). | |
| 24 | Business admits a transgression — gambling’s prevalent here (6) |
| CASINO – business (CO) admits a (A) and transgression (SIN). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Threesome finally toast with port (4) |
| TRIO – toas(T) with port (RIO). | |
| 2 | Understood Sun altered useless articles by newsman (8) |
| UNSTATED – anagram (altered) of SUN, useless articles (TAT), editor (ED). Understood in the sense of well known so not requiring utterance. Great surface. | |
| 3 | Measuring device worker tracks sometime in autumn? (6) |
| OCTANT – worker (ANT) is after sometime in autumn (OCT). An instrument used for measuring angles similar to a sextant. | |
| 4 | Part of car seat salesperson lifted (6) |
| BUMPER – seat (BUM), salesperson – rep – upwards (PER). | |
| 5 | Expend great effort and time on painting (4) |
| TOIL – time (T) on painting (OIL). Another good surface. | |
| 6 | Uniform on lad good for religious service (8) |
| EVENSONG – uniform (EVEN), lad (SON), good (G). | |
| 11 | Came up with Al incorrectly — it’s my fault (3,5) |
| MEA CULPA – anagram (incorrectly) of CAME UP with AL. | |
| 13 | Sack a former partner wanting a rise (3) |
| AXE – a (A) then former partner – ex – upwards (XE). | |
| 14 | Character on keyboard deviously tries to put in request (8) |
| ASTERISK – anagram (deviously) of TRIES put inside request (ASK). | |
| 16 | Assist Cockney when round US city (2,4) |
| EL PASO – assist in Cockney (‘ELP), when (AS), round (O). | |
| 17 | Rank administered by police force (6) |
| RANCID – administered (RAN), police force (CID). | |
| 19 | Levy on one vehicle (4) |
| TAXI – levy (TAX), one (I). | |
| 21 | Famous school event’s outside, happening (4) |
| ETON – (E)ven(T), happening (ON). | |
Lots of lovely surfaces today and very enjoyable but another DNF for me. After 27 mins I had OCTANT and ASTERISK left to solve. It didn’t help that, like others, I had convinced myself that the keyboard character was ALT. NHO an octant but it was obvious from the clue. I even had the ‘ant’ part!
I also didn’t help myself because I confidently entered MEAL for 10a instead of OMIT. Can anyone tell me if this would have been a valid alternative solution to the same clue? If you leave out ‘d’ for distinguished (as in DFC for Distinguished Flying Cross, which is a medal so I thought it was part of the clever surface) from ‘medal’ you get ‘meal’ of which ‘Italian’ is an example.
Anyway thanks Breadman for clever QC and Chris for helpful as always blog.
Prof
23 mins…
Fairly enjoyable this, with main delay around 15ac “Landeseer” (obtainable, but couldn’t help but think they sounded Dutch rather than English).
FOI – 1dn “Trio”
LOI – 15ac “Landseer”
COD – 20ac “Pan Fried” – amusing surface.
Thanks as usual!
Would have finished just inside the SCC today but for my LOI LANDSEER which was only half-known and submitted with fingers crossed. Much to like here including EL PASO and SLIPSHOD. Any cricket knowledge I now have is entirely due to crosswords – I’m more of a tennis fan myself 😎 Biffed OCTANT but a little worried too much like sextant… No problems with emitting rather than omitting for BITTER – clever surface. Very enjoyable. Many thanks to Breadman and Chris.
Worst day for a while. Failed on OCTANT, TOIL (shd have got). Had to check TARRAGON too as I didn’t think of Jack Tar. Yes, I thought the top half was more difficult than the bottom. Liked BUMPER, SLIPSHOD, and GRAND CRU, once pennies dropped.
LANDSEER came to mind once I had the two EEs, but, as far as this long-serving SCC member is concerned, not an easy QC. FOsI OMIT and MEA CULPA (seem appropriate in view of what was to come).
Thanks,Chris
Too difficult for me. It would be nice if occasionally there was an easy puzzle for encouragement. I have been trying to learn puzzling for a while and it is interesting to note very few new people are commenting. This suggests that if the quick cryptic is to encourage new people to play it is failing By the way a fender and bumper are the same thing. Just U.S terminology.
Give it another forty or so years an the Millennials will have it all to themselves! Thanks for the thumbs up on the fender/bumper situation.
I wonder if Kevin even drives?
Total failure 😥
Very enjoyable and on the wavelength today. No official time but definitely not in the SCC!
I see I neglected to comment at a reasonable time again, but I had to rush out this morning to lead a 12-mile walk in the lovely Suffolk countryside. I note the discussion above about BITTER and “emitting”, but I’m with our blogger. My take is that the required meaning of “emitting” is figurative rather than literal, which is what makes crossword compiling an art rather than a science. No notes on my copy apart from my time, a very average 5:24. I thought some of the surfaces a little, um, fanciful? COD to TOIL for the best surface. Thanks Chris and setter.
Had to work hard at this, but very enjoyable as progress started to pick up as I tuned in. FOI10a Omit LOI 5d Toil. COD 15a Landseer. Thx to Chris for explaining 18a and to Breadman for a good puzzle.