Solving time: 7 minutes
A rare sub-10 minute solve for me these days since I allowed myself a little more time to admire the scenery. Prior to today I last achieved that on 26th March. Was it easy or was I simply on the setter’s wavelength for once? How did you all get on?
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 juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Crass act? No! Strangely seen as beyond criticism (10) |
| SACROSANCT | |
| Anagram [strangely] of CRASS ACT NO | |
| 7 | Acknowledged love — married around November (5) |
| OWNED | |
| O (love), WED (married) containing [around] N (November – NATO) | |
| 8 | Popular party tourist regularly within building (7) |
| INDOORS | |
| IN (popular), DO (party), {t}O{u}R{i}S{t} [regularly] | |
| 10 | Straightforward Irish county? Correct (9) |
| DOWNRIGHT | |
| DOWN (Irish county), RIGHT (correct). Collins: downright – frank or straightforward; blunt e.g. downright speech | |
| 12 | Some era — generally a long period (3) |
| AGE | |
| Hidden in [some] {er}A GE{nerally} | |
| 13 | Idea that’s unacceptable about island (6) |
| NOTION | |
| NOT ON (unacceptable) containing [about] I (island) | |
| 15 | Fitting move downwards when son moves out (6) |
| DECENT | |
| DE{s}CENT (move downwards) [when son – s – moves out] | |
| 16 | Left Old Boy, shy (3) |
| LOB | |
| L (left), OB (Old Boy). SOED: shy – throw or fling a missile. As one does at a fairground coconut shy. | |
| 17 | Clued “bide” in new way that can be worked out? (9) |
| DEDUCIBLE | |
| Anagram [in new way] of CLUED BIDE | |
| 20 | With no Test experience? (7) |
| UNTRIED | |
| Barely cryptic with the surface reading suggesting a reference to cricket. EDIT: Thanks to Daniel for pointing out that thinking of test rugby rather than test cricket improves the cryptic reading of the clue. | |
| 22 | Modify church table, reportedly (5) |
| ALTER | |
| Sounds like [reportedly] “altar” (church table) | |
| 23 | Rudely having feature of shoe at edges, not lovely (10) |
| INSOLENTLY | |
| INSOLE (feature of shoe), N{o}T + L{ovel}Y [at edges] | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Tendon — there’s something wrong we turned up (5) |
| SINEW | |
| SIN (something wrong), then WE reversed [turned up] | |
| 2 | Crack a word code for oil source (9) |
| CEDARWOOD | |
| Anagram [crack] of A WORD CODE. The oil of the tree is used in the manufacture of soaps, perfumes, and insecticides. |
|
| 3 | Oscar, rugby player, outstanding (5) |
| OWING | |
| O (Oscar), WING (rugby player) | |
| 4 | Help from Shanghai donation in part (3) |
| AID | |
| Hidden [in part] {Shangh}AI D{onation} | |
| 5 | Hard task including a learner in hymn tune (7) |
| CHORALE | |
| CHORE (hard task) containing [including] A + L (learner). It’s a simple tune accompanied by mainly block harmonies. | |
| 6 | Old bouncer resolved description of high quality cook (6,4) |
| CORDON BLEU | |
| Anagram [resolved] of OLD BOUNCER | |
| 9 | “Very little in street” — hear Tom’s first girlfriend (10) |
| SWEETHEART | |
| WEE (very little) contained by [in] ST (street), HEAR, T{om’s} [first] | |
| 11 | Worker south of fortified area is incisive (9) |
| TRENCHANT | |
| TRENCH (fortified area), ANT (worker). SOED: Of language, style, etc: incisive; vigorous and clear. | |
| 14 | Letter from Greece put in container for Asian (7) |
| TIBETAN | |
| BETA (letter from Greece) contained by [put in] TIN (container) | |
| 18 | Clever contrivance of Venetian magistrate restricting Duke (5) |
| DODGE | |
| DOGE (Venetian magistrate) containing [restricting] D (Duke) The highest official in the old Venetian Republic. | |
| 19 | Club, extremely tacky, eccentric (5) |
| BATTY | |
| BAT (club), T{ack}Y [extremely] | |
| 21 | African language? Is bang on initially (3) |
| IBO | |
| I{s} + B{ang} + O{n} [initially]. I guess the question mark is intended to help the surface slightly as I can’t see any other possible reason for it. | |
DNF as I could not see INSOLENTLY. It looked from the checkers like ‘innocently’ but of course that didn’t parse. 13 minutes up to that point.
FOI – 8ac INDOORS
LOI – DNF but would have been 23ac
COD – 7ac OWNED – liked the surface
Thanks to Hurley and Jack
A good puzzle from Hurley, with a nice mix of clues. Like others, Cedarwood didn’t seem the most obvious source of oil, but it had to be. A steady solve thereafter until my last pair: CoD Trenchant and Insolently. Both took some time to see, with their pdms coming just in time for a sub-20 finish. Hopefully the start of a good solving week 🤫 Invariant
A straightforward, yet not overly rapid solve for me today. Fairly standard from Hurley, I would say.
I had trouble getting started, with only AGE and LOB in the grid when I started on the Down clues. They were more yielding, however, and I was able to pick up the pace for a while. I smiled when BATTY turned up and my LOI was INSOLENTLY.
Mrs Random didn’t really get out of third gear today, doing just enough (25 minutes) to secure the family point. She may be my SWEETHEART, but she knows just how to pace her effort to ensure she retains any bragging rights.
Many thanks to Hurley and Jack.
SINEW was FOI but I didn’t get SACROSANCT until I had most of the crossers. INSOLENTLY took a moment or 2 and LOI, CEDARWOOD needed the letters writing out before I saw it. 7:44. Thanks Hurley and Jack.
I haven’t had many good times lately but this was a clean sweep in 4:59
Only UNTRIED made me hesitate as it seemed a weak clue and I didn’t like the U at the end of 6d, so I was relieved when CORDON BLEU confirmed it.
6m30s. Didn’t like UNTRIED. Still don’t, even with the rugby international interpretations. Otherwise a pleasant puzzle. Thanks all involved in setting and blogging.
Like many it seems the idea of oil from cedar was a new one to me. Well, it turns out it’s quite easy to do. Soak pieces of cedar, preferably heartwood from mature trees, in a water-insoluble solvent. Then filter and distill – and you’ve got the oil!
Got there easily within 30minute target, in fact found this relatively straightforward after last week’s poor performance
8:36 – absolutely smashed round it. 3rd fastest time ever, 2nd best of the year.
Combo of having seen CHORALE and DOWNRIGHT recently, immediately getting UNTRIED, the 3-letter words being very kind. Yet I still had to get the pen&paper out for SACROSANCT plus to write out CEDARWOOD and SWEETHEART (LOI) checkers horizontally.
This isn’t a complaint, but strangely it’s only the 3rd time I’ve been under 12mins all year. While I’ve been solving many in the 15-20min range – there don’t seem to have been many as ‘write-ins’.
speed demon!
Wow-speed demon indeed!
👍👍👍
🔥
Impressive stuff #50
Faster than average for us but, at 11:40, a long way from being a PR. Like many, slow to see CEDARWOOD but TRENCHANT also caused difficulty. It was LOI INSOLENTLY that held us up the most though, partly through looking for something with edges of ShoE in. Nice clue. Thanks, Hurley and jackkt.
Tired solve, and no time because of interruptions, but around 18 mins.
Got stuck on trenchant at the end. Deducible looked odd in my head.
COD insolently.
6.16 Very quick for me but I only just scraped onto the leaderboard so it must have been a gentle puzzle. CEDARWOOD and INSOLENTLY were the last two. Thanks Jack and Hurley.
Funny how we all have different problems. I found this beautifully friendly, no problem with CEDARWOOD, but on the other hand given -N-O-E-T-Y I was blinded by the perfect fit INNOCENTLY and couldn’t see anything else – the clue didn’t suggest anything to me. Oh well!
4.32
Rare sub-5 today helped by more (other) w/p and fewer anagrams and DDs
DNK CEDARWOOD but that was an anagram even I could do
Thanks Jackkt and Hurley
Quinqereme of Nineveh from distant Ophir
Rowing home to haven in sunny Palestine
With a cargo of ivory and apes and peacocks
Sandalwood, cedarwood and sweet white wine.
Mmmmmm what tasty words!
15:33, not bad for me, surprising as I have a nasty cold (no eclipse viewing for me, alas!).
Nothing much to add to the chorus, held up by the usuals. A little time was wasted thinking of Becky for Tom’s first girlfriend. 5D amused me since I spent a lot of Saturday afternoon acting out the clue. It was indeed a hard (but rewarding) task.
Thanks Jack and Hurley!
15 mins finish despite a slow start with the across clues.
LOI Trenchant
COD Insolenty
Thanks Hurley and Jack
A gentle Monday qc
17:24
A nice start to the week. Easy enough to be well under my 20 minute target but sufficiently thought provoking not to be a biff fest. Held up with OWNED where I tried to work nov into the answer and LOI SINEW.
After a few days in Berlin with a grandson eager to learn more German, I returned to a gentle and well-clued Hurley that took about 20 minutes – until I got stuck on 23 across. My first stab was immodestly, but Tibetan put paid to that. Much still to learn. But an enjoyable return to QC land. Thank you setter and blogger: v helpful.
An enjoyable start to the week. Happy with shy/lob from fairground days trying to win the ever elusive coconut!
18 minutes
All bar 23ac – 9 mins
23ac – 9 mins
Awful (and you won’t convince me otherwise).
Thanks for the blog Jackkt.
PS I attempted a ‘proper/big’ cryptic yesterday, a mistake I won’t make again. 90 mins for 12 answers, with the rest completely impenetrable.
Finished in about 47mins which is good for me making 2 successful solves on the trot – that is a first!