Solving time: 9 minutes. I found this mostly straightforward but I was delayed by the answer at 24ac -a less than common word which in my view had an unnecessarily obscure definition for a clue in a Quick Cryptic. How did you do?
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]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Spear a fish (4) |
| PIKE | |
| Two meanings | |
| 7 | In emergency driver may use this, for a change (5,4) |
| SPARE TYRE | |
| Cryptic. Handy for our US contingent that the Y was checked. | |
| 9 | Big league of countries, initially — with common interests (4) |
| BLOC | |
| B{ig} + L{eague} + O{f} + C{ountries} [initially]. I’ve indicated the definition as all-in-one but I half expect a visit from the clue police😉 | |
| 10 | Tremor, following second white wine (10) |
| AFTERSHOCK | |
| AFTER (following), S (second), HOCK (white wine) | |
| 11 | Rise rapidly and so far heartlessly (4) |
| SOAR | |
| SO {f}AR [heartlessly] | |
| 12 | Supposed, we hear, hotel by Yorkshire river is a small one (10) |
| GUESTHOUSE | |
| Aural wordplay [we hear]: GUEST / “guessed” (supposed), H (hotel – NATO alphabet), OUSE (Yorkshire river). The definition is reflexive as indicated. | |
| 16 | Liquor salesman who avoids all duties? (10) |
| BOOTLEGGER | |
| Cryptic | |
| 19 | Fruit, but no starter, for all (4) |
| EACH | |
| {p}EACH (fruit) [but no starter] | |
| 21 | British have no charm: this is diabolical (5,5) |
| BLACK MAGIC | |
| B (British), LACK MAGIC (have no charm) | |
| 23 | Old fellow’s country (4) |
| OMAN | |
| O (old), MAN (fellow) | |
| 24 | Reader of lesson always carries gun (9) |
| EPISTOLER | |
| E’ER (always) contains [carries] PISTOL (gun). My LOI which would surely not have taken me so long had it not been for the secondary definition chosen by the setter. ‘Epistle’ meaning a letter is common enough especially in the Bible, but I’ve never before heard of EPISTOLER meaning the person who reads or chants the epistle in the Eucharistic service. ‘Letter-writer’ would have been kinder. | |
| 25 | Appreciates lodgings (4) |
| DIGS | |
| Two meanings | |
| Down |
|
| 2 | Icy home has one grand toilet (5) |
| IGLOO | |
| I (one), G (grand), LOO (toilet) | |
| 3 | Key slang for “snail” (8) |
| ESCARGOT | |
| ESC (key), ARGOT (slang) | |
| 4 | I must leave Toledo area for Englishman’s home, they say (6) |
| CASTLE | |
| CAST{i}LE (Toledo area) [I must leave]. This is with reference to the saying, ‘An Englishman’s home is his castle’. | |
| 5 | Feel sorry for rook and heron (6) |
| REGRET | |
| R (rook – chess), EGRET (heron) | |
| 6 | Story young girl lisped (4) |
| MYTH | |
| Aural wordplay [lisped]: “Miss” (young girl) | |
| 8 | Cut out PE without a sign of hesitation (6) |
| EXCISE | |
| EX{er}CISE (PE) [without a sign of hesitation] | |
| 13 | Weaken, to cut a long story short (3) |
| SAG | |
| SAG{a} (long story [cut…short] | |
| 14 | Officially noted as available to play (2,6) |
| ON RECORD | |
| I’m not sure if ‘available to play’ counts as a second definition so I’m counting it as a barely cryptic hint. | |
| 15 | Try a story, number one (6) |
| GOALIE | |
| GO (try), A, LIE (story). ‘Number one’ as worn on the top of a goalkeeper in football, I assume. | |
| 17 | Very bad feelings in university in eastern New York (6) |
| ENMITY | |
| MIT (university) contained by [in] E (eastern) + NY (New York) | |
| 18 | Look with astonishment, at this box? (6) |
| GOGGLE | |
| The main definition is supported by a cryptic referenec to ‘goggle-box’ as slang for a TV | |
| 20 | Resounding noise as family essentially argue (5) |
| CLANG | |
| CLAN (family), {ar}G{ue} [essentially] | |
| 22 | Huge nation lacking a feature (4) |
| CHIN | |
| CHIN{a} (huge nation) [lacking ‘a’] | |
30 mins with aids so a technical DNF.
Thanks to Teazel and Jack.
8:41
Found it tricky to get over the line – the SW was a bit of a mess for a while. SPARE TYRE failed to leap out at me and hence MYTH was slow to fully comprehend. LOI was GOALIE.
Thanks Jack and Teazel
28:00, just about my slowest ever.
Doing them late at night obviously not working for me.
Ooh, fouled by the GOALIE. I call this an eel clue; it gives you nothing to grip on to and slides away every time you try to get close. A goalkeeper as no 1; well, yes, but I felt as though nothing led there. DNF accordingly. Other than that, an absolute belter from Teazel – EPISTOLER was clued very cleanly, once holster and revolver failed and COD to the rather nicely assembled AFTERSHOCK. Thank you
16 minutes.
Can’t say I enjoyed it. A very slow start and then playing catch up. Very stressful.
About an hour for big crossword. Haven’t checked answers yet but I fully expect some errors. I found it anything but ‘easy’! I’m nowhere with cryptics at the moment. ☹️
All completed; NHO epistoler but it had to be from wordplay & it made sense from epistle. The grid struck us as very unusual. Has it been used before?
FOI igloo;
LOI goalie;
COD myth – gave us a LOL moment.
Started Saturday night, had a breakthrough this morning (today 24/11) in the bottom half after seeing Black Magic and Epistoler (which I checked) and have just finished early Monday with Myth – which I thought was unacceptable as a clue and answer.
As a newcomer I have enjoyed all your blogs and learned a lot from them and will continue to do so. So thank you all, but dare I say not to this setter for this clue?
Have wondered about posting before, but this prompted me for the wrong reason.