Times Quick Cryptic 2968 by Trelawney

85 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 2968 by Trelawney”

1. As you say, nothing too difficult here. I managed to bung in Captain Cook instead of ‘Hook’ but saw my error immediately. Same thought re PARTING SHOT. My only real hold-up was EXHAUST but after writing the checkers and spaces down horizontally I saw it straight away. COD to AUTOCUE.
   Thanks Jack and setter.

   1. What does COD stand for?

      1. COD = Clue of the day?

      2. Clue Of the Day. Check out our Glossary. Links at the top under Help, or RH under Useful Links.

2. Unfortunately I didn’t see my careless CAPTAIN COOK having bunged in from checkers. would have been 4:59 if I had. Ho hum.

   Thanks Jack and Trelawney

3. NHO SAW. I biffed TIN OPENER at 9d from PEN & enumeration, later changed to CAN (I thought ‘tin’ was UK, ‘can’ US), never parsed. AUTOCUE was a bit slow in coming; it’s Teleprompter in the US. 7:18.

4. 8:38 MULLET was my favourite. Do cars in a queue equate to a traffic jam?

   1. I had the same query, but e.g. ODE has ‘a line or lines of stationary or very slow-moving traffic …

      1. Yes, Collins and the Oxfords have similar and both list ‘traffic jam’ as synonyms of ‘queue’.

   2. Yes, I see now queue can match with traffic jam. Hmm, wonder why I typed MULLET for AMULET?

5. 6.39 and no problems so I suppose that does equate to a quickie. I was a bit slow getting going but switched to the downs and away we went. LOI INDIGO, nice clue now that I see what’s going on. Thanks to Jack and Trelawney.

6. 4:27 but another COOK instead of HOOK here. Felt mighty good about myself dredging up AUTOCUE from past puzzles. Pride comes before the fall.

   EDIT: Also, my apologies to Captain Cook.

7. A good Monday puzzle from the ever-reliable Trelawney, and all done in 9:46. Like Jack I am not familiar with Saw as a horror film, but I thought of chain-saw massacres as a vague connection; weak, I know, but the answer was clear so I did not spend much time on the parsing. Also more familiar with tin openers than can openers, but again the answer was clear. LOI INDIGO, a mental block meant I took a while to see it was an anagram.

   Many thanks Jack for the blog. and for those in the UK, enjoy the bank holiday. Needless to say, because it’s a BH it’s raining chez nous.

8. Can’t believe all these people calling Captain Cook a pirate. Shame on you!

   Fast until stuck at opposite ends – 1a, where I struggled to get “article” out of my head, and 18a. Trawling got me there in the end for 06:50 and a Very Good Day.

   Many thanks Jack and the Squire.

   PS lovely sunny day here in Argyll, Cedric 😉

   1. Yes, am deeply shocked by the famous brave explorer Captain James Cook being called a pirate!

   2. I also had attache vying in my brain with article.

9. 15:35 held up by parting shot, seesaw, amulet and autocue. I find cryptic DD or cryptic aural wordplays more difficult to spot and I think I’m right in thinking that letter deletions aren’t used so commonly in QCs.
   Fair and fun.
   Thanks Trelawney and Jack

10. Straightforward for me but with plenty to enjoy along the way.
    Started with ROBE and finished with INDIGO in 4.42 with my favourites being the traffic jam and hairstyle.
    Thanks to Jackkt and Trelawney

11. I always love a Trelawney!

    He* makes me feel more capable than I probably am, and restores my faith in myself. And that feels good.

    Pi ❤️

    * I presume Trelawney is a chap as you lot refer to him as Squire, otherwise I guess she’d be a dame or esquiresse, or something.

    1. Squire Trelawney is a character in Treasure Island

       1. Yes, I do know that, but I meant that I didn’t know if the setter Trelawney is a man or woman – I assume the former as he gets called the Squire.

          1. Apologies for mansplaining. I’ve always assumed people call Trelawney, the Squire because of the character and whether the setter is actually male or female seems irrelevant to that nicknaming

             1. Thanks, no problem. I was just interested.

    2. Yes, although I don’t know Trelawney’s real name, Richard Rogan confirmed that the setter is a man. There have been a number of very recent recruits whose identities remain unknown to us but the only female QC setter actually confirmed as such is Alex.

       5 years ago there was a single puzzle set by ‘Bob and Margaret’ of whom RR wrote here “And I’m not entirely sure the Margaret of Bob and Margaret is female either 🙂”. As they never appeared again I assume B&M was a pseudonym of another setter having a bit of fun – maybe RR himself.

       1. How interesting. And thanks for the confirmation re The Squire – I can now confidently state that HE is my fave setter!

       2. Did they really only set one puzzle? I know it wasn’t many, but it seems quite odd to only have the one shot.

          1. Yes, when I checked my records earlier I found the one and didn’t look any further, but having looked again I realise I applied the wrong filter and there had been 5 collaborations.

             They set 4 times as ‘Bob and Margaret’ (one each in 2015, 2017, 2019 and November 2020) but there was another a fortnight later in November 2020 set as ‘Margaret and Bob’ – the one I found previously. Perhaps they thought if they were going to become more frequent setters the first name would alternate, or more likely in my view they forgot their own pseudonym, accidentally switched the order and no-one at The Times noticed. I mentioned the change in my comment that day.

       3. Bob and Margaret was a pseudonym of Richard Rogan

          1. Thanks. I had a note in my records saying I guessed it was at the time but never had any proof. I felt he probably wouldn’t have made the comment quoted above if he’d been writing about anyone but himself.

    3. There was a very popular comic play Trelawney of the Wells by Arthur Pinero and the title referred to the heroine, Rose Trelawney. Admittedly it was written a long time ago! It premiered in 1898 and I saw it around 1973 in Toronto- very entertaining.

12. 9:27 for the solve. My slowest Trelawney of the year!! Held up by AMP/SPRAIN where I panicked and didn’t start working my way through countries until gone nine mins when Spain was second after France. Curiously had been thinking of “strain” as the answer, so it was in there somewhere.

    Haven’t watched Saw – never will but it’s one of the major horrors of its era – has half dozen sequels or so. I used to enjoy horror films when I was a teenager, now I’m too much of a snowflake for the tension and gore.

    Weather report – grey and cloud but not raining here in the BH postcodes.

    Thanks to Jackkt for the blog and to the ever reliable Trelawney for another great puzzle. Really enjoyed PARTING-SHOT which despite being my final line is not an insult!

    1. Saw was very much part of the “torture” genre that developed around 2004/2005 – think of Eli Roth’s Hostel and various others. Not necessarily my cup of tea either – but as someone who grew up on late 70’s and early 80’s horror films, I can’t really talk.

       1. Many modern horror series I’ve never seen but then teenagers are usually the target audience – Saw, Hostel, Scream, Final Destination, Cabin in the Woods, The Ring. Saw just had its 10th instalment released in 2023, Final Destination is due to release its sixth, Hostel three parts with a TV series in development!

13. As Jack says a definition QC from Trelawney which was completed in 22:15.

    LOI and COD to AUTOCUE. Like Templar I was fixated on ARTICLE but it wouldn’t parse and a relatively quick alphabet trawl from B to U brought up the answer.

14. 6.26

    Breezeblocked mightily by AUTOCUE at the end – liked that one and also PARTING SHOT (minor quibble notwithstanding).

    Thanks Trelawney and Jackkt.

15. A worthy exemplar of the genre to finish for a rare sub 20 16 min and a justified less than fresh croissant.
    Some hasty biff then parsing but fell a cropper with 1A ‘Aid’ A-T-C-E which I bunged in ATTACHE before realising the error of my ways. Fools rush in …
    COD AUTOCUE but runner-up CAN OPENER for managing to squash in CANOE.
    Enjoy the bank holiday. Cloudy here but may manage 9 holes without rain later this afternoon.
    Thanks Trelawney and Jackkt

16. As jackkt says.
    I wasn’t going to bother trying the QC today after the last few (Hurley excepted). However, I gave it a go and Trelawney has restored some balance to the QC offerings for me. I finished within 15mins but my LOI AUTOCUE took too long (nice clue, though).
    I have resolved to continue to dip into QCs but to move on when I detect a setter who doesn’t understand the brief. There are other amusing and difficult puzzles that offer a more predictable and consistent challenge.
    Many thanks to Trelawney and jackkt.

17. Very satisfying, but took me longer than it should have at 11:49, mainly down to not seeing autocue for a while and taking a long time to parse can opener.

18. It’s a beautiful day here in Pembrokeshire, Cedric! Time for a coastal path walk, methinks.

    Easy (but nice) crossword, 6:34. Thanks T and J.

    1. I’m jealous. Still think fondly of my 10 days on that path in May a few years back. Superb!

19. Enjoyable puzzle – a quick solve by my standards. But carelessly missed AMULET.
    Liked many inc PARTING SHOT, GADGET, AUTOCUE (LOI).
    NHO SAW film, but biffed.
    Yes, Trelawney has set a proper quickie. Many thanks, Jack.

20. Breeze-blocked by AUTOCUE and ended up doing an alphabet trawl for the second letter which of course rather gave the game away 😁 Otherwise I found this very gentle indeed. COD has to be AUTOCUE, of course. Thanks Trelawney and Jack.

21. Took a surprisingly long time to see INDIGO and AUTOCUE – like others I tried in vain to make a reason for ARTICLE to fit. Also have reservations about PARTING being a hairstyle, and NHO SAW as a horror film, but both fairly obvious answers. Thanks Trelawney and jackkt.

    1. I know what you mean about parting being a “hairstyle” – but a side-parting look was a thing when I was a kid, as compared to just letting it flop everywhere.

22. NHO SAW film, but answer obvious. LOI AMULET, PARTING SHOT took a bit of thinking about.

23. 11:59
    Slow to see AMULET and SEESAW, and delayed a couple of minutes at the end by AUTOCUE – I also spent a while stuck trying to make sense of ARTICLE.

    Thanks Jack and Trelawney

24. Enjoyable puzzle as ever from The Squire. Clock stopped at 17.12 but solving around the grandchildren probably added 3 minutes! Liked autocue. Indigo last one in, biffed it from shade then parsed post entry.

    Raining here in the MK area but that is not go to stop our 5 year old granddaughter going to feed the ducks!

    My “parting” is now about 8” wide and certainly not a style 😮

    Happy Easter one and all.

    Thanks. Trelawney and Jack

    1. 🤣

25. 6.30. Nice gentle start to Bank Holiday Monday.

26. Needed the crossers before getting AUTOCUE, and even then spent a while getting ARTICLE out of my head. Eventually finished with ICED TEA in 6:42. Thanks Trelawney and Jack.

27. Nice one thanks. AUTOCUE raised a smile. Mullet is a chestnut in QC land as a hairstyle, but I don’t think I have ever eaten one, and wouldn’t even know what they look like.

    1. Which have you never eaten – a mullet or a chestnut (or a HAM)?

28. DNF with AMULET left. Managed to do the rest of the puzzle in 13 minutes, but again it’s my lack of fish knowledge. 😆 Off to find a book with all the names of every fish in it now! Thanks for the blog

    1. Ide say you’ll find many in a good book. Just don’t lose your plaice as you go through it!

       1. 😆 Having to think really hard for a fish pun, might have to mullet over some more

          1. Cod you not do better?

    2. You could try Fly Fishing, by J R Hartley.

29. I don’t time my efforts because I’m usually well in the SCC but amazingly this was a more or less top to bottom solve for me so undoubtedly my fastest ever solve 😊

    1. Congratulations, GA!

30. I finished in 10.49 for a below par effort, made worse by the fact that I got 1ac wrong. I resisted the temptation to biff ARTICLE realising it definitely didn’t parse, but as I was taking too long thinking of an alternative, I then put in the first reasonable alternative that came to mind, ATTACHÉ. The mention of aid and speaker in the clue was enough to convince me that it was probably right, in spite of the fact that the parsing of the rest of the clue made no sense.

31. Finished correctly in 40 minutes.
    Yes, it was just what a Quick Cryptic should be.

32. In a change to the usual way of things, I started relatively slowly and then picked up pace towards the end as the checkers made the solutions reveal themselves. LOI was PARTING SHOT (couldn’t think of any 7 letter hairstyles other than beehive before and that didn’t seem to quite fit the bill). Ended on 10:51, which is my second fastest of the year and 15th on my all time list, but only my 5th fastest Trelawney (he has 4 of my top 6!). COD to AMULET. Thanks Trelawney and Jack.

33. 8 mins…

    Joint PB so far this year I think. Trelawney has always been on the easier side (usually) and this was a nice treat after last week’s travails. It was also good to see a modern horror referenced for a change via the “Saw” franchise.

    FOI – 3dn “Conga”
    LOI – 1ac “Autocue”
    COD – 12ac “See Saw”

    Thanks as usual!

34. 15:37. Very fast in top half, slowed down by SEESAW and LOI AMULET

35. A sprightly sub-15 for everything bar 12ac, and then a frustrating 5min (repeated) alpha-trawl to get Seesaw. Never even heard of the film, let alone seen it, so should have gone straight to the biff first approach, but of course I hesitated, wondering if a type of watch was involved (those whom etc). CoD to 1ac, Autocue, for the smile. Invariant

36. 13 so pleased with that

    Missed a couple of obvious ones

    Never heard of the film Saw

    Thanks setter and blogger

37. I thought SEESAW was two distinct words, however overall, after a series of abject failures in previous editions,shot through quite well despite afore-mentioned SEESAW, even with checkers

    1. SEESAW and SEE-SAW are in the usual dictionaries but I haven’t found SEE SAW listed. The one without a hyphen may have been American originally but it’s acceptable in British English too now.

38. 10:24 with no errors. Another really enjoyable crossword from my favourite compiler (Mara, Jimmy and Bjorn – one of the rarer contributors -being up there as well).

    Even though I’ve never seen it, I’m quite surprised how many are unfamiliar with the “Saw” series of horror films. I’m usually hopeless at “Film and TV” quiz questions but even I have heard of it.

    I liked AUTOCUE and GADGET but my COD is CAPTAIN HOOK. FOI – ROBE, LOI – AUTOCUE. Thanks to the ever reliable Trelawney and also to Jack for the blog.

39. 1a Autocue. Needed all the crossers for that. Good clue. Fortunately not very familiar with teleprompt.
    12a Seesaw. NHO Saw (film), so biffed.
    9d Can opener. Already had the Pirate Cap’n Hook giving the C so tin opener never crossed my mind, fortunately. One could argue that Cap’n Cook was a bit dodgey; the Hawaians murdered him perhaps because he was on his way to building British Imperialism?
    Thanks jackkt and Trelawney.

40. One of Trelawney’s more challenging QCs, I suggest. I was progressing well, at the rate of about one minute per clue, until I ran into the quicksand with 6-7 clues remaining.

    The AUTOCUE/AMP/SPRAIN combination held me up for a few minutes, but the SEESAW/EXHAUST/AMULET combo put up even more of a fight at the end. I had NHO the horror film and had previously biffed PARTING gifT at 14a, which made finding a car part to fit __i___T impossible.

    AMULET was my LOI, as I could not parse the clue until afterwards. Time ~33 minutes.

    Many thanks to Jack and Trelawney.

41. 10.05 This was mostly very quick but I was held up by AUTOCUE and AMULET. I liked INDIGO. Thanks Jack and Trelawney.

42. Just found this on the doormat awaiting our return. Nothing stuck out at first, FOI ICED TEA, but then mostly fun to sort out, just stuck at the very end over AMULET. Drat (and thank you, jackkt). NHO horror film = SAW (hoping someone will explain that?) but it had to be, so just one to the bad.

    1. SAW = title of horror movie franchise. First film in 2004. Eleventh film released this year

43. 11:02 here. An odd solve: I got only 3 or 4 of the acrosses on my first pass, but then all of the downs yielded on the first attempt, which made the mopping-up operation fairly straightforward. AUTOCUE needed work after spotting that ARTICLE fitted all the crossers but didn’t parse.

    Thanks to Trelawney and Jack.

44. A fun puzzle though I couldn’t finish, and abandoned it at 12:50 after two alphabet trawls gave me nothing at 1a. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen AUTOCUE. Liked CAPTAIN HOOK best.

    Thanks Trelawney and jackkt.

45. Lovely QC for a dull BH-Monday.
    FOI 1a autocue
    LOI 20a Gran
    COD17a indigo
    Lots of clever clues to enjoy today.

46. 11:38 – PB.

    Enjoyable genuine QC for a great start to the week.

    Thanks Jack and Trelawney

47. I found this one nice and straightforward, only struggling at the end with AMULET on account of inexplicably spelling ERA as REA. I may have fat-fingered my way out of a PB there – oh well.

    7:37, and thank you for the blog!

48. Quickest ever for me despite spending a minute staring at G_A_E and just not seeing it. For some reason my brain read the clue as shed rather than shred.

    Very good puzzle AUTOCUES, PARTING SHOT and SEESAW all gave me giggles.

    Thanks blogger and setter.

49. 8:34 this morning, before cooking a bank holiday lunch for the family. A nice’n’easy start to the week, although my LOI took its time – I must have spent over a minute playing around with that. Like Templar, CO and others, I couldn’t get away from article or attache initially 😅
    Being a massive wimp, I’ve never seen Saw, or any other horror films come to that, but am aware of some of them.
    I wasn’t tempted by Captain Cook (so to speak), having watched a documentary by James May about him just last night. He may have been many things, but definitely not a pirate! Now Squire Trelawney knew a few, for sure 🏴‍☠️🦜
    FOI Sprain LOI Autocue COD Captain Hook
    Thanks Trelawney and Jack

50. A poor day again.

    Don’t think I’ll be recording a PB any time soon, but well done to everyone who did. 👏👏👏

    I tried the 15 x 15 first today. Spent well over an hour and got 2 wrong. It was probably very easy for the skilled solvers, but I failed (as always). Both fails were on short words where I had more checkers than blanks! Pathetic Gary!

    13 minutes on QC. Couldn’t get going for 2 minutes and then at least 5 minutes for AMULET and SEESAW. NHO the film. I suspect the Quitch has this as being straightforward, but I dare not look.

    I have no confidence with these puzzles because, even on a day when most clues go in easily, I always struggle with the last few. Being a Trelawney, the pressure was intense as I knew the times of other solvers would be good.

    Thanks for the blog.

    PS Now looked at the Quitch – I shouldn’t have done!

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