Times Quick Cryptic 630 by Joker

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Much of this seemed straightforward but there were one or two tricky bits that needed careful thought e.g. the second  ‘unch’ (unchecked letter) at 22ac where one has to decide whether it’s the first or last word that’s the definition. I don’t think there was any real room for doubt but it could have proved an elephant trap for biffers. But for that I’d probably have achieved my 10 minute target but in practice I missed it by 1, so 11 minutes in all. Here’s my blog…

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]

Across
1 Providers of ring used for a marriage ceremony (7,5)
WEDDING BELLS – Cryptic definition
8 Showing enthusiasm, the Queen embraces maturity (5)
EAGER – ER (the Queen) contains [embraces] AGE (maturity)
9 Male relation, oddly airy and vague (7)
UNCLEAR – UNCLE (male relation), A{i}R{y} [oddly]
10 Cut short sports side’s meal (3)
TEA – TEA{m} (sport’s side) [cut short]
11 Engage a large chap as railway controller (9)
SIGNALMAN – SIGN (engage), A, L (large), MAN (chap)
13 Creature heads for river: has its nose out (5)
RHINO – First letters of [heads for] R{iver) H{as} I{ts} N{ose} O{ut}
14 Good and ready to complain (5)
GRIPE – G (good)m RIPE (ready)
16 Mad quips rubbished British failure? (4,5)
DAMP SQUIB – Anagram [rubbished] of MAD QUIPS, B  (British)
17 Affected dresser’s fine work (3)
FOP – F (fine),  OP (work – opus)
19 Mint, perhaps, in hard sweet stuff (7)
SHERBET – HERB (mint, perhaps) in SET (hard). I think the powder probably fits the definition rather better than the drink. Childhood memories of sherbet dabs and fountains come flooding back. Did anyone ever actually manage to suck the powder up through the liquorice straw, I wonder?
21 Round fee to make a formal speech (5)
ORATE – O (round), RATE (fee)
22 Vagrancy has pressure for male despair (12)
HOPELESSNESS – HO{m}ELESSNESS (vagrancy) has for p (pressure) instead of m (male)
Down
1 Wife’s beginning with warm cereal (5)
WHEAT – W{ife} [‘s beginning], HEAT (warm)
2 Unshakeable belief Fido’s rug is moving initially (9)
DOGMATISM – DOG (Fido), MAT (rug), IS, M{oving} [initially]
3 Prison rebel is terribly reckless (13)
IRRESPONSIBLE – Anagram [terribly] of PRISON REBEL IS
4 Resent Gloucester unleaded garage being all empty (6)
GRUDGE – G{louceste}R, U{unleade}D, G{arag}E [all empty]
5 Phone system fans fight (8,5)
EXCHANGE BLOWS – EXCHANGE (phone system – only part of one, I’d have thought),  BLOWS (fans).
6 Untruth some believe (3)
LIE – Hidden in [some] {be}LIE{ve}
7 Lose first two points on way in for sleepy state (6)
TRANCE – {en}TRANCE (way in) [lose first two points – E & N]
12 Large computer suffering RAM famine? (9)
MAINFRAME – Anagram [suffering] of RAM FAMINE
13 Salad vegetable is hard unfortunately (6)
RADISH – Anagram [unfortunately] of IS HARD
15 Radiance of holy man amid temptation (6)
LUSTRE – ST (holy man – saint] contained by [amid] LURE (temptation)
18 Smooth out / newspapers and magazines (5)
PRESS – Two definitions
20 English travel showing self-importance (3)
EGO – E (English), GO (travel)

15 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 630 by Joker”

  1. Best sweet ever! – made by Barretts – my daughter once gave me a whole box for my birthday. Just one of those and I was in a happy 7dn (which was my LOI)The sherbet never came up the liquorice tube! A British design failure that worked!

    Nothing too taxing here for a Monday – unlike the 15×15 which IMO was hardish but fair.

    All over for me in 8.20 just as Adam Peaty does his thing in WR

    57.13 seconds! Brilliant! About a third of a Magoo!

    horryd Shanghai

  2. 17 minutes for me, so fairly easy, last two spent trying to work out my mistake as I fell into the 22ac trap. But it is clearly clued.

    Exchange may be on its way out as a telephone system, I was looking for network.

  3. Haven’t seem ‘grudge’ as a verb before, thought it had to be ‘begrudge’, but I now see it’s the first definition in Chambers. Some very good clues today, EXCHANGE BLOWS, SHERBET (the powder went everywhere) and HOPELESSNESS. Thanks Joker and jack.
  4. Very nice puzzle, but a DNF in 30 mins with M in 22a. I also was held up with “Trance’ by mistyping M for the laat N in 11A.
    The first job I had in London in 1966 was in the warehouse of Barretts sweet factory where they made sherbet. The high spot of my entire working life was the afternoon I made gobstoppers and was allowed to choose the colour sequence. Memories!
    Brian
  5. Fairly straightforward I thought, although I too fell into the 22ac trap. Pleasant start to the week thank you.
    PlayupPompey
  7. In the main I found this relatively straightforward and completed it in 17 minutes. Fortunately the last couple of those were spent trying to parse 22a, whereupon I saw my mistake and changed ‘home’ to ‘hope’. COD 1a for sending me down the wrong path and then making me smile when I found the right one.
  8. Another one who fell into the trap of hopelessness, so ruining a solid time of 29:53. COD 19a. 4d was a whole new clue type, which is always good to see.
    1. Yes, I think the device at 4dn may be new to the Quickies and not too common in the 15×15 either.
  9. I knew I was on for a quick time, so biffed a couple at the end to ensure a new 25 min PB. However, pride comes before the fall, so while 4d Grudge was ok, 22ac Homelessness was . . . slightly less correct. Ah well, I’ll break that 25 min barrier one day. Invariant
  10. Pleased with ourselves with a fast time for us until we realised we had fallen into the same trap in 22a. A lesson learnt, hopefully! Elin and Ian.
  11. I add myself to the list of those who ought to be hopeless but find themselves out in the street. 24 mins other than that so a gentle start to the week thank goodness and thank Joker.
  12. No problems today and completed correctly in 13 minutes.
    I seem to like Joker’s puzzles. David
  13. Well I feel it must have been an easy one. I left myself 25 minutes to get it done and dusted before being summoned to eat. I thought this a tough challenge for me, but I had 15 minutes to spare so came in a minute ahead of our blogger. My word. Definitely a record for me. DM
  14. Another in the 22a trap – hopeless indeed! Otherwise a romp through in under an hour – good for me.

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