Times Quick Cryptic 650 by Tracy

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I completed this puzzle in 7 minutes. There are three or four clues that I’d guess may present some difficulties but the majority lead to everyday words and are straightforward in their construction. With those solved there should be enough checking letters to provide a way into the other answers. 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 Catch sight of son with trophy (4)
SPOT – S (son), POT (trophy)
4 Fellow bachelor, not carrying as much weight (8)
BLIGHTER – B (bachelor), LIGHTER (not carrying as much weight). B on its own as  abbreviation for “bachelor” is sanctioned by Chambers but not by the other usual sources (Concise Oxford and Collins Dictionary). There is, or was,  allegedly at one time a list of approved single-letter abbreviations for Times puzzles but I’ve never seen it.
8 Poor relation from the east (8)
ORIENTAL – Anagram [poor] of RELATION
9 Partner in defeat on board (4)
MATE – Two definitions, the second with reference to chess
10 Common sense required to enclose right legal document (4)
WRIT – WIT (common sense) encloses R (right)
11 Welsh barman I treated after onset of cold (8)
CAMBRIAN – C{old}[onset], anagram [treated] of BARMAN I.  C is a common enough abbreviation of “cold”  so it was not strictly necessary to have the deletion signalled by “onset” here, but it gives us  a smoother surface reading.
12 Process messy fluid: about time (6)
SYSTEM – Anagram [fluid] of MESSY containing [about] T (time)
14 Gentle and kind, leader of government in African country (6)
BENIGN – G{overnment} [leader] in BENIN (African country)
16 Usual / colours (8)
STANDARD – Two definitions, the second with reference to flags
18 One preparing hard for test pulls over (4)
SWOT – TOWS (pulls) reversed [over]
19 Primate drawing in small recess in a church (4)
APSE – APE (primate) encloses [drawing in] S (small). A word I learnt in my earliest attempts at cryptic solving that still comes up regularly.
20 A female, smooth-spoken and well-to-do (8)
AFFLUENT – A, F (female), FLUENT (smooth-spoken)
22 Check on board earlier vessel (8)
SCHOONER – CH (check – chess) contained by [on board] SOONER (earlier). A type of ship or a drinking vessel perhaps, popular particularly amongst drinkers of sherry..
23 Father, eastern church leader (4)
POPE – POP (father), E (eastern)
Down
2 Paint a picture of harbour and fish (7)
PORTRAY – PORT (harbour), RAY (fish)
3 Inside centre, a trained nurse (5)
TREAT – Hidden [inside] {cen}TRE A T{rained}
4 Club‘s bill raised (3)
BAT – TAB (bill) reversed [raised]. Who’s going to be the first to say it?
5 Is priest evil in Asian capital? (9)
ISLAMABAD – IS, LAMA (priest), BAD (evil)
6 Baseball score in series (4,3)
HOME RUN – HOME (in),  RUN (series)
7 More in next race (5)
EXTRA – Hidden in {n}EXT RA{ce}
11 What in return? (4,5)
COME AGAIN – Two definitions, the first as in “Pardon?”
13 Hybrid fruit beginning to grow in adapted lean-to (7)
TANGELO – G{row} [beginning] in anagram [adapted] of LEAN-TO. This turned up only last Friday in the main puzzle and prompted one of the regulars (Dr Thud) to ask: “Has anyone ever actually seen a TANGELO? I have only ever seen them offered in crosswords”. I can’t say I’ve ever seen one but before crosswords I learnt the word from Countdown where it seems to turn up every week.
15 Adult class includes disheartened women (5-2)
GROWN-UP – GROUP (class) contains [includes] W{oma}N [disheartened]. I don’t think we often have “both end” deletions in the QC so this may be a new device to some.
17 Subject to endless choice (5)
TOPIC – TO, PIC{k} (choice) [endless]
18 What feller leaves behind is puzzle (5)
STUMP – Two definitions, the first with reference to tree-felling.
21 Conifer, solid, clipped (3)
FIR – FIR{m} (solid) [clipped]

22 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 650 by Tracy”

  1. If you pop half a large grapefruit (pomelo) and a tangerine in a blender – and whizz – you can have your very own tangelo. Otherwise one has to head off for California or Florida to find the tangelo tree. Not seen in these parts.

    8.06 held up by 4ac BLIGHTER.

    A reasonable start to the week.

    horryd Shanghai

  2. And then there was a Scottish variety – TANGELO DUNDEE – marvellous for pugalistic marmalade makers north of the border.
  3. Got hold of the wrong end of a couple of sticks, e.g. taking ‘from the east’ in 8ac as a reversal indicator, which made that my LOI. I was also working on the assumption that ‘bachelor’ was BA. SWOT took a while to come to mind, as it’s not in my dialect. Does anyone else have trouble remembering which is apse and which is nave? Oh. 5:37.
    1. Not really (for me at any rate) as the nave is the main central body of the building where the majority of the congregation sit and it’s used for processions. So, for example, at a wedding ceremony the bride and entourage proceed from the back of the church to the altar rail along the nave. The apse, as we know from crosswords, is a recess, often above or behind the altar itself or a side-chapel.
  4. I finished but struggled with this one, not sure why when reviewing the blog as they are all gettable.

    Had to guess tangelo.

    So about 1.5 hours, maybe it was too much wine over the weekend!

  5. This was the quickest I’ve ever finished one (20 min) so must have been on the easier end. SWOT seemed to take a while, but nothing too tricky here at all. Liked the misdirection in 12ac.
  6. BLIGHTER: now there’s a word I haven’t experienced for a long time, not since the golden age of British film comedies in black and white during the ’60s.
    If The Rotter does the Quickie I’m sure he’d approve.
    I’m happy with B for Bachelor as it crops up in so many abbreviations and is frankly a bit of a crossword cliche. Indeed I sometimes wish compilers would be a little more imaginative with their short letters (though I think in this case a reference to Boron might be a wee bit contrived). Suggestions anyone as an alternative clue for B?
  7. 7′ for this Monday QC, held up by 4ac and my LOI, BENIGN – the African country not really on my radar as it used to be, and was learned at school as, Togo. But now I find that it was actually Dahomey. Always thought ‘stump’ should have finality about it, i.e. you can’t solve the puzzle. Thanks jack and Tracy.

    Edited at 2016-09-05 09:16 am (UTC)

  8. 12 minutes today, which must be close to a PB. My only real head scratching moment was with 13d, LOI, which I’d never heard of, but with all checkers in place my guess turned out to be correct.
  9. A little slower than average for me. simply guessed Tangelo from the checkers, and haven’t heard blighter for many a year. Rather Bertie Wooster. Good challenge to start the week.
    PlayupPompey
  10. 6’55” for me, which I suspect is a PB. Also managed the main crossword today, which means it can’t be that hard!

    Edited at 2016-09-05 12:54 pm (UTC)

  11. Just over 30 minutes which is good for us. Like others, tangelo on a guess from the checkers. Almost forgotten about blighter, not seen it for many a year. Needed a little help to remember Benin. Pleasant start to the week, thanks setter and blogger. Elin and Ian.
  12. Solved in 30 minutes while playing Scrabble. Some lovely clueing in the SE (15, 18, 18) made me smile 🙂

    Edited at 2016-09-05 04:44 pm (UTC)

  13. Fully parsed in 45 mins, which is quite good for me where Tracy is concerned. 5d was my favourite today. Invariant
  14. Look, I know it’s very late but just got round to finishing this off and….are you all sure about 23a pope as papa is a priest of Eastern Orthodox Church cf Chambers as well as meaning father/dad etc. Would appreciate a ruling or advice on this. Thx to anyone who can respond
    1. I didn’t do this QC but saw your comment on today’s and have seen the clue. I’m guessing that the two p’s were checkers. I agree with Jack and Invaruant. Pope is such an obvious answer whereas papa is obscure. Maybe in a 15×15 this would work but I think the checkers would need to be different to make it positive. I do see where you’re coming from though.
    3. Sorry, Andrew, I only just spotted your query. There’s no doubt as to the intended answer (POPE) because part of my blogging process involves completing the puzzle on-line and if I had a wrong answer the grid would be rejected as incorrect.

      I wasn’t aware of “papa” as an eastern priest and from what you have quoted it seems there could be grounds for considering it as an alternative solution to the clue, in which case it would be up to the editor or adjudicator under competition conditions to make a ruling.

      Edited at 2016-09-06 09:47 pm (UTC)

  15. I really appreciate your time and opinions on this. I guess the setter’s intent rather settles it for me. Shame to get a dnf on the very last clue and so late at night! And a slightly iffy one at that. Thx again. Heigh Ho.

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