Times Quick Cryptic 760 by Mara

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
At 15 minutes I found this one really tricky, taking what seemed like ages to get started and then having a complete blind spot when it came to my last one in at 3dn. I’m a bit pushed for time at the moment so I’ll press on right away.  

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 Phone back about one’s tree (5)
LILAC – CALL (phone) reversed [back] containing [about] I (one)
4 Security is nothing to write about, entering department (7)
DEPOSIT – IS + 0 (nothing) reversed [write about] in [entering] DEPT (department)
8 Large eagle dropping left, beyond in descent (7)
LINEAGE – L (large), IN , EAG{l}E [dropping left]
9 County / flags (5)
WILTS – Two definitions, the first being the abbreviation for Wiltshire
10 Shift in a pretty dot, going in the correct place? (5-7)
POTTY-TRAINED – Anagram [shift] of IN A PRETTY DOT – ho-ho!
12 Interfere with / GP (6)
DOCTOR – Two definitions
13 Aim high with exceptional praise (6)
ASPIRE – Anagram [exceptional] of PRAISE
16 Business insubstantial, one’s seen on the street (7,5)
TRAFFIC LIGHT – TRAFFIC (business), LIGHT (insubstantial)
18 Ship — might one be binned? (5)
LINER – A straight definition and a cryptic hint with reference to bin liners
20 Tory embraces man, very regal initially, as a mark of rank (7)
CHEVRON – CON (Tory) contains [embraces] HE (man) + V{ery} R{egal} [initially]
21 Slight fall finally contained by exporter (7)
SLENDER – {fal}L [finally] contained by SENDER [exporter]
22 Doctrine — principle ultimately confined to temporary accommodation (5)
TENET – {principl}E [ultimately] contained by [confined to] TENT (temporary accommodation)
Down
1 Play around filling cap — that’s life on the water (4,3)
LILY PAD – Anagram [around] of PLAY contained by [filling] LID (cap). Not sure if I’m missing something here but the definition seems a bit loose to me.
2 Political fanatics unfit, clearing off (7,6)
LUNATIC FRINGE – Anagram [off] of UNFIT CLEARING
3 Absurd putting entertainment on the seafront? (5,4)
CRAZY GOLF – CRAZY  (absurd), GOLF (putting). This gave me trouble and I think it was the mention of “seafront” that did it. On reflection it’s fair  enough and the question mark covers that it’s a DBE (defintion by example)
4 Tedious case of dandy pinching bottom (6)
DREARY – D{and}Y [case] containing [pinching] REAR (bottom)
5 Hand man’s cut (3)
PAW – PAW{n} (man – chess) [cut]
6 Joiner arranging girders on lino (9,4)
SOLDERING IRON – Anagram [arranging] of GIRDERS ON LINO
7 Contract’s ending, then request a job (4)
TASK – {contrac}T [ending], ASK (request)
11 Poor novel isn’t making you bankrupt (9)
INSOLVENT – Anagram [poor] of NOVEL ISN’T
14 Former carnivore initially put in the shade, dead and gone (7)
EXTINCT – EX (former), then C{arnivore} [initially] contained by [put in] TINT (shade)
15 Prince desperate for a nipper (6)
PINCER – Anagram [desperate] of PRINCE
17 Tops in Premier League, American, also (4)
PLUS – P{remier} L{eague} [tops], US (American)
19 Communist studied in speech (3)
RED – Sounds like [in speech] “read” (studied)

20 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 760 by Mara”

  1. Thanks. A difficult one indeed, even though my time was slightly inflated by distractions from the final of the American Armoured Rugby that’s on the telly.

    Thought: cryptic definitions are very clever but I think having more than one in a QC is a bit excessive. i.e. “joiner”, 3ac, 10ac, 16ac (whose def couldn’t be much vaguer).

    Lots of good QC fodder as well though.

    FOI LILAC LOI LINEAGE COD CRAZY GOLF

  2. Tough going at 45 mins.

    4a (deposit), 8a (lineage), 9a (wilts), 1d (lily pad), 3d (crazy golf), and 5d (paw) were hard.

    Couldn’t parse lily pad or lunatic fringe.

    COD potty trained.

  3. This was a tough monkey paricularly my LOI 3dn CRAZY GOLF – vinyl did well to muster it as obviously crazy golf does not exist in Trumpton – unless you count the Ryder Cup.

    The surface of 10ac wasn’t that clever IMO scatalogical rather than logical.

    COD 1dn LILY PAD WOD LUNATIC FRINGE

  4. I read lily pad as life (as in flora) that sits on the water fair enough I think.

    At 20 mins it was medium for me but I agree that the prevalence of cryptic definitions made it all the tougher for a QC.

    Crazy golf my COD

  5. 30 minutes for me today so definitely on the more difficult side. However, there were quite a few anagrams today which helped me get started. Crazy golf took me some time but, I thought, a very clever clue when I worked it out.
  6. Some excellent clues today, POTTY TRAINED, CRAZY GOLF particularly. Liked also the anagram indicators, not the usual ones, at 15d and 13ac. A good challenge for a Monday, 10′. Thanks jack and Mara.
  7. A solid hour for me, and certainly cryptic. Rarely have I “biffed” so many clues and worked out the parsing afterwards (if at all). Tough start to the week.
    PlayupPompey
  8. Not being very good at anagrams, I thought my time of 35 mins was going to be a disappointment, so I was surprised to read some of the earlier comments. Chevron and lilac have come up in the main crossword recently, so perhaps they were fresh in mind, but I didn’t think Mara was being overly hard today. Invariant
  9. Just scraped inside the 10.0 minute mark for this tricky little number. The top was definitely harder and having nothing from the first few clues I dropped to the bottom and worked steadily upwards. Good fun, especially the lovely misdirection of ‘absurd putting’.
  10. My biggest DNF for a long time today. I got most of this done bar 1a (thought it was a plant not a tree), 8a, 1d and 3d but despite a couple more sitting still couldn’t work it out. So I came to the blog and looked up 1a – after that the rest went in. A disheartening start to the week, but it can only improve.
    Thanks for the blog
  11. That was tougher than usual, taking me 16 minutes. FOI was LILAC and LOI LINEAGE, which had me scratching my head for 3 of those. An enjoyable start to the week. Despite horryd’s misgivings I liked 10a. I particularly liked 6d, as I actually used mine yesterday to replace a failed IC in a stage lighting unit from my Son-in-Law’s school. #backonthetools. Thanks Jack and Mara.

    Edited at 2017-02-06 03:52 pm (UTC)

  12. Found this one tough going, needing all the checkers before solving the anagram at 10a. A good workout to start the week, thanks to blogger and setter. Elin and Ian.
  13. After my first read through I thought you once again had it in for newbies, BUT after at least two HOURS I only had three unfinished. Potty trained took me at least half an hour…..! I’m at last getting on your wavelength.
  14. I distinctly remember the soldering iron cropping up here before with an almost identical clue
  15. I didn’t find this as difficult as some earlier contributors’ comments suggest. I was wary of the misdirection in 3d and 9a and that helped a lot. This doesn’t mean I had a spectacular time (est 65 minutes) but a forced break allowed me to resolve the SE quite quickly having been daunted at my first sitting. FOI 12a LOI 8a COD 3d. An enjoyable exercise so thx to Mara and Jakkt and the contributors too.
  17. LOI was Lineage and it had taken me ages to get that far. This was solved in fits and starts as I had many interruptions today, so no exact idea of time.
    Some excellent, and difficult, clues; I spent part of the weekend on the Saturday and Sunday puzzles and these clues could have been in those puzzles. I particularly liked 10a and 3d. I have played crazy golf; in fact most of my normal golf is like that. 2d and 6d excellent anagrams. Thanks Mara. David
  18. Oh good. It wasn’t just me. About 25 minutes, alongside my bacon and egg. Some really difficult clues, especially those with ‘clever’ definitions.
  19. I almost got into a panic thinking my brain had seized up when I staggered through the acrosses with only a couple of answers put in. But a few easier down clues got me going and I was relieved to finish in just 1 1/2 minutes over par in 7:43. A good test for people looking to graduate to the 15×15, and maybe not much easier than today’s (I mean yesterday’s – I’m solving a day in arrears). I did enjoy 10a in particular. Thanks to Mara for the solving fun and Jack for the commentary.

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