Times Quick Cryptic 880 by Joker

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A very enjoyable 10-minute solve with some excellent surface readings. I don’t think there are any difficult words or unusual meanings, just one definition I needed to check after completing the grid to make sure it fitted the answer. As always I shall be interested to  find out what others made of the puzzle.

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 Make Ada rice when mixing sponge (7,4)
MADEIRA CAKE – Anagram [when mixing] of MAKE ADA RICE. It’s a very light type of sponge cake.
8 Get angry if invaded by northern poor (7)
INFLAME – IF contains [invaded by] N (northern), LAME (poor – e.g. excuse)
9 Wagon broken by a weight of stones (5)
CARAT – CART (wagon) contains [broken by] A. 200 milligrams.
10 Paid back low newspaper interrupting Her Majesty’s division (9)
DIAPHRAGM – PAID (reversed) [back], then RAG (low newspaper) is contained by [interrupting] HM (Her Majesty). I wasn’t sure of the definition here but I found this for ‘diaphragm’ in one of the usual sources that appears to cover it: the muscular sheet in mammals that divides the thoracic and abdominal cavities.
12 Obviously, all rowers need this to start (3)
OAR – O{bviously} A{ll} R{rowers} [to start]. I’m inclined to take the whole clue as definition here.
13 Preserve tree invaded by many blessed ants initially (6)
EMBALM – ELM (tree) contains [invaded by] M{any} B{lessed} A{nts} [initially]
15 Bad result for part of Ireland (6)
ULSTER – Anagram [bad] of RESULT. Part of the island but not the Republic.
17 Organ the archbishop has installed (3)
EAR – hidden [installed] in {th}E AR{chbishop}
18 Swig ales wildly holding new drinking vessel (4,5)
WINE GLASS – Anagram [wildly] of SWIG ALES containing [holding] N (new)
20 I had clerk starting late and finishing early — layabout (5)
IDLER – I’D (I had), {c}LER{k} [starting late and finishing early]
22 Leave a group playing (7)
ABANDON – A, BAND (group), ON (playing)
23 Violently rebel toward someone widely seen as leader (5-6)
WORLD-BEATER – Anagram [violently] of REBEL TOWARD
Down
1 Organised criminals intend rising about a fine (5)
MAFIA – AIM (intend) reversed [rising] containing [about] A + F (fine)
2 Finish with a draught for a decisive ending (9)
DEATHBLOW – DEATH (finish), BLOW (draught)
3 Rice with carp, never right for a cold area (3,3)
ICE CAP – {r}ICE CA{r}P [never right]
4 Electrical discharge in large vessel reported (3)
ARC – Sounds like [reported] “ark” (large vessel)
5 Look over alcohol where there are duty-free shops (7)
AIRPORT – AIR (look), PORT (alcohol).  I don’t think ‘air’ can mean ‘look over’ so the second word is simply indicating the position of ‘air’ in the Down answer.
6 Daring to come in with pressure increasing (12)
ENTERPRISING – ENTER (come in), P (pressure), RISING (increasing)
7 A great sight — robins, say, compete in English tree (5-3,4)
BIRDS-EYE VIEW – BIRDS (robins, say), E (English), then VIE (compete) in YEW (tree)
11 Hostile West African country gets biting insect around November (9)
MALIGNANT – MALI (West African country), GNAT (biting insect) contains [around] N (November – NATO alphabet)
14 Thief left food all over car that hasn’t started (7)
BURGLAR – L (left) + GRUB (food) reversed [all over], {c}AR [that hasn’t started]
16 Inherited pub at end of lane (6)
INNATE – INN (pub), AT, {lan}E [end]
19 Tree’s more bare with top removed (5)
ALDER – {b}ALDER (more bare) [with top removed]
21 Staff perhaps travelled on bicycles mostly (3)
ROD – ROD{e} (perhaps travelled on bicycles) [mostly]

23 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 880 by Joker”

  1. I was slowed down by a couple of clues, but enough to make my time drag out. For one thing, once again the setter’s enumeration differed from mine, this time at 2d, where I simply could not think of a word beginning with D and ending with W. 7d and 23ac also took me forever. 9:56.
  2. 2dn was indeed a tricky one but generally fairly average.

    I heaved home in 8.52 once 23ac WORLD-BEATER (Chris Froome, Jordan Speith or England’s Cricketing Ladies) was decided! A great week-end of nail-biting sport. Those Ladies don’t know when they are beaten! India were magnificent too! Best of three would have been fair.

    COD 15 ac ULSTER – beautifully disguised anagram.

    Edited at 2017-07-24 02:26 am (UTC)

  3. 40 minutes after discounting for interruptions.

    Found this tricky as I still haven’t found my crossword hat.

    Esp ulster, diaphragm, inflame, alder and LOI abandon.

    Clue of the day to wine glass for the swig ales wildly surface.

  4. I was also held up by 2d and 10a, eventually crossing the line in 13:35. Reversing PAID mentally and having an M at the end finally gave me 10a. FOI MAFIA, LOI DEATHBLOW. Thanks Joker and Jack.
  5. Like others, was surprised to see DEATHBLOW as a single word. Also held up a little by DIAPHRAGM.

    COD to ULSTER, thanks Joker and Jack.

    1. I know English isn’t German, but our orthography does still encourage (except in certain circumstances) the writing together of words that are spoken as a single lexeme. I know people do have a problem with this concept – “undoing” such words is a common phenomenon.
  6. I would have liked a slightly easier first day back, but Joker gave the brain cell(s) a good run out instead. Limped over the line in 45 mins with, like others, the strange 2d my loi. Invariant
  7. Just to confirm that Chambers and Collins both have DEATHBLOW as a single word. COED doesn’t list it, but it’s in SOED as two words.
  8. Found this fairly straight forward. DIAPHRAGM is quite widely used for any flexible membrane used as a separater.
    Enjoyed DEATHBLOW. Certainly summed up Shrubsole’s efforts yesterday for those who followed the Women’s World Cup. Fabulous performance.
    PlayUpPompey
  9. Like others I was held up by 2d and 10a at the end – not helped by misspelling diaphragm. The rest I found to be of average difficulty. Enjoyed 3d, completed in 24 minutes
  10. Held up, like many, by 2dn and 10ac. Wanted to put “rag” after the first D but couldn’t think of any words that start that way. Not familiar with ARC meaning “electrical discharge”, so couldn’t get that one straightaway. Was pushing close to 40 minutes on this. Gribb.
  11. A quality puzzle of average difficulty I thought apart from 10a (difficult).
    I finished it in 15 minutes. LOI was 16d and COD to 15a -as mentioned an excellent hidden anagram. David
  12. Re airport I suppose you can talk of someone having the air of eg a millionaire meaning they look like one but it’s a bit tenuous
    1. air: a person’s distinctive appearance, manner, or bearing

      I’d say that’s the same as how they look.

        1. Indeed, but you said you thought it was tenuous – which is fine if that’s your opinion – so I thought I’d confirm that it’s a meaning that’s supported by at least one of the source dictionaries.
          1. Fair enough – I suppose also tenuous links are all part of the sport. Giving it another air I diocese that it is not a brunette 🙂
  13. I found this to be very hard and was a dnf. Spent about 30 minutes getting nowhere. Just did not see the clues. No enjoyment in this one for me.
    1. I didn’t enjoy it much either. I managed to finish but only with the aid of Crossword solver to find words that fit the letters.

      I was hoping that using aids would help me get better – but, in fact, I have struggled with most of the QCs recently, often with a DNF. I always have to come to the blog to find out how some of the answers are derived. I don’t seem to be making any improvements. Ho Hum….

      1. Stick with it!

        I think everyone has been in the situation you are in currently where it seems you are making no progress; it can be quite demoralising. But with practice, more practice, and referring to this excellent blog every day you will make headway, leave the plateau and scale the cryptic crossword heights.

        In a matter of months you’ll be solving the QCs, sans aids, while smoking a cigar.

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