Times Quick Cryptic No 1018 by Tracy

Author   rolytolyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
A bit of an animal theme going on – we have bulls and birds and rodents and a marine mammal or two. Also, after double-checking the history of “rook”, I found a bonus, animal-related verb : “to roo”, which means to hand pluck a sheep, as one might pluck a bird. Good luck with that, eh? And in Australia the situation might even arise where you could say: the blind rooer rued rooing a roo. Some good surface readings, such as the titillation of a half-naked celebrity, but I’ll give joint COD to 1ac and 8d. I seemed to get through this quite quickly, coming a couple of minutes under my target ten, albeit with a bit of biffing. All of which was improved on closer consideration, so many thanks to Tracy!

Across
1 Finished by attack exposing rook (10)
OVERCHARGE – OVER (finished) by CHARGE (attack) exposing/revealing the answer: to rook = to fraud/swindle/overcharge, etc. Derives from the earlier noun, after the bird and its wily ways, although interestingly ca. 1600 it could describe both the swindler and the swindled; a rook was a both a knave and a gull.
8 Exchange views about one pine, perhaps (7)
CONIFER – CONFER (exchange views) about/around I (one)
9 Guarantee cry of pain after volts applied (5)
VOUCH – OUCH (cry of pain) goes after V(olts)
10 Just on left, close to lay-by (4)
ONLY – ON L(eft), closing letter of lay-bY. I did wonder how “just” could mean “rely”, but apparently it can’t, at least not without recourse to a lot of obsolete Scottish dialect, and even then it would be a bit of a stretch equating “apportion” with “adjust”.
11 Simple dwellings (play on words) (8)
HOMESPUN – HOMES (dwellings) PUN ((play on words)) – never shirk an opportunity to use double brackets.
13 Nail polish back in style, man explains (6)
ENAMEL – “back in” the letters of styLE MAN Explains
14 Lack of soil on ground, ultimately (6)
DEARTH – EARTH (soil) on D (grounD, ultimately)
17 Hips — a lot replaced here? (8)
HOSPITAL – &lit: anagram (replaced) of HIPS A LOT
19 Male whale? Nonsense (4)
BULL – double definition, the second of which probably derives from the Middle English “bul”, for falsehood, from Old French “boule” for fraud/deceit.
21 Some clever dick composer (5)
VERDI – “Some” of the letters of cleVER DIck
22 Tries an exotic wine (7)
RETSINA – anagram (exotic) of TRIES AN.
23 Compelling work, foremost of paintings by mature English artist (4-6)
PAGE-TURNER – P (foremost of Paintings) by AGE ([to] mature) TURNER (English artist)

Down
2 Article in large house that adds taste (7)
VANILLA – AN (article) in VILLA (large house)
3 Large number, hundred, abandoning vessel (4)
RAFT – C (hundred) abandons cRAFT (vessel)
4 Actress Jean in Essex town (6)
HARLOW – double definition, I’m guessing.
5 Critic of satirical show heard by Queen (8)
REVIEWER – REVUE (satirical show) is heard the same as REVIEW, by ER (queen)
6 Provide witty remark after end of satire (5)
EQUIP – QUIP (witty remark) by E (end of satirE)
7 Relax wearing friend’s fur (10)
CHINCHILLA – CHILL (relax) wearing CHINA (friend: china plate = mate in rhyming slang)
8 Seals experience narrow escape (5,5)
CLOSE SHAVE – CLOSES (seals) HAVE (experience)
12 Shy going to bed (8)
RETIRING – double definition
15 Way to go about home system (7)
ROUTINE – ROUTE (way) going about IN (home)
16 Mimic a bishop on board vessel (6)
PARROT – A RR (a right reverend = a bishop) on board POT (vessel)
18 Abandon fight (5)
SCRAP – double definition
20 Half-naked celebrity (4)
STAR – [first] half of STARkers(naked)

29 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1018 by Tracy”

  1. I was convinced Tracy thought he/she was writing the cryptic puzzle. For me this was the most difficult I have encountered in months. Got absolutely nowhere today
  2. On the tricky side but I scraped home with a few seconds to spare within my target 10 minutes, dithering over the parsing at 3dn as my LOI. I always assumed BULL for ‘nonsense’ was just a cleaned-up version of ‘bulls**t’.
  3. I’d somehow thought that BULL was a shortened form of the bisyllabic rude word, but the chronology is the reverse, with BS appearing in the 20th century. Oxford (SOED and ODE) say ‘orig. unknown’ for BULL in the sense of ‘nonsense’. 1ac and 8d indeed nice surfaces. 6:13.
  4. Just to repeat the often quoted remark from Margot Asquith (Countess of Oxford) when Ms Harlow continually called her MargoT: “no dear, the “T” is silent, as in Harlow” – ouch! This is probably the only thing about Jean Harlow that most people know.
    2. Sorry, typo – should, of course be: “T” is silent, as in Harlot”! Still ouch though.
  5. Well, after some dismal times last week, I seem to be improving: 15, 14, 13 mins for Tues, Weds, and Today.
    I think it must be the full moon. My wife’s sleep is disturbed and my brain seems to be sharpening (a bit).
    I’ll be taking biodynamic winemaking seriously next…..

  6. Another good time, 16:31, just know that Friday will wreck the streak.

    Never heard of “rook” for overcharge, the setter was tricking us with the usual ‘R’ for rook.

    Did not parse CHINCHILLA as I refuse to engage with Rhyming Slang. The person who said ‘sarcasm is the lowest form of wit’ had obviously not come across it.

    I had HEAD TURNER for a bit (head = foremost)

    Cod 14a

    8a one of those words tainted by a police operation, like Yew Tree. There’s a Yew Tree Close in my town, cue endless tiresome jokes.

  7. Just wanted to share my thanks to all who blog and comment. I started the TQCs in Aug and I’ve started to feel like I’m “getting there”. Something clicked in Jan and I’m completing all within c. 40 mins. I’ve managed to scrape home today in a similar time.
    I did find it difficult though! 1a and 7d esp. so. I’m not sure I’m convinced by the definition of rook as I’ve always seen it as the person or chess piece rather than the act of cheating someone. Equally, 7d, chinchilla is an animal rather than a fur – albeit, Chambers corrects me!
    Tips to all beginners, get the Chambers (or Oxford) dictionary, remember the abbreviations and even if you don’t finish, check the blog for the solution plus the parsing. Often, owing to my lack of GK, my parsing bails me out! And, forget your times to begin with, get your head around the parsing and the times will naturally tumble.
    COD 13a: I thought it was very well hidden.
    LOI 3d: not helped by confers (8a) until Harlow clicked.
    Thanks to Tracy & RolyToly, Carl.
  8. I enjoyed this – thx again. I was under the same misapprehension about Bull in terms of its origins. Perhaps I was thinking along American lines because if I’m not mistaken the use of rook to swindle or cheat is more common there too. Guessed at Harlow as a 6 letter Essex town and thought I might have vaguely heard of her. Have to say her name meant nothing to my wife and we are both in our 60’s.
  9. I seem to be at odds with most people in that I found this one of the easiest for a while and finished in dead on 15 minutes. Just in Tracy’s wavelength I suppose!
  10. I found this hard – the top half started with lots of work for little reward but then the bottom half started flowing in. Loi enamel. Many thanks to Roly for the blind rooer and of course to Tracy.
  11. I found this quite tricky too. I didn’t get a start until 14a, and then gradually filled the SE and SW before returning to the top half. Finished with RAFT at 10:07. Clues needed close attention. I had HEAD turner for 23a at first but SCRAP put me right. Good challenge. Thanks Tracy and RolyToly.
  12. A slow start for me, not getting my FOI until 21a, and thought I was going to be in for a slog. Quickly spotting 8d (COD)seemed to open things up and it all flowed from there. I spent a couple of minutes trying to fit an ‘AB’ into 16d before seeing what was going on. I crossed the line in 14 minutes with LOI 19a.
    Thanks for the blog
  13. When I first moved here there was a pub in the town centre named for the actress, but it eventually closed, and the site is now a nightclub called Quatroz.
  14. Hurrah, about 15 minutes today! Finished in my lunch hour instead of having to come home to it. I found this the easiest one for a while, and was only really stuck on BULL. PARROT took a while too, as I also tried to get AB in there. Very chuffed with myself – and it just goes to show that you’re either on the setter’s wavelength or you’re not.
  15. She cropped up in the lyrics to Madonna’s “Vogue” (“Grace Kelly, Harlow, Jean, Picture of a beauty queen”), which is how young ‘uns might have heard of her, but I couldn’t have told you anything about her films.
  16. Looked like it was going to be tough going on first read through. Filled the grid from right to left and thoroughly enjoyed it. Might be my favourite of 2018! LOI 1a, penny dropped once 2d went in but didn’t know it meant rook or why until reading the blog.
  17. A steady 27 minutes today requiring rumination whilst changing trains at East Croydon for my L2I – 11a and 6d. Never sure why, but putting down the QC and coming back to it often gives results. Thanks Tracy and rolytoly
  18. Can’t be many fans of 19C crime novels out there! A rookery was a common name for a thieves den. Even now it is not an unfamiliar term to me, used in the sense of to swindle somebody, so didn’t seem too big a stretch. COD for me was 17a, beautifully concise.
  19. He seems to have changed his tune since t=yesterday when he seemed to advocating a ban on jokes about the oldest profession!
  20. Difficult to start. FOI was 17a… then a spurt gave some confidence and eventually the S was completed and I started climbing the grid. No problem with rook=swindle, nor with 4d even if a tad before my time. Didn’t spot the 13a hidden word until gazing at it after completion – couldn’t believe I missed something so obvious! Also happy with 7d as ‘fur’ – e.g. ‘she was wearing fox/sable/chinchilla…) LOI 3d (again obvious) COD 7d. Good puzzle and helpful blog too.
  21. Have been out today so came to this late. I solved it top to bottom but it wasn’t easy. LOI was Retiring ( I always struggle without the first letter)after Page-Turner.
    Some clever stuff here. COD to 23a.
    Did not time it as I was grabbing something to eat; around 20 minutes. David

  22. Heavy going today probably about 30 mind over several sessions. Hate to be the pickey scientist (again) but nail polish is a lacquer not an enamel. The difference being that the former can be removed using its original solvent (as nail polish can) and enamel can’t.
  23. Could anyone explain – or is there a list? what the following mean. Biffing, COD, L21, surfaces? On writing this I suddenly got FOI and LOI! Am getting the hang of the actual doing of the crosswords….and the comments are invaluable, if I only knew what they meant.
    1. Biffing is getting the answer from the letters already acquired without having to work out the reasons for it. COD is clue of the day (i.e. my favourite). I can’t help about the other two I’m afraid. I think there’s a list somewhere……
    2. Yes there is a bit of an argot when you put it like that!

      The “surface” of a clue is how the clue reads as a normal, everyday sentence. A clue is considered ungainly if it couldn’t exist outside of a cryptic crossword, and can add a nice extra layer of misdirection – such as the chess theme in 1ac.

      “&lit” is short for “and literally so” – in that the clue is literally the definition, as well as the cryptic wordplay, such as 17ac. Check out the bottom of this link for the Times crossword editor’s breakdown and explanation of all the different clue types: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sunday-times-clue-writing-contest-grhlzwd5rlb.

      I haven’t seen L2I – probably a play on Last One In!

      Hope this helps – and always ask if there’s something you haven’t seen.

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