Times Quick Cryptic No 1233 by Felix

Author   TheRotterPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Only my second ever Felix puzzle to blog, and like the first, this one boasted a goodly number of anagrams (6) to help me on my way.  I traditionally spot anagrams quickly, which is a great asset for a solver and blogger.

My time for this was well within 10 minutes, so registering at the easy end of the Rotterometer, although some UK-centric knowledge and rhyming slang may slow others down a touch.  However, I don’t expect many to experience big problems with this one.

My CoD is 6d for the misdirection, and WoD is BUNGALOW.  Thanks Felix.

Across
3  Oustanding rift Eric mended (8)
TERRIFIC – Anagram (mended) of [RIFT ERIC]
7  Ollie’s partner’s recited a piece of poetry (6)
STANZA – STANZ (sounds like (recited) STAN’S (as in Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy – or STAN and Ollie) and A (a).  A STANZA of course is a grouped set of lines within a poem.
8  African city a clinic a pet-owner’s got inside (4,4)
CAPE TOWN – Hidden answer (got inside) in {clini}C A PET OWN{er’s}
9 Counterpart rings around very quietly (4)
OPPO – OO (rings) around (containing) PP (pianissimo from musical notation, meaning very quietly).  OPPO is a term meaning opposite number, or counterpart.
10  Old Roman Catholic: an ogre (3)
ORC – O{ld} R{oman} C{atholic}.  ORCs, Wikipedia says, draw on a variety of pre-existing mythology, but we know them best from J.R.R. Tolkein’s fantasy writings, particularly The Lord of the Rings.
11 Land in gaol, bizarrely, after a very short time (8)
MONGOLIA – MO is the very short time (as in ‘just a mo’) and this is followed by an anagram (bizarrely) of [IN GAOL].
13 Sort of train from east, however, going west (4)
TUBE – E{ast} BUT (however) all reversed, or ‘going west’.
15  Speed of boat a problem (4)
KNOT – The rate of progress of boats and ships is measured in KNOTS, and a KNOT is also a problem, so this is a double definition.
17  The lanes winding around remote island (2,6)
ST HELENA – Anagram (winding around) of [THE LANES].  ST HELENA in the South Atlantic is one of the remotest islands in the world, and was famous for being the exiled residence of Napoleon (amongst others).
19  Blooming locusts appearing regularly! (3)
OUT – Alternate letters (appearing regularly) of {l}O{c}U{s}T{s}.
22  Seize rabbit outside run (4)
GRAB – GAB (rabbit, cockney rhyming slang (originally rabbit and pork – talk)) outside R{un}
23  For every boy, a line that’s private (8)
PERSONAL – PER (for every) SON (boy) A (a) and L{ine}.
24  Choice of work: one’s in fashion (6)
OPTION – OP (work) and I (one) inside TON (fashion).  Try to remember TON for fashion, or people of fashion, as it crops up more regularly than it ought in cryptic crosswords.  It is from the French – TONISH, meaning modish.
25  Pal of Reg organised game (8)
LEAPFROG – Anagram (organised) of [PAL OF REG]

Down
1 Resign from stage, depressed (4,4)
STEP DOWN – STEP (stage) and DOWN (depressed)
2  Performing well most of a single carol (2,4)
ON SONG – ON is most of a single (ON{e}) followed by SONG (carol)
3  Sew harness (4)
TACK – double definition that conforms to Rotter’s Law – two word clues are often double definitions.
4  Blame sales person over fish (8)
REPROACH – REP (sales person or REP{resentative}) over (on top of) ROACH (fish)
5  One books stage performance that’s perfect (6)
INTACT – I (one) NT (books – of the bible) and ACT (stage performance)
6  Where Newport is: a US State (4)
IOWA – As well as being a city in the US State of Rhode Island, Newport is also a town in the Isle of Wight (IOW).  This is followed by A (a) to give the name of another US State – IOWA.  Nice misdirection from the Setter.
12  Re-enlist eccentric fan of radio show (8)
LISTENER – Anagram (eccentric) of [RE-ENLIST]
14 One-storey home to place casually on a base (8)
BUNGALOW – BUNG (place casually) A (a) LOW (base).  BUNGALOW is one of the many words that English has adopted from the Indian sub-continent.  A bungala was a type of building developed in the Bengal region.
16  To upset cat is a gamble (4-2)
TOSS-UP – TO (to) and PUSS (cat) reversed (upset)
18  Somehow got ale flowing smoothly (6)
LEGATO – Another musical term, this time an anagram (somehow) of [GOT ALE].  LEGATO means smooth or smoothly, the notes running into one another without a break.
20  Used to live close to meadow before (4)
WERE – {meado}W (close to meadow, last letter) and ERE (before)
21  Block made of carbon and length of wood (4)
CLOG – C (carbon) and LOG (length of wood).  To CLOG the works is to block the works.

30 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1233 by Felix”

  1. A couple of tricky ones slowed me down some: LEAPFROG, where organizing ‘pal of Reg’ took time; and MONGOLIA, where I made the mistake of taking ‘land’ and ‘gaol’ as the anagrist, twigging only when I had all the checkers. I’ve never come across ‘tonish’, Rotter, but I can say with some confidence that it’s not a French word, although ‘ton’ is; and it does show up too often. 5:21.
  2. 9 minutes with exactly the same slight problems with LEAPFROG and MONGOLIA as Kevin reports he experienced.

    I was surprised that this is only Rotter’s second blog of a Felix puzzle which sent me checking my QC records only to be amazed to find that I have NEVER blogged one! He’s one of the original setters, starting in April 2014, but has produced only 35 puzzles. Rotter has blogged 70 to date, and my total is 151.

    Edited at 2018-11-29 06:54 am (UTC)

  3. All went well. Got bungalow from definition alone, so thanks, Rotter, for the explanation and also needed help to parse stanza, had Stan and A but wasn’t sure about the z. LOI was legato even with all the checkers it took a long time to think of putting the o at the end, so long in fact that I checked the answers around it to make sure other answers weren’t wrong. All done and all right (first time in three submissions!) in 17m.
  4. Yup. Return to SCC with 14.14 but felt it should have been better. Must remember ton and Cape Town as gimmes. Bunging in on form (obviously I wasn’t) for 2dn unparsed didn’t help Mongolia. More haste, less speed.
  5. plenty to enjoy and nothing to difficult.
    I couldn’t parse 6d though.
    LOI: 14d (just couldn’t see it!)
    COD: 25a (oddly, I saw this straightaway, it’s just a throwback)
    thanks to blogger, setter and all who contribute
    Carl
  6. 14:28 today but only after the machine rejected my first arrangement of LAND GOAL. The problem with solving online is that as soon as you put in your last answer (this was), it responds immediately before you can review.
    Anyway I was momentarily willing to believe that Dongalla might exist!
    I got Mongolia pretty quickly after a moment’s thought.
    As others, the anagrams slowed me down a bit. David
    1. You can use the times puzzle club rather than times online.

      Edited at 2018-11-29 08:37 am (UTC)

      1. I’d love to but how do I join this exclusive club? If anyone could help I would be very grateful.

        NB

        2. When you select puzzles from the Times site, the first option is for the Puzzle Club. Select that and set up your options to submit to the Leaderboard or not etc.
  7. I also had a brief hold up conjuring up LEAPFROG from the anagrist, but otherwise romped through this enjoyable puzzle in 6:57. MONGOLIA didn’t hold me up for long as I had the O from STEP DOWN and the G from ON SONG already. Thanks Felix and Rotter.
  8. Thanks to Rotter for the parsing of Iowa and option which I hadn’t got – first I’ve heard of ton for fashion. I liked the reverse puss and oppo. We’ve had Cape Town quite recently I think. 11.45. Still struggling to get below 10.
  10. 37 minutes, over my target of 30 after being 10 minutes under on tje first three days of the week. It was not because the puzzle was overly difficult – it was just the right level – but because I put in CELL for 21D. It seemed to fit, I knew ELL was a measure of some sort and a Cell could be a block, but it could not have been a worse mistake as the last three letters were all checkers, and two last letters and one first at that. As a result the bottom of the grid was blank until I realised something was wrong.
    A nice puzzle though, thanls to therotter for ‘ton’ and an excellent blog

    Brian

  11. Nothing too testing for me today as most of the anagrams went in without having to resort to pen and paper. My one slight query was the TON bit of 24a, my LOI, which I’ve not seen before (or have forgotten about), but the answer couldn’t have been anything else. Particularly enjoyed the surface of 25a. Completed in 10.36
  12. An enjoyable puzzle – thanks Felix and Rotter. Most of my hiccups are described above by others so I will simply say I biffed Option, COD was Iowa and LOI Mongolia. 12.54 (with a phone interruption). John M.

    Edited at 2018-11-29 02:03 pm (UTC)

  13. A highly pleasant (and speedy) romp today coming home in 6:51. Worked clockwise around the grid getting most and finishing up with stanza/tack/Cape Town. I quite liked leapfrog – not a game which leapt readily to mind and nicely clued.
  14. I seem to be alone in having taken slightly longer with this one than with the rest of this week, coming in at 2.5 Kevins. I chewed up more time that I usually do with anagrams on TERRIFIC and LEAPFROG.

    A hugely enjoyable puzzle with lots of wit and sparkle – thank you, Felix. So many COD options that I’m going to have to give a joint award to TUBE and STANZA.

    As a reader of C19 literature I had no difficulties with “ton” – “the ton” or “le bon ton” was the upper class of Regency England. (As Kevin has already said, the French is definitely TON not TONISH!)

    Thanks for the blog, Rotter.

    Templar

  15. About on par today. Like others MONGOLIA and LEAPFROG took some time to unravel. Now that somebody has mentioned it I seem to remember reference to ‘the ton’ in Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire, but would never have thought of it so had to biff OPTION. BUNGALOW was a write-in, and hardly cryptic. FOI 1dn, LOI LEAPFROG. COD IOWA, neat little clue, although as an ex Pompey man it came very easily..
    PlayUpPompey
  16. Pretty much the same time as yesterday….12 mins with LOI 11a MONGOLIA after correcting my penultimate solve 2d from ON form to ON SONG. 24a OPTION was biffed in the hope that TON meant fashion (thank you Rotter et al for the explanation) and for 8a CAPE TOWN I didn’t even read the clue, so apologies to Felix for his efforts in constructing the hidden.

    Edited at 2018-11-29 12:37 pm (UTC)

  17. An enjoyable puzzle with no massive problems apart from 2 down which I thought must have been “in song” rather than “on song ” which I’ve never heard of. I knew that 22 across had to be “grab” but couldn’t work out why – I had forgotten that “rabbit “could mean “gab” and assumed that that particular long-eared creature was being represented by the “r”. Very much liked 6 down – so clever. Thanks so much, Rotter, for the fab blog and thanks, too, to Felix for a super puzzle.
  18. Well that’s where Newport is, but it didn’t trap me luckily.

    Seen off comfortably within my time target with no problems.

    Phil Jordan

  19. About 20 minutes but glad to finish after a slight panic thinking 2d should be On Form but managed to get Mongolia and came in On Song. Too much time on St Helena but pleased that Toss Up, Tube and Oppo, etc. all came to mind quickly.
    Thanks all,
    John George
  20. Finished this in just over 20mins, which is quick for me, but then spent another 2 or 3 mins trying to parse 6d and 24ac without any success. I thought Newport Township (IA) was a bit obscure for a QC, and now I can see why. . . Dnk ton for fashion, so I was never going to work that one out – thanks Rotter for the explanations. Nice puzzle from Felix, with 2d and 16d my favourites. Invariant

    Edited at 2018-11-29 04:05 pm (UTC)

  22. I knew 29 across was OPTION but I couldn’t explain it because I didn’t realise TON had anything to do with fashion. 20 down was quite clever. – I kept thing close meant near to (not the end of something) and I thought LEA might come into it because of meadow.

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