Times Quick Cryptic No 124 by Tracy

Author   macavity123Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Solving time: Straightforward

Greetings everyone.

Today we have a puzzle by Tracy which is one that should delight the newer solvers. It’s reasonably straightforward and should not cause too much hassle, although a couple of answers did hold me up slightly with 6 down holding me up unnecessarily because I didn’t read the clue properly!

Today’s teaser has a number of occurrences of the type of clue known and “container and contents” where something is placed inside another word.

Thanks to Tracy for today’s challenge and I’ll see you next week!

Across
1 MARY ROSE – The definition is the name of a very famous Tudor ship. An anagram (at sea) of ARMY + ROSE (mutinied).
5 MEAN – Humble -= def. MAN (fellow) with E (last in queue) inside.
8 JUST SO STORIES – Collection of stories is the definition. It’s made up by JUST SO (arranged very carefully) + STORES (retail outlets) with I (one) inside.
10 ROMEO – Ladies’ man = definition. E (note) inside an anagram (changing) of ROOM.
11 EPISTLE – Long letter = definition. E (eNGLISH) + PILE (stack) with ST (Saint) inside.
12 MADRAS – CURRY = definition. A DR (a doctor) inside MA’S (mother’s).
13 KISMET – Musical = definition. An anagram (silly) of MISTAKE minus A
16 MADEIRA – Dessert wine = definition. An anagram (abroad) of ADMIRE + A.
18 ASCOT – Racecourse = definition. A + SCOT (Caledonian).
20 OUT ON ONES FEET – For me, probably the toughest clue today, as it’s not really an expression I was too familiar with. Exhausted = definition. OUT (Exposed) + ON ONE’S FEET (standing).
21 HERD – Definition = drove, an archaic meaning of the word. It’s a hidden answer, concealed in “TOGETHER DAILY”.
22 GRANDEUR – Splendour = definition. An anagram (clumsy) of DEAN inside GR (Greek) + UR (urn, almost).

Down
1 MAJOR – A double definition clue. The name of a rank in the Army, plus an old-fashioned soubriquet attached to the two of two brothers when they are together.
2 RESUMED – Began again = definition. RESUME (CV) + D (Final letter of COED).
3 RESTORATION – Recovery = definition. REST (depend) + O (oxygen) + RATION (a helping).
4 SISTER – Sibling = definition. I’S (one’s) inside STER[N] (cross, briefly).
6 ELIOT – This was today’s last one in for me. Poet = definition. The first letters of EXPLAIN LINES IN OLD TRIOLET. I spent a little time trying to look at types of poem and suchlike.
7 NASCENT – Just beginning = definition. N (Noon) + ASCENT 9climbing).
9 ORIGINAL SIN – What’s been inherited from Adam = definition. ORIGINAL’S (eccentric’s) + IN.
12 MAMMOTH – Huge = definition. MAM (mother) = MOTH (insect).
14 MACHETE – Weapon = definition. CHE (Guevara, revolutionary) inside MATE (pal).
15 BANNER – FLAG =definition. B (British) + ANNE (queen) + R (king).
17 DETER – Put off = definition. DETERGENT (cleaner) minus (jilting) GENT.
19 TUTOR – Coach = definition. An anagram (rearranged) of TOUR with T (onset, first letter, of THUNDERSTORM).

16 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 124 by Tracy”

  1. This was by far the easiest one yet for me, I did it in the wee small hours of the morning and it took less than half my previous best time. Still slow by other people’s standards I’m sure – but it was as you say very straightforward (although, again, food and wine knowledge needed). I wouldn’t say 21A was archaic, really, having spent a chunk of time yesterday waiting for cattle to be herded across the road – herding is an everyday activity round here! My LOI was sister just purely because I didn’t believe it could be that, I was looking for it to be trickier than it was. I note that Kipling is cropping up frequently in these puzzles (actually we possibly had just so stories a few weeks ago? Or maybe that was the big crossword. Can’t remember). Not sure how resonant he would be with younger generations. Nice to see a setter who knows that Evita isn’t the only musical ever written. I’d love to think I found this one easy because I’m getting better, I realise that in fact it’s because it was a straightforward puzzle but still I really enjoyed doing it. 🙂
  2. Completed all but 3 (5a, 21a and 6d)in about 20 minutes but when after another 10 I still had 3 missing put it down and came back later. Kicked myself when I immediately saw the hidden in 21a then got the somewhat obscure definition of humble. Finally put in Eliot thinking it was some partial anagram of triolet but then Doh I saw how the clue worked.

    COD to 13a which I was able to work out even though I did not know the musical.

  3. After write-ins at 1ac and 1dn I needed to dodge around the grid quite a lot to keep up momentum and finished in 11 minutes. I’m not sure that “stern” equates with “cross” (4dn); it’s not in the usual dictionaries nor in my thesaurus which is usually more generous on such matters.
  4. Good QC, albeit at the easier end of the spectrum. Some very appealing surfaces (particularly liked 1ac, 8ac, 9dn and 14 dn).

    Last one in was GRANDEUR – for some reason I have a mental block with the “almost” / “most of” style of clues.

    Mohn, you might want to change the first of your “two”‘s in 1dn comment to “older” (or should that be “elder” – not sure…!)

    Thanks to blogger and setter.

  5. Thanks for the blog. This was definitely more like a quick puzzle, even though I did not get all the answers got around 70%. Which us good for me. I worked out 5 ac then looked up mean and did not find one reference to humble so thought I must have it wrong. Also 20 ac. Heard of dead on ones feet but never out. Just want to add a big thank you to the bloggers who give tips, yesterday someone blogged red and che for revolutionary and that tip helped me get 14 down.
    1. I also had misgivings about “out” so I did a quick survey on Google and found the following:

      Dead on one’s feet: 18,800 hits (7610)
      Out on one’s feet: 30,600 hits (17000)

      Figures in brackets are with the apostrophe omitted.

      1. Out on his feet very often heard in boxing commentaries (not that I’m a fan of that activity) – I’d venture it’s spread from that particular usage to be pretty mainstream as an expression
  6. Found this to be of middling difficulty for the quickie – just under 5 mins to finish, with no particular hold ups. I have no difficulty with OUT ON ONE’S FEET, but agree with Jack about STERN meaning CROSS in 4dn. Also agree with Nick about the smoothness of some of the surfaces; particularly liked 8ac and 9 dn. Thanks for the blog.
  7. 5 mins. To me it seemed like this puzzle was more like what the QC was originally intended to be. KISMET was unknown but gettable from the wordplay, and RESTORATION was my LOI. I also hesitated before I entered SISTER because I wasn’t 100% happy with cross/stern.
  8. 80% of this were straight write-ins for me in about 5 mins, then spent 10 on the last 5 or 6 clues. I have also never heard the phrase ‘out on one’s feet’. I agree about the wordplay on Kismet and I think those are some of the most satisfying clues – when you do not actually know the answer from the straight definition (unlike things like Mary Rose which are a write-in from Tudor vessel, regardless of the rest of the clue). Thanks for the blog!
  9. 13 minutes, and a very pleasant puzzle. I liked TUTOR simply for the smoothness of the surface.
  10. Some confusion as blog headed no.114 but this is actually no.124 in The Times. Got all the answers in reasonable time although found some of the wordplay a bit tricky (4d,15d) and was trying to make ELIOT an anagram of TRIOLET.
    2. Yes, 6dn was the only clue to catch me out. I was too busy looking for a definition of TRIOLET, or an anagram – but clearly didn’t work out that all I needed was the first letters as explained above. As M Python’s gumbies would say ‘my brain hurts!’

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