Times Quick Cryptic No 1689 by Izetti

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

It’s a while since I got to blog an Izetti. In the past it has always been a pleasure and today is no exception. Lovely smooth surfaces, crystal clear wordlay and nothing 10A. I managed to get the three long anagrams in the acrosses at first sight which gave me plenty of checkers for the down clues and I finished without any real hold-ups in just over 4 minutes. But I suspect some may find one or two clues a bit tricky. Lots of good clues, so it’s hard to pick a favourite, but COD to the moaning Spanish at 15D.

Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is my turn to provide the extra-curricular entertainment. You can find my latest amateur quick cryptic crossword here. Enjoy!

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Former copper’s competent and easily forgiven (9)
EXCUSABLE – EX (former) CU (chemical symbol for copper) ‘S ABLE (competent). Were you misdirected into trying to include a policeman in the answer too?
6 Idiot presents ring to a female (3)
OAF – O (circular letter; ring) A F (female).
8 Number, for example, in Bury (7)
INTEGER – E.G. (for example) [in] INTER (Bury).
9 The old man, artist losing home (5)
PATER – This one is one of the trickier ones. It’s PAinTER (artist) without [losing] the IN [home].
10 Whinger to cry, frightfully embarrassing (12)
CRINGEWORTHY – (Whinger to cry)* [frightfully].
12 Quiet attempt to encapsulate Old English verse (6)
POETRY – P (piano; quiet) TRY (attempt) outside [to encapsulate] O.E. (Old English).
13 Town to prohibit travel before end of war (6)
BANGOR – BAN (prohibit) GO (travel) [before] [end of] waR. Bangor in Wales is actually a cathedral city rather than just a town, so I suspect our setter is referring to Bangor in Co. Down.
16 ‘‘Invest more somehow’’ — politician involved in reforms (12)
IMPROVEMENTS – Another trickier one with the distracting inverted commas. It’s (Invest more)* [somehow] with MP (politician) inside [involved in].
19 Daring Bishop facing rant (5)
BRAVE – B (bishop in chess notation) RAVE (rant).
20 Torment where sick person is confined — not good (7)
BEDEVIL – BED (where sick person is confined) EVIL (not good). Did anyone else start by looking for a word for “confined” without a g?
22 Unknown character reported in Devon river (3)
EXE – X (unknown character; character for an unknown in a mathematial equation) sounds like [reported in] EXE.
23 True dears, awfully precious (9)
TREASURED – (true dears)* [awfully].
Down
1 Some characters of greater interest for poetic Ireland (4)
ERIN – Hideen in [some characters of]  greatER INterest.
2 Exclusive group with somewhere to sleep north of lake (7)
COTERIE – COT (somewhere to sleep) [north of] above (this is a down clue) ERIE (great lake).
3 Flag celebrated with any number coming out (3)
SAG – SAnG (celebrated) without the N (any number) [coming out].
4 Desolate pub gets torn apart, almost (6)
BARREN – BAR (pub) RENt (torn apart) without its last letter [almost].
5 English person of wisdom outside very good on secret assignments? (9)
ESPIONAGE – E (English) SAGE (person of wisdon) [outside] PI (very good) ON.
6 Month ending with out-of-this world group performing (5)
OCTET – OCT (Month) E.T. (extra-terrestrial; out-of-this-world).
7 Raider for ever right (7)
FORAYER – FOR AYE (ever) R (right).
11 Most restricted home gets object tipped inside (9)
NARROWEST – NEST (home) with ARROW (object with a tip) [inside].
12 People initially inclined to be flexible (7)
PLIABLE – People [initially] LIABLE (inclined).
14 Acquire maiden maybe and become better after (3,4)
GET OVER – GET (Acquire) OVER (maiden maybe; as in a cricket over where no runs are scored).
15 The Spanish moan, upset and weak (6)
FEEBLE – EL (the in Spanish) BEEF (moan) all reversed [upset] -> FEEBLE.
17 Walk around bottom of village for serenity (5)
PEACE – PACE (walk) [around] last letter of [bottom of] villagE.
18 Good boy is happy (4)
GLAD – G (good) LAD (boy).
21 Insult can be hell (3)
DIS – Double definition.

44 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1689 by Izetti”

  1. CRINGEWORTHY was the only clue I didn’t seem to get immediately, so I’m not sure why this puzzle took me as “long” as it did. Initially had FORAGER which seemed wrong, and was. Guessed GET OVER and ESPIONAGE right away but didn’t put them in at first because I couldn’t see how they worked. Thanks for the clarification, John!
    1. Especially for PATER, which seemed clear, but the wordplay of which I didn’t get before hitting Submit. Incidentally, I didn’t share your line of reasoning on BEDEVIL, but I did think maybe it would end with -ING.
  2. I didn’t know there was another BANGOR; not that it mattered. Biffed CRINGEWORTHY & IMPROVEMENTS, trusting that the anagrist was all there. Slowed down by PATER, looking for RA somewhere, and BEDEVIL, where I wanted either NG or a missing G. 5:49.
  3. Lovely puzzle, all green in 13m. Held up at the end by DIS where I didn’t know the second definition – had thought it might be “cus” for want of anything better until I looked again at BEDEVIL. Last solve on my phone for a while as today is the last day on the Isle of Wight, I’ve missed pen and paper for the long anagrams.

    Edited at 2020-08-28 06:04 am (UTC)

  4. 12 minutes. I was well on target with all of this but as so often, faced with a single missing answer my brain froze and I spent 3 minutes on an alphabet trawl before arriving at the slightly dodgy agent noun FORAYER.
  5. I enjoyed that a lot. There were some slightly chewy clues but, as always with Izetti, the answers became apparent on more careful reading of the wordplay. I initially biffed ERSE for 1d but INTEGER quickly resolved that. However I spent longer staring blankly at BED_V A before noticing that I’d put GALD in at 18d. Finished in 11.57 with LOI BEDEVIL and particular mentions to BANGOR, FEEBLE and NARROWEST.
    Thanks to John for the blog
  6. I crept in just under my 10 minutes target. As is common with Izetti I seem to type and parse simultaneously. The exceptions today were PATER which I parsed post solve, FORAYER (I struggle to remember that aye can mean ever) CRINGEWORTHY (my COD) and LOI NARROWEST. I was trying to put in an upside down NO as the tipped object. Thanks Izetti and John. I’m looking forward to the Weekend QC.
  7. I also managed the 3 across anagrams like John on first pass. However my solving time was not similar with 17 minutes for me.

    First in was OAF. I checked that the strange looking FORAYER was a word.

    It was the SE which held me up with GET OVER, FEEBLE and particularly last in BEDEVIL.

    COD PATER after I saw the parsing.

    Thanks John and Izetti.

  8. Was expecting a challenge as it’s Friday and was not disappointed. Played around with OAP to no avail until PATER popped out. Never heard of ERIN but grew up not too far from BANGOR so that was a quickie.
    About 30 mins and some good smiles of satisfaction. Thank you Izetti and John
    PS please remove your apostrophe in 4D. its
  9. This was an enjoyable and involving puzzle and I was boosted by seeing the longer anagrams very quickly so I was surprised to be in the SCC at just over 20 mins. I joked earlier in the week about the clock on my ipad running fast and it did it again today! I found FORAYER a bit odd but I liked BEDEVIL, INTEGER, GET OVER, and FEEBLE. PATER came to mind immediately but I didn’t parse it until I got the crossers and then made the effort. FOI was EXCUSABLE and I was slow to get LOsI SAG and DIS which threw me until the crossers were in. I didn’t know that dis was a city in hell (or that dis pater was father of the underworld). Clearly a bit of a Dante theme with bedevil as well. Thanks to Izetti and John (congrats on the stellar time!). John M.

    Edited at 2020-08-29 09:11 am (UTC)

  10. Yes, an enjoyable puzzle from Izetti. ERIN was new to me and I have just learnt DIS = Hell so some may struggle a bit.
    My FOI was OAF and LOI an unparsed PEACE which should have been obvious. Prior to that IMPROVEMENTS for which I needed nearly all the checkers; COD for me.
    12:02 on the clock. David
  11. Solid progress throughout. DNK ERIN for Ireland, but did manage to parse 9A, PATER, which was LOI. Although the word has not been used since Molesworth, as any fule kno. I see Boris Johnson is bang up to date by quoting from “Down with Skool” to a bunch of 12 year olds this week. Cringeworthy.

    COD 12d, PLIABLE for simple clue with nice surface.

    Edited at 2020-08-28 09:38 am (UTC)

  12. Over my target again, delayed by the long anagrams and wondering whether FORAYER was a real word. Otherwise steady progress throughout. 11:31. Thanks Izetti and John.
  13. Got there in the end with some help. DNK FORAYER or DIS, but guessed. Did not know that PI = very good. Thanks for the blog.
        1. Yes, I thought Pi was a c1930s schoolgirl word for (excessively) pious or goody-goody. Jolly hockey sticks and all that. There seem to be quite a few words in crosswordland not used today.
      2. It crops up often enough in crosswords and I can’t remember hearing it anywhere else either. The alternative, of course, is 3.1415926535…, often clued as “irrational” as it is an irrational number, as all mathematical types know.

        Edited at 2020-08-28 10:03 am (UTC)

        1. Mathematicians would know that PI is not just irrational, but transcendental – though I don’t think any setter has dared to use that description !
  14. but had to resort to paper crossword dictionary, so not so much fun for me.

    Got the big anagrams and knew poetic Erin when I thought about it. Got Dis but did not realise it meant Hell. Even biffed Pater.

    FOI Oaf. LOI Excusable.

    Liked Bedevil.

    Thanks for the Nina tips yesterday, by the way. I had never seen or heard of Monty Python’s Election Special!

  15. ….destination BANGOR Maine” – or Gwynedd, or even County Down.

    I wasn’t up to speed with this, which is unusual for an Izetti, and I was all over the grid before finishing almost a minute over my target. Biffing “forager” was truly CRINGEWORTHY, and the result inevitable. I might have done better if I’d thought of the right type of copper at 1A where I entered EX—ABLE before getting my FOI.

    FOI ERIN
    LOI BARREN
    COD BEDEVIL
    TIME 5:50

    1. Hehehe. On this side of the pond I was also thinking of “destination, Bangor, Maine”
  16. Nice crisp clues today. Like most I got the long anagrams quickly, which helps a lot. But then got stuck on 17D. It wasn’t until I finally noticed that I’d typed EXD for the Devonshire river that things finally made sense! Will I never learn to check the crossers when things are not working out. So PATER was really my LOI x – guessed it on the first pass but couldn’t get the wordplay. Finally finished in 7:33.

    H

  17. 25 mins for me, with the main hold up being 7dn which ended up being a bit of a clumsy guess.

    Other than that, very enjoyable. Hadn’t heard of “pi” for very good so was nervous that the answer was something more obscure. Similarly, hadn’t heard of “dis” for Hell. Never did work out the object in 11dn, as I was convinced it was something “tipped” or inverted. All I could think of was what on Earth is a “Worra”? 😂

    FOI – 1ac “Excusable”
    LOI – 7dn “Forayer”
    COD – 9ac “Painter” – lovely surface and a wonderful sigh when I finally got it.

    Thanks as usual.

  18. A lovely crossword with very precise cluing which meant that it was all done and dusted in just over 13 minutes so thanks to Izetti.
    I didn’t parse PATER, SAG or FORAYER so thanks to John for the explanations.
    I enjoyed EXCUSABLE, CRINGEWORTHY and IMPROVEMENTS but FEEBLE has to be my COD for its entertainment value.
  19. Definitely in the SCC today, but no less enjoyable for that. I got slowed down by bunging in ordeal at 20a – not noticing that it now had two Ls! Consequently BEDEVIL and FEEBLE took a while to unravel. The only clue not parsed was NARROWEST, and FORAYER looked a bit odd, but I really liked INTEGER and IMPROVEMENTS. DIS seems to be making a fairly regular appearance in the biggie, so I spotted it here straightaway.

    Boris Johnson’s quote from a 1950s book about prep school life to a group of 21st century comprehensive schoolkids from an ex-mining town wasn’t just CRINGEWORTHY, it was in-EXCUSABLE and OAF-ish. Does Izetti have second sight?

    FOI Erin
    LOI Feeble
    COD Cringeworthy
    Time 20 mins

    Many thanks as usual to Izetti, and to John for the blog. Looking forward to the weekend quickie 😊

  20. Bangor, Co Down, has been a city for quite a few years. So, I am still unsure as to which town of Bangor, Izetti is referring.
  21. Thank you for the Saturday quickie which proved to be a pleasant lunchtime dalliance on a stressful Friday!
  22. Really good QC which mainly entailed work for us today – definitely not a quick finish. However, we really enjoyed the challenge and, once again, we were held up by the last clue 7D (didn’t even know it was a word!). Thanks to Izetti for a fine end to the week.

    FOI: oaf
    LOI: forayer
    COD: feeble

    Thanks to John for the blog and for conjuring up another WEQC.

  23. Straightforward and enjoyable – although DIS is new to me as a word for hell – and I confess that I thought that the word for insult was spelt DISS. Thanks Izetti and Blogger.
  24. I seemed to solve this quite fast, although the time on the clock at the end was 20 mins, so OK but not one of my better efforts. The whole solving process was most enjoyable, so that’s why the time went so quickly! Didn’t parse NARROWEST or BEDEVIL.

    FOI – 6ac OAF
    LOI – 21dn DIS
    COD – several contenders as usual with an Izetti but I think I liked 17dn PEACE the best, with an honourable mention to 23ac TREASURED.

    Thanks to Izetti for a lovely puzzle and to John for the blog.

  25. … even the clues I struggled over! Only one biffed, as I was not familiar with the obvious Dis for Hell in 21D (another one to put in the Book of Things to Remember!). But otherwise only the NE corner held me up seriously; the unfamiliar (and slightly ugly) 7D Forayer, and the very clever 9A Pater being LOIs. All finally done though in 12 minutes.

    As for Bangor, city or town, I think we can allow Izetti some licence. After all, even London, which is much larger than Bangor (indeed than all three Bangors put together), and which is most certainly a city, is referred to as a town – “Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner, that I love London town”, as the song goes.

    Thank you John for the blog, and (in advance) for the Saturday puzzle, and a good weekend to all.

    Cedric

  26. Rounded off a week of late starts with this very enjoyable QC from Izetti. 1d and 1ac went straight in, together with associated offspring, and I began to entertain thoughts of a sub-20. A run down the Forager cul-de-sac, and a fruitless search for confined with a removable ‘g’ put paid to that, and then to cap a poor finish, I struggled with the Feeble/Improvements intersection. I knew how both clues worked, but took ages to get the answers. Crossed the line in a slightly disappointing 28mins, with my CoD vote going to 5d, Espionage – there’s a lot of it about 😉. Invariant

    Edited at 2020-08-28 07:11 pm (UTC)

  27. … John, where would you like people to offer comments on your excellent Saturday Special please? Done, much enjoyed and I love the interplay between the first across clue and the last!

    Best wishes
    Cedric

    2. I don’t mind. I should probably standardise going forward, though. You can comment either on the crossword posting on Reinterred or on the solution post on LiveJournal (link after the puzzle blog post).
  28. I can’t find answers to 27755 which should be on Friday 28th. I can only see the Quick cryptic? Help please.

    1. It was posted on Thursday. You can find it by searching for the puzzle number in the search bar at the top, but here it is.

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