Times Quick Cryptic No 1732 by Joker

49 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1732 by Joker”

1. ..as I couldn’t parse tibia and couldn’t get barnacle with all the checkers in place, but finally saw them. I did biff quite a few once I had some checkers.

   I would say that this is a medium-difficulty puzzle that nearly everyone will manage to finish.

2. Pretty straightforward. A CORNET is what Jeremy and Vinyl and I would call a cone. 4:59.
   1. We call the wafer part a ‘cone’ in the UK too. ‘Cornet’ usually refers to the whole thing, including the ice cream.
      1. Ah, now that I’ve looked into it that may just be in my local area. It seems cornet and cone are interchangeable terms and may refer either to the wafer itself or the whole thing.
      2. We used to refer to a “cornet” as a basic ice cream in a cone – but I appreciate it may differ in different areas. And don’t get me onto a “99”…
         1. And better not mention Mr Whippy …

            H

            1. Rumour has it that Margaret Thatcher (in her role as a research chemist) played a significant part in the development of this particular type of ice cream product.
               1. See, there’s good in everyone 🙂

                  Used to love it as a kid, but these days I might think of using it to strip paint from copper pipes …

3. 35m40s PB. FOI 1ac. LOI 18ac. COD 18ac which uses a word for “tea” that I remember from childhood. Thanks to Joker and Jeremy. Now to get some sleep!
4. 6 minutes, which is as fast as I can go whilst including time taken for parsing – something I always do for QC’s unless otherwise stated. The only answer I had to leave first time round and wait for checkers, was DUCHESS.

   Edited at 2020-10-28 05:56 am (UTC)

5. I could see that 6d was something to do with BRASSERIE but I couldn’t make sense of the cryptic, so eventually decided ‘supporters up front’ was the definition and in so doing ruined CORNET, which has been one of nine clues entered on the first pass – both careless and daft. Apart from that the SE caused me the most problems where SHRUNKEN, ALTAR and CHAPERON all needed to be teased out. 11m, 3 pink squares and 2 wrong answers, dead last on the leaderboard.

   Edited at 2020-10-28 06:29 am (UTC)

6. … by no means a write-in for me, and several clues required revisiting, but nothing unfair or too complicated and a 10 minute finish with all parsed. LOI was 18A Chaperon, which I eventually conceded must be the answer even though I usually spell it Chaperone with an E on the end.

   I see my dictionary marks Cornet as “British usage, dated”. In other words, standard fare for The Times crosswords! I can remember calling them cornets in my childhood but I think these days I would be with Kevin and no doubt most of the rest of the world in calling them cones.

   Many thanks to Jeremy for the blog and glossary
   Cedric

   1. I too thought it was chaperone, so I paused for a moment there, but it had to be so in it went.

      I’ve always known them as cornets, so that went straight in.

      H

7. Irritated because I got my best ever time around 8 minutes but nearly 4 of that was on Duchess. most of the rest took longer to fill in than think about – just a lucky streak for me. Another day the same puzzle might have taken twice as long
8. Started quickly but slowed markedly towards the end so a potential sub 12 became almost 18 mins. I had no problem with the anagrams but didn’t like SHRUNKEN even though the ending was clearly KEN. I took an age over DUCHESS and CHAPERON (I wanted to keep an E on the end for some reason). I thought BRASSERIE was clever – I had the S and R crossers and wasted time thinking that they were part of **biStRo*. Frustrating when the finish line recedes as one approaches it. Thanks to both. John M.

   Edited at 2020-10-28 09:44 am (UTC)

   1. White line fever!
   2. NHO Rallentando – yet another word to add to my music terminology glossary.
9. Lovely puzzle today. I semi-parsed some entries e.g. BRASSERIE and STONED. I encountered a few delays in the SE corner struggling with DUCHESS, SHRUNKEN and LOI CHAPERON which I solved from typing in the wordplay ON then PER and finally CHA. Sub 8 mins for a very good day. Thanks as ever to Jeremy and his useful Glossary.
10. 12 minutes all done and dusted, so low-medium on the Rotterometer. FOI OMELETTE, LOI DUCHESS, COD CHAPERON. Jeremy, you have a typo in 1a, should be EELS not ELLS. Nice puzzle, good blog – thanks both.
11. Enjoyable as always from Joker. Nearly a clean sweep but DODO and CHAPERON evaded me on first pass (I always forget about do-re-mi for “note”; it’s on my long list of “things I must remember but don’t”).

    FOI OMELETTE, LOI CHAPERON, COD REGIMENT (brilliant surface), time 1.25 Kevins for an Excellent Day.

    Many thanks to the Two Js.

    Templar

    Edited at 2020-10-28 09:50 am (UTC)

12. Nothing too strenuous today but, like others, the SE put up most resistance. I eventually got CHAPERON in exactly the same way as desdeeloeste which helped make sense of ALTAR and confirmed my suspicions about DUCHCESS.
    Finished in 8.05 with my favourite being TANGERINE.
    Thanks to Jeremy

13. Anything under 15 mins seems scarily fast, and extra pressure today as I had allocated just 30 mins between Zoom calls to do the QC, and enter comments here.

    I agree with White Line Fever, I like the old Ipad Times app, as it doesn’t show a clock. Surely the last clue is often the longest, that’s why its the last clue.

    2D, MOWER felt like a full 15×15 clue, with misdirection and letter switching of a synonym. But fair to Joker, was guessable with the “W” checker in.

    I think the Doh-Re-mi notes should be consistent in spelling. Perhaps Homer Simpson has necessitated the change to “Do”.

    COD : SLAP
    LOI: REGIMENT

    Thanks Jeremy for a great blog, with plenty of tips for newer solvers.

    1. I have to disagree that the last clue is usually the longest. I’m often left with a four letter clue, and especially if the two letters I have are both vowels. I well remember in a regional final in Leeds many years ago finding that I was one of many who was left with -E-L for my last solution. It took a long alpha-trawl before ZEAL came up !
       1. I actually meant longest in time, rather than letters.
    2. If 2 Down had been a letter-change of a synonym, even I would have complained! I think what makes it fair for a Quickie is that the target word is bare.
    3. In the top right corner there is a menu which will allow you to turn off the clock
14. I’ve occasionally tried to solve all across clues before venturing to the downs. Completed all today except for 21a where I didn’t see the anagram. All done in under 10 which is fast for me. Very helpful glossary thank you. Nice puzzle.
15. So very pleased.
    FOI Omelette
    LOI Protract
    Biffed Duchess, and saw half parsing after, but for once built up Shrunken from the clueing rather than the other way round.
    Thanks for blog and helpful glossary.
16. A pleasing 15 mins for me today with some lovely, fun clues from Joker.

    Enjoyed 13ac “Stoned”, 16ac “Cornet”, 20dn “Oldie” and 11dn “Tangerine” (never knew it was an anagram of Argentine). Thankfully I didn’t have to worry about the spelling of 1ac “Omelette”.

    However, I thought 18ac “Chaperon” was “Chaperone”? Have I been totally wrong all my life or is that something else?

    FOI – 1ac “Omelette”
    LOI – 21ac “Regiment”
    COD – 24ac “Shrunken” – nearly biffed “seconded” , but thankfully held back.

    Thanks as usual.

    1. Chaperon(e): The OED is surprisingly prescriptive, and says “English writers often erroneously spell it chaperone, apparently under the supposition that it requires a feminine termination”
       1. I suspect this comes from the use of CHAPERON as a verb, giving the past tense as CHAPERONED. In such ways does language develop over time !
          1. I believe you’re right. Now that I think about it I’ve probably heard the past tense of the verb (“Chaperoned”) more and, over time, just assumed the “d” was dropped when talking about an actual individual.

             Thanks for the clarification.

17. 6:58. Spent a little time over FATE as I was trying to make DANE work! Don’t you hate the -A-E ones.

    Also thought, briefly, about CHAPERON. Like others I’ve always had an E on the end, but the word play was clear enough. I wonder if the setter was stuck for a word? I haven’t checked to see if anything else could be slid in. Or maybe they just like to tease us 🙂

    COD – REGIMENT for a nice surface

    H

18. …which took just under 12 minutes so thanks to Joker for a good day.
    I had to biff REGIMENT as I thought of ‘R’ for ‘king’ and ‘MEN’ for soldiers and wondered where the ‘EGIT’ came from. I’d totally missed the anagram of ‘meeting’ – very clever.
    Favourites were SLAP, TRAGEDY and DUCHESS, with COD going to CHAPERON which I, too, have always thought had an ‘e’ on the end but it looks as though the two spellings are interchangeable.
    Thanks also to Jeremy for the helpful blog and glossary.

    Edited at 2020-10-28 12:25 pm (UTC)

19. ….but none the worse for that.

    FOI OMELETTE
    LOI REGIMENT
    COD MOWER
    TIME 3:58

20. Ah, right ! I’m with you now.
21. I always enjoy a Joker puzzle and generally get on the wavelength as I do the Times2 every day (not least to try and find the day’s Nina)… Joker is the pseudonym of John Grimshaw who sets the Times2 every day. He reached his 5,000th in March last year. This interview with him is worth a read. As for today’s, yes I was on the wavelength for it… FOI OMELETTE, LOI REGIMENT, COD to STONED but I liked MOWER too. A rare sub-Phil 3:26.

    Edited at 2020-10-28 02:27 pm (UTC)

    1. Grimshaw’s favourite cryptic clue is “bust down reason” (5,4). The answer is “brain wash” because brain washing will literally “bust down your reason”, but you can read it another way as “bra in wash”. If your bra is in the wash that might be the reason your bust is down.

       This famous clue also features in the crossword novel Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose.

    2. Is that what the iPad version of The Times calls the Concise? First clue today is “positioned at intervals”? Amazing that one man sets it every day! Talk about pressure.

       I enjoy the Concise and always smile when (if) I spot the nina. I remember one from way back when the NW corner only used A for its vowel, the NE E, the SE I, the SW O and the four three-letter ones in the middle U. Jolly clever I thought! One could imagine the setter working at GCHQ.

       H

       1. Just read the interview with JG. Interesting that it suggests that every Concise has a nina of sorts. I usually only spot three or four a week! Must look harder if this is indeed the case.

          H

       2. Sorry… having looked up that article, I mistakenly referred to it by its old name. It is now called the “Concise”, of course.
22. When our brains collectively froze! It took us ages to solve the last 4 clues and we ended up with a time of 27 minutes – ouch. That said, it was a very enjoyable puzzle with some great clues – thanks Joker.

    FOI: omelette
    LOI: shrunken
    COD: chaperon

    Thanks to Jeremy for the blog.

23. Easy going until I hit the SE. As ever, the answers are obvious when you know them.

    FOI OMELETTE
    LOI SHRUNKEN
    COD OMELETTE

    Tried the 15×15 today and struggled. Reinforced my view to stick with the Quickie.

    Edited at 2020-10-28 02:56 pm (UTC)

24. A rare, possibly even unprecedented, second sub-20 in a row. Finished in 19:37 although if anything it felt quicker. I’m also one of those who never realised CHAPERON didn’t have an E at the end, and talking of not being able to spell, I’ve never been able to remember how to spell OMELETTE, so thanks Joker for providing a way to remember, and for the rest of it. Also thanks to Jeremy.
25. Came to this a bit late in the day after an early(ish) start, so I was grateful to find Joker in a reasonably generous mood. Minor hold ups with Protract, Brasserie and Barnacle (though Tangerine went in with barely a second glance, confirming my hit and miss record with anagrams). Duchess, and especially Regiment, took quite some time to parse and so i ended up just north of 20mins, but an enjoyable puzzle overall. CoD to the well-disguised anagram in 21ac, Regiment. Invariant
26. Late to the QC today after golf. Solved on paper whilst having a snack; a stress-free way to do it.
    A very nice puzzle. FOI SHRUNKEN; LOI REGIMENT. No big hold-ups and done in between 11 and 12 minutes.
    COD to Regiment.
    A very helpful blog. David
27. Did not know CHAPERON without a final E. Not keen on DO being a note rather than DOH. The rest pretty straightforward, apart from DUCHESS that needed a lot of thinking!
28. Loved the surface on 2dn – giggled away at that over the next few clues…! My 3rd best time ever at 13:41 with #1 and #2 occurring last week, #1 being a sub 10…!
    For the really newbies I’ll admit my technique on the iPhone allows me to check as I go along every now and then. As time goes by there are less and less pink squares, and less checking generally.
    For example today 18a I thought must end in -ON so I entered it, checked it and was correct.
    Another was 24a where I tested my thought it would end in KEN.
    It’s a good way to develop your reasoning skills and understanding the parsing before entering the answer.
    Hopefully some will find this helpful.
    Barry
29. Checking online finds dictionary.com, Cambridge Dictionary and Macmillan all give chaperone as the main spelling and chaperon as an alternative. I certainly felt the need for the final vowel.

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