A bit the trickier side of things, I found, and despite several clues that seemed familiar from crosswords past there were a couple of sticking points that left me a bit over two minutes over target. Of course, it’s never going to be a particularly smooth solve when you have to write out the letters of an anagram like 11d before tutting to yourself – in my defence it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such an exotic creature in real life. I liked the similarly-themed 6d and 12d best. Many thanks to Mara!
| Across | |
| 1 | In action, organ proved successful (9) |
| DELIVERED – In DEED (action) goes LIVER (organ) | |
| 6 | Lived with woodcutter from the east (3) |
| WAS – SAW (woodcutter) from the east = reverse. Useful to remember that to live/exist/etc. = to be, and it crops up quite a lot in its various forms (am/are/is/was/were): we had live = are in yesterday’s 15×15, for example. | |
| 8 | One involved in obvious case (7) |
| PATIENT – I (ONE) involved in PATENT (obvious) | |
| 9 | Sombre accent (5) |
| GRAVE – Double definition, accent as in è | |
| 10 | Boy in beret mob roughed up for coat (6,6) |
| BOMBER JACKET – JACK (boy) in an anagram (roughed up) of BERET MOB. | |
| 12 | Focus on going after US money (6) |
| CENTRE – RE (on/about) going after CENT (US money) | |
| 13 | Flier in marina distributed (6) |
| AIRMAN – anagram (distributed) of MARINA | |
| 16 | Job found here, modest talent developed (3,9) |
| OLD TESTAMENT – anagram (developed) of MODEST TALENT | |
| 19 | Certain leap (5) |
| BOUND – double definition | |
| 20 | Roofing material poisonous thing? Stop! (7) |
| ASPHALT – ASP (poisonous thing) HALT (stop). I think it’s fine in everyday English to call a snake poisonous rather than venomous. | |
| 22 | Charge cut for informer (3) |
| RAT – RATe (charge) cut = dock the tail. | |
| 23 | Be careful with drink — that’s the thinking! (9) |
| RATIONALE – RATION (be careful with) ALE (drink) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Partake in exercise, fool! (4) |
| DOPE – to DO P.E. is to partake in exercise | |
| 2 | Something disappointing, lower (3-4) |
| LET-DOWN – double definition | |
| 3 | Leaders in very intense event compete (3) |
| VIE – “leaders” in Very Intense Event | |
| 4 | Concerned with giddy period, come back (6) |
| RETURN – RE (concerned with) TURN (giddy period) | |
| 5 | Maids got upset over male presumption (9) |
| DOGMATISM – anagram (upset) of MAIDS GOT going over M(ale) | |
| 6 | Blow a fair share? (5) |
| WHACK – double definition | |
| 7 | Put honey in traps set up to catch baby (7) |
| SWEETEN – NETS (traps) set up = reversed, to catch WEE (baby) | |
| 11 | Enter bard, tipsy pub worker (9) |
| BARTENDER – anagram (tipsy) of ENTER BARD | |
| 12 | Sock threads (7) |
| CLOBBER – very neat double definition: hit; kit. | |
| 14 | Part of Vermont, an American state (7) |
| MONTANA – “part of” verMONT AN American | |
| 15 | Geographer’s helper on time, finally (2,4) |
| AT LAST – ATLAS (Geographer’s helper) on T(ime) | |
| 17 | Intimidate daughter, female relative (5) |
| DAUNT – D(aughter) AUNT (female relative) | |
| 18 | A little hasty exposing swelling (4) |
| STYE – “a little” of haSTY Exposing | |
| 21 | Person regularly paid worker (3) |
| PRO – P e R s O n “regularly” | |
FOI: delivered
LOI: whack
COD: rationale.
Thanks for the blog Rolytoly.
FOI – 6ac WAS
LOI – 15dn AT LAST
COD – 16ac OLD TESTAMENT (kicking myself for not unravelling this a lot faster than I did)
Everything else went in bit by bit, all parsed eventually, except for sweeten. I just had no idea what was going on there, so thanks for the explanation, RT…
FOI vie
LOI centre
COD Hard to choose between asphalt and rationale.
Thank you Roly and Mara.
Blue Stocking
DOGMATISM didn’t slow me up either, but I’m reminded by the ensuing discussion that “assumption is the mother of all cock-ups”.
FOI WAS
LOI AT LAST
COD CLOBBER
TIME 3:24
FOI 13ac AIRMAN
LOI 4dn RE-TURN – the old smelling salts required
COD 6dn DOGMATISM
WOD 12dn CLOBBER – Phil, I think the progression is clobber – gear – threads
We don’t time as we do the qc over dinner but definitely a two course one
On another note..some comments have got rather out of tune with the tone of the blog.
Usually from people who hide behind anonymity
? Stop anon posts ?
Tough in parts but isn’t that the idea of the QC? Maybe some of the moaners should stick to wordsearch. Ghantbuggeroffdcehkoi. Johnny
From the sound of it, I’m a little ahead of you – but not by much. My average time is close to 70 minutes, and my failure to finish is still quite common.
I can usually finish the QC but this was the first time I’ve found one quite easy that others found tricky. Now I know what people mean by being on the wavelength. COD was SWEETEN – such a smooth surface.