Times Quick Cryptic No 1799 by Joker

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Joker is our Friday setter this week and he has given us a typically neat quick cryptic with plenty of concise clues, which I enjoy. I liked the beer that gives you wind and the reminder of Christmas in particular. 6A was my first one in and 19D my last. There are quite a few trickier clues, I think, that will make people work out the wordplay without being able to guess from the definition, so I suspect some will find some of this on the hard side. Those that had me headscratching included 1A, 10A and 4D, but I don’t mind that and it is rewarding to get the Penny Drop Moment when the answer finally appears. It took me 6:13. Thank-you Joker. Nice one! How did everyone else get on?

By the way, if you haven’t seen it already, you might be interested in fellow blogger Jackkt’s post yesterday, Difficult QCs, about his discussion with Richard Rogan, the editor, about level of difficulty. Yesterday’s setter, Izetti, has also commented there with his view.

Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Phil’s  turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the latest crossword here and the answers here. Enjoy! And if anyone is interested in our previous offerings you can find an index to them here.

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

Across
1 Sent round a pack that’s consisting of bread and wine (9)
SACRAMENT – SENT [round] A, CRAM (pack). It took me a while to spot the definition and make the connection with the religious ceremony.
6 Music for dad? (3)
POP – Double definition. My first one in.
8 Mischievous child’s quiet after racket (5)
SCAMP – P (piano; quiet) [after] SCAM (racket). I was looking for a synonym of “din” for the start at first, falling for the misdirection of the surface.
9 100 travelling around a line on map (7)
CONTOUR – ISO-something, I thought, but no. It’s C (100) ON TOUR (travelling). The lines on a map I mostly travel on during lockdown are public footpaths. I didn’t remember it but a commenter pointed out we had a very similar clue recently.
10 Regimen upset when eating universal sweet food item (8)
MERINGUE – I needed the initial M before I could see this. (regimen)* [upset] outside [eating] U (universal)
11 Good beer gives you wind (4)
GALE – G (good) ALE (beer). The surface made me chuckle.
13 Tea put round in mostly warm English porcelain (9)
CHINAWARE – CHA (tea) [round] IN, [mostly] WARm E (English). Another smooth surface.
16 Fund kits centrally for some soldiers (4)
UNIT – Middle letters [centrally] of fUNd kITs.
17 One like Rudolph — check red round about tip of nose (8)
REINDEER – REIN, RED [round] -> DER [about] last letter [tip of] nosE. Unlike some today, an easy one to guess from the definition and then work our the wordplay, as I did. Lovely incorporation of a reference to our hero’s red nose in the surface.
20 X-rated outside broadcast picture (7)
OBSCENE – O.B. (outside broadcast) SCENE (picture).
21 What’s essential — some speculative returns (5)
VITAL – Reverse hidden in [some] speculative [returns] -> eVITALuceps.
22 Failure initially in stability device (3)
FIN – First letter [initially] of Failure, IN.
23 Strike back soon over one put away (9)
RETALIATE – LATER (soon) [over] -> RETAL, I (one) ATE (put away).
Down
1 Man’s coming in to look at oil-producing plant (6)
SESAME – SAM (man) inside [coming in] SEE (look).
2 Barnet is after Conservative for seat (5)
CHAIR – HAIR (Barnet) [after] C (Conservative). Barnet is Cockney Rhyming Slang, from Barnet Fair = Hair.
3 A very quiet finish before nine’s coda (8)
APPENDIX – A PP (pianissimo; very quiet) END (finish) IX (nine in roman numerals).
4 What champions give game encounter is going wrong (13)
ENCOURAGEMENT – (game encounter)* [going wrong]. It took me while to realise it was champion as in supporter rather than winner.
5 Dye can end in disappointment (4)
TINT – Dye for your Barnet, perhaps? TIN (can) and last letter of [end in] disappointmenT.
6 Fuel gas for energy under cooking vessel (7)
PROPANE – PRO (for) and then E (energy) after [under] PAN (cooking vessel).
7 Meeting to discuss terms involved player (6)
PARLEY – [involved] (player)*.
12 Fiesta motor, new, a line accommodating four (8)
CARNIVAL – CAR (motor), N (new) A L (line) outside IV (four in roman numerals). Neat reference in the surface to the ever-popular Ford model.
13 Carbon limit numbers rising? Looking embarrassed? (7)
CRIMSON – C (chemical symbol for Carbon) RIM (limit; edge) NOS (numbers) [rising] -> SON.
14 Strike holding to firm limit (3-3)
CUT-OFF – CUFF (strike) outside [holding] TO.
15 Cook needs the last of cheese grating (6)
GRILLE – GRILL (cook) and final letter of [last of] cheesE.
18 Run more (5)
EXTRA – Double definition, the first being a cricketing term for a bye, leg-bye, wide or no ball.
19 Tolerate European in pub (4)
BEAR – E (European) [in] BAR (pub).

70 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1799 by Joker”

  1. This has been a difficult week in QC land with some above average difficulty puzzles and clues in my opinion. As someone who has only ever completed three QC’s I gain most of my enjoyment in the travelling and on the rare occasions when I get close I often spend an hour desperately trying to work out the word play.

    However there have been some tremendous blog entries this week. Yesterdays discussion was fascinating and great to see the dialogue between the setter and his merry, (most of the time), followers.

    Thanks to all the bloggers again and to everyone who contributes as it genuinely helps. I’m in awe of the super quick club and the SCC’s are not in my book slow at all

    Looking forward to net week. Stay safe

  2. To comment on the issue of how long it takes to complete, I never time myself. I just don’t care about that at all. It’s all about working through and hey, if I don’t finish and need to look up some answers, no shame in that.

    I got so stuck on 1A and wondered if I’d have to refer to a dictionary for once as my word was SECRATEMENT (SENT around CRATE) . Dear oh dear.

    I totally missed the anagram indicator ‘involved’ in 7D that would have easily helped me with PARLEY.

    I also guessed CHAIR in 2D without understanding the CRS reference.

    Happy at least to end on a good result.

  3. I needed a few checkers for some of the chewier ones and a couple went in unparsed — sacrament (though it was clearly the answer) and tint where I was another tit

    Liked ENCOURAGEMENT and a very smooth surface at 7d (amongst others)

    Thanks J and J

  4. We thought this was reasonably tough but very good fun. Our time was around 20 minutes but we had 3 interruptions as we’re busy making marmalade today. We’re actually pleased that the level of difficulty varies – it’s so much more satisfying to solve harder puzzles. It’s also giving us confidence to have a go at the 15×15 every now and then. Thanks Joker.

    FOI: pop
    LOI: cut off
    COD: appendix

    Thanks for the blog John.

  5. ….but that’s a cross which I bear with fartitude.

    I found this quite straightforward, and some lovely clueing from Joker made it a pleasant experience.

    FOI POP (gives me worse wind than beer does)
    LOI CHINAWARE
    COD GALE
    TIME 3:48

  6. I thought this was just right for me — some straightforward, some less so. About 15 minutes. Thanks for the explanation for CUT OFF, which I biffed. I don’t know why I didn’t see it. Thanks as usual to setter and blogger.

  7. Much easier than the previous days although I struggled in the SW corner, trying to fit blue into 20A and red into 13D. I also misinterpreted 13A and has parsed China for tea so was unsure why “put round in” was needed, so thanks for putting me straight on that. Also took a while to get scam for racket so good misdirection there. Thanks John for the blog and Joker for the crossword.

  8. 14:15, so that’s OK. I started with POP in the North East and worked round clockwise, finding it increasingly tricky — eg CUT-OFF and FIN and even SCAMP when I couldn’t get IMP out of my head. And I took ages with LOI SACRAMENT before seeing A CRAM. A nice QC.
  9. Seemed easier than the last few days but still took me 22 minutes, slightly over my target. I had problems with the exact same clues as Old Blighter in the SW and was pleased in the end to solve 22ac FIN (which I had been over-complicating) which unlocked that corner. Didn’t parse REINDEER or RETALIATE and took an age to see the anagram indicator at 7dn.

    FOI – 9ac CONTOUR
    LOI – 14dn CUT OFF
    COD – 11ac GALE

    Thanks to setter and blogger for a great puzzle and blog respectively.

  10. Easier today but still a challenge, nearly meeting our target. Enjoyable blog as usual, thanks also to Joker.
  11. Bit late posting, but completed this this morning. As others have said, it was tricky in places, but doable. Failed to parse RETALIATE and PROPANE, but all done in 34:25. Joker comes up with the goods as usual. Thanks all.
  12. Hard in places after easy start
    Time one and a half courses (eating slowly)
    Thanks to setter and all bloggers
  13. At last, the only QC I have had any any success with this week: solved all bar 1d, 7d and 14d. So near and yet so far! Thanks to all for another week of erudite and entertaining blogging!
  14. A slow and steady enjoyable hop around the grid. Encouraged by a write in for Sesame and Sacrament but never take anything for granted and there were some head scratching.
    LOI Cutoff.
    Raised my cholesterol to untold heights after a cheese fondue today made by son. Can’t begin to count back the number of years to the last one. Very moreish. Shame the prospects of a trip to Switzerland for another are so remote.
    Thanks Joker, John et al.

Comments are closed.