Times Quick Cryptic No 1823 by Hurley

I really enjoyed this puzzle from Hurley, completing it in just under 12 minutes, but there are some traps along the way.  I think that my COD is 1a (I may have been influenced by a liking for the answers products), and this was also my FOI.  I’m also persuaded by the answer to 16a to share a little personal recommendation at the end of the blog, which you may, or may not find useful, although I suspect that many of you who might be interested may have come across this for yourselves.

Thanks to Hurley for a good QC, and please let me know how you got on.

Across

1  Denied win, unwind in rugby playing, wine producing region (8)
BURGUNDY – A chewy piece of parsing to begin with.  This is an anagram (playing) of [RUGBY] to give BURGY, into which is inserted UND, which in turn is derived from UN{win}D after WIN has been removed (denied WIN).  Clever!
Get through difficult state of affairs (4)
PASS – Double definition, the first as in to get through, or pass, an obstacle, and the second as in a state or condition (e.g. a sad pass, or pretty pass).
8  Unfortunately dance price not likely to fall? (8-5)
ACCIDENT-PRONE – Anagram (unfortunately) of [DANCE PRICE NOT].
10  Decisively influence southern faction (5)
SWING – S{outhern} and WING (faction).
11 Check popular group making case for power (7)
INSPECT – IN (popular) and SECT (group) containing (making case for) P{ower}.
12  Conservative with a quiet home to make money (4,2)
CASH IN – C{onservative} with A (a), SH (quiet) and IN (home).
13  Harshness of regime is guarantee of unpopular rumbles initially (6)
RIGOUR – First letters (initially) of Regime Is Guarantee Of Unpopular Rumbles.
16  Entertainment from Dad’s era? (7)
PASTIME – PA’S (Dad’s) and TIME (era).  I have added a comment at the end of today’s blog, regarding a (for me) new PASTIME that I have taken to during lockdown.  Some of you may find it interesting.
18  Like some gases examiner tests partly (5)
INERT – Hidden (partly) in {exam}INER T{ests}.
20  Bizarre, her dorm stunts, they’re noisy with lots of water! (13)
THUNDERSTORMS – Anagram (bizarre) of [HER DORM STUNTS].
21  Far from concise record entered by knight (4)
LONG – LOG (record) containing (entered by) N (knight in chess notation).
22  In Bali – can text name of resort (8)
ALICANTE – Hidden (in) in {b}ALI CAN TE{xt}.  I’ve never stayed there (or in Bali), but I imagine there are a lot of people missing it at the moment.

Down

Self-confidence of orchestra section (5)
BRASS – Double definition, the first being slang for effrontery, as in BRASS NECK.
2  Jewellery – that is incuded in American range? (7)
ROCKIES – ROCKS (jewellery) containing I.E. (that is / id est in Latin).
Embarrassing as brought together, catching cutting remark, new (11)
UNDIGNIFIED – UNIFIED (brought together) containing or catching DIG (cutting remark) and N{ew}.  A slight MER in these parts at equating UNDIGNIFIED with Embarrassing.  That old cultural attaché, Sir Les Patterson was often the first, but never appeared embarrassed by it!
Boy transgressed when upset (6)
DENNIS – When upset / reversed, Dennis becomes SINNED (transgressed).
6  Fuss about worship (5)
ADORE – ADO (fuss) and RE (about).  Beautifully concise!
7  Without qualification accepts lieutenant in refuge (7)
SHELTER – SHEER (without qualification) containing LT (lieutenant).
9  Gym girl from south and I remain mostly gloomy about future (11)
PESSIMISTIC – PE (physical education or gym) MISS (girl, reversed / about / from the south in a down clue) to give SSIM and I, and finally STIC{k} (remain mostly).
12  For example, London wealth (7)
CAPITAL – Double definition
14  Extend beyond time showing cricket terms (7)
OVERRUN – OVER (six consecutive balls in cricket) and RUNs (what the batting side may score from them).
15  Favourite role, not finishing off juice (6)
PETROL – PET (favourite) and ROL{e} (not finishing off).
17  Reject urge, mean ultimately (5)
SPURN – SPUR (urge) and {mea}N (ultimately).
19  Sense state is changing (5)
TASTE – Anagram (is changing) of [STATE]

Optional reading:

During lockdown I have discovered a wonderfully engaging free web site at projecteuler dot net. Named after Leonhard Euler the Swiss mathematician, it houses an archive of some 750 maths and computer programming problems.  Although good maths will help one arrive at elegant and efficient resolutions, the use of a computer and programming skills will be required to solve most problems, so this may not be your cup of tea.  I’m working my way through them, and attempting to solve them using only BASIC code, and find the activity most diverting.

46 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1823 by Hurley”

  1. It was like driving with the handbrake engaged.

    FOI 22ac ALICANTE

    LOI 10ac SWING

    COD 1ac BURGUNDY – my first thought was BORDEAUX where les rugger-buggers ruck et maul.

    WOD 16ac PASTIME for its quaintness – but there were no real nuggets

    I have been somewhat spoken for recently, but I do like to do the QC when Mr. Rotter is at the helm. His blog is ever thoughtful, useful, dryly witty and concise. He’s nice to Mr. Wyvern, and now we can get free Euler!
    I doubt I’ll have time to put my faded BASIC skills to the test as history is more my thing. I am presently wrestling with HMS Fernie and the Dieppe Raid. It cost thousands of poor Canadian boys their lives.

    Edited at 2021-03-04 02:54 pm (UTC)

  2. A very late post today as I had not quite finished when I had to go out for a bit and then had a Zoom social. So no exact time, no LOI and no COD! Couldn’t really parse BURGUNDY but no problem biffing (or indeed drinking) it 🍷PASS went in with a shrug.

    Thanks Rotter for the Euler link — not my sort of thing but I think my husband might really enjoy it 😊

    Thanks also for unravelling some quite tricky clues, and thanks to Hurley too

  3. Sorry that was me! I cleared my history yesterday and forgot to log back in 😒
  4. Slow eating and parsing today.
    Too many biffs
    Not sure about hoing back to basic programming after umpteen years away from it
  5. A second DNF – 4a Dennis/Sinner being my blind spot today – so annoying to have just one that frustrates the solve! I managed to unravel 1a Burgundy without too much problem. 5a Pass was well known to me from one of my favourite duos – Flanders & Swann: ‘Things have come to a pretty UNDERpass while we’ve been gone (New York}….’ and faintly surprised other F&S enthusiasts haven’t alluded to this – so a usage that always brings a warm inner smile to me. Needed more thinking than I expected on some of the simpler clues – Swing, Spurn, Long (was looking at L**P). Recognised some stalwarts in Capital and Shelter. FOI 1a Burgundy. LOI 21a Long COD 12a Cash In. Some really elegant clues too eg 6d Adore and Petrol. A good puzzle from Hurley and a helpful blog from Rotter.

    1. I’m a big fan of F&S, Andrew, as you may have noticed, but I can’t place that one. Part of the patter I assume? If so it may have been edited out of the recordings in my collection.

      I immediately thought of the opening line of the Gershwin song, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off as sung originally by Fred & Ginger:

      Things have come to a pretty pass,
      Our romance is growing flat,
      For you like this and the other
      While I go for this and that.
      Goodness knows what the end will be,
      Oh, I don’t know where I’m at
      It looks as if we two will never be one,
      Something must be done.

      You say eether and I say eyether,
      You say neether and I say nyther,
      Eether, eyether, neether, nyther,
      Let’s call the whole thing off!

      Edited at 2021-03-04 11:12 pm (UTC)

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