Times Quick Cryptic No 1883 by Des

Author   TheRotterPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Des is an infrequent setter who I have blogged a couple of times before.  I find that his puzzles are usually accessible and elegant, with occasional use of rare or archaic vocabulary, as is the case here.  6a, 2d, 6d, 14d and 16d may cause some hold ups, but I think are all perfectly fair.  This particular puzzle stretched me to 18 minutes – three over my target, but I really enjoyed the challenge, and in this week of challenging QCs, 18 minutes isn’t bad.

COD 6a, FOI 1a, WOD 19a.

I can’t believe that we are a few days away from June – what happened to spring and early summer?

Across

1  Unhappy DIY’s made complicated(8)
DISMAYED – Anagram (complicated) of [DIY’S MADE].
6  Energy, at the present time, no longer sufficient (4)
ENOW – Lot’s of dimensions here.  The straight parsing is E{nergy} and NOW (present time) to give ENOW which is an archaic word (i.e. no longer used) for ‘enough’ or sufficient.  However, ENOW is also defined as a Scottish and dialectic word for ‘a moment ago’ or ‘presently’, so ‘at the present time’ could be doing double duty as a second definition, but that leaves Energy hanging!
8  Clubber gazed around, taking in Croatian capital (6)
ZAGREB – Reverse (around) hidden (taking in) in {club}BER GAZ{ed}.  Who looked for a 5-letter word for gazed containing a C and meaning Clubber?
9  Scottish landowners in Los Angeles – one’s crossing road (6)
LAIRDS – LA (Los Angeles) and I’S (one’s) outside of RD (road).
10 Little the outlaw does for his royal enemy (4)
JOHN – A cryptic hint at a double definition.  Little JOHN was one of the Merry Men, or outlaws in Robin Hood’s gang, who were opposed to King JOHN (who could therefore be described as his royal enemy).
11  Relative of swan confused with lion (3-2-3)
SON-IN-LAW – Anagram (confused with) of [SWAN] and [LION].
12  Remove stunted vegetation (5)
SCRUB – Double definition.
13  Ease, lazily at first, into a set (5)
ALLAY – L{azily} (at first) inside (into) A (a) and LAY (set, as in set / lay the table).  To ALLAY a fear is to ease it.
15  Fight when teetotaller gets in birthday beer! (2,6)
DO BATTLE – DOB (date of birth, birthday) followed by ALE (beer) into which TT (teetotaller) has been inserted.
17  Mighty impressive record in charge (4)
EPIC – EP (record, extended-play) and I{n} C{harge}.
19  Understand loud social gathering hasn’t ended (6)
FATHOM – F (loud, forte in musical notation) and AT-HOM{e} (social gathering, not ending).  An at-home is an old-fashioned term for a reception (social gathering) in someone’s own house.
20  Leading journo travelled back across it (6)
EDITOR – RODE (travelled) reversed (back) containing IT.
21  Which two hints are taken initially? (4)
THAT – Leading letters (initially) of Two Hints Are Taken.
22  Calls to collect the woman’s fruit (8)
CHERRIES – CRIES (calls) containing (to collect) HER (the woman’s).

Down

2  I am past the final stage of development (5)
IMAGO – I’M (I am) and AGO (past).  IMAGO is the final, or perfect stage of an insect’s development.
3  Horse runs around in tar (7)
MARINER – MARE (horse) and R{uns} containing (around) IN (in).  Tar as in MARINER or sailor.
4  Upset by grasping old ruffian (3)
YOB – BY (reversed or upset) to give YB containing O{ld}.
5  Sketch Madeline, a temptress, in part! (9)
DELINEATE – Nicely hidden (part) in {ma}DELINE A TE{mptress)
6  Recalled unsophisticated French spa town (5)
EVIAN – NAÏVE (unsophisticated) reversed (recalled).  EVIAN only really known to me from the bottled water.
7 Mother could be odd ally (3,4)
OLD LADY – Anagram (could be) of [ODD ALLY].  Whilst I recognise the validity of OLD LADY for mother, I personally find it a little offensive.
11  Like tiny particles of mosaic, but different (9)
SUBATOMIC – Anagram (different) of [MOSAIC, BUT].
12  Cat put in bag – hard to bear (7)
STOMACH – TOM (cat) inside (put in) SAC (bag) and H{ard}.  To STOMACH as a verb is to bear something or put up with it.
14  More wary of large stranger (7)
LEERIER – L{arge} and EERIER (stranger).
16  Hates breaking dish (5)
ASHET – Anagram (breaking) of [HATES].  An ASHET is a (mostly) Scottish term for a large meat-plate or serving dish, with which I am familiar by marriage!
18  Primarily, intelligence and love combined (2,3)
IN ONE – I{ntelligence} (primarily) and NONE (love).
20  Woman undressed in garden the previous day (3)
EVE – Double definition.

91 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1883 by Des”

  1. “ seems that the main purpose of these puzzles is to give experienced solvers the chance to brag about record times”

    No, that’s the purpose of this blog since its inception

    1. To the second Anon (timeline 12:26 pm): Posting snide remarks anonymously is not welcome here but we are more than happy to engage in constructive discussion of puzzles and support solvers who find themselves struggling.

      Edited at 2021-05-27 12:34 pm (UTC)

  2. If I do produce a record time, you’ll all know about it (although I think my 2:24 earlier this year is as good as it will get). However my times are there to be shot at, and I don’t duck the issue when I have a day like yesterday (8:12 against 8:37 for the 15×15).

    When some of the rest of you who complain about us speed merchants have been at it for over 50 years, and can read and write more quickly than most other people, you may just find you’re joining the sub 5 minute club. I do hope so !

  3. We also found this very tricky and resorted to aids. Even then we were still short of fully solving. As ever, seeing the answers makes us feel we should have done better. Some clever clues, eg 10a. Glad to learn the new ashet and enow, Wonder if we will see them again?
  4. The very title of this blog is a great part of the problem. When I first started on the QC almost all of the contributors were the 15x15ers. In the old days there weren’t many solvers going over 15 minutes. They used the QC as a warm-up or warm-down exercise. Slow times were not usually recorded.

    The SCC did not exist until a couple of years ago and now they are beginning to form the majority. They really want to get into the 15×15 arena. But patience, it usually takes years to get slick! Copius reading of the right books, good GK and above all Geography don’t ‘alf ‘elp!

    When Kevin or Phil Jordan bang in times of well under five minutes, this is seen by the SCC as ‘bragging’. No, really! (Verlaine can knock these off before one can say Jack Robinson.) Talk of two minutes is so dispiriting. So some folks like to use aids – and others abhor that.

    Now some are so fed-up they want to go off and do the Telegraph Quick – whatever. Fine, nobody can stop them, – the QAnons positively encourage this – but they have, nor engender much if any, loyalty. The QAnons will ruin this blog – eventually. Sign-on or begone!

    The Old Blighter suffered his first ever QC DNF in 1,883 goes – which is perhaps telling. I imagine the setters see us all as fair game and are upping-the-ante a bit. Otherwise where’s their fun!?

    I remember my first trip to the Times Finals in Piccadilly, in the late eighties. On the first puzzle I had just got going when someone ran to the front with his paper complete after just over 3 minutes! It was spellbinding and totally dispiriting for most!

    It was later revealed that ‘Speedy Gonzales’ had failed to fill in one letter, in a three letter word down at the bottom. Bummer!

    This is a marathon with a sprint finish!

    Edited at 2021-05-27 03:52 pm (UTC)

    1. Dear Mr Horryd,

      May I just say, as a confirmed member of the SCC (who is currently sliding back towards being a no-hoper again), that I love to read about those who routinely knock of the QC faster than I can actually read the first eight or ten clues. I don’t think they are “bragging”. They are just reporting on their experience and on their view of different aspects of the daily challenge.

      I also love to read about the experiences of slower solvers and non-finishers, and about what they found relatively straightforward, particularly difficult or downright impossible.

      Over the past year, I have come to appreciate that among the strengths of this forum are the broad range of ability of its contributors, the constructive help and guidance provided by the main bloggers and others, the amusing anecdotes, diversions and entertaining discussions about nerdy trivia, and the encouragement received from time to time when one has had a ‘bad day’.

      Long may all of this remain, and I hope you concur.

  5. I came, I swore, I concurred that this was a bit of a toughie. But I got there in two sessions. DELINEATE was v clever. A couple of words new to me but fairly clued and parseable. LEERIEST for some reason held me for ages and CHERRIES was slow as well.
  6. 83 minutes again today, but this time I was unable to finish, having thrown in the towel with one clue unsolved (ZAGREB) and four clues written in only faintly (IMAGO, ENOW, JOHN and ASHET).

    I can understand why Anonymous (who triggered the ‘Very hard’ discussion, above) is “getting a little dispirited”, as I have spent a total of 4 hrs 46 mins on the four QCs so far this week, and DNF two of them. Whilst I know that I’m still very much a member of the SCC, I would like to think I’m no longer a no-hoper. However, my recent performances would suggest I haven hardly improved at all since I started nearly a year ago.

    Just as I did yesterday, I got 1a (DISMAYED) straight away, but everything fell apart after that, and it was a really hard grind from then on. Not very enjoyable, I’m afraid, but I will wake up tomorrow in good heart and looking forward to another QC.

    N.B. Due to her having a life, Mrs Random is unlikely to get to this puzzle until tomorrow or the weekend.

    Many thanks to Des and to Mr Rotter for his much needed blog.

    1. You are doing fine — I was still using diary entries at your stage.
    2. I’m the last person to offer hints on solving but I am having a very nice time teaching my kids and there’s one golden rule I tell them if they’re stuck: is it (a) an anagram or (b) a hidden (reverse or standard). Surprising how often it helps

      Having said that I eventually buffed ZAGREB having completely missed the reverse hidden! 😀

  7. Travelling today so had to do this on the hoof and it turned into another shambles (#3 for the week). Apart from Ashet, the answers weren’t too bad, but I found the clueing difficult. First time I’ve seen DOB for birthday (that I can remember at least) which didn’t help for 15ac.

    Didn’t record the exact time, which was a good job, but gave up with around 6 to go.

    FOI — 4dn “Yob”
    LOI — dnf
    COD — 20dn “Eve” — probably better ones but I enjoyed the surface of this

    Thanks as usual!

  8. Not much more to add to what’s already been said. Fortunately I knew the capital of Croatia and IMAGO, but unfortunately I had never heard of ENOW, an ‘at-home’, ASHET or LEERIER so this was a struggle that took me 42:43 plus a bit extra while I checked to see if I could think of a more plausible word than ENOW to go in 6a. In one of life’s strange coincidences, (re pebble’s comment above) my mum was reciting the Rubaiyat of Omar Khhayyam to me just yesterday evening, but I’d never heard of the poem before. Anyway, thanks to Des and Rotter.
    1. Lovely coincidence — I bet some people will know The moving finger writes etc, even if only from the Agatha Christie book 😊
      Am quite keen on your predictive text version of my name — I think I should change my user name to Pebble, much more fun than my initials 😅
    2. My favourite quotation in the whole of English Literature comes from Fitzgerald’s translation of the Rubaiyat :

      “The moving finger writes, and, having writ, moves on. Nor all thy piety, nor wit, shall lure it back to cancel half a line, nor all thy tears wash out one word of it.”

      Simply put, “You can’t turn the clock back”, but so beautifully expressed.

      1. When I was a pretentious teenage hippy, I used to keep a tiny and very old copy of the Rubaiyat in my back pocket at all times! I still have it — and still love it 😊
  10. Although I put in imago, ashet and enow, without having heard of any of them, when the clock reached an hour and fifteen minutes, I gave up, with five answers not completed.
    Spent a little time in the DC (Dispirited Club).
    Tomorrow will be a new challenge.
    Thanks, Rotter.
    1. The Dispirited Club — a great new addition 😊 Fingers crossed for better spirits tomorrow!
      1. Thanks, Peebee! I have just picked up your comment and yes, the spirits have definitely lifted, since. 🙂
  11. I wasn’t expecting to add a comment this evening but… first, I have to say I found this was even harder than yesterday. Mostly completed in ‘pencil’ with some lucky inspiration eg 10a John. Only 3 across and 4 down on first pass, but got there in the end with much deliberation over 15a Do or To? My incentive to sign on was to add a vote to Some Random Chap’s spot-on comment! FOI 10a. LOI 15a. COD 3d. So pleased to have Rotter’s blog to check out the parsing on my pencil work.
  12. Top half a breeze, but bottom half into headwind and I ran out of time. Other things to do, and all. But if I may add my very late tuppenceworth to those solvers who are discouraged by failing to finish, that’s all part of the learning process, and if you stick at it you will find yourself improving. Honestly. And instead of mourning the DNF, try celebrating with a Yay, I managed one clue/two/a quarter/half…!
  13. Yet another toughie. Eventually did all but SE corner where I has AS ONE instead of IS ONE which cocked things up, but would never have thought of LEERIER anyway. NHO ASHET.
    Some very neat clues, though. Can I finish Friday’s???
    1. SCC is the Slow Coach Club, describing those solvers that take more than 30 minutes to solve. From the comments above, we may see the DC (Dispirited Club) added to our jargon, which can all be decoded using the Glossary that exists somewhere on this blog. I can’t be more specific as it jumps around a bit depending which device you are using to read the blog. As a habitual iPad user, I can never find the damned thing.
      1. I always thought the SCC kicked in at 20mins, but I would love to be wrong.

        I think I’ve managed to find the glossary once, almost by accident, but have since forgotten how and have given up trying.

        1. Hi invariant — just saw this after a late message from someone else. On my Kindle and my phone (Android), the glossary is right at the bottom of the opening LJ page, but on my PC, it’s on the top right. As Rotter says, it could be anywhere, but I’ve found that if you just keep scrolling, it eventually turns up, with lots of other interesting links too 😊 Penny
          1. I’m sure your right, but Huawei have done an excellent job hiding it on my media pad tablet.

            I know it’s there somewhere but..

            1. Sorry I can’t be any more help! Husband and daughter both have Huawei but not the TftT blog so that’s no use either 😅 Good luck with the continuing hunt …
  15. You are correct of course, my mistake. 20 minutes is the lower boundary for the SCC.

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