Times Quick Cryptic No 1849 by Tracy

At the time of writing the setter of this puzzle wasn’t declared in the online version, but jackkt tells us in the comments it is Tracy. I thought it on the whole a very pleasant, middle-of-the-road Quick Cryptic with which to finish the week with no less than 6 whole or partial anagrams. COD to the nice semi-&lit 6D. There was one unfamiliar word that I had to drag from the depths of my memory and I couldn’t remember what it meant, but the wordplay and crossers made it clear enough. There was another where I was puzzled at first by the wordplay and a third where the indicator in the wordplay looked wrong.  I wonder, did any of these give others trouble too? My FOI was 1A, which helped with the Downs, and LOI 1D, finishing about 30 seconds below my target time. So, nearly all good stuff, then and npt too hard. Thank-you Tracy. How did everyone else get on?

Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is my turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the latest crossword, entitled “Number 22”, 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 Film‘s starting point abroad (13)
TRAINSPOTTING – (starting point)* [abroad]. The well known (although I’ve not seen it) black comedy drama set in Edinburgh. Read about it here.
8 Parts reportedly for luxury car (5)
ROLLS – Sounds like [reportedly] ROLES (parts, like Mark Renton and Daniel Murphy in 1A). The luxury car marque with the Spirit of Ecstasy mascot, now a subsidiary of BMW. Henry Royce deserves a mention too.
9 Entrance made by different singers (7)
INGRESS – [different] (singers)*
10 Defiant words, likewise, at that place (2,5)
SO THERESO (likewise) THERE (at that place). I was a bit puzzled at “likewise” for so, but it’s in the dictionary and an example where you can substitute one for the other is  “He worked hard – so did she”.
11 Redesigned seat fitted with wide strap (5)
TAWSE – [Redesigned] (seat)* including [fitted with] W (wide, as put in the scorebook at cricket). TAWSE is a scottish word meaning “a thong with a slit end, formerly used in schools for punishing children“.
13 Pound split by Italian page for fussy fault-finder (3-6)
NIT-PICKERNICKER (pound sterling) [split by] IT (Italian) P (page).
17 Box containing eastern throwing weapon (5)
SPEARSPAR (box with an opponent) [containing] E (eastern).
19 Very behindhand after electric current cut off (7)
ISOLATESO (very) LATE (behindhand) [after] I (electric current, as referred to in equations such as V = IR).
20 Rejected set of clothes Oscar collected (3,2,2)
OUT OF ITOUTFIT (set of clothes) outside O (Oscar) [collected]. This looks odd to me as I’d expect  “X, Y collected” to mean “include X in Y” not the other way round. Or am I being thick? I expect so. [Edit: See kevingregg’s comment for an explanation].
22 Very warm, the Spanish inn (5)
HOTELHOT (very warm) EL (the, in Spanish).
23 Operetta article somehow worried my wife (3,5,5)
THE MERRY WIDOWTHE (article) [somehow] (worried my)* W (wife). By the Austro-Hungarian composer, Franz Lehár the operetta is titled in German “Die lustige Witwe“.
Down
1 Flog junk round hotel (6)
THRASHTRASH (junk) [round] H (hotel, in the NATO phonetic alphabet).
2 Suddenly, everyone agreed about carbon (3,2,4)
ALL AT ONCEALL (everyone) AT ONE (agreed) [about] C (chemical symbol for carbon).
3 Beginning or ending of mountain climb (7)
NASCENT – Last letter [ending of] mountaiN, ASCENT (climb).
4 Government leader to prepare member of the clergy (5,8)
PRIME MINISTERPRIME (prepare) MINISTER (member of the clergy).
5 Awkward drunk (5)
TIGHT – Double definition, the first as in “a tight spot”.
6 What Arctic explorer covers? (3)
ICE – Hidden in ArctIC Explorer [covers]. A neat semi-&lit, where the entire clue is the definition and all but the reference word “what” is the wordplay.
7 Turn on charm, mostly to get the honest truth (6)
GOSPELGO (turn in a game, for example) SPELl (charm) without the last letter [mostly].
12 Justified, conflict with editor following angry tirade (9)
WARRANTEDWAR (conflict) RANT (angry tirade) ED (editor).
14 Expertise of king who won unexpectedly (4-3)
KNOW-HOWK (King) (who won)* [unexpectedly].
15 Armed guard in foreign sector (6)
ESCORT – [foreign] (sector)*.
16 Loud roar coming from fifty entering underneath (6)
BELLOWL (fifty) [entering] BELOW (underneath).
18 Cap removed from toy firearm (5)
RIFLE – All but first letter [cap removed] of tRIFLE (toy, the verb).
21 Part of body shown in photo, enlarged (3)
TOE – Hidden in [shown in] phoTO Enlarged.

62 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1849 by Tracy”

  1. DNK NICKER, but biffed confidently. I couldn’t have told you what a TAWSE was, but I recognized it as a word. Biffed KNOW-HOW. I took ‘collected’ as a past participle of a passive: [a] set of clothes [with] Oscar collected [=included]. 3:58.
  2. I went for ROLES not ROLLS, which seemed perfectly good. There is always some ambiguity when the “sounds like” indicator appears between the two possibilities. Otherwise nothing especially hard. I did know what a TAWSE was (I lived in Edinburgh for several years). Of course, TRAINSPOTTING features some of the less touristy parts of the city.
    1. I’m not sure there’s an ambiguity here, Paul, as ‘for’ separates the two possible definitions and places the homophone indicator firmly alongside ‘parts’.
      1. I suppose that’s true, although I did think carefully about it and read the second half of the clue as “reportedly for luxury car”.
  3. The setter is Tracy, as was the ‘anon’ puzzle that appeared on 23rd March, suggesting there’s a glitch in the system that’s affecting only one setter.

    7 minutes for the puzzle. I note we have THE MERRY WIDOW at 23ac, the operetta by Franz Lehar whose surname was an answer in the QC on 19th March and was unknown to many solvers.

    Edited at 2021-04-09 03:57 am (UTC)

    1. Aha. I see how you knew this now… the e-paper version has the name. I thought you surely couldn’t have the physical paper at 4:48 am!
  4. Very, very nearly put ‘gushes’ for GOSPEL as it was LOI and I was stuck, suddenly lifted and separated ‘turn’ and ‘on’ and there is was! That sudden realisation happened a couple of times in this rather pleasant puzzle such as with KNOW HOW (great surface). Only five on the first pass of acrosses but with plenty of others dangling just out of reach. Couldn’t have confirmed that TAWSE was a word before sitting down and certainly didn’t know what it was but still entered it confidently, similarly with THE MERRY WIDOW would not have been able to recall it if I’d been asked to list every operetta I knew (and had already forgotten the composer (thanks for the reminder Jackkt but I’m sure that fact won’t be retained this time either)). All green in 12 which is my fastest for the week even with the GOSPEL hold up, delays in the SW and carelessly whacking in ‘ascent’ NASCENT and so leaving a lot of answers needing to be repaired — which I could have avoided if only I hadn’t had to come back to TRAINSPOTTING.

    Edited at 2021-04-09 06:09 am (UTC)

  5. I went for roles for 8ac as in film parts , which sounded like Rolls as in Rolls Royce being a luxury car
  6. Nothing too strenuous today, although it would have been a quicker solve if 1a hadn’t held me up – I needed a few checkers and still had to resort to pen and paper. GOSPEL and TAWSE were the other minor hold ups.
    Finished in 8.02 with LOI ISOLATE and I thought KNOW-HOW and ALL AT ONCE were particularly good.
    Thanks to John
  7. … somewhat in contrast to most other contributors so far it seems, and I limped home in about 13 minutes. I say about, as I was interrupted twice, and I shall give myself another allowance because most unusually I did it on my smartphone, and at least 2 minutes was spent undoing typing errors on the tiny screen! I shall go back to pen and paper …

    But even so, a struggle. I think a lot depends on whether one gets 1A Trainspotting early — I did not, having NHO the film or being confident in 13 letter anagrams with no checkers, and that led to 7D Gospel not falling until I had the G — I too failed to separate the Turn and On in the clue at first. Also not initially convinced by 20A Out of it, as like John I also wondered about what was collecting what (though thanks to Kevin’s explanation I see that now), but more fundamentally I did not immediately equate Rejected with Out of it. Not a phrase I’m familiar with in that sense.

    COD to 19A Isolate, a nice surface.

    And now on to the Saturday special, which I look forward to tackling tomorrow. Many thanks to John for the blog, and a good weekend to all
    Cedric

  8. 13:00 with 3+ on the LOI ISOLATE. Did not understand ‘behind hand’, thought it was a word for very, after a word for hand.

    I usually check homonyms such as ROLLS before pressing submit, but this one was less ambiguous than many. Nothing worse than a sombre pink square on these.

    Operetta always seems to be G&S, but none seemed to fit those word breaks. I was one of those complaint about Lehar in an earlier QC.

    I see RIFLE appeared again today, that’s twice in three days I think.

    COD TRAINSPOTTING which I was slow to see. I couldn’t believe it could be an anagram in such a great surface. Usually long anagrams have obscure words in them.

  9. I foolishly put in DESCENT without thinking too much about it which made 1A impossible until I got a few other letters at which point I realised my error.
    NHO TAWSE but it couldn’t be SWEAT or WASTE so tawse it has to be.
    Many years since I heard anyone use NICKER instead of quid. I wonder what is the origin of that.
    Enjoyed ISOLATE my COD but several other contenders including 2D, 3D, 12D. Wondered about CORSET intead of ESCORT but decided a corset is ‘armless.
    Just under 40 minutes, so just at the top end of my yardstick.
    Thanks Tracy and John. Look forward to the Saturday special.
      1. No doubt to an occasional look of bewilderment.
        Do you refer to 10p pieces as florins too? And I thought I was eccentric referring to a pony!
  10. We had solved most of this clever puzzle quite quickly but took an age to see 1A – unusual for us as we’re usually pretty quick at spotting anagrams. Was delighted to learn a new word “behindhand”. Eventually we finished in 15 minutes.

    FOI: ROLLS
    LOI: GOSPEL
    COD: NASCENT (and WOD – lovely word)

    Thanks to Tracy and John.

    Looking forward to the weekend QC – thanks.

  11. A slow start made me think I was in for a crawl but I was surprised to finish in my best time for a while — 10.17. As the crossers emerged It was a case of biff first, parse second. As vinyl said above, this was ‘rather easy for a biffer’.
    Lots of good clues, though, so it seems unnecessary to list them — everyone will have their own choices. A good end to the week — thank you to Tracy and John. John M.

    Edited at 2021-04-09 08:24 am (UTC)

  12. Yes, lots of good clues.

    I puzzled over TAWSE for a bit, wondering what the bit of a ship where the mooring ropes go through had to do with a seat or a strap and then realised I was thinking of HAWSE.

    NASCENT isn’t a word I use very often.

    Much enjoyed, thank you Tracy and John.

    Diana

  13. Quick apart from the bits that weren’t; same as yesterday.
    Well under 10 minutes before the final tricky three or four.
    I had DESCENT for a while but it clearly did not fit the anagram for 1a. Eventually I saw THRASH then I worked hard on the anagram and found the film. LOI was GOSPEL -there are many meanings for Charm.
    16:39 in the end. Good puzzle.
    David
  14. I put GUSHED for 7d as turn on charm but now see the error of my ways.
    Pleased to get TRAINSPOTTING (no desire to see it), THE MERRY WIDOW (much jollier). Only vaguely heard of TAWSE. Liked NIT PICKER, NASCENT, ALL AT ONCE (FOI). LOI ESCORT.

    Gosh, Mayfields, I always say I am a bit behindhand. Is it old-fashioned? I thought it was an everyday word. Anyway CsOD ISOLATE and OUT OF IT.
    Thanks, John, vm. Look forward to the w/e special.

    1. I’d never heard of behindhand either. I rarely see any answers in the QC that I didn’t know at least vaguely, so a surprise to have a completely “new” word in a clue! At least it was relatively self explanatory.
  15. Barely 5 minutes for me which I expect was a bit lucky. Although there are regular tricks and devices to use, much of the success of solving these comes to being on the same wavelength. Sometimes the setter seems to be on a different planet – but not for me today! I sometimes read these blogs and find that people have breezed through puzzles I’ve struggled with and vice versa.
  16. Like Cedric commented, I think getting TRAINSPOTTING early would have made all the difference with this puzzle as, without it, the top half seemed much more difficult than the bottom. Needless to say, I would have been very pleased to have “limped home” in 13 minutes as Cedric did, whatever the level of difficulty, but as it was I finished in a just below target 29:07, so I can’t complain. I have been thinking recently that I should perhaps reduce my target to 25 minutes, but as that would be sure to usher in a string of 40+ minute solves and a smattering of DNFs, I will refrain from tempting fate for the moment. NHO of TAWSE or INGRESS (though I guessed it might be the opposite of egress) and I wouldn’t have been able to define NASCENT either. TIGHT for drunk seems to be very popular at the moment; I’m sure this is the third time I’ve seen it in the last couple of weeks. Anyway, loads of great clues, so thanks to Tracy. FOI ROLLS, LOI GOSPEL, COD 13a. Thanks also to John.
  17. FOI: 9a INGRESS
    LOI: 3d NASCENT

    Time to Complete: 53 minutes

    Clues Answered Correctly without aids: 21

    Clues Answered with Aids (3 lives): 3d, 5d, 11a

    Clues Unanswered: Nil

    Wrong Answers: Nil

    Total Correctly Answered (incl. aids): 24/24

    Aids Used: Chambers, Bradfords

    Yay, another finish, and on a Friday too!

    I worked quite quickly through this puzzle but was slowed down somewhat by the last 3.

    8a. ROLLS – Like some others here I was initially a little unsure as to whether I was looking for ROLES or ROLLS. But then I reasoned that the luxury car was the word I was looking for. It was the word “for” that lead me to that conclusion. For told me that I was looking for another word “for” luxury car.

    5d. TIGHT – One of my three lives used here. To be honest I had tight pencilled in, but I have never heard of tight being used to described drunk. Had I not found it in Chambers I would have suspected that the setter was making it up.

    11a. TAWSE – I knew it had to be an anagram of SEAT around W but have never heard of TAWSE. Second life used.

    3d. NASCENT – One clue remaining and one life left. Having had DESCENT pencilled in for a while I soon saw that it was not the word I was looking for. I was convinced that the definition was “beginning”. I could not see a suitable word with the letters I had in already within Chambers, but Bradford’s came to the rescue. Never heard of NASCENT.

    So, a completion of 53 minutes. Not too bad for me at this stage.

    1. If this success rate continues, you’ll need to watch your waistline….
  18. Very enjoyable solve in below average time. NHO behindhand as a word but shall now look for opportunities to use it! My wife’s father used to talked about being ‘Tawsed by the masters’ in school in Glasgow.

    1. I too have not heard of behindhand. I did wonder whether it was a printing error. I feel just using “behind” would have worked just as well, at least for me anyway.

      Edited at 2021-04-09 09:55 am (UTC)

      1. It’s certainly a word I use not infrequently. It comes of being fairly elderly I guess as both my parents used it.

        Diana

  19. (book first, then film – both excellent in my view) until very late on – my penultimate one in fact. Which gave me the G to get my last – GOSPEL.

    6:08

  20. A bit of a BIFF-fest for me too with the film, the operetta, the PM and the NIT-PICKER all dropping into place with gay abandon. ROLLS was FOI followed by THRASH and, quite appropriately, ALL AT ONCE. ESCORT brought up the rear. 5:59. Thanks Tracy and John.
  21. I didn’t sleep too well last night and, given that this was Tracy on a Friday, approached the solve without any high expectations. However, from Thrash/Trainspotting onwards, the answers fairly flew in. I realised about half way through that this was going to be quick, but didn’t check the time (I’ve made that mistake before) and pushed on, getting loi Escort just over the 10min mark. That’s about a minute faster than my previous best time. I’m now regretting a slight delay in parsing Gospel, but then I had no real reason to know Tawse, so it’s swings and roundabouts. CoD to 14d, Know How, and my thanks to Tracy and John. Invariant

    Edited at 2021-04-09 10:09 am (UTC)

    1. Congratulations on your PB! 10 minutes is a distant aspiration for me at the moment, but I can dream. I guess your next challenge is to get into single figures.

      P.S. PB is shorthand in the Random house for peanut butter (one of my favourite substances in the world). And BP is shorthand for Branston Pickle. Put the two together … delicious!

      1. Unfortunately, the neurons seem to be dying off quicker than the seconds are reducing, but I live in hope.
  22. Fifteen minutes for this one. Was not sure whether rolls or roles was required, but can see now it thanks to the blog. We had ingress as the big word on the word game recently, and since recency and frequency are important for memory, that was my FOI. Also did not realise that trainspotting was an anagram until I read the blog — was puzzled by the inclusion of the word “abroad,” so thank you for the clarification. Trainspotting went in rather late for me. Agreement for me is as one, not at one, a minor quibble, and some here obviously recognise at one as the expression. Fourteen of these went in at first pass — five acrosses and nine downs, which is always a bonus. Some were write-ins, but there was plenty to cogitate over. LOI gospel, needing all the contributing letters, then an aha! moment. I put tawse in without conviction as the clue was clear enough, but I looked it up in the OED when I’d finished as it doesn’t feature in my regular vocab. COD warranted. A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle all round. Thanks, John and Tracy. GW.
  23. 12 minutes and a handful of seconds for me, with plenty to enjoy along the way. I didn’t see the film until I had some checkers from the early down clues, and thought it a clever anagram. My LOI was ESCORT simply because it was the last one I looked at. I also liked ISOLATE, and agree that NASCENT is a lovely word. Thanks both.
  24. Fairly straightforward today with just a couple of pauses for thought. Some neat clues I thought.
  25. Found this relatively easy and was finished and all parsed in 11 minutes. And this despite not getting TRAINSPOTTING until late on (in fact the surface was so good that it was only at the eleventh hour I realised it was an anagram). No problems with the vocabulary – knew TAWSE, NASCENT and INGRESS and had heard of (but not seen) the film and the operetta. Nice puzzle – thanks to setter and blogger.

    FOI – 9ac INGRESS
    LOI – 1dn THRASH
    COD – quite a number to chose from but I think it has to be 1ac TRAINSPOTTING for the very well hidden anagram.

  26. 11:12. Mainly gentle but nicely sticky in a couple of places, such as ROLES/ROLLS which I had to think through. I couldn’t face the two big anagrams until I had some checkers, but then they were fine. I liked NASCENT and TIGHT. COD to the ingenious GOSPEL
  27. Well off the pace today, as I completely failed to spot that TRAINSPOTTING was an anagram until I had almost all the checkers. Durr. That left me struggling over THRASH, NASCENT and GOSPEL for a long time.

    Good puzzle, very neat. I knew the TAWSE, since one forms part of a gruesome exhibit of old punishments in the West Highland Museum in Fort William (also including a birching table!).

    FOI ALL AT ONCE, LOI GOSPEL, COD TRAINSPOTTING since it made such a mug of me, time a sluggish 12:47 for 3.2K and a Terrible Day.

    Many thanks Tracy (now that I know who the setter was!) and John.

    Templar

  28. All done and dusted in 27 minutes, which is a very good time for me. I was pleased to get TRAINSPOTTING and THE MERRY WIDOW, given that I haven’t seen either – but that’s one of the delights of cryptic crosswords, I suppose. I was also pleased to remember that ‘turn’ often translates as GO in crosswordland, as I have been beaten by that trick on a number of previous occasions.

    My LOI was ISOLATE, which took a minute or so to parse, but which I thought was very clever when I did.

    N.B. Mrs Random will tackle today’s QC sometime over the weekend, as she’s not here today. She may well be suspicious about my fast (for me) time when she gets back.

    Many thanks to Tracy, and to johninterred for both the blog and the “extra weekend entertainment”. I plan to have a bash at it tomorrow or Sunday, perhaps while Mrs R is catching up on today.

  29. A very early post from me today…waiting for the off to my second jab, but a real dampener hearing of the loss of the Duke of Edinburgh – we’ll miss him more than we might suppose.
    FOI 1a Trainspotting (never watched) LOI 15d Escort (not always ‘armed’ in my usage/opinion/other ways it has been clued) COD 9a Isolate – amusing and me took a few moments to see this. Not helped by entering 11a in 5d (well, I already had the T…) but soon corrected. Didn’t manage to parse Nit-Picker but it seemed obvious from the checkers. Grateful for John’s explanation here. I printed off the on-line copy and that hasn’t identified Tracy as the setter – so thanks for pointing that out and to him for a clever and enjoyable end to a good week. Will have to find something else to do before supper…but will try to avoid Saturday’s treat until tomorrow or Sunday!
  30. 18 minutes for me with slight distractions of the robin chasing me for food — I can’t even relax in the greenhouse!
    FOI Rolls
    LOI Isolate
    Most time spent — Tawse, Nit-Picker and Out of It.
    Panic moment — didn’t think I’d see Gospel.
    Thanks all,
    John George
  31. For some reason the app didn’t record the time for me today, but it felt quite straightforward and quick. I think I liked 2D best, but then anything chemistry related does it for me. Thanks, Tracy.
  32. A very pleasant end to the week, alldone within 20 m, good for us. Nearly fell into the gushes trap for 7d, but quickly saw the error. Loi 1a, we are not good on films, but knew it was an anagram and the checkers did the rest. Thanks Tracy and for the blog.
  33. Congratulations on the PB. My times are often not too far adrift of yours, but you certainly got the better of me on this one.
    1. Thanks — I was all over the place yesterday, repeatedly looking at the wrong end of the clue and needing two sittings to limp home, so today came as a real surprise. No doubt back to normal next week 🙄
  34. ….and I’m 10th on the leaderboard (which could actually be 3rd or 4th after zapping the Neutrinos). A rare “faster than Verlaine” day (but I doubt I’ll repeat it on the 15×15)

    FOI ROLLS
    LOI OUT OF IT
    COD GOSPEL
    TIME 2:52

  35. Current cult favourite is peanut butter with Marmite. Both delicious on their own but not together. I much prefer redcurrant jelly on my peanut butter (palm oil free) and don’t think that peanut butter will appear on my boiled egg Marmite soldiers.
  36. Missed 1A because missed ‘abroad’ as the indicator, though funnily enough understood ‘foreign in 15D for same thing.

    Never heard of TAWSE nor PICKER. New ones… undoubtedly only to be used in Cryptics, however!

    My pattern seems to be to work steadily through the puzzles now, and then get totally stuck on about 4-5 clues. Still, have improved enough to get here.

    Would be curious which other Cryptics I might try without feeling overwhelmed by a large jump in difficulty?

    1. It’s Nicker/quid/pound + it + p
      As to ‘intermediate’ cryptics, you could try the Guardian ones, but if you don’t want to learn another language, just watch out for ‘the 15×15 today was easy (more straightforward)’ tip-offs occasionally appearing in the QC comments, like the one a couple of days ago.
  37. A gentle finish to the week with some nice cluing so thanks all round.
    Marmite peanut butter is great…so is tbe XO marmite
  38. Several giving me something to ponder but all safely negotiated. ISOLATE Was a slow solve, not having seen behindhand before and wary that it might be other than it seemed. The film clue seemed a bit familiar. All the long ones went in quite readily so lots to work with.
    Looking forward to the weekend QC Special!
  39. Did this very late today due to taking the day off and was pleasantly rewarded with a 19 mins finish. You wait for one sub 20 min for weeks and then they all come along at once!

    DNK “Tawse” for 11ac, but the rest went in steadily. Should have spotted 1ac sooner, but I wasn’t thinking of a particular film. Didn’t we have Rifle and Tight the other day?

    I’m another one who nearly put “Gushes” for 7dn, but for once I resisted as it didn’t feel right.

    FOI — 8ac “Rolls”
    LOI — 7dn “Gospel”
    COD — 13ac “Nit Picker”

    Thanks as usual!

  40. Congratulations! Great time, and hopefully not a one off (like mine 😀)

Comments are closed.