Times Quick Cryptic No 1852 by Jalna

Author   plusjeremyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Introduction

5:58, with a minute spent on my last one in (2 Down).

Solutions

A brief summary of cryptic crosswords —feel free to skip— :

  • Each clue has at least one “definition”: an unbroken string of words which more-or-less straightforwardly indicates the answer. A definition can be as simple as a one-word synonym; but it can also be a descriptive phrase like ‘I’m used to wind’ for REEL or SPOOL. A definition by example must be indicated by a phrase like ‘for example’, or, more commonly, a question mark (?). Thus ‘color’ is a definition of RED, while ‘red, for example’ or ‘red?’ are definitions of COLOR. Punctuation (and capitalization) is otherwise irrelevant.

  • Each clue may also have an unbroken string of words which indicates the answer through wordplay, such as: using abbreviations; reversing the order of letters; indicating particular letters (first, last, outer, middle, every other, etc); placing words inside other words; rearranging letters (anagrams); replacing words by words that sound alike (homophones); and combinations of the above. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but the general theme is to reinterpret ordinary words as referring to letters, so that for example ‘lion’s head’ indicates the first letter of LION: namely, L.

  • Definitions and wordplay cannot overlap. The only other words allowed in clues are linking words or phrases that combine these. Thus we may see, for example: “(definition) gives (wordplay)” or “(definition) and (definition)” or “(wordplay) is (definition)”.

  • The most common clues have either two definitions, or one definition plus wordplay, in either order. But a single, very misleading definition is not uncommon, and very occasionally a definition can also be interpreted as wordplay leading to the same answer. Triple definitions (and more) are also possible.

My conventions in the solutions below are to underline definitions (including a defining phrase); put linking words in [brackets]; and put all wordplay indicators in boldface. I also use a solidus (/) to help break up the clue where necessary, especially for double definitions without linking words.

After the solutions, I list all the wordplay indicators and abbreviations in a Glossary.

Across

7   Old magistrate always going round / full of energy (5)
REEVE = EVER reversed, around E

8   Condition [of] ground is v poor (7)
PROVISO = anagram of IS V POOR

10   Fit one new counter (7)
INSTALL = I + N + STALL

11   British study [making] money (5)
BREAD = B + READ

12   Bookish detective with rules [for] system of communication (5,4)
MORSE CODE = MORSE + CODE

14   Brewed tea, had breakfast? (3)
ATE = anagram of TEA

15   Something swimming in garlic, oddly (3)
COD = hidden in GARLIC ODDLY

16   Error on / set of web pages, we’re told (9)
OVERSIGHT = OVER + homophone of SITE

18   Religion is assigned / unlimited blame (5)
ISLAM = IS + BLAME without first and last letters

20   Characters mixed up: a horse and sheep (7)
ANAGRAM = A + NAG + RAM

22   Trade fairs with English diamonds on show (7)
EXPOSED = EXPOS + E + D

23   Empty pan filled with uncooked seafood (5)
PRAWN = PAN without middle letter, around RAW

Down

1   A much niftier, refurbished gaming device (5,7)
FRUIT MACHINE = anagram of A MUCH NIFTIER

2   Considered meeting everyone initially / on a certain day (8)
MEASURED = first letters of MEETING EVERYONE + A + SURE + D
Tricky.

3   Huge precious stone mounted / on / middle of tiara (4)
MEGA = GEM reversed + middle letter of TIARA

4   A survey / about, at heart, God (6)
APOLLO = A + POLL + middle letter of ABOUT

5   Rubbish / American fruit pies (8)
COBBLERS = double definition
Didn’t know the first meaning.

6   Shoot beginning to emerge beneath tree (4)
FIRE = first letter of EMERGE after FIR

9   Modest talent put out collection of books (3,9)
OLD TESTAMENT = anagram of MODEST TALENT

13   Dessert seems not set (4,4)
ETON MESS = anagram of SEEMS NOT

14   Ornate regalia on / head of noblewoman from North Africa (8)
ALGERIAN = anagram of REGALIA + first letter of NOBLEWOMAN

17   Animals [in] European countries (6)
ELANDS = E + LANDS

19   Run from the police, northbound (4)
LOPE = hidden in a reversal of THE POLICE

21   Current measures a politician / outlines, finally (4)
AMPS = A + MP + last letter of OUTLINES

Glossary

Wordplay indicators

and = next to
assigned = next to
at heart = middle letter
beginning to = first letter
beneath = next to in down clue
brewed = anagram
empty = remove middle letters
filled with = containment
finally = last letter
from = hidden
full of = containment
going round = reversal
ground = anagram
head of = first letter
in = hidden
in = linking word
initially = first letters
making = linking word
middle of = middle letter
mounted = reversal in down clue
northbound = reversal in down clue
of = linking word
on = next to
ornate = anagram
put out = anagram
refurbished = anagram
set = anagram
unlimited = remove first and last letters
we’re told = homophone
with = next to

Abbreviations and little bits

British = B
day = D
diamonds = D
energy = E
English = E
European = E
new = N
one = I
politician = MP

49 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1852 by Jalna”

  1. Pretty straightforward, although I took ‘oddly’ at 15ac for an every-other-letter indicator at first, which wasted some time. Didn’t know that COBBLER was an Americanism, although it doesn’t surprise me. ETON MESS might have taken me quite a while, but it appeared recently in a 15×15, where it was new to me. I liked ANAGRAM, EXPOSED, MEGA. 4:50.
  2. 11 minutes missing my target by 1. I didn’t have any problems as such but I was a bit slow getting into gear.
  3. Six on the first pass of acrosses on the way to being all green in 19, with the biggest hold ups in the NW in general and in getting to ‘fir’ from ‘tree’ in FIRE. Interesting that Jeremy didn’t know the first definition of COBBLERS because I didn’t know the second. Enjoyed ‘oddly’ and ‘going round’ being in unfamiliar roles for COD and REEVE— I feel into both traps. Like Vinyl I enjoyed seeing ANAGRAM and OT in full among the answers.
  4. Solid time with no holdouts. LOI EXPOSED, forgot Expo= fair, which we’ve had a few times. Also found the anagram PROVISO tricky, knew it would be a foreign word but needed all the checkers.

    Was pleased to see REEVE straight away, not a common word. I believe ‘sherrif’ comes from shire-reeve.

    I think the surface reading of 18a may cause consternation for some who don’t understand cryptic. Imagine this clue reported out of context. “Today, in The Times, the word ISLAM was defined as “Religion assigned unlimited blame”. Setters and their editors should probably avoid clues like this.

    COD PRAWN

    1. No doubt, but the “is” you omitted is its saving grace.
      Others with a sensitive disposition might object to the Old Testament being of but Modest Talent.
      Hopefully solvers here and beyond are more concerned with the why rather than the wherefore.
      I thought it was a good clue based on its construction. I hope that setters have enough to contend with without additional burden of political correctness.
      However, in light of the recent announcement by Mattel that a swathe of words have been removed from acceptance in Scrabble, will we see similar censorship here I wonder.
    2. Proviso is not a foreign word although its origin may be! Interesting to see who knew the first or second definition of “cobblers”. Age-related I suspect — I knew the first!
  5. I decided to be a bit more methodical and do all Across first which yielded little joy. Once 1D dropped in I was off quickly (for me) and had little difficulty with all the Downs which led to a finish in 7K.
    Flushed with recent discovery of &lit I assumed that the o in God qualified as such for 4D, and didn’t notice about. Since none of the speedsters have commented I guess it isn’t.
    Wondered if there was a balance of popular UK versus US desserts going on. Never much taken with cobblers, aptly named, as too sugary. COD ANAGRAM probably an old chestnut but a first for me.
    Thanks Jeremy and Jalna.
    Wondering if the plumber will turn up today. One of life’s mysteries.
  6. Steady going today and struggled at the end with COBBLERS, APOLLO and INSTALL – the last of which I was trying to solve using the wrong meanings of both fit and counter, which didn’t help! I spent some time post submission trying to work out if there was some food based nina going on, but if there is it proved beyond me to work out.
    Finished in 10.07.
    Thanks to Jeremy
  7. I started this very slowly …
    … with only 3 clues filled in on the first pass, but more eventually came and in the end — and somewhat to my surprise — all done in 13 minutes.

    Had to think hard to see counter = stall in 10A Install, and like Mendesest it was the second meaning of 5D Cobblers that I did not know.

    That school keeps appearing, doesn’t it, even when not clued as a school.

    Many thanks to Jeremy for the blog
    Cedric

  8. Got hung up on 6D having gone with PINE as a tree and convinced myself that PIN was an adequate synonym for “shoot” but got there eventually for a solve in just under 15mins. An enjoyable one today

    Pb

  9. A brisk 18 mins for me, one of my rare absences from the SCC, and an enjoyable one. It never felt fast (on my scale!) and I was held up often but never quite stuck which, is my ideal puzzle.
    Seeing the grid sent me straight to 1D which gave me a good foundation for working outwards. Liked ANAGRAM and MEASURED amongst others. Counter = stall made me hesitate but it was obviously what was required. PROVISO wasn’t promising looking anagram fodder but the lone v meant it had to be, then it clicked.
    Really enjoyable so thanks setter, and for Jeremy’s meticulous blog.

  10. Like others, I thought this was quite slow going but ended up in just under 20 so good time for me. I struggled a bit in the SE corner with “lope” where I kept trying to fit in “Lam” somehow, and my LOI “exposed”. Also DNK the sweet meaning of cobblers. I did think of Merlin when that school came up, even though it wasn’t clued as such.

  11. At first glance I thought it was a tricky one but then it gradually fell into place from the SE and up and around. OLD TESTAMENT was a FOI. After FRUIT MACHINE appeared it went better still. Liked COBBLERS, MORSE CODE, EXPOSED, APOLLO.
    Thanks, Jeremy, for helpful blog.
  12. I really wasn’t on the wavelength today and gave up after a bit.

    Of course, as usual, once I’d seen the answers worked out for me it made sense, but by then it’s too late to really enjoy it.

    I didn’t even get ANAGRAM.

    Thanks all the same to Jalna and Jeremy and here’s hoping that tomorrow brings a better day.

    Diana

  13. Took a little time to see APOLLO but otherwise straightforward.

    Thank you, plusjeremy and Jalna

  14. I enjoyed this — plenty of clever clues and smiles. I liked the anagrams and enjoyed ANAGRAM. I slowed towards the end with COBBLERS taking too long (needed crossers) and LOsI being INSTALL and, finally, MEASURED with 17 mins (2 over target) on the timer. Thanks to Jalna for a good QC and to Jeremy for a crisp blog. John M.
  15. MEASURED was definitely an unparsed biff, so thanks for unravelling that jeremy.

    Last two were LOPE and APOLLO.

    C’sOD were ISLAM, OLD TESTAMENT (a capital effort of balance by the setter, slightly disparaging surfaces covering all the abrahamic religions!), and MORSE CODE. ETON MESS is probably my favourite pudding, so a big thumbs up from me.

    4:51.

  16. Northampton Town – cobblers – no it’s true!! Didn’t know that it was fruit pie – thought I’d heard of Beef Cobbler but fruit ??? Cobblers!

  17. FOI: 8a. PROVISO
    LOI: 4d. APOLLO

    Time to Complete: DNF

    Clues Answered Correctly without aids: 19

    Clues Answered with Aids (3 lives): 10a, 12a, 17d

    Clues Unanswered: 22a, 19d

    Wrong Answers: Nil

    Total Correctly Answered (incl. aids): 22/24

    Aids Used: Chambers,

    Two left unfinished for a tricky but enjoyable DNF.

    7a. REEVE – Never heard of him, but the clue seemed to indicate a REEVE, so in it went.

    22a. EXPOSED. I got the English Diamonds (ED) but the rest of it eluded me.

    19d. LOPE. At first, I saw the word LAWN (The Police = Law, Northbound = N). I did wonder if that could be a cryptic word for run, but it did not sit right with me. Unfortunately, I did not equate northbound as being a reversal in a down clue. I should have seen that.

    17d. ELANDS. Another one that had me completely baffled.

    I am pleased with my efforts, so not too disappointed in a DNF. On average I seem to complete 1 in 5 crosswords.

  18. Managed to finish in 11:05. LOI was LOPE.
    I needed time for APOLLO and EXPOSED (COD to that).
    I also liked PRAWN.
    No big hold-ups. I had to work out FRUIT MACHINE from the anagrist.
    A fair puzzle; some testing clues.
    David
  19. Very enjoyable. FOI reeve, always helps getting 1ac straight away. Fifteen on first pass so the rest eased in without difficulty. LOI measured. COD anagram, very topical. If it’s a chestnut it’s not one I have seen before. It’s a bit close for comfort in a crossword, being one of the things we are meant to solve, but I thought the way it was clued was clever and funny. I am in a hurry today, which is usually a sign that I will not do well, but thankfully this all fell out so I can go off satisfied to have finished at least one activity. Since what we do is only chemical processes, I remain in wonder at how our brains encrypt information, then unravel it — and why. Thanks, Jeremy, for the blog, and Jalna for the puzzle. GW.
  20. An enjoyable return to reasonable form for me today, after having a nightmare with Joker’s offering yesterday, which I attempted late at night after a very long day. That took a couple of sittings and I still failed with BOTTOM, which I did consider, but couldn’t see how it fitted with “weaver”. Thanks to Chris for the blog explaining that one. Anyway, today was easier and I managed my fastest of the month so far with 18:09 (birth of Charles Darwin, Merlin). Lots of great clues, but I particularly liked 20a, ANAGRAM. FOI PROVISO, LOI INSTALL, WOD has to be COBBLERS as I always like telling people that my namesake saint, Crispian, is the patron saint of cobblers. Anyway, thanks to Jalna and Jeremy.
    1. Patron Saint of weavers as well, could have been invoked to solve yesterday’s clue (BOTTOM).
  21. I rather enjoyed this, despite falling at the end. Mostly complete in about 20 minutes but then spent another twenty trying to work out 7A Reeve (never heard of that for a magistrate), not helped by having put 10A as instill, which seemed perfectly sensible to me! Which in turn made 3D impossible. Ah well. One wrong eventually having gone with Pine for 6D. Fire does make sense now…

    FOI 11A Bread
    LOI 3D Mega
    COD 20A and 23A Really enjoyed both Anagram and Prawn!

    Thanks Jalna and Jeremy for a fun morning

  22. Started well with 1d and 7ac, and carried on at a fair pace finishing around the 15min mark. Quite a chunk of that was spent on loi Cobblers, where I was fixated on Rot for rubbish for too long, and needed an alphabet trawl to solve. Unlike Vinyl, I thought today’s QC was a trip down memory lane, with Jalna keen to show their familiarity with crosswordese, and none the worse for it. CoD to Cobblers! Invariant
    1. I tried to force ROT in also.
      Does anyone know what “American” is doing in the clue? (5a), I don’t associate cobblers with America. My grandmother in law used to make cobblers, and I am sure she never went to America.
      Andyf
      1. Cobbler is a widely used name in the US for a fruit pie, especially in the Southern States. Hence ‘American fruit pies’. Perhaps it came to the UK later.

        Edited at 2021-04-14 10:25 am (UTC)

          1. My mother made fruit cobbler, with scones or dumplings— not cake mixture — on top.
  23. Just a couple of seconds over 10 minutes for me, and a good day! I’m sure we have heard from Jalna before, but I don’t think he is a regular or frequent setter, and I always expect to be slower with a puzzle from a new or infrequent setter. Today was an exception, and everything came to mind easily enough. FOI PROVISO, LOI AMPS (also LOLA — last one looked at), and COD ANAGRAM. I was slightly surprised to see ISLAM so clued, and the construction of MEASURED I thought a bit convoluted, but otherwise thanks to Jalna, and to Jeremy.
  24. Definitely felt I was on a different wavelength today and hobbled in around 30 mins, 5 mins of which was also stuck on “Cobblers”.

    Felt like there were lots of clues with single letter representations eg. diamond = d, day = d which felt very 15×15.

    Wasn’t sure about 16ac “Oversight” — is it “over” = “on”, or does the whole homophone apply to the site being over and thus down? Presume it’s the former as the latter felt clunky.

    All of this aside, I did enjoy it and after dismissing various Nintendo’s and Playstations managed to get 1dn “Fruit Machine” fairly quickly.

    FOI — 1dn “Fruit Machine”
    LOI — 5dn “Cobblers”
    COD — 2dn “Measured”

    Thanks as usual!

    1. Your first parsing is correct, James, or at least it’s what I had. And it’s how I read Jeremy’s interpretation.
  25. Went over my target by almost 2 minutes, mainly due to trying to do the puzzle on my ipad as the laptop became unresponsive for a couple of hours while Microsoft commandeered it to update Office and install the latest security update at the same time as Kaspersky was updating virus definitions. Grrhhh! A few unusual clue constructions. Like Kevin I wasted time looking for odd letter in 15a. Had to write out the anagrist for FRUIT MACHINE. No problem with COBBLERS. LOI was MEASURED which took some thought. 11:40. Thanks Jalna and Jeremy.
  26. Found this quite hard and had to come back to it after a break for some gardening. Stuck over APOLLO, FIRE, COBBLERS, PROVISO and MEGA, but using a checker for what letters I had for 4d made all the difference and the others went in quite readily thereafter. Know COBBLERS as rubbish ( a load of cobblers) and as lamb/beef cobbler, but not as an American fruit pie.
  27. 28 minutes for me. (With help on LOI)
    I too tried to put in Rot for too long for my LOI Cobblers. My daughter got the answer — she knew the fruit pie but not the rubbish and I knew the rubbish but not the fruit pie.
    Enjoyable but difficult in places.
    The hidden in 15a was clever as I fell for the other letter as did Kevin and no doubt others.
    Likewise last but one Lope difficult to see.
    COD 23a — I really thought that was simple and clever.
    Thanks all
    John George
  28. Always a challenge but managed to keep momentum going until my LOI – I only know the COBBLER as a cocktail, which also originated in the USA (particularly the Sherry Cobbler), so ultimately that had to be a guess.

    Some fine clues in there, tip of the hat in particular to PRAWN, ISLAM and MEASURED.

    FOI FRUIT MACHINE, LOI COBBLERS, COD ANAGRAM (very, very neat), time 10:12 for 2.1K and a Decent Day.

    Many thanks Jalna and Jeremy.

    Templar

  29. Thought this was a rather good puzzle. Not hard as such but needed a bit of thought.

    Liked the anagram of FRUIT MACHINES and some other nice surfaces.

    Thanks Jeremy for the excellent blog as always and Jalna

  30. 9:45. Like others enjoyed anagram lope cod and seeing New Testament in full. Measured my LOI. Just within my ten minute target. Thanks setter and Jeremy
  31. Found this tricky, taking 25 minutes to fill the grid and then found I had 6dn incorrect (I was another who went with PINE having decided I was looking for a tree as the answer). A lot of quite unusual clues – I didn’t seem to be entirely on Jalna’s wavelength!

    FOI – 7ac REEVE
    LOI – 6dn, the incorrect PINE, entered with a shrug
    COD – 23ac PRAWN

  32. Don’t remember a qc from jalna before and took a minute or two to get on the wavelength.
    One and a half courses
  33. 7:36 and a new PB. Wow! FOI REEVE, stuck in my mind from Chaucer at school, then most of the acrosses straight off. And the downs followed. I spent longest on ALGERIAN (why? with all the crossers?). I liked PRAWN, but COD to APOLLO. My thanks to Jalna for this exhilarating seven-and-a-half minutes, and to plusjeremy for the blog
  34. A load of cobblers’ awls? I don’t think so 😉 Very late to post as have had a proper busy day! But did this before lunch in 8 minutes so defnitely A Good Day. Very much liked FRUIT MACHINE and AMPS.
    FOI Reeve
    LOI Cobblers
    COD Cobblers 😂
    Many thanks Jalna and Jeremy
  35. Very busy week so have only just got to this. We thought it was a little tricky in places but completed it in16 minutes.

    FOI: PROVISO
    LOI: LOPE
    COD: ANAGRAM

    Thanks to Jalna and Jeremy.

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