Times Quick Cryptic No 194 by Grumpy

Author   macavity123Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Solving time: Fair to middling

Hello everyone.

A little under the weather and well behind schedule today, I’m afraid. Sorry for the late posting. However this cheered me up a little. A nice elegant puzzle with some really clever devices and lovely surface readings.

My feeling is that most of it shouldn’t hold the newer solvers up although 25 across may prove a little troublesome.

Thanks to our setter who clearly knows how to pitch these puzzles. Back to my sick bed. See you all soon.

Across
1 I SPY – The definition is GAME. The outsiders, i.e. first and last letters of Infant’S PartY.
3 ABOVE ALL – Primarily is the definition. An anagram (indicated by eccentric) of A LOVABLE.
9 THE BEST – The definition is ‘that’s saved for last’ (as in the proverb). THEBES (Ancient city) + T (Its leader or first letter).
10 ROAMS – Ranges is the definition (used as a verb) and it’s a homophone of ROME’S (capitals).
12 MASON – Chiseller, i.e. one who chisels, is the definition. M (MARRIED) + A + SON (child).
14 TOWER OF LONDON – A clever clue. Basically, the whole clue loosely defines it and also provides the word play. An anagram (resort) of ONE OLD FORT NOW.
17 TINTIN – “Character in picture books” is your definition. TINT ( COLOUR) + IN.
19 DOVER – Port is the definition. D (Start to (first letter of) DRINK) + OVER (too much).
22 STICK – Two definitions. A word that meants both to tolerate and criticism.
23 EMOTION – Feeling is the definition. An anagram (poorly) of OMIT ONE.
24 ORGANIST – I seem to have seen this clue a number of times in various papers over the past few weeks. Musician is the definition with the answer being an anagram (NUTS) of ROASTING.
25 MERE – I rather liked this clue, though I suspect it may cause a few baffled looks. It’s a double definition clue, but one of the definitions (the first one) is cryptic. Lake is the “straight definition” with the other, “Mother of Lorraine and Nancy” referring to two places in France and how you would say ‘Mother’ in those places! Love it!

Down
1 INTIMATE – Another double definition clue. A word that means ‘vert personal’ can also mean to hint.
2 PRESS – A triple definition! A name for journalists, is the same as to urge and to crowd.
4 BUTTERFINGERS – A word sum. B (Bishop) + UTTER (say) + fingers (identifies).
5 VERDI – Composer is the definition. It’s hidden (indicated by ‘the central section’) in “OVERDID”
6 ALARMED – Frightened is the definition. It’s a wordsum: AL (man) + ARMED (prepared for battle).
7 LASS – Def = young female. This is a subtraction clue, and you don’t see these too often. Remove the name of a star (VEGA) from LAS VEGAS.
8 TENNER – Personally, I dislike clues where the homophone indicator is in the midle, so you don’t know which part of the clue it applies to, but I’ll forgive. A homophone for the name of a singer is the same as the name of a (bank)note.
13 ENTRANCE – This is becoming a bit of a regular too. A double definition clue, one meaning to charm and the other a way in to a building.
15 WHITING – Fish is the definition. WING (an unit within the RAF) having HIT (battered)
16 OLD BOY – The definition is “my dear boy” and the answer needed an anagram (wound) of BLOODY.
18 TOKEN – Nominal is the definition. TEN (figure, number) around OK (right).
20 VOICE – Say is the definition. O (nothing) inside VICE (immorality).
21 OSLO – Capital is the definition. Remove the first letter (“start off”) of FOOLS and then an anagram (silly) of the remainder.

21 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 194 by Grumpy”

  2. Today’s’ was the most difficult in a while. I could only get 2 clues then I needed help. Not sure if I am alone in this, but from my perspective seriously difficult and definitely not a quick one.
  3. Struggled with this one, particularly the bottom left with TOKEN and STICK last in but with 17a stll blank so a DNF. TINTIN now so obvious. Knew the definition of lake in 25a but the French reference went way above my head.

    Favourite THE BEST.

  4. Similar tale to rubecubelaw, with trouble in the SW. As macavity says, MERE was very good, but WHITING just pips it for me. 22 minutes. Keep taking the medicine!
  5. Surely the suggested cryptic definition of 25a doesn’t work? Mere (lake) is pronounced meer while the French mother is mare. It is ok visually so the hint would work if it was ‘as written in France’ but not ‘how you would say’.

    1. There’s a pronunciation difference with INTIMATE but is slightly more subtle than the MERE one. I don’t think it’s particularly wrong, as such.

      Incidentally, it woud be nice to actually see posters’ names rather than just “anonymous”.

    2. I think it’s clear what the blogger meant and nobody has suggested that there’s a homophone involved here. If one is going to be ultra-pedantic ‘written in France’ wouldn’t work either because it’s spelt “mère”.

      15 minutes for this one.

      Edited at 2014-12-04 02:51 pm (UTC)

  6. As you suggested, I was baffled by MERE. Also surprised by ORGANIST after it was in yesterday’s puzzle. I managed the rest though without too much hardship in the time it took to eat lunch and watch Nasa not launch its new Orion spacecraft.
  7. 16 mins for me. I liked this one, full of wit and invention. LOI was MERE, bit of a groan when I got it! Really liked TINTIN (even though it was second LOI – spent ages trying to work NT or OT for “books” into it grrr!), THE BEST and TOWER OF LONDON.

    Organists are everywhere in Crossword Land at the moment, it must be the time of year!

    Thanks for the blog, especially from your bed of pain

  8. All but four clues solved today. Was not familiar with the ancient city (I kept thinking of UR of the Chaldeans but it wouldn’t fit), I had forgotten about TINTIN (maybe a French theme today) and I knew MERE but had no idea who Lorraine or Nancy were. I should have got 4b and all is clear when explained. Thanks for getting out of your sick bed to help, blogger.
  9. Another one at the tough end of the scale for a quickie.

    It’s funny how different people see different hard clues. With only one crosser MERE immediately sprang to mind and just took a little time to see the Lorraine and Nancy “french” connection to put it in. Maybe that was because we were in the Lake District recently and took the walk around Buttermere.

    On the other hand, the long anagrams took significantly more work. LOIs were TINTIN, TOKEN and STICK in that order.

    BTW, is the Tower of London a “resort” or an “attraction”, or are the words interchangeable presuming that a resort is the definition.

      1. Hi Anon,

        Presume you’re the anonymous having problems with names – I sympathise. Chose a boring name as all the amusing ones I could think of were taken 🙁

        I get your drift. I took the anagram indicator “resort” to suggest the answer would be a resort. But maybe it just means re-sort. In which case I would certainly go along with you, with a little hats off to Grumpy 🙂 Be interesting to find out what some of our more expert solvers would say, but it’s probably too late in the day for a response.

        Edited at 2014-12-04 08:46 pm (UTC)

  10. A challenging quickie – THE BEST, TOWER OF LONDON, BUTTERFINGERS and WHITING were all clues worthy of the main paper cryptic. Just under 10 minutes for me.
  11. My first QC for a couple of weeks and it took me a little longer than my par time. I agree that several of the clues were worthy of the main puzzle, and I finished with the THE BEST/BUTTERFINGERS crossers.
  12. Really thought I was on track for a sub 2 hour finish (v good by my new-to-this-game standards), only to get hopelessly stuck with token/stick because I was trying to put an R into the middle (about) of 18d. Pleased with getting Tintin, and there is always tomorrow to try for another finish.
    Sorry if this has again come out as Anon, but its harder than you think to add a name to posts. Anyway, it’s Invariant.
  13. Solved the main crossword today (a rarity) but couldn’t get 17a or 25a here which must say something about the difficulty of those clues.
  14. Really enjoyed this one – can’t remember a better QC, so hats off to Grumpy.

    Once BUTTERFINGERS and TOWER OF LONDON (both excellent) were in, the puzzle opened up and I managed to complete it quite quickly.

    Particularly liked MERE and WHITING, and nice to see Thebes getting a run rather than the ubiquitous Ur!

    Best wishes for rapid recovery, macavity

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