Times Quick Cryptic No 1989 by Izetti

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

A crossword from our old cruciverbal adversary Izetti today to end this week’s series of Times Quick Cryptics. I enjoyed this a lot, particularly 22A and the smattering of cleverly vague definitions that made them not easy to biff. I finished with the historical geographical region at 14D that may be unfamiliar to some, but is generously clued, and 20A, where I needed the crossing letter from 17D to find the animal. All fairly clued, but at the harder end of the spectrum if my time is anything to go by, finishing about 2 minutes over my average time for a QC in just over 7 minutes. Thank-you Izetti! How did everyone else get on?

Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Phil’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the latest crossword 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 Award boy in play in theatreland (8)
BROADWAY – (Award boy)* “in play”.
5 State university — teach with some regularly absent (4)
UTAH – U (university) and alternate letters, “some regularly absent”, of TeAcH.
9 Study to get money after end of school (5)
LEARN – EARN (get money) “after” “end of” schooL.
10 Hot air from the jolly group joining Jolson? (7)
THERMAL – THE RM (Royal marines; jolly group) AL (Jolson). Not a nickname I knew, but see here for an explanation.
11 Fool that may get in your hair (3)
NIT – Double definition, the second more of a cryptic hint.
12 Nun involved with maniac who comes from northern city? (9)
MANCUNIAN – (Nun maniac)* “involved with”.
13 Broad area no longer needing shelter (6)
EXTENT – EX (no longer)  TENT (shelter).
15 Cold female unable to get muscles moving? (6)
FRIGID – F (female) RIGID (unable to get muscles moving).
17 Start game unconventionally, making attempt to gain advantage (9)
STRATAGEM – (start game)* “unconventionally”.
19 Meadow within arable area (3)
LEA – Hidden “within” arabLE Area.
20 Support wild animal away from habitat? (4,3)
BEAR OUT – BEAR (wild animal) OUT (away from habitat).
21 Bit of food from my tin sent back (5)
NACHO – OH (My!) CAN (tin) “sent back” -> NACHO. Sneakily vague definition.
22 They’re obviously young son’s first things? (4)
TOYS – An &lit, where the whole clue is both the definition and the wordplay… Initial letters, “first things” of They’re Obviously Young Son’s.
23 Prisoner, solitary, had finally to be comforted (8)
CONSOLED – CON (prisoner) SOLE (solitary) haD “finally”.
Down
1 Composure of bishop, leader of church in a restricted way (7)
BALANCE – B (bishop)  and “leader of” Church in A, LANE (restricted way).
2 Love ingredient in yesteryear’s style (2,3)
OP ART – O (0, love) PART (ingredient).
3 Religious group’s value? (12)
DENOMINATION – Double definition – the second 1p, 2p, 5p or 10p, for example.
4 One bumped off in fighting somewhere in London (5)
ACTON – ACTiON (fighting) with the I (one) removed, “bumped off”.
6 Encountered rising sound working in office for a while? (7)
TEMPING – MET (encountered) reversed, “rising”, -> TEM, PING (sound).
7 Beautiful woman Ethel envied? Just a bit (5)
HELEN –  Hidden in EtHEL ENvied, “just a bit”. Helen of Troy, presumably.
8 Fresh request miner made for things needed (12)
REQUIREMENTS – “Fresh” (request miner)*.
14 Two sailors coming to unknown region of old (7)
TARTARY – TAR (sailor) x2, TAR TAR, Y (unknown). An old name for Central Asia – see here.
16 Stone in part of baseball playing area (7)
DIAMOND – Double definition.
17 Boast about making a shoe without any leather (5)
SABOT – (boast)* “about”. “a kind of simple shoe, shaped and hollowed out from a single block of wood, traditionally worn by French and Breton peasants“
18 Good German fellow getting annoyed (3,2)
GOT TO – G (good) OTTO (German fellow).
19 Behold 150 gathered round a pub (5)
LOCAL – LO (behold), CL (150) “gathered round” A.

65 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 1989 by Izetti”

  1. Although I didn’t get it at the time, I think 18A is clueing “annoyed” and not “getting annoyed”. Like “Fred wasn’t thinking straight because Norman had got to him.”
    1. Well spotted. I do believe you are right and that “getting” is just a link word. Thanks. Blog amended.
  2. at 19dn was my COD for its brevity. 22ab might well have been clued ‘playthings’. I note Horryd is on the wane (hay- wain!) and no sign of Mr Wyvern. Time 5:17 with Op-art causing a slight delay.
  3. … 22 clues in 22 minutes, followed by 35 minutes for my last four. These were TARTARY, GOT TO, BEAR OUT and SABOT.

    I had NHO TARTARY or SABOT (my LOI), so my whole crossword hung on a 50/50 guess – SABOT vs SOBAT (the clueing left it ambiguous). I took >20 minutes to alphabet trawl GOT TO, and felt let down by the answer – not a good clue IMHO. And, I found BEAR OUT completely impossible (____ O__) without any of the three aforementioned solutions.

    My apologies to Izetti for my downbeat reaction to his puzzle, but the four clues above rather ruined my enjoyment today, even though I did eventually finish (in 57 minutes). Actually, my average time spent on each of this week’s (so-called) QCs was 52 minutes – and one of those ended as a DNF. Not good at all, even by my low standards. Here’s hoping next week will bring some better cheer.

  4. Late again to this — but pleased with a 22 min solve, especially after already imbibing 2 pints.

    DNK 14dn “Tartary” nor 17dn “Sabot” — but, as noted above, they were generously clued. Similarly, I haven’t heard of the Royal Marines as the “Jolly Group”. Raised eyebrows at 15ac and debated whether “A Lane” really is a restricted way for 1dn.

    FOI — 5ac “Utah” — an odd state that I once had a stopover in when touring the US on a greyhound bus.

    LOI — 13ac “Extent”
    COD — 12dn “Mancunian” — in Manchester anything is possible.

    On to my third pint….

    Thanks as usual!

    1. Interesting. We drove into Salt Lake City late one night some decades ago when we lived in the USA and tried to get a modest overnight stay. The vibes in that place were such that we drove through the night to reach the Tetons and didn’t regret our decision for a minute. We woke up late next morning in a tent in the Grand Teton National Park with a big black bear knocking seven bells out of a polystyrene ice box from a neighbouring campsite because he smelt some meat. He was removed and taken to a remote site by the National Parks people. Fond memories of the Tetons, though.
      1. Salt Lake City was pretty odd it has to be said. It was like something out of the Stepford Wives.
        1. Good to know we were not alone in our reaction. Maybe things have changed more recently but our brief time in Utah left left a deep, negative, impression on us both after a couple of happy years living in The States. John
      1. To be fair, I don’t actually read all of the Times (just don’t have time) — but yes, First Group have sold the Greyhound business to a German start up called FlixMobility.

        One of my highlights when I was 19 was travelling from Denver on Greyhound all the way through to San Francisco via Salt Lake City and Sacramento. Some interesting characters travelled those buses then…and probably still do now.

  5. Definitely in the PC today (Pedestrian Club as suggested by Horryd) as I limped across the line in 37:04. Apart from TARTARY, which was gettable from the wordplay, with hindsight, there was nothing I hadn’t come across before, but I had forgotten SABOT, OP ART and RM for Jolly. Some useful revision therefore. LOI was TOYS, COD to BROADWAY. Thanks Izetti and John.
  6. You beat me good and proper Izetti. Normally I can get you. But not today. When I look at the clues I couldn’t get I feel stupid. So it must be a great puzzle and you did your usual brilliant job. I wasn’t helped by thinking 8d was requisitions. Wrong!

    Thanks all. Fred.

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