Times Quick Cryptic No 199 by Hurley

Author   macavity123Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Solving time: Intermediate.

Sorry for being late today, hospital appointments derailed me slightly.

I rather enjoyed this challenge today although I suspect it might prove a little tougher for the newer solvers.

Some really nice clues, although there was one I thought belonged in the 15X15 as it used a slightly more obscure word (PRATE) as part of the wordplay. I had a slight concern about 14 down as well, but nowadays modern parlance seems to allow the ditching of (ED) at the end of some words to indicate things in the past tense.

Mind you I went to an Open University tutorial last Saturday in a school and on the wall was a sign saying that “Jessica was the Student of the Week because her work was “totally amay”. When I pointed this out to one of my fellow (much younger) students, I was told that apparently amay is newspeak for amazing. English seems to change by the day, nowadays. My bête noire is “would of” for “would have” and that now seems accepted all over the place.

Thanks to our setter for today’s enjoyment.

Across
1 ALSO – We start today with a word that means ‘in addition to’. The clue is a wordsum. A (intro, first letter to Aubade) + LSO (musicians from the capital, i.e. London Symphony Orchestra).
3 LANDMARK – The definition is special event. LAND (secure) + MARK (German money). I am sure there may be some who say that this should say ‘former’ or ‘old’ but I think it is ok.
9 SKIPPER – Definition is captain. S (small) + KIPPER (fish).
10 SNAIL – Definition is slow-mover. S & N (Poles, as in compass points) + AIL (trouble)
11 NATIONALIST – The definition is country lover. This is an anagram (rambling) of FINAL STATION, minus the first letter F (heading away).
13 STEP IN – Intervene is the definition. An anagram (alter) of SET + PIN (access code).
15 CADDIE – One familiar with clubs? is the definition here. CAD (rascal) + D (Duke) + I.E.
17 PREVARICATE – The definition here is to act evasively. An anagram (unfortunately) of RARE VICE APT.
20 OMEGA – End of series is the definition. OMEGA – hidden backwards in the phrase “stoppage mode”,
22 CONCEAL -Don’t let on about is the definition. Another wordsum. C (conservative) + ONCE (FORMERLY) +A + L (liberal).
23 LISTENER – One taking heed is the definition. STE (shortened STE(P) inside LINER (passenger ship).
23 ODER – River is the definition. OD (reversal of DO – party) + E.R. (monarch)

Down
1 ARSONIST – Criminal is the definition. Hidden in the phrase “feAR SON IS Turning” (indicated by Some).
2 SWIFT – A double definition. The surname of a famous person called Jonathan is also a word meaning moving fast.
4 AIRMAN – Flier is the definition. IR (Irish) = MA (graduate) inside (covered by) AN (ARTICLE)
5 DESTINATION – Another anagram witha bit missing. An anagram of NON-FAT DIET IS without F (first letter of Fulfilled).
6 ADAPTED – Modified is the definition. A (answer) + DATED (old-fashioned) with P (piano) inisde.
7 KILN – Oven is the definition. KIN (family) with L (large) inside.
9 PROLIFERATE – This is probably a clue worthy of the 15×15. Quite a tough one. O (old) + LIFER (prisoner) inside PRATE (an old-fashioned word that means to speak).
12 JEWELLER – Ring supplier is the definition here. JEER (derisive remark) around WELL (healthy).
14 EXPRESS – I did wonder whether this clue worked. It’s a double definition with one part cryptic. If you worked in newpapers you could be said to be EX PRESS, but the other definition seems to refer to the past tense rather than the present.
16 GAUCHE – Tactless is the definition. The initial letters of “Gape At Upper Crust Here, Extremely”.
20 AHEAD – Up is the definition. The alternate letters (regularly) of “bAtH hErAlD”.
25 FOIL – Thwart is the definition. F (female) + OIL (fuel).

17 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 199 by Hurley”

  2. I thought today’s was definitely on the easier side. I don’t think I beat my personal best time but it went very smoothly.
  3. I found this one straightforward though I managed to make life harder for myself by starting in the NE corner and working back across the grid!!

    I struggled with PROLIFERATE and eventually got it through sheer weight of checkers! But I thought 14dn worked – if something is “express” then it is “clearly indicated” to my simple mind.

    COD was SKIPPER, made me smile!

    Many thanks for the blog.

  4. 9 minutes, so no problems here.

    Tom is right about “express”. It’s the adjective that’s required, not the verb.

    Edited at 2014-12-11 03:07 pm (UTC)

  5. I think would of has become common parlance as a result of everyone’s hearing being trashed by earphones. It derives from would’ve which is a perfectly acceptable contraction. I think…
  6. Oh, and ‘totes amay’ would indicate an attempt (and failure) to be achingly surfing the wave of the now. (It would in fact be surfing the wave of several years ago – once something has been parodied on a mainstream comedy such as Miranda one can safely say it’s no longer ‘cool’). ‘Totally amay’ misses the point.
  7. No problem with this. However I note Macavity’s concerns about English changing… welcome to the English Language! It is moving and developing all the time, I would go so far as to say it is its defining feature.
    When you are young, it’s exciting because you can express yourself in a new way that your peers will understand. When you are old, it becomes a burden because things move faster than you can cope with. We are all in the same boat – but you can turn it to your advantage by reflecting on the fact that this is one of the features that makes English the most successful language the world has ever seen, so that you can go nearly anywhere across the globe and find someone who can speak to you in it.. be glad your native language isn’t Finnish!
  8. I agree with Macavity that it was verging on the 15×15 side and might well have caused a few problems for those not familiar with such nuances.
    I think one of the main differences is normally that the straight clue is often used in an unusual sense (see correspondence above) rather than a straightforward definition that you might find in a normal uncryptic crossword.
    But there again, a newcomer who got stuck could come here and see what that is all about. After all, you live and learn.
    I took about 15 minutes, mainly because I couldn’t believe that those sorts of more advanced cryptic constructs would be used in the Quickie.
  9. Worked steadily through this one and enjoyed the surfaces of a number of the clues, some of which seemed reminiscent of the 15×15. Didn’t notice PRATE as with the P to start with and OLIFER indicated by old prisoner it went straight in without parsing. Seem to remember that ODER popped up recently but cannot remember if it was in a quickie or one of the main puzzle?
  10. On first run through thought this was going to be a repeat of yesterday’s disaster, but then a few answers began to fall into place and eventually managed to surprise myself by finishing in about 3 hours – first time for Hurley. Invariant.
  11. Re modern youth and the way language is used, things are even worse in France, where whole words can be reversed eg niap for bread. Invariant.
  12. Question, wise ones: when one gets the words right but can’t parse all the answers, what degree of smugness is appropriate?

    1. It’s entirely up to you – personally, the smugness comes in being able actually to complete the wretched thing in a time that registers on a clock rather than a calendar.
  14. sorry, that was me. I thought I had logged in. (It could of warned me before I submitted my post 🙂 ). By the way, are emoticons acceptable?
  15. I must have been on the right wavelength today, as this one fell into place unusually quickly for me.

    EXPRESS was fine as far as I was concerned, as in my former life as a lawyer (don’t worry – I am now repaying my debt to society!) we used to speak of the terms of contracts as being either “express” or “implied”.

    LOI PROLIFERATE. COD to ARSONIST: wasn’t very difficult, but for some reason I do enjoy an extravagant “hidden”.

  16. Theresa May – “there’s amay!” I leave it to the individual’s politics to decide whether she’s aptly named or not.

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