Times Quick Cryptic No 2048 by Felix

Author   rolytolyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Another Quite Challenging QC, made a bit easier if you were prepared to trust the wordplay and consider some unlikely-looking letter combinations, such as 8ac. Also made a bit easier if you’re the observant sort who got 4ac and 8ac and 9ac and noticed a bit of a trend. Unlike me. Nor can I see what the theme might mean, let alone if there is an even more devious Nina lurking in the grid. The best I can manage is that there are 11 answers with two C’s, and 2 to the power of 11 is 2048. Which I think we can put into the unlikely column. Let’s hope there are some better ideas! Anyway, with or without the theme/Nina this was great fun that took me 9.35, about a minute longer than yesterday’s done just before – many thanks to Felix!

Across
1 Obscures one source of malpractice in English county (6)
BEDIMS – I (one) M (“source” of Malpractice) in BEDS (English county)
4 Cuts back firm plasterwork (6)
STUCCO – STUC (cuts “back”) CO (firm)
8 Regularly ice-cold English female, one seen on the staff (1,4)
C CLEF – “regularly” i C e C o L d, and then E(nglish) F(emale)
9 In charge of trophies, after initially having minor problems (7)
HICCUPS – IC (in charge) CUPS (trophies) after H (“initially” Having)
10 Get faster account, and celebrate, having lost heart (10)
ACCELERATE – AC(count) and CELEbRATE in plain sight, “having lost heart”
13 One had, in manner of speaking and lying, to be clumsy? (8-5)
ACCIDENT-PRONE – I’D (one had) in ACCENT (manner of speaking) and PRONE (lying)
15 Handouts arranged by Thursday — but way down the list! (10)
THOUSANDTH – anagram (arranged) of HANDOUTS by/following TH(ursday)
19 Core RUC reforms take place again (7)
REOCCUR – anagram (reforms) of CORE RUC
20 Returning in lilac Cadillac, see old Asian capital (5)
DACCA – “returning in” lilAC CADillac. The former spelling of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh.
21 A cent — price for buttonhole? (6)
ACCOST – A C(ent) and COST (price). The OED has a 1862 quote from All the Year Round, the literary magazine founded by Dickens: “The man who is button-holed, or held, poor wretch! and must listen to half an hour’s HARANGUE [see 9d] about nothing interesting.” Hey, we’ve all been there (and if you haven’t, then it’s quite possible you are the buttonholer).
22 Old secret police force’s lack of action (6)
STASIS – STASI (old secret police force) ‘S

Down
1 A cricket club in pub, at card game (8)
BACCARAT – A CC (A Cricket Club) in BAR (pub) AT
2 Caviar, for example, Cecil Day devoured (8)
DELICACY – anagram (devoured) of CECIL DAY
3 Greek character s-scarpered, wrapped in scarf? (7)
MUFFLED – MU (Greek character) F-FLED (s-scarpered)
5 Note kitty’s been raised: it’s understood (5)
TACIT – TI (note: do re me, etc) CAT (kitty) is raised/reversed
6 Hint that’s left in something needed by Potter (4)
CLUE – L(eft) in CUE (something needed by Potter, as in snooker/pool)
7 Put out books about America (4)
OUST – OT (Old Testament = books) about US (America)
9 Loud preacher has nearly half of Harvard university consumed by rage (9)
HARANGUER – HAR (“nearly half” of HARvard) U(niversity) consumed by ANGER (rage).
11 Manages CD counts differently (8)
CONDUCTS – anagram (differently) of CD COUNTS
12 Ginger nuts for ducks (8)
REDHEADS – RED (ginger) HEADS (nuts). News to me, but not hard to see where they get their name from.
14 Revolutionary advice for holding dual gets approval (7)
PLAUDIT – TIP (advice) holds DUAL is “revolutionary”/reversed
16 Kicks poor journalists (5)
HACKS – double definition
17 Live to the north of a region (4)
AREA – ARE (live) to the north of A
18 Necklace found in motor club (4)
TORC – “found in” moTOR Club. My LOI, and entered with no great confidence.

67 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 2048 by Felix”

  1. I’m another who completed this in 13 minutes. I was relieved that there appeared to be no Dickens theme, although my knowledge of his works is so poor that there could well be characters called BACCARAT and STUCCO for all I know! I did know TORC as an alternative for TORQUE, but for some extraordinary reason I wrote in TOOR, which completely snookered 21a. When I looked again and saw all the CCs, I realised my mistake.
    Overall I thought this was quite good fun and am looking forward to Felix’s explanation of the theme. If it’s mathematical, I won’t get it anyway 🙄
    10CC though – brilliant. I saw them at the Hammersmith Odeon back in the 70s – not a ‘showy’ band (like Queen for example) but what musicians! Might have to get The Original Soundtrack out later.
    FOI Stucco
    LOI Acccost
    COD Thousandth
    Earworm I’m not in Love
    Thanks Felix and Roly

    Edited at 2022-01-13 01:55 pm (UTC)

  2. It was Felix’s 200th puzzle of this type (not necessarily all as “Felix” 😉 )
    And also his 1000th Times puzzle – tho some sources claim it to be the 1001st …

    1. Thank you Felix for all that effort. I spotted the CCs very early on but the real reasons behind it all were, understandably from your explanation, wasted on me.
    2. Congratulations Felix. I guessed that from the “THOUSANDTH”, but missed the 200s. No dramas for me, not being ACCIDENT-PRONE today. 4:42.
    3. Thank you, Richard and congrats on the milestone.

      If ‘puzzle of this type’ means Quick Cryptics that leaves us with another mystery as to which other pseudonyms ‘Felix’ uses as QC setter? In addition to Felix (61), I know of Oran (2), Marty (19), Kenny (2) and Des (23) but that only takes us to 107. I understand some of these refer to members of a favourite football team.

      1. Would Alfie and Noel be part of the gang? They still wouldn’t take us up to 200 though, would they?

        1. I can add one more, Rodney (3) but that gets us only to 110.

          The names are former managers of Coleraine FC:

          Oran Kearney
          Rodney McAree
          Marty Quinn
          Kenny Shiels
          Felix Healy
          Des Dickson

          Edited at 2022-01-13 10:49 pm (UTC)

    4. Congratulations, and thank you for all the enjoyment along the way. And it’s never bad to reaffirm the nonsense of numerology: 2 to the power of 11, indeed!
  3. ….which I expected, but was unable to spot as I tore through a comparatively simple puzzle.

    FOI BEDIMS
    LOI HARANGUER
    COD ACCIDENT-PRONE
    TIME 3:42

  4. Very slow, pondering over bedim at 1a and 15a stumped us, not being able to get the definition. 12d also proved slow to get, did not know the duck, but we should have got it quicker from ginger nuts, common phrase for redheads years ago, Not sure whether pc these srrange days.
  5. A relatively good showing today, coming home in 20:02. Didn’t notice the CCs until I came on here. I wonder if Felix will give us some double Ds next time. Hadn’t heard of BEDIMS, TORC or C CLEF, but I’m sure we’ve had REDHEADS in the not too distant past. I remember looking up smew. Anyway, FOI STUCCO, LOI STASIS (I think), COD to ACCIDENT PRONE. Thanks Felix and Roly.
  7. and can feel SADness fading as days get longer. So first success for 2022 today at minutes 26 = 2×13, not much use in a Nina, but very good for me at GN5. We are Happy to live in an Area, in honour of Felix! I looked up Redhead and as I guessed this duck is from North America, and in 1996 was recorded in Britain. It can be a Pochard hybrid. And we once went on a bird trip, when our leader was a PhD in Red-Crested Pochard!
  8. Struggling at 17 minutes with BEDIM and MUFFLED missing in the NW and most of the SE blank. ACCIDENT PRONE finally unlocked everything to leave me a couple of minutes over target.
  9. Befuddled. DNF. First failure of the week. Having followed the advice of those here at the beginning of the week and tackled the main CC on Monday and completed it successfully for a First time ever, and in much the same time as I meander through the QCC from my armchair in the corner of the SCC, my self-confidence was put into low gear with today’s offering here. Missed the NINA as usual. Thanks Roly and Felix.
  10. The worst QC in the last ten years. For the genii who train us so brilliantly week after week it may have been OK but the editor should never have allowed this.
    1. The setter is the editor! Oh, and the QC is still in its 8th year.

      Edited at 2022-01-14 01:19 am (UTC)

  11. Absolutely on my limit and took a couple of days.
    Managed to parse everything in the end – never heard of bedims but had to trust it.
    Favourite clue was C Clef — but it was a shame it was made too easy by including a “regular”. One seen on the staff is a lovely definition.
    Very nice puzzle.

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