You may have seen in last weekend’s Times Puzzles newsletter from David Parfitt that Wadham Sutton has completed 50 years as a Times crossword setter, and that he sets Quick Crosswords under the name of Orpheus… and he has set today’s Quick Crossword for us. I think it hits the target right in the middle with a good mix of clue types, smooth surfaces and nothing obscure or too difficult and I finished in an average time for me of 5:20. Hard to choose a favourite, but I’ll pick 24A for the nice surface. Thank-you Orpheus and congratulations on the 50 years! 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! If you are interested in having a go at our previous offerings you can find an index to them all here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and “” other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | It may be drunk, or eaten with marmalade, perhaps (5) |
| TOAST – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 7 | Thinking Reg must keep a son at home (9) |
| REASONING – REG outside, “must keep”, A SON IN (at home). | |
| 9 | Communicate with a daughter in Brazilian port (5) |
| RADIO – A D (daughter) “in” RIO (Brazilian port). | |
| 10 | Chap entertaining longing for somewhere to cook (7) |
| KITCHEN – KEN (man’s name; chap) outside, “entertaining”, ITCH (longing). | |
| 11 | Medic removing tip of tail from fish (7) |
|
SURGEON – S |
|
| 12 | Old male writer taking American passenger vehicle (7) |
| OMNIBUS – O (old) M (male) NIB (writer) US (American). | |
| 15 | Restoration we learn about (7) |
| RENEWAL – (we learn)* “about”. | |
| 18 | Inspect an explosive device with former partner (7) |
| EXAMINE – EX (former partner), A MINE (an explosive device). | |
| 20 | Recklessly bid a lot for popular paper (7) |
| TABLOID – “Recklessly” (bid a lot)*. | |
| 22 | Item in sports programme requiring level track, originally (5) |
| EVENT – EVEN (level) and first letter of Track, “originally”. | |
| 23 | Perspicacity unwelcome in performing musicians? (9) |
| SHARPNESS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 24 | Flight of geese identified by European in hide (5) |
| SKEIN – E (European) “in” SKIN (hide). Very neat surface playing on the other meaning of hide. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Conditions laid down for schoolkids’ work periods (5) |
| TERMS – Double definition | |
| 2 | Civic dignitary planting tree on island (8) |
| ALDERMAN – ALDER (tree) MAN (island). | |
| 3 | Tool gardener finally wrapped in absorbent cloth (6) |
| TROWEL – gardeneR “finally” in TOWEL (absorbent cloth). | |
| 4 | US city’s way to divide benefit (6) |
| BOSTON – ST (street; way) inside, “to divide”, BOON (benefit). | |
| 5 | Well-to-do? That’s laughable! (4) |
| RICH – Double definition, the second as in “That’s rich”. | |
| 6 | Fret in the past, brought up in south-east (7) |
| AGONISE – AGO (in the past) IN “brought up” -> NI, SE (south-east). | |
| 8 | Admit awareness of current learning (11) |
| ACKNOWLEDGE – AC (Alterntating Current; current) KNOWLEDGE (learning). | |
| 13 | Islanders keeping band in headquarters (8) |
| BALINESE – LINE (band) “in” BASE (headquarters). | |
| 14 | Objection from pair initially on trial (7) |
| PROTEST – PR (pair), “initially” On, TEST (trial). | |
| 16 | Alarming exclamation from TV doctor before surgical procedures! (6) |
| WHOOPS – WHO (TV doctor) OPS (operations; surgical procedures). | |
| 17 | Embrace son beset by worries (6) |
| CARESS – S (son) inside, “beset by”, CARES (worries). | |
| 19 | Dined in college, according to report (5) |
| EATEN – Sounds like, “according to report”, ETON (college). | |
| 21 | Sound made by donkey — or horse crossing river? (4) |
| BRAY – BAY (horse) “crossing” R (river). | |
A group of friends and I once designed a quiz based on collective nouns for birds – some are quite curious, some delightful: eg a mural of buntings, a gallup of redpolls, a bazaar of guillemots and an ostentation of peacocks for starters. I wonder what the collective noun for a group of crossword setters might be – especially a subset which is celebrating some milestone or other 😊
FOI Toast
LOI Balinese
COD Tabloid
Thanks and a TOAST to Orpheus, and thanks too to John
FOI — 9ac “Radio”
LOI — 23ac “Sharpness” — thought at first it had something to do with sweating 😅
COD — 16dn “Whoops”
As far as 19dn is concerned, the less I hear about that establishment the better.
Thanks as usual and congrats to Orpheus for 50 years!
Edited at 2022-01-14 02:48 pm (UTC)
Great set of clues but best of all whoops
GaryA