Times Quick Cryptic No 2069 by Hurley

We end the week of Times Quick Cryptics with one from Hurley. And what a pleasant and, dare I say, gentle end to the week it is. Nothing too tricky or obscure, I think, with plenty of neat surfaces. COD for me was the amusing 18A, but I liked 24A too. I finished in a rare, for me, sub 4 minute time of 3:53. Thank-you Hurley. How did you all get on?

Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is my turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the latest crossword, titled “Two Kitchens”, here. Enjoy! If anyone is interested in our previous offerings you can find an index to all 44 here.

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, ~~deletions~~ and [] other indicators.

Across
1	Liquid container artist’s seen in restaurant (6)
	CARAFE – RA (Royal Academician; artist) [in] CAFE (restaurant). And yes you might well find one in a restaurant.
4	By the sound of it, ready for holiday agreement (4)
	PACT – Sounds like, [by the sound of it], PACKED (ready for holiday).
9	Salvation Army practice to provide something to eat (7)
	SAUSAGE – SA (Salvation Army) USAGE (practice). Nice surface. Sausage? Very charitable of them.
10	Perform better than unfashionable party (5)
	OUTDO – OUT (unfashionable) DO (party).
11	Having finished first, directors getting from ship to water (9)
	OVERBOARD – OVER (finished) BOARD (directors).
12	Determined clique (3)
	SET – Double definition.
13	Aren’t excited about university’s refreshment facility (3,3)
	TEA URN – (Aren’t)* [excited], [about] U (university).
15	*Cheers* that cut short negative knocking, spiteful initially (6)
	THANKS – THAt [cut short] and first letters of Negative Knocking Spitefully, [initially].
17	A bridge partnership wonder (3)
	AWE – A, WE (West and East; bridge partnership). In case you didn’t know… the places at a bridge table are named after the points of the compass and partners play opposite each other. The other partnership here would by NS.
18	Naff clue once shunned by beginners bringing riches? (9)
	AFFLUENCE – nAFF cLUE oNCE without their first letters, [shunned by beginners]. Definitely not a naff clue – my COD. Some might find it a little tricky though if they can’t see the wordplay directive, which is a bit of an unusual one.
21	Religious pamphlet featuring area of land (5)
	TRACT – Double definition.
22	Approve finishing point as alternative to London area (7)
	ENDORSE – END (finishing point) OR (alternative) SE (South East; London area).
23	Bite of Conservative cut (4)
	CHEW – C (Conservative) HEW (cut).
24	Voracious? Gorge, feed? Aye, regularly (6)
	GREEDY – Alternate letters of GoRgE fEeEd aYe, [regularly]. Nice one

Down
1	Expel actors, pouty, ignoring outsiders (4,3)
	CAST OUT – CAST (actors) pOUTy without its first and last letters [ignoring outsiders].
2	Provoke game bird — not good (5)
	ROUSE – gROUSE (game bird) without the G [not good].
3	Astounds Belfast with brags, crazy (12)
	FLABBERGASTS – (Belfast brags)* [crazy]. A lovely word, but where does it come from? I checked. Chambers says “Probably connected with flabby and gast to astonish”. And gast is Shakespearean. Hmm. I must look out for it in a Mephisto.
5	Craft worker in Stuttgart is anxious (7)
	ARTISAN – Hidden [in] StuttgART IS ANxious.
6	Grumpy guy, rogue ticket seller, coming across resistance (5)
	TROUT – TOUT (rogue ticket seller) outside [coming across] R (resistance). I was slightly surprised by “guy”, thinking the word meant a grumpy woman, but Chambers has “an unpleasant interfering old person, esp. a woman”, so I guess it can be a guy too.
7	Wager — a second in series (4)
	BETA – BET (wager) A. Second after alpha.
8	Snub old churl does — out of order! (4-8)
	COLD-SHOULDER – (old churl does)* [out of order]. Another neat surface.
14	Fury after avenue seen as mediocre (7)
	AVERAGE – RAGE (fury) [after] AVE (usual abbreviation for avenue).
16	Seen cry wildly — “That is beautiful to see” (7)
	SCENERY – (Seen cry)* [wildly]. Cunning definition to make the surface reading of the clue work.
17	A non-drinker in charge of upper room (5)
	ATTIC – A TT (teetotaller; non-drinker) IC (in charge).
19	Run away, initially finding shelter (4)
	FLEE – [initially] Finding LEE (shelter).
20	Impudence visible from manner, vexatious (5)
	NERVE – Hidden in, [visible from] manNER VExatious.