Today we have a typically entertaining Quick Crossword from Joker with plenty of neat surfaces and amusing wordplay. Like a sheep I was properly led astray by my LOI 12D, but otherwise had no significant hold-ups. I also liked 22A, 2D and 21D, among others. I was all done in 5:15, just under an average time for me. Thank-you Joker. 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, which is entitled “We’ll meet again?” here. Enjoy! If anyone is interested in our previous offerings you can find an index to all 62 here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Written paper having minutes on old plot (9) |
| MONOGRAPH – M (minutes) ON O (old) GRAPH (plot). | |
| 6 | Bow made of stripped larch (3) |
| ARC – {l}ARC{h} [stripped]. | |
| 8 | Disastrous game in Oxford University Society (7) |
| RUINOUS – RU (Rugby Union) IN O.U.(Oxford University) S (society). | |
| 9 | Illegally seize something from Manchu, surprisingly (5) |
| USURP – Hidden in [something from] ManchU SURPrisingly. | |
| 10 | Tests machine for adjustment correction (12) |
| CHASTISEMENT – (Test machine)* [for adjustment]. | |
| 12 | Grain husks for cornflake recipe appeal (6) |
| CEREAL – Outside letters, [husks], of CornflakE RecipE AppeaL. | |
| 13 | Like some goose egg good and ancient (6) |
| GOLDEN – G (good) OLDEN (ancient). | |
| 16 | Support slowing down in speech that’s exhausting (12) |
| BACKBREAKING – BACK (support) BREAKING, sounds like BRAKING (slowing down) [in speech]. | |
| 19 | Incense, perhaps of note, mostly of the Catholic Church (5) |
| AROMA – A (note) ROMA{n} [mostly] (Catholic Church). | |
| 20 | Structure I have to keep records (7) |
| ARCHIVE – ARCH (structure) I’VE (I have). | |
| 22 | Sheep is how I refer to my solvers, reportedly (3) |
| EWE – Sounds like [how I refer to] YOU (my solvers). | |
| 23 | Loss of red mitten, unfortunately (9) |
| DETRIMENT -(red mitten)* [unfortunately]. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Planet has a harmful influence (4) |
| MARS – Double definition. | |
| 2 | Not even one of two in three is out of order (7) |
| NEITHER – (in three)* [out of order]. Lovely surface! | |
| 3 | Go round something sticky (3) |
| GOO – GO O (something round). | |
| 4 | Trouble following fool’s attack (6) |
| ASSAIL – ASS (fool) AIL (trouble). | |
| 5 | Put up painting, say, for cleaning? (9) |
| HOUSEWORK – HOUSE (put up) WORK (painting, say). | |
| 6 | Area with rather attractive grave (5) |
| ACUTE – A (area) CUTE (rather attractive). I had a MER at this. Isn’t an acute accent the mirror image of a grave accent? Should the clue have said “accent” rather than “grave”? But I was looking at it wrongly. It works if you think of medical conditions instead of diacritical marks where an “acute” one can be “grave”. | |
| 7 | Beats initially typifying any naval sailor’s drum given a turn? (7) |
| CAPSTAN – CAPS (beats) [initially] Typifying Any Navy. | |
| 11 | Brilliant set of directors, right? (9) |
| STARBOARD – STAR (brilliant) BOARD (set of directors). | |
| 12 | Savoy perhaps putting luggage item in taxi with energy (7) |
| CABBAGE –BAG (luggage) [in] CAB (taxi), E (energy). I was, as misdirected, thinking of hotel and then opera before finding the vegetable. | |
| 14 | Hollow in end of canine may show this (7) |
| DENTINE – DENT (hollow) IN [end of] caninE. Another nice surface. | |
| 15 | Perfectionist exercises Italian poet endlessly (6) |
| PEDANT – PE (exercises) DANT{e} (Italian poet) [endlessly]. | |
| 17 | Block hydrogen being put into fuel (5) |
| CHOKE – H (chemical symbol for hydrogen) [put into] COKE (fuel). | |
| 18 | Group around a throne, perhaps (4) |
| SEAT – SET (group) [around] A. | |
| 21 | Greek character’s cold greeting (3) |
| CHI – C (cold) HI (greeting). | |
For some reason I seem to get stuck in the top left hand corner of crosswords lately, and today followed suit. I didn’t recognise 10ac as an anagram for some time which slowed me more than any other clue. It didn’t help that I’d biffed NOISIER for 2dn even though I couldn’t parse it. Once CHASTISEMENT was worked out I realised NEITHER was the answer. I knew I was close to my target today, and was disappointed to find I’d just missed out in 10.32. However, I think it was tougher than the norm, and on reflection I’m happy with the time. A good puzzle, thank you Joker.
Absolutely no joy for new solvers. In fact increasingly puzzles are getting harder. Really depressing that we cannot have an occasional easier puzzle. Sorry Joker but this was not fun
Agreed.
You may care to try today’s Weekend QC (link in the blog above). I managed to solve 14 of the 26 clues.
I’m glad you managed so much of it. It is, I think a little harder than our usual WQC…. but not as hard as today’s daily, I think. Enjoy your seminar next week.
That was fun. Got there in the end but it took a long time. Housework and golden my last ones.
22:30
This one seemed quite tricky but there’s nothing too bad, just well disguised clues. LOI AROMA.
Feeling rather flat following a long week at work and a mild cold. I am trying to be positive about having completed this one rather than being disappointed at the time (around the 50 min mark). No massive hold ups, just a lot of hard clues.
Loved the alternative clueing for 1ac and learnt a new piece of wordplay (husks). Still troubled by long anagrams. Perhaps it’s a sign of my lack of culture that I saw 12dn straight away and was not troubled by thoughts of the hotel or Gilbert and Sullivan.
COD 11dn. Had me completely fooled for a while.
LOI 19ac. Proud of myself for working it out.
Thanks for the blog John.