A nice Quick Cryptic from Jalna today, if a bit tricky in parts – e.g. an uncommon wordplay device at 7A and an uncommon word clued as an anagram (I knew the word but not that meaning) at 1D. I was slow to start but the downs got me going and I finished in 5:47. COD to the neat 21D. Thank-you Jalna. How did you all 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 anyone is interested in our previous offerings you can find an index to all 69 here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Charlie, more fashionable and cheerful (7) |
| CHIPPER – C (Charlie in the NATO phonetic alphabet) HIPPER (more fashionable). | |
| 5 | Regretting mostly creating havoc (4) |
| RUIN – RUIN{g} (regretting) [mostly]. | |
| 7 | Eggs are too set in the middle always (3) |
| ROE – aRe tOo sEt [in the middle always]. The always makes it clear you take the middle of each word rather than just sEt. | |
| 8 | Drink and face up to getting smashed (3,2,3) |
| CUP OF TEA – (face up to)* [getting smashed]. | |
| 10 | Disapproval results from quietly leaving stage (5) |
| ODIUM – {p}ODIUM (stage) without the P (quietly) [leaving]. | |
| 11 | Heads of firms often hold sway overseas (7) |
| FOREIGN – [Heads of] Firms Often, REIGN (hold sway). | |
| 13 | Express sorrow about each book finally showing signs of age? (6) |
| CREAKY – CRY (express sorrow) [about] EA (each) booK [finally]. | |
| 15 | Plan from ace American lawyer containing information (6) |
| AGENDA – A (ace) DA (American lawyer) [containing] GEN (information). | |
| 17 | Trade stoppage thus limits a degree of business (7) |
| EMBARGO – ERGO (thus) outside, [limits], A MBA (degree of business). | |
| 18 | Sample artworks latterly stored in gallery (5) |
| TASTE – Last letter, [latterly], of artworkS [stored in] TATE (gallery). | |
| 20 | Acknowledge the audience and prepare to play the cello? (4,1,3) |
| TAKE A BOW – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. A bit of a chestnut, I think. | |
| 22 | Popular new place for an overnight stay (3) |
| INN – IN (popular) N (new). | |
| 23 | Protest using a string of placard emojis (4) |
| DEMO – Hidden in [using a string of] placarD EMOjis. | |
| 24 | Initially, rookie or youth, associate with great style (7) |
| ROYALLY – [Initially] Rookie Or Youth, ALLY (associate). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Ornamental borders made from stucco are designed to convey height (10) |
| CARTOUCHES – (stucco are)* [designed] containing, [to convey] H (height). My LOI. I hadn’t come across this second meaning of the word, only the scroll-like architectural decoration. | |
| 2 | Some nice ānā interesting old British folk (5) |
| ICENI – Hidden in, [some], nICE N Interesting. The Iceni were my local tribe in the Iron Age and early Roman era (or would have been had I been alive then). | |
| 3 | Frontrunner from UN maybe lacking empathy at first (9) |
| PACEMAKER – P{e}ACEMAKER (UN maybe) without the E, [lacking] Empathy [at first]. That’s a little tricky for a QC, I think, but can be got from the definition and checkers. | |
| 4 | Quickly remove fleece? (3,3) |
| RIP OFF – Double definition. | |
| 5 | Whistle-blower hiding up in safe room (3) |
| REF – Reverse hidden in [hiding up in] saFE Room. If you’ve not seen it before that cryptic definition for REF is one to remember. | |
| 6 | Spaniard or Portuguese rotting in a bier (7) |
| IBERIAN – [Rotting] (in a bier)*. | |
| 9 | Nominally, Naomi worked with Lenny (2,4,4) |
| IN NAME ONLY – (Naomi Lenny)* [worked]. | |
| 12 | Proper strategy to go after answer immediately (5,4) |
| RIGHT AWAY – RIGHT (proper) A (answer) WAY (strategy). Hmm. WAY for strategy seems a bit of a stretch. | |
| 14 | English married couple have a cuddle (7) |
| EMBRACE –Ā E (English) M (married) BRACE (pair; couple). | |
| 16 | Clothes left out for friend from Australia (6) |
| COBBER – C{l}OBBER (clothes) without the L, [left out]. | |
| 19 | Calm, all the same (5) |
| STILL – Double definition. | |
| 21 | I try to follow enthusiastically at the beginning (3) |
| EGO – Enthusiastically [at the beginning] GO (try; as in have a go). | |
23.30, slow today. Last four in were CARTOUCHES, PACEMAKER, CREAKY and EGO, which being little got overlooked.
Really struggled with 1d and LOI 10a. So 40 minutes in all. Creaky took time. A lot of items to unpick in the right way, so generally a good challenge except for Cartouchesā¦
Otherwise probably would have been 20/25 minutes. Oh well a new word learnā¦. And Iceni new to me although it had to beā¦
Thanks all
John
A fairly speedy (for me) 11:54 today. I knew the word CARTOUCHE existed, but would really have struggled to define it. That was my POI after spending a while switching letters around to make something that was at least a known word. But my LOI was EGO, where it took me ages to spot that the definition was just āIā.
Thanks to Jalna and John, and to everyone here for all the definitions of CARTOUCHE!
Very pleased to finish all correct in 26 minutes today. Last 5 were spent on the NHO CARTOUCHES. Also, couldn’t parse EMBARGO and never saw I as the definition for EGO.
Many thanks to Jalna and John.
I enjoyed this crossword, and found it an enjoyable challenge. My LOI CARTOUCHES was a struggle, and I needed to do the anagram on paper, which I usually try and avoid. 11.27.
hardish today.
Held up by cartouches..joke here for some setter with vehicles and walls
DNF – another one!
A dismal end to a decidedly average week. The first 5 across clues had me floundering and I only got started with FOREIGN. I then got almost all of the remaining across clues before deciding to attempt the downs bottom up. A surprising run of 9 āsort ofā write-ins followed.
Struggled a bit when I went back to the across clues, but was then left with 1dn. Thought āstucco areā was an anagram, but couldnāt see where the 10th letter came from. Gave it 20 mins plus, but couldnāt see it. Eventually put in CARPORCHES! Had worked out that it probably began CAR and also worked out that it probably ended with CHES. I have never come across CARTOUCHES.
I do have some sympathy with PWās comments above on the degree of difficulty. Unless my skills are going into reverse (always a possibility), the level of difficulty seems to be to have gone up a notch or two recently. I thought I was my making progress, but now Iām not so sure.
Thanks for the blog John and I hope you all have a good weekend.
Unlucky GA – clearly not alone is struggling on CARTOUCHES.
Your answer reminded me of the old joke about the man who employs a [choose your minority group person] to paint his porch. A few hours later, the painter says to the employer “I’ve finished doing the painting so that’ll be Ā£100 please”. The employer is very pleased to hear it’s been done so quickly and gets out his chequebook and while he’s writing the cheque says “Did all it go smoothly?”. The painter replies “Oh yes, it was very easy. There was one thing though … I surprised you thought it’s a porch because it’s actually a Ferrari” š
As for difficulty. They have seemed more complicated since November yet I can’t say for certain as my ability has definitely been improving. I’m tempted to say there’s been a lack of straightforward biffables ones. Anyway February ahoy next week – you’ve almost got a month of stats already!
Thanks L-Plates. Itās quite rare for me to see a word that I genuinely have never come across, so I will file it away for future reference.
I did like your joke. Made me chuckle.
I had a laugh at my own ingenuity – if that is the word – at coming up with a passable if incorrect word for 1dn yesterday. I knew it was wrong but had just the faintest hope that it might be correct.
I agree that there have been few āsimpleā QCs of late. What I have found frustrating is the number of occasions when I have had a fantastic run of write-ins on a QC, but have been foiled by one or two clues at the end. Yesterday was a prime example. Rather like a football team having a good match and then conceding a goal in injury time.
21:50
Should have been under my 20 minute target but just couldnāt parse LOI EGO and only entered it because no other letter fit.
Definite DNF, not a clue about 1d CARTOUCHES even though I had spotted the anagram. Also I’m not sure I’ve used “CHIPPER” for cheerful since the middle of the last century! Or is it now in common usage, perhaps in the Home Counties?