Morning all.
Time: 13 minutes
Thought this was a bit on the tricky side, with a couple of clues that wouldn’t have been out of place in a 15 x 15 puzzle.
Across | |
1 | JACKAL – JACK (Knave) + A + L (large)- definition is ‘wild dog’. |
4 | WASH – Definition is Bath, the remainder is a cryptic definition if the bath is now cold it was hot, or in short? |
9 | TREASURER – The definition here is ‘official’. An anagram, indicated by corruption, of U (initially under) + ARREST and then add ER (Queen). |
10 | IVY – I (one) + V (very) + Y (slowly in the end) and the definition is “What can creep”. |
11 | STANDING JOKE – A cryptic definition implying that what may make you smile, is something that is the opposite of lying down. The question amrk at the end tells you something unusual is going on. |
13 | QUALMS – Q (question) + U (universal) + ALMS (charity) with a definition of “misgivings”. |
15 | STIFLE – Definition here is ‘gag’ and it’s an anagram (out) of IS LEFT |
17 |
ALL AND SUNDRY – Think this is quite tough. An expression meaning ‘everyone in’. AL (middle of gale) + LANDS (GETS) UNDRY (wet?, again note the question mark telling you something’s a bit unusual here!) |
20 | EON – Take the first three letters of a four-letter word for Christmas (indicated by almost) NOE(L) and reverse it (back) to give a word meaning a long time |
21 | ECONOMIZE – An anagram (unusually) of ZOE and INCOME gives a word that means the same as the verb ‘to husband’. |
22 | PAYS – Hidden backwards (indicated by ‘back’ and ‘somewhat’ inside UNEASY APPARENTLY |
23 | SKINNY – SKY (Satellite TV) with INN (pub) inside gives a way of describing someone in need of a proper feed. |
Down | |
1 | JUTE – The name for an old Germanic person is made up of a word meaning to project (JUT) + E (energy). |
2 | CLEFT – C (conservative) + LEFT (Labour) gives a word meaning split. |
3 | ABSENT-MINDED – Definiton is an expression meaning to be miles away. A standard crossword abbreviation of a sailor (AB) + dispatched (SENT) + tended (MINDED). |
5 | A BIT OFF – Two definitions for the same expression. A slight reduction and what something is to taste bad. |
6 | HAY FEVER – Another cryptic definition. The name of a Noel Coward play is a condition that requires you to use a hanky (and a nasal spray!) |
7 | MR BIG – A slang name for an important person in an organisation is RB (R&B) inside MIG (Russian plane). |
8 | BRIGHTON ROCK – The name of a famous book (by Graham Greene) and a film (starring Dickie Attenborough) is BRIGHT (illuminating) + ON (about) + ROCK (pop music). |
12 | SQUARE UP – Definition here is ‘prepare, perhaps to scrap’ with SQUARE (old hat) + UP (finished). |
14 | APLENTY – An anagram (affected) of PENALTY gives the definition of ‘score’ as in numerals. |
16 | ASCOT – AS (like) + COT (somewhere to sleep) gives the definition of a Berkshire town. |
18 | REIGN – A homophone (we hear) of a word meaning a type of bad weather means to prevail. |
19 | SEXY – X (a kiss) inside the word we use for consent, and reversed gives a word meaning seductive |
Thanks to our setter for a stern challenge today.
I note the same little glitch in the template coding that appeared in yesterday’s blog to give /tr in brackets above 1 across.
Love that cat, macavity!
On edit: Thanks to Ulaca (below) for pointing that it was Aintree not Ascot last week. My only interest in such matters is that they take Countdown out of my daily routine for the best part of a week. I knew the most recent disruption began with ‘A’.
Edited at 2014-04-10 08:10 am (UTC)
Edited at 2014-04-10 06:16 am (UTC)
I had ‘a tad off’ at 5 for a while, which strangled the ivy. I thought WASH was very good. 12′ 30″.
Incidentally, Jack, do you mean Aintree, as Royal Ascot is in June, or is this expat horse-racing fan missing something?!
Edited at 2014-04-10 06:40 am (UTC)
Pangrams can be a two-edged sword. Suspecting a pangram towards the end and sorting out the missing letters can assist in solving (especially if the missing letters are say J and X). However, over on the main Cryptic, we have had a number of near-pangrams recently (ie one letter missing) and going down the suspected pangram route would have been counterproductive.
Is it me or is this the first QC with a few solutions requiring arts related general knowledge? Personally, I’m not a fan of this type of clue. I have never seen the play, film or read the book. Philistine I hear some mutter. Luckily I could solve the clues from the wordplay and checkers.
Did not like WASH at all and still not sure I understand it.
– “bath” (as in the act of bathing – viz. having a wash) is the definition bit
– now C(old), suggests was previously H(ot)
Hope that helps – but quite possible you still don’t like it! (Like my rant re. innings yesterday: I just didn’t like it…)
Put in ALL AND SUNDRY (had to be based on cross checkers and “everyone”) but could not parse it – thanks for the explanation macavity – very cunning.
COD for me was WASH (sorry Ian – just seen your comment!) – elegant, witty and a tad perverse, somewhat like Mrs. Novice. Also good to see the Jutes getting a run out – always felt they got a bit of a raw deal: we learned of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, but then Anglo-Saxon seemed to be the dominant terminology for what followed, with the poor old Jutes being air-brushed.
30 minutes – very enjoyable.
Edited at 2014-04-10 09:24 am (UTC)
Edited at 2014-04-10 01:45 pm (UTC)
Thank you.
Nick, thanks to you too for trying to explain but I still didn’t understand until I saw it the way Sue presented it.
I feel a bit daft. So often is the way with these cryptic clues. It is so obvious when you can see it that you cannot imagine why anybody else wouldn’t.
Edited at 2014-04-10 10:36 pm (UTC)
Re.WASH, I get confused with bathe, meaning to wash, and bath, as in a tub. WASH was staring at me but I still needed to check here to fully understand the cryptic. Once properly understood, I did rather like the clue.
Nigel from Surrey
COD was 5dn – lovely double meaning that I got fast 🙂
A query – Sky is a brand name/PLC; should it be used as the answer to satellite TV?