Today we have a Quick Cryptic from Felix to entertain us. All done for me in an average time of 5:26 but there are one or two tricky bits – not least 13A, which has a rather tortuous definition. Some other typically elliptical definitions such as 8A, 18A, 23A and 3D kept me on my toes and amused and I learnt something I didn’t know – the national animal of the land of my birth. Thank-you Felix! How did you all get on?
Furthermore, it being Felix as our setter, we have come to expect a theme or Nina in the grid. Can you find it?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Sawbill’s turn to provide the extra weekend entertainment. You can find the crossword here. If you are interested in trying our previous none-too-hard offerings you can find an index to all 81 here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Records part of search I’ve started (8) |
| ARCHIVES – Hidden in seARCH I’VE Started. | |
| 5 | Relative to visit frequently in E London? (4) |
| AUNT – {h}AUNT (visit frequently) dropping the H as they do in E London. | |
| 8 | Dread about the unknown, such as birds? (8) |
| FEATHERY – FEAR (dread) about THE, Y [unknown]. | |
| 9 | Fortune initially told after thirty seconds? (4) |
| MINT – MIN{ute} half of minute (thirty seconds) [initially] Told. | |
| 11 | Fellow arts graduates I left (5) |
| BASIL – BAS (arts graduates) I L (left). Man’s name | |
| 12 | Knight, behold, has popular beef (7) |
| SIRLOIN – SIR (Knight) LO (behold) IN (popular). | |
| 13 | No longer is? That’s spurious, firstly! (6) |
| EXISTS – EX (no longer) IS T{hat’s} S{purious} [firstly]. An &lit, where the whole clue is both the wordplay and the definition. Thanks to Branch in the comments below for suggesting how it works. I think it’s “That’s spurious firstly” can be taken as in indication to ignore the “no longer” at the front, leaving “IS” as the real definition. Phew! As he says, not the sort of wordplay one would expect in a QC! | |
| 15 | Publication by Web is something attractive (6) |
| MAGNET – MAG (publication) NET (Web). | |
| 18 | Everyone taken in by benefit that’s subject to inflation (7) |
| BALLOON – ALL (everyone) in BOON (benefit). | |
| 19 | Count, perhaps, on returning book and French article (5) |
| NOBLE – ON [returning] -> NO, B (book) LE (French article). | |
| 21 | Wise thing to put in stuffing (4) |
| SAGE – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 22 | Girl who’s wayward so may err (8) |
| ROSEMARY – [wayward] (so may err)*. | |
| 23 | Daughter, unwell, getting one in a pickle? (4) |
| DILL – D (daughter) ILL (unwell). | |
| 24 | Shabby party clothes found by journalist (3-5) |
| DOG-EARED – DO (party) GEAR (clothes) ED (journalist). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | A female relation displaying a good nature (7) |
| AFFABLE – A F (female) FABLE (relation; story). | |
| 2 | Excellent form! (5) |
| CLASS – Double definition. | |
| 3 | One prince lying in state, not breathing out (10) |
| INHALATION – I (one), HAL (prince) in NATION (state). | |
| 4 | Means to escape, say, on steam ship (6) |
| EGRESS – E.G. (for example, say) RE (in) SS (steam ship). | |
| 6 | Scotland’s representative in on RUC reforms (7) |
| UNICORN – (in on RUC)* [reforms]. Well I never knew that. Read here about Scotland and the unicorn. | |
| 7 | Giant bird on land, wingless (5) |
| TITAN – TIT (bird) {l}AN{d} without its outside letters [wingless]. | |
| 10 | Relative violently anti-Greece (5-5) |
| GREAT-NIECE – [violently] (anti-Greece)*. | |
| 14 | Forbidden to enter vaudeville gallery (7) |
| ILLEGAL – Hidden in vaudevILLE GALlery. | |
| 16 | Like patterned cloth, all square, you had once (3-4) |
| TIE-DYED – TIED (all square) YE’D (you had) [once]. | |
| 17 | Home closed twice, completely (2,4) |
| IN TOTO – IN (home) TO TO (closed; like a door) [twice]. | |
| 18 | Like to be in bed, it’s established (5) |
| BASED – AS (like) in BED. | |
| 20 | Orwell’s British resting place (5) |
| BLAIR –B (British) LAIR (resting place). Eric Blair’s pen-name was George Orwell. | |
Solved a day late, but I’m pleased with my time of 24 minutes.
Very enjoyable reading through all of yesterday’s posts.
Many thanks to Felix and Mr I.