An entertaining and none-too-tricky Quick Cryptic from Teazel today. (Well that’s how it felt to me, but, as always, your mileage may differ). It took me 4:55 and I would have been faster if I had not biffed 1A wrongly, which made rather a mess of the grid. I liked 8A and 14D but COD to 16D for the fun surface.
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 offerings you can find an index to all 123 here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Misjudge interest due — am struggling (13) |
| UNDERESTIMATE – (interest due am)* [struggling]. I biffed this wrongly seeing MISUNDER… in the anagrist and bunging in MISUNDERSTAND. Wrong! Doh! That held me up a bit when I got to the Down clues until I realised the error of my ways. | |
| 8 | Authority is silent? (3-2) |
| SAY-SO – A bit of a chestnut, I think, but worth seeing again. It is SAYS O (round letter = 0= nothing), (is silent). | |
| 9 | Source of better advice upset rest somehow (7) |
| TIPSTER – TIP (upset) (rest)* [somehow]. | |
| 10 | A city of China? (7) |
| DRESDEN – Cryptic definition. Dresden is famous for its china – see here. | |
| 11 | Gold-rush region over there involving us (5) |
| YUKON – UK (us) in YON (over there). |
|
| 13 | Board welcomes all willing to learn (9) |
| TEACHABLE – EACH (all) in TABLE (board). | |
| 17 | Pay for indulgence (5) |
| TREAT – Double definition. | |
| 19 | Disorderly mix of far right aggro seen at regular intervals (7) |
| FARRAGO – FAR R (right) and alternate letters of AgGrO, [at regular intervals]. | |
| 20 | Relative has a name for being grubby (7) |
| UNCLEAN – UNCLE (relative) A N (name). | |
| 22 | A little snow initially formed pool of water (5) |
| FLAKE – First letter of [initially] Formed, LAKE (pool of water). | |
| 23 | What’s on hand to deliver a nasty blow? (7-6) |
| KNUCKLE-DUSTER -Cryptic definition. Possessing or carrying brass knuckles is illegal in the United Kingdom. Brass knuckles, also known as knuckle dusters, are classified as offensive weapons under UK law. The possession, sale, purchase, and importation of offensive weapons, including brass knuckles, are prohibited. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Leading team’s positive (6) |
| UPSIDE – UP (leading) SIDE (team). Unlike in the surface reading, in the cryptic reading (i.e. the definition) “positive” is a noun. Setters love tricking us like that. | |
| 2 | Noon in non-residential care? (3,6) |
| DAY CENTRE – Double definition, the first a cryptic hint – the centre of the day is Noon. | |
| 3 | New diamonds found in hoard scattered somewhere in Wales (7) |
| RHONDDA – N (new) D (diamonds, the suit of cards) in (hoard)* [scattered]. “The Llyn Fawr Hoard is an Iron Age treasure trove found in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area of Wales. The hoard contains bronze and iron objects that were buried in the lake as offerings to the gods.” No mention of diamonds, though. | |
| 4 | Not make up one’s mind to pinion criminal? (3,2,3,5) |
| SIT ON THE FENCE – SIT ON (pinion) THE FENCE (criminal). | |
| 5 | Suggest easily losing head (5) |
| IMPLY – {s}IMPLY (easily) without the first letter, [losing head]. | |
| 6 | Towards the back in a paper (3) |
| AFT – A FT (Financial Times; paper). | |
| 7 | Make mistake with simple task (6) |
| ERRAND – ERR (make mistake) AND (with). | |
| 12 | Stop meeting and give something (not everything) away? (4,5) |
| KEEP APART – KEEP A PART (give something (not everything) away). | |
| 14 | Kite perhaps was in the air, we hear — other fliers may be sick of it (4,3) |
| BIRD FLU – BIRD (kite perhaps) FLU sounds like [we hear] FLEW (was in the air) . | |
| 15 | Impressed by way to compete for ball (6) |
| STRUCK – ST (street; way) RUCK (compete for ball in Rugby). | |
| 16 | Rev, you dreadful Peeping Tom (6) |
| VOYEUR – (Rev you)* [dreadful]. | |
| 18 | Slightly change start of walk through wood (5) |
| TWEAK – First letter [start of] Walk in TEAK (wood). | |
| 21 | Vineyard hacked out of scrub (3) |
| CRU – Hidden in [hacked out of] sCRUb. | |
Only TIPSTER on the first pass of acrosses but pretty quick from there to end up all green in 9.36.
Hardest of the year so far for me, because NHO Yukon, so put Yuson, which meant I couldn’t get Keep Apart (guessed Step Apart). My perceptions of difficulty seem to correlate strongly negatively with the Snitch!
This was not only profoundly boring ,it was extremely difficult.Honestly i really don’t understand the title Times Quick??Is it meant as a paradox??
No. Read about the Quick Cryptic here. I’m surprised you found it boring. I thought it was fun.