A neat and satisfying puzzle from Teazel today. It took me 5:47, a little over average, as I disentangled some of the nice wordplay. LOI was 13D taking a while to see the form of execution. Thank-you Teazel. How did you all like it?
Fortnightly Weekend Quick Cryptic. This time it is Phil’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 131 here.
P.S. I’m looking forward to seeing a number of you at The George tomorrow.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Team’s requirement for maximum break (3,6) |
| ALL BLACKS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint referring to snooker – the 147 maximum requiring 15 blacks with the 15 reds and then all the colours. | |
| 6 | Fiction book provided must be returned (3) |
| FIB – B (book) IF (provided). all reversed. | |
| 8 | To exclude a learner is commonplace (5) |
| BANAL – BAN (exclude) A L (L-plated driver; learner). | |
| 9 | Old prison replaced entrance (7) |
| NEWGATE – NEW (replaced) GATE (entrance). | |
| 10 | Stage I placed in a certain direction for lamenting poet (8) |
| ELEGIAST – LEG (stage) I, in EAST (a certain direction). | |
| 11 | Purchase retains nothing in float (4) |
| BUOY – O (circular letter looks like 0; nothing) in BUY (purchase). | |
| 13 | Dangerous creature, so children go in pairs (9) |
| CROCODILE – Double definition. | |
| 16 | Scorching temperatures destroy last piece of scrubland (4) |
| HEAT – HEAT{h} (scrubland) without its final letter [destroy last piece of]. | |
| 17 | Swagger round Los Angeles with English Ballet (4,4) |
| SWAN LAKE – LA (Los Angeles) in SWANK (swagger) and E (English). | |
| 20 | Prejudiced individual interrupted by quiet tycoon (3,4) |
| BIG SHOT – SH (quiet) in BIGOT (prejudiced individual). | |
| 21 | Three lakes surrounding one European city (5) |
| LILLE – I (one) in L L L (three lakes), E (European). You need to separate “European city” to distinguish the wordplay from the definition, even though the answer is a European city. | |
| 22 | Turf very dry at first (3) |
| SOD – SO (very) and first letter of Dry. | |
| 23 | Transport vehicle by railway and A-road (5,4) |
| CARRY AWAY – CAR (vehicle) RY (railway) A WAY (road). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Strolled in the morning, then ran (6) |
| AMBLED – AM (in the morning) BLED (ran). My favourite for the great surface. | |
| 2 | Weapon that may be put before corporal (5) |
| LANCE – Doubled definition with the second a cryptic hint based in the army rank of “lance corporal”. | |
| 3 | Sit at ease with one fizzy drink and sweet (8) |
| LOLLIPOP – LOLL (sit at ease) I (one) POP (fizzy drink). | |
| 4 | New cartoonist mixed up lake (8,5) |
| CONISTON WATER – (New cartoonist)* [mixed up]. | |
| 5 | All four directions linked together (4) |
| SEWN – S E W N (all for directions). | |
| 6 | Violently refute a prominent story (7) |
| FEATURE – [violently] (refute a)*. Rather mysterious unless you realise “violently” is an anagram indicator. | |
| 7 | Cheers a couple of runs (3-3) |
| BYE-BYE – BYE (a cricket run when the ball misses everything – batter, wickets and wicketkeeper and the batters run) twice. | |
| 12 | Conspicuously recruit colleague (8) |
| SIGNALLY – SIGN (recruit) ALLY (colleague). | |
| 13 | Leader of communists executed and replaced (7) |
| CHANGED – First letter [leader of] Communists, HANGED (executed). | |
| 14 | Satellite phones bosses each cut by half (6) |
| PHOBOS – PHO{nes} BOS{ses} losing half the letters of each. One of the two moons of Mars. Clever | |
| 15 | Just me on bank (6) |
| MERELY – ME, RELY (bank). | |
| 18 | Silver, inferior but shiny (5) |
| AGLOW – AG (chemical symbol for silver) LOW (inferior). | |
| 19 | Elegant young bird losing tail (4) |
| CHIC – CHIC{k} (young bird) without the last letter. | |
Was on Teazel’s wavelength and finished this enjoyable QC in 16 mins which is fast for me.
Problems with spelling of elegiast, but like another contributer I thought it was an anagram involving stage.
No problems with the GK in this – all very straightforward as far I was concerned. Signalling went in once I had some crossers. This and Phobos were very clearly clued.
Mamy thanks to Teazel and to John
35 minute DNF.
Put ARLOW for AGLOW. Total incompetence. Now I’m making up words.
I’m not posting for the foreseeable future. I simply cannot stand being so far behind people I was once on a par with. It’s no fun being this bad when others are so good.
I gave up playing golf because I realised that I would never be able to hit the ball ‘properly’ and this is the same. I cannot read clues in the correct manner, no matter how hard I try. It is just so demoralising.
Few of you will understand the depths of frustration some of us experience. I have spent roughly 2 hours each day on cryptics for the last year and I am still unable to progress.
I got less than half on the 15 x 15 today after completing it yesterday. That says it all.
Don’t reply. The computer is going off and I’m away to watch the US Open.
I enjoyed this – all green in 8.32 which on briefly reading comments above seems a decent performance. ELEGIAIST not really seen as a word but being a big New Order fan one of whose tracks Elegia is an instrumental tribute to the late Ian Curtis, this instantly came to mind. LOI for me was HEAT.
75% competed and no chance of last 25%, a bit too esoteric for me
Like many others, ELEGIAST (doesn’t even come up as a word on my IPad) and SIGNALLY held me up, but managed to struggle home in 25:54. Phew.
American. Never heard of crocodile pairs. Not common here. Elegiast seemed easy, but usually I things a person who writes elegies does so in prose mostly, and odist would be. Coniston. Figured it must be that but then had to look it up on a map. A cricket bye, nope. Ask any American to explain cricket and he will run away.
8.00 on the button, despite losing the puzzle several times on my iPad and having to retrieve it from adjacent pages.
10:28
Not my finest hour – the RHS seemed easier than the LHS. Though the GK was fine, I was very slow to think of CROCODILE.
Thanks John and Teazel