Quite a stretching one from Peridot today.
This is only Peridot’s fifth puzzle: we kicked off with a tricky debut (blogged by our late lamented Rotter back in 2023) reaching 118 on the Quitch, followed by 83, 100 and 76. Perhaps there’s a trend of odd-tricky, even-gentle starting to form.
In any case, I had a very sparse grid after a first pass, just managing four (7,11,14,20). Things picked up a bit, but there were tricky things all over the grid. Thankfully no elephant traps for the dashing biffer (so to speak), and I snuck in a notch under the ten minute mark, more than three minutes slower than the last couple of days.
There’s not too much that could be called obscure, so the difficulty all stemmed from good misdirection. Very satisfying to piece together – many thanks to Peridot!
| Across | |
| 1 | Yahoo endlessly crashing, start of conversation on board? (4) |
| AHOY – anagram (crashing) of YAHO (yaho |
|
| 3 | Recent arrival, fantastic wee bairn regularly visited (6) |
| NEWBIE – anagram (fantastic) of WEE and the “regularly visited” letters of B a I r N | |
| 7 | Younger relative, dad-hugger, ran amok? Give it time (13) |
| GRANDDAUGHTER – anagram (amok) of DAD HUGGER RAN, with the addition of T for time. | |
| 9 | Settle dodgy scene involving politician (8) |
| ENSCONCE – anagram (dodgy) of SCENE involving CON (politician) | |
| 11 | Lot of love cherished by boy (4) |
| LOAD – O (love) cherished/hugged by LAD (boy) | |
| 12 | Surprisingly alert from birth and unconventional (11) |
| ALTERNATIVE – anagram (surprisingly) of ALERT ; NATIVE (from birth) | |
| 14 | Just beautiful (4) |
| FAIR – double definition | |
| 15 | Boss kit for bowler? (8) |
| HEADGEAR – HEAD (boss) GEAR (kit) | |
| 17 | Familial ties developing, sister on lap accepts greeting (13) |
| RELATIONSHIPS – anagram (developing) of SISTER ON LAP accepts HI (greeting) | |
| 19 | Broadcasts about poems (6) |
| RELAYS – RE (about) LAYS (poems) | |
| 20 | Margin of advantage (4) |
| EDGE – double definition | |
| Down | |
| 1 | A river flowed in Scottish isle (5) |
| ARRAN – A R(iver) RAN (flowed) | |
| 2 | Have now to get head down (3) |
| OWN – NOW lowers its head letter (N) down to the bottom | |
| 4 | Discharge former partner due for relocation (5) |
| EXUDE – EX (former partner) and an anagram (for relocation) of DUE | |
| 5 | Seeing bear? (9) |
| BEHOLDING – to BE HOLDING a grudge, say = to BEAR a grudge. So a cryptic hint, rather than a double definition, as BE and HOLDING have to be two separate words to equate to BEAR. | |
| 6 | Put up article in Spanish on Peron, perhaps with note (7) |
| ELEVATE – EL (article in Spanish) on EVA (Peron, perhaps) with TE (note) | |
| 8 | Doctor having drink and kebab (5) |
| DONER – DR (doctor) having/imbibing ONE (drink). Yes, ONE is defined as a drink in the sources, as in: a quick one = a quick drink. | |
| 10 | Cry as water’s broken inside baby’s membrane (9) |
| CATERWAUL – anagram (is broken) of WATER inside CAUL (baby’s membrane). I didn’t know CAUL, but that’s exactly what it is. Nice word, caterwaul: “Of cats: To make the noise proper to them at rutting time,” is how the OED rather quaintly defines it, before adding, “To utter a similar cry; to make a discordant, hideous noise; to quarrel like cats.” | |
| 12 | Unprofessional team at Euros bottles it (7) |
| AMATEUR – teAM AT EURos “bottles it” | |
| 13 | One to win over (5) |
| AGAIN – A (one) GAIN (win). I think there used to be a “rule” in the Times puzzles that ONE was not allowed for A, or vice versa. I could never really see why, and am glad if it’s no longer the case. | |
| 15 | Having a shock may be frightening (5) |
| HAIRY – double definition, the first as in a shock of hair. | |
| 16 | Liberal member getting stuck into beer (5) |
| AMPLE – MP (member, of parliament) getting stuck into ALE (beer) | |
| 18 | Builder’s assistant wearing boots, say, with no top (3) |
| HOD – SHOD (wearing boots, say) with no “top” | |
18:02, whoa, that was tough.
I like appearance of newish slang, like NEWBIE, which dates from the early 90s. Let’s have more of it. CAUL is the kind of vocab I have which feels just out of reach. I think I heard it when hearing of its supposed magical properties. (Immune from drowning)
COD the simple FAIR
LOI CATERWAUL
Nearly 12 .00. but I claim tiredness in mitigation.
I came to this late (we have had friends visiting for a couple of days) and found it tough. It took me into the SCC and, whilst there were some clever clues, it didn’t give me enough pleasure to make it worthwhile.
I was interested to read the range of reactions above and agree with most of them, especially Cedric and PennyB (not least on the Nina issue which I have repeatedly said is an unnecessary setter’s indulgence which usually distorts the flow of an otherwise potentially good crossword).
I am concerned that this puzzle betrays the fact that Mick has a very odd view of what a QUICK Cryptic should be. It may explain quite a lot of the changes to the difficulty of the QC that we have suffered over many months and it does not bode well for the future IMO.
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