Times Quick Cryptic No 3049 by Joker

Author   rolytolyPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

A few trickier things brought this up towards par for our most prolific setter of the last couple of years.

With the great new Quitch tool, I see that over that time Joker has set 63 puzzles at an average nitch of 99, so if that isn’t the perfect yardstick for an “average” QC, I don’t know what is. Except, I generally find a 100 rating feels more difficult than average, with both the QC and the 15×15. I’m not really sure what to make of that. Perhaps I somehow routinely think that Times puzzles are easier than I find them. Whatever that means.

In any case, I don’t think today’s puzzle will alter Joker’s average very much – I raced though a good half of it before getting slowed down with Joker’s typically devious misdirection, finishing up in 8.22. Very much enjoyed – many thanks to Joker!

Across
1 Bring out ecstasy sanctioned by law (6)
ELICIT – E (ecstasy) LICIT (sanctioned by law)
5 Boost following quiet approval (6)
PRAISE – RAISE (boost) following P (piano = quiet)
8 Initially met a more methodical killer? (3-5)
MAN-EATER – M (“initially” Met), A, NEATER (more methodical)
9 Government regret keeping Labour’s leader (4)
RULE – RUE (regret) keeping L
10 Give up, taken in by police detail (4)
CEDE – “taken in by” poliCE DEtail
11 Shoes perhaps are of two shapes (8)
FOOTWEAR – a well-hidden anagram (shapes) of ARE OF TWO. “Perhaps” in the definition because other, non-shoe footwear formats are available.
12 One offering insight keeping non-drinking dog (6)
SETTER – SEER (one offering insight) keeping TT (Teetotal = non-drinking)
14 Where planes fly over area of golf course — but not loud (6)
AIRWAY – fairway (area of golf course) but not F (forte = loud)
16 Way speed is limited (8)
MODERATE – MODE (way) SPEED (rate). MODE for way, etc seems to trip me up fairly consistently.
18 Dismiss  rather shapeless dress (4)
SACK – double definition. Either simply an ill-fitting dress, or “a loose, tube-shaped dress” (Collins). Chambers only has a somewhat unrelated historical usage (also spelt SACQUE), being either a “woman’s loose-fitting gown” or a “woman’s hip-length coat with a loose-fitting back.” Which could have caused confusion: the diligent witch hunter would ideally have asked in what variety of sack the witch suspect was seen fleeing.
20 Look after home in outskirts of Milford (4)
MIND – IN (home) in “outskirts” of MilforD
21 Train gone? Nearly frantic, not knowing (8)
IGNORANT – anagram (frantic) of TRAIN and GON (gone, “nearly”)
23 Dynamism new in excerpt from Peer Gynt (6)
ENERGY – N (new) goes in EER GY (an “excerpt” from pEER GYnt). Unusual clue, and very nice.
24 Unusual all pea dish (6)
PAELLA – anagram (unusual) of ALL PEA
Down
2 Make happy when abolishing penny rent (5)
LEASE – PLEASE (make happy) when abolishing P (penny)
3 Attlee maybe   being merciful (7)
CLEMENT – double definition
4 Endlessly carry small child (3)
TOT – TOTE (carry) “endlessly”
5 Part of volume about crime in church establishment (9)
PARSONAGE – PAGE (part of volume) about ARSON (crime). LOI, which I found quite tricky for some reason.
6 Director of public school in East End (5)
ARROW – HARROW (pronounced ‘ARROW in the East End) is our public school, distinguishing itself from Eton by teaching its pupils how not to piss on their hands (according to Churchill, anyway).
7 Aunt Sal cooked dried fruit (7)
SULTANA – anagram (cooked) of AUNT SAL
11 Scores holding African country ceremony (9)
FORMALITY – one score = twenty; two score = scores = FORTY (other multiples are available), which holds MALI (African country)
13 Possibly hate having made changes to omit one (7)
EMOTION – anagram (having made changes to) OMIT ONE
15 Book   place to see game (7)
RESERVE – double definition, the second as in nature reserve.
17 Bush   senior (5)
ELDER – double definition. Very good!
19 Preserve a lake waterway (5)
CANAL – CAN (preserve), A, L (lake)
22 Pinch a drink (3)
NIP – double definition

 

69 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 3049 by Joker”

  1. I felt a bit slow today held up by AIRWAY amongst others. So I’m now missing the fairway in crosswords as well.
    LOI EMOTION after 14 minutes.
    COD to ENERGY.
    A very good QC.
    David

  2. I had Internet issues yesterday. I did see the study / den clue. Today I failed to see the east end drop the H and was trying to work around that other school. Still managed 15 without checkers and another three bifd with the help of checkers. I’m thinking I’ll be getting all but the two or three obscure clues within about four weeks.

    Thanks Joker and Roly.

    Now time for stage 18… despite injuring myself in a cycling accident I still love all things cycling.

    Trying to work out cut and paste on the blog using an Android phone.

  3. As ever, an enjoyable puzzle from Joker. Merit marks for avoiding Eton. A speedy solve until i hung up on MODERATE (LOI) for a minute or so.

    Liked ENERGY

    Thanks Joker and Rolytoly

  4. 8.03 This was chewy in parts. I liked FORMALITY. FOOTWEAR remained unparsed. EMOTION and MODERATE were the last two. Thanks rolytoly and Joker.

  5. Joker comes up with the goods as usual. Thought I might be on for another fast one at first, but gradually slowed down and it became a steady solve. LOI was MODERATE and I stopped just shy of the SCC in 19:55. Thanks Roly and Joker.

  6. From ELICIT to PARSONAGE in 7:28. Missed the clue construction in ENERGY as I biffed it too quickly to notice. Thanks Joker and Roly.

  8. 29:19

    Last 3 in secured my SCC membership. It took forever to see that FOOTWEAR was an anagram which released FORMALITY.
    Guessed the RATE in MODERATE and just chucked it in not understanding how the clue worked (thanks rolytoly).
    ARROW raised a chuckle. Nice QC – no complaints.

    Thanks to rolytoly and Joker

  10. Parsed Arrow when reading the blog. I thought this was a reasonable QC from Joker.

  11. An excellent QC! Thank you Joker. (And now sat in my usual chair in the SCC)

  12. 10:24. I knew ENERGY was the answer but didn’t know how or why until I came here!

  13. 10:33. Was on for a rare sub ten . Couldn’t tell me arson from me elbow. Barely noticed missing number in Peer Gynt. LOL at that neater graduate.
    Good fun.
    Cheers R&J

  14. Wow, I completed that in what I think of as a “true clean sweep” – all the acrosses in order, followed by all the downs in order, with no clue needing a second visit. I think I’ve only done it once before.

    Unsurprisingly that produced a fast time of 04:44 … which is just over twice as long as Verlaine …

    Lovely puzzle, COD to the brilliant ENERGY, many thanks Joker and roly.

  15. Last one in 16a moderate which took some time for the penny to drop. Overall an enjoyable puzzle.

  16. 10:11 here, all parsed. COD to the innovative ENERGY, very clever indeed.

    Thanks to rolytoly and Joker.

  17. 17 mins…

    A good, solid QC I thought. Was going at a fairly brisk pace, but then got bagged down in my final three: 16ac “Moderate”, 8ac “Man-Eater” and 11dn “Formality”.

    FOI – 5ac “Praise”
    LOI – 8ac “Man-Eater”
    COD – 11dn “Formality”

    Thanks as usual!

  18. Enjoyable QC. Took a while to understand why ARROW was a director (very nice). LOI was MODERATE but I struggled the most with FORMALITY (never thought of forty for scores). COD MAN-EATER. Thanks Roly and Joker.

  20. 11 minutes (still short of my comparators).

    Any brief satisfaction this gave me was destroyed by the 15 x 15. I got well under half and was frankly nowhere. Having read the blog, there were some that I should have got relatively easily.

    A disappointing day (as usual).

  21. Completed in about 30 minutes during advert breaks whilst watching Tour de France. Not quite as tough as the climb up the Col de la Loze near Meribel in the Alps but a good test nonetheless. Some clever anagrams and particularly liked ARROW and PARSONAGE which featured amongst my “grupetto” of today! Thanks Joker and Roly.

  22. 4.04

    Think I’ve retained some of the rarefied air from my recent Austrian Alps trek. Sub-Phil? I’ll wake up soon! (Might even be a PB though I don’t keep track).

    It was a gentle one, but liked MIND with its natural surface

    Thanks Joker and RT

  23. Having now seen the Snitch score for the QC today, I’m slightly disappointed by my time! I found it tricky in places (which perhaps shows my limited ability). ☹️

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