A neat Friday Quick Cryptic from Pedro. I was a bit slow getting started and it is a bit tricky in parts but I finished in an average time of 5:31. A cracking clue for 1A leads the way and I had to spell the cheese carefully out loud. (See what I did there?). I liked the chess clue too. Thank-you Pedro. How did you all get on?
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 137 here.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Piano in bossa nova style? Arrangement of music secures band’s last award for sales (8,4) |
| PLATINUM DISC – P (piano) LATIN (in bossa nova style) and last letter of banD in [arrangement of] (music)*. Great charade clue… and surface! | |
| 8 | Employer returned CV after dismissing me (4) |
| USER – RESU{me} (CV) without the ME, [returned] -> USER. | |
| 9 | Contend company favoured blocking the writer (7) |
| COMPETE – CO (company), PET (favoured) in, [blocking], ME (the writer) | |
| 11 | Bishop, pawn then rook? I end chess game (7) |
| PRIMATE – P (pawn) R (rook) I MATE (end chess game). Another nice surface. | |
| 12 | Ape: copper returning to apprehend him (5) |
| CHIMP – HIM, in PC (copper) [returning] -> CP. | |
| 14 | Loathing new articles about function (6) |
| NAUSEA – USE (function) in N (new) A A (two articles). | |
| 15 | British and French article I state (6) |
| BRUNEI – BR (British) UNE (French article) I. | |
| 18 | Deal with all competitors in competition (5) |
| FIELD – Double definition, the first as in “field a question”. | |
| 20 | Indifferent regarding nerves, getting tense inside (7) |
| NEUTRAL – T (tense) in NEURAL (regarding nerves). | |
| 21 | Impression obtained from church possibly causing friction (7) |
| RUBBING – Double definition. | |
| 23 | Pleasure trip abandoned by Jack and relative (4) |
| AUNT – {j}AUNT (trip) without the J (Jack, in a pack of cards). | |
| 24 | Enlarge limbs after recasting controversial sculptures (5,7) |
| ELGIN MARBLES – (Enlarge limbs)* [after recasting]. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Weariness leads us carelessly to accept it (9) |
| LASSITUDE – IT in (leads us)* [carelessly]. | |
| 3 | Row of houses excellent after town’s initial blunder (7) |
| TERRACE – T{own} [‘s initial] ERR (blunder) ACE (row of houses). | |
| 4 | Metal prison cell’s centre (6) |
| NICKEL – NICK (prison) and middle letters of cELl. | |
| 5 | I am repeatedly upset about impressionist (5) |
| MIMIC – I’M I’M (I am) [repeatedly] [upset] -> MIMI, C (circa; about). | |
| 6 | Reserve that is seen around clubs (3) |
| ICE – C (clubs) in I.E. (id est; that is). | |
| 7 | Chopped-up pear surrounded by cold cheese (10) |
| CAERPHILLY – (pear)* [chopped up] in CHILLY (cold). | |
| 10 | Paid out for church, no longer a major influence (5,5) |
| SPENT FORCE – SPENT (paid out) FOR CE (church of England; church). | |
| 13 | What can be considered bliss? Exotic region can (9) |
| IGNORANCE – [Exotic] (region can)*. | |
| 16 | Runs tavern in centre? Nonsense (7) |
| RHUBARB – R (runs, in cricket scoring notation), BAR (tavern) in HUB (centre). | |
| 17 | Name of encryption device deployed in game (6) |
| ENIGMA – [Deployed] (in game)*. | |
| 19 | Graciously agree to plan, if son is excluded (5) |
| DEIGN – DE{s}IGN (plan) without the S (son). | |
| 22 | Ask English in Great Britain to rise up (3) |
| BEG – E (English) in GB (Great Britain) [to rise up] -> BG. | |
16:40. Pleased to eventually work all these out.
Well, Mr Gary A, you did better than we did. We had our worst time for ‘ages’… yet, on reading the blog, not so sure why, as most were entirely achievable.
As for the 15×15, the not so recently seen ‘ ROUNDABOUT HERE’ suggested a good way to enter that world is, at the end of the week, to look at the Snitch and to go for the one with the lowest figure. That has (in the main) worked for us.
Back to this – can’t say we enjoyed it – clearly not on the wavelength – however, we’d hate to eat the same meal every day and so it is with crosswords… variety, spice and all that.
Thank you all and happy weekend.
7.33.
8:56 felt like that was an above average performance from me on what seemed like a toughish puzzle