Times Quick Cryptic No 348 by Orpheus – Are you solving comfortably? I’m not!

Author   macavity123Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Greetings all!

Solving time: Troublesome.

One of those days when you solve a puzzle, but don’t quite feel comfortable about it. I think I have all the answers, but am not 100% sure about how a couple of definitions work. The word play is fine, but as a relatively experienced solver I wonder whether newer solvers will finish the puzzle.

Two clues leap to mind today. 6 down I worked out from one of the definitions and checking letters, but I can’t find a definition for GANDER that means a waterfall though I haven’t been able to check all of my dictionaries. On-line ones appear not to support it, including the on-line full OED.

My other query is with 21 down – the answer seemed fairly straightforward, FEED. However, the other half of the clue (it’s a double definition) seems to indicate past tense rather than present tense. Add to these a definition I didn’t know at 17 down, and this was rather an uncomfortable solve.

I’d be interested to see what you thought.

And now I shamefacedly apologise for getting my knickers in a twist above!

As my more learned friend points out below! I misread 6 down as WATERFALL when it should have ben WATERBIRD! When you are quizzing the phrase often quoted is “read the bloody question”, RTBQ. Now I have the crossword equivalent RTBC: “READ THE BLOODY CLUE”

The 21 down clue is just a way of saying FEE’D. Oh! D’oh is me!

Across
8 EMBARGO – We start with the type of clue called “container and contents”, That is a definition (or two) with a word contained within to form a longer answer. Here, the definition is ban. EM (Half of them) + GO (try) with BAR (pub) inside.
9 IRATE – The definition here is enraged. A sea robber (PIRATE) minus its first letter (loses head).
10 CHEAT – Deceive is your definition. One of the crossword standard abbreviations is HE whenever ambassador appears in a clue. It stnds for His Excellency. and here it’s inside (feeding) CAT (domestic pet), with deceive as the definition.
11 BUILD-UP – Development is the definition. A homophone of BILLED (advertised) plus another crossword standard UP meaning at university.
12 INSISTENT – Demanding is the definition. SIS (little, i.e. shortened, version of a sibling) inside IN TENT (someone camping).
14 RUT – Furrow is the definition. TURN minus its last letter (almost), then reversed.
16 GEM – You are looking for the other meaning of Beryl, apart from the name of my lovely sister. This is hidden inside VILLAGE MEETING (shown by contributing to, i.e. part of).
18 HIBERNATE – What hedgehogs do in the winter is the deinition. An anagram (irregularly) of BREATHE IN.
21 FULSOME – Being OTT (as in praise) is the definition. LSO (London players – the London Symphony Orchestra, sometimes seen as ‘noted’ players as well!) inside FUME (seethe).
22 BASIS – Fundamental condition is the definition. BASS (fish) with one inside.
23 EAGRE – Bore (a noun, a type of tool tidal bore) is the definition. A homophone (sounds) for a word meaning enthusiastic or keen.
24 SWINGER – A 1960’s trendy is the definition. SINGER (vocalist) with W inside.

Down
1 FETCHING – Attractive is the definition. F (female) + ETCHING (art work).
2 ABBESS – Senior nun is the definition. BESS (woman’s name) under (supporting) A B (a bishop).
3 BRAT – Urchin is the definition. R (first letter, beginning to RAMPAGE) inside BAT (club).
4 DOUBLE – Literally a double definition! Two meanings of the word double!
5 SINISTER – Malign is the definition, not a word I had thought of as an adjective but there you are! NI (Northern ireland) inside SISTER (nurse).
6 GANDER – I am assuming this is a double definition. A male bird but as for the meaning of ‘a waterfall’, I am a bit baffled. I haven’t got my Chambers Dictionary with me (or my Bradford’s Crossword Dictionary) but I can’t find Gander defined as a waterfall in the 20 odd volume OED, Collins on Line Dictionary or the Merriam Webster dictionary. Is Gander in Canada known for waterfalls? I rather suspect this will stop some of you completing today. A double definition clue: A type of waterbird and a word that means to take a look!
7 HEMP – Narcotic drug is the definition. HE (male) + MP (politician).
13 SCHOONER – Sailing vessel is the definition. CH (companion, think New Year’s Honours) inside SOONER (rather fast).
15 TREASURE – Wealth and riches is the definition. TREA (an anagram of RATE) + SURE (certain).
17 MALAGA – How many of you knew this was a type of sweet fortifed wine? Not me! MA (graduate) with A LAG (a habitual convict) inside.
19 BREAST – Part of body is the definition. R (river) inside (crossing) BEAST (animal).
20 ASSIGN – Allocate is the definition. A homophone of A SIGN.
21 FEED – A troublesome double definition. Can “feed” mean “paid for”? Surely ‘Pay for’? Collins defines this as “to supply (a machine, furnace, etc) with (the necessary materials or fuel) for its operation, or (of such materials) to flow or move forwards into a machine, etc”. Another double definition. If something is Paid for, it may said to be ‘fee’d’. Provender is also feed.
22 BLIP – A temporary irregularity is the definition. B (First letter, initial, of BOY) + LIP (cheek).

18 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 348 by Orpheus – Are you solving comfortably? I’m not!”

  2. The play is on ‘feed’ (provender) and ‘fee’d’ (given one’s fee, i.e. paid).
    1. AAAARGH!

      I think I am off beam today! Misread the waterfall clue.

      You’re absolutely spot on with Fee’d too. Completely missed it.

      I’m off to skulk on the naughty step.

  3. I rather liked this, I suppose partly because it went so fast. A number of neatly phrased clues, methought, like 6ac and 23ac (EAGRE, by the way, is a tidal bore, not a tool). Urchins in cryptics always seem to be unpleasant little boys; not my definition. 3:58.
  4. This is why I would never attempt to blog one of these (not that anyone has thought of asking me); I shudder to think, he shuddered, of the numerous times I’ve come within an ace of posting something that I’d regret, but for having the leisure to take one more look before hitting the ‘Post Comment’ button. (And another shudder for the times when I posted it.)
  5. Well I found this tough going for a Quickie – somewhat over my 10 minute benchmark. There is some not so common vocabulary and word uses (GANDER, FEED, MALAGA & EAGRE already being mentioned).
    It took me quite a while to get into this and then it was a struggle until the end.
    I suspect some newcomers will be puzzled where some of the constructs come from too, so good on you Macavity for indicating where these come from. Nice blog (misreading aside!)
  6. It was all going smoothly until I came to a grinding halt with 4 to go in the SW, MALAGA, FULSOME, FEED and EAGRE. In the end resorted to aids so DNF here.

    Favourite was the cleverly hidden GEM.

  7. 15 minutes but mostly done in 10. I agree with the blogger re MALAGA as I never heard of the fortified wine.
  8. Resoundingly beaten by this one. SW corner – put in Fare for 21d and fell apart from there.
  9. 5:40. No hold ups for me, although I needed checkers for a couple. Like others, I hadn’t heard of MALAGA as a wine. 12a and 18a are both great clues.
    1. Care to elaborate, Mr Invariant-who-can’t-be-bothered-to-have-a-proper-posting-name?
      1. Eagre ? Malaga ?

        As for my name, that’s surely my choice, though as it happens there is a perfectly good reason for it. Anyway, what were your other 122 attempts at a name ? 😃

        1. Your name is your choice, but it appears as “Anonymous”, which almost suggests trolling.

          I wasn’t sure you were criticising my blogging or the puzzle itself.

          I certainly agree that Malaga is a definition probably not suited to here, I would have struggled with it in the bigger puzzle, though the wordplay was fairly clear.

          Eagre is something I knew and have invariably seen as the definition ‘bore’. I have always been under the impression that it was a tool for boring holes, and am quite interested to see that I have been labouring under a misapprehension.

          As for the previous username, when I registered as macavity, it offered me 123 as a suffix as presumably there were other bloggers using the same name.

          1. I have never posted without signing off as Invariant. I’ve tried to set it as my user name, but it’s proved beyond me so far.

            I appreciate we are both having a bad day, but trolling? Really? Invariant

  11. Thought this was as hard a QC as I can remember. Slogged my way through most of it but was completely baffled by the SW corner. Never heard of provender before so eventually looked it up which then led to 21a. Dubiously bunged in Malbec for 17d, which ruined any chance of guessing another word I’ve never heard of for 23a.
  12. I found this very hard. Got 14a Rut very quickly thanks to practice yesterday.
    After two sittings I had quite a few left. I thought 21d was probably Fare which just about fitted the clue. Getting Malaga (a guess but clear from the clue) led me to Eagre (an unknown to me) and then Feed.
    Bizarrely my last in was 4d -just couldn’t see it for ages.I can now see it’s a very good clue. David

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