Times Quick Cryptic No 54 by Flamande

Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Apologies for the delay. Check up completed and hearing aids now fitted, so hearing the clack clack of my keyboard for the first time. This may take some getting used to!

Today’s puzzle was a medium solve for me. I thought there were a couple of clues that would not have been out of place in the Quick’s bigger brother. Nothing troubled me too much, to be honest, but I wonder whether the newer solvers would say the same.

Thanks to Flamande for today’s challenge. See you next week and best wishes to a chum of mine who will be making his blogging debut in the very very near future!

Across
1 SET ASIDE – A word sum to start with. Determined (SET) + A + team (side). Reserve is your definition.
5 BLUE – Double definition. A word for a sporting student at Cambridge and the feeling when you are down.
8 CHAIR – Item of furniture = def. I (one) inside CHAR (worker).
9 AFFRAYS – Fights = def. A homophone (you might say) of A PHRASE (a few words).
11 FREEMASONRY – A double definition, the second part of which is cryptic. A secret society is a type of building work in the sense of structure that costs you nothing!
13 AT LAST – Finally = def. T (a sort of junction) goes after ATLAS (map).
14 DIVERS – Another double definition clue. An old word that means various (more commonly seen with an extra ‘e’ on the end). It also means another name for people who go into water.
17 DELIVERANCE – Mixed feelings about this clue, perhaps more at home in a 15 x 15. A word meaning release is the title of a famous 1970’s film, which starred Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds and a lot of water.
20 ADVERSE – unfavourable = def. A wordsum. AD (publicity) + VERSE (poet’s output).
21 BREVE – Note = def. B (bachelor) + EVER (rev, getting repulsed).
22 EURO – Coin = def. RUE (street of paris) [rev] + O (round).
23 PEDESTAL – Stand = def. P.E. (gym exercises) + anag (nuts) of SALTED.

Down
1 SACK – Double definition. Something that holds coal when it is bought and a word meaning to fire from exployment.
2 TEARFUL – Becomes very sad = def. Anagram (strangely) of AFTER + U (university) + L (LEARNER).
3 SCREENSAVER – A double definition clue with both parts cryptic. Someone who was trying to prevent the closure of a cinema may be said to be one of these. it also refers to a sort of picture seen on your PC.
4 DEAR ME – Gosh = def. ARM (weapon) inside DEE (RIVER).
6 LEARN – Like 17, I wonder whether this belongs in a quick puzzle. To find the definition you need to complete the clue with the answer and make a statement. It’s sort of asking you to think backwards. The rest of the ‘clue’ is also the wordplay. EAR (attention) goes inside L N (start and end of ‘lesson’).
7 ESSAYIST – Writer = def. SAY (for example) + IS inside EST (Centre of Chester.)
10 FASHIONABLE – Cool = def. SH (quiet) + IONA (Hebridean island) inside FABLE (story).
12 HARD CASE – Tough guy = def. An anagram (organised) of CHARADES.
15 EVEREST – Challenge for climber = def. Inside SEVERE STORM = EVEREST.
16 FREEZE – A pet hate in homophone clues is where the indicator comes in the middle so that you can’t decide which of the two to enter (e.g. as in “Number said as well (3)’). Luckily here the homophone indicator is at the end, so the one to enter is the definition of don’t move.
18 LIVER – Organ = def. (O)LIVER – musical except for the beginning,
19 TELL – A double definition clue = a word meaning to count is also the surname of a famous Swiss folk hero, named William.

15 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 54 by Flamande”

  1. Haven’t done the crossword yet but want to catch you early. I would be really grateful if someone would tell me what Z8 means. Will be having a go after work. Best of luck at the hospital, Macavity.
    1. Z8 – or to give him his full title – z8b8d8k – is a regular contributor and blogger on the 15×15 puzzles. Not only is he known for his wit and wisdom but also for his kindness in prompting his wife, munk1puzl, in her increasingly successful and confident cryptic solving.
  2. This was all going swimmingly – I got the long ones of 10dn and 17ac when I had all the other letters (checkers) – but then I came to 19dn. This was the LOI but it took ages to twig – mainly because I’d never associated this person with the country. This therefore gets my COD as I’ve learnt a little bit more. 13 minutes.

    Edited at 2014-05-22 08:43 am (UTC)

  3. At 13 minutes I found this one a bit trickier than of late but not as hard as Flamande’s first three puzzles. I lost time writing PUT ASIDE at 1ac despite not being able to justify it fully against the wordplay.
  4. 5 mins, although this puzzle felt on the tricky side. I don’t recall seeing the type of clue used for 6dn in a QC before, and in fact I associate it more with Guardian puzzles. ESSAYIST was my LOI after FREEMASONRY.
    1. Certainly the blank space is unusual for the Times but I think the construction would be pretty standard if one substituted ‘this’ for the blank.
  5. Yes, I do hope there is nothing amiss, macavity. I found this on the easy side -10mins. 6d was an interesting clue as others have mentioned. 10d needed a little work so a good exercise for new solvers while 8ac and 16d were good for getting them used to homonyms…or is it homophones? I can never remember. Along with another 1970s movie, “Don’t Look Now”, “Deliverance” still has the power to chill!
  6. Is 11 across really cryptic 2nd half? Getting building work for nothing is just free masonry, no?
    1. Well yes but with a space I think. If the clue was (4,7) then I suppose the first half would have been cryptic.
  7. I am a newby so probably shouldn’t try to answer here. I think because the indicator of homonym comes after wall decoration it applies to that and therefore don’t move is the definition. Also the convention is that definitions are invariably at the end or start not in the middle of clues
    1. Completely agree Bryanlawson! It has to be frieze because wall decoration is the definition with no indication that it is a ‘sounds like’. Whereas don’t move has the indicator. It’s made my day for two relative newbies to be a) active on the blog and b) raising valid points and good explanations. In the 15×15 section I’ve raised exactly the same point recently – but when the indicator was in the middle.
  8. I still don’t understand why the answer can’t be FRIEZE since both halves of the clue have equal weight and the ‘we’re told’ is adjacent to the wall decoration, not the ‘don’t move’.
    From beginner/improver
  9. Very much enjoyed this crossword. But some of the clues seemed to me “big brother” style, i.e like the main cryptic For example 14a = divers. I can’t remember seeing this form used in common parlance, but put in because “it had to be” and then found out the definition is completely accurate. Also deliverance, which I would usually takes as being an act of delivering, but is also defined as as a release from slavery/bondage. As well 10dn = fashionable, with the use of Iona, an old chestnut to the 15×15 users, but probably quite unfamiliar to the newbie….

    My own feeling is that such clues may put off the newer solvers and perhaps should be avoided. But maybe if the quick cryptic is viewed as an introduction to “big brother” then they have a purpose. If there’s a fence I’m happy to sit on it 🙂

    Nigel from Surrey

Comments are closed.