Times Quick Cryptic No 79 by Marty

Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Time taken: Middling (Longer by NHS!)

Apologies for the delay. Poking and prodding (and tweaking) took longer than expected.

Enjoyable stuff from our setter with some nice clues to tease the mind. Favourite clue is 4 down. Off now to the Open University Students Conference at Milton Keynes where I shall be running a quiz on Saturday night. If you’re there, come and say hello!

I completely misparsed (?) the answer to 10 down. Have corrected – Apologies to Marty!

Across
1 CARAVAN – For me the toughest clue today, and the last one I entered. The definition is train. CA = in the region of, about (from the Latin circa). VA (abbreviation for the US state of Virginia) inside RAN (SPED AROUND).
5 PART – Definition is role, Old man = PA added to RT (right).
8 POSTMAN – Job for Pat is definition. POST = after (Latin) + MA (Master’s degree) + N (new). Two kid’s references today with a famous Mob at 6 down!
9 – The definition here is butcher’s cut. It’s a homophone of a type of pole.
11 UNHEALTHIEST – Least fit is your definition. It’s an anagram (being treated) of US ATHLETE IN H (abbreviation for hospital).
12 OSTEND – belgian port = def. O’S (rings) + TEND (liable to appear).
14 WALTER – Man = def. W (with) + ALTER (change).
15 HAND OVER FIST – Lose money rapidly? = def. HAND OVER (Surrender) + FIST (Bunch of fives).
17 FINAL – Important match = def. Hidden (holding) in STAFF IN A LEAGUE
18 TELLING – Double definition clue. Giving an account, plus when something is said to be significant it’s this.
20 GLEN – Valley = def. L (large) contained by (crossing) GEN (knowledge).
21 AS A RULE – Normally = def. An anagram (bursting) of LAURA’S + E.

Down
2 ADO – Fuss caused = def. AD (publicity) = O (round).
3 AITCH – Letter spelled out = def. IT (information technology) inside ACH(E) (brief longing, i.e. with last letter missing).
4 ADAM AND EVE – My clue of the day. First couple = def. This clue is double definition, but the second is a cryptic one. The Cockney Rhyming Slang way ( often used in puzzles as in the East End) of saying that something has credence.
6 ANTHILL – Raised by colonists is your (cryptic) definition – again should it have had a question mark to show it was a little shady. An erection by something that lives in a colony. it’s an anagrem of HINT inside ALL (the sum).
7 TRANSIENT – Temporary = def. Anagram (organised) of INTRANET’S.
10 STEWARDESS – Flight attendant = def. STEW (cook) + ARDE + SS [meat, i.e. innards of LARDER] + SS (VESSEL). and VESSEL]. Hmm – bit liberal with the meat!
11 UPSTAGING – Topping, as in beating something = def. UP (Cheerful) + STAGING (putting on).
13 ENDGAME – Final stage = def. GAME (willing) after END (objective).
16 IDLER – Bummer = def. I’D (The setter had) + L (left) + ER [Last letters (tips) of THE SOLVER}.
19 NIL – A duck = def. NAIL (catch) minus A (Australia’s opener).

13 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 79 by Marty”

  1. 12 minutes. I hope this will prove easier for those that found #78 too difficult as we don’t want newcomers giving up in despair as some were suggesting yesterday.

    Although the link on the button worked correctly from midnight I note the puzzle code has jumped forward out of sequence for the second time this week, this time omitting 10 numbers. I’d like to think this was intentional and there’s some sort of method in the apparent madness, but somehow I doubt it.

    Edited at 2014-06-26 01:42 pm (UTC)

  2. Another pretty tough one, I thought, but managed to scramble through it eventually (45 minutes or so). So, outside my benchmark of 3 times jackkt! (Either you are on top of your game, Sir, or I am behind). But who cares – an enjoyable solve and personally I am not worried about times.

    As with macavity, CARAVAN last one in. Also struggled with ANTHILL and NIL (still don’t get nail = catch).

    Thanks to blogger and setter.

  3. 7 mins, so a little trickier for me. It took a while for me to see the wordplay for CARAVAN, although UPSTAGING was actually my LOI.

    As far as the questions from anonymous above are concerned, nail=catch are definitely synonyms, as in “the detective is going to nail/catch the culprit”. Aitch is simply the letter H, and if it isn’t in your dictionary I genuinely recommend you buy a better one.

  4. Another tough one with a few going in unparsed, CARAVAN (which was an early entry), STEAK (clear when explained) and IDLER which was my last one in and a difficult clue in my view.

    It took some time but I am OK with nail. “I will nail him” similar with “I will catch him”.

    Edit, Andy has got there before me with nail.

    Edited at 2014-06-26 12:52 pm (UTC)

  5. I at least managed about half the clues after two hours, and it is enougH of a challenge for a beginner. Don’t get the word aitch and it has no meaning in the oxford dictionary. I would love an explanation. Agree nail does not have any link to catch. Nail it means complete etc not catch. Still a vast improvement on yesterday’s and at least gives us a fighting chance.
  6. Still too difficult for me but 10 today so a little better! I really don’t like clues which involve random names like Walter today. Thanks again for the really useful blog – without all this help I would certainly have given up!
    1. I found it tough too. Though did manage 14. Really appreciate the blog to help me learn this whole new language 👏
  7. I finished this one, but only by completing it online so that I could make judicious use of the “solution” button to check when I was on the right (but more often the wrong) track. I spent some time, for example, certain that 17a was UNION. Last ones in were TELLING & IDLER and they were less about accurate parsing and more about guesswork!
    A definite improvement on yesterday’s puzzle of impossibility, but still really hard for those of us in the “D” set.
  8. With 9ac and 17ac The Times really has pushed the boat out. 2 out of 5 squares checked (something I’ve never seen before except in certain other papers). What will we get next? 1 out of 3?
    1. Does it actually matter?

      Will Governments fall because a Times setter uses two unches in an odd numbered word than three. Would that it were.

      I don’t like it, but frankly I don’t care. There are many worse things going on in the world, some of them have to do with crosswords.

      1. In fairness to Wil, I think he’s simply pointing out how unusual this is, in the context of crosswords.
        1. It may be unusual in a Times puzzle but they appear in every other puzzle.

          Perhaps the Times are coming into the 20th century now.

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