Times Quick Cryptic No 933 by Joker

Author   TheRotterPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic
I’m ashamed to say that this took me 16 minutes, which I put down to a combination of jet-lag and lack of practice, both the result of more than two weeks spent in Florida.  As a result, please do not use my time as any sort of yardstick!

I did enjoy this, with my COD being 7a, and my WOD being NAPE.  I’m glad to be home, and look forward to improving my times and blogs over the coming weeks.  Thanks Joker

Across
4  Polish off cod, say, outside home (6)
FINISH – Cod is a type of FISH, which surrounds IN (at home) to give FINISH
7  Well-mannered girl broadcasting (8)
DEBONAIR – The girl is DEB and broadcasting is ON AIR
8  Threaten devil will take the hindmost ( 6)
IMPEND – Devil is IMP and hindmost is END.  A storm threatens, or IMPENDs
9  Time showering, perhaps for exercises (8)
TRAINING – T{ime} and RAINING (showering, perhaps)
10  Parrot sheltered by screech-owls (4)
ECHO – Hidden in {scre}ECH O{wls}.  To ‘parrot’ is to repeat the words of, hence ECHO
12  Fair method by judge (8)
MODERATE – Method gives MODE and judge gives RATE
15  Take into account son cried when upset (8)
CONSIDER – Simple anagram (when upset) of [SON CRIED]
18 Very cloudy days leading to ship being created by Noah (4)
DARK – Noah’s ship, was of course the ARK, which is preceded in this case by D{ays} (leading to)
20  Losing weight, fights in the ring with son, keeping moving (8)
RESTLESS – Fights in the ring gives WRESTLES, which after losing W{eight} becomes RESTLES.  With S{on} adds the missing S to give the answer
22  He wraps out a few words (6)
PHRASE – Another easy anagram (out) of [HE RAPS] – nice surface!
23  What strains company taking on moon explorer (8)
COLANDER – CO[mpany} and LANDER (moon explorer).  Those were the days, when we had moon-landers to look forwards to!
24  Harass spies beginning to turn (6)
MOLEST – Those of us that remember George Smiley will recognise MOLES for spies, followed by T{urn} (beginning to, or first letter of…)

Down
1 A good way around European anxiety (4)
FEAR – FAR (a good way) around E{uropean}
2  Do note those voting against a game (8)
DOMINOES – DO (do) MI (note) NOES (those voting against).  One of the oldest games known, the first mention of DOMINOES comes from Chinese writings in the mid 1200’s
3  An element of air mixed with mud (6)
RADIUM – Anagram (mixed) of [AIR] and [MUD]
4  Beginning to feel stiff and cold (6)
FRIGID – First letter (beginning) to F{eel} and RIGID (stiff).
5  Part of the neck of northern primate (4)
NAPE – N{orthern} and APE – one of my favourite parts of the body – forgive my self-indulgence!
6  Menacing senior nurse holding hip? (8)
SINISTER – The senior nurse is a SISTER, and hip is IN (as in fashionable).  SINISTER is taken to mean ominous in this sense (or menacing), but also means on the left in heraldry.
11  Expression of surprise about illicit whisky in child’s toy (4-4)
CHOO-CHOO – The illicit whisky is HOOCH and the expression of surprise is COO.  A CHOO-CHOO is what a child (or its parent) might call a train
13  Lyric poem Delius initially set in Old English (3)
ODE – D{elius} initially (first letter) set in O{ld} E{nglish}
14  Reminiscent of benefit going in payment for accommodation (8)
REDOLENT – DOLE is the benefit, inserted into RENT (payment for accommodation)
16  Straight run (6)
DIRECT – My old advice of ‘two word clues invariably mean a double definition’ holds true again.  To be DIRECT is to be straight, and to DIRECT is to run (as in a company)
17 Score damaged lustre (6)
RESULT – Anagram (damaged) of [LUSTRE]
19  Run from long-legged bird, finding bamboo (4)
CANE – The long-legged bird is a CRANE, from which R{un} s removed
21  Family animals up for a bit of a walk (4)
STEP – The family animals are PETS, which are reversed (up)

19 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic No 933 by Joker”

  1. About 25 minutes, stuck on the cane/molest intersection.
    Finally remembered mole for spy and crane for the bird with long legs.

    Thought restless, colander, choo choo and redolent were good.
    COD 7a debonair

  2. None too speedy here too as I suffered brain-freeze in the NW where all I could think of for ‘those voting agains’ at 2dn was ‘cons’ which unfortunately fitted in with the checkers at the tail-end. I was also delayed a bit in the SE where I couldn’t decide between PETS and STEPS at 21dn until a checker arrived, but looking at it again now the clue can only be read in one way and leads inevitably to STEP, so I don’t know what I was thinking of. Anyway I needed 12 minutes to complete the grid, and that’s three past my target out of four puzzles so far this week.

    Edited at 2017-10-05 04:52 am (UTC)

  3. So not RUSTLE then. That was the result of not reading the clue properly. Or rather, not at all.
    1. Did the same but it just does not mean ‘score’. So tried again and got the result!

      Thought strains in 23a was ‘colonies’ as in bacterial strains…. wrong!

      Edited at 2017-10-05 03:08 pm (UTC)

  4. Going well but then, like flashman, hit cane and LOI molest. I wish I hadn’t checked the time at that point (9 minutes) as this possibly contributed to taking a further 1.30 – just over the 10 minute line. A good challenge from Joker. COD 11dn – I didn’t know where it was going to take me as I put hooch after the first ‘c’ but then the not so obvious answer became very obvious.
  5. A good challenge today which I completed in 16 minutes with LOI 9a where, for some reason, I couldn’t see what was going on until all the checkers were in place. 10a held me up a bit as I wondered if there was a type of parrot called a chow and I didn’t see the answer until the excellent 11d went in.
  6. Totally b*ggered this one up in 10:19 by biffing RESOLUTE and TREK at 20a/21d, for no good reason except that I didn’t see PETS until I looked at the clue again after seeing my errors. Eventually twigged 20a too. A shameful effort! Thanks Joker and Rotter.

    Edited at 2017-10-05 10:40 am (UTC)

  7. Fairly straightforward I thought.Enjoyed 7ac as “broadcasting” is frequently used to indicate a homophone, but not here. CHOO-CHOO was great fun.
    PlayUpPompey
  9. I always enjoy Joker’s puzzles and like his precise clueing and good surfaces.
    So at 2d I had ANTIS ( those voting against) DO and TE and ignoring the spare S put Antidote for an unknown game.
    Apart from that I had an enjoyable and successful time. After corrections I was still finished in 16 minutes with 2d LOI.
    COD narrowly to 4a but also 7a very good. David
  10. Held up for ages by MOLEST and CHOO CHOO – last one in, but clue of the day for me. Way over average in 10:32.
    1. P.S. I neglected to say that I rather enjoyed this. Thanks Joker! And I hope I get to blog a Joker puzzle on one of my alternate Fridays soon.
  11. About 15 mins with a fair amount of head scratching in the bottom half (no pun intended). COD 20a. I think this is at the tough end. Thanks all
  12. I suspect this is the first time in my seven decades I’ve written the word – but only here, as it resulted in my DNF!

    Philip

  14. I agree – always the most enjoyable QC’s-maybe tough but always gettable and no stupid flora or fauna
  15. Did anyone else come up with FOMENT for this one (24a) which is what I wrote in – I quite liked Foreign Office Men for spies? And it would work as a Harass def?
  16. Yes, I too wrote in FOMENT (F.O.men). I didn’t like it, because foment and harass aren’t really synonyms. But then neither are debonair and well-mannered. I thought some of the clueing distinctly loose, not tight at all.

    Treesparrrow

  17. Oops – sorry, Joker. BRB says debonair means ‘of good appearance and manners’; also ‘courteous’. So I couldn’t have been more wrong. My apologies.

    Treesparrow

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