Times Quick Cryptic Number 39 by Mara

Posted on Categories Quick Cryptic
Hello everyone.

Time taken: medium

It’s that time of the week again and we have a lovely puzzle today which was a pleasure to solve. Think I can work out the identity of our setter from the elegance of the clue writing and the cracking hidden answer, which is one of the hallmarks of our tormentor in some of his other guises. I’m not going to out him but he’s certainly one of my favourites.

Across
1 SCAREDY-CAT – We start with a cryptic definition. The name for someone who’s a bit of amouse but with feline tendencies.
8 GRENADE – Definition here is “explosive” and not just one anagram of ANGERED but also an anagram of ENRAGED!
9 OMANI – IN A MO (shortly, reversed) with the definition being one who lives in a sultanate.
10 SO-SO – A double definition, some thing that is said to be very average is also a way of expressing a superlative with another adjective.
11 CRACKPOT – Ludicrous is the definition. Take the slang name for two drugs CRACK + POT.
13 REALLY – Another double definition clue. A word that means indeed, and when used after a statement can mean ‘are you sure about that?’
14 TOBAGO – Island is your definition. A word meaning also TOO with BAG (luggage) inside [confiscating].
17 NUTHATCH – Hidden answer. Tucked inside “MENU THAT CHOICE” is the name of a bird.
19 ASIA – Another clever clue. The first letters, capitals, of the first four words give the location of the three named in the clue (+ first letter of ALL)!
21 MENSA – Definition is ‘for clever people’. Anagram (stupid) of NAMES.
22 RED ARMY – Russian fighters is your definition. RED (bloody) + an anagram (cocktail) of MARY
23 RETIREMENT – After R (last letter, end of CAREER) goes an anagram (recollection) of ENTER TIME. The whole clue provides a definition.

Down
2 CHELSEA – This was probably the hardest clue to work out today. CHA(S) [Man almost, ie.e without last letter] with ELSE [different] ‘adopted’, i.e. inside. As m’learned friend has suggested CHA(P) is probably the “man” in the clue.
3 REAR – Double definition. A word meaning to raise or bring up, means the same as the bottom of something!
4 DREARY – An anagram of READY with R (river) inside. The definition is ‘PEDESTRIAN’ or humdrum.
5 CHOO-CHOO – At first I entered CHOP-CHOP thinking we wanted a word meaning hurry or express. Couldn’t quite see what the ‘in childish language’ meant. Then realised it’s a cryptic definition referring to what a child may call an express! D’oh!!
6 TRAMP – Definition is ‘one on the street’. TRAM (vehicle) + P (parking)
7 DICTIONARY – An anagram (sorting letters) of INDICATORY gives the name of a reference book.
8 GASTRONOMY – Definition is ‘love of food’. G (beginning to, i.e. first letter of GROW) + ASTRONOMY (Following the stars).
12 PLEASANT – Definition is ‘fair’. L (conclusion, i.e. last letter of TRIAL) goes inside (welcomed by) PEASANT (Philistine).
15 ALSO RAN – ALSO (too) + RAN (hurried) = definition of ‘an unsuccessful competitor’.
16 SCORER – The name for someone who nets is revealed by taking the word for a quantity of twenty and adding R (runs)
18 TENOR – A homophone for a sum of money is also the name of someone who sings.
20 EDAM – Probably today’s gimme clue. MADE (manufactured), reversed gives a type of cheese. Have seen variations on this so many times before.

Thanks to Mara for an elegant, amusing and enjoyable challenge. See you next week!

20 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic Number 39 by Mara”

  1. 6:20, and I did the same as you, Macavity, including the wondering about the ‘childish’; unlike you, though, I left it at that. Never did work out CHELSEA, just went with the checkers. REAR & EDAM rather tired clues, but then that’s one thing that makes these puzzles good for new solvers. I’m not sure I care for the definition of MENSA as ‘clever people’; perhaps ‘pretentious asses’ would have been more accurate.
  2. All very obvious I thought, except for the PEASANT. Never been fond of the derogatory meaning of the term (ODO: “an ignorant, rude, or unsophisticated person”; while “philistine” gets “a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts” — so a rough equivalence). Some very sophisticated French chefs would take “paysan” (if not “philistin”) as a great compliment to the authenticity of their dishes.
    1. My mother once took her mother (who had grown up the daughter of a rabbi in Odessa, and who was definitely indifferent to culture and the arts) to a movie set in pre-WW I rural Russia, and naively asked her as they were watching, “Was that what it was like in the old country, Ma?” To which my grandmother responded indignantly at the top of her lungs, “What? ME, a PEASANT?”

      Edited at 2014-05-01 06:15 am (UTC)

      1. That’s two witty comments in one thread, Kevin! Liked the MENSA one, too. Agree with mctext about peasant/philistine. Initially, I was trying to fit Goliath in there somewhere.
  3. I think the intended ‘man’ in 2dn is probably CHAp rather than CHAs but it works either way of course.

    17 minutes for this one because of a hold-up spotting 1ac and 2dn. Having eventually solved it as my LOI I thought “Feline mouse” was a first-rate clue.

    Edited at 2014-05-01 06:40 am (UTC)

  4. 15 mins with about half of that spent on 1ac, 2dn and 12dn. So I’d expect the blog to get some access for those three alone. I’d agree with jackkt (as usual) – I also read man as chap.
    Crossword cheeses are usually Edam or Brie – wherefore art thou Gorgonzola?
  5. Having completed today’s ‘biggie’ earlier, I found the clues a bit woolly. Not very happy with the definitions of either 13ac or 12dn.
    Did it in 20, with slightly more Z8ery than I had needed for big brother.
    Gloriously clear blog from Macavity many thanks.
    COD 8ac – loved the double anagram 🙂
    LOI 12dn just didn’t geddit for ages.
  6. Oops! Got one wrong – was struggling with 14ac as I worked through the rest: as more checkers came in place, felt it had to be Monaco (but could not work out why), so stuck it in anyway. Forgot entirely about Tobago (where I had a most enjoyable holiday many years ago – spectacular limbo dancing and also Goat Races).

    Good QC – mix of soft entry level clues and some quite tricky ones.

  7. 5 mins, and like Jack I was held up by the SCAREDY-CAT/CHELSEA crossers which were my last two in. The clue for NUTHATCH was indeed very good, and I enjoyed the puzzle.
  8. Could I intrude to say

    1) decent blog macavity, in an impressive half the time it took for me to get mine up. And

    2) today might be a good day for those cutting their teeth on the Quickie to take a bite out of its senior partner. If you can do this, you’ve a reasonable shout on almost all the clues in the 15².

  9. As a relative newcomer to all this, please could someone explain what z8ery is? You guys like your jargon! Really enjoy the quick cryptic and find this site very helpful – thanks.
    1. read the comments from munk1puzl on today’s Times puzzle and all should become crystal clear!
    2. Oh so sorry! That’s totally my fault. Z8 (Z8b8d8k) is my husband who does the blog for the biggie on alternate Thursdays. He’s been helping to introduce me to the realm of cryptics by being on hand to offer support if requested. So, essentially, Z8ery is a measure of how much support I’ve needed from him to complete a crossword 🙂

      Edited at 2014-05-01 10:15 pm (UTC)

  10. Your cat, macavity, certainly does not look like a 1ac! That and Chelsea (I don’t have SKY so didn’t see last night’s debacle) were my LOI. Medium time, too -14mins with nothing outstanding apart from the two clues mentioned. EDAM and REAR were so obvious but perhaps not so to newcomers to the Cryptic. Thanks, macavity for a very clear blog. For the first time this week I can access TftT easily.

    Edited at 2014-05-01 03:22 pm (UTC)

  11. 13 minutes. Like many found 1ac and 2d the last to go in, but a well-balanced offering and some good clues.
  12. This beginner dind’t get rear but I’ll remember it now!
    Lovely blog, thanks.
  13. Just for a while didn’t think I’d finish without a cheat, which would have been a first for me with the quickies. But eventually got scaredy cat (why did it take me so long!) and Chelsea last one in (again very slow to see even with some checkers in place). Nice one Mara, more like this please.

    Nigel from Surrey

  14. This beginner loved this puzzle and loves the blog even more! It’s really helping me to improve by reading it daily. Thank you all.
  15. I’m not as jubilant as yesterday but I did solve all but five clues before I ventured here looking for help, advice, guidance and solace. I had plane instead of tramp so that didn’t help, and Scaredy cat, chelsea, rear and dreary all eluded me. I feel heartened that other beginners found it harder too.

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