This is the eighth Guardian Quick Cryptic, a series of 11 x 11 crosswords designed to support beginners learning cryptic crosswords. The whole point of these crosswords is support and encouragement of new solvers, so special rules for these crosswords apply – see here. The puzzle can be found here.
Fifteen Squared uses several abbreviations and jargon tricks, there’s a full list here, of which I’ve used the following in this blog:
- underlining the definition in the clue – this is either at the beginning or end of the clue
- capitals to show the letters used in the solution.
- brackets around anagram fodder with an asterisk and anagrind for anagram indicator,
- surface many cryptic clues are written in an English that could only appear in a cryptic crossword – clues with a good surface read as sentences that make sense – often amusing, pointed and/or misleading.
TODAY’S TRICKS from the puzzle https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/quick-cryptic/8
Clues begin or end with a definition of the answer. The rest is one of these:
- Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON - Hidden word Answer is hidden in the clue’s words
‘Some have altered meat (4)’ gives VEAL - Insertion One word inside another makes the answer
‘In favour of republican entering Post Office (3)’ gives PRO - Alternate letters Choose every other letter for the answer
‘Oddly envied First Lady? (3)’ gives EVE
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MASTERPIECE |
Precise team reorganised for great work (11)
anagram of *(PRECISE TEAM) indicated by the anagrind (reorganised).
|
| 7 | CHARMER |
Sonny’s partner keeps weapon for alluring person (7)
Insertion of ARM (weapon) into (keeps) CHER (Sonny’s partner) to give
CH (ARM) ER Cher is such a regular in crosswords as a singer or in this case indicated by her early partner/husband Sonny.
|
| 8 | TAU |
Greek character occasionally scrubbed teacup (3)
alternate letters (occasionally scrubbed) TeAcUp
lots of indicators for looking at alternate letters in a clue, in this case occasionally scrubbed tells the solver to delete alternate letters (although I have seen every third letter kept or other tricks)
|
| 9 | ENDED |
Hugged by girlfriend, Edward stopped (5)
hidden (hugged by) in girlfriEND EDward
|
| 11 | TEACH |
Instruct cheat to reform (5)
anagram *(CHEAT) anagrind (to reform)
|
| 13 | EVE |
Oddly envied First Lady? (3)
alternate letters (oddly) EnViEd
Oddly this one is given as an example above.
Oddly usually indicates the 1st, 3rd, 5th and etc letters in a word for these alternate letter clues. First Lady is often used to indicate the first named woman in the Bible – Eve as in Adam and Eve, but can sometimes refer to other first ladies.
|
| 14 | EARNS |
Makes complex snare (5)
anagram *(SNARE) anagrind (complex)
As in: He makes / earns £20,000 pa
|
| 16 | SHRUB |
Holly, for example, dressed in garish rubber (5)
hidden (dressed in) gariSH RUBber
Holly for example as it is one of many possible shrubs.
|
| 18 | BUS |
Odd parts of bluish vehicle (3)
alternate letters (odd parts) of BlUiSh
odd parts = oddly
|
| 19 | REALIST |
Boxer, during break, is one looking facts in the face (7)
insertion of ALI (boxer) in (during) REST (break)
to give RE (ALI) ST
Even though he died nearly a decade ago, and last fought in 1981 Ali is such a regular in crosswords that he’s the first boxer I think of.
|
| 21 | ABANDONMENT |
Getting jilted upset Batman no end (11)
anagram *(BATMAN NO END) with anagrind (upset)
|
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MACHETE |
Friend pierced by Guevara’s knife (7)
insertion of CHE (Guevara) in MATE (friend) to give MA (CHE) TE (knife)
Che is another crossword staple and usually appears as a revolutionary.
|
| 2 | STAND |
At intervals, use trained bear (5)
alternate letters (at intervals) of uSe TrAiNeD
for STAND as in I can’t stand/bear something no oddly or odd use here as this time even letters are being used (I could see this clued as: Evenly use trained bear)
|
| 3 | ELM |
Periodically cut new lime tree (3)
alternate letters (periodically cut) nEw LiMe to give another tree, the elm, which has almost disappeared from the English countryside since the 1970s attack of Dutch Elm disease.
|
| 4 | PIRATES |
Rodent-filled pastries for buccaneers (7)
insertion of RAT (rodent) into (filled) PIES (pastries)
to give PI (RAT) ES
As an aside Picaroon, the setter, is another name for a pirate. The trick of using a phrase such as “rodent-filled” as two different parts of a clue gets called a lift and separate clue, something Picaroon does a lot.
|
| 5 | EXTRA |
Sussex trader pockets more than is needed (5)
hidden (pockets) in SussEX TRAder
|
| 6 | EMU |
Some remuneration for one unable to fly (3)
hidden (some) in rEMUneration for the flightless bird, the EMU
hidden words aren’t always across several words, they can be hidden in a single word, as here.
|
| 10 | DESIRED |
Wanted action to arrest male teacher (7)
insertion DEED (action) with insertion of (to arrest) SIR (male teacher)
giving DE (SIR) ED |
| 12 | HABITAT |
Panama, say, protects a little living environment (7)
insertion – HAT (Panama, say) around (protects) A BIT (A little) to give
H (A BIT) AT Here an A from the clue is included, as happens often.
|
| 15 | RASTA |
A star playing, possibly Bob Marley (5)
anagram *(A STAR), anagrind (playing)
Bob Marley was famously a Rastafarian, abbreviated to RASTA here.
|
| 17 | RAISE |
Occasionally dread issues in lift (5)
alternate letters (occasionally) of dReAd IsSuEs
|
| 18 | BOA |
Scarf kept in cupboard (3)
hidden (kept in) a cupBOArd
to give a long thin glamorous scarf, known as a feather boa when I was a child but now existing in many different materials.
|
| 20 | AWN |
Even parts of Taiwan will produce a bit of cereal (3)
alternate letters (even parts) of tAiWaN – the awn is the long spiky bit on barley grains and some wild grasses.
|
Thought this was a perfect example by Picaroon and helpful blog by Shanne.
I think beginners will find it approachable.
Thank you for the blog.
I managed to complete this, but I only got DESIRED, ENDED and HABITAT from having other letters and guessed them correctly. I struggled to solve those clues on their own.
Steffen @2 – I think you’re being too hard on yourself. It’s a crossword and the crossers from other clues are meant to help us solvers.
Cold solving clues, solving them without any crossers, is an added challenge.
We used to occasionally get alphabet crosswords from Araucaria for bank holiday prizes, which clued in alphabetical order and had to be entered into the grid where they fitted. That meant cold solving enough clues to get started, and they took ages
Enjoyable puzzle, great one for beginners.
New for me: AWN = a stiff bristle, especially one of those growing from the ear or flower of barley, rye, and many grasses.
Thanks, both.
Well done, Steffen. I find that some days I really struggle, and other days are a bit easier. It’s a very good day if I complete a puzzle without any help from a thesaurus or the check button or a word finder. I tend to use those aids in that order if I am really stuck. With very tough puzzles, a thesaurus may well not help!
Shanne@3: coincidentally, we have an Araucaria-style jigsaw for this week’s Prize.
Being able to cold-solve every clue in a non-jigsaw puzzle is definitely not a requirement, though you will find expert solvers on these blogs who impose it on themselves as an extra level of difficulty. That’s their choice and doesn’t have to be yours.
Congratulations, Steffen.
Happy to confirm that these crosswords are super helpful for beginners! I really struggled with the first one in the series and only got about half the words, but this one I managed to get all the words. A few clues I didn’t completely understand the cryptic, but very pleased!
As a novice cryptic solver, these quick cryptics are so helpful – as is this blog. I managed to get all the words but had to come here for the explanation of some – namely CHARMER, DESIRED & HABITAT. Thanks for the help!
I’m a novice too, and enjoyed this puzzle. The only one I couldn’t get is REALIST. As ALI is not a definition or synonym of ‘boxer’, shouldn’t there be an indicator like “?” or “for example”? Or have I just made that rule up in my head?
And great blog! Thanks for the help!
Paul @9, in crosswords, Ali is used so often as a boxer, I do think of him first (and Cher as singer). He probably should have been indicated with “maybe” or another indication of definition by example (DBE) but he isn’t always in cryptic crosswords.
Top marks to setter and blogger
Thanks Shanne and Picaroon
Liked: ABANDONMENT – poor old jilted Batman!
Was 13a a mistake? It features in the examples!
New to me: AWN
As a novice who decided to take the plunge when these quick cryptics first started coming out, I’ve found myself progressing well – I solved many of today’s clues on the first time through! Many thanks to the Guardian for the accessible puzzle and to this blog for its incredibly useful breakdown of each and every clue.
Still going with these. Enjoying the puzzles and the blog. Thanks all.
So love these quick cryptics!!! Just a shame that the link to fifteen squared is not more visible. That Aha! feeling is a great motivator.
I got 19a from the definition part and some crossed letters and then spent ages trying to figure out what had been done to “pugilist” (boxer) to get the answer “realist”! Clearly barking up the wrong tree there but great to see the actual solution here and will remember Ali for the future.