Quick Cryptic 13 by Carpathian

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This is the thirteenth 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 indicate which bits are part of the answer, eg R in CEASE means that ‘in’ is not part of the answer
  • anagram *(SENATOR) shows letters in clue being used,
  • anagrind the anagram indicator (arranged)
  • surface – the meaning from reading the clue – so often cryptic clues use an English that could only be found in a cryptic crossword, but a smooth surface is a clue that has a meaning in English, which can be pointed or misleading.

TODAY’S TRICKS – from the crossword site – which can be found at  www.theguardian.com/crosswords/quick-cryptic/13

Clues begin or end with a definition of the answer. The rest is one of these:

    1. Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
      ‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON
    2.  Hidden word Answer is hidden in the clue’s words
      ‘Some have altered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
    3. Charade A combination of synonyms
      ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
    4. Acrostic The first letters of the answer
      ‘Initially get a good joke (3)’ gives GAG

ACROSS
1 ASSASSINATE Kill two donkeys in a time on Earth (11)

Charade of ASS ASS (two donkeys) IN A (from the clue) T (time) E (earth)
T = time from Physics formulae
E – for Earth as in electrical plug wiring (but I couldn’t find it in my Chambers (1998)
Things I forgot to add in the wee small hours and have been reminded by a post ASS = donkey is  a regular crossword equivalence.  It sometimes gets clued as American rear, depending on the setter
7 GRIND Crush first bits of grapefruit, rendering into nice dish (5)

acrostic (first bits of) Grapefruit Rendering Into Nice Dish
8 FORTE Chef or teacher hiding strong point (5)

Hidden (hiding) in cheF OR TEacher
FORTE is commonly used in English to refer to strong points.  In crosswordland it’s one of many words introduced from musical terms – which are another source abbreviations.  F for loud/strong is the musical abbreviation of FORTE, and is often used.  We had rit for ritenuto – to hold back or slow down in a crossword this week (to build merit)
9 LAUREL Bay’s strange allure (6)

anagram (ALLURE)* anagrind (strange)
I meant to add this last night, but missed it – another crossword staple is  LAUREL as bay.  The LAUREL crown or wreath worn by the Romans was actually bay, often called bay laurel, the leaves used in cooking, rather than LAUREL, which is toxic.   I have a little bay tree by my front door and it’s regularly misidentified as LAUREL.
11 ONLY Just or not, losers yield initially (4)

acrostic (initially)  Or Not Losers Yield
12 NAP Short sleep in an apartment (3)

hidden (in) aN APartment
14 GLAD Pleased guests loved artfully designed starters (4)

acrostic (starters)  Guests Loved Artfully Designed
15 MOLEST Interfere with burrowing creature next to street (6)

charade of  MOLE (burrowing creature) + (next to) ST (street)

All the map abbreviations for roads get used in cryptic crosswords – ST, AVE, LA, TER for street, avenue, lane and terrace, for example
18 AMISS Diagram is, sadly, partly wrong (5)

hidden (partly) in diagrAM IS Sadly
19 ALERT Warn leaders of all local establishments regarding theft (5)

acrostic (leaders) of All Local Establishments Regarding Theft

with a nice surface suggesting warning pubs/shops about shoplifters
20 SENTIMENTAL Soft-hearted male’s intent to change (11)

anagram of *(MALES INTENT) anagrind (to change)
DOWN
1 ANGEL Celestial being is in range luckily (5)

hidden (in) rANGE Luckily
Celestial is a useful catch all in crosswords, covering all things found in space, the sky and heaven, so comets, planets, angels, cherubs, and etc.
2 STIMULATION Mutilation’s awful provocation (11)

anagram *(MUTILATIONS) anagrind (awful)
3 SODDEN Turf on lair getting drenched (6)

charade of SOD (turf) on DEN (lair)
(adding) Both SOD for the lumps of turf and DEN / lair are such regularly used synonyms that they are worth stashing away.
4 INFO Knowledge concealed by certain forces (4)

hidden (concealed by) certaIN FOrces
INFO might feel like an abbreviation but it’s in my Chambers as an informal colloquial form of information.  Other equivalents to watch out for are gen or bumf
5 ARRANGEMENT Disorganised ranger meant to give order (11)

anagram  *(RANGER MEANT)  anagrind (disorganised)
6 ELEGY Novel, e.g. Yellowface containing sombre poem (5)

hidden (containing)  novEL EG Yellowface
The surface is referring to the novel Yellowface by R F Kuang
The most famous ELEGY is Thomas Gray’s Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.
10 LAM Hit list angered me primarily (3)

acrostic (primarily) of List Angered Me
LAM – the first definition in Chambers is to beat
13 POTAGE Weed over period of time provides soup (6)

charade  POT (weed) over (in a down clue) AGE (period of time)
Pot/weed is one of the many drug references to be found in cryptic crosswords.
Esau sold his birthright for a mess of potage or soup
14 GLASS Slags off Mirror (5)

anagram *(SLAGS) anagrind (off)
The surface is suggesting the UK tabloid newspaper, The Mirror, might be coming under some criticism, so playing with two meanings of the word.
16 TOTAL Heads of this organisation take ages loading aggregate (5)

acrostic (heads of)  This Organisation Take Ages Loading
17 ASTI It’s a fizzy wine! (4)

anagram *(ITS A)  anagrind (fizzy)
The clue and the wordplay all tie together – ASTI is a fizzy wine!  so a great surface here–
so I guess this is what is called an &lit clue. and this is why I blog the Quick Cryptic and Quiptic crosswords, because defining the type clue gets debated and I personally tend to scroll past those discussions.

 

25 comments on “Quick Cryptic 13 by Carpathian”

  1. In my opinion, this was so much better positioned than last week, and contained several great clues as a bonus. Favourites were the long anagrams, ASSASSINATE (for the two donkeys) and POTAGE. I learned that a bay tree is a LAUREL.

    Thanks Carpathian and Shanne

  2. This puzzle seemed to me to be designed to teach beginners about initial letter clues and hidden word clues.

    Constructing these puzzles cannot be easy. The trick is to realize that your audience, while lacking in cryptic crossword expertise, is intelligent, keen to learn, and possessed of a level of general knowledge on a par with experienced cruciverbalists. I think Carpathian does a good job of this – as she has done for years with the Quiptics. She doesn’t expect you to know all the tricks – she is teaching them to you – but she expects you to be smart and to bring at least an average amount of general knowledge to the table. Nicely done. And nicely done, Shanne with your helpful but not condescending blogs.

  3. Excellent blog Shanne. Thanks.

    cellomaniac@2
    I think Carpathian does a good job of this – as she has done for years with the Quiptics.
    Fully agree. Brilliant work by the setter. Thanks to her.

    ASTI
    I feel this is not an &lit clue. The whole clue works as the definition-no doubt. However, the wordplay doesn’t
    make use of the word ‘wine’ in the clue.
    Many bloggers and solvers categorise such clues as semi &lit. Yesterday Phi (the setter) used this categorisation elsewhere.

  4. Thank you once again Shanne.

    Perhaps you should point out bay = LAUREL is a crossword staple. The bay leaf herb does come from a species of laurel, but it isn’t an association that springs to most people’s minds – people that don’t do crosswords, that is.

    Donkey = ASS is of course used in the outside world, but it is so common in crosswords perhaps this, too, should be given a mention.

    Thank you to Carpathian for setting such a lovely puzzle.

  5. Thought that was a really nice addition to the QC beginner series from Carpathian. All those hidden words and acrostics getting checkers on the board.

    Beginners are also getting a glimpse of how many different ways these types of clue can be written “in”, “partly”, “hiding”, “concealing” / “heads of”, “initially”, “primarily” etc. Also that hidden words can cross three words, cross the printed line of the clue, or as “an apartment” shows – need to look at the small, ‘unimportant’ words. This is the sort of stuff that old hands take for granted and think is obvious.

    I’ve produced another live solve talking through my approach here … https://youtu.be/UsYFOoBG6ug

  6. Thank you Remus @4 – I’ve added more on both those suggestions – I meant to do the laurel last night, but forgot running through. I’ve also added a bit on musical terms, because they are also such a regular.

    I’ve also given up on trying to discuss types of clue, beyond the tricks going – it really is why I don’t blog the other cryptic crosswords, although I do complete the Guardian every day, most of the FT’s and some of the Independent’s.

  7. Much more achievable that last week, although I’m not sure how much of that is due to the high dose of “letter play” clues – as a new solver I’m finding anagrams, acrostics, hidden words, alternating letters and even insertions/deletions much more straightforward than some of the charades, double definitions or soundalikes.

    I’m curious what commenters would recommend as the “next step” above these for beginners?

  8. Marc @7 – the other crossword that’s suggested is the Guardian Quiptic – which tomorrow I get to blog too. It’s an online crossword only. That’s settled down to being a more consistent level. The Observer Everyman used to be a beginner crossword, but those of us who do it are disputing that now. The old Everyman crosswords are available online, as are the Quiptics, so there’s a back catalogue to use.

    In other papers, the Daily Telegraph used to be a starting point, but I don’t buy it so don’t know what the level is now – it’s behind a paywall.

  9. Thanks Shanne, I’ll give the Quiptic a go tomorrow. Managed about half of last week’s so probably a good level to challenge myself now these are becoming easier.

  10. Like others I thought this was just right and better judged than last week’s.

    Lovely beginners’ puzzle and great blog

  11. Excellent puzzle for beginners and very enjoyable.

    Marc @7 – I had sort of struggled with cryptics for years and then I discovered fifteensquared which helped me a lot to improve. I used to go back through the Guardian archives online and do old Everyman & Quiptic puzzles as well as (in those days) Rufus’s Monday cryptics. I would then look them up here at fifteensquared to read the parsing, especially of the ones I had not solved or understood how to parse.

    For any beginners now, apart from the Quick Cryptic, I would recommend they go back over old Everyman puzzles (which I am also doing now), say from #3600 backwards, then refer to the relevant fifteensquared blog. For the Guardian link it is easy to do, just use the current link and change the last 4 digits to 3600, eg
    https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/4053 becomes
    https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3600
    then continue with
    https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3599
    https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3598
    https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3597
    and so on.

    The reason I recommend them is because I think they were easier back then.

    You can then refer to the relevant fifteensquared blogs for those puzzles.

    Good luck!

  12. ASTI
    I commented @3 assuming that discussions on the type of clue were welcome.
    Shanne! Please delete my comments. I don’t want to confuse the readers.

  13. Nicely set by Carpathian, a lovely gentle jaunt over breakfast for me. Managed this week’s QC without referring here. But then I come to this page to check my reasonings and pick up on the excellent crossword knowledge nuggets provided by Shanne.
    Thanks Carpathian and Shanne.

  14. As a beginner to cryptic crosswords, I really enjoy the Guardian quick cryptic – very accessible. Very much appreciate these blogs to help improve my understanding of the clues – thanks.

  15. KVa @12, I don’t think it’s a problem to discuss type of clue, but personally I’m with Shanne on some of the more subtle distinctions. I don’t really care what the label is for a type of clue, as long as I can understand the clue well enough to solve and, preferably, parse it. But I’m perfectly happy for those who do deal in such subtleties to discuss them, even here in the beginners’ section.

    Excellent blog, Shanne, and HG @5, that’s a lovely example of how someone can approach a puzzle; I recommend it to any beginner. And if Carpathian is looking, well done to you, that was very enjoyable and pitched nicely for a Quick Cryptic.

  16. A Quick Cryptic set by Carpathian and blogged by Shanne is becoming a weekly treat for me. I have a go at the main crossword most days with varying degrees of success but frequently find clues that I have no idea where to begin with. Many of the references and abbreviations are like a secret code! So the expanded explanations so clearly set out are hugely helpful in adding to my understanding, thank you Shanne.

  17. Excellent blog , crossword and type of grid, I also think it is good to have two of the easier types of clue each week, this time hidden and acrostic. Helps newer solvers to get letters in the grid and learn to spot these in other crosswords.
    Cellomaniac@2 says it all about Carpathian , I think she should get the Monday Guardian every fortnight , alternating with Vulcan.

  19. The rounded and fullsome discussion of the answers by Shanne here would have something to offer to almost all solvers I think. Extremely well done – and a really good move by the Guardian too.

    Some delicious surfaces by Carpathian.

  20. POTAGE – my innocent mind was trying to think of all the garden weeds beginning with P.

    Liked ALERT, SENTIMENTAL.

    Re: level of difficulty – easier than last week (although I thought some were harsh on Maskerade last week – I think at some stage the setter has to gradually introduce us to crosswordlandisms like “workers” = “ants” etc).

  21. Really enjoyed this one. First time I’ve completed the puzzle without coming here for some answers.
    I feel electric.
    Thanks to everyone involved.

  23. That was a lovely little puzzle. Thanks Carpathian, and Shanne for your excellent blogging.

    Having watched these and seen the difficulty vary over the weeks, and listened to the pleas not to make it harder, I wonder whether it is time to change it up just a little as a way of bridging the divide between this and the quiptic (which is quite variable in its complexity). After all, there is now a fair archive of these.

    The hidden word and acrostics are quite simple clues (i.e. no need to run through a list of potential synonyms, or pick which bits of the clue to charade) and provide a lot of useful crossers for the other clues.

    Perhaps, rather than increase the misdirection, or increase the abstraction levels – and especially when both h/w and acrostics are in play, these puzzles could use more than 4 types of clues to expand the thought process for the solver.

  24. Found this much more doable than the last two or three weeks. The only one I got without really understanding was POTAGE; like Zihuatanejo@20 it didn’t even cross my mind to think of weed as a drug.

    I struggled with some of the long anagrams, as I think I’m over-reliant on the anagram helper so I’ve been forcing myself not to use it for the quick cryptics.

    Thanks both.

  25. Found this one a walk in the park compared to some of the others, although I wasn’t 100% certain about 9a (LAUREL) and 10d (LAM). The only time I’ve ever heard the word LAM was in the title of a Simpsons episode (“Marge on the Lam”), which proved just about enough for me to risk it. LAUREL was then the only word I could find that fitted the anagram. My thinking was that there must be a place called Laurel Bay somewhere, so thanks Shanne for putting me right about that!

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