This is the fourteenth 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/14
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 - Charade A combination of synonyms
‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port) - Double definition Both halves are definitions!
‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DUBIOUS | Call debts ‘questionable’ (7)
charade of DUB (call) and IOUS (debts) Dub is one of those words that comes up in crosswords and arcane ceremonies – when someone receives a knighthood they are dubbed a knight. IOUS for debts or owing is a crossword standard – if you haven’t come across it before it comes from a shorthand for I owe you, and has been around since at least 1618 – signed notes to attest to debts. |
| 5 | CUE |
Rod’s prompt (3)
double definition – as in the implement used in snooker or pool and the stage instruction.
Here, the apostrophe s means is, and is ignored, but for the surface it looks like the name Rod, short for Rodney or Roderick.
|
| 7 | FLOAT |
Bob converted a loft (5)
anagram – of (A LOFT)* anagrind converted
Again a sneaky capitalisation at the beginning of the clue to suggest the man’s name, not the meaning meant here.
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| 8 | OWNER |
Some callow, nervous landlord? (5)
hidden in (some) callOW NERvous
the question mark here is designating a definition by example – because landlord is just one example of an OWNER
|
| 9 | RAKE |
Libertine’s helping of extra ketchup (4)
hidden (helping of) in extRA KEtchup
RAKE is another of those useful words with multiple meanings
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| 10 | WATERY |
Wishy-washy war, yet to be resolved (6)
anagram of (WAR YET)* anagrind (to be resolved) used in the sense of having to be re-solved to sort the letters out.
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| 11 | PEN |
It beats the sword holder (3)
double definition from the pen is mightier than the sword, so beats the sword, and the sort of pen that holds animals.
This sort of allusive definition – referring to a well known phrase or proverb – is common in cryptic crosswords. Here the second definition is clear, but that’s not always the case where the other part of the clue is word play.
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| 12 | TIERED |
Draw cardinal as a wedding cake! (6)
charade of TIE (draw) and RED (cardinal) to give you the multiple layers of a wedding cake.
RED gets defined in many ways, here as the colour, but also as wine or a homophone for read. Cardinal can mean the number, the colour, or the churchman – all of which get used.
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| 13 | STIR |
Prison commotion (4)
double definition – both using meanings of the words that might not be thought of first.
Prison can mean can (from American slang), bird, stir, porridge, gaol, jail, inside – just off the top of my head, so turns up a lot in crosswords as it’s so ambiguous and can be used to mislead
|
| 16 | NOISE | One is amazingly sound (5)
anagram (ONE IS)* anagrind (amazingly) |
| 17 | RECAP | Repeat from cooked caper (5)
anagram (CAPER)* anagrind (cooked) – to RECAP something is to repeat it |
| 18 | RIG |
Doctor aboard frigate (3)
hidden (aboard) in fRIGate
Doctor in crosswords is often used as an anagram indicator, in the same sense as here. It can also be clued by any of the abbreviations: Dr, GP, MO, MD or other kinds of doctor, such as surgeon.
coming back to add to this as someone was having problems – one of the definitions of doctor is the verb meaning to tamper with or falsify – which is how it gets used as an anagrind, The third definition of rig in Chambers is to manipulate unscrupulously, which I think is the meaning meant here.
|
| 19 | AVERTED |
State Edward turned away (7)
charade of AVER (state) and TED (Edward)
Aver is one of those words you come across in books, where the author seems to have had the same English teacher I had, who gave us lists of words to use instead of nice or said, she averred.
|
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DEFER |
Dicky freed and put on ice (5)
anagram of (FREED)* anagrind (dicky)
Dicky in the surface is suggesting a boy’s name, and hiding the misleading capital at the beginning of the clue (a regular sneaky trick), but it can also mean dodgy, as in he has a dicky heart, which is why it gets used as an anagram indicator.
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| 2 | BOOKKEEPING |
Accountant’s activity that risks a library fine (11)
double meaning – slightly whimsical second definition – keeping books past their due date does risk a library fine. An accountant is a bit more than a bookkeeper, but in crosswordland near enough is good enough.
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| 3 | OATH |
Bond helps build boathouse (4)
hidden (helps build) in bOATHouse
as in my oath is my bond – bonds can be pieces of paper with promises on them – like bank notes in the UK, which say they promise to pay the bearer, which makes them bonds.
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| 4 | SLOGAN |
Labour has one election catchphrase (6)
charade of SLOG (labour) and AN (one) to a SLOGAN (catchphrase)
the surface here is topical as we’ve just had a General Election, so Labour, the party, is suggested by the initial capital letter, and a slogan can be an election catchphrase, but that really is a definition by example.
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| 5 | CONNECTICUT |
State of join I tore (11)
charade of CONNECT (join) + I (from the clue) + CUT (tore) to give the American state.
I did check the equivalence of CUT and tore, and I can just about exchange them in a sentence in the meaning of movement – she cut/tore along the back routes in a hurry.
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| 6 | EARLY |
Ahead of time as a nobleman?(5)
double meaning – with another whimsical second meaning – to be like an earl could be EARL-Y
and that’s a trick often seen in crosswords – adding -ish or -y to words and cluing them as a or be like.
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| 10 | WED |
The two of us would get hitched? (3)
double meaning – the two of us would is WE’D and to get hitched is to WED
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| 11 | PESETA |
Turn tap, see money! (6)
anagram (TAP SEE) with anagrind (turn) to give the old Spanish currency before the Euro.
The surface here conjures up an entertaining image.
|
| 12 | TENOR |
In contrast, enormous voice (5)
hidden (in) contrasT ENORmous
voice so often means TENOR or bass, or any of the SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) abbreviations, but it can also mean to express or say something.
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| 14 | RAPID |
Fast sort of music credentials (5)
charade of RAP (sort of music) + ID (credentials)
ID turns up a lot in crosswords both as credentials but also as part of Freud’s mind definitions and the state abbreviation for Idaho.
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| 15 | BRAE |
Bare, rocky Scottish hillside (4)
anagram of (BARE) with anagrind (rocky) to give the one of many Scots words encountered in crosswords – as found in By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes of Loch Lomond.
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The puzzle was fine, Ta to setter and blogger.
BOOKKEEPER didn’t feel like a DD? More like a CD? “activity that risks a library fine” would be BOOKKEEPING?
Again, not complaining, I liked the puzzle plenty. Just that it would confuse a beginner who wasn’t told to expect a CD.
Hi Washington Irving @1 – the way these Quick Cryptic crosswords are set are to only have 4 different clue types, and the only one that fitted of the four, charade, hidden, anagram and double definition, is double definition, so that’s what it had to be. I’m not arguing with the setter and reclassifying their clues.
I think there needs to be a tweak in the blog, Shanne. The solution is BOOKKEEPING, (not BOOKKEEPER], and the definition is accountant’s activity, which does make it a double definition, the second being a bit of whimsy as you say. A bit of tally room fatigue maybe? 🙂
Thanks for PEN. I only saw it as a cryptic definition, missing the ”holder”, as a double def, and wondered why it was not one of the four. 🙁
Thanks, paddymelon, correction done.
Possibly the first QC from Brummie. I’m interested to see how the beginners find this one because, while for me it was the closest I’ve come to a write-in; I suspect there were many things in there they won’t know or be able to get …. debts=IOUS, AVER=stated, LIBERTINE=rake, TIERD, spotting the hidden OATH, and I couldn’t parse RAPID’s charade among others.
Anyway, I’ve done my usual live solve over at https://youtu.be/wnAxWohHhyI … hopefully useful although I feel with it being more of an inspired solve and filling in checkers, it may not be as helpful as usual.
I found some of the definitions to be rather dubious. They are the sort of thing we might find in more difficult cryptic, and so I suppose they are valid for training new solvers, but I found this rather hard for a Quick Cryptic.
I don’t think anyone can complain about “as a nobleman” for “EARLY” in 6, particularly with its question mark, but “holder” for PEN in 11a is perhaps a little too convoluted. One meaning of “pen” is something that holds, but I can’t think of any situation in which one might use one word for the other.
Incidentally, “as a nobleman” in 6 should be bold and underlined, being a definition.
I often struggle with synonyms, so double definitions can be difficult as there are only synonyms as clues. Definitely not a write in for me.
Labour as a possible anagram indicator held me up, trying to find an anagram of “has one”.
Excellent puzzle. Very enjoyable.
My favourites: EARLY, PEN.
Thanks, both.
Remus @6 – checking Chambers (the BRB), the first definition of pen is the small enclosure for animals – and under hold, holding is defined as confining animals, with holder as the noun.
I interpreted it as another whimsical definition, of which this crossword includes several, and thought it was quite a fair crossword to introduce these definitions, as there are hidden clues and anagrams to get a foothold, plus the quirky definitions are part of double definitions, where, except this one, the other part is quite clear and pen is one of the words in the centre that doesn’t need solving if all the crossers are solved around it.
Thank you for the blog.
I really struggled with 5a, 9a, 12a, 19a.
4d, 5d and 6d were beyond me. Particularly 6d…I had no idea where the ‘y’ came from.
Thanks for the blog Shanne. I had never heard of ‘stir’ as prison or ‘aver’ as state. Got 1a, dubious, from the crossers, I wouldn’t have thought of dub. Also challenged by the pen being mightier than the sword – fell straight into the trap of trying to find different names for a sword holder…. Can see all the parsing now you have explained it though and the additional info is really helpful.
Struggled with this one for a while but then started to see it – especially the hidden words and some of the anagrams. The latter due to having some different words to signal the anagram – like ‘amazing’. Good challenge though. Thanks Brummie, and to Shanne for the again excellent explanations.
As an improver (although I would trouble to defend this description when I try anything other than the Monday Guardian cryptic) rather than a beginner I cover up the Today’s Tricks when tackling the Quick Cryptic – but today I needed all the help I could get! 1ac defeated me (call=dub?) and so missed the hidden word at 3dn. Got everything else but needed help with the parsing of some eg 12ac so thanks Shanne (& Brummie)
I found this tougher too. Perhaps it was due to the hidden words being so skillfully hidden. Nice puzzle and great blog
Thanks Brummie and Shanne
Enjoyed this immensely as a beginner. not too easy, not too difficult, just right. Particularly enjoyed rapid and Connecticut. Thanks to Brummie and Shanne
I’m using the Quick Cryptics to teach my daughter how to do cryptics, and she found this much harder than previous weeks. “Stir” is the sort of inside crosswordism I think we could do without, but I suppose that it could be justified in the spirit of teaching the tricks.
PEN and Holder… I thought this was a sly reference to Penny Mordaunt who held the sword at Charles’ coronation.
Jane @17 – I thought the election slogan for Labour, the problems with prisons, landlords and shortage of available property to let, Wishy-Washy as a nickname for Rishi and the Conservative Party, could all be topical references, but I don’t know when this crossword was set for those to be meant.
As a beginner found this hard. Allusions I didn’t know (except PEN). Took me a long time but managed it eventually. A good brain workout!🏋️♀️
The Quick Cryptic strikes me as one of the best innovations in crosswords for some time, so I was keen to set one myself. I found the task surprisingly difficult – in particular being limited to 4 types of clueing devices and having to make clues easy but not insultingly so. Having finished the task I did wonder if too many of the clues were too easy – seems from many of the comments made here and elsewhere this wasn’t the case.
In retrospect, there are some things I might do differently, eg. cut down on the devious definitions. However, I don’t think beginners should be unduly put off by a failure to solve a clue (or even to not understand it initially when the answer’s revealed) – but to accept it as part of the learning process. So, please keep at it, solvers – it’s worth all the effort!
Finally, I’d like to congratulate blogger Shanne on an excellent analysis of the puzzle. I was struck by the very informative asides on other ways setters might use a word – I wish I’d had that sort of help when I first started learning cryptics!
As someone who has only recently started doing cryptic I’d like to put out a big thank you to Brummie and colleagues as well as the excellent bloggers on this site. The Quick Cryptic has been instrumental in getting me thinking like a cruciverbalist. I’m now generally rattling through the Quick Cryptic, usually completing the Everyman and Quiptic and make good headway on the Guardian cryptic a couple of times a week. My long departed grandfather was a devotee of the Guardian cryptic and this feels like a connection to him. Thank you!
@20 Brummie – thank-you for posting your thoughts and an enjoyable QC yesterday.
I started doing Cryptics a couple of years ago and they were never ‘too easy’. It has taken a lot of practice for me to become competent. I say dumb it down all you like – it’s always possible to find a harder puzzle to tackle when one is ready to step up. Few people will complain at racing through!
I’m commenting on Sunday, because the top half of the prize was almost impenetrable yesterday and I couldn’t get it on the app, so I could not simply switch for relief that I can still solve cryptics, although I usually need some aid.
However, I send these to my children as an encouragement to try, so I need to do them myself. This took me almost as long as today’s Quiptic, so I’ll send that to them as well.
Thank you for dropping by Brummie, really interesting to hear your take on these puzzles.
Sorry to be so slow to respond, today it was our town show, and we had a stall there as GirlGuiding, partly to raise awareness, partly to drum up some new adult volunteers, so I’ve been there all day.
I couldn’t finish this, I found it harder than the quiptic. Couldn’t get 1a, 3 or 12, and managed 13 & 19 without understanding them. I did enjoy BOOKKEEPING and PEN.
Thanks Brummie and Shanne.
I’m new to crosswording and really struggled with this one, so it’s reassuring to see other people finding the clues questionable! Is there a trick to spotting anagrinds, or do you just have to keep staring at them until they make sense? ‘Amazingly’ still doesn’t suggest rearrangement to me, and I’d never heard the word ‘aver’ before. And all those different meanings of ‘prison’!!?? Every day’s a school day eh
Just wanted to say how wonderful it is that you’re going above and beyond with these explanations to help beginners. Informing us how some of these words and tricks might be used in future puzzles really helps!
I was looking up the etymology of “stir” (which is uncertain) and just learned that “stir-crazy” is based on it. I live in North America and have never heard “stir” in isolation, so it’s one of those fun cases where an idiom seems to have outlasted its origin.
Didn’t like: PEN (my thought process was similar to padymelon’s @3)
Was stumped by: TIERED
STIR: I knew this from the Shawshank line:
I’ve had some long nights in stir.
Alone in the dark with nothing but your thoughts,
Time can draw out like a blade.
That was the longest night of my life.
Oh, and also: Stir Crazy with Wilder and Pryor. Lols.
Phew! That felt like a real step-up in difficulty from the last one, which took me about half an hour to complete. With this one, I had to come back the next day with 7 clues still unsolved, and I still ended up bailing on 1a and 4d. I got 19a but was unsure of how it worked, due to never having heard of AVER before. Looking it up on DuckDuckGo just now, I found that about half the results on the first page were about crosswords!
A couple of work friends and I starting trying the main Guardian cryptic in our lunch hour, back in the days when we were always in the office. We did generally OK, but I’m sorry to say, Brummie, that when we saw your name come up we knew we were in for a tough time, and were lucky to get away with double figures in terms of number of clues answered. Good to see you on Quick Cryptic though; it was a tough workout for a semi-beginner like me!