This is the twenty-ninth 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. There is a summary of what has been learned over the first 6 months (26 puzzles) here. The puzzle can be found here.
This week we continue consolidating clue types learned earlier in the series. This crossword uses anagrams and acrostic clues which provide all the required letters, with soundalike and charade clues that have been met many times before. Today’s setter sees a return of Picaroon, one of the Guardian’s busier setters, who has been setting these Quick Cryptic puzzles from the start. He also is one of the regular Quiptic setters. There are some new terms and abbreviations introduced here.
This week’s experiment is hiding the answers, so you can see what’s there, but not unless you click on it. And following on from further suggestions, I’m hiding how the clue works, but making the indicator red.
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, e.g. PASS (qualify) to get PORT (drink) or Give A Good (for GAG -joke) see below
- anagram *(SENATOR) shows letters in clue being used, see clue below.
- anagrind the anagram indicator (arranged)
- charade – the description below only gives the example of words being added together, but charades can be more complicated, adding abbreviations or single letters to another word. Examples previously used in this series are: Son ridicules loose overgarments (6) S (son) + MOCKS (ridicules), Get rid of dead pine (5) D (dead) + ITCH (pine) – D ITCH
- CAD or clue as definition– where the whole clue gives the definition, sometimes called an &lit.
- DBE or defintion by example – e.g. where a dog might be clued as a setter – often using a question mark, maybe, possibly or e.g. to show that this is an example rather than a definition.
- soundalike / homophone clues – using inverted comments to show a word that soundsalike, for example Oscar “Wilde” the playwright sounds like WILD (excited) – see below.
- 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/29 – because the clues have moved on from the clue descriptions below, I am now adding more to the descriptions above.
Clues begin or end with a definition of the answer. The rest is one of these:
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- Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON - Charade A combination of synonyms
‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port) - Soundalike Something that sounds like the answer
‘Excited as Oscar’s announced (4)’ gives WILD - Acrostic The first letters of the answer
‘Initially get a good joke (3)’ gives GAG
- Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
| ACROSS |
Click on “details” to read solution |
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| 1 | Local government representatives, people who give advice loudly (11) |
COUNCILLORS
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soundalike clue (loudly) of “counsellors” (people who give advice)
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| 7 |
To Eve, I’m potentially stirring up a lot of feelings (7)
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EMOTIVE
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anagram of (TO EVE I’M) with an anagrind of potentially
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| 8 |
Snow White’s friend heads for District of Columbia (3)
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DOC
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acrostic of (heads for) District Of Columbia
Another useful list to remember are the names of the seven dwarfs of Disney fame. This one is a regular.
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| 9 |
Heard Jabba from Star Wars, say, in crude dwelling (3)
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HUT
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soundalike (heard) of this character
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| 10 |
Communicate the crossword setter’s role (6)
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IMPART
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charade of I’M (the crossword setter’s) + PART (role)
This is an extension of something we’ve seen before – the use of the setter in the clue – here the equivalent of the crossword setter is becomes I am or I’m.
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| 13 |
Barking dogs at men-only party (4,2)
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STAG DO
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anagram of (DOGS AT) with anagrind of barking
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| 15 |
Couple also in discussion (3)
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TWO
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soundalike (in discussion) of “too” (also)
The grammar of soundalike clues can be difficult, but in this one, the definition, couple, is at the beginning, the other soundalike, also, is next to the soundalike indicator, meaning that the meaning has to be couple.
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| 17 |
Deed, article put before court (3)
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ACT
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Charade of A (article) + CT (abbreviation of court) – Here the “put before” is giving the order of the parts of the charade and making sense of the clue.
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| 18 |
At home with healthier asthma treatment (7)
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INHALER
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charade of IN (at home) and HALER (healthier)
For HALER think hale and hearty and IN for at home is another crossword regular we haven’t met before
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| 19 |
Devil and saint judge display (11)
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DEMONSTRATE
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charade of DEMON (devil) + ST (saint) + RATE (judge)
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DOWN
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| 1 | Auditor’s verifications for Bohemians, perhaps (6) |
CZECHS
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soundalike (auditor’s) of “checks” (verifications)
Referring to the people from this place
The “perhaps” is there, because Bohemia is only part of Czechia (the Czech Republic).
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| 2 |
Headers from United’s Berbatov, onside according to German sub (1-4)
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U-BOAT
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acrostic of United’s Berbatov, Onside According To
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| 3 |
By the sound of it, making watertight interior roof (7)
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CEILING
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soundalike of (by the sound of it) “sealing” (making watertight)
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| 4 |
Untruth from Liberal, in other words (3)
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LIE
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charade of L (Liberal) + IE (in other words)
L for Liberal is one of the abbreviations seen on election materials
IE (id est – Latin for that is or that is to say) was in last week – it’s very regular in crosswords
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| 5 |
Leaders of one regiment dismissing enemy regiment’s command (5)
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ORDER
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acrostic of (leaders of) One Regiment Dismissing Enemy Regiment’s
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| 6 |
Thus Calvin Klein’s label makes footwear item (4)
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SOCK
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charade of SO (thus) + CK (Calvin Klein’s label)
Commercial names and abbreviations do turn up in crosswords, often to unfavourable comments.
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| 11 |
Picked up financial reward for one foretelling the future (7)
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PROPHET
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soundalike (picked up) “profit” (financial reward)
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| 12 |
E.g. starter or dessert is vulgar, we’re told (6)
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COURSE
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soundalike of (we’re told) “coarse” (vulgar)
Again there’s a definition by example here – so the e.g. – starter or dessert are courses of a meal, as is the main or entree course.
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| 14 |
Carry, on motorway, a sacred object for Amerindians, say (5)
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TOTEM
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charade of TOTE (carry) on M (motorway)
All the UK motorways are numbered M1, M2 & etc, the M1 heading north from London to Leeds, the M2 being a small section of road in Kent.
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| 15 |
Tips off travellers upon learning shortage affects US city (5)
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TULSA
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acrostic of (tips off) Travellers Upon Learning Shortage Affects
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| 16 |
E.g. Guns N’ Roses or Motorhead prohibited on the radio (4)
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BAND
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soundalike of (on the radio) “banned” (prohibited)
And another definition by example here as Guns N’Roses and Motorhead are bands.
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| 18 |
What sounds like fashionable old hostelry (3)
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INN
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soundalike of (what sounds like) “in” (fashionable)
in for fashionable we met recently
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Nice puzzle and great blog.
I thought NE corner was the most difficult and needed some crossers for 1a and 1d. I always forget auditor is a homophone indicator and instead search around for words related to company auditors. I hope I get it into my head this time.
Thanks Picaroon and Shanne
These are really useful thanks. I got all of it today but needed to know why for a couple LIE and ACT.
Nice puzzle from Picaroon. As an old hand, I found the clues for COURSE and BAND confusing with their
“E.g.” beginnings so not sure what beginners will make of that. Didn’t realise Jabba the Hutt has two Ts so was confused by that clue!
My livesolve is available at https://youtu.be/Ror59PwAYd0 and hopefully useful for those trying to understand how to approach solving. I make a point of emphasising how to deal with the soundalikes.
In 10, I like the way “the setter’s” changes from a possessive in the surface reading of the clue to a contraction of “the setter is”.
I like the idea of hiding the answers in the blog; in fact I’d go further and hide the derivations too (because seeing the derivations basically elicits the answer pretty much instantly, making them hard to intentionally ignore… except in the case of anagrams – so perhaps highlight the anagrind in the surface using a different colour). Perhaps the derivation and the answer could be two separate hidings.
The essential thing is to continue highlighting the definitional word/phrase in full sight; determining the definition is half the work in a cryptic crossword.
Your effort has been amazing on all this, Shanne. These quiptics and your blog posts are a brilliant resource.
Fun puzzle.
Favourite: DEMONSTRATE.
This week’s experiment of hiding the answers in the blog is interesting and I am sure it will be useful for beginners.
Thanks, both.
15a did for me. Got ‘duo’ from discussion which stopped me from getting 15d.
Without the crossers I’d have got several soundalikes the wrong way round, so I’m very grateful to Shanne for explaining them so clearly. Great puzzle. Thank you.
Great practise for the soundalikes which have often been the trickiest for me to get. Managed them all and the rest of the puzzle so the practise is paying off 🙂
Thanks to Picaroon for the puzzle and Shanne for her usual informative blog.
Excellent puzzle picaroon and great blog Shanne. Beginning to think of homophones ( don’t know why it’s hard for me – must be how my brain works !) but don’t always spot the indicator.
Agree with others that hiding the answer is a good move. Also agree with AP@5 that highlighting the definition first would be helpful for us beginners – a step by step approach. But realise this is yet more work for Shanne who is already so supportive of us newbies.
I only turn to this ( and the guardian blog) after I’ve done the crossword – or given up. But a staged support might help me dip in when I’m really struggling.
I’m not sure how mad I’ll go coding this all in or how fast I’ll get the blog out, but I’ve tried some of the suggestions on 1a – so hiding the information and colouring the soundalike indicator (which took me a while remembering how to do it.)
Experimenting further, I can only hide the immediate explanation as one thing. If I am hiding additional chatty bits, they need to be hidden separately.
I also forgot to highlight the definitions by example in the clues.
joongoolian @7 – that’s an ingenious solution – but … we didn’t have alternate letters this week, and that trick of taking every 3rd or 4th letter rather than alternate letters, as it’s taking regular letters, is something I’ve only seen done in trickier cryptic puzzles.
I tend to expect the setter to follow the rules they’ve set themselves
Fun crossword and thanks for the blog.
10a IMPART – I biffed it almost instantaneously from the crossers – but then, while confirming, I saw a totally different charade: IMP (the crossword setter, as a mischief maker) + ART (role, as in occupation or trade). Perhaps both are intended, otherwise an extraordinary coincidence.
I appreciated seeing TULSA not clued as a reversal of “a slut” for once. Of course, reversals aren’t on the menu here, so we were safe from that.
Thanks as always for your blog Shanne. I think your new ideas are good for anyone wanting a little help but not the actual answer so very supportive for anyone coming fresh to these quick cryptics and defo worth keeping. This was my 29th, I’ve loved every one and become progressively more savvy and much quicker thanks to you and all the explanations – I’ve even started doing the quiptic with reasonable results.
Awesome work as ever Shanne, thank you. The Guardian should get you to do a new version of the “special instructions” which reflect abbreviations etc.
A belated update here. Soundalikes did for me again – got done by 15A and 12D where I went for the wrong answer in both instances. Something to work on as it is a weakness of mine it would seem.
Shanne @11 – liking the emphasis on the definition and the hiding of the answer – it might well help with my particular issue above as I do tend to be a bit lax with working out the exact construction of a clue. One small suggestion I will make though is to change the name for the right hand ‘details’ (the one hiding the answer) to ‘answer’ instead. Since I initially looked at this early yesterday this page has gone through a few versions so probably something to put in place next week maybe.
Managed most of this but got stuck on 10 & 11. Left it until today to come back to as sometimes I find sleep helps, but alas this time it did not and I had to reveal.
New for me: HALE meaning healthy.
Thanks Shanne and Picaroon.
Lazarus Churchyard @17 – I am afraid I can’t change the message for the hidden links – is how I code it in, it’s the coding for this action of hiding something in html / WordPress. To change it would mean writing a program to set this up, and for one crossword once a week, I’m not sure it’s happening.
(We have a utility program for the other blogs, which I use when I’m blogging other crosswords, but we wanted something else for this, so it’s being built as we go along – with Ken – kenmac the site owner – suggesting things too.)
Wow Shanne these latest tweaks are really helpful. Just worrying it’s taking up so much of your time. But very grateful , thank you.
@17 & @19
Please bear in mind that this is an experimental feature that, as Shanne says, we’re developing on the fly. It is possible to change “Details” to something else but, again as Shanne alludes to, we have to consider the amount of effort involved.
I feel that, if we maintain this feature, then people will become used to the “Details” nomenclature then we’ll all be happy.
Shanne, maybe you could add a column header, something like “Answer: click details for more”
13 – That was my parsing of 10A as well! Anyone else?
IMP + ART
Paul @22 and Matthew @13 – for
10A Communicate the crossword setter’s role (6)
What is your justification for IMP + ART?
I suspect you’re saying IMP (the crossword setter) + ART (the crossword setter’s role)??? which means a lot of words are doing double duty – which is frowned upon in crossword setting. You’ll see complaints in the different blogs when it happens, this week’s Everyman for example, and that’s just one word.
Imp in Chambers is defined as a mischievous child or a little devil or sprite – I’m not sure how you equate that with the crossword setter.
There is a standard trick in crosswords using I, me or my or variations on that idea instead of the “crossword setter” or the name of the setter, Boatman uses that trick usually once in every puzzle, as does Moo occasionally in the FT, or others who have names that make sense in context. So there is form for converting:
the crossword setter = I,
the crossword setter is = I am or I’m = IM in this clue.
Role in Chambers, the first definition is: a PART paid by an actor, function, part played in life or in an event. There’s nothing to relate it to ART
Appreciate the experiment with hiding the answers on the blog this week. I think it’ll be very useful for people wanting a bit of a guiding hand, if it ends up not being more effort than it’s worth.
Found this puzzle very straightforward. Did it with my wife, who has started learning alongside me for the past few weeks – this was the the first puzzle she’s completed without any answers from me, which she’s very pleased about.
Hale was a new one for me.
I don’t like “off” in 15 down, it’s ungrammatical in the cryptic reading.
JP8000 @25 – there was a long discussion about the use of off or of in these clues for Quick Cryptic 22, so I’m not going through it again here. See here.
My first time trying a cryptic and I solved about 30-40% by staring with the 3 letter words and using those letters to help solve the others. I’m here as I often had no idea how the clue related to the answer despite getting it correct. I had “course” for 15D marked as correct (guessed cos starter and dessert are courses) but here you say the answer is “coarse” which makes a lot more sense but makes me confused as to what the real answer is
My first time trying a cryptic and I solved about 30-40% by staring with the 3 letter words and using those letters to help solve the others. I’m here as I often had no idea how the clue related to the answer despite getting it correct. I had “course” for 12D marked as correct (guessed cos starter and dessert are courses) but here you say the answer is “coarse” which makes a lot more sense but makes me confused as to what the real answer is. (Edit sorry for duplicate comment)
I like the new links! Brilliant for checking the one long missing one you can’t crack in the hope that you can then sort the other shorter words
Got stuck on 15 across as was convinced it was Duo (and you can find the letters in discussion) so couldn’t work out the American city at all
Charles @28 – you’re right – the answer is COURSE – that bit is hidden under the details button on the right. The explanation is that it sounds like “coarse”. We’re experimenting with hiding things because you can come and click on stuff to find out more, but I suspect it’s going to be slower for people who have solved it.
Shanne, thanks for the link. I think starts off is alright but still really dislike tips off. If something only works in a dialect there should be an indicator. Not trying to restart the discussion just putting my opinion out there.
Sorry, I hate all the answer reveals – bring back the old format!
I found this site when the Guardian first did the QC and only visit after I’ve puzzled – I’m not looking for hints I just want ease of reading.
This one went well for me! 🙂
I had to come here to understand some of the nuances.
For ‘I’m part’, like others I got there with crossword setting being an ‘imp(ish) art!’
I like the new format.
Thank you again.