Quick Cryptic 31 by Carpathian

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This is the thirty-first 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 the tricks used in the first six months here. This puzzle can be found here.

Following a number of comments we are continuing to tweak the blog.  The first suggestion was to to hide the answers and last week, following another request, we hid the wordplay descriptions too, to mixed reviews.  In the absence of a reveal all button, I’m leaving it the same way this week.   To find that hidden information, click on “Details” and it will pop up.

This week we continue consolidating clue types learned earlier in the series.  This crossword uses anagrams and hidden clues, which provide all the required letters, with palindromes and first letter swaps, which we haven’t seen for a while.   Today sees the return of Carpathian, the 13th of this series she’s set.

The most recent Guardian Crossword blog is called the ultimate beginner’s guide and has tips which may be useful for some solvers.

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)/
  • anagram *(SENATOR) shows letters in clue being used, see clue below.
  • anagrind the anagram indicator (arranged)
  • 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.
  • 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/31 – 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:

    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. Palindrome Hint that answer reads the same backwards
      ‘Holy woman going back and forth (3)’ gives NUN
    4. First letter swap Answer is another word with initial letter changed
      ‘Sister’s star from south to north (3)’ gives NUN –
      unhelpfully the Guardian has given two solutions the same here,
      Sister (NUN) – SUN (star) from S (south) to N (north)

 

ACROSS
 Click on “details” to see the solutions
1 Upset by some odd pics being distributed (11)
DISCOMPOSED
anagram of (SOME ODD PICS) with anagrind of being distributed 
7
Examine Martin’s pec twitches partially (7)
INSPECTS
Hidden clue (partially) in martIN’S PEC Twitches
8 Joke back and forth (3)
GAG
palindrome  (back and forth) 
9
Win LA cocktail for relative (2-3)
IN-LAW
anagram of  (WIN LA)* with anagrind of cocktail
12
Hospital displacing new unpleasant rash (5)
HASTY
first letter replacement with H (hospital) replacing N (new) in NASTY (unpleasant). H for hospital comes from maps and N for new is a regular.
15
Plane going east – or west (5)
LEVEL
palindrome of (going east – or west) – plane as in flat surface to give LEVEL
16
Drying cloth initially replaced by old Penny for Peg (5)
DOWEL
first letter replacement (initially replaced) tOWEL (drying cloth) with first letter replaced by D (old penny)

 

  • a DOWEL is a narrow cylinders of wood that can be used as a peg, but also as plugs to hold joints together in woodwork, and etc.
  • D for old penny has come up before – pre-decimal currency in the UK was abbreviated as Lsd (pounds, shillings and pence).
18
Lift Aries badly (5)
RAISE
anagram of  (ARIES) with anagrind of badly
20
Acted from both sides (3)
DID
palindrome  (from both sides)
21
Damn bra failing to provide lifesaving support (7)
ARMBAND
anagram of  (DAMN BRA)* with anagrind of failing
23 Cake from diner beggar chewed (11)
GINGERBREAD
anagram of (DINER BEGGAR)* with anagrind of chewed
DOWN
1 Worshipped going up and down (7)
DEIFIED
palindrome (going up and down – in a down clue) – and that’s not a palindrome I’d spotted before.
2
Fibre from ragged sails (5)
SISAL
anagram of (SAILS)*  with anagrind of ragged – SISAL is the fibre that makes old fashioned ropes among other things.
3
Excavator excavating concealed mineral aggregate (3)
ORE
hidden (concealed) in excavatOR Excavating
4
Person thumbing lift taking top off for quiet vessel (7)
PITCHER
first letter replacement (taking top off) from HITCHER (person thumbing lift) and replacing with P (quiet).  P for quiet comes from musical notations which mainly come from the Italian – p for piano
5
Stories from North and South (5)
SAGAS
palindrome  (from North and South – in a down clue)   
6
Swine losing head for diamonds in mine (3)
DIG
first letter swap (losing head for) – PIG (swine) losing head for D (diamonds). D for diamonds comes from card games such as Bridge. 
10
Special envoy holding beer (3)
ALE
hidden (holding) in speciAL Envoy
11
Feel raw about financial support (7)
WELFARE
anagram of  (FEEL RAW) with anagrind of about – think the Welfare State or Welfare programmes. 
13
In the manner of Parisian going both ways (1,2)
A LA
palindrome of  (going both ways) – helpful of Carpathian to say this is Parisian because A LA has been anglicised and turns up without being indicated as French. 
14
Had wife leaving for Yankee surrendered? (7)
YIELDED
first letter replacement (leaving) WIELDED (had) with W (wife) leaving for Y (Yankee).  W for wife coming from genealogy and Y for Yankee coming from the NATO phonetic alphabet.
17
Expand new ID England embraces (5)
WIDEN
hidden (embraces) in neW ID ENgland.
19
Speak without love initially for one annoyed (5)
IRATE
first letter replacement  – ORATE (speak) without O (love) initially replaced by (for) I (one in Roman numerals).
20
Pursue weirdo gathering boxes (3)
DOG
hidden word (boxes) in weirDO Gathering
22
Gang position dropping dropping Juliet for Mike (3)
MOB
first letter replacement  – JOB (position) dropping J (Juliet) for M (Mike) – both Juliet and Mike are from the NATO/phonetic alphabet

 

33 comments on “Quick Cryptic 31 by Carpathian”

  1. Does an armband really classify as livesaving support? Not sure I would have got 12A or 14D without all the crossers (but they were pretty straightforward with them, even if I couldn’t fully parse the clues).
    17D threw me at first as the solution is actually an anagram of “new ID”.

  2. Yes, I do not understand how an armband is a life saving support either

    I found this a bit more difficult than others, as I find any clue that involves deletions / replacements on the difficult end. DEIFIED was my last one in, as the different pronunciations in the two halves threw me a bit

    Thanks to Carpathian and Shanne

  3. I don’t see much problem with ARMBAND being a lifesaving support in a crossword, especially with it combining “bra” and “support” in the clue. For those who don’t know, “armbands” is the usual British term for water wings.

    I was more disappointed by “had” being used for “wielded” in 14. Not to say that I was disappointed with this puzzle at all – I enjoyed it. I particularly liked 12 and 20. Have we seen “boxes” before as a hidden indicator?

    Thank you Carpathian and Shanne.

  4. Found that a bit tougher than previous with never having heard of DISCOMPOSED and not being familiar with first letter swaps.

    My live solve is available over at https://youtu.be/XUzYtlaYf9o for those looking for tips and tactics on how to approach solving.

  5. Thanks Carpathian and Shanne

    The (first) letter amendments are always tricky for me when the sound of the word changes too. And all these years of crosswords I never noticed that deified was a palindrome.

    Perfect level in my opinion – and hopefully those learning will agree

  6. I don’t have a problem with the armbands clue – they’re marketed as stopping people from downing, even if they’re not recommended nowadays.

    I tend to ignore the intro and make identifying the four types part of the puzzle, but I’d completely forgotten about palindromes and left a lot of blanks until the crossers helped me to the lightbulb moment.

  7. I did wonder whether inflatable “floaties” (as they’re called around here, probably many other places too) could classify as “armbands” but even if they did they’re hardly intended as a life-saving device, merely an assistance for those (typically children) that haven’t learned how to tread water/stay afloat without them yet. “Life-saving” implies something intended for giving to those whose life is in danger, and maybe there are armbands of such a nature, I’m not immediately aware of any.

  8. As a QC-learner I thought that was a perfect QC.

    I used to wear armbands as a nipper before i could swim so no problems with it

  10. Found this hard even with an anagram solver. Never heard of DISCOMPOSED or SISAL.

    I couldn’t get 14D or 19D despite having letters from other answers and still don’t understand their clues. Also didn’t understand clues for MOB & HASTY despite being able to get the answers through guessing

  11. Thank you Shanne, also Carpathian for a very enjoyable QC. My only hiccup was 12A where I spent too much time on the redundant “rash” when I should have been looking elsewhere.

  12. Jaytee53 @11 – in 12A rash is the meaning – rash for HASTY is something you see a bit (although my first thought was hives for rash).

    Charles @10 – SISAL is, as HG says in his live solve, worth remembering – I can feel it in my hands when I think about it, having handled SISAL ropes and doormats.

    I won’t quote it, but I’ve been digging in the OED for DISCOMPOSED because it wasn’t as unfamiliar for me as everyone else; it turns up in the writings I know, such as John Donne, John Buchan (of 39 Steps fame) and Thomas Hardy, among many others, including Horace Walpole in the Castle of Otranto, which I haven’t read, so it’s another win for reading Victorian and other earlier literature*.

    14D – YIELDED from WIELDED – the wielded definition is a bit tenuous, but not unfair. 19D is IRATE from ORATE – and orate is another crossword staple for speeches – that or oration.

    * There was a BBC Radio 4 bookclub discussing one of the Walter Scott books for which I applied to be in the audience but didn’t get tickets for. I was annoyed listening to the broadcast, because they asked for a show of hands in the studio for anyone who’d 1) read the book (not many – count on the fingers of one hand), 2) read any Walter Scott books (same) 3) read more than one of his novels. If I remember correctly I’d have been the only person in the audience who’d read more than one of his novels if I’d been there.

  13. Most enjoyable, thank you. Got stuck on 12A and 14D so came straight here to understand why. Would never have thought of wielded for had… After 31 of these I think I’m getting quicker, but my forays into the big cryptic are still a great disappointment, though my admiration for solvers in now immense!

  14. Thanks Carpathian and Shanne
    I found this a bit trickier again. When I couldn’t solve 4d I realised I had ARISE at 18a – I’ve seen looser definitions!

  15. muffin @14 – I thought ARISE or RAISE when I saw that clue – I use both as starters for Wordle / Quordle / Octordle, and knew either would fit, so left it until I had the crossers to confirm which one I needed – I solve all the across clues I can and then the down, then fill in what’s missing. Second pass I knew it was RAISE.

  16. Found this a little trickier than the last few QCs due to the first letter swaps. Got on the wavelength eventually especially with some crossers in place. Loved DEIFIED, HASTY, and YIELDED. ‘Had’ = WIELDED I wasn’t sure of, never heard or read that before, but it had to be a W being substituted so ho-hum there it is. No issue with with DISCOMPOSED although again not something I knew but the the anagram letters meant it had to be.
    Thanks Shanne for the blog and Carpathian for the puzzle.

  17. [Shanne @12. I do find the current distaste for Scott’s novels depressing. I’ve lectured and written about Scott extensively, and I regularly taught both Waverley and The Bride of Lammermoor. There are, therefore, a number of graduates out there who, like you, have read at least two. You are not young enough to be one of them, though, and if you had been you would have read The Castle of Otranto as well! I’d be interested, if you have time, to know which of his novels was featured on the Book Club that you mention.]

  18. [Balfour @17 – I read Chemistry, not English, but there was a shelf of old books at my grandparents’ house, which included a number of Scott’s which I read because I’d run out of cereal packets. I can’t find that episode on the Radio 4 Book Club, which is surprising seeing how many are still online, and having scrolled through, so many authors who have since died talking about their books, Douglas Adams, PD James, Toni Morrison, John Le Carre, A S Byatt, Joseph Heller … It was definitely James Naughtie hosting and I suspect 10-12 years ago (later than 2009, as there’s a list to then). He went on to make a programme complaining Walter Scott was underrated in 2014 – still on BBC Sounds, here, called The Man Who Made Scotland (which I did listen to at the time). ]

  19. Was it me, or was that quite difficult? Letter substitutions are tricky because you have to deal with four elements: for YIELDED you have to identify the starting word had=WIELDED (not the most obvious of synonyms). Then you need to find the abbreviation W(ife) and replace it with Y(ankee) to give a different synonym YIELDED=surrendered. A fiddly business, but at least here you know that the letter being replaced is the first: in full strength Cryptics you often aren’t even told which letter it is. This is a clue type I often struggle with, so I’m glad it is one of the less common ones.

  20. Like others I found this more tricky today. I could work out the palindromes ( once I’d got a couple of letters ) but the letter substitutions were more tricky. I’m slowly getting better at parsing though !
    Shanne thanks so much for your blog with 2 stages of reveals. Hope it’s not too onerous for you. I can probably manage without it but it’s a great support for us new to cryptics. Very grateful !

  21. Totally the same feelings as @Remus #3.
    I’m also old enough to only know “water wings” as armbands.
    Inflated for swimming or made of cloth to be worn ove a sleeve as in a “captains armband” etc
    Enjoyable crossword so thanks
    Carpathian and Shanne

  22. I found this more challenging than previous ones (especially those by Picaroon, who pitches it at the perfect level).
    That said, I managed to complete on my own without ‘cheating’ and now feel very chuffed.
    I like the way Carpathian reinforced several themes (palindrome and first letter replacement) throughout which helped me to quickly identify the type. Much appreciated by a learner.

  23. Thanks both. I’m getting there but still need this blog to explain why- for12 across, 12 down and 19 down. I got it filled in and enjoyed it with little struggle but it’s good to understand the clues fully.

  25. Just when I thought I was getting the hang of them….Not finding the swapped letters very intuitive at all and definitely found the examples in the guardian not much help. No way would I have got yielded and went a bit of course with hasty/ nasty – for rash was thinking itch!

  27. Creach @26 – love = 0 from tennis scores, where sets are scored using love for nil.
    It’s originally from the French, l’oeuf, an egg, which looks like a zero. And in cryptics numbers get converted to letters, so 0=O. Sorry, it’s been covered before in these crosswords so in my 6 months summary, because it’s so common in cryptic crosswords generally.

  28. Ah – thanks so much Shanne! Makes total sense now it’s explained (as always!).
    I only do the quick cryptic sporadically so must’ve missed that one whenever it first came up for us beginners. Thanks for the explanation!

  29. I love the Guardian cryptic crosswords for learners, and this blog to help explain the answers (especially Yielded!). It is genius! My mum and grandparents did cryptic crosswords and despite my mother trying to teach me, I have never got the hang of them, usually giving up after only getting one or two clues.
    During the COVID lockdowns, my mum and I did quick crosswords on video calls every day as she was living alone. It helped us not be isolated or lonely. Crosswords had always been something we loved doing together .
    Sadly, she died on the 10th of August this year. I’m writing all this because I have just recently discovered these easy cryptic crosswords for learners, and I so wish she was around so so that could tell her about them!
    Thank you so much to the setters. Hopefully one day I shall be able to tackle a “grown up” version!

  30. Sorry to hear about your mother, Lynda. Mine too liked a crossword and I could never get the hang of them. These easy cryptics are definitely helping and I’m sure, in unlikely event she is watching me, she’ll be pleased. I thought this one was perfect. Didn’t think I was going to get many at the start but slowly they all fell into place. ‘Yielded’ for ‘had’ was the only clue I didn’t fully understand. This blog is so good and love the latest layout.

  31. Thanks Felix, glad to hear your Mother is also looking down from above at your attempts to master the cryptic crossword. 🙂

  32. I think these replacements are going to trip me up a lot. All of them felt confusing, but I got horribly stuck on 12a, as I couldn’t figure out what was meant to get replaced and went in circles developing various forms of rash.
    I’m also thrown by ‘armbands’, as my understanding is that they’re a teaching tool, and it’s a life preserver or similar that is actually used to save drowning people. I certainly can’t imagine throwing inflatable armbands to someone who fell overboard!

    Thank you for the blog.

  33. Thanks for the explanations – so helpful.
    I appreciated the explanation of O being used for love and the Wielded clue too. I so appreciate that you do this- it makes our day!

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