This is the fortieth 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 – those rules include not posting solving times. This puzzle can be found here.
Following a number of comments we now hide the answers and the wordplay descriptions too. To find that hidden information, click on “Details” and it will pop up, or you can choose to reveal everything using the new “Expand All” button. The definition is in bold and underlined, the indicator is in red.
This week we have a return of Carpathian to the Quick Cryptic, one of the two setters who have compiled most of these puzzles. Today we see anagrams and hidden clues (although the anagrams require a letter removing first) with all the letters present, reversals and charades where the solver works out the words included.
There is a summary of the tricks used in the first six months here and a recent Guardian Crossword blog called the ultimate beginner’s guide 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
- indicators are in red – adding later and some of these are split.
- CAPITALS to indicate which bits are part of the answer, e.g. some haVE ALtered meat, Get A Good,
- anagram *(SENATOR) shows letters in clue being used, see clue below – in this crossword, there is a subtraction of one of the letters before it is rearranged.
- anagrind the anagram indicator (arranged)
- reversal – < to show letters reversing so DOG< (pet) comes back to give GOD.
- charades – 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, and early on DR (doctor) + IVE (I have) to give DRIVE .
- 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/40 – 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:
- 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) - Reversal Answer backwards, and a hint that we’re reversing
‘Deity’s pet comes back (3)’ gives GOD - Anagram minus Remove one letter and jumble the rest
‘Crazy Thor runs off, steaming (3)’ gives HOT
| ACROSS |
Click on “details” to see the solutions | |
| 1 |
Without bit of black, cubism strangely shows harmony (5)
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MUSIC
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anagram (CUbISM)* (- B = without a bit of black) with anagrind of strangely. B for black comes from pencil grades.
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| 4 |
Taunts US soldier with live show initially (5)
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GIBES
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charade – GI (US soldier) + BE (live) + S (Show initially)
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| 7 |
Depart nervously clutching mate (7)
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PARTNER
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hidden (clutching) in dePART NERvously
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| 8 |
Artificial intelligence with right appearance (3)
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AIR
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charade of – AI (artificial intelligence) with R (right)
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| 9 |
Flipping reserve public transport (3)
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BUS
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reversal of (flipping) SUB <(reserve) – in this case SUB is short for substitute
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| 10 |
Reverse error for students (6)
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PUPILS
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reversal of (reverse) SLIP UP < (error)
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| 13 |
Stopcock part not right to be altered (3)
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TAP
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anagram of (PArT)* (- R = not Right) with anagrind of to be altered.
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| 15 |
Fish shelter from the East (3)
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EEL
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reversal of (from the East) of LEE< (shelter).
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| 17 |
Join crew Edward’s entertaining (3)
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WED
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hidden in (entertaining) in creW EDward’s
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| 19 |
Aristocratic bird was in charge (6)
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TITLED
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charade of TIT (bird – titmouse) + LED (was in charge)
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| 22 |
Commotion from a party (3)
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ADO
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charade of A (from the clue) and DO (party)
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| 24 |
Thug collapsed having taken first of hits to stomach (3)
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GUT
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anagram of (ThUG)* (- H – first of Hits)
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| 25 |
Guard with identifying badge reversed (7)
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GATEMAN
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reversal of (reversed) NAME TAG < (identifying badge)
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| 26 |
Small border plant (5)
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SEDGE
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charade of S (small) + EDGE (border)
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| 27 |
Homes in finest surroundings (5)
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NESTS
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hidden (in) – fiNEST Surroundings
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DOWN
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| 1 | Short time getting young dog clean (3,2) |
MOP UP
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charade of MO (short time) + (getting) PUP (young dog)
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| 2 |
Belt pieces upside down (5)
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STRAP
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reversal of (upside down – in a down clue) PARTS < (pieces).
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| 3 |
Missing start glanced upon changing source of light (6)
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CANDLE
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anagram of (gLANCED)* (- G = missing start) with anagrind of upon changing
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| 4 |
Boast about outfit (4)
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GARB
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reversal (about) of BRAG < (boast)
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| 5 |
Tables broken, missing middle of leg in explosion (5)
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BLAST
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anagram of (TABLeS) (- E – missing middle of lEg) – indicating E as the middle letter of a word is another cryptic trick
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| 6 |
Son on journey to get ribbon (5)
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STRIP
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charade of S (son) + (on) TRIP (journey)
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| 11 |
Employ anxious engineer internally (3)
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USE
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hidden in (internally) anxioUS Engineer
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| 12 |
Place is ethereal within (3)
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SET
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hidden (within) in iS EThereal – as in the verbs in this case
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| 14 |
Live a long time getting upset (3)
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ARE
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reversal of (getting upset) – ERA < (a long time)
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| 16 |
Disturbed clients without leader pay attention (6)
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LISTEN
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anagram of (cLIENTS)* (-C without leader)
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| 17 |
Carries on a long time under wife (5)
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WAGES
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charade of AGES (long time) under W (wife) so W + AGES – adding later – think of WAGES a war or campaign against
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| 18 |
US lawyer and 50s adolescent went out (5)
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DATED
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charade of DA (US Lawyer – District Attorney) + TED (Teddy-Boy – 50s adolescent)
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| 20 |
Having removed bit of peel liquidise simple fruit (5)
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LIMES
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anagram of (SIMpLE)* (- P = removed a bit of PEEL) with anagrind of liquidise – and that trick of “a bit of” is often a clue to the first letter of a word in the fodder)
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| 21 |
Study edges of tremendous hollows (5)
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DENTS
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charade of DEN (study) + TS (edges of TremendouS) – and the edges of TremendouS is a way of saying the first and last letter of a word.
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| 23 |
Monster therefore rises (4)
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OGRE
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reversal (rises – in a down clue) of ERGO < (therefore)
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It was all went smoothly, but then the last two (ARE and GATEMAN) took me as long as the rest of the puzzle. And that includes the time it took me to parse DATED, having found the answer quickly from the crossers.
Thanks Carpathian and Shanne
Found that a bit tougher and bunged in unparsed AgE instead of ARE as I was recording my livesolve and didn’t want to go through an alphabet trawl. Unfortunately that seemed like a puzzle which was more suited to experienced solvers stepping down than for beginners – I found myself biffing answers rather than figuring them out from the wordplay. Those first two Across clues might well induce panic in anyone picking this up as their first puzzle.
My weekly talkthrough solve available at … https://youtu.be/Nxhgr0sNuzA … where I show my approach to the puzzle with tips and tactics.
This only took a few mins (I wouldn’t really expect it to take more – it’s not aimed at me) but I came here to find out why WAGES is “carries on”. The word play is simple enough, WAGES had to be the answer, but I still don’t understand it. I expect I’m being dim. I’ve only just woken up.
Sorry Gliddofglood@4 – I meant to say as in carries on/WAGES war or a campaign. I’ll add I when I next boot up the laptop.
Thanks for the reveal all button Shanne – very helpful when you just want a quick check. Great blog as usual and good puzzle from carpathian.
I haven’t done the quick cryptic since before Christmas and found this a bit harder than normal. The cluing by Carpathian was fair but a little more cryptic than some quicks. In some quicks it is soon obvious which of the tricks is used in each clue – here it was less easy. The large number of three letter words also meant a bit more weighing up of two potential answers was required than usual
Thanks Carpathian and Shanne
Thanks for the explanations.
Ridiculously difficult.
Not much here to boost the confidence of a poor solver.
Every day is a school day.
The aristocratic bird had me for a moment, then inspiration from our very busy garden feeders!
Feel like I need a midpoint between these/the Quiptic and the daily cryptic. Completed this in [deleted] minutes despite a nagging wisdom tooth, spent over an hour flailing at Yank yesterday and getting nowhere. Any suggestions?
I’ve been doing Quick Cryptics since they started and then Quiptics, which I at the moment I regard as my level, but always look forward to QCs, and have to say this was probably the most challenging one I can remember, mainly due to the categories, no acrostics or simple anagrams to help the first-timer . Had to reveal 4A as I’ve never come across that spelling. Thanks as ever Shanne.
Pzinget @9, this took me longer than it took you, yet I completed the Yank in reasonable time. The difficulty of crossword puzzles is notoriously dependent on the solver, or even on the solver’s state of mind. I have started a puzzle on my phone, then returned to it on another device, and had difficulty with clues that I knew I had solved the first time.
My suggestion is that you continue to try a variety of puzzles and don’t worry about too much about the ones you find impenetrable. Eventually you will probably realise that you have improved, and even have a run of puzzles that just fall out quite easily – followed by some that are difficult to get started.
14d – Why does “live” mean “are” ?
@Shanne 5. : many thanks! I get it now. Quite an abstruse use of Wages for this level of crossword I would say!
Pzinget @9 – what bit of do not post times did you not take in??? It’s in the special rules, and it’s in the heading information, because I have to come in and delete times out of comments regularly. (And the rules say the comment will be deleted, so I’m being nice deleting times.)
Really, how friendly to your other posters is it to post a quick time, especially under someone who was saying how difficult they found this crossword? I could post the times I solve puzzles in, but when I came back to solving crosswords after a long break, I know how slow I was and how long it took me to get back into the swing, and how depressing quicker times were then, so I don’t, ever. Comparitive – I’m getting quicker, or that was a slow, chewy solve for me – are fine.
I found that Yank one of the slowest solves for a while. This last week had that Yank and Paul, both of which took me longer than usual for a weekly cryptic, and Ludwig which was quicker. Vulcan and Arachne were usual cryptic solve times. I solve on the Guardian paper app, which saves the time with the puzzles, so I usually know my solve times.
Dave Berry @12 – he is, we are, we live – it’s that verb of to be in its various forms which also means to live.
Lovely puzzle. There were plenty of clues that allowed beginners to practise the Anagram minus clue type which might have been new for many beginners but it was clearly stated in the Special Instructions.
Pzinget @9 – I enjoy The Times QC. Difficulty varies a bit but it’s probably worth a go if you have access. There’s also a blog for it.
@Pzinget 9. : I reckon to finish Everyman/Quiptics and Monday cryptics. Later in the week it’s a bit hit and miss. If I see Paul on a puzzle I don’t bother wasting my time. Experience has shown me that it’s far too difficult and not much fun. There are no prizes for any of this so my suggestion is to do whatever is giving you pleasure and to stop doing ones that aren’t. You definitely get better with practice. When I complete a puzzle later in the week I’m pleased but then I look down at the comments and see all sorts of people say how ridiculously easy that one was, blah blah. Whatever. Who cares. Entertainment is what it’s all about.
I found this one very enjoyable. Liked the introduction of the new clue type and thought the whole thing was clearly signalled. Agree it was a bit chewier than some of the QCs but it’s all a learning process. Can’t say that GATEMAN as a solution for ‘guard’ resonated with me, never used the word gateman (surely gatekeeper is more usual), but the reversal for an identifying badge was wonderful. Thanks Carpathian for the nicely challenging puzzle and Shanne as usual for the great blog.
I liked this very much; it seemed really well judged as a further challenge to newer solvers while remaining approachable. I found especially helpful the introduction of the ‘anagram minus’. I completed the puzzle and could parse everything apart from 21a where I didn’t see the significance of ‘edges’. I’ve never come across ‘gibes’ (rather than ‘jibes’) before but it had to be that to fit with GI. Thanks Shanne for the meticulous explanations.
As everyone is having problems with it, I checked Chambers and gibes is in as gibes or jibes. (I think of jibes / gybes as well, which is sailing terminology).
GATEMAN is in Chambers as someone who watches a gate and supervises traffic through.
I found last week’s one more challenging, so I find it interesting that some regard this as relatively more difficult. I suppose I’m just weak to double definitions.
10a was a familiar reversal to me. 25a was not, and I had one of those lovely moments of shocked realisation as I started, on a hunch based on a few crossers, inputting NAMETAG backwards.
Now, excuse me while I go figure out how US lawyers and 50’s youths work.
Hard. Had AGE for 14D instead of ARE, but knew it was wrong. Had to reveal on 21D. But, it was good to tackle, and pleased to learn anagram minus types. Thanks again
A bit of a struggle today although I managed it with no checks. And needed the blog to explain a few answers. Anagram minus clues are ok as it’s fairly clear to me what type of clue it is, what word needs to used and which letter has to be omitted. However the others weren’t so obvious and I always find reversals really hard. My brain can’t seem to process thinking of a synonym and then reversing it to get the answer.
But I still feel I’m improving – thanks to both the setters and this helpful blog.
Happy new year to you all. Maybe I’ll graduate to the weekly cryptic sometime in 2025
LegumeLass @22 – DA = District Attorney and Ted is short for Teddy Boy – a 50s youth culture, mainly in Britain. I was losing the will to live towards the end of that blog, nobody else noticed but I missed a clue entirely and forgot to add all sorts of bits of clarification, including those two.
Well done, Holly Anderson – you will definitely manage some of the weekly cryptics over the year – look at Ludwig’s one from this week, which was very accessible.
I was lulled into a false sense of security as I filled in the top half but then I got properly stuck on the bottom, particularly the SE quadrant. GATEMAN was my LOI.
Thanks Shanne and Carpathian.
Shanne – thank you for the recommendation of the non-Monday cryptics that are more accessible. I now have a regular weekend-to-Monday routine with Quick Cryptic/Quiptic/Everyman/Monday but knowing which other wants to start with is very helpful.
This was definitely on the chewier end of a QC for me but also very enjoyable. Agree that the number of 3-letter words gave some challenges, and some of the wordplay indicators were tricky.
Challenges:
Never come across GIBES as a spelling instead of Jibes.
Getting upset seemed more likely to be an anagram indicator than a reversal indicator.
NHO SEDGE.
Did seem to have a bit more crosswordese than normal, too – DA, TED, DO, MO, and DEN. (DENTS seemed a particularly hard clue for newbies – I don’t think ‘study’ leads to ‘den’ in any regular sense.)
Delights:
MOP UP was a very nice bit of wordplay
GATEMAN was a beautiful reversal.
Very enjoyable, but I think a very new solved would need a guide like this to get the most out of it. With that said, you’d also learn a lot of tips and tricks that would speed progression, too,
FinalPunch @27 – SEDGE is the sort of reeds/grasses found in boggy ground – Tony Blair’s old constituency was Sedgemoor and I always assumed that’s why it was named that.
A study or DEN is a room in both UK and American English – in UK English it’s a small room often used for studying, has wider use in American English – and it’s one of those equivalents that’s used a lot in crosswords, but I have heard it used.
Indicators are often ambiguous – about gets used for reversal and anagrams.
If you look up into the, admittedly very long, blurb there are two links to Guides -one from the Guardian and one to the summary I did of the first 6 months of these Quick Cryptics. I am summarising the next six months as we go along.
That was good fun indeed. Skipped quite a few on the first pass hoping the crossers would help, which they did. Lazily put AGE in as it sort of fitted the clue definition but didn’t parse. ARE took a while to reveal itself in my head once shown the error of my ways. Impatience.
Thanks very much indeed to Carpathian and also to Shanne (intrigued as to why the blog was such a chore this time around, unless it was the reveal all button that was driving you up the wall).
I think the reason that many found this hard is that subtractive anagrams (or anagram-minus, as they called it this time) are one of the hardest clue types. I fully support gently introducing the tough clue types here–beginners need to meet them eventually–but that does mean that today’s lesson was at the intermediate level. So if you found this hard, folks, do not despair.
(Now when they go the next step and tell you delete a whole anagrammed word from a longer phrase and then anagram what’s left, that’s when we get to the advanced class.)
On the difficult side for a quick cryptic with a couple of head scratchers in there for me. Really like the new clue type, bringing in the deletion and anagram. It’s a good way to slowly build up to the type of clues you see in the main crossword.
Well done to those who got through it and a great blog for those who did not.
Also, in your record-keeping, Shanne, you should probably count “anagram-minus” as a separate thing from straight anagrams. (Your preamble indicated you weren’t thinking of it like that.)
I found this to be well pitched for beginners but also a little more challenging than previous ones so presented an opportunity for progression. I liked that we got to learn a new type of clueing: anagram minus. I enjoyed Carpathian’s last Quick Cryptic too. Thanks for the enlightening blog Shanne.
mrpenney @32 – I have listed out subtractive anagrams as a separate clue type, but not the anagram indicators, because they are similar.
Taffy @29 – this blog has been built as we go along and although I use previous week to build the next one. To get it to work, I’m not using the visual system on WordPress, but the text or coding version. The coding needs rebuilding each and every week because to turn the indicators red is a manual coding job. In addition, I wish I knew why this happens, because I’d stop it doing this, the hiding the details coding resets itself so everything is open, and the final job is to recode them to close them. This week has a lot more clues than the previous weeks, so all those extra lines in the table had to be re-added in manually in code, and then all the additional hiding the details coding has to be added again. Copying and pasting the clues from the website brings over additional coding on how that is listed that needs deleting out. (There are more coding buttons on my personal WordPress account which is how I put a lot of this together originally, and copied it across).
Shanne @34. Thank you so much for my personal tutorial, talk about going the extra mile…a marathon run there. I’m not familiar with WordPress I’m afraid, but having nothing better to do will have a look. Nobody hold their breath as fainting and asphyxia might quickly follow. However….chapeau dear lady, I think it’s important that we understand how much effort is needed to produce these blogs…might make us think twice before asking for trite bells and whistles enhancements.
Shanne @28
Sedgefield, not Sedgemoor – the latter is in Somerset.
Thanks for the “Expand all” button. I realise why the hidden format for these ouzzles, but I found it a bit irritating.
Shanne @28
Sedgefield, not Sedgemoor – the latter is in Somerset.
Thanks for the “Expand all” button. I realise the reason for the hidden format for these puzzles, but I found it a bit irritating.
muffin@37 -oops! I should have checked. I should know, I’ve lived in Sunderland and on the Dorset/Somerset borders, but I reached for a place with Sedge in the name …
Ken and AP came up with that expand all button, I just spent last week trying to break it. If you look the last few blogs have it in now, when I stopped checking in the sandbox.
Enjoyed this weeks puzzle plus the addition of Anagram Minus. A good mixture of frustration and satisfaction.
Solved all but struggled on a few, GI (US soldier) + BE (live) + S completely missed Live = Be but worked it out with what i had. Also Garb, completely blanked Brag and again solved with the 3 letters i had + definition.
Really enjoyed the reversals. Very good puzzle, saved until this very wet afternoon. Thanks Carpathian and you to Shanne.
ps – the reveal all is a good choice imo.
Wow. Definitely the most difficult and unusually I got three words wrong. For 4A I had GOADS which affected 5D which I realised was to do with blast, but had an A at the start so I removed the letter L instead of E thinking it was an anagram minus one letter. (doh!). Next I had AGE instead of ARE for14D. So I really really needed the explanations. I think I’m quite pleased that I finished it so I must be learning something…..slowly! Thankyou.
Nice puzzle
Love ergo / ogre , also had age for are ( knew it was wrong )
Agree this was more tricky than normal