Quick Cryptic 52 by Chandler

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This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian, intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here

This is the 52nd Quick Cryptic – the first appeared in early April last year, and Chandler’s sixth Quick Cryptic. Today we have anagrams and acrostics with all the letters present in the clue, plus charades and double definitions, which require the solver to find the words and letters to make up the clues.

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 blog continues to develop in response to suggestions. We hide the answers and the wordplay descriptions (parsing) too.   To find the solution click on “Answer” and to find how the word play works, click on “Parsing” which will reveal the hidden information. You can choose to reveal everything using the “Expand All” button. If you have partially revealed the page, refreshing it will clear that, and allow you to expand all. The definition is in bold and underlined, the indicator is in red.

For additional help click here

There is a summary of the tricks used in the first six months here and a Guardian Crossword blog called the ultimate beginner’s guide has tips which may be useful for some solvers

For abbreviations and clue tips click 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
  • indicators are in red.
  • CAPITALS to indicate which bits are part of the answer, e.g. (SENATOR)* for the anagram, haVE ALtered meat for the hidden clue
  • Anagrams – letters used are shown in brackets with an asterisk – so (SENATOR)* becomes TREASON
  • Anagram indicator / anagrind – in this case it’s “arranged”.
  • 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. These are rare.
  • 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 here – because the clues have moved on from the clue descriptions below, I am now adding more to the descriptions hidden 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. Charade A combination of synonyms
    ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
  3. Double definition Both halves are definitions!
    ‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR
  4. Acrostic The first letters of the answer
    ‘Initially get a good joke (3)’ gives GAG

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Bold undertaking in business (10)
Answer

ENTERPRISE
Parsing

double definition – a business is an ENTERPRISE, and a bold undertaking is an ENTERPRISE, hence the Starship Enterprise.
7
Figures from folklore in wild gorse (5)
Answer

OGRES
Parsing

anagram of (GORSE)* with anagrind of “wild” for one of crosswords favourite characters from folklore (the ergo/ogre reversal has come up a lot too)
8
Approval, for example, shown by note (3-2)
Answer

SAY-SO
Parsing

charade of SAY (for example) + (shown by) SO (note – on the sol-fa tonic scale).
 
SO is another spelling of sol/soh. The tonic scale is also described as the sol-fa – but means the scale described by doh, re, mi, fah, so, la, ti, doh – but all appear in various spellings.
9
Boost I fancy for woodwind player (6)
Answer

OBOIST
Parsing

anagram of (BOOST I)* with anagrind of “fancy”

10
Leaders in some criminal alliance masterminding trick (4)
Answer

SCAM
Parsing

acrostic of (leaders in) + Some Criminal Alliance Masterminding
13
Highly regard price (4)
Answer

RATE
Parsing

double definition to RATE something is slang for regarding it highly and the going RATE for a job is the price of that work.
14
One insisting on perfection in rearranged US trip (6)
Answer

PURIST
Parsing

anagram of (US TRIP)* with anagrind of “rearranged”
16
Severely criticise list of candidates (5)
Answer

SLATE
Parsing

double definition a play in the West End is SLATEd if its reviews are critical, particularly in British slang and the list of election candidates is a SLATE, more in the USA.
18
Starters of prawns even now nearly eclipsing pasta (5)
Answer

PENNE
Parsing

acrostic (starters of) Prawns Even Now Nearly Eclipsing – for the thin tube-like pasta shapes.
19
Obstruct purpose in place on a border? (10)
Answer

CHECKPOINT
Parsing

charade of CHECK (obstruct) POINT (purpose) – famously CHECKPOINT Charlie on the Berlin Wall was a place on the border between East and West Germany
DOWN
1 Omit course possibly for sustainable travel (3-7)
Answer

ECO-TOURISM
Parsing

anagram of (OMIT COURSE) with anagrind of “possibly”.
2
Performer in public for a number of voters (7)
Answer

TURNOUT
Parsing

charade of TURN (performer) + OUT (in public) for TURNOUT – meaning the number of people to attend something or in this case vote.
3
Withstand manipulation of sister (6)
Answer

RESIST
Parsing

anagram of (SISTER)* with anagrind of “manipulation of” for a very neat surface.
4
Others enjoy time to regain strength (4)
Answer

REST
Parsing

double definition with one meaning the rest/others who took part and the second meaning to rest and recuperate
5
Observe one seeking to obtain secret information (3)
Answer

SPY
Parsing

double definition one answer a verb and the other a noun, as in the clue.
6
Dedication to cause as obligation (10)
Answer

COMMITMENT
Parsing

double definition the second as in I have a commitment/obligation to attend tomorrow’s church service
11
Greek character opposed to Italian wine (7)
Answer

CHIANTI
Parsing

charade of CHI (Greek character) + ANTI (opposed to)
 
And this is the second week in a row where we’ve had letters from the Greek alphabet – tau last week, CHI this. They are another useful tool to have in the solvers toolbox.
12
Raise worthless young dog (4,2)
Answer

BUMP UP
Parsing

charade of BUM (worthless) + PUP (young dog) – I guess meaning raise as in to BUMP something UP an agenda.
15
Posh car leads to many expecting regular chauffeurs (4)
Answer

MERC
Parsing

acrostic of (leads to) Many Expecting Regular Chauffeurs – for the slang version of Mercedes.
17
Tree has roots in agricultural setting here (3)
Answer

ASH
Parsing

acrostic of (has roots in) Agricultural Setting Here – where root is the source of something (as in money is the root of all evil)

 

 

15 comments on “Quick Cryptic 52 by Chandler”

  1. How does “TURN” mean performer? Only one I couldn’t parse (but still easily solvable). (I looked it up and found an example with that meaning, never seen it used before. Occasionally as “performance”, but never denoting the one doing the performing.)

  2. Dylan N @1
    Think of a cabaret or similar, with different performers coming on one after the other. “The next turn was dire, so I went to the bar instead.”

    I think I’d use it more for the performer(s) than the performance.

  3. In 1a, the word BOLD made me think of James T Kirk’s ship immediately, then I reverse engineered the full solution. I shall now boldly go in search of more coffee.

  4. I see you have “enjoy” as part of the second definition in 4. I saw it as a linking word, and thought it rather unfair.

  5. Some challenges there from Chandler and I was stumped on the DDs in the NW for a few mins but all safely navigated in the end.

    My talkthrough is available at https://youtu.be/JsGxbjjIoF4 with suggestions on how to approach the solve and parsing of the clues and answers. Lots of tips and tactics to help new solvers along.

  6. Remus @4 – I did think the really long descriptions for the double definitions in 4D (REST) and 5D (SPY) were misleading.

    According to Chambers: Rest¹ : repose; refreshing inactivity; intermission of or freedom from motion or disturbance …
    rest² : remainder, all others

    Remus @2 and DylanN @1
    Turn is defined – a long way down the list of definitions – as: a performer’s act or the performer.

  7. Not sure what enjoy is doing in 4d. Seems superfluous?

    Struggled a little with TURN for performer

    Otherwise enjoyable.

  8. Enjoyable. Some of the double-defs held me up for a while but all fairly clued I felt. Using ‘roots’ as an acrostic indicator was new to me as I would tend to think of root being the bottom of the tree (in this case) and so be last letters. But obvs. that made no sense so ASH it was LOL 😂. Thanks Shanne for the blog and Chandler for the grid.

  9. I liked this one a lot although took a silly amount of time to get the BUM part in 12d. Always enjoy reading the comments on here. Thank you for the detailed blog Shanne.

  10. Good fun, but stuck on Turnout. Enjoyed Bumpup. @Shanne, can I just say that I’ve been telling people for years that it’s not money that is the route of all evil, it is the love of money which is. (Radix maloram est cupiditas.)

  11. Re: “turn” meaning “performer”: I think it’s become a bit out of use now, but as a child (in the 70s) I definitely remember my mother’s generation using the word in this way, and Diana Rigg compiled a book of terrible theatrical reviews in 1982 called “No Turn Unstoned”, a clever bit of wordplay with the phrase No Stone Unturned reversed to use the meanings of performer and stoning (public humiliation and punishment).

  12. Hadn’t heard of turn meaning performer but then I did not live in the UK in the 70s and 80s…. But guessed the answer from the definition and crossers.
    Thanks, Chandler and Shanne

  13. Not too many troubles here. I was certainly on wavelength with the DDs which made this a lot easier.

    Liked: SLATE (we have elections coming up in this neck of the woods and it seems very fitting)

    Thanks Chandler and Shanne

  14. I found this hard, and only managed about half of it. Too much stuff that I hadn’t heard of to be able to have a proper go at it.

    Thanks Shanne & Chandler.

  15. Technicians (techies/techs) in theatre still refer to performers as turns & also twirlies (for dancers). Not usually within earshot of the actors though unless in a light-hearted joshing manner.

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