Quick Cryptic 67 by Chandler

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

This week we have the 9th Quick Cryptic by Chandler, also regularly seen in the Quiptic slot. Today we only have anagrams and hidden clues with all the letters given, plus double definitions and charades, all of which we have met before.

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. haVE ALtered for the hidden example.
  • anagram – letters being used shown in brackets (SENATOR)* for the clue below to give TREASON.
  • anagrind – anagram indicator – in the case below it is “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 – 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. Hidden word Answer is hidden in the clue’s words
    ‘Some haVE ALtered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
  3. Charade Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
    ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
  4. Double definition Both halves are definitions!
    ‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Advantages when with groups (6)
Answer

ASSETS
Parsing

charade of AS (when) + SETS (groups – as in maths) – AS/when the ship comes in, we will see them.
4
Behaved offensively in petty quarrel (4)
Answer

SPAT
Parsing

double definition if he SPAT at you it would be pretty offensive (past of verb to spit), and a SPAT (noun) – or one of the meanings – is a row or quarrel.
8
Stifling end (5)
Answer

CLOSE
Parsing

double definition currently with the heatwave, it’s CLOSE/stifling (adjective), and to CLOSE something is to end it (verb)
9
Leading lunch I effortlessly consumed (5)
Answer

CHIEF
Parsing

hidden (consumed) in lunCH I EFfortlessly. The leading/CHIEF argument against is …
10
Past pressure to help given excessive wages (8)
Answer

OVERPAID
Parsing

charade of OVER (past) P (pressure) + AID (to help) P for pressure is from physics formulae and is a cryptic crossword regular.
13
Labs seem prepared to gather together (8)
Answer

ASSEMBLE
Parsing

anagram of (LABS SEEM)* with anagrind of “prepared”
16
Steered group of cattle (5)
Answer

DROVE
Parsing

double definition – we’re probably all familiar with DROVE for steered, the past participle of drive. For the group of cattle, the first definition in Chambers under DROVE is the noun meaning a group of cattle – from whence drovers and drove roads, particularly in East Anglia.

17
Find time before competition (5)
Answer

TRACE
Parsing

charade of T (time) + RACE (competition) – and T for time is also from physics.
18
Kind and chatty person in part (4)
Answer

TYPE
Parsing

hidden (in part) in chaTY PErson

19
View oblique stroke on a cricket pitch (6)
Answer

GLANCE
Parsing

double definition – the first definition in my Chambers is the sporting stroke – with the quick view meaning as a later definition.
DOWN
1 News presenter is secure in bay? (6)
Answer

ANCHOR
Parsing

double definition in my version of Chambers (1998), the first definition is described as short for an ANCHOR man. In the dictionary, the implement for mooring a ship (or a balloon in the ground) is the first definition, with the verb following. The question mark is indicating a definition by example – the bay is one of several places an anchor could be used.
2
Son prods parts of bicycles (6)
Answer

SPOKES
Parsing

charade of S (son – from genealogy) + POKES (prods)

3
One intruding spares rest when agitated (10)
Answer

TRESPASSER
Parsing

anagram of (SPARES REST)* with anagrind of “when agitated”.
5
Father at home is suffering (4)
Answer

PAIN
Parsing

charade of PA (father) + IN (at home) – PA for father and IN for at home or home are often used in crosswordland.
6
Wealthy figure in part of factory (4)
Answer

TOFF
Parsing

hidden (in) parT OF Factory
7
A clan cited incorrectly as unplanned (10)
Answer

ACCIDENTAL
Parsing

anagram of (A CLAN CITED)* with anagrind of “incorrectly”
11
Get in boat at sea (6)
Answer

OBTAIN
Parsing

anagram of (BOAT IN)* with anagrind of “at sea” – if we haven’t had “at sea” before, it is suggesting metaphorical confusion to be an anagrind.
12
Harsh cut before end of service (6)
Answer

SEVERE
Parsing

charade of SEVER (cut) + E (end of servicE) where “end of” tells us to use the last letter of …
14
Correct section in planned itinerary (4)
Answer

EDIT
Parsing

hidden (section in) plannED ITinerary

15
See work in circuit (4)
Answer

LOOP
Parsing

charade of LO (see) + OP (work) – as in Lo, he came with .. (from the hymn) for see. OP for work is either from military operations or OPs or an OPus or work – both are in the dictionary.

 

 

18 comments on “Quick Cryptic 67 by Chandler”

  1. A pleasant start to the weekend. Thanks to Chandler and to Shanne for the usual thorough explanations!

  2. Nice puzzle from Chandler – some challenges for the beginners and a sense of satisfaction for those who’ve been doing them for a while. Thanks to Shanne for the blog.

    My talkthrough of the QC is available at … https://youtu.be/yF0R8j4wqOs … some tips and tactics on how to approach solving.

  3. I really enjoyed being able to do most of this crossword, understanding the parsing. I found the bottom left corner puzzling because I couldn’t see why LOOP linked to the clue. Also while I got OVERPAID I needed the explanation. Thanks Chandler for the fun and Shanne for the clarifications.

  4. Thanks Shanne. I hope Chambers has been updated since your 1998 version, and the news presenter is no longer an anchor man.

  5. Pitched perfectly for me today. Needed Shannes explanation to understand why loop – and put Tory in at 6 down at first before solving 9 across!
    Thank you chandler and Shanne

  6. Really enjoyable puzzle. I found some of the double defs quite tricky to get at first but crossers helped. 15d was my last in. I had the OP part from ‘work’ but I’d put DRIVE for 16a so the rest was foxing me until thought of LO and then realised I’d got 16a wrong by forgetting the tense it was hinting at. Thanks Chandler and Shanne.

  7. Nicely pitched crossword. Had a couple of wrong answers but other than that made good progress. Finished with 1D and then 10A. As ever my parsing of both half s was not totally right so thanks to Shane for the explanations and clarification

  8. I really enjoyed that mainly sweeping through with great satisfaction, but I needed this excellent blog to explain the parsing for 15d, like others here I got ‘op’ but didn’t understand ‘lo’. Thank you Shanne and Chandler. I do wish these could be more often than weekly!! : )

  10. I also had Choke instead of Close. A sillier mistake slowed me down, but still really enjoyable. Thanks for the explanations.

  11. Really enjoyable puzzle! Thought DROVE and LOOP crossing each other was a bit tricky, as the cattle side of the DD is on the more obscure end, and LO is very crosswordese – but I remember needing practice at identifying ‘see’ as LO, so all totally fair.

    Thought OBTAIN was beautiful wordplay.

  12. Thank you for fun & clarity! Without using Chambers, was on a roll with 19a sledge/ glance crossing with 11d obtain/ aboard both finding meaning & context. 15d sensed a homophone/ charade/ double def with loupe.

  13. Without resorting to the dictionary which may say otherwise … I’d reckon for choke to be correct, the clue would need “stifle” whereas it is “stifling” which is synonymous with choking.

  14. I managed most of the clues okay – 1A had me stumped, but my partner looked at it and got the answer okay. The last two I completed were 12D, where I eventually understood the parsing .. and 15D, where I got the answer without understanding the parsing. I also had choke for 8A, so good to know I wasn’t alone 😀

  15. LOI 6D. Trust the Guardian to use a derogatory term for a wealthy person.

    This was hard! Very hard for a QC!

  16. Took me an hour to even get one answer, came back to it much later and slowly completed – with emphasis on slowly! Really enjoyed the struggle. Thank to Chandler and to Shanne

  17. Re parsing of 1 across, “sets” and “groups” are synonyms in common speech, so clue is fine, but not in maths.

  18. Found this quite tough but got through it in the end. Not helped by mistaking TOFF for TORY in the top right corner.

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