Quick Cryptic Special – by Dice

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This week a special Guardian 11 x 11 crossword, intended to teach cryptic crosswords, was published in an extra puzzles supplement published on 27 July. Paper only at this stage.

This is the 4th Quick Cryptic by Dice, a setter only seen in the Quick Cryptic slot. Today we only have anagrams, last letters and hidden reversals with all the letters given, plus charades.

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. VieTNAm for the hidden insect in the 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”
  • reversal – shown using the < symbol, so ‘Deity’s pet coming back (3)’ is DOG < for pet, reversing (coming back) gives 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. 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 – with a new format. Clues begin or end with a definition of the answer. The rest is one of these:

Clue type 1: Anagram A word or phrase is an anagram (in bold). Another word or phrase (underlined) indicates rearrangement.
Clue: ‘Senator arranged crime (7)’
Answer: TREASON (crime)
Clue: ‘Assured true agenda is different (10)’
Answer: GUARANTEED (assured)

 

Clue type 2: Charade The answer is a concatenation of synonyms in a clue.
Clue: ‘Head of carpentry secured saw (7)’
Answer: C (first letter of Carpentry) + LOCKED (secured) = CLOCKED (saw)
Clue:‘Qualify to get a drink producing ID (8)’
Answer:PASS (qualify) + (to get) PORT (a drink) = (producing) PASSPORT (ID)

 

Clue type 3: Hidden reversal The answer is defined and hidden backwards.
Clue:‘Insect returns in Vietnam’ (3)’
Answer:ANT (insect) – hidden backwards in VieTNAm <

 

Clue type 4: Last letters The final letters give the answer
Clue:‘Finally pull the rug showing limb’ (3)
Answer:LEG (limb) from pulL thE ruG

 

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Book one family one seaside privacy screen? (6)
Answer

BIKINI
Parsing

charade of B (book) + I (one) + KIN (family) + I (one) with a quirky definition
4
Stone thrown around during fictional apocalypse (4)
Answer

OPAL
Parsing

hidden reversal (thrown around during) in fictionaL APOcalypse < to give the semi-precious stone.
8
Badly rile cat to get a story in the paper? (7)
Answer

ARTICLE
Parsing

anagram of (RILE CAT)* with anagrind of “badly”
9
Grease the further edges of pesto ravioli well (3)
Answer

OIL
Parsing

final letters (further edges) – of pestO raviolI welL
10
Warm up hospital snack (4)
Answer

HEAT
Parsing

charade of H (hospital – marking on maps or the symbol used on road signs in the UK) + EAT (snack)

12
My more confused recollection (6)
Answer

MEMORY
Parsing

anagram of (MY MORE)* with anagrind of “confused”
14
Eg a tab crushed that’s used to make a brew (6)
Answer

TEABAG
Parsing

anagram of (EG A TAB)* with anagrind of “crushed” – a brew as in a cup of tea
15
Sea rocks free rocks (4)
Answer

REEF
Parsing

anagram of (FREE)* with anagrind of “rocks”.

18
Marry somewhat laid back bride willingly. (3)
Answer

WED
Parsing

hidden reversal (somewhat laid back) of briDE Willingly <
19
When agitated, God sure complained (7)
Answer

GROUSED
Parsing

anagram of (GOD SURE)* with anagrind of “when agitated”.

20
Arrive, finally call Ma, then unwind (4)
Answer

LAND
Parsing

final letters (finally) of calL MA theN unwinD – and an aeroplane arrives by landing

22
Identified a cracking, partially retro, shopping centre (6)
Answer

ARCADE
Parsing

hidden reversal (partially retro) from identifiED A CRAcking <

DOWN
1 Finishes off club dance fiesta music with ‘Seaside’ (5)
Answer

BEACH
Parsing

final letters (finishes off) cluB dancE fiestA musiC witH – the last time finishes off was used instead of finishes of, there was a long debate, but it does work.
2
Strip act I knew a little is on the up (3)
Answer

KIT
Parsing

hidden reversal (a little is on the up – in a down clue up is a way of describing a reversal) of acT I Knew < for the kind of strip worn by sports teams.
3
The tails of common hippopotami hypnotic and inimitable, lovely! (4)
Answer

NICE
Parsing

last letters (the tails of) of commoN hippopotamI hypnotiC (ignoring and) inimitablE – two things here – a correction to the printed crossword where the only word that makes sense is hypnOtic and there’s a joining word ignored in “and” – which does happen sometimes to make the surface readable – not that this is the best surface I’ve seen.
5
Suggest sitting inside hide so porpoise returns (7)
Answer

PROPOSE
Parsing

reverse hidden (sitting inside … returns – so a split indicator, which we haven’t seen for a while) in hidE SO PORPoise <

6
Pull together finishing touches to meal so all will enjoy frozen treat (5)
Answer

LOLLY
Parsing

last letters (pull together finishing touches to – quite long instructions as an indicator) of meaL sO alL wilL enjoY
7
Group in Somerset efficiently set up fairs (5)
Answer

FETES
Parsing

hidden reversal (group in … set up – in a down clue) in SomerSET EFficiently < – known to those of us who end up running them or stalls at them as fetes worse than death.
11
Leave a group working (7)
Answer

ABANDON
Parsing

charade of A (from the clue) BAND (group) ON (working) – with a very smooth surface here.

13
Catch the sun then go dance (5)
Answer

TANGO
Parsing

charade of TAN (catch the sun) + GO (from the clue) for a crossword regular, both as the dance and as T in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
14
Item used to dry bedraggled owlet (5)
Answer

TOWEL
Parsing

anagram of (OWLET)* with anagrind of “bedraggled” and a lovely image summoned up by the clue
16
If you need bulking please take the last of each sweet treat (5)
Answer

FUDGE
Parsing

last letters (take the last of each) iF yoU neeD bulkinG pleasE.
17
Tense over universal right to travel round (4)
Answer

TOUR
Parsing

charade of T (tense – from grammar/dictionaries) + O (over – from cricket) + U (universal – from cinema ratings) + R (right – as in directions) – it almost looks like an acrostic, but all those single letter abbreviations exist and are regulars in cryptic crosswords.
20
South-eastern area’s large expanse of water (3)
Answer

SEA
Parsing

charade of SE (south-eastern – from cardinal directions) + A (area – used in maths) – another charade that looks like an acrostic but using single letter abbreviations.

 

Apologies – no numbers on this grid – I built this blog from a photo


 

4 comments on “Quick Cryptic Special – by Dice”

  2. I beg your pardon, final letters.
    I didn’t realise it followed the same principles as other Quick Cryptics, ie limited to 4 clue types.

  3. paddymelon@5 – because in the Guardian printed edition, this Quick Cryptic, with the four clue types as normal, is published as being by Dice. The photographed page, which is what I worked from, shows Dice as the author.

    I do say in the blurb you see before clicking on to the page or the link that this is intended for beginners.

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