Guardian Quick Cryptic 81 by Pasquale

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

This puzzle for this week is the 3rd Quick Cryptic by Pasquale (although last week started with a repeat of Quick Cryptic 65, also set by Pasquale), who sets regular Cryptic, Quiptic and other puzzles in the Guardian. Today we have anagrams with all the letters given, the other clue types are charades, double definitions and insertions, that all require finding all the letters to fit 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. Get A Good joke for 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”
  • 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 definition 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. Charade(s) Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
    ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port) – (see more above)
  3. Double definition Both halves are definitions!
    ‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR
  4. Insertion One thing inside another makes answer
    ‘In favour of republican entering Post Office (3)’ gives PRO – (R – republican in PO Post Office)

 

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Box with spring beginning to rust (4)
Answer

SPAR
Parsing

Charade of SPA (spring) + R (beginning of Rust) for the verb, to box or spar.

4
Heap of things I left in gym (4)
Answer

PILE
Parsing

insertion (in) of I (from the clue) + L (L for left) inserted into (in) PE (gym).
7
Editing – something done by Socialist? (9)
Answer

REDACTION
Parsing

charade of RED (Socialist) + ACTION (something done) – with a question mark to suggest and cryptic answer, and a switch to the word order.
8
Sea-girt land is left half-abandoned (4)
Answer

ISLE
Parsing

charade of IS (from the clue) + LE (LEft half abandoned)
9
Lives with dean by cathedral city (6)
Answer

DWELLS
Parsing

charade of D (dean – abbreviation) + (by) WELLS (cathedral city). D for Dean is new to these crosswords. I know it from Church of England abbreviations, but checking, I couldn’t find it in Chambers on its own, but it is in as RD (Rural Dean) and also searchable as D&C (Dean & Chapter).
10
Witty remarks in breaks (6)
Answer

CRACKS
Parsing

double definition both meanings are nouns, and both are in the main definitions for CRACK in Chambers
13
Boundary for cricket team? (4)
Answer

CRACK
Parsing

double definition where the SIDE of a square is boundary and a SIDE is a team, with a question mark to indicate a definition by example (a cricket team is just one example, football, baseball and ice hockey SIDEs also exist).
14
Not knowing bliss? (9)
Answer

IGNORANCE
Parsing

double definition the second referring to the saying IGNORANCE is bliss – with a question mark to indicate an allusive definition (I’d almost describe this as a cryptic definition).
15
A good editor no longer young (4)
Answer

AGED
Parsing

charade of A (from the clue) + G (Good – as in a quality indicator for coins and books) + ED (editor – regular abbreviation).
16
Dull doctor meeting a bishop (4)
Answer

DRAB
Parsing

charade of DR (abbreviation for Doctor) + A (from the clue) + B (bishop – not a church abbreviation this time, this one comes from chess notation)
DOWN
2 Minister – the old man beginning to direct Religious Education (5)
Answer

PADRE
Parsing

charade of PA (the old man) + D (beginning to Direct) + RE (Religious Education – abbreviation from school timetables) for army or service ministers.
3
Celebrity in middle of little road went quickly (5)
Answer

RACED
Parsing

insertion (in middle of) ACE (celebrity) inserted into (in middle of) RD (little road – abbreviation from maps and addresses). I cannot find an equivalence of ACE and celebrity directly in either Chambers dictionary (crossword and the BRB).
4
Lions asleep finally before journey (5)
Answer

PRIDE
Parsing

charade of P (asleeP finally) + RIDE (journey) with the “before” giving the word order and the solution being the collective noun for a group of lions.
5
Lad’s denial set out in letters (10)
Answer

LANDLADIES
Parsing

anagram of (LAD’S DENIAL)* with an anagrind of “set out” and the definition referring to people who let – and that’s a regular crosswordese trick -misleading by the use of words.
6
Keeping quiet, holding back (10)
Answer

PRESERVING
Parsing

charade of P (quiet – piano) + RESERVING (holding back) P for piano means quiet in musical notation.
11
Beaten, getting dance wrong (5)
Answer

CANED
Parsing

anagram of (DANCE)* with an anagrind of “wrong”
12
Rag right in the middle of hut (5)
Answer

SHRED
Parsing

insertion (in the middle of) of R <right – as in right versus left) into (in the middle of) SHED (hut)
13
Social worker in South Africa who makes seasonal visits? (5)
Answer

SANTA
Parsing

insertion (in) ANT (social insect) inserted into (in) SA (South Africa – one of the recognised abbrevations for the country – RSA sometimes turns up in puzzles too).

 

 

11 comments on “Guardian Quick Cryptic 81 by Pasquale”

  2. Completely flummoxed by all but 5 clues. This seems pretty difficult for a QC!

    Thanks for the explanations.

  3. I have come to think Pasquale and I are on different wavelengths. I seem to struggle with his puzzles.

    So saying I ticked three clues: SPAR, ISLE, REDACTION

    I agree with the quibbles you raised. And I am not a fan of dodgy definitions followed by a question mark.

    Thanks Pasquale and Shanne

  4. 5D and 6D took a little while to parse.Though I parsed 3D in a jiffy,I’ve never come across the word ace used for celebrity, or maybe its just me?As always many thanks to Shanne and Pasquale.

  6. Geoff Down Under @5 – I did check that one. I thought rag/shred of cloth as I was solving it, and was backed up by the Chambers Crossword Dictionary making rag and shreds equivalent. You can also rag or shred cloth into strips (for ragging – rag rugs are made by plaiting or weaving unwanted strips of fabric).

  7. Loved the ‘letters’. That’s why I love crosswords as they make me think laterally and get off the usual rut.

  8. I was misled by the comma in 6d and spent far too long assuming it was a double definition and trying to find a word that meant both ‘keeping quiet’ and ‘holding back’. A good reminder that punctuation can often (usually? always?) be ignored. Not the easiest Quick Cryptic we’ve had but helpful practice in recognising clue types.

  10. I think 7 has to be a rather playful double definition. There is no piecing together of different elements.

    I think 8 is worthy of a special comment. We sometimes get unannounced tricks within a trick in Quick Crosswords, but these usually just involve an initial letter, such as 1A and 2D. In this puzzle we also have an end letter in 4D, which I am not sure we have seen before, but the trick within a trick in 8 is a percentage (to use the name given in QC 59), something I think we’ve only seen as a main trick in Quick Crosswords once before, and I am pretty sure it has never appeared unannounced like it is here.

  11. You’ve got the wrong answer in for 13a I think. Thank you for the explanation on “letters” – made me smile!

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