Quick Cryptic 57 by Pasquale

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

This initiative has been running more than a year, and after losing Picaroon, who set 16 of the early crosswords, we are having a run of experienced setters experimenting with this format. Pasquale (Don Manley) sets well-pitched Quiptic puzzles, through to challenging Cryptic puzzles (and under a different names for other outlets – the clue is Don). Today we have some familiar clue types, but only anagrams have all the letters present in the clue, charades, double definitions and insertions all need synonyms finding before the clue can be solved, and all met several times 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. (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.
  • insertions – the example of PRO (R for republican in PO for Post Office) only uses a single letter to insert, but insertion clues can use whole words inserted into others.
  • 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 Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
    ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
  3. Double definition ABoth halves are definitions!
    ‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR
  4. Insertion One thing inside another makes the answer
    ‘In favour of republican entering Post Office (3)’ gives PRO

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Just the setting for dodgems? (4)
Answer

FAIR
Parsing

double definition of FAIR (just) and FAIR (the setting for dodgems – as in funfair)
3
Booze in bed in school (6)
Answer

SCOTCH
Parsing

insertion (in) of COT (bed) in SCH (school – abbreviation from maps) to give S COT CH
7
Display no longer beside Italian river (4)
Answer

EXPO
Parsing

charade of EX (no longer) + (beside) PO (Italian river). We haven’t met the River Po in these crosswords yet, but it’s another river worth remembering.
8
Textbook in coat (6)
Answer

PRIMER
Parsing

double definition PRIMER means both an undercoat in painting and decorating and an early textbook
10
Papa desired changes – went missing (11)
Answer

DISAPPEARED
Parsing

anagram of (PAPA DESIRED)* with anagrind of “changes” to give DISAPPEARED.
12
Sort matinée out, offering little folk to entertain children? (11)
Answer

MARIONETTES
Parsing

anagram of (SORT MATINEE)* with anagrind of “out” for MARIONETTES
14
Story about donkey and girl (6)
Answer

LASSIE
Parsing

insertion (about) of LIE (story) about ASS (donkey) to give L ASS IE (girl)
16
Data in Foreign Office (4)
Answer

INFO
Parsing

charade of IN (from the clue) + FO (Foreign Office) – it’s no longer the Foreign Office (FO), or the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office) but the FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office), but historically we had a Foreign Office for years, so the original abbreviation lives on in crosswordland.
17
Meal is wonderful, including extra bit of pudding (6)
Answer

SUPPER
Parsing

insertion (including) in SUPER (wonderful) of P (bit of Pudding) to give SUP P ER – “bit of” turns up quite often and usually means the first letter of the word indicated. (I’d say invariably, but rarely “bit” does get used to mean more than one letter, to indignation).
18
Healthy source of water? (4)
Answer

WELL
Parsing

double definition WELL (healthy) and WELL (source of water)
DOWN
1 Devil – female one meeting death (5)
Answer

FIEND
Parsing

charade of F (female) I (one – in Roman numerals) + END (death) to give F I END
2
I am approaching problem? I like to enforce decision (7)
Answer

IMPOSER
Parsing

charade of I’M (I am – abbreviation) + POSER (problem) and a slightly cryptic definition.

4
At the end of lifetime’s work editor made haste (8)
Answer

CAREERED
Parsing

charade of CAREER (lifetime’s work) and (with an indication of order) ED (editor) to give CAREER ED
5
Man given high honour after short time (3)
Answer

TOM
Parsing

charade of OM (high honour – abbreviation of Order of Merit) after T (short time – abbreviation from science) to give T OM
6
Crowd gathering round wicked old king (5)
Answer

HEROD
Parsing

insertion (gathering) – HERD (crowd) with (gathering) O (round – often see this, using O to indicate a round or circle) to give HER O D
9
Suitable program associated with old location (8)
Answer

APPOSITE
Parsing

charade of APP (program) + O (old – as in Old Testament OT) + SITE (location). APP is also new to this series – but it’s valid, it’s short for application, which is “a computer program or piece of software for a particular process downloaded to a phone or other mobile device.
11
Reunite in orderly way as attendants to VIP? (7)
Answer

RETINUE
Parsing

anagram of (REUNITE)* with an anagrind of “in orderly way” – which is an anagrind I don’t remember seeing before.
12
No women or girls cooking meals (5)
Answer

MALES
Parsing

anagram of (MEALS)* with anagrind of “cooking”
13
Second implement used to make seat (5)
Answer

STOOL
Parsing

charade of S (second – as in the SI unit of time) + TOOL (implement)
15
Thus head of police makes concession (3)
Answer

SOP
Parsing

charade of SO (thus) + P (head of Police) to give SO P

 

 

24 comments on “Quick Cryptic 57 by Pasquale”

  1. I always enjoy Pasquale’s puzzles; this one was no exception. Thanks Pasquale and Shanne.

  2. Took ‘booze in bed in school’ to be Bedale, which made the three dependent clues a bit more difficult. As ever, though, it was all time well spent. Thanks all.

  3. I savour every Pasquale puzzle I see these days as I know he’s reducing his workload but that seemed tough if the QC is aiming to bring in beginners. The NE with CAREERED/PRIMER/HEROD was the major sticking point but got there in the end. Liked the MALES clue.

    As usual, my talkthrough solve is available over at https://youtu.be/veIliHlRDyo for anyone looking for tips and tactics on how to approach cryptics.

  4. Hardest yet.
    BEDALE would be a great answer, Aphid, except that the famous school is BedaleS!

  5. Well I enjoyed this, although I found it a bit of a stretch as for some reason the four types of definitions weren’t shown in my puzzles link below my online version of the paper.
    It was only when I got on this site to check some parsings I saw they were still shown.
    But it made me realise I am making progress. So thank you as ever Shanne for this helpful blog – and to Pasquale for an enjoyable puzzle.

  7. Thank you for the blog Shanne. I found this very chewy for a QC but doable. I really wish someone at the Guardian would review and flesh out the “rules” for QCs as it would help newbies a lot in instances like todays.

  8. I only started doing cryptics a few weeks ago. But having worked back through these, doing the Times QC and working back through Everyman from 3600 backwards (as suggested by someone here) I found this quite manageable. Now to reduce my reliance on checking almost every letter as I put it in….
    Thanks for everyone’s help on the blogs. Especially Shanne.

  9. Definitely a tougher one for the QC slot and took me awhile to get through. Looking back at the answers I think it was all well clued and fair, just a bit of a step up – almost more Quiptic like. I’m glad this wasn’t the first of these that I’d seen last year as I think it would have reinforced my old view that cryptic crosswords weren’t for me but now it was all doable. Must be making progress LOL 😂

  10. For some extraordinary reason I decided fiend was spelled feind and then wondered why there was no indication that the One was German. Hey ho. Got there eventually.

  11. Thanks very much. Finding out here that the definition for 3 across was booze unlocked the NE corner for me. Very helpful!

  12. Found this quite hard. Had no idea for 5D. Put TIM. I am so glad you explain the parsing because although I got 3A and 14A didn’t understand why. But I enjoyed 7A 4D and 6D. Fun clues. Thanks Pasquale and Shanne. Getting there….

  13. Tougher than most QCs, I thought.
    The ‘in’ in 8a threw me – I was thinking insertion, assuming some kind of separation, with text as definition, and book to be inserted into primer. Got there in the end, thankfully!
    Thanks to Shanne & Pasquale!

  15. Holypeanut @13 – not enough words to be an insertion – you need to have something to insert into a container – so you’re looking at a minimum of 3 words plus a definition.

  16. Good stuff, thanks (‘tho I’m not sure ‘careered’ means ‘made haste’ – isn’t it more about lack of control?)

  17. Shanne @15 – yes, you’re right. I was trying to force textbook into being two words, whilst knowing deep down it wasn’t really legitimate! I’d half-convinced myself it was some “lift & separate” idea, that I’ve not quite understood yet!

  18. Holypeanut@17 – that trick does happen, splitting up of words that go together, either as a phrase or as a single word. In that case it’s likely that the solution will mean Text – so “Textbook covers bitterness (5)” could be BIBLE (text) from B for book in BILE for bitterness.

  19. Found this very difficult and was only able to complete about half.

    I see mentioned above about working through old Everymans. I remember seeing this posted some time ago and I feel like it came with quite clear instructions on how best to do so. Can’t find that comment anywhere now.

  20. HI Brian @19 – there’s a long blog post for the first six months of the Quick Cryptic puzzles, linked above in the blurb, under “For additional help click here” – and in the comments to that blog we’ve summarised all the advice for other places to look – and that includes those instructions.

  21. Thanks shanne @20, it’s your comment on that blog post that you’ve linked to above that I was thinking of. I tried searching for it recently but couldn’t find it for some reason. Thanks again for the original post and pointing me in the right direction today.

  22. I’ve attempted every one of these QC puzzles since they began. I thought I was improving. But found this one much harder than past ones. Or maybe I’m just having an ‘off’ weekend 😀 Suffice to say I had to come here to get the explanations for the 8 clues I was unable to complete.

  23. I found that way harder than I would have expected it to be for a Quick Cryptic and it is the first one I have given up on. Just couldn’t parse the top half at all.

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