Quick Cryptic 59 by Ludwig

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

This week sess the return of Ludwig – a pseudonym used by several different crossword setters, according to a recent Guardian crossword blog. Today we have some familiar clue types and a new clue, a variation on the deletion clues, the percentage clues. We also have anagrams, acrostics and hidden clues with all the letters present in the clue, to help with the crossers with this new clue type.

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, lUGe for the percentage clue, some haVE ALtered for the hidden, Get A Good joke for the acrostic
  • Anagrams – letters used are shown in brackets with an asterisk – so (SENATOR)* becomes TREASON
  • Anagram indicator / anagrind – in this case it’s “arranged”.
  • percentage of a word – is a form of deletion – the example given is of LUGe and tells us to remove 25% – so one letter of 4 (or 2 of 8, and etc), but gives us no more help.
  • 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. Percentage Answer is some proportion of another word
    ‘Carry 75% of sled (3)’ gives LUG
  2. Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
    ‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON
  3. Hidden word Answer is hidden in the clue’s words
    ‘Some have altered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
  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
70% of admin hub offering retreat (4,3)
Answer

BACK OFF
Parsing

percentage of BACK OFFice (admin hub) – 70% says 7 out of 10 letters of another word or words (or 14 out of 20, but that’s unlikely)

5
No gentleman, taking drops of claret and Drambuie (3)
Answer

CAD
Parsing

acrostic (taking drops of) Claret And Drambuie – a drop of or similar indication of a small amount of a word, in crosswordland usually means the first letter.
7
Route winding over the top (5)
Answer

OUTRE
Parsing

anagram of (ROUTE)* with anagrind of “winding”
8
Greek character at the broadcast (5)
Answer

THETA
Parsing

anagram of (AT THE)* with anagrind of “broadcast” – which is one of those ambiguous indicators, as it’s also used for soundalikes.
9
Playing tam-tam: Don, star of Hollywood (4,5)
Answer

MATT DAMON
Parsing

anagram of (TAM-TAM DON)* with anagrind of “playing” for this Hollywood star.
13
Exaggerate 90% of needlework (9)
Answer

EMBROIDER
Parsing

percentage of a word (90% of) EMBROIDERy (needlework) – 90% suggests 9 letters from a 10 letter word.
15
Shoal’s shimmering rings of light (5)
Answer

HALOS
Parsing

anagram of (SHOAL)* with anagrind of “shimmering”
17
City originally had a nasty oil industry (5)
Answer

HANOI
Parsing

acrostic (originally) Had A Nasty Oil Industry.
19
Vehicle clearing 25% of outback (3)
Answer

BUS
Parsing

percentage of a word (clearing 25%) of BUSh (outback) – this time the instructions are to remove 25% of the word (rather than keep 75% of a word) – and 25% suggests 1 of 4 / 2 of 8 / 3 of 12 letters.
20
Crooner sleeps in a Travelodge (but only a bit) (7)
Answer

SINATRA
Parsing

hidden word (but only a bit) of sleepS IN A TRAvelodge for this crooner – who died in 1998
DOWN
1 Flowers in 60% of literary London locale (6)
Answer

BLOOMS
Parsing

percentage of a word (60%) of BLOOMSbury (literary London locale) – 60% means 3 out of 5, 6 out of 10 and etc – Bloomsbury Press, the publisher of the Harry Potter books, is named after the area and the literary tradition of the 1900s group of Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell and Lytton Strachey et al
2
Take care under there (at first) (3)
Answer

CUT
Parsing

acrostic (at first) of Care Under There – someone’s take/cut of a deal
3
Provide new sounds for hoover. Dubiously? To some extent (7)
Answer

OVERDUB
Parsing

hidden (to some extent) of hoOVER DUBiously
4
Suitable overtures to Fidelio in translations (3)
Answer

FIT
Parsing

acrostic (overtures) ofrom Fidelio In Translation – something that’s suitable is fitting.
5
A little monocle an Edwardian sterilised (7)
Answer

CLEANED
Parsing

hidden in (a little) of monoCLE AN EDwardian
6
Wee drink in play? Only 80% (4)
Answer

DRAM
Parsing

percentage of word (only 80%) of DRAMa (play) – the play has a question mark as a play is a definition by example of a drama. (80% = 4 / 5, 8 / 10, 12 / 15)
10
Somewhat heal psyche – somewhat – in mountain region (3,4)
Answer

THE ALPS
Parsing

hidden word(s) (somewhat) of somewhaT HEAL PSchye
11
Cosmo or Henry capturing waterfowl (7)
Answer

MOORHEN
Parsing

hidden word (capturing) in cosMO OR HENry for this waterfowl.
12
Herbal remedy for bruised crania (6)
Answer

ARNICA
Parsing

anagram of (CRANIA)* with anagrind of “bruised” – a particularly clever anagrind as the herbal remedy in question is used to treat brusing.

14
Fictional seaman’s Achilles heel? Anchor butter for starters (4)
Answer

AHAB
Parsing

acrostic (for starters) of Achilles Heel Anchor Butter for this seaman
16
Relative needing some assistance (3)
Answer

SIS
Parsing

hidden (some) of asSIStance.
18
Negative word making 75% of message (3)
Answer

NOT
Parsing

percentage of a word (75% of) NOTe (message), with 75% instructing to keep 3 out of 4 letters of a word (or 6 out of 8, 9 out of 12)

 

 

33 comments on “Quick Cryptic 59 by Ludwig”

  1. Completed this without much difficulty but the ommision clues with % were far too many and off-putting!

  2. Agree Dr. Mernard about the % of the %s.

    Did anyone else try for a something SPA/ce in 1a before crossers and getting that retreat was a verb?

  3. Interesting puzzle. I found the % clues the most difficult. I liked 7ac but the surfaces of the other clues did not do much for me

    Thanks Ludwig and Shanne

  5. I think that in a crossword with 22 answers, which states deliberately that there are four clue types one has to expect five or six of each type.

    In the real world I can’t imagine you’d find more than one “%” clue in any crossword but even then it would be quite rare.

  6. What a nice puzzle from Ludwig – hopefully everybody found that fun. Silly me though, I put OUTER in 7 thinking of something that goes over the top and then when OVERDUB went in, I thought I’d made a typo in that. Doh! Have to say OUTRE is one of those words I’ve only seen in Crossword land.

    My talkthrough solve is available at https://youtu.be/Ur6vwmV4AJU for anyone wanting tips and tactics on how to approach solving.

  7. These % clues are all dreadful – they are close to the frowned-upon indirect anagrams. They should be banned!

  8. I agree with Admin although I share Dr M’s pain! A good work out, made more difficult for me by failing to see that “lug” was 75% of “luge” in the instructions.
    Thanks Ludwig and Shanne

  9. Thanks for the blog. I feel like I bludgeoned this one out. I got the answers but without understanding the correct parsing. The percentage clues were new to me. I can’t say i liked them very much but I guess they are a new technique for future use

  10. I quite enjoyed this – yes, there were more % clues than you’d expect in a full-fat cryptic, but if the point of these is to train people in different clue types, it makes sense to include a few. Hopefully they’re not in super-regular rotation, but every so often would be fine.

    Muffin @7: what’s an indirect anagram, please?

  11. I started trying to do cryptics at about the same time as these quick cryptics started and they (and most particularly Shanne’s brilliant blogs) have given me the confidence to have a go at the main cryptic most days. I don’t remember ever having met a percentage clue in those and was wondering if it was something that had just gone over my head so the comment by Admin@5 is helpful. Thanks Ludwig and Shanne.

  12. Enjoyable start to a Saturday. Percentage clues were the trickiest this time around. 1d was my first one in so that gave me more insight into that clue type as I didn’t understand the Guardian example – Sled = Luge escaped me 😄. Initially put OUTER instead of OUTRE which caused a bit of head scratching on 3d until I spotted OVERDUB. Pedantically, as I’m an amateur musician, I would argue an overdub adds sound rather than provides since adding and providing are different things IMO. But that’s a bit pernickety of me 😄
    Thanks Ludwig for this mornings puzzle and Shanne for the blog.

  13. Holypeanut @10
    An indirect anagram is when a word in the clue is replaced by a synonym, and then that is anagrammed to give the answer. Sometimes known as a “ghost” anagram.

  15. I found this much easier than the last few Quick Cryptics have been and didn’t need to give much thought to any of the clues. I liked the percentage clues though I don’t imagine I’ll encounter them often.

  16. We do occasionally see % clues as given here (there are other ways of using the % in a clue)- I have seen and solved them, I just see them as a variation on the deletion clues – as covered last week in the Quick Cryptic slot, but with fewer helpful other clues. I did dig and found a couple of recent-ish examples of these clues in the Guardian, see:
    this Qaos Cryptic 29615 from February – at 17 across – I even blogged that one;
    this Harpo Cryptic 29610, also from February – at 13 down

    I’ve also seen this trick indicated as a fraction, but not recently enough for me to find on this quick search through to find examples. And yes, as the Admin says – this is a teaching crossword, with repetition of new clue types, not something you’d see often in solving crosswords.

  17. I was a bit flummoxed by the % ones, but with a few crossers they fell into place. I cackled out loud at MATT DAMON

    Thanks to nothing making me stop and think for too long, or being apparent with crossers, that was my first [really quick puzzle – time redacted]. Happy with that.

    Raf – we have it in the rules for these puzzles, everywhere, that times are not allowed – it’s not fair on people who spent hours on this puzzle to read someone else sailed through it, it’s just depressing.

  18. Much more approachable than some of the recent Quicks. I really enjoyed this and feel it was fun. Agreed there where more % clues than you would see in a full cryptic but the aim of this is to practice.I enjoyed getting better at them as the puzzle went on. Thanks for the blog

  19. I found this pretty approachable, I did struggle with a few of the % clues, which is to be expected as it is the clue type I have the least amount of experience with. Didn’t find them to be unfair. Like HG@6, I too had OUTER for 7a (“over the top” = a[n outer] covering), and it wasn’t until doing 3d that I realised it was wrong.

    I had to google a couple of answers after getting them, I’d heard of ARNICA before somewhere but had to double check. And a new word to add the vocabulary – EMBROIDER as an exaggeration/embellishment, which as I think about it makes perfect sense.

    Thanks Shanne and Ludwig.

  20. Loved this – although didn’t realise at first % related to a synonym ( didn’t read examples properly so lug/ luge passed me by ). But got the hang of it and was happy to get some practice in as I’d not seen these clues before.
    Hoping my confidence extends to quiptic tomorrow which I found really difficult last week.
    Thank you Ludwig – and Shanne of course. Always so helpful

  21. Ah, apologies for the time mistake. First time posting after much lurking. It’s been so long since I started reading the blog that I forgot about the rules I read ages ago.

  22. I didn’t understand the % clues at first (and wasn’t helped by the example – sorry, Shanne – as had never heard of ‘luge’ so was bewildered as how got to ‘lug’. But 1d made perfect sense – and suddenly understood what to do.

  23. Great fun, on the whole, but I can see why the ‘percentage’ clue is used very sparingly. I know it’s partly an educational exercise but it really took the fun out of this when the rest was pretty neat.

    Favourite today SINATRA

    Thanks Shanne and Ludwig

  24. Qaos uses various”mathematical” clues a lot, which is why he is one of my least favourite setters (not that I have any prejudice against maths per se!)

  25. Thanks for today’s answers and explanations.

    Reading the percentage clue example had me slightly concerned but I thought it was very helpful that they introduced it alongside what I would consider to be the easiest of the regular clue types (anagram, hidden, acrostic).

  26. My first ever complete with no checks, mistakes or guesses. I even managed to parse them all. Thanks Shanne for all the blogs – it was nice not to need it for once!

    Personally I like the % clues as it works well with my mathematical brain. If I know the length of the word it is far easier to find the answer.

  27. Well done Teapotter @26 – always good when people do get to the point of solving crosswords unaided. And going against what Muffin @24 says above, I love the mathematical cluing of Qaos – who is known for both themes and usually including some clues based on maths, albeit a quirky use of those numbers or Roman numerals.

    And as a comment to those who are moaning about the puzzle not being that entertaining – most of you, I know, are experienced solvers, and some are people who’ve spent the last year learning on this puzzle. The Quick Cryptic is not meant to be entertainment for experienced or competent solvers, it’s designed for people getting their heads around how cryptic puzzles work. I would suggest that if you’re beginning to find the Quick Cryptic puzzles boring, it’s a sign that you are ready to move on to more challenging puzzles.

  28. Shanne @27
    Apart from the viewpoint that crosswords should be about words rather than numbers, Qaos is particularly annoying in that he regularly gets his Roman numerals wrong, not “quirky” – 99 for IC, for example.

  29. muffin @28 – not that the learner crossword is the right place to be having this discussion, but the Romans weren’t as strict as the rules we’ve been handed down on writing Roman numbers – there are instances of IC for 99 occuring in Roman documents and graffiti (and all sorts of other variations as the subtraction method wasn’t universally followed, so LXXXXVIIII was also seen).

  30. The percentage clues made me scratch my head a bit but once I’d clocked the intention this all went in very nicely. Some interesting surfaces, too, which isn’t always the case in the QC. Ta to whoever logged in as Ludwig, and of course Shanne.

  32. PDM @31
    She was the origin of the “she sells sea shells” tongue twister. She discovered several important Jurassic fossils.

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