This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian, intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This week sess the return of Chandler who has now set 8 puzzles in this series. Today we have clue types seen before, anagrams, acrostics and hidden reversed clues with all the letters present in the clue, with decapitation clues that needs both synonym and manipulation finding and in this puzzle are the more obscure words.
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”.
- Reversal is indicated by the < symbol, so in the example VieTNAm < to give ANT.
- decapitation is a form of deletion but the first letter of the clue is removed – the example given is of tALE and tells us to remove the head of TALE (story) to get ALE (beer).
- 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:
- Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON - Acrostic The first letters of the answer
‘Initially get a good joke (3)’ gives GAG - Hidden reversal Answer defined and hidden backwards
‘Insect returns in VieTNAam (3)’ gives ANT - Decapitation Answer is another word without first letter
‘Beer in story without intro (3)’ gives ALE
| ACROSS | Click on “Answer” to see the solutions | |
| 1 |
Old part of parade gauged on way back (4)
|
AnswerAGED |
Parsinghidden reversal (part of … on way back) in paradE GAuged < |
||
| 3 |
Climb beginning? It doesn’t start (6)
|
AnswerASCENT |
Parsingdecapitation (it doesn’t start) nASCENT (beginning) |
||
| 8 |
Gather men at road serving homes along lake principally (7)
|
AnswerMARSHAL |
Parsingacrostic (principally) of Men At Road Serving Homes Along Lake |
||
| 9 |
Another actor kept back vehicle (3)
|
AnswerCAR |
Parsinghidden reversal (kept back) in anotheR ACtor < |
||
| 10 |
Do cinema’s arranged for purveyors of humour (9)
|
AnswerCOMEDIANS |
Parsinganagram of (DO CINEMA’S)* with anagrind of “arranged” to give COMEDIANS |
||
| 12 |
Rob got let off for travel around the world (5-4)
|
AnswerGLOBE-TROT |
Parsinganagram of (ROB GOT LET)* with anagrind of “off” to give GLOBE TROT |
||
| 14 |
Bird assumed in part to come from the East (3)
|
AnswerEMU |
Parsinghidden reversal (in part to come from the east) in assUMEd < |
||
| 15 |
Calm down eccentric at place (7)
|
AnswerPLACATE |
Parsinganagram of (AT PLACE)* with anagrind of “eccentric” to give PLACATE |
||
| 17 |
Hustle agitated detective (6)
|
AnswerSLEUTH |
Parsinganagram of (HUSTLE)* with anagrind of “agitated” – no colours because it’s a single word anagram |
||
| 18 |
Flourish initially ignored gets to become visible (4)
|
AnswerLOOM |
Parsingdecapitation (initially ignored) of bLOOM (flourish) thinking LOOM out of the mist |
||
|
DOWN
|
||
| 1 | Military force is crazy in the absence of leader (4) |
AnswerARMY |
Parsingdecapitation (in the absence of leader) of bARMY |
||
| 2 |
Those heading exhaustive review rectified slip (3)
|
AnswerERR |
Parsingacrostic (those heading) of Exhaustive Review Rectified to err is human and all that. |
||
| 4 |
A card male’s constructed to show dressing (5,5)
|
AnswerSALAD CREAM |
Parsinganagram of (A CARD MALE’S)* with anagrind of “constructed” to give SALAD CREAM for this condiment which was around far more when I was a child, and always a nasty shock as I was hoping for mayonnaise when it arrived. It’s also a major ingredient in Sandwich Spread for anyone who hasn’t encountered that one. |
||
| 5 |
Without crown, habitual liking for charm (7)
|
AnswerENCHANT |
Parsingdecapitation (without crown) pENCHANT (habitual liking) |
||
| 6 |
Drive in town here regularly using several turnings at first (6)
|
AnswerTHRUST |
Parsingacrostic (at first) of Town Here Regularly Using Several Turnings |
||
| 7 |
My one pitch to alter feature above a roof? (7,3)
|
AnswerCHIMNEY POT |
Parsinganagram of (MY ONE PITCH) with anagrindof “to alter” to give CHIMNEY POT – with a question mark to indicate that the chimney pot is an example of a feature above a roof – a definition by example. |
||
| 10 |
Shutdown is so cruel after broadcast (7)
|
AnswerCLOSURE |
Parsinganagram of (SO CRUEL)* with anagrind of “after broadcast” – broadcast as sowing seeds, the original meaning – as CLOSURE |
||
| 11 |
Go back, head off, or exit (6)
|
AnswerEGRESS |
Parsingdecapittion (head off) of rEGRESS (to go back) |
||
| 13 |
Expression in Catholicism retained on reflection (4)
|
AnswerTERM |
Parsinghidden reversal (in … on reflection) of catholicisM RETained < |
||
| 16 |
Commotion starts to alarm duty officer (3)
|
|
Parsingacrostic (for starters) of Alarm Duty Officer – for much ADO about nothing, possibly. |
I found that well-pitched. The decapitation clues needed particular thought because the words involved were not words I’d used in daily life but all familiar. Thanks to Chandler for a good QC and Shanne for the blog.
My live talkthrough is available from https://youtu.be/4LF3UIw8gt0 with tips and tactics on how to approach the solve.
Agree with HG@1 about the decapitation clues being tough given the words involved. Did not know the BARMY version of balmy, and I am not sure I have experienced SALAD CREAM. Is it eaten outside UK?
No favourites today.
Thanks Carpathian and Shanne
Agree with HG@1 and Martyn@2 about the decapitations. On more than one I put in the answer from the definition and crossers and then worked out what the decapitated word was. Would never have thought of bloom or penchant. A neat surface for 11d though. Thanks to Shanne for another excellent blog (4.01am!) and Chandler for the puzzle.
Martyn@2 May be, BARMY is peculiar to English? It is a term from the process of brewing beer, and alludes to the warm froth created. So if someone is “barmy”, they’re frothy-headed and over-heated. That is, “a bit bonkers/crazy”. Sports fans often refer to themselves as “The barmy army”, particularly when travelling en masse to a game abroad.
Salad Cream: a bit like mayo, but more liquid and, frankly, a bit sickly. Not as popular now, as when I was a lad in the 50s/60s. Tastes have gotten a bit more cheffy, and there is a much wider choice of dressings. Many folks still love it, ‘though.
A nice start to the weekend – as mentioned, the decapitations the toughest of the bunch. Thanks to Chandler, and Shanne for the always super useful blog!
Agree with everyone about the decapitations. A lovely puzzle to start the weekend off. Thanks to Chandler and to Shanne’s blog post.
Agree on the decapitations. I wouldn’t have thought of many of those words in isolation, and needed to work backwards from the solution to verify.
Thanks to Chandler and Shane!
I’ve added in a link to salad cream for anyone lucky enough not to have encountered it. (Sorry, my mother’s father worked in France a lot, so she made mayonnaise when I was a child, rather than buying the very vinegary salad cream.)
Amanda @3 – I was seeing how much more effort it would take to colour code the anagrams on this blog when I didn’t have much on this weekend – it’s half term. The answer was too much to do it again – it was where I had all the problems getting it coded correctly.
Thank you Shanne. These explanations are really useful. I thought this week’s puzzle by Chandler was perfect for my level.
Thanks so much Shanne. And an excellent quick cryptic from chandler which I managed to do but didn’t find a doddle. My brain somehow can’t think of words to decapitate but I was helped by letters from the other clues and the definitions.
Memories of salad cream ( and sandwich spread) made me chuckle. Oil and vinegar or mayonnaise would never have been thought of in my parents house in the early 50s. And salad was lettuce , tomato and cucumber. With white sliced bread.
I thought that in 6d “HR” stood for odd letters (“regularly”) from the word “here”, and that therefore the clue did not fall under either of the tricks listed; didn’t realise these were also the first two letters of both words.
As others have said the decapitations were tough for a QC but in a fair and appropriate (for the setting) way.
Didn’t realise SALAD CREAM was not so popular outside the UK. Oh how the world is missing out.
Liked the anagram for GLOBE-TROT.
Cheers Shanne and Chandler
I was getting this filled in really quickly until I hit a wall with 5d and 18a and got stuck for ages. Eventually got 5d but had to take an educated guess with 18a and then consult Chambers to confirm. I got stuck thinking of “flourish” as in “ornament/decoration”, and my understanding of “loom” is to stand over rather than to appear, which is why I found it hard.
Salad cream is indeed a truly vile substance.
Thanks Shanne and Chandler.
Enjoyed this week’s head scratcher, like many others the decapitations caused several pauses for thought.
Thanks for such a fun diversion on this very wet Saturday.
Really enjoyable – the decapitations were tough but the other clue types gave you more than enough checking letters to give extra clues. A nice way of showing how to build into a puzzle by isolating different types of clue.
Great job, Shanne and Chandler!
Thanks Chandler and Shanne
I agree that the decapitation clues were a bit obscure for a Quick Cryptic.
I only posted to add the titbit that Heinz tried to stop making salad cream a few years ago, but had to reverse the decision after a public outcry!
Thanks Shanne.
Made short work of today’s apart from 3A, 5D and 11A. Three decapitations that I had parsed correctly but just struggled to land on the right answer. Definitely more difficult than a standard charade.
Broadcast as an anagrind passed me by but figured out the clue based on likely definition and crossers.
Shanne @8 – and here’s a link to Salad Cream .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salad_cream”
Hopefully this works. The link didn’t appear in my previous comment. Not sure why…
I liked this. Couple of trickier clue types offset with the manageable anagram and acrostic. I didn’t think the decapitation words were as obscure as others seem to have found, but mileage varies for all, of course. All in all enjoyable and still a challenge even though I’ve “graduated” up to the big grids.
Cheers both!
Couple of days late (damn bank holiday messing up my weekly routine) but just wanted to leave some appreciation for the setter this week. Not only a lovely mixture of gimmes and thinkers (for the grade) with nice surfaces (17a, 1d, 11d, 16d) but also, IMO, some nice thought given to helping beginners progress, without just making the clues harder. Including nominal misdirects for clue-types not included in the puzzle, like ‘broadcast’ in 10d or the way 7d looks like a charade at first, is a really nice touch.
Thank you Chandler for the thoughtful setting and thank you Shanne for the blog