Guardian Quick Cryptic 78 by Pangakupu

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

This week we have the 2nd Quick Cryptic by Pangakupu, who sets regular Cryptic puzzles in the Guardian. Today we have anagrams, acrostic and hidden clues with all the letters given, the other clue is the second time we’ve seen a dropped letter (although there have been more decapitations and losing the middle 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”
  • soundalikes – from the clue Oscar “Wilde” sounds like WILD.
  • 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. Hidden word Answer is hidden in the clue’s words
    ‘Some haVE ALtered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
  3. Acrostic First letters of answer
    ‘Initially Get A Good joke (3)’ gives GAG
  4. Dropped letter Remove a letter from another word
    ‘Time away from coach in wet weather (4)’ gives RAIN (from tRAIN)

 

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Thinks a lot of redesigned sidearm (7)
Answer

ADMIRES
Parsing

Anagram of (SIDEARM)* with anagrind of “redesigned”

5
Fool heads for absolutely stupid situation (3)
Answer

ASS
Parsing

acrostic (heads) of Absolutely Stupid Situation.
7
Person in authority, not old, primarily upright? (5)
Answer

PIANO
Parsing

acrostic (primarily) of Person In Authority Not Old – with a question mark as “upright” is a definition by example (DBE) – and a well-disguised acrostic here
8
Shadow concealed within aluminium bracket (5)
Answer

UMBRA
Parsing

hidden word (concealed within) aluminiUM BRAcket.
9
Look embarrassed disposing of large shrub (4)
Answer

BUSH
Parsing

dropped letter (disposing of large) BLUSH (look embarrassed) losing (disposing of) L (large) to give BlUSH (shrub). L for large from clothing sizes – a regular crossword abbreviation.
10
Televise swinging censer (6)
Answer

SCREEN
Parsing

anagram of (CENSER)* with an anagrind of “swinging” with a great surface: it conjures up this image
12
Reflecting some perverse choices (6)
Answer

ECHOIC
Parsing

hidden (some) of perversE CHOICes

14
Benefactor overlooking new opening (4)
Answer

DOOR
Parsing

dropped letter (overlooking new) DONOR (benefactor) losing (overlooking) N (new) to give DOnOR (opening). N for new as in the New Testament, another regular abbreviation in crosswordland.
17
Non-mainstream component of vitamin diet (5)
Answer

INDIE
Parsing

hidden word (component of) in vitamIN DIEt
18
Stenches from small streams emitting carbon (5)
Answer

REEKS
Parsing

dropped letter (emitting C) from CREEKS (small streams) losing (emitting) C (carbon). C for carbon comes from chemical symbols and is used regularly.
20
Chap’s seen heading up heavy industry sector (3)
Answer

HIS
Parsing

acrostic (seen heading up) of Heavy Industry Sector – and I dithered about how much to include in the indicator here – “heading up” would indicate an acrostic, but leaves the “seen” unaccounted for as that’s not part of the definition. The definition means the apostrophe s is indicating the possessive – so male possessive.

21
Took exercise under stress, wasting seconds (7)
Answer

TRAINED
Parsing

dropped letter (wasting seconds) from STRAINED (under stress) losing (wasting) S (seconds – from the SI scientific unit for time).
DOWN
1
Venomous flying creature not with venomous crawling creature (3)
Answer

ASP
Parsing

dropped letter (not with) from WASP (venomous flying creature) losing (not) W (with) – W for with occurs in w/chips on menus or w.r.t – with respect to. It’s come up before to objections, but, when I looked, I found examples going back centuries in my book on reading manuscript abbreviations.

2
Quantity of time also required for breakfast and lunch? (5)
Answer

MEALS
Parsing

hidden in (quantity of) tiME ALSo
3
Disturbance initiated by rebellious idiots or thugs (4)
Answer

RIOT
Parsing

acrostic (initiated by) Rebellious Idiots Or Thugs.
4
Original point in changing course (6)
Answer

SOURCE
Parsing

anagram of (COURSE)* with an anagrind of “changing”
5
Risk missing good stroll (5)
Answer

AMBLE
Parsing

dropped letter (missing good) from GAMBLE (risk) losing (missing) G (good) – G for good comes from coin / second-hand book condition abbreviations
6
Dye worker upset retsina (7)
Answer

STAINER
Parsing

anagram of (RETSINA)* with an anagrind of “upset”
9
Mark of damage in emblem is horrible (7)
Answer

BLEMISH
Parsing

hidden (in) emBLEM IS Horrible
11
Tinsel fluttering without sound (6)
Answer

SILENT
Parsing

anagram of (TINSEL)* with an anagrind of “fluttering”

13
Underworld leaders in Houston are discussing extra sabotage (5)
Answer

HADES
Parsing

acrostic (leaders in) of Houston Are Discussing Extra Sabotage

15
Canoe capsized in body of water (5)
Answer

OCEAN
Parsing

anagram of (CANOE)* with an anagrind of “capsized”
16
Region in Near East (4)
Answer

AREA
Parsing

hidden (in) neAR EAst
19
Blue skies are due at the outset (3)
Answer

SAD
Parsing

acrostic (at the outset) of Skies Are Due

 


 

5 comments on “Guardian Quick Cryptic 78 by Pangakupu”

  1. Very interesting and enjoyable quick cryptic.Seldom come across this setter,is he/she of Indian ancestry?Anyway back to the blog,I’ve always wondered the significance of the addition of a question mark symbol at the end of clues,especially 2D.Isn’t *required for* a hidden indicator?

  2. Dr Menard Zombi 2 @1 – this setter is from New Zealand – his Guardian cryptic puzzles usually contain a Nina in Māori.

    The question mark in 2D is for a DBE (definition by example).

  3. The ECHOIC and MEALS hiddens were tough to find and I reckon there’s lots for the beginners to learn here with the abbreviations of C=carbon, L=large, W=with, N=new, S=seconds, G=good being allowed. The experienced hands will hopefully know them. Thanks to Pangukupu for an interesting puzzle and to Shanne for the blog.

    My talkthrough solve of the puzzle is available at … https://youtu.be/7dm9QIy6DDQ … with tips and tactics on how to approach solving.

  5. Nice puzzle, not much room for a Nina! A couple of quiblets: is “echoing” really a word? I guess it’s in some dictionary or other, but I’m struggling to think of an example of its use. And “creek”, is it a small stream? A small river perhaps? In Britain, a creek is usually a small tidal inlet but I remember that, long ago when I lived in Australia, creek was a generic term for a watercourse, often dry in summer. Perhaps, they are small streams in New Zealand?

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