Guardian Quick Cryptic 80 by Pasquale

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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 3rd Quick Cryptic by Pasquale, who last set #65 and sets regular Cryptic and Quiptic puzzles in the Guardian. Today we have anagrams with all the letters given, the other clue are reversals, charades and palindromes, for the 5th time, last seen in #65. Although there are three clue types without letters given in the cluing, the words used are familar from Paquale’s last puzzle (which, as I’m away I was rather pleased, when I realised, because the repetition made my job this week a lot easier and quicker).

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.
  • reversal – shown using the < symbol, so ‘Deity’s pet coming back (3)’ is DOG < for pet, reversing (coming back) gives GOD
  • 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. Reversal Answer backwards, and a hint that we’re reversing
    ‘Deity’s pet returns (3)’ gives GOD (from DOG <)
  2. Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
    ‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON
  3. Charade Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
    ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port) (and more examples above)
  4. Palindrome Hint that answer reads the same backwards
    ‘Holy woman going back and forth (3)’ gives NUN

 

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
I am taking time to construct a picture (5)
Answer

IMAGE
Parsing

Charade of I’M (I am, from the clue) with (taking) AGE (time) – punctuation in cryptic crosswords can mostly be ignored – until it can’t.
4
Monster therefore must be driven back (4)
Answer

OGRE
Parsing

reversal (driven back) of ERGO (therefore, must be) < – for a reversal we’ve definitely seen before in this series.
6
Unkempt person in student jollities having a cake (10)
Answer

RAGAMUFFIN
Parsing

charade of RAG (student jollities) + A (from the clue) + MUFFIN (cake) for another word we’ve definitely had before, with a similar clue. RAG is the student jollities that fundraise for good causes, it’s often referred to as Raising and Giving or Raise and Give, but that seems to be a backronym as ragging also means teasing and that’s the original meaning. English Muffins are traditionally the sort of yeasted bread found under Eggs Benedict, a savoury dish rather than the American muffin cakes. These days they need specifying.
7
Rear part of ship that is reversible (4)
Answer

POOP
Parsing

palindrome (that is reversible) for a deck we’ve come across before.
9
Dramatist having pub drink with hesitation? (6)
Answer

PINTER
Parsing

charade of PINT (pub drink) with ER (hesitation) for this playwright. ER and um often appear in crosswordland as abbreviations as that’s an effective way of cluing those letter clusters.
10
A geographical feature making sum of money (6)
Answer

AMOUNT
Parsing

charade of A (from the clue) + MOUNT (geographical feature), for example this mount
13
Cheese that’s manufactured being put back (4)
Answer

EDAM
Parsing

reversal (being put back) of MADE (that’s manufactured) for this Dutch cheese and another familiar crossword reversal.
15
Horse given special role? A secret pet ill-treated (10)
Answer

PACESETTER
Parsing

anagram of (A SECRET PET)* with anagrind of “ill-treated” and a definition by example (DBE) indicated by a question mark – a horse is just one example of a PACESETTER. We’ve come across the PACESETTER before as a horse – last time this was clued I added links, but a very advert heavy link.
17
An act that goes one way and another (4)
Answer

DEED
Parsing

palindrome so the only word meaning act that is a palindrome.
18
Pay to get e.g. watch returned (5)
Answer

REMIT
Parsing

reversal (returned) of TIMER < (e.g. watch)
DOWN
1 Identity given to a small house in American location (5)
Answer

IDAHO
Parsing

charade of ID (identity) + A (from the clue) + HO (small house) for the American state. Small here is a way of describing an abbreviation.
2
Military ruler going up and down (3)
Answer

AGA
Parsing

palindrome (going up and down – in a down clue) – and there’s only on Miltary ruler that’s a palindrome – this title but there are dynasties that use the spelling here – this was clued as the kitchen range for Quick Cryptic 64.
3
Furnish end of house with witty remark (5)
Answer

EQUIP
Parsing

charade of E (end of housE) + QUIP (witty remark).
4
Crime related to receiver of stolen goods (7)
Answer

OFFENCE
Parsing

charade of OF (related to) + FENCE (receiver of stolen goods).
5
Anger with characters getting confused in mountains (5)
Answer

RANGE
Parsing

anagram of (ANGER)* with anagrind of “characters getting confused”.
8
Jumped quietly with little weight on end of bed (7)
Answer

POUNCED
Parsing

charade of P (quiet – as in musical notation – piano) + OUNCE (little weight) + D (end of beD)
11
Plan to get to the French wood (5)
Answer

MAPLE
Parsing

charade of MAP (plan) + (to get) LE (the French) for this wood. We’ve come across this use of the in French before – all of le / la / les are used regularly.
12
Shocking weapon that could make you stare (5)
Answer

TASER
Parsing

anagram of (STARE)* with anagrind of “that could make” – there’s a spare “you” to make the clue surface work.
14
A small department is accomplished (5)
Answer

ADEPT
Parsing

charade of A (from the clue) + DEPT (small department) – second use in this puzzle of small to indicate an abbreviation.
16
Boy in US university standing on head (3)
Answer

TIM
Parsing

reversal (standing on head – in a down clue) of MIT < (US university – Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT is a regular crossword staple – it’s found in Cambridge, MA so can be clued as Cambridge University.

 

 

11 comments on “Guardian Quick Cryptic 80 by Pasquale”

  1. Good clean fun. I wasn’t familiar with that use of “rag” or “fence” although I vaguely recall the latter in a cryptic many moons ago.

  2. This is identical to puzzle 65. Quite frustrating as I look forward to a quick trot through this with a coffee early on a Saturday morning.

  3. @2 You’re absolutely right.

    Looks like a cock-up on the editing front.

    Note to any further commenters:

    Remember that even crossword editors make mistakes and they’re human so even they have feelings.

  8. Someone’s taken the trouble to change the clue for 1d ( “location” has become “state”). Ragamuffin rang a bell. Many thanks again Shanne and Pasquale.

  9. No good reason for publishing the same puzzle on different days so apologies all round! Anyone who hadn’t solved Pasquale’s fine puzzle already: it’s here and the regularly scheduled fresh puzzle should be appearing any time … now.

  10. Ben@2 – you’re quite right. No wonder I found it easy – I’ve done it before! I wouldn’t have remembered though.

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