Guardian Quick Cryptic 84 by Carpathian

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

The puzzle for this week is the 18th Quick Cryptic by Carparthian who mostly sets Quick Cryptic and Quiptic puzzles in the Guardian. Today we have anagrams, hidden, alternate letters and acrostic clues with all the letters given, which should be accessible, but as it’s Carpathian, she’s given us some evocative surfaces.

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”
  • 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(s)Answer hidden in 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. Alternate letters Choose every other letter for answer
    ‘Oddly EnViEd First Lady? (3)’ gives EVE

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Wander around military buildings locating explosives first of all (5)
Answer

AMBLE
Parsing

acrostic (first of all) from Around Military Buildings Locating Explosives, with a nice picture from the surface
4
Admit selection of football owners (5)
Answer

ALLOW
Parsing

hidden (part of) footbALL OWners – with a vision of some dodgy meeting stitching up the FA.
8
I’ve fixed contest (3)
Answer

VIE
Parsing

anagram of (I’VE)* with an anagrind of “fixed” – and this sounds as if that’s what the football owners were doing in the previous clue. VIE as in the verb to contest.
9
Get ushered on and off (3)
Answer

SEE
Parsing

alternate letters (on and off) of uShErEd – and this is as in I get/see it
10
Puts up with biased arrangement (6)
Answer

ABIDES
Parsing

anagram of (BIASED)^ with an anagrind of “arrangement” – normally we’d hear the opposite – I can’t abide/put up with …
13
Oddly smoky sauce (3)
Answer

SOY
Parsing

alternate letters (oddly) of SmOkY for the fermented soya bean condiment (I tend to use tamari as it’s gluten free).
15
Heads of department introducing executive pass (3)
Answer

DIE
Parsing

acrostic (heads of) Department Introducing Executive – with another great surface, and lots of additional misleading words: is the indicator “introducing” or “heads of” – but it’s difficult not to read “heads of department” as one phrase, that sneaky trick a lot of setters use where a phrase has to be separated into component words to work out the word.
17
Friend sprawls every now and then (3)
Answer

PAL
Parsing

alternate letters (every now and then) from sPrAwL, with another image from the surface.
19
Piñatas seldom including ornamental hanging (6)
Answer

TASSEL
Parsing

hidden (including) in pinaTAS SELdom
22
Starters of offal and figs for lout (3)
Answer

OAF
Parsing

acrostic of (starters of) Offal A Figs – leaving me unconvinced that offal and figs would make a good starter.
24
Partly drain negroni in pub (3)
Answer

INN
Parsing

hidden in (partly) draIN Negroni
25
Illustrious nine met up (7)
Answer

EMINENT
Parsing

anagram of (NINE MET)* with an anagrind of “up” – as in excited and another phrase to split to spot the indicator, here “met up”.
26
Cuts in upkeep are shocking (5)
Answer

PARES
Parsing

hidden in (in) upkeeP ARE Shocking and the noun in the clue becomes a verb in the answer.
27
Kind of green mixture (5)
Answer

GENRE
Parsing

anagram of (GREEN)* with an anagrind of “mixture” – a kind/genre of literature.
DOWN
1
Classification embraced by natural phallocrat (5)
Answer

ALPHA
Parsing

hidden in (embraced by) naturAL PHAllocrat – not that it’s needed by an ALPHA male is a phallocrat, so the surface works well.
2
Tops of berries left in Nigella’s ideal pancakes (5)
Answer

BLINI
Parsing

acrostic (tops of) Berries Left In Nigella’s Ideal for the traditionally yeasted buckwheat pancakes. Here for the surface, Nigella Lawson is a TV cook.
3
Happy tale Ed edited (6)
Answer

ELATED
Parsing

anagram of (TALE ED)* with an anagrind of “edited”

4
Long time cooking sage (4)
Answer

AGES
Parsing

anagram of (SAGE)* with anagrind of “cooking”.
5
Part of animal I’ve slaughtered survives (5)
Answer

LIVES
Parsing

hidden in (part of) animaL I’VE Slaughtered.

6
Thin dye we prepared (5)
Answer

WEEDY
Parsing

anagram of (DYE WE)* with an anagrind of “prepared” – this is the sort of description of a thin and non-descript character in the Jeeves and Wooster books.
11
Every other part of bureau provides support (3)
Answer

BRA
Parsing

alternate letters (every other part of) BuReAu – we have had this cryptic crossword trope of a BRA being a supporter.
12
Initially shelved innovative transport model (3)
Answer

SIT
Parsing

acrostic (initially) of Shelved Innovative Transport – to sit or model for a portrait or sculpture.
14
Wounded, oddly depleted, individual (3)
Answer

ONE
Parsing

alternate letters (oddly depleted) of wOuNdEd.
16
Wasted ages in relaxing (6)
Answer

EASING
Parsing

anagram of (AGES IN)* with an anagrind of “wasted”.

17
Titivate part of cup rim prettily (5)
Answer

PRIMP
Parsing

hidden (part of) cuP RIM Prettily.
18
Reveal one reluctantly hiding hermit (5)
Answer

LONER
Parsing

hidden clue (hiding) in reveaL ONE Reluctantly.
20
Rents out rear (5)
Answer

STERN
Parsing

anagram of (RENTS)* with an anagrind of “out”.

21
Measure tips of legumes in this rural experiment (5)
Answer

LITRE
Parsing

acrostic of (tips of) Legumes In Time Rural Experiment.

23
Charges feeders intermittently (4)
Answer

FEES
Parsing

alternate letters (intermittently) of FeEdErS.

 

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11 comments on “Guardian Quick Cryptic 84 by Carpathian”

  2. With no pesky charades or difficult deletion clues, I thought this was not as difficult as recent puzzles. (I believe it is OK to say that). And with many wonderful surfaces, it was also very enjoyable. I could have ticked most of the clues.

    Thanks Carpathian and Shanne

  4. Thamks Shanne. OAF. I would like starters of offal and figs. Very healthy, and to my taste. A great combo. Agree about the surface/wordplay for ALPHA.

  5. Fab little puzzle for those wanting to take up cryptics. And to help them out further I’ve done my talkthrough solve which is available at … https://youtu.be/y8-DgPU39Lg … enjoy!

    As ever, thanks to Shanne for the comprehensive blog and to Carpathian for the QC

  6. A happy start to the day. But let’s see what the quiptic brings tomorrow
    Great crossword , thank you Carpathian. And to you too Shanne for the clear and helpful blog. Didn’t really need it today as I managed to parse everything but it’s always satisfying have my workings confirmed.

  8. Nice quick cryptic. I find acrostics, alternate letters and hidden words the easier tricks, as all letters are in the clue. Favourite 1 down for its surface, though I had to look up what a phallocrat is. Thanks, Carpathian and Shanne

  9. Thought this was a really great QC! Anyone think there was a gentle theme relevant to this weekend? PRIVATE, DIE, LIVES, EMINENT, ABIDES – maybe even TASSEL, SEE, VIE and STERN could be too…as well as surfaces for 1A and 14D?

  10. What makes “wasted” work as an anagrind? I don’t see the meaning of the word that suggests a rearrangement of something.

  11. Dave @10 – wasted as in drunk. Wasted is one of the many, many words we can use in English English to describe drunks or being drunk.

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