Guardian Quick Cryptic 87 by Budmo

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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 4th Quick Cryptic by Budmo. Budmo only sets the Quick Cryptic puzzles in the Guardian. Today we have hidden clues with all the letters given, which should be accessible. The other clues are swap a letter for the third time, last seen in November 2024, soundalikes and double definitions, which all need all of the letters finding and manipulating, which is more challenging.

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.
  • soundalike – is indicated by “Wilde” – so in the example, Oscar “Wilde”, the playwright and author, is indicating the soundalike 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. Hidden word(s) Answer hidden in clue’s words
    ‘Some haVE ALtered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
  2. Double definitionBoth halves are definitions!
    ‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR
  3. Soundalike Something that sounds like answer
    ‘Excited, Oscar’s announced (4)’ gives WILD (from Oscar “Wilde” the playwright)
  4. Letter swap Something suggested by clue with one letter changed
    ‘Female (not male) cat in mist (3)’ gives FOG (from mOG (cat, with M, male swapped to F, female)

ACROSS Click on “Answer” to see the solutions
1
Streams Posh’s husband (5)
Answer

BECKS
Parsing

double definition referring to the local name for streams in the Lake District in the UK, and this celebrity couple.
4
Some more habit-forming treatment for addiction (5)
Answer

REHAB
Parsing

hidden word (some) in moRE HABit-forming – the “some” is indicating “some of these letters”.
7
Disembarkation area at the top of stairs (7)
Answer

LANDING
Parsing

double definition both nouns, both pretty much derived from the same source.
8
German’s good belly (3)
Answer

GUT
Parsing

double definition the German for “good” is gut – so here German is telling the solver to translate the word into German.
9
Go off in reverse (4)
Answer

TURN
Parsing

double definition – the first thinking about, say, milk – which goes off / TURNS, and Margaret Thatcher was not for turning – as her reason for not to reverse a decision on liberalisation of the economy in 1980.
10
Whodunit editor conceals one (6)
Answer

UNITED
Parsing

hidden word(s) (conceals) in whodUNIT EDitor – think “as one” for this definition.
13
General practitioner, perhaps, and cook (6)
Answer

DOCTOR
Parsing

double definition the first a noun and a straight definition, the second as a verb, as in cooking the books to alter results.
14
Part of probe targeted Greek character (4)
Answer

BETA
Parsing

hidden word (part of) in proBE TArgeted – I’m sure I wrote something about it being worth learning the Greek alphabet recently.
16
Runner trapped by huskies (3)
Answer

SKI
Parsing

hidden word (trapped by) in huSKIes. “Trapped by” is a new indicator for a hidden word, but fits well with the clue.
17
Member of Rwandan tribe picked up Dustin Hoffman film (7)
Answer

TOOTSIE
Parsing

soundalike (picked up) – two pieces of general knowledge here from a while ago – in the Rwandan civil war (1990-1994), the “Tutsi” and Hutu peoples were pitted against each other and TOOTSIE, the Dustin Hoffman film dates from 1982.

18
Child, one working down the pit, reportedly (5)
Answer

MINOR
Parsing

soundalike (reportedly) of “miner” (one working down the pit).
19
Additional payment of counterfeit note instead of £1000 (5)
Answer

BONUS
Parsing

letter swap (instead of) – starting with BOgUS (counterfeit) with the G (£1000 – short for grand, but gets abbreviated to G) swapped (instead of) to N (note).
DOWN
1
Overdue, told to replace rook with bishop (7)
Answer

BELATED
Parsing

swap a letter (to replace) in rELATED (told) with R (rook) replaced by B (bishop – both from chess notation).
2
Shrinkage of gadget turning phosphorus into carbon (11)
Answer

CONTRACTION
Parsing

letter swap (turning .. into) starting with CONTRApTION (gadget) turning P (phosphorus – chemical symbol) into C (carbon – also a chemical symbol). Chemical symbols are also worth learning, if not already known, as they are used a lot in cryptic crosswords.

3
On the radio, auction yacht’s propeller? (4)
Answer

SAIL
Parsing

soundalike (on the radio) of “sale” (auction), with a question mark as “yacht’s propeller” is a definition by example (DBE), it could be a motor (or sweeps, big oars).
4
Ruling not long ago good for Charlie (6)
Answer

REGENT
Parsing

swap a letter (for) REcENT (not long ago) with G (good – as in coin condition) swapped for (C – charlie – from the NATO phonetic alphabet), for another well used sequence of letters worth learning. Regency is a type of rule, and so the ruling/regent prince in Georgian times … (using both as an adjective).
5
Announced cause of elevation – a serious crime (4,7)
Answer

HIGH TREASON
Parsing

soundalike (announced) of “height reason” (cause of elevation) – awful puns are an ongoing feature of crosswordland, particularly in soundalikes and Spoonerisms.
6
Mouthpiece part (3)
Answer

BIT
Parsing

double definition – the first refers to the mouthpiece of a bridle (for horses).
11
Artists’ underwear (7)
Answer

DRAWERS
Parsing

double definition the apostrophe needs to be ignored, like much punctuation, until it’s important, and a bit of history about the underwear.
12
Snooker player to waste time (6)
Answer

POTTER
Parsing

double definition the snooker player as in one who pots balls. For the wasting time definition, the dictionary suggests is more about relaxing rather than wasting time – the Protestant work ethic strikes again.
15
Make a mistake having Mike rather than Oscar providing explosive device (4)
Answer

BOMB
Parsing

swap a letter (rather than) starting with BOoB (make a mistake) with M (Mike, NATO phonetic alphabet) replacing O (Oscar from the NATO phonetic alphabet) – the grammar of the clue should help say which way around this goes, as “providing” indicates the solution.
16
Add a little over the phone (3)
Answer

SUM
Parsing

soundalike (over the phone) of “some” (a little)

 


 

11 comments on “Guardian Quick Cryptic 87 by Budmo”

  1. Holypeanut
    #1 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 08:02

    This felt slightly trickier than usual with only the one category providing the letters in the wordplay, but was quite manageable, the letter swaps providing the greatest challenge for me.
    Thanks to Budmo and Shanne!

  2. Pauly
    #2 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 08:13

    Thanks Budmo and Shanne. Yeah, I found this harder – prefer to have some anagrams and/or charades to get myself on the grid, since I tend to find soundalikes and letter replaces harder. Don’t know if it’s aging, but I do struggle with thinking of synonyms!

    (@Shanne – typo in the answer part of 16D?)

  3. DR.MENARD ZOMBI 2
    #3 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 08:41

    This I felt was really difficult,for me at least.Couldn’t parse BECKS.Favourites were CONTRAPTION ,TOOTSIE and DRAWERS.Thanks to Shanne and Budmo.

  4. Shanne
    #4 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 08:44

    Pauly @2 – yes, corrected. Thank you.

  5. Janet
    #5 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 09:07

    Got stuck on 13a – I guessed the answer but couldn’t see why. 17a was fun once I realised it was a soundalike. More difficult without anagrams but I only had to look up one answer in the end.

  6. HG
    #6 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 09:17

    Thought that was a tightly constructed puzzle from Budmo. Not easy for pure beginners but really meeting the QC framework. Good opportunity to have some of the standard abbreviations and clueing tricks reinforced.

    As ever, I’ve done a talkthrough solve available at … https://youtu.be/pR8uzrbpNIM … including tips and tactics on how to solve. I forgot to relook at #9 where I misdefined “go=turn” and was left wondering what to do with “off” in the clue – so apologies for that.

  7. HumbleTim
    #7 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 09:58

    I must admit to being a fan of awful puns, so enjoyed 5d. A most satisfying solve, none the worse for being a little more demanding than usual. Thanks Shanne for your blog (we have becks in Yorkshire too), and thanks Budmo.

  8. Shanne
    #8 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 10:12

    Humble Tim @7 – I couldn’t remember where it changed to becks as you move north, so went for where I knew they were definitely becks, not streams, brooks, burns or bournes.

  9. Muffin
    #9 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 10:21

    Height reason / high treason pleased me a lot! Found this one quite hard, letter substitutions are tricky for me.

  10. Arib
    #10 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 10:39

    I confidently entered Usk in at 16a , a river (a runner) hidden in “huskies “, muttering to myself about the use of crossword jargon in a puzzle for beginners. Consequently, could not discover the contraption/ contraction switch. The irony is that I’m an avid skier

  11. JaMaNn
    #11 - Sat 29th Nov 25, 10:49

    I thought USK a better answer than SKI but left it blank for future confirmation.

    On the other hand DIAPER was a good fit for 11D being both underwear and a technique in art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diapering

    And there was no way of telling from the crossing letters which one it was. And I didn’t think of the right answer!

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