This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This week’s puzzle is the 14th from Chandler, who regularly sets the Quiptic puzzle as well as the Quick Cryptic. Today we have anagrams with all the letters present, with charades, reversals and palindromes which mean the words come from the solvers general and cryptic knowledge, and can be harder to get for beginners.
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. haVE ALtered 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”
- soundalike – is indicated by “Wilde” – so in the example, Oscar “Wilde”, the playwright and author, is indicating the soundalike WILD.
- 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.
- reversals – the reversal element of a clue is indicated by < – so in the example clue below, VieTNAm <.
- 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:
- Anagram Anagram of answer and hint that there’s an anagram
‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON - Charade Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
(This has developed, so there are more examples above) - Reversal Answer backwards, and a hint that we’re reversing
‘Deity’s pet returns (3)’ gives GOD (from DOG < (pet)) - 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 |
Uniform shown in mirror? (5)
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AnswerLEVEL |
Parsingpalindrome (shown in mirror) – so the solution has to be a word meaning “uniform” that could look the same in a mirror (if the letters were symmetrical). The question mark, I suspect, is there, because the letters aren’t symmetrical, so it doesn’t quite work. (There aren’t many symmetrical letters: A, H, I, M, O, T, U, V, W, X, Y – so MUM would work, HAH WOW, TOT or TOOT, and I’m sure there are more). |
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| 4 |
Try in turn to see mostly nocturnal creatures (4)
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AnswerBATS |
Parsingreversal (in turn) of STAB < (try – have a stab at something is to have go). The cryptic grammar is correct to give this way round, but I read this clue as BATS / STAB, and didn’t enter it until I had some crossers to confirm which round it was. |
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| 6 |
Bolster southern trustee (English) afterwards (10)
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AnswerSTRENGTHEN |
Parsingcharade of S (southern) + TR (trustee) + ENG (English) + THEN (afterwards) – I don’t think we have seen some of these abbreviations in the Quick Cryptics, I don’t think I’ve seen TR for Trustee before, but it is in Chambers (the BRB). |
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| 7 |
Tall grass is kept back for grazing animals (4)
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AnswerDEER |
Parsingreversal(s) (kept back) of REED (tall grass) to give DEER (grazing animals) – and this one I wrote in, because the tall grass would be reeds. |
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| 9 |
Traces scribbled answers (6)
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AnswerREACTS |
Parsinganagram of (TRACES)* with an anagrind of “scribbled” – because I had to think about this: he reacts/answers with a shrug |
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| 10 |
Brushes the surface of small things with links? (6)
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AnswerSCUFFS |
Parsingcharade of S (small – from clothing sizes) + CUFFS (things with links) with a question mark to indicate a DBE (definition by example). |
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| 13 |
Put out after setback for period (4)
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AnswerTIME |
Parsingreversal (after setback) of EMIT < (put out) and these two words are quite commonly used as reversals in the full-fat cryptics. |
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| 15 |
Esteeming eg a vintner in fantastic form (10)
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AnswerVENERATING |
Parsinganagram of (EG A VINTNER)* with an anagrind of “in fantastic form”. |
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| 17 |
Deeds in a court close to offices (4)
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AnswerACTS |
Parsingcharade of A (from the clue) + CT (abbreviation for court) + S (close to officeS – the last letter of officeS). This use of “close to” to indicate the last letter of a word is quite common. |
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| 18 |
Hard-wearing fabric exploited when heading west (5)
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AnswerDENIM |
Parsingreversal (when heading west) in an across clue of MINED < (exploited). Checking the definition of “exploit” in Chambers, exploitation is specifically linked to mining. |
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DOWN
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| 1 |
Measure of liquid left on island with three from Italy (5)
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AnswerLITRE |
Parsingcharade of L (left) + (on) I (island) + TRE (three from Italy – so Italian for three) – we have had foreign words as a clue type, back in puzzle 68 in July, but it’s not something we’ve practiced for a while. This trick does turn up in the full fat cryptics. |
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| 2 |
Compete with six with energy (3)
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AnswerVIE |
Parsingcharade of VI (six in Roman numerals) + (with) E (energy – from formulae in Physics) |
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| 3 |
Alcoholic drink befitting a monarch on reflection (5)
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AnswerLAGER |
Parsingreversal (on reflection) of REGAL < (befitting a monarch) |
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| 4 |
They bar swimming from memory (2,5)
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AnswerBY HEART |
Parsinganagram of (THEY BAR)* with an anagrind of “swimming” |
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| 5 |
Principle whichever way you look at it (5)
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AnswerTENET |
Parsingpalindrome (whichever way you look at it) – and it has to be a word that means “principle” that is a palindrome, which is either a word in the solvers vocabulary or not. |
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| 8 |
End surf possibly to get financial settlements (7)
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AnswerREFUNDS |
Parsinganagram of (END SURF)* with an anagrind of “possibly” – REFUNDS is equivalent of “financial settlements” |
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| 11 |
Relating to a town in an up and down state (5)
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AnswerCIVIC |
Parsingpalindrome (in an up and down state – in a down clue) – so another palindromic word that means “relating to a town”. |
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| 12 |
Bit quiet when given wine (5)
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AnswerSHRED |
Parsingcharade of SH (quiet) + (when given) + RED (wine). My spreadsheet needs updating, but it doesn’t have either of these abbreviations, although they are both common in the Quiptics and full-fat Cryptics. Quiet is often clued as P, which we’ve seen many times, but if that doesn’t work, SH is commonly used too. Wine could be several things, but RED is one I reach for early on when looking at charades because it is so useful in building words. |
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| 14 |
Note put in one way and another (5)
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AnswerMINIM |
Parsingpalindrome (one way or another) – so another word that is a can be read in either direction – and this one is symmetrical so would work as a mirror image. |
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| 16 |
Fool upset container (3)
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AnswerTIN |
Parsingreversal (upset) of NIT < (fool) and another reversal that’s difficult to know which one to use of NIT (fool) or TIN (container) – this one I can’t see a clue in the grammar, but had the crossers to use when I got to this clue. |
Comment #1
I found this on the difficult end for these quick cryptics and no clue got a tick today. There were also a couple of new words for me, namely NIT to mean fool and MINIM
Shanne, you had the answer to 8dn correct in the grid, but not in the explanations I am afraid.
Thanks Chandler and Shanne
Martyn@2 – corrected – I solved it last night and blogged this morning, and forgot to check back.
Thanks to Chandler and Shanne – because of the reversals, a couple of clues were left until the crossers made it clear where the grammar didn’t. Struggled to parse STRENGTHEN, so appreciate that Shanne!
The clue for STRENGTHEN was a bit much for a “quick cryptic”, I thought.
As an old hand, I didn’t think that was too difficult BUT reading the comments here and at The Guardian it seems to have challenged people. Certainly the palindromes can be harder to get as there’s nothing but the definition to help (although you can add the reflected checkers when you have them) and 1A was a bit of a stinker to start the puzzle. For me, the strength of this puzzle was teaching beginners some of those abbreviations they will need to know (s=southern, e=eng, ct=court).
As ever I’ve done a talkthrough solve which can be watched over at https://youtu.be/bG2FoIUwefM … providing tips and tactics on how to solve.
An enjoyable challenge this morning. I couldn’t decide between TUN or TIN for 16d.
Thanks Shanne and Chandler
I enjoyed this although it was tricky in parts with the palindromes and reversals. STRENGTHEN was a great example of a charade I thought and although I’ve never seen TR as an abbreviation for trustee it seemed reasonable that it was. Thanks Shanne for your detailed explanations of the wordplay and to Chandler for a good Saturday morning challenge.
Got less than halfway through and that’s as far as I got. Reversals and palindrones are not my thing. 6A, 12D too hard for a quick cryptic.
You can only really get the palindromes if you have crossers and if the clues giving crossers are too hard you question why this was chosen for the quick cryptic slot. Someone who had never attempted a cryptic crossword before would run a mile at this.
Really enjoyed this being on the harder end of Quiptics.
Thanks Shane for the excellent explanations and Chandler for the brain twisters.