This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This week’s puzzle is by Brassica, who I haven’t seen before, so seems to be a new setter to the Guardian (and the FT and Independent under this name). Today we have anagrams, hidden and last letter clues with all the letters present, with decapitations which mean the words come from the solvers general and cryptic knowledge. The surfaces of this puzzle are very smooth which suggests an experienced setter.
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 - Hidden word(s) Answer hidden in clue’s words
‘Some haVE ALtered meat (4)’ gives VEAL - Decapitation Answer is another word without first letter
‘Beer in story without intro (3)’ gives ALE, from tALE (story) - Last letters Final letters give answer
‘Finally pulL thE ruG showing limb (3)’ gives LEG/li>
| ACROSS | Click on “Answer” to see the solutions | |
| 1 |
Not starting to begin televising pitted or stuffed tidbit (5)
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AnswerOLIVE |
Parsingdecapitation (not starting) – from gO LIVE (to begin televising) – and I couldn’t immediately see the parsing of this one, although I suspected the answer. |
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| 4 |
Leaving bits of cargo in Guam (5)
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AnswerGOING |
Parsinghidden word(s) (bits of) carGO IN Guam – with a very smooth surface suggesting a picture of holiday luggage ending up in the wrong place. |
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| 7 |
Toyed with part of assault rifle, dangerously (7)
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AnswerTRIFLED |
Parsinghidden word(s) (part of) assaulT RIFLE Dangerously and another nice surface creating an image of various action film posters. |
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| 8 |
Butts in Costa del Sol? 100% (3)
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AnswerALL |
Parsinglast letters (butts in) of costA deL soL – and this is a trick we quite often see – using a symbol or something that suggests something different as the solution. In the full fat cryptics, sometimes the punctuation is what we are looking for. |
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| 9 |
Piece of output ridiculously bad (6)
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AnswerPUTRID |
Parsinghidden word(s) (piece of) in outPUT RIDiculous and this surface suggests an awful TV show. |
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| 10 |
Cheeky top executive after advancement at last (4)
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AnswerPERT |
Parsinglast letters (at last) of toP executivE afteR advancemenT |
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| 13 |
Sign of damage: Academy Award missing head (4)
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AnswerSCAR |
Parsingdecapitation (missing head) from oSCAR (Academy Award – the official name is the Academy Award of Merit), and why it’s called an Oscar is debated |
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| 15 |
Tipsy welder increasingly suggestive (6)
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AnswerLEWDER |
Parsinganagram of (WELDER)* with an anagrind of “tipsy” and another surface that summons up an image – this one of someone in a bar getting more suggestive as they drink more. |
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| 18 |
Champion found in Somalia (3)
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AnswerALI |
Parsinghidden word(s) (found in) somALIA – and this is a crossword cliche, so the champion many of us reach for when we see that word – Muhammad Ali was a well-known boxing champion who retired from boxing in 1981 and died in 2016. But he’s still a crossword champion. |
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| 19 |
Algeria’s wacky insignia (7)
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AnswerREGALIA |
Parsinganagram of (ALGERIA)* with an anagrind of “wacky”. |
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| 20 |
Having no lead, sadden and discharge (5)
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AnswerEJECT |
Parsingdecapitation (having no lead) of dEJECT (sadden). |
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| 21 |
Pestilential? Taking some steps (5)
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AnswerSTILE |
Parsinghidden word(s) (taking some) of peSTILEntial – and I suspect the question mark is to indicate that a STILE with steps is just one version – I was reminded of the Lake District stiles this week with small gaps that aren’t wide enough for sheep, the narrow gaps in stone walls which I don’t love when carrying a backpack, because I have to hitch the rucksack over the wall, or sometimes even take it off to get through. |
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DOWN
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| 1 |
Wriggly character’s dubious cop-outs (7)
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AnswerOCTOPUS |
Parsinganagram of (COP-OUTS) with an anagrind of “dubious” – and if you don’t immediately think of wriggling here, there’s always this YouTube video from National Geographic |
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| 2 |
Nitwit ski jumped; ski too short, ultimately (5)
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AnswerIDIOT |
Parsinglast letters (ultimately) of skI jumpeD skI toO shorT and probably the weakest surface of the puzzle. |
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| 3 |
Lacier pants? Sweet! (6)
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AnswerECLAIR |
Parsinganagram (LACIER)* with an anagrind of “pants” – pants in this case using the English English meaning of “rubbish” – and the question mark here could be referring to the definition of “sweet” as I’d call one patisserie, pastry or baked goods. |
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| 4 |
What winds up meeting: no word pleases powers-that-be? (4)
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AnswerGODS |
Parsinglast letters (what winds up) of meetinG nO worD pleaseS with a question mark to indicate slightly cryptic definitions and indicator. |
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| 5 |
Furious buccaneer blowing top (5)
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AnswerIRATE |
Parsingdecapitation (blowing top) of pIRATE (buccaneer) – for a clue we’ve seen before in the decapitations, but with a particularly smooth surface. |
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| 6 |
Characters from Strangelove set (3)
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AnswerGEL |
Parsinghidden word(s) (characters from) stranGELove – and the surface is referring to this film. |
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| 11 |
Balcony where caterer prepared (7)
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AnswerTERRACE |
Parsinganagram of (CATERER)* with an anagrind of “prepared”. |
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| 12 |
Comes out topless and blends in (6)
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AnswerMERGES |
Parsingdecapitation (topless – in a down clue) of eMERGES (comes out). |
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| 14 |
Wonderland visitor initially lacking spite (5)
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AnswerALICE |
Parsingdecapitation (initially lacking) so the first letter removed from mALICE (spite) – and the grammar here makes sense for the surface – but it’s slightly Yoda like for the cryptic grammar – and this does happen in full fat cryptics, a slight mangling of the cryptic instructions to make a better surface image. |
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| 16 |
I held out, somewhere in India (5)
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AnswerDELHI |
Parsinganagram of (I HELD)* with an anagrind of “out” |
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| 17 |
Backs off somewhat, ever so faint: run! (4)
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AnswerTROT |
Parsinglast letters (backs off) somewhaT eveR sO fainT – and a while back there was a debate about off/of being used in this situation, various commentators saying it was ungrammatical. The “backs of” are the last letters, but there is justification for “backs off” – if we take the backs off those words we get … and a lot of cryptic grammar is allusive, not necessarily perfectly accurate in all areas of the English speaking world, which also varies in its grammar. (There are also dialects where off means of). |
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| 18 |
Lovely extra sec wine at the end (3)
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AnswerACE |
Parsinglast letters (at the end) of extrA seC winE – and this equivalence makes me think of Australian English. |
And sorry everyone, today is one of those days when I’m doing other things, so not totally around. (Today I’m organising a First Aid course, so setting up and clearing away.) I’m not completely absent, just disappearing for an hour or two, before I can correct anything.
Thanks Brassica for delivering so smoothly thé product advertised on the tin and to Shanne for your excellent, as ever, blog. In the case of 3d , although my first thought was of the cream cake, I believe that chocolate eclairs are also a type of sweet i.e. a confectionery or what Americans call candy.
Overall I managed this crossword except for 1A which I guessed from the crossers, and 6D which I assumed but don’t know the film (I saw it once – in the 60’s??). Tutting at some of the decapitations but all enjoyable. Thankyou both
Some nice clues with nice surfaces, and a few difficult clues.
I still do not understand how “what winds up” is a tail selection indicator, and I originally did not get why pants is an anagram indicator as I did not know the UKism. I also took a long time to parse OLIVE.
Thanks Brassica and Shanne
I guessed 1a straight away but couldn’t work out what the decspitation was. Otherwise pretty straightforward. I was amused tgat 14d was almost exactly the same clue as in today’s Guardian Quick 21d.
Martyn @4: It’s winding up in the sense of ending/concluding. eg ‘let’s wind up this meeting’ or ‘you’ll wind up in trouble’.
And I couldn’t parse OLIVE, so thank you for the blog.
I could not parse 10ac – oh I see, not so difficult after all!
6d?? Don’t remember the film (seen it eons ago), so I am not familiar with the reference.
Overall easy for a change.
Great to have another setter join the QC. Took me a while to get going as I’m now not looking at the clue type hints to add to the challenge. I enjoyed this although decapitation clues are not always my favourite. Dr Strangelove is one of my favourite films. Thanks Brassica, and also to Shanne for the usual clear blog.
Welcome to Brassica – that was a nice mix of clues with the hiddens and last letters giving us easier ones to get to; anagrams similarly (depending on your anagram ability – mine’s poor) and then the decapitations definitely tougher. I’ve never seen a decapitation on two words (i.e. GO-LIVE) and while EJECT was got to – initially wondered about reject as sadden but definitely deject is the one.
As always, I’ve put a talkthrough solve up at … https://youtu.be/aCzzxZKifpg … useful for anyone looking for tips and tactics. I felt I was bumbling along in places which I think should reassure beginners that even when competent solvers might talk about knocking off a puzzle in ten mins – it’s not always plain sailing for us.!!