This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This week’s puzzle is the second puzzle by Brassica. There were comments that the first puzzle was challenging, and I suspect this will be greeted by similar comments. Today we have anagrams and hidden words with all the letters present, plus double definitions and charades where the words come from the solvers general and cryptic knowledge. I am still part way through a summary of the tricks and crosswordese from probably the first 104 puzzles (2 years), and depending on what else I get caught up in this weekend, I’ll aim to get it out for Easter. (It’s the school Easter holidays, when I catch up with all sorts).
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 developed 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. - Charade Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
– the same explanation from week 1 – see more above - Double definition Both halves are definitions!
‘Search scrub (5)’ gives SCOUR
| ACROSS | Click on “Answer” to see the solutions | |
| 1 |
Line of darts players in Rochester (4)
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AnswerOCHE |
Parsinghidden word(s) (in) rOCHEster – this is a bit of general knowledge that occasionally comes up in crosswordland. It’s the name of the line painted on the floor in pubs behind which the darts players stand to throw darts – more here |
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| 4 |
Musician taking string from Gorbachev (4)
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AnswerBACH |
Parsinghidden word(s) (taking string from) in GorBACHev – for one of several composers. Gorbachev was president of the USSR as it dissolved, resigning in 1991, which we forget was 35 years ago. He died in 2022. |
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| 7 |
Scoundrel by weir in Dutch port (9)
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AnswerROTTERDAM |
Parsingcharade of ROTTER (scoundrel) + (by) DAM (weir) for this Netherlands port. |
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| 8 |
Creep for 2.54cm (4)
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AnswerINCH |
Parsingdouble definition of both a metaphorical use of the word and a literal equivalence. Anyone who was around during decimalisation (or sews) will recognise that number. (American patterns and sites don’t use metric measurements). |
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| 9 |
Photocopier products that you put on your face? (6)
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AnswerTONERS |
Parsingdouble definition – having had a desk next to the photocopier in one job, I am very familiar with the first definition having fixed the dratted thing several times a day most days. The facial version is another name for after-shave in male toilettes and comes in different formulations for different skin types. The female version has been around for ever. |
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| 10 |
Firth’s rerouted – it might be short (6)
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AnswerSHRIFT |
Parsinganagram of (FIRTH’S)* with an anagrind of “rerouted”. The solution is actually an archaic word meaning a prescribed penance or confessional. The phrase that’s come down to us, the “might be short” means a short time for a confession before an execution or other penance. A firth is a short arm of the sea or a river mouth (which is how we get the Firth of Forth). |
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| 13 |
Fictional captain hiding in Bournemouth (4)
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AnswerNEMO |
Parsinghidden word(s) (hiding in) in BourNEMOuth – for the fictional captain in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – and is one of those names that comes up regularly in crosswordland, so that he’s the first fictional captain I reach for. He’s well known through the films and other spin offs now, but I’ve linked to the original book and yes, I did read it as a child. |
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| 14 |
Nuances – or explicit examples? (9)
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AnswerOVERTONES |
Parsingcharade of OVERT (explicit) + ONES (examples) and a question mark as a cryptic solution is being suggested. |
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| 15 |
A small songbird up to no good (2,2)
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AnswerAT IT |
Parsingcharade of A (from the clue) + TIT (small songbird) – the suggestion to define this when I looked it up – “the council is at it again, planning a carpark on the green” (this town has just been flagged again so the flagging team have been at it again was what leapt to my mind, rather less politely phrased). As I type this listening to great tits in the background and regularly hear blue tits on the feeders (and occasionally long-tailed tits) they are not the most tuneful of birds, so “songbird” doesn’t immediately bring them to mind. |
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| 16 |
Eats voraciously to quench hunger? (4)
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AnswerSATE |
Parsinganagram of (EATS)* with an anagrind of “voraciously” – I’m not sure what there’s about voraciously that makes it an anagrind. It doesn’t conjure up a rearrangement/rebuilding, disorganisation or strangeness, which is what most anagram indicators are trying to convey, even after checking the BRB (big red book – Chambers dictionary). |
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DOWN
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| 2 |
Hear the unexpected problem? (5)
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AnswerCATCH |
Parsingdouble definition for the first, when someone is asking for something to be repeated, the often didn’t quite catch it the first time. And the other comes from being caught out. |
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| 3 |
Incident preventable to some extent (5)
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AnswerEVENT |
Parsinghidden word(s) (to some extent) in prEVENTable. |
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| 4 |
Former president to wait with note (5)
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AnswerBIDEN |
Parsingcharade of BIDE (to wait) + N (abbreviation for Note) and our second ex-president in this puzzle. N for note is in the 4th list of abbreviations under n in the BRB. I wondered, and a quick search is suggesting the same, if it comes from Latin forms like NB (nota bene – note well). |
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| 5 |
Rewriting memoirs, cop makes concessions (10)
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AnswerCOMPROMISE |
Parsinganagram of (MEMOIRS COP)* with an anagrind of “rewriting” – I don’t think there’s a mismatch of definition and solution as many small concessions can make up a COMPROMISE agreement. |
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| 6 |
Technocrat sporting waterproof (6,4)
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AnswerTRENCH COAT |
Parsinganagram of (TECHNOCRAT)* with an anagrind of “sporting” – I’ve just checked and the usual cotton twill style of this in-fashion style are showerproof. There were some waterproof versions available, now sold out, but they aren’t cotton without a lot of treatment. |
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| 11 |
Still playing Inter (5)
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AnswerINERT |
Parsinganagram of (INTER)* with an anagrind of “playing” with a nice surface suggesting Inter Milan – with a disguised false capital letter at the beginning of the clue. That’s a trick to look out for – whether the capital letter at the start of the clue is hiding a proper noun. |
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| 12 |
Absolutely drags (5)
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AnswerTOTES |
Parsingdouble definition the first is slang – and not the sort of slang the yoof I work with come out with. I came across it on Richard Osman’s House of Games, it’s an abbreviation of totally. The other version is in Chambers as originally a US word meaning to carry. as a verb, or a burden, as a noun. We have absorbed that version with the bags. |
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| 13 |
No safety device for tightrope-walking performers (5)
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AnswerNONET |
Parsingcharade of NO (from the clue) + NET (safety device for tightrope-walking) (or Gladiators) for the group of nine performers that has appeared a lot in crosswordland recently – someone commented on one of the full-fat cryptics recently that perhaps it’s a word that should be retired for a whle. |
Definitely on the harder side,i suspect there won’t be too many takers(beginners)for this one.Its not an easy task setting cryptic crosswords,so thank you for the time and effort.
I really enjoyed this one, especially the charades and double definitions. For 10a, SHRIFT, you don’t need to know the archaic meaning. To give something short shrift is to dismiss it quickly: ‘I gave his excuses short shrift.’ I assumed that was what the clue referred to.
Thanks for the excellent blog Shanne. I agree with Amma@2 re 10a. Didn’t know that Totes could also mean drag but it is one of the last definitions in online Collins.
Amma and SimoninBxl – @2 and @3 – that’s sort of what I meant – to give something short shrift has come down to us as a meaning to give something very little attention – but I like words, and I like knowing how they come about, so I found it interesting that it comes from the short confession people were given before they were executed. (I did know that shrift and shriving all link to Shrove Tuesday – the confession and penance before Lent in the case of Shrove Tuesday – so I wanted to know what a short shrift actually was.)
Enjoyed this but definitely some tricky spots along the way. Voraciously as an anagram signal was new and threw me for a while, as did some chewy charades and double-definitions: OVERTONES and TONERS being an example each of those. Thanks Shanne for your clear explanations and to Brassica for the Saturday morning challenge.
Nicely pitched by my favourite type of veg. Favourites were SHRIFT (interesting origin), INCH (was about for decimalisation) & AT IT (didn’t think tits were classed as song birds). Spent too long try to make a new word from ‘nuances or’ before catching on. And learned some new words/meanings: OCHE, NONET & TOTES. I’m also not sure about the use of ‘voraciously’ as an anagrind.
Thank you Brassica for a great start to Saturday, and Shanne for the education.
Found this one quite straightforward and relatively easy! Think I solved it in [time redacted], even less. Perhaps, my age means I know a lot of the old fashioned words more!!
– please read the rules – we really discourage posts like this as they don’t encourage beginners
I think tits are grouped with more musical small perching birds under the heading ‘songbirds’ in some bird books. I did wonder how people, who haven’t been exposed to darts on UK tv, would get on with ‘oche’. ‘Overtones’ , I thought was good but tricky.
Thanks Shanne and Brassica
Nice work Brassica and Shanne. Enjoyed this one. Got through most at a good pace (for me) but came a cropper on ‘nonet’ and ‘totes’. I should have got ‘totes’ considering my partner’s collection of bags!
I found it ok, apart from the bottom right. That took me hours. Then I had to come here for 12 (LOI) which I could not parse AT ALL (and no wonder after reading the explanation).
I am glad I am not alone in finding “voraciously” an unexpected … indicator
Ah, I have just read the explanation for 13. Yes, that is a word that has cropped up a lot, but I have no idea who/what the example provided is. I was thinking more along the lines of a musical ensemble (and I think the clue works better for me with “ensemble’ instead of “performers”)
Andrea @11 – I was using the words from the clue – but yes,a NONET is a musical ensemble or a piece for a musical ensemble – see here. But it also could be a poem, specifically of nine lines.
The bottom half was definitely challenging for me. Like Jen @6 I tried to anagram Nuances or …. eventually got it from the crossers – great charade! Last one solved was 12dn – no idea how totes meant absolutely so thank you Shanne and also Brassica for a nice mix of challenging and straightforward clues.
Learned a new word – oche!
I struggle with substitutes so this was a really good one for me to practice with plenty of charades.
Several unknowns for me (oche, short thrift) but all gettable from the hidden word or anagram. Liked the over ones, Rotterdam was easy for me… I thought 5 down grammatically problematic, but I accept Shanne’s explanation. Thanks, Brassica and Shanne
I thought some of these were a bit stretchy for a beginners puzzle, and in places a couple of really minor edits would have brought it closer to the right level without messing up the surfaces of the clues. For example, 16A works just as well as “Eats messily to quench hunger?” using “messily” as a more reasonable anagram indicator.
However, it was fun to do and I got there eventually. OVERTONES was my last one in, and I didn’t get the parsing til I came here.
OCHE is one of those words I only know from doing UK crosswords–darts does not rate as a spectator sport in the US, and in American bars, I’ve only ever heard the line called “the line”. (But I am a laughably dreadful darts player–I’m lucky if the dart hits the general area of the dartboard–so maybe the word oche is better known here among those who play more seriously.)
Miles Davis notably had a NONET.