Friday 7 April 2023

Weekend Quick Cryptic 74 - Solution

My fellow TimesforTheTimes contributors Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce Quick Cryptic crosswords to fill the gap left by the Saturday Times not having one. The plan is for us to take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's my turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below. Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on TfTTYou can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here. 

SAVE THE DATE. We are planning another get together of Weekend QC compilers, TfTT bloggers and commenters on Saturday 24th June at from 1200 at The George, Borough High Street, Southwark, Greater London, SE1 1NH. All are welcome. We are also expecting Mick Hodgkin, the Times Puzzles Editor and Pete Biddlecombe, Sundays Times Crossword Editor and founder of Times for The Times to drop in. If you intend coming along, please drop me a line to Johninterred's Email, or send me a message via the "Contact Me" box in the sidebar, so we can have some idea of numbers and reserve sufficient table space.

Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.

Hints...

Some hints and tips:
  • The English First class cricket season started this Thursday, 6th April.
  • One of the clues is a quadrupal definition.
  • 24A could maybe be found in the Uxbridge English Dictionary.
  • One down clue references the hokey-cokey.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...



Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc,  {deletions} and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Hems of robe in case become wrinkled (6)
CREASE – Outside letters [hems] of RobE in CASE.
5 Young girl's bowled over ... ... (6)
MAIDEN – Double definition with a cryptic hint. An over that’s bowled [bowled over] without a run being scored, known as a MAIDEN  is shown in the score book as 6 dots. i.e. … … although shown vertically and, traditionally, with a letter M joining them up.
8 Feat of bowling magician getting rabbit out (3,5)
HAT TRICK – Another double definition with a cryptic hint, this time referring to a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. A ‘rabbit’ in cricket is a poor batter, and hence easy to get out.
9 Faldo can take chip (4)
NICK – A quadruple definition,
10 Photograph firing of gun (4)
SHOT – Double definition.
11 Translated cassette making legal precedent (4,4)
TEST CASE – [translated] (cassette)*.
12 Dismissed without making your ground swapping ends - go faster! (6)
OUTRUN – RUN OUT (dismissed without making your ground) [swapping ends] -> OUTRUN.
14 Someone unimportant's criticism of poor wine (6)
NOBODY – Double definition with a cryptic hint (NO BODY).
16 Art lover ate these, cooked (8)
AESTHETE – (ate these)* [cooked].
18 A square boundary (4)
FOUR – Double definition.
20 Avoid a failure with the bat (4)
DUCK – Double definition.
21 Course changed in the end to be creamy sweet dessert (8)
SYLLABUB – SYLLAB U{s} (course [changed in the end] -> SYLLABUB.
23 Take a peek at tip of Greek spear (6)
GLANCE – [Tip of} G{reek} LANCE (spear).
24 A bit like people searching for a ball? (6)
GOOGLY – Double definition with the first a cryptic hint.
 
Down
2 Attain some rare achievement (5)
REACH – Hidden in, [some], raRE ACHievement.
3 More perceptive but also, oddly, utter rubbish (7)
ASTUTER – Alternate letters of AlSo [oddly], (utter)* [rubbish].
4 Iberian leader supports the Spanish priest (3)
ELI –  EL (the, in Spanish) I{berian} [leader]
5 A good clue for "Essen" should do this (4,5)
MAKE SENSE – Reverse cryptic, where the answer is wordplay for the answer in the clue, [Make] (sense)* -> ESSEN.
6 I coin new term for an order of architecture (5)
IONIC – (I coin)* [new].
7 Former conservative leader took drugs but is forgiven (7)
EXCUSEDEX (former) C{onservative} [leader] USED (took drugs).
11 Wild teens seen in this state (9)
TENNESSEE – [Wild] (teens seen)*.
13 A French peer's different (7)
UNEQUALUN (a in French) EQUAL (peer).
15 Large cattle expert has a look (7)
BUFFALOBUFF (expert) A LO (look).
17 Bagged or trousered? (5)
TAKEN – Double definition, with the answer hinted at in 9A.
19 Expected nearly all to attend university after us (5)
USUALUS U (university) AL{l} (nearly all).
22 Cricket side shaken after being put in and then out twice (3)
LEG – Double definition with a cryptic hint…  first your left LEG and then your right are put “in out in out shake it all about”. Knees bend. Arms raised. Ra ra ra!

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