COME AND MEET SOME FELLOW CROSSWORD LOVERS. We are planning another get together of Weekend QC Compilers, TfTT Bloggers and Commenters on Saturday 24th June from 12:00 at The George, Borough High Street, Southwark, Greater London, SE1 1NH. All are very welcome. We are also expecting Mick Hodgkin, the Times Puzzles Editor, Richard Rogan, The Times Crossword 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...
- "If you see a U, think Q" may help for one of the answers.
- Washington is the state not the president
- In 24D you need to separate "time added on"
And click on this label to get the solution.
Solution and explanation of the answers...
Across
1 Back to drink wine (7)
SUPPORT – SUP (drink) PORT (wine)
5 A cat's tiniest little things (5)
ATOMS – A TOM’S (cat’s).
8 At first our untrained nuns couldn't educate lightweight (5)
OUNCE – Initial letters, [at first], of Our Untrained Nuns Couldn’t Educate.
9 Speaker's chivalrous every evening (7)
NIGHTLY – Sounds like, [speaker’s] KNIGHTLY (chivalrous).
10 Spread the word - blue pic is to be circulated (9)
PUBLICISE – (blue pic is)* [to be circulated].
12 One hundred not out! (3)
TON – (not)* [out].
13 Mean and waspish (6)
STINGY – Double definition.
14 More than one small bird gets cold feet (6)
QUAILS – Double definition.
17 Whistler's finally under the turf (3)
REF – Last letters of, [finally], undeR thE turF.
18 Came across translated trad verse (9)
TRAVERSED – (trad verse)* [translated].
20 Cover musician on the radio (7)
WRAPPER – Sounds like RAPPER (musician) [on the radio].
21 More wide? (5)
EXTRA – Double definition. The second, a cricket term, being a definition by example, hence the ?
23 Be afraid of coiled adder (5)
DREAD – (adder)* [coiled].
24 Cry after Washington match abandoned (7)
WASHOUT – WA (Washington; abbreviation for the state) SHOUT (cry).
1 Exclusive sort of utensil (5)
SCOOP – Double definition.
2 Criticise Greek god (3)
PAN – Double definition.
3 Initial opportunity (7)
OPENING – Another double definition!
4 Element can identify cartoon character (6)
TINTIN – TIN (element) TIN (can).
5 Fish discovered in sylvan glen (5)
ANGLE – Hidden in sylvAN GLEn.
6 In the open air takes off clothes and runs faster (9)
OUTSTRIPS – OUT (in the open) STRIPS (takes off clothes).
7 Adages, for example, in Grammar School (7)
SAYINGS – SAY (for example) IN GS (Grammar School).
11 Short job for barrister - his paperwork kept here (9)
BRIEFCASE - BRIEF (short) CASE (job for barrister).
13 Fastened securely, but in a hopeless position (7)
SCREWED – Double definition.
15 Futile instruction to be economical (7)
USELESS – USE LESS (instruction to be economical).
16 Have an argument after glass of beer here on Tyneside (6)
JARROW – JAR (glass of beer) ROW (have an argument).
18 Lukewarm tea unfinished, policeman quietly comes back (5)
TEPID – TE{a} [unfinished], DI (policemen) P (quietly) [comes back] -> PID.
19 Outline plan for American beer (5)
DRAFT – Double definition.
22 No-score draw after time added on (3)
TOO – T (time) O-O (no-score draw).
Many clever definitions-waspish for STINGY, whistler for REF, and gets cold feet for QUAILS. With the checkers I had spoon seemed obvious for utensil but luckily SCOOP finally came to mind. I think overall TOO was my favourite clue-thanks, Phil, good fun.
ReplyDeleteI liked TOO as well. Glad you spotted SPOON wasn't right. "Gets cold feet" was one of my edits, so Iwas pleased you liked that.
DeleteThis took me just under 13 minutes, though I might have been a touch quicker if I had not spent some time trying to get a Z into my last few answers - having seen the Q, X and J I was on maximum pangram alert!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the American spelling of Draught Beer was Draft, but the wordplay was generous. LOI was Tintin; I got the first Tin very quickly but was completely stuck for the second half of the word, trying to get ID in there (from identify) and even when the penny was semi-dropping, I struggled to see the Hergé books as cartoons. I suppose they are, but they seem so much more than that.
Many thanks Phil for a fine puzzle.
Cedric
As an afterthought, though, atoms are not really thought to be the tiniest of things any more are they? Hard to say what is, and they keep discovering more, but it will be one or other of the seemingly endless variants of sub-atomic particles.
DeleteYou worried me that I might have broken a pangram from Phil with my editing, but the changes I made didn't involve removing a Z. And K is missing too. As for ATOMS, they are "the smallest particles of a chemical element that can exist" so I think that's OK, notwithstanding the existing quarks, charming (or rather charmed) though they may be. Thanks for the feedback..
DeleteNeeded the hint for QUAILS and slow on USELESS and WASHOUT, and put bARROW instead of JARROW. (Many Barrows in England?)
ReplyDeleteOtherwise did OK! PDM with ATOMS. Liked NIGHTLY, WRAPPER, STINGY, among others.
Thanks vm, Phil and John.
Countrywoman
Bad luck with Barrow. Yes there are a few (at least 6) in Britain and there's one near here in Suffolk, but the only northern one, Barrow-in-Furness, is on the West coast not the East. Glad you enjoyed it, though.
DeleteFirst in NIGHTLY. Last QUAILS after an alphabet trawl. With the second letter U I should have started the trawl with Q. Favourite TOO. I was sure that was the answer but could not see the answer until a thumping penny drop moment seeing OO as no score draw.
ReplyDeleteThanks for a fine puzzle.
Rubeculaw
Thanks for the feedback. QUAILS was indeed not the easiest answer to find. and TOO was my favourite.
DeleteDidn't realise jar was a glass of beer but knew Jarrow was on Tyneside. Finished with pleasure.
ReplyDeleteLots of lovely clues here today - so a joy to solve. Came unstuck with B/Jarrow - ... 'a glass of beer HERE...' suggested 'bar'. Should have thought through my NE geography a little more.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for the feedback, and I'm glad the puzzle was well received. Due to illness in my immediate family, I won't be submitting puzzles on a regular basis for the time being, though I hope I'll be able to throw one in here and there.
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear your news. Hoping things go okay there and that we get to enjoy more of your puzzles some time in the future.
ReplyDeleteSpent all of Sunday on this going back and forth for a slow solve. Most enjoyable thanks although I was another barrow man. Quails was LOI helped by your U clue.
ReplyDeleteSorry to read your news above.
Ian
Dnf…got everything apart from 14ac “Quails” which just wouldn’t come - although in hindsight it’s fairly obvious.
ReplyDeleteAs someone living not too far from Barrow-in-Furness and having a brother in Newcastle, I opted for the latter - although I spent a good while trying to force NE in there somewhere.
Thanks!
JamesEd46