Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Quick Cryptic crosswords. We take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Sawbill's 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 TfTT. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here.
Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.
Hints and tips...
Some hints and tips:
- The Vice President at 20A is of the USA
- In 2D you need a homophone of you (you picked up) for the last of the letters firming the anagram.
- In 4D "with different opening" means take a word and change the first letter.
And click on this label to get the solution.
Definitions underlined in bold italics , ( Abc )* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
Across
1 Gamebird is in the pan as cooked (8)
PHEASANT – (the pan as)* [cooked].
5 Even Alfred returns before time (4)
FLAT – ALF (Alfred) [returns] -> FLA, T (time).
9 Pale-faced like female? (5)
ASHEN – AS (like) HEN (female bird).
10 Transport with people half removed in crush (7)
TRAMPLE – TRAM (transport), {peo}PLE with the first half removed.
11 Silence as I tuck into bananas after a bit of pie (3,1,4,2,2)
PUT A SOCK IN IT – P{ie} [a bit of; first letter]. (as I tuck into)* [bananas].
13 Writer starts to take home two gold pens (6)
AUTHOR – AU and OR (gold twice) outside, [pens], initial letters of Take Home.
14 Kevin gets confused by small utensils (6)
KNIVES – (Kevin)* [gets confused], S (small).
17 Going first? (12)
PREDECEASING – Cryptic definition.
20 Cost provided by former Vice President, we hear (7)
EXPENSE – EX (former) PENSE, sounds like PENCE (Mike Pence, former US Vice President).
21 Northern house with often dingy toilet (5)
IGLOO - Alternate letters, [often], of dInGy LOO (toilet).
22 At last get to buy sons fun things (4)
TOYS – Final letters of geT tO buY sonS.
23 Chicken to follow drink (8)
COCKTAIL – COCK (male chicken) TAIL (follow).
Down
1 Fruit two people picked up (4)
PEAR – PEAR sounds like PAIR (two people).
2 Finish playing the sax you picked up (7)
EXHAUST – [playing] (the sax u)*, where the U sounds like [picked up] YOU.
3 Islanders are persons again displaced (12)
SINGAPOREANS – (persons again)* [displaced].
4 Idea for movement with different opening (6)
NOTION – {m}OTION (movement) with the first letter, [opening], changed to an N.
6 Initially look up plant identifying new flower (5)
LUPIN – First letters, [initially], of Look Up Plant Identifying New.
7 Paper coming from birch, say, as it is processed inside (8)
TREATISE – (as it)* [processed] inside TREE (birch, say).
8 Law rejected before monarch's approval and support (7,5)
WALKING STICK – LAW [rejected] -> WAL, KING’S (monarch’s), TICK (approval).
12 Most content with rewritten epitaphs (8)
HAPPIEST – (epitaphs)* [rewritten].
15 Article in roman house is plain (7)
VANILLA – AN (indefinite article) in VILLA (roman house).
16 Note: reheat contents up to this date (6)
HERETO – Reverse hidden in nOTE REHeat.
18 Initially Margaret Thatcher on the radio is clear (5)
EMPTY – First letters of Maragaret Thatcher, MT sounds like EMPTY.
19 Bit of water polo rescheduled (4)
POOL – (polo)* [rescheduled].
1 Gamebird is in the pan as cooked (8)
PHEASANT – (the pan as)* [cooked].
5 Even Alfred returns before time (4)
FLAT – ALF (Alfred) [returns] -> FLA, T (time).
9 Pale-faced like female? (5)
ASHEN – AS (like) HEN (female bird).
10 Transport with people half removed in crush (7)
TRAMPLE – TRAM (transport), {peo}PLE with the first half removed.
11 Silence as I tuck into bananas after a bit of pie (3,1,4,2,2)
PUT A SOCK IN IT – P{ie} [a bit of; first letter]. (as I tuck into)* [bananas].
13 Writer starts to take home two gold pens (6)
AUTHOR – AU and OR (gold twice) outside, [pens], initial letters of Take Home.
14 Kevin gets confused by small utensils (6)
KNIVES – (Kevin)* [gets confused], S (small).
17 Going first? (12)
PREDECEASING – Cryptic definition.
20 Cost provided by former Vice President, we hear (7)
EXPENSE – EX (former) PENSE, sounds like PENCE (Mike Pence, former US Vice President).
21 Northern house with often dingy toilet (5)
IGLOO - Alternate letters, [often], of dInGy LOO (toilet).
22 At last get to buy sons fun things (4)
TOYS – Final letters of geT tO buY sonS.
23 Chicken to follow drink (8)
COCKTAIL – COCK (male chicken) TAIL (follow).
1 Fruit two people picked up (4)
PEAR – PEAR sounds like PAIR (two people).
2 Finish playing the sax you picked up (7)
EXHAUST – [playing] (the sax u)*, where the U sounds like [picked up] YOU.
3 Islanders are persons again displaced (12)
SINGAPOREANS – (persons again)* [displaced].
4 Idea for movement with different opening (6)
NOTION – {m}OTION (movement) with the first letter, [opening], changed to an N.
6 Initially look up plant identifying new flower (5)
LUPIN – First letters, [initially], of Look Up Plant Identifying New.
7 Paper coming from birch, say, as it is processed inside (8)
TREATISE – (as it)* [processed] inside TREE (birch, say).
8 Law rejected before monarch's approval and support (7,5)
WALKING STICK – LAW [rejected] -> WAL, KING’S (monarch’s), TICK (approval).
12 Most content with rewritten epitaphs (8)
HAPPIEST – (epitaphs)* [rewritten].
15 Article in roman house is plain (7)
VANILLA – AN (indefinite article) in VILLA (roman house).
16 Note: reheat contents up to this date (6)
HERETO – Reverse hidden in nOTE REHeat.
18 Initially Margaret Thatcher on the radio is clear (5)
EMPTY – First letters of Maragaret Thatcher, MT sounds like EMPTY.
19 Bit of water polo rescheduled (4)
POOL – (polo)* [rescheduled].
I really enjoyed the definitions-silence, support, finish, clear, plain, going first, all took some extra thinking. SINGAPOREANS, PUT A SOCK IN IT, and PREDECEASING were favourites. Thanks, SAWBILL(and John), another fun puzzle.
ReplyDeleteThank you. WALKING STICK was hard to define simply.
DeleteMuch enjoyed but stumped by predeceased.
ReplyDeleteGlad that you enjoyed it. I couldn't resist PREDECEASED.
DeleteIt's the first time I've done a Weekend QC and really enjoyed it. Particularly liked PREDECEASED. Thanks Sawbill.
ReplyDeleteSo pleased that you have given one of our QCs a go. Glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteTypo for PREDECEASING - sorry!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyable but not that easy in parts. LOI COD COCKTAIL. Also liked WALKING STICK, PUTA SOCK IN IT. Hesitated re EXHAUST but it had to be. Ditto MT! Cd not parse AUTHOR.
ReplyDeleteThanks for Sun fun, Sawbill and John.
Countrywoman
Thank you. I think WALKING STICK was my favourite but it frightened me when I first tried to clue it.
DeleteForgot to say, I liked EX-pense too! CW.
DeleteA fine puzzle which I completed in 11 minutes. Much enjoyed some of the longer clues - pleased to get Singaporeans without many checkers, which opened the grid up, and huge PDM when I saw Predeceasing. Slight surprise at seeing Mike Pence referenced as he is still alive, and I pronounce the P in Empty, but otherwise no real hold-ups until my LOI Hereto, which took a letter search to fill -E-E-O and then a further short while to work out how the wordplay worked and find the hidden.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks Sawbill for a very nice puzzle
Cedric
Thanks Cedric, 11 minutes means that I got the level of difficulty about right.
DeleteVery enjoyable, particularly liked trample, walking stick and igloo was a pdm. But stumped by hereto!
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris and Francesca
Thanks both. HERETO was the most difficult clue, I think.
DeleteReturned to the puzzle this morning with 5 to go and, as is often the case, immediately solved a clue> WALKING STICK. jolly good clue too.
ReplyDeleteHowever drew a blank with HERETO (these pesky hiddens) and EMPTY where I knew ‘on the radio’ was a sounding indicator but didn’t think of the initials.
Thanks Sawbill and John. Lots to enjoy.
Thanks Ian. HERETO is not just a pesky hidden but reversed as well. Glad you saw WALKING STICK on your return.
DeleteA bit late to this - but I found this pretty tricky. In the end, I didn't get 17ac "Predeceasing" nor 18dn "Empty". However, enjoyed quite a number of clues, including 8dn "Walking Stick", 11ac "Put A Sock In It" and the northern house with the dingy toilet (a reality for many decades ago). Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJamesEd46
Thank you Sawbill for a pleasantly challenging puzzle. FOI Pheasant and LOI Predeceasing, which held me up for a long time. POI Hereto. Liked "Put a sock in it" best even though I got it straight away.
ReplyDeleteZajonc
Thanks for commenting, Zajonc. Glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDelete