Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend 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:
- 9A "suggest" is used in the sense of suggest or propose an agenda item.
- 14A "3" refers to the answer to 3D.
- 24A It's Boston Mass. not Lincolnshire.
- In 4D "over" is a containment indicator.
- 12D is a 4-part charade.
- In 13D “by” is a juxtaposition indicator, with X "by" Y leading to YX.
And click on this label to get the solution.
Definitions
underlined in bold italics
, (
Abc
)* indicating anagram of Abc,{deletions} and [] other indicators.
1 Plant that's right inside tangled bush (5)
SHRUB – R (right) in [tangled] (bush)*.
4 Officer getting around island (7)
MAJORCA – MAJOR (officer) CA (circa; about; around).
8 Recalled time before Edward's discharged (7)
EMITTED – TIME reversed [recalled] -> EMIT, TED (Edward).
9 Suggest club is rejected by the French (5)
TABLE – BAT (club) reversed [rejected] -> TAB, LE (the in French). TABLE as in suggest or propose an agenda item.
10 Decided engineer needed trim (10)
DETERMINED – [engineer] (needed trim)*.
14 3 now and again on street not moving (2,4)
AT REST – Alternate letters of the answer to 3 D, bAtTeRsEa, ST (street).
15 I start to turn after road diversion. That's clever (6)
ADROIT – (road)* [diversion], I and first letter of [start to] Turn.
17 Main skill? (10)
SEAMANSHIP – Cryptic definition,
20 Fruit? I love bananas (5)
OLIVE – (I love)* [bananas].
22 Lynn, say, in time is mean (7)
AVERAGE – VERA (Lynn, say) in AGE (time).
23 Authorise workers' organisation before employee finally leaves (7)
LETTUCE – LET (authorise) TUC (workers’ organisation) and last letter of employeE [finally].
24 Measures gardens in Boston (5)
YARDS – Double definition.
1 Bit of plant in waste matter (4)
STEM – Hidden in waSTE Matter.
2 Mess up race I entered (4)
RUIN – I in [entered] RUN (race).
3 Hit the drink in part of London (9)
BATTERSEA – BATTER (hit) SEA (the drink).
4 Annoy me over total number (6)
MADDEN – ADD (total) in ME N (number). “Over” in this case is a containment indicator.
5 Write a small amount (3)
JOT – Double definition.
6 Crusoe, perhaps, getting bird numbers to go up (8)
ROBINSON – ROBIN (bird), NOS (numbers) going up -> SON.
7 Account from one cadet at sea (8)
ANECDOTE – (one cadet)* [at sea].
11 DIY firm we use for delivery work? (9)
MIDWIFERY – (DIY firm we)* [use].
12 Rod Stewart at first also left seat (8)
BARSTOOL – BAR (rod) Stewart [at first] TOO (also) L (left). A 4 part charade!
13 One who plays first by ear, perhaps (8)
ORGANIST – ORGAN (ear, perhaps) IST (first). “By” is a juxtaposition indicator here, with X by Y leading to YX.
16 Run away getting key (6)
ESCAPE – Double definition, the second a keyboard key.
18 Quiet song for couple (4)
PAIR – P (piano; quiet) AIR (song).
19 Strokes dogs, perhaps (4)
PETS – Double definition.
21 Bird found in some mudflats (3)
EMU – Hidden in somE MUdflats.
Far to tricky for me, I'm afraid. Although I'm still at the point where hitting reveal and working out the parsing still feel useful, so still time profitably spent, thank you.
ReplyDeleteOne minor question - what has Boston got to do with 24a? It feels like it would work perfectly well as just "measures gardens"?
Sorry you found it too tricky, but glad you enjoyed it. As we are UK setters emulating the style of The (London) Times Quick Cryptics, the reference to Boston in 24a is to indicate the usage "yard" = "garden" is American. ODE says.. (Mainly British English) a piece of uncultivated ground adjoining a building, typically one enclosed by walls or other buildings: e.g. tiny houses with the lavatory in the yard. (North American English) the garden of a house.
DeleteGood stuff, thanks Sawbill. Had to work hard to winkle out SEAMANSHIP (saw what was going on but after navigation and seafaring wouldn't work was at a bit of a loss). Loved EMITTED because I had to laugh at myself for so massively overcomplicating it. Just slow on ORGANIST - had the IST but had to go through a lot instrument to get there - then another headslap moment. Ended with MADDEN.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I am always worried with a clue like 'Main skill?' that there are too many alternatives.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sawbill, 1-0 to you as I missed the anagrinds for MIDWIFERY (even though I’d guessed the maternity connection) and DETERMINED. Also failed on SEAMANSHIP with Seafaring stuck in my head.
ReplyDeleteLiked BARSTOOL with the Rod Stewart misdirection.
Forgive me but I could not resist the Rod Stewart reference. My favourite clue.
DeleteA bit too tough for me, gave up after an hour with SE corner not done. All understandable from the blog though, so nothing unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteGraham, thank you. On a scale of 1 - 10, I aim for 6 with regard to difficulty but I would have guessed that this was an 8. Thank you for persevering and am pleased that nothing was ridiculously obscure or unreasonable.
DeleteI almost gave up with the BARSTOOL, ORGANIST and LETTUCE corner holding out but really enjoyed getting those three to finally surrender! MIDWIFERY and BATTERSEA stood out among many great clues- super puzzle-thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you and particularly for not falling off the barstool - something I have done a couple of times
ReplyDeleteLike others we were flummoxed by barstool and organist but we enjoyed it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThanks Smallholder, I am always fascinated by which clues are easy and hard. I take everyone's comments on board.
DeleteHappy as always to open this alternative offering. As an apparently not so observant part time UK dweller, initially inserted BATTERSEY, which did not help the cause. Chuckled at LETTUCE and MIDWIFERY. Clever meshing of 14A and 3D. Last in - SEAMANSHIP and ORGANIST. Thank you !
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting - all comments are useful to me (an amateur)
DeleteThanks Sawbill. Clever and good humoured surfaces indeed!
ReplyDeleteZak
Thanks Zak
DeleteEnjoyable QC. Quick but then slow on SEAMANSHIP and LOsI ORGANIST and AT REST. Had At Ease originally which confused the issue.
ReplyDeleteLiked LETTUCE, BARSTOOL, BATTERSEA, MIDWIFERY, among others.
A reassuring morning!
Countrywoman
Thanks (as always). I am beginning to think that SEAMANSHIP was a tad too difficult.
DeleteForgot to say, thanks S and J
ReplyDeleteA fine puzzle, all done in just over 12 minutes, so once again bang in line with Sunday Special expectations. Your consistency is truly impressive! On this occasion, all parsed except MADDEN, which was biffed, and seeing the parsing in the solution post I could have stared at it for a lot longer without seeing that "over" is an inclusion indicator. That is a bit too left-field for me (and no I tend not to look at the hints and tips before solving).
ReplyDeleteThat apart, much to enjoy, and my favourite was BARSTOOL for the extremely smooth way Rod Stewart was in the surface. I did wonder a bit though how many of our US cousins would have got TABLE, which might mean "suggest for discussion" to us Brits but across the pond means the exact opposite - remove from discussion.
Many thanks for the entertainment
TABLE came up in another crossword recently (long after I had set this) and I did wonder like you. Rod Stewart was fun to include in the clue. Thanks, Cedric.
ReplyDeleteGood fun. See nothing amiss with 17a Seamanship - just needed a little thinking to remember Main. It seems to me exactly what the QC is about. Hardest was 12d Barstool. Many thanks for the entertainment you and the others provide!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew
DeleteThanks, lots of fun. SEAMANSHIP and BARSTOOL were my favourites.
ReplyDeleteThanks and glad it was fun
DeleteLoved BARSTOOL and MIDWIFERY. Pitched at just the right level for me. Many thanks for doing these! Much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks and great to know the level of difficulty is about right
DeleteMost enjoyable, midwifery and lettuce were highlights! One of us got seamanship as foi. Failed on organist.
ReplyDeleteThank you both. FOI SEAMANSHIP shows how differently we all solve crosswords.
Delete