Times Quick Cryptic 1550 by Oink

Author   jackktPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Solving time: 9 minutes . Quite straightforward I think, but we shall see what others made of it…

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

Across
1 Go around Bermuda on vacation, wearing this? (6)
TURBAN : TURN (go) containing [around] B{ermud}A [on vacation]. The loosest of defintions here with little by way of direction from the surface reading.
4 A Doctor of Divinity meeting son at university? Makes sense (4,2)
ADDS UP : A, DD (Doctor of Divinity), S (son), UP (at university)
8 One in the habit of taking stock? (7)
RUSTLER : Not a very cryptic definition, but then this is a QC…
10 Took a dip with Penny in the Everglades, perhaps (5)
SWAMP : SWAM (took a dip), P (penny)
11 What dogs do to court female (4)
WOOF : WOO (court), F (female)
12 True lady, strangely, indulging in this? (8)
ADULTERY : Anagram [strangely] of TRUE LADY
14 Former wife deep in thought? That could be costly! (9)
EXPENSIVE : EX (former wife), PENSIVE (deep in thought)
18 Girl embracing star in gambling town (3,5)
LAS VEGAS : LASS (girl) containing [embracing] VEGA (star)
20 Celebrated singer eager to return (4)
DIVA : AVID (eager) reversed [to return]
22 Hedgehog is very nice for the most part (5)
SONIC : SO (so), NIC{e} [for the most part].The title character from a series of video games produced by Sega.
23 Something appetising from pig or horse? (7)
TROTTER : A double definition and today’s customary pig reference from our porcine setter!
24 Theatre at York welcoming this agreement (6)
TREATY : {thea}TRE AT Y{ork}. Hidden [welcoming]
25 Cunning wife getting into scrap (6)
SHREWD : W (wife) contained by [getting into] SHRED (scrap)
Down
1 Disconcerted queen sits on this, they say (6)
THROWN : Sounds like [they say] “throne” (queen sits on this)
2 Renovate empty Reigate shop (7)
RESTORE : R{eigat}E [empty], STORE (shop)
3 Clever of bishop to drink beer? Just the opposite! (4)
ABLE : The opposite of ‘bishop to drink beer’ is ‘beer to drink bishop’  which would give us ALE (beer) containing [to drink] B (bishop)
5 Deny detective inspector’s allegation (8)
DISCLAIM : DI’S (detective inspector’s), CLAIM (allegation)
6 Poles are producing gin (5)
SNARE : S N (poles), ARE (are). As in gin trap.
7 Muscular sailor Dad and I reported (6)
POPEYE : POP (dad), then EYE sounds like [reported] “I”.  Here we go then…
9 Tossed and turned, no longer wanted (9)
REDUNDANT : Anagram [tossed] of AND TURNED
13 Ignored by superior? That’s a blow (8)
UPPERCUT : UPPER (superior), CUT (ignored)
15 Letter from desperate elites clinging to power (7)
EPISTLE : Anagram [desperate] of ELITES containing  [clinging to] P (power)
16 Idiot going round south-east in secret (6)
CLOSET : CLOT (idiot) containing [going round] SE (south-east)
17 Spotted communist and went bananas (3,3)
SAW RED : SAW (spotted), RED (communist)
19 Feel anxious after change of leader (5)
SENSE : {t}ENSE (anxious) becomes SENSE [after change of leader]
21 Bear disdainful expression (4)
POOH : Two meanings

37 comments on “Times Quick Cryptic 1550 by Oink”

  1. Somehow I knew of SONIC the hedgehog; I have no idea how. I don’t particularly recommend today’s 15×15 for solvers thinking of moving up, but by chance the two puzzles have the same word as a solution, and it might be instructive to compare the two clues. 4:23.
  2. 15 minutes but I forgot to enter pooh.

    Last few popeye, sense, uppercut, and pooh.

    Lots of nice clues, turban, woof, expensive, trotter, sonic, but COD popeye.

    15×15 is alright, couldnt get the last three or four.

  3. Some trickery from Oink today. I agree with vinyl1, this required some thought; and some GK which for once is not Greek myths but video games.
    My FOI was WOOF (no help from the dog who is asleep). LOI was SENSE in a mainly top to bottom solve. Tricky for me were POOH, CLOSET and SONIC. Lots of excellent clues but you could get badly stuck on this. 16:01.
    David
  4. I was not on Oink’s wavelength today as the definitions seemed a bit wooly. I got off to a fast start but ground to a DNF with POOH and SHREWD.
    Incidentally I got two-thirds through the 15×15 today, well over my target of half-way.

    Brian

  5. Help for a greenhorn please. Why does “on vacation” indicate the first and last letters of Bermuda in 1ac? Thank you.
    2. That’s a new one on me too. Don’t think I’ve cime across it in a couple of years of attempting the QC…
        1. If you empty Bermuda, you’re left with B and A. If you empty Oink, you get OK? Jeffrey
  6. Nothing too tricky and I managed to sneak in under the 10 minute mark. My slight hold ups were with 1a, 12a, as I needed to write out the anagram fodder and with LOI POOH where I forgot about the fictional bear. I thought 1a and 13d were particularly good.
    Thanks for the blog
  7. I like Oink’s puzzles very much but, whilst I find them very involving, I don’t always find them easy. I just squeaked inside the SCC boundary with this one and am at a loss to understand why I wasn’t quicker. LI were TROTTER, SHREW, and POOH. I liked TURBAN, SONIC and SNARE plus the misdirection in REDUNDANT – I fell into the (obvious) trap of looking for an anagram from ‘tossed and’. Lots of fun but disappointingly short on piggy references. Thanks to both. John M.

    Edited at 2020-02-17 09:48 am (UTC)

  8. I thought 12a was very clever. ‘Strangely’ acting as the anagrind and indicating the opposite of true in the sense of fidelity. More of an &lit clue?
  9. Just inside my 15m target and enjoyable from Oink. LOI was POOH, COD to TURBAN.
  10. This one took me almost to the wire of my target time. As has been said very little to shove straight in. Thinking required. TURBAN had to be teased out from wordplay. A rewarding solve. 9:45. Thanks Oink and Jack.
  11. Hell’s teeth I struggled with this and DNF.

    Even though the answers seemed straight forward trying to get them was the equivalent of squeezing my brain like a sponge. Can I blame it on being Monday morning or is just Oink?

    Putting “Throne” for 1dn and “Closed” for 16dn didn’t help which meant I struggled with the simplest of responses for 11ac and 24ac. Wasn’t sure about the definition for 8ac “Rustler” (thinking of nuns and monks). Took the wrong anagrist for 9dn and for the life of me just didn’t see the incredibly clever 22ac “Sonic” (even though I’d read the film review a few days before). All in all, a bit of a disaster for me.

    FOI – 7dn “Popeye”
    COD – 22ac “Sonic”

    Thanks as usual….hopefully better tomorrow.

  12. 6d, SNARE : S N (poles), am I being daft but what equates SN to poles? It’ll probably hit me as soon as I’ve hit Post Comment…
  13. I was enjoying this, up until the last few answers (3, 8, 21 and 23), which seemed to take ages. Slightly surprised no one has mentioned Sonic, given some of the recent comments about product names, but at least the cluing was generous. Pigs Trotters and split yellow peas passes the appetising test in my book, though sadly not with the chef of the household. CoD to 13d, Uppercut – another one that took some time to see. Invariant
  14. DNF. My penultimate solve was SONIC and then I had to give up after two alphabet trawls for 13d UPPERCUT which I really should have solved given the presence of POPEYE (COD) in the grid.

    Edited at 2020-02-17 12:38 pm (UTC)

  16. Hi – got an old TQC clue/answer from anthology book: “The way is wide, avoided by bishop” for which the answer is ROAD, but aside from “the way”, how does the rest of the clue fit – in particular what’s it got to do with bishops? Thanks!
      1. Which reminds me of the old Oxford Joke:
        Q. Why is Turl St. like the Church of England?
        A. Because it runs from the Broad to the High, bypassing Jesus.
  17. ….SONIC the Hedgehog was released on Friday. I was lunching at Wetherspoon’s in the Gate Complex in Newcastle, and almost choked on my chips at the sight of a promotions person in a bright blue hedgehog costume battling up the escalator to reach the cinema. Having read the reviews, this was probably funnier than the actual film !

    I thoroughly enjoyed this offering from Oink, and the only minor delay came when the only fit I could initially see at 7D was “papaya”. Almost COD….

    FOI TURBAN
    LOI SENSE
    COD SNARE (the Poles usually produce vodka)

  18. I tried the 15×15 first, and found it (relatively) easier than this. SONIC and POOH taking ages, then a refusal to accept that W could be adjacent to D meant that SHREWD was my LOI. Struggled home in 11:13 with much sulking.
  19. It must be a wavelength thing because that was sub 10 for me, even if it was still 2.1 Kevins. I really enjoyed it – Oink is one of my favourite setters, though since I was doing it on my phone I didn’t know who it was till I got to 23ac! (And thanks Phil for pointing out the other HOG.)

    Lots of smooth surfaces and neat tricks. A pleasure to solve, thanks Oink and Jack.

    Templar

  21. Just couldn’t see Uppercut not Pooh (I got stuck with Tosh)

    I didn’t like the Uppercut clue.

    Otherwise enjoyable.

    Thanks all

    John George

  22. COD for me was 12 Across as I took it that the anagram part of the clue also could be taken to mean that it would be strange for a “true” (or honest) lady to indulge in this. Or am I reading too much into it?
    1. I’d say you’re not as it’s perfectly reasonable to argue that the whole clue might be taken as the definition here.
  23. A DNF, but what I like about this blog is learning why. I had not met the concept of “on vacation” meaning “take the first and last letter and discard the rest” … but I have now! Stored away for next time.

    Also failed on 22A Sonic, never heard of Sonic the hedgehog … but some you know, some you don’t, simple as that.

    Thanks to Jack for enlightenment.

    Cedric

  24. Enjoyed puzzle but did no one else think 16 down was confusing? CRETIN also fits the clue
    Idiot – in secret minus SE??
    1. Confusing? Not really. Where would the -N come from if the answer were to be CRETIN?

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