This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This week’s puzzle is the 9th puzzle set by Budmo, who is now setting both Cryptics and Quick Cryptic puzzles for the Guardian. This puzzle has anagrams and acrostics with all the letters in the clues, plus soundalikes and charades, where the words and letters need to be found by the solvers. We have seen all of these clue types several times before.
Sorry this one is being hurled together in a hurry before I’m out for the day – I will be back later this afternoon, but can’t do much before then.
The whole point of these crosswords is support and encouragement of new solvers, so special rules for these crosswords apply – see here – those rules include not posting solving times.
This blog was developed in response to suggestions. We hide the answers and the wordplay descriptions (parsing) too. To find the solution click on “Answer” and to find how the word play works, click on “Parsing” which will reveal the hidden information. You can choose to reveal everything using the “Expand All” button. If you have partially revealed the page, refreshing it will clear that, and allow you to expand all. The definition is in bold and underlined, the indicator is in red.
For additional help click here
There is a summary of the tricks used in the first six months here and a Guardian Crossword blog called the ultimate beginner’s guide has tips which may be useful for some solvers.
For abbreviations and clue tips click here
Fifteen Squared uses several abbreviations and jargon tricks, there’s a full list here, of which I’ve used the following in this blog:
- underlining the definition in the clue – this is either at the beginning or end of the clue
- indicators are in red.
- CAPITALS to indicate which bits are part of the answer, e.g. haVE ALtered for the example.
- anagram – letters being used shown in brackets (SENATOR)* for the clue below to give TREASON.
- anagrind – anagram indicator – in the case below it is “arranged”
- soundalike – is indicated by “Wilde” – so in the example, Oscar “Wilde”, the playwright and author, is indicating the soundalike WILD.
- charades – the description below only gives the example of words being added together, but charades can be more complicated, adding abbreviations or single letters to another word. Examples previously used in this series are: Son ridicules loose overgarments (6) S (son) + MOCKS (ridicules), Get rid of dead pine (5) D(dead) + ITCH (pine) – D ITCH, and early on DR (doctor) + IVE (I have) to give DRIVE.
- reversals – the reversal element of a clue is indicated by < – so in the example clue below, VieTNAm <.
- CAD or clue as definition– where the whole clue gives the definition, sometimes called an &lit. These are rare.
- DBE or definition by example – e.g. where a dog might be clued as a setter – often using a question mark, maybe, possibly or e.g. to show that this is an example rather than a definition.
- surface – the meaning from reading the clue – so often cryptic clues use an English that could only be found in a cryptic crossword, but a smooth surface is a clue that has a meaning in English, which can be pointed or misleading.
TODAY’S TRICKS – from the crossword site – because the clues have moved on from the clue descriptions below, I am now adding more to the descriptions hidden above. Clues begin or end with a definition of the answer. The rest is one of these:
- Anagram Anagram of answer and hint that there’s an anagram
‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON - Charade Combination of synonyms/abbrevs
‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
This definition is brief – more above. - Soundalike Something that sounds like answer
‘Excited, Oscar’s announced (4)’ gives WILD from Oscar “Wilde” the playwright - Acrostic First letters of answer
‘Initially Get A Good joke (3)’ gives GAG
| ACROSS | Click on “Answer” to see the solutions | |
| 1 |
Select Ms Crosbie and Ms Bening for show, reportedly as music producers (9)
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AnswerCASTANETS |
Parsingsoundalike (reportedly) of “cast” (select … for show) plus “Annettes” (Ms Crosbie and Bening) – for these musical producers. Not the easiest of clues to start with. |
| 7 |
Number of voters become sour away from home (7)
|
AnswerTURNOUT |
Parsingcharade of TURN (become sour) + OUT (away from home) – and it’s the sort of number announced after any election – there was a 35% turnout. |
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| 8 |
Main spot for an audience (3)
|
AnswerSEA |
Parsingsoundalike (for an audience) of “see” (spot) – main for SEA is a regular in crosswordland – they sailed upon the main. |
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| 9 |
Fool caught with character whose wife became salty (4)
|
AnswerCLOT |
Parsingcharade of C (caught – from cricket) + LOT (character whose wife became salty). In the Bible, Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of salt as she looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. |
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| 10 |
Medical condition has exasperated registered nurses in America, to begin with (6)
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AnswerHERNIA |
Parsingacrostic (to begin with) of Has Exasperated Registered Nurses In America. |
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| 12 |
Cola is drunk in informal gathering (6)
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AnswerSOCIAL |
Parsinganagram of (COLA IS)* with an anagrind of “drunk”. |
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| 14 |
Business leaders in France intuitively reject modernisation (4)
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AnswerFIRM |
Parsingacrostic (leaders) of France Intuitively Reject Modernisation – with a surface that summons up French farmers protesting some modernisation moves. The other trick here is splitting the phrase of “business leaders” into definition and indicator. |
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| 17 |
Cold water is cold, especially at first (3)
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AnswerICE |
Parsingacrostic (at first) of Is Cold Especially and another neat surface reading of the clue. |
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| 18 |
Authoritarian figures are suppressing criticism in southern Texas, primarily (7)
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AnswerFASCIST |
Parsingacrostic (primarily) of Figures Are Suppressing Criticism In Southern Texas – for a word that is being used as a verb, when we usually hear it as a noun. |
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| 19 |
Narrow ray of light alarms bee terribly (5,4)
|
AnswerLASER BEAM |
Parsinganagram of (ALARMS BEE)* with an anagrind of “terribly”. |
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|
DOWN
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| 1 |
Freight from Charlie and Jason’s mythical ship (5)
|
AnswerCARGO |
Parsingcharade of C (Charlie – from the NATO phonetic alphabet) + ARGO (Jason’s ship). |
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| 2 |
Hose getting tangled up in footwear (4)
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AnswerSHOE |
Parsinganagram of (HOSE)* with an anagrind of “getting tangled up in”. |
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| 3 |
Learnt to play horn (6)
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AnswerANTLER |
Parsinganagram of (LEARNT)* with an anagrind of “to play”. |
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| 4 |
Overheard Poles, in short, in German city (5)
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AnswerESSEN |
Parsingsoundalike (overheard) of S N (the poles of magnets or the Earth), as said, so “ess” and “en” for this German City. |
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| 5 |
At times, lag changes – it’s slowly growing (10)
|
AnswerSTALAGMITE |
Parsinganagram of (AT TIMES LEG)* with an anagrind of “changes” and a cryptic definition. |
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| 6 |
Fills cash register without moving (5-5)
|
AnswerSTOCK-STILL |
Parsingcharade of STOCKS (fills – as in shelves) + TILL (cash register). |
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| 11 |
Cock-up by Republican boss (6)
|
AnswerGAFFER |
Parsingcharade of GAFFE (cock-up) + (by) R (Republican – from US electoral materials) |
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| 13 |
Groups of shipworkers announced holiday on ship (5)
|
AnswerCREWS |
Parsingsoundalike (announced) of “cruise” (holiday on ship) |
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| 15 |
Dialect starts to irritate day-trippers in old marketplace (5)
|
AnswerIDIOM |
Parsingacrostic (starts to) of Irritate Day-trippers In Old Marketplace. |
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| 16 |
I will broadcast in land surrounded by water (4)
|
AnswerISLE |
Parsingsoundalike (broadcast) of “I’ll” (I will). |
Thank you for the explanations.
I had no idea how to solve 1a, 7a, 9a or 6d.
This was an enjoyable puzzle.
Favourite: CASTANETS.
Very enjoyable and quite chewy in places. My favourite was CASTANETS although I feel this was actually a charade of a synonym for ‘select’ plus the brilliant soundalike for the Annette’s, so two wordplay tricks although I see that you could stretch it to being one long soundalike I suppose. TURNOUT was my last as I took a while to see how ‘sour’ worked. Thanks Shanne for the blog, and for Budmo for a nice QC.
Had to guess at 1a and 9a – never heard of the two Annettes, and just had to assume that Lot’s wife went salty somehow. An enjoyable solve despite the GK failures. Not sure I’d call the sound made by castanets as music!
Thanks Shanne and Budmo.
Thanks Shanne for the blog!
I thought that was fairly tricky as QCs go, with some chewy soundalikes.
Personally, I’m not sure that either CASTANETS or ESSEN were really in QC territory, as they both felt a bit like combinations of charades with soundalikes, and, in my opinion, QC should stick to one trick per clue.
I enjoyed it nonetheless!
So for 1a, you need to get a synonym for select, then add in an obscure piece of general knowledge, apply the homophone technique to answer a somewhat obscure definition. Hardly a beginner’s quick cryptic clue. Thanks Shanne for the blog
Budmo won’t be popular with someone in authority in the US if he were to solve 18 Across! I agree with the comments above re. 1 Across – I initially thought COMPOSERS, but couldn’t parse it. Nonetheless, an enjoyable puzzle and a very helpful blog. Many thanks.
My southern accent isn’t keen on CASTANETS as a soundalike. I pronounce cast on its own with an “arsed” sound; but castanets with an “assed” sound. I suspect those further north pronounce them the same way. It would work as a charade but then “reportedly” seems a clear soundalike indicator.
I didn’t know the Annettes nor the story of Lot’s wife. I don’t remember a quick cryptic before where this type of knowledge was required.
It’s interesting that people found this trickier today. That was the opposite of my experience. The feedback is all justified though.
Thanks Budmo and Shanne, it’s so generous of you to construct such a supportive blog every week.
Isn’t it strange how solvers find puzzles differently?
Personally, I found this to be a virtual write in but knowing the Annette’s definitely helped as did Mrs Lot .
Fun solve though and thanks to B and S.
Thank you. I needed you help to parse quite a few!
Thank goodness for the acrostics and easy anagrams, otherwise I would have never got started…
Great clues. Essen very clever but needed the parsing explained. Thanks both
I knew it *must* be Essen but couldn’t work out why – I got caught on the capital P of Poles and couldn’t get away from Polish people! Same with Sea, that feels like quite a stretch for a quick cryptic. Castanets and stock still made me laugh though
I’d got “stand still” for 6d – stands for fills as in “fills in for” / “stands in for”. That then messed up 9a.
Seems like some institutional knowledge needed to finish this. Never heard of that synonym at 8a and really had to reach for 6d. Mrs A helped with 9a, I hadn’t got that deep into the bible…
Nice puzzle – think I’ve learnt something today!
Thanks Budmo and Shanne
I read 1a and thought “is this a quick cryptic?” – I had never heard of either Annette.
The rest was more appropriate, though.
I completed this – I would definitely expect to – but CASTANETS was a guess – never heard of the Anettes. And I couldn’t really parse either ESSEN or SEA. All a bit tricky for a Quick Cryptic.
I too enjoyed the castanets, especially as I got it myself – do hope I’m improving, I try my best and thank the setters
18a did make shudder, though!
Thanks both. I found this enjoyable with a few groans over the humour in 1A and 3 D
Loved castanets. I too got stuck with the capitalised P in Poles but had the first and last so it wasn’t a problem. Came here to see what the explanation was.
Having the E for 4D, I thought it must be Essen, because it’s such an appealing soundalike for S N. I didn’t get the magnetic poles, though, and rationalised it as the poles (extremities/ start and end letters) of ‘Short iN ‘.
I picked up on Annette as a soundalike for 1a but it took me a while to work out the rest of the clue – amused when I did. I was foxed by 4d – I should have thought of S and N for poles.
Thanks as always for the blog! I finished the puzzle but needed your help to parse SEA (didn’t know that meaning of main) and ESSEN (knew it must be a soundalike, and that it wouldn’t be Poles the nationality, but got stuck on it being the metal rods).
That ESSEN clue was very naughty for the QC! But the occasional tester is surely a good thing for the developing solver! CASTANETS the obvious favourite, but that wouldn’t have been out of place in a full cryptic, let alone a quiptic or QC.
Great stuff, much enjoyed!
Thank you for this blog! I found a few of these very tricky, but got there in the end. I hope I am getting better after doing them for four months now!
Leapt to ESSEN and SEA (loi) but struggled to pass either. Finally got the city despite having NS poles in mind for ages. But ‘Main’ eluded us; even looked up Spanish Main which turns out to be dry land. (Minor typo in 5D, LAG/LEG.)
I agree with MK as the upper case P indicated nationality. I wonder whether that was on of the Grauniad’s traditional typos?
Managed everything apart from castanets….but as usual sometimes have to just let go of reason and put in an intuitive guess. And then not really understand why! But I do love these quick cryptics, don’t think I have the stamina or knowledge base for a full cryptic. Thanks for this blog which I will follow.