This morning’s Guardian Cryptic comes from Dice and can be found here
I am covering for a regular blogger who is away without much internet access, so you’ve got me today …
Dice always does something extra in her puzzles, usually a theme, but I’ve blogged Ninas and pangrams in the Quick Cryptic, too. Today is no exception, lots of theme words based around the central word.
She started setting for the Quick Cryptic in the Guardian, but has expanded her range to set Quiptics and Cryptics and she also sets elsewhere.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | CARAVAN |
Rolling pad? (7)
|
| cryptic definition – possibly a thematic word, but CARAVAN sites are found in most coastal areas | ||
| 8 | PATRIOT |
Country lover in threesome caught by postman (7)
|
| insertion (caught by) of TRIO (threesome) in PAT (postman) – the other animated children’s series like this is Fireman Sam and that is set in Pontypandy.
As people may know, I’ve had rather too much of patriotism recently, so I’m going with Ambrose Bierce in The Devil’s Dictionary: “Patriotism, n. Combustible rubbish ready to the torch of any one ambitious to illuminate his name. In Dr. Johnson’s famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit it is the first.” |
||
| 9 | SELF |
Will the author flog incomplete bit of fiction? (4)
|
| charade of SEL[L] (flog incomplete) + F (bit of Fiction) – cryptic convention is “bit of” means the first letter – for this author | ||
| 10 | LAMPLIGHT |
Artificial glow in hole, naked flame ahead (9)
|
| ordered charade – [f]LAM[e] (naked flame) ahead of PLIGHT (in hole) | ||
| 12 | CADDY |
Backs off homeward rapidly after scoundrel leaves box? (5)
|
| charade of CAD (scoundrel) + (after) D + Y where they are the final letters (backs off) of homewarD and rapidlY – and a leaves box as they are often used for tea leaves. | ||
| 13 | MARINARA |
Ran over, captivated by Tony’s forbidden sweetheart, saucy thing! (8)
|
| insertion (captivated by) – RAN < (over, reversed) to give NAR inside (captivated by) MARIA (Tony’s forbidden sweetheart – in West Side Story) | ||
| 15 | HAUL |
Draw is as much as bowler can take, perhaps, losing heart (4)
|
| deletion – as much as a bowler can take is a HATFUL … thematic as haul is Welsh for sun, so is used a lot in Welsh names. | ||
| 16 | WALES |
Nation with beer – ultimately Brains (5)
|
| charade of W (with) + ALE (beer) + S (ultimately BrainS) – capital B as Brains is a Cardiff brewery – for the central clue and the theme | ||
| 17 | CAGE |
Hutch, partner to Lacey, leaving New York (4)
|
| deletion of NY (leaving New York) from CAG[n]E[y] (partner to Lacey) | ||
| 18 | STEP DOWN |
Resign, depressed after returning beloved animals (4,4)
|
| charade of DOWN (depressed) after PETS< (reversed) – to give STEP. PETS are beloved animals, returning = reversed | ||
| 20 | CORNY |
Clichéd rabbit straddling lover’s rear (5)
|
| insertion (straddling) of R (loveR’s rear) in CONY (rabbit) – I’ve seen the coney spelling more often. | ||
| 21 | RURALISTS |
Those out-of-town rush trails – rambling but not hard (9)
|
| anagram (rambling) of (RUS[h] TRAILS)* the H is removed (not hard) | ||
| 22 | ISLE |
Maybe Skye lies elaborately (4)
|
| anagram (elaborately) of (LIES)* – quite a few Welsh islands to choose too | ||
| 24 | BEACONS |
Warnings of danger from almost defeated Tories (7)
|
| charade of BEA[t] (almost defeated) + CONS (Tories) – for a thematic word, although Brecon Beacons is now officially Bannau Brycheiniog | ||
| 25 | BLEATED |
Sounded like a sheep audible at Edgbaston trapped inside somewhere? (7)
|
| hidden (trapped inside somewhere) in audiBLE AT EDgbaston – lots of sheep in Wales. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CAKE |
It could be rock, marble or maybe even mud?! (4)
|
| cryptic definition – rock, marble and mud, or even Welsh | ||
| 2 | DAFFODIL |
Lifted part of chrysalid off a dying flower (8)
|
| reverse hidden (lifted part of) chrysaLID OFF A Dying < – for one of the national symbols of Wales | ||
| 3 | VALLEY |
Cwm venue cleared out to welcome everyone back from Hay (6)
|
| charade of VE (VenuE cleared out) around (to welcome) ALL (everyone) + Y (back from haY) – Hay-on-Wye is a town on the Welsh borders, Cwm is the Welsh for valley. | ||
| 4 | MALLARDS |
After capsizing, criticise involving fat swimmers (8)
|
| insertion (involving) of LARD (fat) in SLAM (criticise) < reversed (after capsizing). It’s the most common duck in Wales, but they are pretty common all over England too. | ||
| 5 | DRAGON |
Doctor – in the past Neath’s top fire-breather (6)
|
| charade of DR (doctor) + AGO (in the past) + N (Neath’s top) – and another thematic word – found on the Welsh flag, as there are many traditional stories of Welsh dragons | ||
| 6 | PORT |
Drink and drugs masking onset of rheumatism (4)
|
| insertion (masking) – POT (drugs) around (masking) R (onset of Rheumatism) – lots of Welsh ports | ||
| 11 | MUMBLINGS |
Stifled complaints when flashy jewellery confiscated by parents (9)
|
| insertion (confiscated) – of BLING (flashy jewellery) inside (confiscated by) MUMS (parents) – Wales has The Mumbles | ||
| 12 | COAST |
Players receiving nothing for progress without much effort (5)
|
| insertion (receiving) of O (noting) inserted into (receiving) CAST (players) – rather a lot of coast in Wales too, having walked some of the Pembrokeshire Coast Path. | ||
| 14 | RUGBY |
Sport wig, covering for baldy (5)
|
| charade of RUG (wig) + BY (covering for BaldY) – for the Welsh national sport | ||
| 16 | WOODLAND |
Odd lawn cultivated around old group of trees (8)
|
| anagram (cultivated) of (ODD LAWN + O) where the last O comes from Old | ||
| 17 | CARDIGAN |
Dressing up Cain with drag clothing (8)
|
| anagram (dressing up) of (CAIN + DRAG)* for a piece of clothing named after the Earl of Cardigan – and Cardigan is a town in Wales (and CASTLE and bay), the Welsh County, in anglicised form, pre-reclamation of the Welsh language, was called Cardiganshire. | ||
| 19 | PIRACY |
Crime quick, taking in Inland Revenue (6)
|
| insertion (taking in) of IR (inland Revenue) into PACY (quick) – lots of Welsh pirates, Sir Henry Morgan was the model for Pirates of the Caribbean and Treasure Island | ||
| 20 | CASTLE |
Shy exhausted little rook? (6)
|
| charade of CAST (shy) + LittlE (little without the inside letters, so exhausted) – rook as in chess, CASTLE for the theme, as in take your pick. | ||
| 21 | RHEA |
Big Bird runs, hearty, but half-cut (4)
|
| charade of R (runs – cricket) + HEArty (half cut hearty) – for possibly this bird | ||
| 23 | LEEK |
National emblem in France, the ‘Disheartened Deer’ (4)
|
| charade of LE (in France, the) + ElK (disheartened deer) – for the other Welsh symbol |
Very straightforward solve and having rewatched How Green Was My Valley on Monday afternoon, the theme came early. I listed WALES, HAUL, RURALISTS, BEACONS, BLEATED (plenty of sheep), DAFFODIL, VALLEY, DRAGON, MUMBLINGS (similar to Mumbles), RUGBY, CARDIGAN CASTLE, RHEA (Welsh name) and LEEK. There were also more general geographical references like ISLE, PORT, COAST and WOODLAND, which may or not be linked. I liked PATRIOT, MARINARA and CAGE best.
Ta Dice & Shanne for stepping in with a great blog as usual.
Tricky and mostly enjoyable. I liked the theme as I spend about 3 months of the year in Wales.
Favourite: MUMBLINGS, HAUL.
Final two solved were 1d and 7ac.
Thanks both. Mumbles is in Swansea, so I guess Mumblings could be (young) residents.
Two themes spotted in a row which is a personal best 🙂
Initially thought AGON must be the old name for Neath until my own daftness became obvious
Ticks for PATRIOT, MUMBLINGS & BLEATED for the faux cricket reference
Cheers S&D
Rejoice with me…a double first… not only did I spot the theme (hardly ever) but actually used it to find a few answers!
(Having lived in that fair country for more than 40 years and taken the tour of the Brains brewery in Cardiff, I’d have been ashamed to have missed it!)
I’m with Bodycheetah @4 (update: and William @5) in being on an unusual roll of spotting themes and it actually helping.
I thought the LAMPLIGHT might be mining-related.
I wouldn’t say I strolled through this. As is my wont, I thought of the correct word for a few clues immediately, then traipsed off around the houses before realising I’d had the solution all along (RHEA, CASTLE, VALLEY) but it didn’t take too long.
I liked STEP DOWN, LOI HAUL and PATRIOT (I thought Postman Pat might be Welsh but I was probably thinking of Fireman Sam – not something I make a habit of).
Thanks Dice and Shanne.
To get to MUMBLES, you just need to read down MUMBLINGS and take a 90 degree turn at L.
Martin @6 I had the same thought about Postman Pat, and in checking I realised that he was created by WOODLAND Animations. Probably coincidence.
A theme dear to my heart as well, and good to see the comments supportive of Cymru. 1d was my LOI, shamefully, as I’ve been eating picau ar y maen (Welsh CAKEs) this week. I agree with Shanne that PATRIOT has been misappropriated by thugs. Liked DRAGON and MUMBLINGS. Thanks to Dice and Shanne.
This just proves I can miss a theme even when it’s spelt out in the middle of the grid.
Friendlier stuff from Dice than the start of the week even if HAUL and CARAVAN took longer than the rest of the puzzle combined. Just not on wavelength with either of them.
A lot to like in this it’s hard to pick the standout clues.
Thanks Dice and Shanne
Both PATRIOT and RUGBY made me laugh out loud at their surfaces. Great puzzle.
Many thanks Shanne, and Dice, keep on rolling.
It seems 16 September is Owain Glyndŵr day. The last native Welshman to hold the title Prince of Wales.
Dice is rapidly becoming one of my favourite setters: so much wit, humour and inventiveness in those clues!
Before I’d even started the thing I was struck by the image created by 8A – and the answer made me grin too.
I always relish a good surface, but some of these were especially delightful: Cain in drag, bald rugby players, a trapped sheep distracting a match at Edgbaston…
LEEK had me giggling, partly for the misdirection but also because it reminded me of that brouhaha a while back on FS about elks and deers.
And DAFFODIL was a little cracker.
So, thank you Shanne for the blog, and a pint of Brains to Dice: diolch for a thoroughly enjoyable start to my day.
Lovely crossword and amazingly I got the theme again (I’ve missed far more obvious ones). Thanks, Dice and Shanne (thanks esp for the Bierce quotation. Spot on!)
Balfour @7: nice spot for MUMBLES, was on the right track but totally missed it.
Mostly straightforward but no harm in that as it’s smoothly done. Even I managed to spot the theme, appropriate on the day after Welshman Matthew Rhys became the first person ever to win two acting Emmys on the same night.
Even I got the theme today, although obviously I didn’t pick up on all the Welsh references. Thanks for the parsing of HAUL; I was nearly there but couldn’t join the dots. Thanks everyone. And thanks for the thoughts on patriotism, perhaps one of the most overrated ‘virtuous’ qualities.