This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This puzzle is the 18th Quick Cryptic from Budmo. This puzzle has charades, acrostics reversals and soundalikes where the words and letters need to be found by the solver. 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.
- anagram minus – letters being used are shown as capitals in brackets, with the unused letter in lower case and square brackets – so fluttering (OWLET[s])* becomes TOWEL.
- 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 (crime)
- Hidden word(s) Answer hidden in clue’s words ‘Some haVE ALtered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
- Soundalike Something that sounds like answer ‘Excited, Oscar’s announced (4)’ gives WILD (excited) from Oscar “Wilde”.
- Acrostic First letters of answer ‘Initially Get A Good joke (3)’ gives GAG.
| ACROSS | Click on “Answer” to see the solutions | |
| 1 | Announcement of boob job in passenger disembarkation zone (3,4) |
AnswerBUS STOP |
ParsingSounds like “Bust Op” (boob job) | ||
| 5 | Cannabis is best for reflecting (3) |
AnswerPOT |
ParsingBest (top) reversed: reflecting | ||
| 7 | After phone sex, resigns – give up, as there’s no winner here (4,2,5) |
AnswerCALL IT QUITS |
ParsingCALL (phone) IT (sex) QUITS (resigns) | ||
| 8 | Arrest narcotics agent in London at first (4) |
AnswerNAIL |
ParsingFirst letters of Narcotics Agent In London | ||
| 9 | Lead time expected to hurt each recipient, to begin with (6) |
AnswerTETHER |
ParsingFirst letters of Time Expected To Hurt Each Recipient | ||
| 12 | Flower trouble had returned (6) |
AnswerDAHLIA |
ParsingAIL (trouble) HAD all reversed | ||
| 13 | Good massage and some food (4) |
AnswerGRUB |
ParsingGood followed by RUB (massage) | ||
| 16 | Meeting prisoner with career (11) |
AnswerCONVOCATION |
ParsingCON (prisoner) plus VOCATION (career) | ||
| 18 | Tab for bunch of keys for opening building, primarily (3) |
AnswerFOB |
ParsingFirst letters of For Opening Building | ||
| 19 | Boost working doctor (7) |
AnswerSURGEON |
ParsingSURGE (boost) ON (working) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | No taxi turned up for Francis? (5) |
AnswerBACON |
ParsingNO CAB (taxi) all reversed. The “?” in the clue indicates that other Bacons are available | ||
| 2 | Said trade in cod, for example, is egotistical (7) |
AnswerSELFISH |
ParsingSounds like SELL FISH | ||
| 3 | Labour taxed only immoral landlords, originally (4) |
AnswerTOIL |
ParsingFirst letters of Taxed Only Immoral Landlords | ||
| 4 | Annoyed, reached the highest point, reportedly (6) |
AnswerPIQUED |
ParsingSounds like PEAKED (reached highest point) | ||
| 5 | Letter to Greek starts to praise her intelligence (3) |
AnswerPHI |
ParsingFirst letters of Praise Her Intelligence | ||
| 6 | In revolution, again took electroshock weapon (5) |
AnswerTASER |
ParsingRESAT (again took) reversed | ||
| 11 | Picked up drug for leading lady (7) |
AnswerHEROINE |
ParsingSounds like HEROIN (drug) | ||
| 12 | Steers plane in Louisiana over the sea, principally (6) |
AnswerPILOTS |
ParsingFirst letters of Plane In Louisiana Over The Sea | ||
| 14 | Confronted revolutionary for coffee (5) |
AnswerDECAF |
ParsingFACED (confronted) reversed: revolutionary | ||
| 15 | Mountain in African country (5) |
AnswerBENIN |
ParsingBEN (mountain) IN | ||
| 17 | Nick’s embargo lifted (3) |
AnswerNAB |
ParsingBAN (embargo) reversed |
Comment #1
The numbers on later down clues are a bit mixed up
This was a fun grid a bit chewy/twisty perhaps but nothing too hard. Soundalikes are the most difficult clue type for me, and so it was good to get some practice in them. For the QC level it could be argued that some of the reversals were actually a charade + a reversal (like BACON – no cab, and DAHLIA – ail had) when the QC is meant to be a single wordplay trick; but perhaps I’m over quibbling LOL 😂. Thanks Budmo, and kenmac (standing in for Shanne).
PS: There’s been a lot of debate recently here and on the Guardian comments about the level of difficulty of the QC grids over recent months. As a bit of research I went back to puzzle 1 and did it and the next 11. I’d cleared cookies at some point so I had blank grids again. I have to say that those first set are a good mix of reasonable and actually pretty tricky, and that’s from someone who started on the Quick Cryptics and found them hard originally, but am now two years in and can see that they are still tricky although I did them a lot quicker this time around LOL 😂
The last few weeks have been much easier (for me), this time not so… I had one reveal because I couldn’t think of the word (13a).
Shanne is taking a deserved week off, so thanks kenmac for helping me making sense of some clues.
A mix of gentle and more difficult clues for me.
Some nice surfaces
Thanks Budmo and kenmac