This week’s 11 x 11 crossword from the Guardian intended to teach cryptic crosswords, found here
This puzzle is the 20th Quick Cryptic from Chandler, who has now compiled the most Quick Cryptics. This puzzle has anagrams and hidden word(s) with all the letters in the clues. The other clues, where the words and letters need to be found by the solver, are soundalikes and decapitations, seen here for the 9th time.
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, if I ever stop for long enough, I’ll build another one, 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 BSomething that sounds like answer
‘Excited, Oscar’s announced (4)’ gives WILD,
from Oscar “Wilde” the playwright, where “Wilde” sounds like (announced) WILD . - Decapitation Answer is another word without first letter
‘Beer in story without intro (3)’ gives ALE, from [t]ALE (story).
| ACROSS | Click on “Answer” to see the solutions | |
| 1 |
Long-necked bird goes wandering in part (4)
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AnswerSWAN |
Parsinghidden word(s) (in part) in goeS WANdering where we’re looking for part of the words in the clue. |
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| 4 |
Poor shot is rubbish (4)
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AnswerTOSH |
Parsinganagram of (SHOT)* with an anagrind of “poor”. Apparently, according to Merriam-Webster, this usage was first recorded in 1528. |
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| 7 |
Mention of leading belief (9)
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AnswerPRINCIPLE |
Parsingsoundalike (mention of) “principal” (leading), an adjective describing the leading dancer or actor in a production. The solution is a noun. |
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| 8 |
Head ignoring first character in the past (4)
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AnswerONCE |
Parsingdecapitation (ignoring first character) from [b]ONCE (head) without the first letter (ignoring first character). And a bonce is English slang for a head, which does turn up in cryptic crosswordland occasionally. |
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| 9 |
Rues overlooking original wading birds (6)
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AnswerEGRETS |
Parsingdecapitation (overlooking original) of [r]EGRETS (rues) without the first letter (overlooking original) for these wading birds |
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| 10 |
Reportedly, disturb ruler in a desert? (6)
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AnswerSHEIKH |
Parsingsoundalike (reportedly) of “shake” (disturb) for this ruler in a desert, with a question mark as that is a definition by example (DBE). |
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| 13 |
Some clap actors’ formal agreement (4)
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AnswerPACT |
Parsinghidden word(s) (some) in claP ACTors |
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| 14 |
A CIA set so deployed for colleague (9)
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AnswerASSOCIATE |
Parsinganagram of (A CIA SET SO)* with an anagrind of “deployed” which does indicate that the letters are arranged, but I suspect it’s another new anagram indicator. |
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| 15 |
Impulse in sudden movement after start is cancelled(4)
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AnswerURGE |
Parsingdecapitation (after start is cancelled) from [s]URGE (sudden movement) |
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| 16 |
Decline among factories in Kent (4)
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AnswerSINK |
Parsinghidden word(s) (among) in factorieS IN Kent. |
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DOWN
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| 2 |
Pick up trickery for period of time? (5)
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AnswerWHILE |
Parsingsoundalike (pick up) “wile” (trickery) – with a cryptic definition of the answer, which is why the question mark. |
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| 3 |
Specific area of marketing defended by Germanic helper (5)
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AnswerNICHE |
Parsinghidden word(s) (defended by) in germaNIC HElper – and the surface suggests some elvish workshop making specific Christmas presents. The specialised market definition is one of the later for this word, and that’s a trick often used in cryptic crosswords -using a more obscure definition of the solution in cluing. |
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| 4 |
Petra moved long, thin candle (5)
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AnswerTAPER |
Parsinganagram of (PETRA)* with an anagrind of “moved” – where the letters are moved to create a new word. I assume, for the surface, Chandler is using the first name, not the place. |
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| 5 |
Places sect ruined for visually striking displays (10)
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AnswerSPECTACLES |
Parsinganagram of (PLACE SECT)* with an anagrind of “ruined”. |
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| 6 |
Sort of input, I hear, is unresolved (2,2,3,3)
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AnswerUP IN THE AIR |
Parsinganagram of (INPUT I HEAR)* with an anagrind of “sort of” – and lots of misleading red herrings here: “I hear” suggests a soundalike, but it’s actually part of the anagram fodder. “Sort of” suggests a comparison before the anagram indicator it is being used for here. |
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| 11 |
Component in this suet is contentious matter (5)
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AnswerISSUE |
Parsinghidden word(s) (component in) thIS SUEt is – and the surface makes me think of all the suet on sale which contains wheat flour, which is an extra added ingredient to something that should just be animal fat. |
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| 12 |
Journalistic drudges in cabins missing front (5)
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AnswerHACKS |
Parsingdecapitation (missing front) of [s]HACKS (cabins) without the first letter (missing front) – and the sense used for the solution is again some way down the list of definitions |
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| 13 |
Unadorned tool used in carpentry, it’s said (5)
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AnswerPLAIN |
Parsingsoundalike (it’s said) of “plane” (tool used in carpentry) – and the grammar of the soundalike is that solution (unadorned) soundalike (tool used in carpentry) soundalike indicator (it’s said) – the soundalike is next to the soundalike and the solution is first. In all these clues, Chandler has put the soundalike in the middle of hte clue with the solution either at the end or the beginning, and the soundalike indicator at the other end. |
New for me: BONCE = head (for 8ac).
Thanks Shanne. Now I know how to spell ‘sheikh’ !
Thanks Chandler
I don’t really understand the definition for “specific area of marketing”. The linked definition uses “market” not “marketing” and they mean different things. The definition would make more sense to me if it was just “specific area” per definition 2a in the Merriam-Webster link.
Thank you, that was very helpful. Thanks to Chandler as well.
Some of the soundalikes caused me problems. Fun puzzle none the less. Thanks Chandler, and Shanne.
Starting to get the hang of these..mostly!
Thanks Shanne and Chandler!
I got off to a good start, so I thought. Unfortunately completely wrong! ‘Hero’ made complete sense to me for 1a – heron is a long necked bird, and ‘in part’ cuts off the n to give hero – and ‘goes wandering’ was an allusion to the hero’s journey. Close, but no cigar. 🙂