Times Quick Cryptic 1327 by Joker
Joker continues this week's run of mid-difficulty puzzles. Nothing jumped out to start with in the NW, so my FOI was 4dn, but one clue led to another nicely after that. I was thrown off by the lack of capitalisation at 19dn (unless I'm ignorant of a valid abbreviation for the religious ceremony), and had to check that the carpet at 12ac was a thing (it is, though usually called a rug). The surface readings are nice and witty, as is usual with this setter, so difficult to choose a CoD; I'm going to plump for 7ac. On edit: it turns out I got stuck in a mental cul-de-sac at 19dn; see Kevin's comment below.
Definitions underlined.
Definitions underlined.
Across | |
7 | Unattached ladies and gents couple finally (5) |
LOOSE - LOOS (ladies and gents) with the last letter of (finally) couplE. | |
8 | Chap after info that’s comprehensive (7) |
GENERIC - ERIC (chap) after GEN (info). | |
10 | Sloth I train to run with energy (7) |
INERTIA - anagam of (to run) I TRAIN and E (energy). | |
11 | Taxi home: there’s room (5) |
CABIN - CAB (taxi) and IN (home). | |
12 | Realistic carpet made from fabric strips in picture (9) |
PRAGMATIC - RAG MAT (carpet made from fabric strips) inside (in) PIC (picture). | |
14 | Form of enemy, primarily (3) |
FOE - first letters of (primarily) Form Of Enemy. | |
15 | Rubbish to run over (3) |
ROT - TO and R (run) all reversed (over). | |
16 | High on drugs, son walked some distance (6,3) |
SPACED OUT - S (son) and PACED OUT (walked some distance). | |
18 | A fade out in the middle is so long (5) |
ADIEU - A, DIE (fade), and the middle letter of (in the middle) oUt. | |
20 | What reminds me to get men in (7) |
MEMENTO - ME and TO with MEN inside. | |
22 | Farm vehicle having rubbish to carry about (7) |
TRACTOR - ROT (rubbish) and CART (to carry) all reversed (about). | |
23 | Letter of thanks after article (5) |
THETA - TA (thanks) after THE (article). |
Down | |
1 | Crucial one million left with social worker after everything (3-9) |
ALL-IMPORTANT - I (one), M (million), PORT (left) and ANT (social worker), after ALL (everything). | |
2 | Prediction of rising changed in form (8) |
FORECAST - OF reversed (rising), then RECAST (changed in form). | |
3 | Sensed the texture of soft material (4) |
FELT - double definition. | |
4 | Some fleabag has them horrified (6) |
AGHAST - hidden in (some) fleabAG HAS Them. | |
5 | What’s tricky to keep balanced in university round? (8) |
UNICYCLE - UNI (university) and CYCLE (round). | |
6 | Lacking brightness, poet is sent up (4) |
DRAB - BARD (poet) reversed (sent up). | |
9 | Orthodox religious community on Iona left (12) |
CONVENTIONAL - CONVENT (religious community), IONA and L (left). | |
13 | Fly Ecuadorean capital after some uprising doesn’t end (8) |
MOSQUITO - QUITO (Ecuadorean capital) after a reversal of (uprising) SOMe without the last letter (doesn't end). | |
14 | Get into difficulties and go down outside loch (8) |
FLOUNDER - FOUNDER (go down) surrounding (outside) L (loch). | |
17 | Warmly approve of Merida when travelling (6) |
ADMIRE - anagram of (when travelling) MERIDA. | |
19 | I’m holding mass as prayer leader (4) |
IMAM - |
|
21 | Don’t start to hit small child (4) |
MITE - sMITE (to hit) missing the first letter (don't start). |