Well, I didn't know that - or that... If you liked yesterday's easy QC and think they should all be like that then look away now. Personally I think these QCs are great. They provide a quicker-than-the-15x15 solve and introduce people to The Times cryptic crossword - which is a different (and far more interesting) beast than any other. I'm not sure I'd even do cryptic crosswords if they were not challenging and I love learning through them (last week I learnt that Aran jumpers do not come from Scotland, tease means guy and it's lickety-split not spit).
Today I learnt about confectionary and middle class Americans - so that's a good start to the week.
So, with apologies for blurbogging - my own (as far as I know - on edit - just found blurbogs are a mix of comment and original story which sounds appropriate but I'm a little disappointed that there's nothing new under the sun) term for burbling on whilst blogging, on with today's vocabulary lesson.
A footnote to other bloggers, I'm away on my travels for the next few weeks (like, but not with, Mohn2) but am hoping to continue to blog. The time zone should work for me but will wifi? So if a Tuesday blog is not up early UK time - if it's not up at 5am then it's not going to happen and I won't be able to email a request for help - could someone please fill in?
Definitions are underlined.
Today I learnt about confectionary and middle class Americans - so that's a good start to the week.
So, with apologies for blurbogging - my own (as far as I know - on edit - just found blurbogs are a mix of comment and original story which sounds appropriate but I'm a little disappointed that there's nothing new under the sun) term for burbling on whilst blogging, on with today's vocabulary lesson.
A footnote to other bloggers, I'm away on my travels for the next few weeks (like, but not with, Mohn2) but am hoping to continue to blog. The time zone should work for me but will wifi? So if a Tuesday blog is not up early UK time - if it's not up at 5am then it's not going to happen and I won't be able to email a request for help - could someone please fill in?
Definitions are underlined.
| Across | |
| 1 Captured by group of soldiers, woman is subdued (8) | |
|    SQUASHED - A group of soldiers (SQUAD) captures woman (SHE). | |
| 6 Seven days, we're told, to get thin (4) | |
|    WEAK - Homophone (we're told) of seven days (week) which gives us (to get) thin (WEAK). | |
| 8 Office worker giving note to politician (4) | |
|    TEMP - The note is TE - between LAH and DOH, and the politician is MP. | |
| 9 Don't take risks with child's strongbox? (4,4) | |
|    PLAY SAFE - I thought this might have been a double definition but on reflection I think the child's strongbox is a whimsical description of something a child may play with which is like a safe. | |
| 10 It means nothing's happening in court case (8) | |
|    INACTION - In (IN) court case (ACTION). | |
| 11 Game confession by James Bond? (1,3) | |
|    I SPY - More whimsicality - how would James Bond say he spends his working day? | |
| 13 Cheery sort: he is so funny, represented by artist (3,2,8) | |
|    RAY OF SUNSHINE - Artist is RA followed by an anagram (represented) of (HE IS SO FUNNY). | |
| 16 Price covers entry to this outdoor event (4) | |
|    FETE - Price (FEE) covers the first letter of (entry to) This. | |
| 17 Work of art: it's cheap, surprisingly (8) | |
|    PASTICHE - Anagram (surprisingly) of IT'S CHEAP. | |
| 19 Keep poet's first book (8) | |
|    PRESERVE - Poet's first letter (P), book (RESERVE). | |
| 21 Wimp taking swim across river (4) | |
|    DRIP - Swim (DIP) across river (R). | |
| 22 I would sleep regularly, being this? (4) | |
|    IDLE - I would (I'd =ID) plus the 2nd and 4th letters (regularly) of sLeEp. | |
| 23 Book editor completely taken in (8) | |
|    DIGESTED - Book (DIGEST - as in 'The Reader's'), editor (ED). | |
| Down | |
| 2 Confection topped with royal icing? (5,4) | |
|    QUEEN CAKE - Well, apparently it's a small, soft, typically heart-shaped, currant cake. This clue seems to be more complex than baking said confection. I thinks it's Queen Cake defined by confection made up from royal (QUEEN) on top of cake (where you might find the icing). The other way round you could have confection=cake topped with Queen but then I can't find any description of a Queen Cake having icing. Please let me know if I'm missing something. | |
| 3 Jelly with a pungent flavouring for the most part (5) | |
|    ASPIC - A (A), pungent flavouring (SPICe) for the most part (without the final letter). | |
| 4 Children of the 1960s having food after joint (7) | |
|    HIPPIES - Food (PIES) after joint (HIP). | |
| 5 Depicted as tired-looking (5) | |
|    DRAWN - Double definition. | |
| 6 Irritable, like a middle-class American? (7) | |
|    WASPISH - So - a WASP is a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant: a person descended from N European, usually Protestant stock, forming a group often considered the most dominant, privileged, and influential in American society. Called a wasp as the acronym for (W)hite (A)nglo-(S)axon (P)rotestant. Living, doing crosswords and learning... | |
| 7 Fellow, part of royal family (3) | |
|    ALF - In the clue (part of) royAL Family. | |
| 12 It might make you laugh, end of story (9) | |
|    PUNCHLINE - I think this is a cryptic definitin- the whole clue - the end of a joke is the punchline. | |
| 14 Supervise poetry written in Old English (7) | |
|    OVERSEE - Poetry (VERSE) on Old (O) English (E). | |
| 15 Future fortune for example stashed away by cunning gents (4,3) | |
|    NEST EGG - For example (EG) inside (stashed away) an anagram (cunning) of GENTS. | |
| 17 Old man communist cut down (5) | |
|    PARED - Old man (PA), communist (RED). | |
| 18 River in America going round capital of Delaware (5) | |
|    INDUS - In (IN) America (US) going round first letter (capital) of Delaware. | |
| 20 Fellow supplies equipment for angler (3) | |
|    ROD - Double definition. | |
| Phew! Time for a bite of Queen cake in a waspish cafe perhaps? | |