Quick Cryptic 37 by Tramp

This is the thirty-seventh Guardian Quick Cryptic, a series of 11 x 11 crosswords designed to support beginners learning cryptic crosswords.  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 puzzle can be found here.

Following a number of comments we now hide the answers and the wordplay descriptions too.   To find that hidden information, either click on “Details” for a section or “Expand all” for everything, and it will pop up.  The definition is in bold and underlined, the indicator is in red.

This week we have a new setter to the Quick Cryptic crosswords in Tramp, a regular setter in the Cryptic and Prize slots at the Guardian.   He has brought his own particular style to types of clues encountered many times before: anagrams, hidden, soundalike and charades.

There is a summary of the tricks used in the first six months here and a recent Guardian Crossword blog called the ultimate beginner’s guide has tips which may be useful for some solvers.

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. some haVE ALtered meat, Get A Good.
• anagram *(SENATOR) shows letters in clue being used, see clue below.
• anagrind the anagram indicator (arranged)
• 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
•  soundalike / homophone  is indicated by “Wilde” (Oscar, the playwright) for WILD, see below.
• CAD or clue as definition– where the whole clue gives the definition, sometimes called an &lit.
• DBE or defintion 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 – which can be found at  www.theguardian.com/crosswords/quick-cryptic/37 – because the clues have moved on from the clue descriptions below, I am now adding more to the descriptions above.

Clues begin or end with a definition of the answer. The rest is one of these:

1. Anagram An anagram of the answer and a hint that there’s an anagram
   ‘Senator arranged crime (7)’ gives TREASON
2. Hidden word Answer is hidden in the clue’s words
   ‘Some have altered meat (4)’ gives VEAL
3. Charade A combination of synonyms
   ‘Qualify to get drink for ID (8)’ gives PASSPORT (pass + port)
4. Soundalike Something that sounds like the answer
   ‘Excited as Oscar’s announced (4)’ gives WILD

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