Times Quick Crossword No 3048 by Izetti

Author   Mike HarperPosted on Categories Quick Cryptic

Solving time: 5:20

Either I was in the groove for this 14d QC, or else it was pretty gentle. With only one mildly unusual word (9a) to contend with, answers generally came quickly to mind.

Let me know how it was for you.

Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [directions in square ones].

Across
1 Church work must be repeated — hurry up! (4-4)
CHOP-CHOP – CH (Church) OP (work) repeated
6 Drug in complicated operation (4)
DOPE – Hidden [in] in complicated operation
8 Fellow backing old sultanate (4)
OMAN –  MAN behind [backing] O (old)
9 Pessimist needs reversal of gloomy outlook and organised rest (8)
DOOMSTER – MOOD (gloomy outlook) reversed, and anagram [organised] of REST

It’s in Collins, as “a person habitually given to predictions of impending disaster or doom“
10 Hope for religious group keeping quiet (8)
PROSPECT – PRO (for) SECT (religious group) containing [keeping] P (quiet i.e. musical notation for piano)
12 Big meal without starter for one of four at table (4)
EAST – FEAST (Big meal) with first letter removed [without starter]

The definition refers to the game of bridge, where the four players are named North, South, EAST and West
13 Hate endless study before exam? (6)
DETEST – DE{n} (study) without its last letter [endless], before TEST (exam)
16 Document left by engineers (6)
REPORT – PORT (left) by RE (engineers i.e. abbreviation for Royal Engineers)
17 Wife set off in a particular direction (4)
WEST – W (abbreviation for Wife) then anagram [off] of SET
18 “Parental” could possibly be “relating to father” (8)
PATERNAL – Anagram [could possibly be] of PARENTAL
21 Container held by African is terrific (8)
CANISTER – Hidden [held by] in African is terrific
22 Some money trick taking one in (4)
COIN – CON (trick) taking in I (one)
23 Male animal phase when tail drops off (4)
STAG – STAGE (phase) with last letter removed [when tail drops off]
24 Artist with platters for root vegetables (8)
RADISHES – RA (Artist i.e. abbreviation for Royal Academician) with DISHES (platters)
Down
2 Poet’s dwelling on river (5)
HOMER – HOME (dwelling) on R (river)
3 Love to escape from unfastened enclosure (3)
PEN – O (Love) removed [to escape] from OPEN (unfastened)

The origins of ‘love’ as a zero score in tennis lie in the figure zero’s resemblance to an egg. In sport, it’s common to refer to a nil or nought score as a duck or goose egg, and the French word for egg is l’oeuf – the pronunciation of which isn’t too far removed from the English ‘love’.

There is another more tenuous theory. In Dutch and Flemish, the word lof means honour, so in the most sporting context, anyone struggling to score is still playing for honour.
4 Hard border that could separate neighbours’ gardens (5)
HEDGE – H (Hard) EDGE (border)

This clue is a ‘semi &lit’ where the whole of the clue is the definition, but only part of the clue forms the wordplay.

Check out the Glossary under Useful Links on the TfTT pages for a pretty chunky list of crossword jargon used in these blogs.
5 Conspirator left, being hugged by Harry? (7)
PLOTTER – L (left) surrounded by [being hugged by] POTTER (Harry?)
6 Paint — something making dog ill? (9)
DISTEMPER – Double definition

1. A kind of paint using glue and water instead of an oil base, for use on walls or for scene-painting.

2. In young dogs particularly, a viral disease causing fever, coughing and catarrh.
7 Public relations securing housing contract is source of gratification (7)
PLEASER – PR (Public relations – abbreviation) containing [securing] LEASE (housing contract)
11 Protective cover from some treeless heath in Grasmere (9)
SHEATHING – Hidden [from some] in treeless heath in Grasmere
14 Smart English member presented with a set of holy books (7)
ELEGANT – E (English) LEG (member) A NT (set of holy books i.e. New Testament abbreviation)
15 Awful spitter who may offer advice at Ascot? (7)
TIPSTER – Anagram [Awful] of SPITTER

Ascot is a racecourse in Berkshire covering 179 acres (72 ha) leased from the Crown Estate. It was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne and is about 6 miles (10km) from Windsor Castle.
19 Weary Italian getting up, looking embarrassed? (5)
TIRED – IT (Italian) reversed [getting up], then RED (looking embarrassed?)

‘getting up’ as a reversal indicator is apposite as this is a down clue.
20 Active American serviceman having beer outside (5)
AGILE – GI (American serviceman) with ALE (beer) containing it [outside]

I was interested to learn where G.I. as an informal term referring to “a soldier in the United States army” came from.

It was originally [1906/7] an initialism on U.S. Army paperwork for items made from galvanised iron. During WWI, U.S. soldiers took to referring to heavy German artillery shells as “G.I. cans”.

During the same war, “G.I.”, reinterpreted as “government issue” or “general issue”, began to be used to refer to any item associated with the U.S. Army, e.g., “G.I. soap”. Other reinterpretations of “G.I.” include “garrison issue” and “general infantry”.
22 Lettuce, cold and very large (3)
COS – C (Cold) and OS (very large)

76 comments on “Times Quick Crossword No 3048 by Izetti”

  1. Definitely fits the description of a quickie. Good fun and nothing unknown but as you say DOOMSTER was the only answer to cause me to think a little. Bit of a discussion a couple of weeks ago about the derivation of GI, I think it was in the 15×15.
    Thanks Mike and setter.

  2. I found this very easy until getting quite stuck on PROSPECT, although I did get it after a few minutes. I did not get DISTEMPER though, and have never heard of it in either context, so a DNF, but nothing I could do about that.
    I’m always annoyed after a solve like this–without those two clues it would have been very fast, but in the end it’s a slow DNF.

  3. West in the west. East in the east. No u present. Something’s going on.

  4. 8 minutes. No problem with DOOMSTER as I hear it used almost daily with reference to various matters political. ‘Doom-monger’ and ‘doomsayer’ also.

    1. Doomster is fine, but your mood doesn’t have to be gloomy. I’m often in a positive mood!

      1. True, but definitions only have to match one meaning, not all. The example “he was obviously in a mood” doesn’t mean he was happy and carefree. POD has this covered: 2) mood – an angry, irritable, or sullen state of mind.

  5. Eight on the first pass of acrosses followed by lots of downs. Was going to check if it was dis or des in DISTEMPER then glanced at the clock and risked it – all green in 6.16.

  6. 6:18. A personal best, and could have been faster if my typing on the phone wasn’t so slow and awful. Astonished to discover it was an Izetti. Thanks to him, and to Mike for the blog

  7. Delightfully easy even if NHO DOOMSTER, and DNK connexion between DISTEMPER and dogs. Thank you, both Mike and the Don.

  8. 13:06 because there was little prospect of me getting Harry in a hurry… would have been an Izetti PB and a rare sub 10 otherwise.
    Izetti the solver 7d
    Thanks M&I

      1. 👍very good. Didn’t need Dibble to arrest my solving I managed that all on my own😂

  10. I flew threw this until hitting the buffers with the hidden CANISTER – where I was looking for a synonym of ‘terrific’ – and LOI DISTEMPER which eventually went in with a shrug as I’d not heard of the paint.
    Finished in 6.11 for a ‘what might have been’ day.
    Thanks to Mike and Izetti

  11. Izetti is growing on me. That was a very pleasant experience, coming in at 10.41.

    Pi ❤️

  12. This one came pretty easily for me, got most of it on the first pass with just a few remaining. It took me a while to see DISTEMPER but got it from the crossers. NHO it as a type of paint but it had to be, no doubt a similar clue will crop up months or years from now and I’ll claim never to have heard of it as a paint. My LOI was PROSPECT, it really shouldn’t have taken so long, but I had failed to notice “for”. As soon as that registered it went straight in.

    6:06 for me with well over a minute on those last two.

    Nice puzzle, thanks for the blog (particularly the explanation of DISTEMPER).

  13. The last letter I entered after 3:32 should have been the T that joined DETEST to TIPSTER. While a “yipster” sounds an interesting character, it caused a thoroughly obscene utterance here in WA15.

    Considering the positioning of EAST and WEST, I was expecting to find North and South in conjunction.

    COD STAG

  14. Now that’s what I’m talking about! 3:18. This is the level a QC should be, in my view.

    Don’t know where I pulled DISTEMPER from, and certainly had no idea of either of the meanings. Just fit the checkers.

  15. Boris Johnson, in his first speech as PM, referred to “doubters, doomsters and gloomsters”. 6:59 for me – a lot faster than usual for Izetti.

  16. 7:09 for the solve. Held up for last couple of mins by PLOTTER, REPORT, PROSPECT – everything else pretty much a write-in. Albeit overthought and tried to put mOOdSTER which was immediately rethought when the d of HEDGE appeared. Rather liked the PATERNAL clue – classic Izetti

    Thanks to Mike and Izetti

  17. An enjoyable and relaxed romp through a range of common crossword abbreviations and clue types. I’m not complaining, though, because it was a genuine QC IMO.
    FOI CHOP CHOP and LOI PLOTTER (I made this harder because I couldn’t remove pester/harry from my mind).
    I agree with New Driver about the best clues and would only add the excellent ‘hiddens’.
    Thanks to Izetti and Mike.

  18. Exactly 7 minutes – possibly my fastest on an Izetti.

    LOI was SHEATHING – a well obscured hidden.

    Thanks Mike and Izetti

  19. A rare sub-4′ today, and I’ve just worked out why potter = Harry. Liked PROSPECT.

    Thanks Izetti and Mike.

  20. Great puzzle. Very fast until temporarily held up by PLOTTER, which gave me REPORT. LOI PROSPECT (good clue).
    Also liked CANISTER, DOOMSTER, RADISHES, ELEGANT.
    Knew both DISTEMPERs. Dimly remember an old kind of paint – used on sheds? cottages? stables?
    Thanks vm, Mike.

    1. Yes, I think of distemper as being a white paint used on older interior surfaces in my youth (and for centuries before then) because it was water-based, cheap, easy to apply, and breathable (helpful for slightly damp surfaces) giving a soft, powdery finish. Almost totally overtaken now by oil- and latex- based paints but still used in some historic buildings, I believe.

  21. 5.36, a quick solve for me (and much quicker for others) so I guess that counts as a proper QC. Some hesitation over DOOMSTER because I didn’t think a mood was necessarily gloomy, and still don’t. My last two, CANISTER and SHEATHING, would have arrived sooner if I had realised that both were hiddens. Thanks Izetti and Mike.

  22. Sixteen and a half minutes to rattle the brain cells after an earlier than normal start. All very straightforward from CHOP-CHOP to PROSPECT. Liked 16a where I was looking for an L for ages – good misdirection Izetti. Thank you for a fair workout and to Mike for the explanations (of which for once I didn’t need!)

  23. Although I knew DISTEMPER (too much time in the Farrow & Ball shop), like Plett I hit the breezeblock at CANISTER, looking for a synonym of “terrific” made up of “tin” inside an African. When the penny dropped there was a loud groan (three hiddens in one puzzle!).

    So it could have been a PB but instead was “just” a very speedy (for me) 05:14 for an Excellent Day. COD to CHOP-CHOP.

    Many thanks Izetti and Mike.

  24. 5:54 which is very fast for me, and having done it on my phone without knowing who the setter was, I was astounded to find when I came to TfTT that this was by Izetti. The fastest I have ever done one of the Don’s puzzles by a long way, all straightforward words and clear wordplay, no hold-ups.

    I shall now go and sit down. Many thanks Mike for the blog and the info on GIs.

    1. The QUITCH records have got you down at 03:00 for an Izetti, Cedric, back in August 2023. I just looked it up and I suspect that the scraper may have misunderstood you saying this – “then spent 3 minutes on a word search for my last” 🙂

      1. Goodness. I’m impressed that you found this (and amazed that you looked for it). I’m sure your explanation is correct …

  25. From CHOP CHOP to RADISHES in 5:48. Straightforward puzzle. Thanks Izetti and Mike.

  26. Didn’t have too much trouble today, but got held up for an annoyingly long amount of time by the HEDGE/PROSPECT and DISTEMPER/EAST pairings; in both cases once I’d eventually worked out one the other other came almost immediately (with LOI being DISTEMPER, didn’t know it as a paint). Thanks for the info about where ‘love’ came from – hadn’t heard that!

  27. 7:43

    Sub 10 is rare for me. Sub 8 unheard of, so a new PB. But gosh, that seemed easy, there are usually a couple of tricky ones to hold me up at the end but everything went in on second pass. LOI ELEGANT.

  28. Thanks to Izetti and Mike Harper.
    Pretty much a top to bottom solve; 6d Distemper didn’t come as quickly as it should and I doubted for a second that 7d Pleaser was a noun, but otherwise straightforward. I liked the 15d Tipster spitting awfully.

  29. 5.21

    Great blog. Nice puzzle – agree that Izetti is delivering some excellent work at the moment. Liked PROSPECT and was also my LOI.

  30. I turned to Mrs RH with great satisfaction at our 14.45 finish and said “Let’s go read that this is the easiest Izetti”. Yup!!!

    But very enjoyable. Thanks

    1. 14.45 snap today. Have no idea why, however your and our (myself and himself) times are very often very similar.
      Perhaps my posting this will end this parallel experience – however, strange it has been. : )

      1. An element is probably something to do with solving as a couple. I’m sure we could be quicker without the reading out loud and chat in between, but that of course is the fun of it! There’s never a day when Mrs RH doesn’t spot/biff something that I wasn’t going to see for a long time – and vice versa 🙂

  32. Not a PB, but probably my fastest ever Izetti at 14-15 minutes. Still very fast for me.

    My first few in, CHOP-CHOP, PEN and HEDGE, provided a great launch pad and I was able to work my way from NW to SE without missing too many clues. I finished with COIN and parsed everything as I went along, except DISTEMPER, where I DNK it had anything to do with paint.

    Many thanks to Mike and Izetti.

  33. About as straightforward as it gets as far as I am concerned finishing in a speedy 5.32. In fact the answers went in so quickly I’m disappointed I didn’t break the five minute barrier, it seemed faster in solving. SHEATHING was the only one that held me up to any great extent.

  34. At 12mins, very probably my fastest ever Izetti. If I had gone straight to Potter, rather than Hal, it would have been even closer to a sub-10, because the other hold-out, Prospect, suddenly became a write-in. A good crossword for newbies, but I hope this was not a sign of things to come from one of our usually more challenging setters. Invariant

  35. Given I am outside the top hundred on the leaderboard with a time of 6:30 I gather most solvers found this straightforward. I was a little delayed in the SW corner with my LOsI STAG and ELEGANT. Thanks Mike.

  36. Definitely a Quick Crossowrd from Izetti today taking just over 15m.
    For once no clues caused a delay, although CANISTER was well hidden.
    Thanks Mike.

  37. Couldn’t quite believe how quickly I was racing through an Izetti. Finished with DISTEMPER (NHO the paint) at 9:03 for my 9th fastest ever. Curiously, there is a big gap of 55 seconds before my 10th fastest. Going through a QC this fast, when it seems like I’m barely stopping to think, makes me all the more amazed at those of you who polish these off in under 5 minutes. How your brains and fingers work that fast is beyond me. Anyway, COD to RADISHES and thanks to Izetti and Mike.

  38. 5:00

    Didn’t know the paint, so waited for checkers before entering the known illness. Had to return to PROSPECT having missed the ‘for’ element.

    Still, jolly quick for me and good fun.

    Thanks all.

  39. 8.39 Held up at the end by PROSPECT and two hiddens, SHEATHING and CANISTER. I agree that moods aren’t necessarily gloomy, but if someone’s “in a mood” they definitely aren’t cheerful. Thanks Mike and Izetti.

  40. Only half way through my coffee so must have been gentle. Only slight pause was LOI CANISTER where I failed to spot the hidden straight away. I prefer Izetti’s trickier QC offerings, purely because I get a longer coffee break, but I am doubtless in the minority! I thought the surfaces for DOOMSTER and TIPSTER were very good. Many thanks Izetti and Mike.

  43. Hadn’t heard of the paint sort of DISTEMPER, but otherwise no major problems and all done in 12:30. As others have said, very approachable indeed for an Izetti.

    Thank you for the blog!

  44. Took off at a pace and kept going. To my surprise it turned out to be an Izetti, which had I known from the outset I might have been less confident to tackle top to bottom. I finished in 15:20 which by my standard is blisteringly fast! LOI DOOMSTER which I took to be a very American term but couldn’t see anything else.
    Thanks Mike and Izetti for a nice puzzle which followed the rules.

  46. Couldn’t tell you whether we have done an Izetti faster but 8:46 is pretty quick for us. PROSPECT tok a bit of seeing and, like Templar above, I spent too long trying to squeeze ‘tin’ into 21a. On the other hand DISTEMPER went straight in and I think I recall DOOMSTER coming up previously.
    Thanks, Mike and Izetti.

  47. After being 1 letter out on 15 x 15 yesterday, I was out by 2 letters today. Somebody up there doesn’t like me!

  48. Dnf…

    Pretty much done and dusted after 13 mins, but just couldn’t see 10ac “Propsect” – even with the checkers and an alphabet trawl. Too obsessed with trying to fit a “sh” into it. Frustrating to be honest, as it was probably one of the easiest Izetti’s in a while.

    Nice to see a Grasmere reference in there. Plenty of treeless heath up on Loughrigg Fell or Helm Crag.

    FOI – 1ac “Chop Chop”
    LOI – Dnf
    COD – 9ac “Doomster” – a fairly common bunch nowadays.

    Thanks as usual!

  49. Need to check my stats for possible PB; 4:55 today, LOI PROSPECT.
    Started at the bottom. No hold-ups and immediately thought of distemper which used to be a very big deal for dogs. But I haven’t heard it mentioned for years.
    COD to RADISHES.
    David

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