Cryptic 9x9 #4 by tuber

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• tuber constructor · 2023-10-12T20:08:56.394Z

  Hi solvers! I hope you enjoyed my puzzle, thanks for giving it a crack. Let me know how you got on in the comments below, and feel free to follow https://crosshare.org/tuber for more like this. Here's the wash-up:

  ACROSS. 1A. Containment of "miles" = M in anag. ATSPEED. 6A. Double-def (RECAP versus RE-CAP) 7A. Hidden in seCURely. 8A. Cryptic def. 11A. Music = EMO + first letters of "jaunty instrumental" 13A. "Senior" = ELDER, subtract "energy" = E + "yearning" = ITCH

  DOWN. 1D. "Author" = SCRIBE containing outer letters of "beautiful" = BL. 2D. Hidden in lineARCurved. Yes, this is barely cryptic, sorry. 3D. Cryptic def. 4D. Reversal of "lined" = FACED. 5D. "Sudden downturn" = CRASH, containing reversal of: "provided" = IF + "unknown quantity" = Y. 9D. "Haul" = TOW + "the Spanish" = EL. 12D 10A. Anag. LOUT + A literal + whiskey = W.

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• Aaron 🤓15:54 · 2023-10-13T00:46:18.318Z

  Fun puzzle. I don't think 4d is quite a fair definition. I know some sort of make that joke, but still didn't seem fair in this context. I figured that maybe the answer but didn't put it in until all the crosses confirmed it. Maybe "lined up for filtered coffee"?

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  • tuber constructor · 2023-10-13T08:30:20.624Z

    Thanks! I felt confident that 4D was solvable based on it directly referencing coffee, but this kind of judgement call is tricky and can be where clues live or die. Of course, one thing I don't have is an editor / playtester to sanity-check my strange whims before I hit "publish."

    Somehow "filtered" coffee actually strikes me as more difficult. I considered "unstimulating" or something along those lines. Guess I'll think on it.

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• Pedagogue 9:46 · 2023-10-13T02:29:10.975Z

  Another entertaining cryptic! These comments are not intended as criticism: 12A & 10D Is it OK to split a word in that manner? I've never seen it before in a cryptic. 2D Do you need the question mark? Linear curved section seems to me to be a good definition of "arc", as well as being the word play. 9D This foxed me, chiefly because the expression that I know is "throw in the towel"; I've never heard of "tossing the towel" to mean "surrender". 11A Could you explain how "music" gives EMO, please? 4D I thought that "weak coffee" was a poor definition. "Faced" as a synonym for "lined"- I couldn't find this when I checked. 6A Very clever! 1A Very clever.

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  • tuber constructor · 2023-10-13T08:50:05.271Z

    Glad you enjoyed it. Taking your comments in turn: 12D 10A is definitely something I've seen in newspaper crosswords (admittedly the less reputable sort) so long as the entries are individual words in their own right (so e.g. PUZ / ZLE wouldn't be allowed.) 2D. You're absolutely right, sometimes these things just creep in unawares. 9D. Chambers lists the idiom under TOWEL with: "throw, chuck, toss, etc in the towel or sponge" which seems to allow me some leeway here. 11A. Emo is a genre of rock music. 4D. Seems you're not the only one who disliked this def! On FACE, here's Chambers again: "v. 6 to cover with a surface" is what I was aiming at.

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• tuber constructor · 2023-10-13T12:35:33.564Z

  I've made an edit to 1D which better reflects my intentions for the clue. Originally this was: Messy writing by author taking in beautiful surroundings (8)

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