Guardian 24,868 / Quantum
Posted by Andrew on November 27th, 2009
Yet another posthumous Quantum puzzle. Unfortunately I have to say I wasn’t very impressed with it: there are a couple of rather weak cryptic definitions, and other niggles noted below. Apart from that it was reasonably sound, but there was nothing that struck me as particularly exciting.
Key:
* = anagram
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
< = reverse
| Across |
| 8. MISTITLE TITS< in MILE |
| 9. EERIE REVERIE (daydream) less V and R |
| 10. SCOW (MO)SCOW |
| 11. REPLICATED CAT in REPLIED |
| 12. POLICY LOP< + ICY. Policy = strategy? I'm not sure about that. |
| 14. STRAW HAT (THAT’S WAR)* – seems to be an unindicated anagram, unless the exclamation mark is supposed to be doing the job. |
| 15. PEGASUS cd of the legendary winged horse. I had OLYMPUS here for a while. |
| 17. LEGROOM LEG (stage) + ROOM (lounge, perhaps) |
| 20. CRESCENT CRE(w) + SCENT (homophone of “sent”) |
| 22. SEDATE TEASED* |
| 23. CHANGE GEAR If you “change gear” you “produce rage” |
| 24. FAME FA (Football association) + M.E. |
| 25. SPILL dd |
| 26. LIVE WIRE EVIL< + WIRE (telegram = "message") |
| Down |
| 1. DISCLOSE DISC + LOSE |
| 2. STOW S TO W. I initially had ETON, which fits the clue just as well. |
| 3. STARRY |
| 4. BEDPOST cd |
| 5. PEDIGREE (E PRIDE EG)* |
| 6. DREAMWORLD Not quite a dd – I’d call it a definition and a half (sesquidef?) |
| 7. GENERA GENERA(L) |
| 13. IN ABSENTIA (IS BAN)* + ENTIA. Entia (plural of “ens”) is a bit obscure, but clearly related to “entity”. |
| 16. UNEVENLY VENUE* + L in NY |
| 18. OUTSMART MA in TUTORS* |
| 19. OTHELLO THE LL in (b)OO(k) |
| 21. REHASH Hidden in “pastuRE HAS Horticultural” |
| 22. STRIVE ST + RIVE |
| 24. FAWN dd |
November 27th, 2009 at 9:21 am
I agree Andrew,
A little uninspiring, unfortunately.
I think in 3d. the “lines” are “RY”.
November 27th, 2009 at 9:24 am
Thanks Ian, that makes much more sense – I’ll correct the blog.
November 27th, 2009 at 9:27 am
I too agree with Andrew
November 27th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Thanks, Andrew – and my sympathy: you seem to keep getting these Quantums to blog!
I, too, thought first of Eton, before getting SCOW, then realised that, of course, as well as the town, ‘to stow’, means ‘to place’, which makes an otherwise vague-looking clue rather better.
I think there will be some justified complaints about 13dn – a Latin phrase depending on knowledge of another, more obscure Latin word!
[For 9ac, I first wondered if REVRY was an alternatve spelling of 'reverie! - but I did discover that 'revery' is, which I didn't know before.]
November 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I think ‘required’ in 14ac is poiting out the anagram. I agree this felt rather flat throughout and felt more like duty than pleasure to complete. I must admit that having taught both policy (as in government policy for the Arts) and strategy (as in corporate), I was more comfortable with 12ac. – which probably says something about my teaching!
November 27th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I also had to cross out Olympus. I waited before pencilling in STOW as it could just as easily have been ETON. Slightly annoying.
November 27th, 2009 at 11:01 am
Glad I’m not the only one to have put ETON and confused myself. In 12ac, I think strategy and policy are close enough, but I was puzzled by ‘reversed THE strategy’. The definite article doesn’t need to be there and the surface reading is just as clear without it, unless something’s escaped me.
November 27th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Could have been ETON? Why?
November 27th, 2009 at 11:03 am
Oops, sorry everybody – I thought you were alluding to the SCOW clue. Apologies all round.
November 27th, 2009 at 11:12 am
Sorry, David – it was probably my comment that confused you!
November 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I initially put in ETON as well, and toyed with PENSION at 4d, but was glad when the answer turned out to be slightly more enterprising.
Overall I thought this wasn’t bad. I found it fairly straightforward, so completing it didn’t seem much of an achievement, as it sometimes does.
November 27th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Thanks, Andrew. I also found this sound and fairly straightforward. 6dn gave me the most grief and was a little weak, I thought. 24ac was the last one I got — I was looking for a complaint.
I liked 23ac. But I agree, nothing too exciting.
November 27th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Thank you Andrew for the blog.
Can’t disagree with the consensus as regards the general one-dimensionality of this Quantum challenge.
At least the clueing was uncontroversial.
Re 12ac I’m perfectly happy with Policy = Strategy
November 27th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
My objection to policy=strategy is that, roughly speaking, policy is what you want to do, whereas strategy is how you intend to do it; but clearly there’s an overlap, so maybe I’m being over-picky.
November 27th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
I will not speak ill of the dead, but I have to agree with the opening statement in the blog.