Guardian Quiptic No 589 by Orlando
Posted by PeterO on February 28th, 2011
Together with the Rufus, we have a veritable blizzard of double definitions today.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Where Marco Polo went in a yacht, wandering (6) | ||
| CATHAY | Anagram (‘wandering’) of ‘a yacht’. Cathay is an old name for China. | ||
| 4. | Parisian thanks leader of allies in old kingdom (6) | ||
| MERCIA | Charade of MERCI (‘Parisian thanks’) + A (‘leader of Allies’). An Anglo-Saxon kingdom. | ||
| 9. | Worry about moving into empty flat (4) | ||
| FRET | Envelope (‘moving into’) of RE (‘about’) in FT (“empty FlaT‘). | ||
| 10. | Fastidious individual (10) | ||
| PARTICULAR | Double definition. | ||
| 11. | Sex object in Germany taking off a lot (6) | ||
| GENDER | Envelope (‘in’) of END (‘object’) in GER[many] (“Germany, taking off a lot’). | ||
| 12. | Never mind vacuum? (2,6) | ||
| NO MATTER | Double definition. | ||
| 13. | Excursion occupying shy lad (9) | ||
| STRIPLING | Envelope (‘occupying’) of TRIP (‘excursion’) in SLING (‘shy”, as in coconut). | ||
| 15. | Snakes like empty pockets (4) | ||
| ASPS | Charade of AS (‘like’) + PS (“empty PocketS‘). Having just watched a program on venemous creatures, the surface hit home with me. | ||
| 16. | Walton loses points as a singer (4) | ||
| ALTO | [w]ALTO[n] without the compass points W and N. | ||
| 17. | Fix it on beast like a mule (9) | ||
| OBSTINATE | Anagram (‘fix’) of ‘it on beast’. | ||
| 21. | Volunteer force’s excessive enthusiasm for island state (8) | ||
| TASMANIA | Charade of TAS ( Territorial Army’s, ‘volunteer forces’) + MANIA (‘excessive enthusiasm’) . | ||
| 22. | Puzzling child, as favourite may be (4,2) | ||
| ODDS ON | Charad of ODD (‘puzzling’) + SON (‘child’). | ||
| 24. | Carol is keeping mum inside — it’s stifling (10) | ||
| SMOTHERING | Envelope (‘keeping’ ‘inside’) of MOTHER (‘mum’, for once not sh) in SING (‘carol’). | ||
| 25. | Neighbour bringing instrument back (4) | ||
| ABUT | Reversal (‘back’) of TUBA (‘instrument’). | ||
| 26. | Cricket trophy presented after 500 runs (6) | ||
| DASHES | Charade of D (’500′, Roman numeral) + ASHES (‘cricket trophy’). | ||
| 27. | Unpleasant odour from head of smelly fish (6) | ||
| STENCH | Charade of S (“head of Smelly’) + TENCH (‘fish’). | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Stream must be present (7) | ||
| CURRENT | Double definition. | ||
| 2. | Toddler, extremely exhausted, has to be carried (5) | ||
| TOTED | Charade of TOT (‘toddler’) + ED (‘extremely ExhausteD‘). | ||
| 3. | Dismay about queen turning up in this costume (7) | ||
| APPAREL | Envelope (‘about’) of reversal (‘turning up’) of ER (‘Queen’) in APPAL (‘dismay’) . | ||
| 5. | Puzzle resolved in game (6) | ||
| ENIGMA | Anagram (‘resolved’) of ‘in game’. | ||
| 6. | No curates could reform a kept woman (9) | ||
| COURTESAN | Anagram (‘could reform’) of ‘no curates’. | ||
| 7. | Oscar-winning film produced in Australia (7) | ||
| AMADEUS | An indirect envelope; the answer is MADE in AUS (‘produced in Australia. The film is Milos Forman’s 1984 adaptation of Peter Schaffer’s play, which won 8 Oscars, including best picture. | ||
| 8. | A retiring band prepared to be stoical (4,3,4,2) | ||
| GRIN AND BEAR IT | Anagram (‘prepared’) of ‘a retiring band’. | ||
| 14. | Hints from close friends (9) | ||
| INTIMATES | Double definition. | ||
| 16. | A learner with a gun, possibly frightened (7) | ||
| ALARMED | Charade of A L (‘a learner’) + ARMED (“with a gun, possibly’). | ||
| 18. | Deliberation even if on time (7) | ||
| THOUGHT | Charade of THOUGH (‘even if’) + T (‘time’). | ||
| 19. | Spooner’s low bit is over the top (3,4) | ||
| TOO MUCH | MOO (‘low’) TOUCH (‘bit’). | ||
| 20. | Narrow opening in a northern river? This will provide more room (6) | ||
| ANNEXE | Charade of A N (‘a northern’) + N (‘Narrow opening’) + EXE (Devon “river’). | ||
| 23. | Sap in sewer (5) | ||
| DRAIN | Double definition. | ||
February 28th, 2011 at 8:36 am
Thank you, Peter
Enjoyable puzzle, with just about the right level of difficulty, although I took some time to tease out the NW corner for some reason. TASMANIA and ODDS ON were clever clues, I thought.
I think you mean Orlando and not Rufus! That’s what you get for blogging two puzzles on the same day.
February 28th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Well done PeterO for a double blog. Fairly easy puzzle just right for Quiptic.
I assume TOUCH=BIT is in ‘a touch of,’ didn’t get the sense at the beginning. I thought 22 was a nice clue.
February 28th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Sorry, ‘is’ should be ‘as’ above.
February 28th, 2011 at 2:34 pm
Thanks PeterO, and well done on your double shift.
Just one quibble: the points missing from ‘Walton’ are W and N, not S.
February 28th, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Stella
Thanks for the note; corrected now. K’s D: at that stage in the proceedings, I was not as careful to get my meaning across as I might have been. I hope the revision to the preamble makes it clearer. Robi : indeed, in 19D, TOUCH as in ‘a touch of the yaws’. It took me a while for that one to drop, but the one that really held me up was 11A. The answer had to be GENDER, but it was not until I was about to hit the ‘publish’ button that the MANY bit of the wordplay hit me.
February 28th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
Thanks, PeterO; yes, the wordplay in GENDER was good, although I missed it. I was playing with using the German DER, but couldn’t really parse the clue properly.
February 28th, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Ah I see, didn’t think AMADEUS was made in Australia, but it fitted!