Guardian Quiptic N° 669 by Hectence
Posted by PeterO on September 10th, 2012
I made heavy weather of this one, and there are a couple of clues where I am not sure if the wordplay.
| Across | ||
| 1 | FACELIFT | Look up plastic surgery procedure (8) |
| Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 5 | EQUIPS | Supplies online jokes? (6) |
| Definition and literal interpretation E-QUIPS (‘online jokes’). | ||
| 9 | UPHEAVAL | Paul puzzle containing coarse detail causes commotion (8) |
| An envelope (‘containing’) of HEAV[y] (‘coarse’?) with its last letter removed (‘detail’) in UPAL, an anagram (‘puzzle’) of ‘Paul’. I an not happy with HEAVY for ‘coarse’, but I cannot think of anything better. Very possibly the word was chosen for the surface. | ||
| 10 | GAUCHE | Ungainly cowboy almost on horse at last (6) |
| A charade of GAUCH[o] (‘cowboy’) with its last letter left out (‘almost’) + E (‘HorsE at last’). | ||
| 11 | PASSER-BY | Yard’s pursuing press about keeping a note for witness (6-2) |
| An envelope (‘keeping’) of ‘a’ in PSSER, an anagram (‘about’) of ‘press’ + B (‘note’) + Y (‘yard’). | ||
| 12 | ODDS-ON | Peculiar boy becomes favourite to win (4-2) |
| A charade of ODD (‘peculiar’) + SON (‘boy’). | ||
| 14 | MYSTERIOUS | Strange modus operandi involving unknown rites troubled us (10) |
| An envelope (‘involving’) of Y (‘unknown’) + STERI, an anagram (‘troubled’) of ‘rites’ in MO (‘modus operandi’) + ‘us’. | ||
| 18 | JUDGMENTAL | Critical note hidden in prison food isn’t half-eaten (10) |
| An envelope (‘hidden in’) of D (‘note’) in JUG (‘prison’) + [supple]MENTAL (‘food isn’t half-eaten’). Again, I am not happy with the last part, but it is my best guess. | ||
| 22 | BRIDAL | Check speech for wedding (6) |
| A homophone (‘speech’) of BRIDLE (‘check’). | ||
| 23 | AGGRIEVE | Upset by a horse on short course catching fence finally (8) |
| A charade of A GG (‘a horse’) + an envelope (‘catching’) of E (‘fencE finally’) in RIVE[r] (‘course’) without its last letter (‘short’). | ||
| 24 | UNTRUE | Inner core of junta regret being disloyal (6) |
| A charade of UNT (‘inner core of jUNTa’) + RUE (‘regret’). | ||
| 25 | STEP DOWN | Retire from stage, depressed (4,4) |
| A charade of STEP (‘stage’) + DOWN (‘depressed’). | ||
| 26 | INDEED | Really popular act (6) |
| A charade of IN (‘popular’) + DEED (‘act’). | ||
| 27 | IN UNISON | Together as part of a trade union (2,6) |
| Definition and cryptic definition. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FRUMPY | Fine steak’s year out of date (6) |
| A charade of F (‘fine’) + RUMP (‘steak’) + Y (‘year’). | ||
| 2 | CO-HOST | One of the party-givers gets house to split the expense (2-4) |
| An envelope (‘to split’) of HO (‘house’) in COST (‘the expense’). | ||
| 3 | LOAFED | Hung around as directed to catch yobbo (6) |
| An envelope (‘to catch’) of OAF (‘yobbo’) in LED (‘directed’). | ||
| 4 | FLAMBOYANT | Exuberant fellow’s hit with youth worker (10) |
| A charade of F (‘fellow’) + LAM (‘hit’) + BOY (‘youth’) + ANT (‘worker’). | ||
| 6 | QUANDARY | Queen’s article on heartless milk producer causes delicate situation (8) |
| A charade of QU (‘queen’) + AN (‘article’) + DA[i]RY (‘milk producer’) with its middle letter removed (‘heartless’). | ||
| 7 | INCISION | Operational cut in Civil Service housing unit no one backed (8) |
| An envelope (‘housing’) of I (‘unit’) in ‘in’ + CS (‘Civil Service’) + ION, a reversal (‘backed’) of NO I (‘no one’). | ||
| 8 | STERNEST | Most serious cryptic setters assume name (8) |
| An envelope (‘assume’) of N (‘name’) in STEREST, an anagram (‘cryptic’) of ‘setters’. | ||
| 13 | STRAIGHTEN | Tidy up for artist in small, tight space (10) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of RA (member of the Royal Academy, ‘artist’) in S (‘small’) + ‘tight’ + EN (‘space’, in printing, the size of the letter n). | ||
| 15 | DJIBOUTI | Sail away with me after day in the country (8) |
| A charade of D (‘day’) + JIB (‘sail’) + OUT (‘away’) + I (‘me’). | ||
| 16 | ADMITTED | Owned up to being mad about IT man (8) |
| A charade of ADM, an anagram (‘about’) of ‘mad’ + ‘IT’ + TED (‘man’). | ||
| 17 | IMMATURE | A tired Mum organised day out with young (8) |
| An anagram (‘organised’) of ‘a tire[d] Mum’ without the D (‘day out’). | ||
| 19 | DROP IN | Call doctor to work on hip (4,2) |
| A charade of DR (‘doctor’) + OP (‘work’) + IN (‘hip’). | ||
| 20 | VETOES | Forbids part of family’s move to Essex (6) |
| A hidden answer (‘part of’) in ‘family’s moVE TO ESsex’. Some might frown at the extraneous word ‘family’s’. | ||
| 21 | PENNON | Flag poles positioned in time to follow president (6) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of NN (‘poles’, even if you were expecting NS) in P (‘president’) EON (‘time’). | ||
September 10th, 2012 at 4:10 am
Thanks Peter and Hectence.
I agree this was, in parts at least, a bit of a challenge and 9ac was a little less than convincing. My reading of 18ac was ‘note’ (D) in ‘jug meal’ with ‘nt’ inserted ( = half of ‘isn’t’ consumed).
- AndrewC
September 10th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
Thanks, Peter.
Easily the most difficult Quiptic I’ve solved for as long as I can remember. When an experienced solver and blogger like yourself admits to one or two that he doesn’t understand, then I think it’s a good indication that the trickiness level is too high.
I was one of the frowners for 20dn.
I think JUDGMENTAL is D in JUG, as you say, then NT for half of ‘isn’t’ inserted (‘eaten’) in MEAL. It’s clever, but it ain’t Quiptic.
Thanks to Hectence too.
September 10th, 2012 at 6:02 pm
Easily the most difficult Quiptic I’ve NOT solved for as long as I can remember.
It might put off the people it is aimed at!
I also frown upon 20d!
September 10th, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Apologies, AndrewC. I hadn’t fully read your comment at no 1, where you’d explained perfectly well the parsing of JUDGMENTAL.
September 10th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Gave up just after halfway
September 10th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
I agree that this is too difficult for a Quiptic audience.
Thanks PeterO; I’m not that bothered about ‘family’s’ in 20d; the ha is clear enough. I couldn’t parse 18 properly, so thanks to AndrewC @1.