Guardian Quiptic N° 689 by Orlando
Posted by PeterO on January 28th, 2013
I had some trouble with the blogging utilities, so I hope the results make some kind of sense.
I am happy that the puzzle itself presented no great problem, as befits a Quiptic. Thank you Orlando.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Callas recollected a famous opera venue (2,5) | ||
| LA SCALA | A very appropriate anagram (‘recollected’) of ‘Callas’ plus ‘a’, for the Milan opera house. | ||
| 5. | Something chewed ? filled with brilliant yellow sauce (7) | ||
| CUSTARD | An envelope (‘filled with’) of STAR (‘brilliant’) in CUD (‘something chewed’). | ||
| 9. | Question for cook (5) | ||
| GRILL | Double definition. | ||
| 11. | Verbal attacks help backward groups of people (9) | ||
| DIATRIBES | A charade of DIA, a reversal (‘backward’) of AID (‘help’) plus TRIBES (groups of people’). | ||
| 11. | Helicopter carrying old-fashioned peasant (10) | ||
| CLODHOPPER | An envelope (‘carrying’) of LOD, an anagram (‘fashioned’) of ‘old’ in CHOPPER (‘helicopter’). | ||
| 12. | Online engine? That’s crazy! (4) | ||
| LOCO | Double definition. | ||
| 14. | Wrist mangler, rotten in a test of strength (3,9) | ||
| ARM-WRESTLING | An anagram (‘rotten’) of ‘wrist mangler’, and another appropriate &lit surface. | ||
| 18. | Children’s author short after asking clumsily for loads of money (1,5,6) | ||
| A KINGS RANSOM | A charade of A KINGS, an anagram (‘clumsily’) of ‘asking’ plus RANSOM[e] (Arthur, ‘children’s author’) without the last letter (‘short’). | ||
| 21. | Smack first of runners coming last (4) | ||
| KISS | SKIS (‘runners’) with the first letter moved to the end (‘coming last’). | ||
| 22. | Where substitutes are meeting journalists for exercise (5,5) | ||
| BENCH PRESS | A charade of BENCH (‘where substitutes are’) plus PRESS (‘journalists’). | ||
| 26. | Male is taken in by trivial fortune-telling (9) | ||
| PALMISTRY | An envelope (‘taken in by’) of M (‘male’) plus ‘is’ in PALTRY (‘trivial’). | ||
| 26. | Spooky European lake (5) | ||
| EERIE | A charade of E (‘European’) plus ERIE (‘lake’). | ||
| 27. | Monarch capturing small-time cattle thief (7) | ||
| RUSTLER | An envelope (‘capturing’) of S (‘small’) plus T (‘time’) in RULER (‘monarch’). | ||
| 28. | Bit of kitchen equipment just being still at regular intervals (7) | ||
| UTENSIL | Alternate letters of ‘jUsT bEiNg StIlL‘. | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | What’s left, for example, in moulded clay (6) | ||
| LEGACY | An envelope (‘in’) of EG (‘for example’) in LACY, an anagram (‘moulded’) of ‘clay’. | ||
| 2. | Seaman overhauled Polaris after power cut (6) | ||
| SAILOR | An anagram (‘overhauled’) of ‘[p]olaris’ with P removed (‘after power cut’). | ||
| 3. | Not mad about silver? It’s very fashionable (3,3,4) | ||
| ALL THE RAGE | An envelope (‘about’) of AG (chemical symbol, ‘silver’) in ALL THERE (‘not mad’). | ||
| 4. | Do some arithmetic and make sense (3,2) | ||
| ADD UP | Double definition. | ||
| 5. | One changes in the morning, being taken in by Guevara and Trotsky (9) | ||
| CHAMELEON | An envelope (‘in’) of AM (‘the morning’) in CHE (‘Guevara’) plus LEON (‘Trotsky’). | ||
| 6. | Annoyed fly may be heard (4) | ||
| SORE | A homophone (‘may be heard’) of SOAR (‘fly’). | ||
| 7. | Heavenly food for Rambo is a stew (8) | ||
| AMBROSIA | An anagram (‘stew’) of ‘Rambo is a’. | ||
| 8. | Police officers fill their bellies and throw up (8) | ||
| DISGORGE | A charade of DIS (Detective Inspectors, ‘police officers’) plus GORGE (‘fill their bellies’). | ||
| 13. | Mopers hate fresh air (10) | ||
| ATMOSPHERE | An anagram (‘fresh’) of ‘mopers hate’. | ||
| 15. | Wodehouse character heard in city (9) | ||
| WORCESTER | A homophone (‘heard’) of (Bertie) WOOSTER (‘Wodehouse character’). | ||
| 16. | Early birds sound pleased, wanting last flower (8) | ||
| LARKSPUR | A charade of LARKS (“up with the lark”; ‘early birds’) plus PUR[r] (‘sounds pleased’) without the last letter (‘wanting last’). | ||
| 17. | Fried food is only provided in the centre of Warsaw (8) | ||
| RISSOLES | An envelope (‘in’) of ‘is’ plus SOLE (‘only’) in RS (‘centre of WaRSaw’). | ||
| 19. | Red cards for footballers in Scotland (6) | ||
| HEARTS | Double definition; the footballers are Heart |
||
| 20. | Too fine after first of August (2,4) | ||
| AS WELL | A charade of A (‘first of August’) plus SWELL (‘fine’). | ||
| 23. | Rodent turning up under arch (5) | ||
| COYPU | A charade of COY (‘arch’) plus PU, a reversal (‘turning’) of ‘up’. | ||
| 24. | American note for Bryson (4) | ||
| BILL | Double definition; Bill Bryson is an author best known to me for A Walk in the Woods. | ||
January 28th, 2013 at 4:56 am
I found the top half easier and quicker to solve, then I really slowed down in the lower half, especially SE. As a beginner cum improving solver, it is encouraging to be able to fill in some answers quite quickly rather than having to totally struggle for every answer from the start. So I think this puzzle was very well-designed for its target audience (ie, people like me).
My favourites were 11a, 18a, 27a, 16d.
I found 12a difficult but pleasing to get after I had the crossing letters ?o?o
New words or definitions for me were found in 23d: coy = arch as well as ‘coypu’
Although I solved them, I could not parse 17d, 21a or 19d (last one in) so I am very happy to read your blog.
Thanks to you, Peter and all the other bloggers as I am now beginning to be able to solve and parse more clues than previously.
January 28th, 2013 at 10:04 am
Thanks, Peter. Your blog is showing fine, btw.
I think it was Derek L who said of Orlando’s last Quiptic something along the lines of ‘he’s got the hang of this Quiptic stuff’, and I agree. This was a delight to solve, with nothing too tricky but some lovely, elegant, clueing. LARKSPUR, LA SCALA and ALL THE RAGE, just to name three, were cleverly constructed.
Tiny point: the footie team is HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN, commonly known as HEARTS with an S. It’s also the name of a mosaic on the pavement in the centre of Edinburgh.
Lovely Quiptic, thanks to Orlando.
January 28th, 2013 at 10:39 am
Thanks Peter and Orlando.
For me, this was more varied and therefore more enjoyable than the Rufus puzzle.
I completely failed to parse 21 and kicked myself when I read the blog.
“Rissole” is a lovely word. I haven’t seen or heard it for ages.
January 28th, 2013 at 10:47 am
A gentle, but enjoyable bit of fun. I liked 14a, and 16d.
Thanks to Orlando, and to Peter.
January 28th, 2013 at 11:17 am
Thanks Orlando and Peter.
I thought the clueing of 8d was rather weak but I really liked the construction of 3d!
January 28th, 2013 at 1:04 pm
Kathryn’ s Dad@2 – thanks for the explanation. I know nothing at all about football (in any country) so I will store away this information about “hearts” and not get so frightened about clues that mention “footballers in Scotland” in future crossword puzzles.
I always find the football or rugby clues the most frightening! Give me a cricket-related clue any day….
January 28th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
KD, ’twas indeed my comment, well remembered! I agree, this one simply reinforces the sentiment. So well done Orlando and PeterO.
January 28th, 2013 at 5:13 pm
Thanks Orlando – just right for a Quiptic, I thought.
Thanks PeterO; 16d and 21a took as long as the rest of the puzzle, and I still failed to parse KISS [got stuck on 'runners' as athletes!]