This was a delightful way to start the week.
We don’t think we have done a Pan puzzle before but we will keep an eye out from now on. The surface reading of many off the clues was excellent!
| Across | ||
| 4 | Macedonia, then Serbia, laying claim to city | |
| ATHENS | Hidden within the clue or ‘laying claim to’ Macedoni(A THEN S)erbia = city | |
| 6 | Great novelist with time to be a love cheat | |
| BIGAMIST | BIG (great) + AMIS (novelist) + T (time) = a love cheat | |
| 9 | Emissary from the pope emerging from the French port | |
| LEGATE | LE (French for the) + GATE (port) = emissary from the pope | |
| 10 | Know-all in Telegraph accepting complex case | |
| WISEACRE | WIRE (telegraph) around or ‘accepting’ anagram of CASE (anagrind is ‘complex’) = know-all | |
| 11 | Scots wearing same tartan almost certain to be furtive | |
| CLANDESTINE | CLAN (Scots wearing same tartan) + DESTINE |
|
| 15 | Silly speech made by tense Welsh theologian steeped in drink | |
| TWADDLE | T (Tense) + W (Welsh) + DD (theologian) inside or ‘steeped in’ ALE (drink) = silly speech | |
| 17 | Vestibule contains ancient luggage | |
| HOLDALL | HALL (vestibule) around or ‘containing’ OLD (ancient) = luggage | |
| 18 | Socially inept doctor detaining a boy with right to take drug | |
| MALADJUSTED | MD (doctor) around or ‘detaining’ A LAD (a boy) + JUST (right) + E (drug) = socially inept | |
| 22 | Sailors in the drink? | |
| ABSINTHE | ABS (sailors ) + IN THE = drink | |
| 23 | Signal Corps getting criticism for brigade’s ultimate predicament | |
| SCRAPE | SC (Signal Corps) + RAP (criticism) + E (ultimate letter of brigade) = predicament | |
| 24 | Fellow compiler and star prepared to go to court for start of play | |
| FIRST ACT | F (fellow) + I (compiler) + anagram of STAR (anagrind is ‘prepared’) + CT (court) = start of play | |
| 25 | Mammal and one confused with bird | |
| PIGEON | PIG (mammal) + anagram of ONE (anagrind is ‘confused’) = bird | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Married when nude? It’s outrageous! | |
| UNITED | Anagram of NUDE IT (anagrind is ‘is outrageous’) = married. Thanks Robi@2 | |
| 2 | Faded and died embracing small son and husband | |
| DIMINISHED | DIED around or ‘embracing’ MINI (small) + S (son) + H (husband) = faded | |
| 3 | Cook fit to make this kind of tart? | |
| BAKEWELL | BAKE (cook) + WELL (fit) = the tart that comes from Derbyshire! | |
| 4 | Place where everyone rejected Mexican food served to English | |
| ALLOCATE | ALL (everyone) + TACO (Mexican food) reversed or ‘rejected’ + E (English) = place | |
| 5 | Swineherd with a yen for New Year’s eve | |
| HOGMANAY | HOG MAN (swineherd) + A + Y (yen) = New Year’s eve | |
| 7 | Skin problem of one riding broomstick, scratching top of warts | |
| ITCH | ||
| 8 | Online message is short and sweet | |
| TWEE | TWEE |
|
| 12 | Sun, discomfort and second drink lead to psychological damage | |
| SHELL SHOCK | S (sun) + HELL (discomfort) + S (second) + HOCK (drink) = psychological damage | |
| 13 | Transport for witch put on earth to find ancient city | |
| CARTHAGE | CART (transport) + HAG (witch) + E (earth) = ancient city | |
| 14 | Leg bound to be damaged by club | |
| BLUDGEON | Anagram of LEG BOUND (anagrind is ‘damaged’) = club | |
| 16 | Admit one’s unfit to rule | |
| DOMINATE | Anagram of ADMIT ONE (anagrind is ‘is unfit’) = to rule. Thanks again to Robi@2 | |
| 18 | Church intervenes to protect raggedly dressed child | |
| URCHIN | Hidden within the clue or ‘protected by’ ch(URCH IN)tervenes = raggedly dressed child | |
| 20 | Youngster showing a it of leg | |
| CALF | Double definition CALF (youngster) = bit of a leg | |
| 21 | TSAR | Public official with special responsibility for dealing with problem of marauding rats |
| Anagram of RATS (anagrind is ‘marauding’) = Public official with special responsibility for dealing with problem | ||
Yup, that will do. Ta all.
Entertaining puzzle; thanks Pan.
Thanks Bertandjoyce; a small point, but in 1d and 16d I think the anagrind is ‘is [‘s] outrageous’ and ‘is unfit,’ otherwise it seems to me that the ‘s’ would have to be included as fodder. Unbelievably, I missed the ha for URCHIN; I thought the church (CH) intervened in ‘URIN,’ whatever that meant! 🙁
I didn’t know WISEACRE, which is perhaps a little unusual for a Quiptic, although clearly clued.
Thanks Robi@2. I will make the necessary changes. I (Joyce) did wonder about the ‘s when I wrote the blog.
I was also going to look up URIN in the dictionary until Bert realised that it was hidden in the clue!
Thanks, B&J. The Quiptics from Pan – and indeed the other setters – are usually well set. Good for beginners but also offering a quick solve for more experienced folk. URCHIN is a lovely example of a Quiptic clue, I think. But people from BAKEWELL will always call it Bakewell Pudding, for obvious reasons.
Fine puzzle from Pan; thank you.