This is probably one of the easiest Quiptics to date. But no complaints. It did have some very nice surfaces, and many anagrams; the latter being part of the reason why I found it easy. Thanks Pan. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle. Please enclose any comments on them in double brackets. Thank you.]]
Across
1 Chicken served with the French seafood (6)
COCKLE : COCK(a male chicken) plus(served with) LE(French for “the”).
4 Drug legal to bring out (6)
ELICIT : E(abbrev. for the drug Ecstasy) + LICIT(legal).
9 Crap spouses sort out not communicating effectively (2,5,8)
AT CROSS PURPOSES : Anagram of (out)CRAP SPOUSES SORT. Apt surface for crap spouses. A WIWD(wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.
10 Headless fish going astray (6)
ERRING : “herring”(a food fish) minus its first letter(Headless).
11 Some let teenagers consume egg dish (8)
OMELETTE : Hidden in(… consume) “Some let teenagers“.
12 Row of houses by moonlight? (8)
CRESCENT : Cryptic defn: A row of houses along a curved street that may be lit by a new moon of similar shape. I can’t find a reference to the answer being synonymous with moonlight for it to be considered a double definition.
14 “Pieces of meat”, said Poles (6)
STAKES : Homophone of(said) “steaks”(pieces of meat).
15 Before end of innings, heartless Somerset umpire dismisses batsman (6)
STUMPS : Last letter of(end of) “innings” placed after(Before …, …) { “Somerset) minus all its inner letters(heartless) + UMP(short for “umpire”) }. A surface for cricketing fans. Another WIWD clue.
18 Author and editor kept busy with trifling tasks (8)
POTTERED : POTTER(Beatrix, author of children’s books) plus(and) ED(abbrev. for “editor”).
21 Dreadful class of people reported for abusive speech (8)
DIATRIBE : Homophone of(reported) “dire(dreadful;terrible) tribe”.
22 No sailor close to mutiny gets someone to prepare legal documents (6)
NOTARY : NO + TAR(a sailor) + last letter of(close to) “mutiny”.
24 Gruesome tics cry out for procedure to make face more appealing (8,7)
COSMETIC SURGERY : Anagram of(out) GRUESOME TICS CRY. Another nice surface/WIWD clue.
25 Maintains anecdote’s crazy (6)
INSANE : Hidden in(…’s, as a contraction of “has”) “Maintains anecdote“.
26 Treatment for psychosis in strange part of the body! (6)
RECTUM : ECT(abbrev. for “electroconvulsive therapy”;a psychiatric treatment) contained in(in) RUM(strange;odd).
Down
1 Provider of victuals to pet visiting two queens (7)
CATERER : CAT(a pet, perhaps) plus(visiting) ER,ER(2 x abbrev. for Elizabeth Regina, the Queen).
2 Dog found by conscientious objector and Republican soldier (5)
CORGI : CO(abbrev. for “conscientious objector”) plus(and) R(abbrev. for a member of the Republican Party) + GI(a US soldier).
3 Convict caught while being served with northeast Italian food (7)
LASAGNE : LAG(British slang for a convict) containing(caught) AS(while;at the same time as in “while/as you wave goodbye…” ) plus(being served with) NE(abbrev. for “northeast”).
5 Generosity of regal runaway on ship (7)
LARGESS : Anagram of(runaway) REGAL placed above(on, in a down clue) SS(abbrev. for “steamship”).
6 Work together in confined space with energy and speed (9)
COOPERATE : COOP(a confined space, eg. where chickens might be kept) plus(with) E(abbrev. for “energy” in physics) plus(and) RATE(a speed, say, of motion)
7 Plays performed here and broadcast at three (7)
THEATRE : Anagram of(broadcast) AT THREE.
8 Proust disconcerted by vegetable (6)
SPROUT : Anagram of(disconcerted) PROUST.
13 I seem most upset now and then (9)
SOMETIMES : Anagram of(upset) I SEEM MOST.
16 Lose one’s footing on oil spilt in Libyan city (7)
TRIPOLI : TRIP(to lose one’s footing) placed above(on, in a down clue) anagram of(spilt) OIL.
17 Struck with a heavy blow by end of Lewis’s glove (7)
SMITTEN : Last letter of(end of) “Lewis” + MITTEN(a glove with one section for thumb and a single section for all the other fingers).
18 Priest meeting one and all to give religious instruction (6)
PREACH : PR(abbrev. for “priest”) plus(meeting) EACH(every one and all).
19 On reflection, not guaranteed to get a haircut (7)
TONSURE : Reversal of(On reflection) NOT + SURE(guaranteed;certain).
20 Body part delivered by a murder suspect (7)
EARDRUM : Anagram of(suspect) A MURDER. Another body part.
23 Drunk and reluctant to stand a round (5)
TIGHT : Double defn: 2nd: Too stingy to treat/stand a round.
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For the answer to the last pic, please click here together with here.
I enjoyed this puzzle by Pan. My favourites were 20d, 26a, 19d, 15a, 21a.
I could not parse 3d.
Thanks for the blog, scchua.
Just right for a Quiptic, I thought.
Thanks scchua; I hadn’t realised the ‘s in 25 was the hidden indicator. I thought the body part in 26 was just TUM at first. Last one in was DIATRIBE, where I had to use a word search, but the clue was faultless. I would normally spell LARGESS with an ‘e’ on the end, although both versions are in Chambers.
[[#1&3 are from Dennis POTTER’s Singing Detective
#2 is New Orleans, I think, but maybe the signposts are AT CROSS PURPOSES?
#4 seems to be a heart….?]
[[COCKLEs of the heart??]]
After a couple of more difficult Quiptics this one was pitched at the right level, and if anything was on the easier side. Solved top to bottom.
Thanks to Pan for the puzzle and scchua for the blog.
[[ #2 is New Orleans which is nicknamed the Crescent City.]]
Cheers…
Thanks grandpuzzler @5; I didn’t know that. According to Wiki: ‘Crescent City alludes to the course of the Lower Mississippi River around and through the city.’
[[Quite right Robi and grandpuzzler. Hint: the last pocture’s link is an etymological one.]]
Hi scchua; could you please post a link for the last picture.
[[Sorry, Robi, was tied up yesterday and today with writing blogs. I’ve posted the links – it’s possible, but by no means certain, that that’s the origin of the phrase you gave.]]