A very pleasant puzzle from Pan, just right for a Quiptic.
Most of the definitions given are from Chambers 12th Edition. Most of the standard abbreviations used in the wordplay are shown with the unused letters in brackets e.g. C(arbon). Definitions are underlined in the clue and only included in explanations where further information is given.
Across
5a Carbon fibre pencil (6)
CRAYON – C(arbon) followed by a synthetic fibre
6a Sauce for animal to drink (6)
CATSUP – a domestic animal followed by a small drink – does anyone still use this alternative spelling of ketchup?
9a Fail to take responsibility when police officer’s elsewhere (3,3)
COP OUT – a slang word for a police officer followed by a word meaning elsewhere
10a Got the grade, somehow (8)
GATHERED – an anagram (somehow ) of THE GRADE
11a That man leading Schutzstaffel? (4)
HESS – the male pronoun followed by the abbreviation of SchutzStaffel gives the surname of a former deputy leader of the Nazi party
12a One stopping the pleasure of others from ill-gotten gains reaching harbour (10)
SPOILSPORT – ill-gotten gains followed by a harbour
13a Royal house arranged Lent pageant (11)
PLANTAGENET – an anagram (arranged) of LENT PAGEANT
18a Device for extracting milk from swelling containing freshly expressed repast (6,4)
BREAST PUMP – a swelling around an anagram (freshly expressed) of REPAST
21a Printing error in nasty polemic (4)
TYPO – hidden inside the clue
22a Cast net to European before fire breaks out in island (8)
TENERIFE – an anagram (cast) of NET followed by E(uropean) and an anagram (breaks out) of FIRE
23a Quick look at spineless Tory is insufficient (6)
SCANTY – a quick look followed by TorY without its inner letters (spineless)
24a Giving medication to scoundrel admitting lust, say (6)
DOSING – a scoundrel around the kind of offence of which last is one of (say) seven deadly examples
25a Irritation in empty tummy is not very significant (6)
TITCHY – an irritation inside TummY without its inner letters (empty)
Down
1d Drink merrily on large merry-go-round (8)
CAROUSEL – a verb meaning to drink followed by L(arge)
2d Unborn creature‘s enemy with time to go to America (6)
FOETUS – an enemy followed by T(ime) and an abbreviation for America
3d Let Basil out of prison (8)
BASTILLE – an anagram (out) of LET BASIL
4d Pleased to get rid of date unexpectedly, having forty winks (6)
ASLEEP – an anagram (unexpectedly) of PLEASE(D) without (to get rid of) D(ate)
5d Plant drug on mistress (6)
CLOVER – C (Cocaine / drug} followed by a mistress
7d American writer to have a go at work that rhymes? (6)
POETRY – the surname of an American writer followed by a verb meaning to have a go
8d Surgeons aim to cut up foolish people (11)
IGNORAMUSES – an anagram (to cut up) of SURGEONS AIM
14d Fruit containing sadly inert source of goodness (8)
NUTRIENT – a fruit around an anagram (sadly) of INERT
15d Transport door (8)
ENTRANCE – two definitions
16d King taken in by devil’s associate (6)
FRIEND – the Latin abbreviation for king inside (taken in by) a devil
17d Indifference to a way to capture heart of royal (6)
APATHY – the A from the clue followed by a way or route and the middle letter (heart) of roYal
19d Reluctant to accept part of 7? (6)
AVERSE – split as (1,5) this is a part of 7 down
20d Drink finished before setter’s given glass at last! (6)
PASTIS – a word meaning finished followed by I (the setter} and the final letter (at last) of glasS
Comments from solvers who are new to cryptic puzzles are more than welcome – and that doesn’t mean the usual suspects can’t add their thoughts as well!
I actually thought this was more difficult than the Rufus cryptic, not helped by the less-than-friendly grid.
Thanks Big Dave; I’m not sure about ‘spineless’ as a middle deletion indicator – I don’t think I have seen it before, and maybe it could mean ‘remove the back?’ The ‘capture’ in 17 I took at first as a containment indicator. Could have just replaced with ‘the’ and retained the sense, I think.
Looks easier once it’s solved! 🙂
I think this was a perfect Quiptic. I particularly liked 9a, 3d, 12a, 13a, 16d & 24a and my favourite was 8d IGNORAMUSES.
New word for me was CATSUP.
Thanks for the blog, Big Dave.
I found this one easier than today’s Rufus, although it was a pleasant solve and a good example of what a Quiptic should be.
I suppose the question mark at the end of the clue for 11ac means that the setter just about got away with the fact that Rudolf Hess, while one of the leading Nazis, was never a leader of the SS.
Nope. Y’all have no idea what you are talking about. Mostly a good Quiptic that turns into a rubbish Quiptic in the space of a few clues. Remember, ALL clues must be appropriate for it to be a good Quiptic.
Only older solvers will remember the full name of the SS. I’m not that young, but young enough that I’d never heard it before. If you printed this out to do “on the train” you are unlikely to have a German dictionary to hand which makes the clue not just difficult but downright impossible. There is also a bit of double duty of the words in the clue, which is fairly rare even in a full blown cryptic.
You drunkards (just teasing!) may have heard of PASTIS, but us more sober types have never heard of it. Any Muslims out there? Do you think they would know? It ranks as an obscurity and has no place in a Quiptic.
Never heard of pastis? Really? I should think that a clue dependent on the knowledge of the identity of Harry Relph would certainly be the first to qualify as an obscurity, but pastis?