Guardian Quiptic 743 / Pan

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The crossword was there all along, but mislabelled! It is now correctly placed at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/quiptic/743.

When I finally got to solve the puzzle, it was not the easiest of Quiptics, with quite a lot of more elaborate wordplay and some definitions that required a little reflection, but it fell out eventually.

 

Across
9. Sailor visiting poor region around Irrawaddy’s source finds indigenous inhabitant (9)
ABORIGINE An envelope (‘around’) of I (‘Irrawaddy’s source’) in AB (‘sailor’) plus ORGINE, an anagram (‘poor’) of ‘region’.
10. Speak of lead-free dairy product (5)
  UTTER A subtraction: [b]UTTER (‘dairy product’) without its first letter (‘lead-free’ – just be careful how you pronounce ‘lead’).
11. Play containing one old 3-D scene (7)
DIORAMA An envelope (‘containing’) of I (‘one’) plus O (‘old’) in DRAMA (‘play’).
12. Setter playing the part of man with disease (7)
MEASLES A charade of ME (‘setter’) plus AS (‘playing the part of’) plus LES (‘man’) – which can be read a single phrase, of course.
13. Potty in toilet nearly emptied (5)
LOONY A charade of LOO (‘toilet’) plus NY (‘NearlY empty’).
14. Blue prepared to retain record (9)
DEPRESSED An envelope (‘to retain’) of EP (‘record’) in DRESSED (‘prepared’).
16. Sincere gent gets bras undone for women’s medical examination (6,9)
BREAST SCREENING An anagram (‘undone’) of ‘sincere gent plus ‘bras’.
19. Bow tie refashioned by court designer (9)
ARCHITECT A charade of ARCH (‘bow’) plus ITE, an anagram (‘refashioned’) of ‘tie’ plus CT (‘court’).
21. Vanquished, beheaded and consumed (5)
EATEN A subtraction: [b]EATEN (‘vanquished’) without its first letter (‘beheaded’).
22. Why punishment? (4,3)
WHAT FOR Double definition.
23. Dog adopted by fortune-teller is less likely to suffer harm (7)
SECURER An envelope (‘adopted by’) of CUR (‘dog’) in SEER (‘fortune-teller’).
24. Post a newspaper to the Queen (5)
AFTER A charade of ‘a’ plus FT (Financial Times, ‘newspaper’) plus ER (‘the Queen’).
25. Wise to sulk about Enid dancing with former partner? (9)
EXPEDIENT An envelope (‘about’) of DIEN, an anagram (‘dancing’) of ‘Enid’ in EX (‘former partner’) plus PET (‘sulk’).

Down
1. Has the ability to deal somehow with supporting structure for bust lighting (10)
CANDELABRA A charade of CAN (‘has the ability to’) plus DELA, an anagram (‘somehow’) of ‘deal’ plus BRA (‘supporter for bust’).
2. Satellite absorbing negative energy is all one colour (8)
MONOTONE An envelope (‘absorbing’) of NOT (‘negative’) in MOON (‘satellite’) plus E (‘energy’).
3. Large woman’s crime? (6)
BIGAMY A charade of BIG (‘large’) plus AMY (‘woman’).
4. Keen to upset drama queen (4)
DIVA A reversal (‘upset’ in a down light) of AVID (‘keen’).
5. Willingness to cooperate with new mates before rescheduled trip around island (4,6)
TEAM SPIRIT A charade of TEAMS, an anagram (‘new’) of ‘mates’ plus an envelope (‘around’) of I (‘island’) in PIRT, an anagram (‘rescheduled’) of ‘trip’.
6. African woman captivating Scandinavians (8)
SUDANESE An envelope (‘captivating’) of DANES (‘Scandinavians’) in SUE (‘woman’).
7. Hunts under cover for pieces of plants (6)
STALKS Double definition.
8. God of love turning up in pain (4)
EROS A reversal (‘turning up’ in a down light) of SORE (‘in pain’).
14. Dash for a curry, say, getting scoffed outside front of restaurant (10)
DISHEARTEN An envelope (‘outside’) of R (‘front of Restaurant’) in DISH (‘curry, say’) plus EATEN (‘scoffed’),
15. Immoral character entered age falsely (10)
DEGENERATE An anagram (‘falsely’) of ‘entered age’.
17. Worried, if priest’s in aeroplane! (8)
SPITFIRE An anagram (‘worried’) of ‘if priest’, for the World War II fighter.
18. Buried together with revolutionary (8)
INTERRED A charade of INTER (as a prefix, ‘together’) plus RED (‘revolutionary’).
20. Shed tears about a female at last — sneaky! (6)
CRAFTY An envelope (‘about’) of ‘a’ plus F (‘female’) plus T (‘aT last’) in CRY (‘shed tears’).
21. Small company used recycled Portuguese money once (6)
ESCUDO An anagram (‘recycled’) of S (‘small’) plus CO (‘small company’) plus ‘used’.
22. Listened to music in cloak (4)
WRAP A homophone (‘listened to’) of RAP (‘music’? That’s just editorial comment).
23. Little sister, clutching Pimms, initially drinks delicately (4)
SIPS An envelope (‘clutching’) of P (‘Pimms initially’) in SIS (‘little sister’).

6 comments on “Guardian Quiptic 743 / Pan”

  2. Maybe I was just on Pan’s wavelength because I thought this was a pretty standard Quiptic with the exception of EXPEDIENT which I entered from the definition.

  3. Once again, I found this a bit more difficult than today’s main cryptic in the paper, but a pleasing puzzle.

  4. 14D Strictly speaking, I think this is DISH + R in EATEN.

    21D One ‘S’ too many – CO is small company.

    Thanks to Peter O and Pan. Slightly above verage difficulty for a Quiptic, I would say.

  5. Thank you Peter and thanks to Pan for a crossword worthy of a daily setting.

    This was not a Quiptic – a quick cryptic. It took me longer than some of the daily x-words and I’m cross. What is the definition of a Quiptic crossword?

  6. Jan @6

    The problem of definition of a Quiptic comes up regularly here, most often to the tune of “whatever it is, this is not it”. Andy B found it easy, I thought it a little more difficult, but in range – so much depends on the person and circumstances. What else is there to say?

    gwep @4

    I do not see that you ar saying anything different from me on 14D; thanks for pointing out the slip in 21D, now corrected.

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