The third outing in the Quiptic slot for Provis, whose identity remains a closely guarded secret.
There is plenty here for learners of the cryptic arts to get their teeth into, and a good range of clue types and devices on display.
The heads of experienced solvers might need an occasional scratch too.
All in all, a very pleasant Monday morning solve.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ATTEMPT | Entice after a time trial (7) |
| TEMPT (entice) after A (a) T (time) | ||
| 5 | UPRIGHT | Just out of bed? (7) |
| A cryptic definition. Just = upright. If you are out of bed, you might be (standing) upright | ||
| 9 | ALIAS | Alternative name for a rotated sail (5) |
| A (a) LIAS (a reversal ‘rotated’ of sail) | ||
| 10 | INDIGNANT | Outraged by popular insult to northern worker (9) |
| IN (popular) DIG (insult) + (to) N (northern) ANT (worker) | ||
| 11 | HIGH AND DRY | Helpless drunk also needs a drink (4,3,3) |
| HIGH (drunk) AND (also) DRY (needs a drink) | ||
| 12 | MEMO | Written communication from troublesome Moscow (4) |
| An answer hidden in (from) troublesoME MOscow | ||
| 14 | PUBLIC HOUSE | Local building open to all (6,5) |
| PUBLIC (open to all) HOUSE (building) | ||
| 18 | ARRANGEMENT | Order called English troops to get into craft (11) |
| RANG (called) E (English) MEN (troops) contained in/inside (to get into) ART (craft). AR(RANGEMEN)T | ||
| 21 | ITCH | Urge to change course after losing two leaders (4) |
| [sw]ITCH (to change course, minus the first two letters, ‘after losing two leaders’) | ||
| 22 | LIVING WAGE | Quick payment provides enough for basic needs (6,4) |
| LIVING (quick) WAGE (payment) | ||
| 25 | HEADACHES | Unfortunately, EEC has had problems (9) |
| An anagram (unfortunately) of EEC HAS HAD | ||
| 26 | AMBLE | Lake District town team going for a gentle walk (5) |
| AMBLE[side] Lake District town minus side (team going) | ||
| 27 | DREAMED | Horror surrounding chronic fatigue syndrome is imagined (7) |
| DREAD (horror) containing/around (surrounding) ME (chronic fatigue syndrome). DREA(ME)D | ||
| 28 | ENHANCE | At first, extra nutrients helped terrible acne to improve (7) |
| ENH (first letters of ‘at first’ E[xtra] N[utrients] H[elped] and an anagram (terrible) of ACNE | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | APATHY | Lack of interest for a course on Yiddish to begin with (6) |
| A (a) PATH (course) + (on) Y (first letter ‘to begin with’ of Yiddish) | ||
| 2 | TWINGE | Bit of a pain to get disguised to secure victory (6) |
| TGE (an anagram ‘disguised’ of GET) containing/around (to secure) WIN (victory). T(WIN)GE | ||
| 3 | MASCARPONE | Parmesan company briefly manufactured Italian cream cheese (10) |
| An anagram (manufactured) of PARMESAN CO (company briefly) | ||
| 4 | THIRD | Just over 33% in position for bronze (5) |
| A double definition. Just over 33% = THIRD. Position for bronze = THIRD | ||
| 5 | UNDERMINE | A French tunnel is blocked by the German sabotage (9) |
| UN (a French) MINE (tunnel) containing/around (is blocked by) DER (the German). UN(DER)MINE | ||
| 6 | RAGE | Ridicule European craze (4) |
| RAG (ridicule) E (European) | ||
| 7 | GRATEFUL | Appreciative of a rug left around (8) |
| An anagram (around) of A RUG LEFT | ||
| 8 | TATTOOED | Gallery director goes around excessively adorned with body art (8) |
| TATE (gallery) D (director) containing (goes around) TOO (excessively). TAT(TOO)ED | ||
| 13 | PHOTOGRAPH | Image appears again in reduced form on diagram (10) |
| PHOTO (reduced form of photograph) + (on) GRAPH (diagram) | ||
| 15 | BLEMISHED | Less than perfect Lib Dems he corrupted (9) |
| An anagram (corrupted) of LIB DEMS HE | ||
| 16 | BANISHED | Expelled bishop disappeared without vestments, originally (8) |
| B (bishop) [v]ANISHED (disappeared minus v, the first letter of vestments ‘vestments originally’) | ||
| 17 | WRECKAGE | Debris from ship crew abandoned a long time after last of attack (8) |
| An anagram (abandoned) of CREW plus AGE (a long time) after K (last of attack). WREC + K + AGE | ||
| 19 | CARBON | Vehicle bachelor regularly loans can be used for dating (6) |
| CAR (vehicle) B (bachelor) ON (letters 2 and 4 ‘regularly’ of loans) | ||
| 20 | DELETE | Remove part of raised concrete ledge (6) |
| An answer hidden in (part of) concrETE LEDge, read backwards, or from the bottom up (raised) | ||
| 23 | ISSUE | Produce children (5) |
| A double definition. Produce = ISSUE. Children = ISSUE | ||
| 24 | WARM | Heat up raw meat starter (4) |
| WAR (a reversal ‘up’ of raw) M (meat starter, i.e. the first letter of meat) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Provis & nms – I thought this was about right for a Quiptic.
I liked BANISHED and CARBON but didn’t much like the PHOTO as a reduced form of PHOTOGRAPH.
Pretty much as Robi.
Count me as another who thinks that this puzzle was pitched at exactly the right level for a Quiptic. ITCH was my LOI after WRECKAGE.
I thought it was at the right level for a Quiptic too. Let’s hope the novice cryptic solvers agree with us.
Some super clues – along with Robi’s choices, I also loved UNDERMINE or BLEMISHED. Have to say that PUBLIC HOUSE was very weak, but perhaps that’s the point – very obvious wordplay to help beginners spot the noun-as-adjective definition.
Thanks nms,
An enjoyable puzzle from Provis and my last one in was ATTEMPT. I had A_T_M_T but couldn’t see the correct answer
as I was fixated on AUTOMAT which obviously has no bearing on the clue. Thanks to Provis which I’ve just entered as
a search argument and expected to find a Latin term or a character in a play but the only reference is as a surname
so maybe it’s Mr or Ms Provis.
@Davy
I think our setter is someone quite young, taking time off from bicycling up and down the cobbled streets, delivering loaves of bread fresh from the bakery. But I could be wrong.
Slight typo in 19dn – presumably bachelor is providing B rather than BA.
LOI was DELETE because I was stubbornly insisting on viewing it as a double definition (and a poor knowledge of Lake District geography means I didn’t get the last crosser until almost done).
First non-Private Eye crossword I’ve ever sat down and made myself finish.
Enjoyable, thanks. A pedantic point – don’t public houses have a minimum age limit, hence not strictly open to all? (I mean the bar part of the pub, not say the garden.)
Thank you, nms (not that one). I think, like Brendan (not that one), we must call you that to avoid confusing you with the redoubtable nmsindy, who blogged and commented on Fifteensquared for many years (and still sets for us, of course).
This worked for me, and I thought that the surface readings were generally excellent. I especially liked MASCARPONE today for that very reason.
@Frederic Heath-Renn
Thanks for pointing out the error. Now corrected.
@Havana Lover
To be pedantic in return, the clue doesn’t say that public houses are open to all. It just provides a word – local – which is a synonym for public house.
@Kathryn’s Dad
nms (not that one) is fine by me. It’s so much less formal than Mr Sausage 🙂
nms (not that one)