Nutmeg returns to the Quiptic with a puzzle to get the old grey cells ticking over once again.
In fact, perhaps more of a challenge than my poor old brain was expecting but an entertaining one nonetheless, with a nice balance of cryptic devices and some smile-inducing surface readings.
I confess I had to cheat on 23a, not knowing the car in the film. Oh, the shame of it!
Across | ||
1 | CRECHE | Play area in revolutionary nursery (6) |
REC (play area, recreation ground) contained in (in) CHE (revolutionary) | ||
4 | SUBSIDES | Official aid I once refused is reduced (8) |
A deletion of one of the Is (I once refused) from SUBSIDIES (official aid) | ||
9 | MOGUL | Second heave turned round big gun (5) |
MO (second, e.g. ‘in a mo’) plus a reversal (turned round) of LUG (heave) | ||
10 | WIPING OUT | Killing Greek character housed in annexe abroad (6,3) |
PI (Greek character, or letter) contained in (housed in) WING (annexe) plus OUT (abroad) | ||
11 | SPARE TIME | Do without porridge when we’re not busy? (5,4) |
Cryptic or double definition. Porridge refers to the time you might spend in prison. To do without is to spare | ||
12 | AESOP | Sit back beside Athens’ foremost storyteller (5) |
A reversal (back) of POSE (sit) next to (beside) A (Athens’ foremost, or first letter) | ||
13 | TWELFTH NIGHT | Play as reserve in Arthur’s cricket team, we’re told? (7,5) |
A cryptic definition. If you were the substitute in King Arthur’s cricket team you might be said to be the twelfth knight | ||
17 | AT A LATER DATE | Real data Tate assembles in due course (2,1,5,4) |
An anagram (assembles) of REAL DATE TATE | ||
20 | RACKS | Torments leader going off the rails (5) |
A deletion of the first letter (leader going off) of TRACKS (the rails) | ||
21 | FABRICATE | Devise a building block, briefly dipping into fortune (9) |
A (a) BRIC (building block briefly = BRICK with the last letter deleted) contained in (dipping into) FATE (fortune) | ||
23 | HERBICIDE | Police boarding car in film to find killer (9) |
CID (police) contained in (boarding) HERBIE (car in film) | ||
24 | PRIOR | Former deputy at Abbey (5) |
A double definition. Former = PRIOR, deputy at Abbey = PRIOR | ||
25 | SABOTAGE | Boat smashed in judicious action by wrecker (8) |
An anagram (smashed) of BOAT contained in (in) SAGE (judicious) | ||
26 | HYMNAL | Songbook from Milan my husband sent back (6) |
An answer hidden in (from) Milan my husband read backwards (sent back) | ||
Down | ||
1 | CAMPSITE | Make reference to installing electrical units for outdoor holiday venue (8) |
CITE (make reference to) containing (installing) AMPS (electrical units) | ||
2 | ENGRAVER | English partygoer getting in the groove? (8) |
Cryptic definition. ENG (English) RAVER (partygoer). An engraver might be said to put grooves in things | ||
3 | HALVE | Get about 50 to split equally (5) |
HAVE (get) containing (about) L (50 in Roman mumerals) | ||
5 | UNPREDICTABLE | Erratic jockey reclined at pub (13) |
An anagram (jockey) of RECLINED AT PUB | ||
6 | SUNBATHER | One suffering heat burns? (9) |
Cryptic definition. If you sunbathe you might get burned | ||
7 | DROWSY | Arguments between start and end of day dropping off (6) |
ROWS (arguments) contained in (between) DY (start = first letter and end = last letter of DAY) | ||
8 | SIT-UPS | Workers’ group cutting drinks gradually as part of fitness regime (3-3) |
TU (trade union, workers’ group) contained in (cutting) SIPS (drinks gradually) | ||
10 | WEIGHTLIFTING | Delay on radio before cancelling Olympic sport (13) |
WEIGHT (a homophone ‘on radio’ of wait = delay) plus (before) LIFTING (cancelling) | ||
14 | FETISHIST | Obsessive thief’s reformed first (9) |
An anagram (reformed) of THIEFS plus IST (first, or 1st) | ||
15 | CANADIAN | North American jail in which boy turns up or Russian girl goes down (8) |
CAN (jail) containing (in which) either a reversal of AIDAN (boy turns up) or NADIA (Russian girl) read in the normal way (goes down) | ||
16 | CEREBRAL | Intellectual brother tucking into cornflakes, perhaps (8) |
BR (brother) contained in (tucking into) CEREAL (cornflakes, perhaps) | ||
18 | ARCHES | Bridge supporters chief opponents in the game (6) |
ARCH (chief) ES (opponents in the game. I assume this is a reference to East and South in bridge) | ||
19 | SCARAB | Beetle about to be spotted amidst railings, climbing (6) |
CA (about, approximately) contained in (to be spotted amidst) a reversal (climbing) of BARS (railings) | ||
22 | IMPLY | Son leaves only hint (5) |
A deletion (leaves) of S (son) from SIMPLY (only) |
Thanks Nutmeg and newmarketsausage
Significantly harder than today’s Rufus for me, but equally enjoyable. I loved TWELFTH NIGHT and SUNBATHER.
……….which I would have said was anagram (heat burns) &lit.
muffin @ 2
Thank you. I knew there was something I was missing about the SUNBATHER clue. Another &lit sails straight by me. Aargh!
Another excellent Quiptic from Nutmeg, and I really liked the clue for ‘herbicide’.
I thought this was on the tricky side for a Quiptic, and it took me much longer than the main puzzle so the target audience may not have enjoyed it as much as I did. I thought the clue for HERBICIDE was excellent once I’d solved it, although it didn’t take as long to crack as my LOI, SUBSIDES, where it took me ages to sort out the wordplay and the definition despite the helpful checkers.
This was an enjoyable Quiptic. My favourites were 13a, 4a, 19d, 20a, 2a, 2d, 1a, 15d and 15d (LOI).
‘Porridge’ = ‘time in prison’ was new for me, and I needed help to parse 21a, 18d.
Thank you Nutmeg and newmarketsausage
michelle @6
“Porridge” = “time in prison” was the explanation for the title of the Ronnie Barker series (set in prison!)
Thanks, nms (not that one).
If it makes you feel better, I got stuck on HERBICIDE as well. Overall a nice puzzle, but today probably a bit harder than the Grauniad Cryptic (but different, as well).
CANADIAN was good.
Brava, Nutmeg.
Thanks Nmsnto, that was fun and shows what a star setter Nutmeg is, many setters can do hard, but easy is apparently harder to do but she can do the evil level barred stuff too.
A couple of hmms about definitions but that’s what this training ground is about.
Nmsnto herbie? For shame sir, 100 lines writing out the names of all the Disney films 🙂
And you missed the blatant Nina. Ok I lied about that bit. Thanks both.
I fully agree with flashling – Nutmeg’s a star!
This crossword is called a Quiptic, I know, but I don’t know what a Quiptic is anyway. We all seem to think what it is but what is it?
So having said that, this crossword is as good as any Dac (in the Indy) on a Wednesday [which is a compliment] or any Orlando on any day [which is, even more, a compliment].
The quality of this puzzle fully matches the overall high standards of Guardian crosswords over the last six months.
Something has changed and there is something very right about it.
As there was something very right about this crossword: for me 5d, 6d and 14d were Golds among many Silvers.
A huge thanks to Nutmeg.
And thank you The Other NMS, too.
Late to the party but thanks to Nutmeg and nmsnto.
Good crossword with tight cluing but a little hard for a Quiptic, I thought.
SUNBATHER was a stand out clue; a classic!
Hated this
Couldn’t do it
(A beginner)
Loved the Rufus today though