Guardian Quiptic 784/Nutmeg

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It’s now past ten of the clock.  The fact that I normally have the Quiptic blog out early, being a lark rather than an owl, tells you how I found this one.  So without further ado …

 

 

 

Abbreviations

cd  cryptic definition
dd  double definition
(xxxx)*  anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x]  letter(s) missing

definitions are underlined

Across

1 Add variety with resounding performance in tower?
RING THE CHANGES
A cd cum dd to start us off.

9 Small pay increase needed for this type of housing
LOW-RISE
A charade of LOW and RISE.

10 Capital manner possessed by 50% of nobility
NAIROBI
Nutmeg is asking us to insert AIR into NOBI[LITY].

11 Opt for standing, having changed sides
ELECT
If you change L and R, the ‘sides’ in ERECT for ‘standing’, you’ve got your answer.

12 Cockney criminals going to pot?
TEA LEAVES
Another cd cum dd.  In Cockney rhyming slang, TEA LEAVES are thieves, or ‘criminals’.

13 Charge made by small bank on farm vehicle
CARTRIDGE
A charade of CART and RIDGE.

14 Girl from South Africa featured in tabloid …
SUSAN
An insertion of SA in SUN.  The Currant Bun could be described as a ‘tabloid’, I suppose, but only very loosely as a ‘newspaper’.

15 … posed in disguise, needing no introduction
ASKED
[M]ASKED.  As usual, the ellipses between this clue and the preceding one have naff all to do with anything.

17 Car wrecked in prison break could become this
SCRAP IRON
An insertion of (CAR)* in (PRISON)* with ‘wrecked’ and ‘break’ as the two anagrinds.  Is this &lit?  You tell me.

20 Temporary coach directed first person further back
TRANSIENT
Well, ‘coach directed’ would be TRAIN SENT; then if you change the position (‘further back’) of I, which is the ‘first person’ grammatically, you get TRANSIENT.  But for me, since we write from left to right and this is an across clue, this is putting I further forward.  Or perhaps I’m just being a bit dense this morning.

22 Indian bread and water passed after game
RUPEE
A charade of RU for the setters’ favourite ‘game’, and … well, you can work it out, I’m sure.  ‘Bread’ in the ‘money’ sense.

23 Intend to wear torn old clothes
RAIMENT
An insertion of AIM in RENT.  ‘Old’ because RAIMENT is archaic, I guess.

24 No match official’s expected to lose heart!
REFUSAL
A charade of REF and US[U]AL.

25 Spooner’s poultry kept by Roald, a classic author
CHARLES DICKENS
My least favourite clue type, but at least this one is slightly amusing.  A Spoonerism of DAHL’S CHICKENS.

Down

1 Local restorers renovated fairground rides
ROLLER COASTERS
(LOCAL RESTORERS)*

2 Annual excuse for party — were any disturbed?
NEW YEAR
(WERE ANY)*

3 Prattled and made fun of the Queen coming in
TWITTERED
An insertion of ER in TWITTED.

4 Made effective use of page dropped by master journalist
EXERTED
A charade of EX[P]ERT and ED.

5 Poisonous plant responsible for fowl pest?
HENBANE
A cd: HEN BANE, which is what might be a ‘fowl pest’.

6 Green tea initially rejected by aborigine
NAIVE
NA[T]IVE.  And no teenager in sight.

7 Changes wheels right away
EVOLVES
[R]EVOLVES

8 Partial loss of sense that dressmaker’s familiar with
PINS AND NEEDLES
Another cd cum dd.

14 Bent cop is for pocketing one narcotic
SOPORIFIC
(COP IS FOR)* with I inserted.  The anagrind is ‘bent’.

16 Extremely keen Liberal leader dismissed as deceitful
KNAVISH
A charade of KN for the outside letters of ‘keen’ and [L]AVISH.

17 Woman with two articles to put in case
SHEATHE
A charade of SHE, A and THE.

18 Flag with scarlet border pulled out
RETIRED
An insertion of TIRE in RED.

19 Letter I posted includes reply
RIPOSTE
Hidden in letteR I POSTEd.

21 Direct course of animal on farm
STEER
A dd.

Thanks to Nutmeg for this one.

14 comments on “Guardian Quiptic 784/Nutmeg”

  1. Thanks Nutmeg and Pierre
    This took considerably longer than Rufus today.

    If “Dahl’s” rhymes with “Charles”, I’ve been pronouncing (at least) one of them incorrectly all my life!

  2. Thanks Nutmeg and Pierre.

    This also took me longer than Rufus.
    TRANSIENT is a bit confusing as Pierre says, but I suppose it means reading backwards, the first person already being in position. I could not parse KNAVISH.

    CHARLES and DAHL’S rhymes for me, the plant Dahlia comes from Dahl, but is pronounced differently, do you pronounce Dahl like Dale muffin?

  3. Dahl has no R, Cookie – R is pronounced quite prominently both where I was brought up and where I live now! Think Robert Newton – “Arr, Jim lad”.

  4. I had a slight quibble with 20 – a coach is not a train, but part of one – but I think it’s acceptible to say that moving a letter to the right is moving it “further back”, since (especially in crosswordese!) the first letter of a word is the “front” and the last letter is the “back”.

    Very nice puzzle, thanks Nutmeg and Pierre.

  5. Schroduck @4, perhaps “coach” is being used in the sense “to train”?
    What I wrote @2 about the first person being directed back is rubbish!

  6. Thanks Nutmeg and Pierre… but why the downer on Spoonerisms?

    Like others I found this harder than today’s Rufus but still about right for a Quiptic, I think.

    muffin @3: Wouldn’t someone with a very strong west country accent tend to insert an R after a long vowel sound, like say, Dahrrrl’? 😉

  8. Spoonerisms just not my favourite type of clue, Angstony. Often a bit contrived, or dodgy, depending on how you pronounce stuff. A personal thing.

    Seems like I wasn’t the only one to find it toughish.

  9. @muffin: um… so you would rather say, “ah, Jim my lad” then? 😀

    @Pierre: Fair enough. There is the perennial problem – as with all homophone type clues – of them not always working in every accent, especially when there is a rhotic/non-rhotic element to it, as there was with today’s. But I must say I do find it surprising that other crossword lovers apparently don’t get as much enjoyment as I do from the play on words and the implication that they’re unintentional. In that respect they remind me of my dear old grandma, who was a regular Mrs Malaprop and incredibly funny.

  12. Most of the top half seemed spot on, but by the bottom half she seemed to have switched briefs. {Sid James laugh}

  13. Thanks Pierre,

    I did half of this yesterday, ran out of time and so finished it this morning. It seemed easier this morning than yesterday
    for some reason. I always find Nutmeg’s puzzles more difficult than the other setters with Hectence not far behind. There were
    several clue constructions which wouldn’t be amiss in the Guardian cryptic such as ASKED, TRANSIENT and NAIVE (my last one in).
    I think the missing/moving letter clues are too difficult for the beginner but it was an enjoyable puzzle so thanks Nutmeg.
    There were some clever clues and I particularly liked TEA LEAVES and RIPOSTE (very good surface).

    The Spoonerism in 25a reminds me of an old sketch featuring Marty Feldman where he goes into a book shop and asks for a book
    by Darles Chickens and also makes many other ridiculous requests like “have you got Rarnaby Budge”. He finally says “Have you
    got Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens” and the assistant (I think it was John Cleese) says “At last a book I’ve actually got !”.
    Marty replies “I mean the Dutch author with two Ks.

  14. I enjoyed this puzzle, and I also agree that it seemed a bit difficult for a Quiptic.

    I needed help to parse 24a.

    My favourites were 8d, 25a, 12a, 22a.

    Thanks Nutmeg and Pierre.

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