Quiptic 837 by Pan

by

An enjoyable dip into the cryptic waters from quiptic regular Pan. Very nicely pitched, I think, for beginners and those (like me this morning) in a hurry.

Across
1 SUPERBLY
Ely pubs set out to entertain royal very well indeed (8)

An anagram (set out) of ELY PUBS containing (to entertain) R (royal)
5 PSYCHE
Tipsy chemist imbibing spirit (6)

An answer hidden in (imbibing) tiPSY CHEmist
9 LOWLYING
Dishonesty found at base just above sea level (3-5)

LYING (dishonesty) next to (found at) LOW (base)
10 SATIRE
Father’s written about a primarily Trollopian literary genre (6)

SIRE (father) containing (written about) A (a) T (primarily Trollopian. Primarily = first letter of)
12 SURRENDERED
Gave in to Russia, backing split with alliance’s last communist (11)

A reversal (backing) of RUS (IVR code for Russia) plus REND (split), E (alliance’s last letter) and RED (communist)
15 IRONS
Prepares clothes for use on the golf course (5)

A cryptic definition. Irons are clubs you use on a golf course
17 LASERBEAM
Amber ales brewed to exhibit a high-intensity ray (5,4)

An anagram (brewed) of AMBER ALES
18 CONSTABLE
Artist in copper (9)

A double definition. Artist = CONSTABLE, copper = CONSTABLE
19 STILL
Quiet place to make drink (5)

A double definition. Quiet = STILL, place to make drink = STILL
20 RELIABILITY
Lie and try alibi about trustworthiness (11)

An anagram (about) of LIE TRY ALIBI
24 ORBITS
Circulates gold coins (6)

OR (gold) BITS (coins)
25 VICARAGE
Verger initially in charge, with a passion for the boss’s house? (8)

V (verger initially. Initially = first letter of) IC (in charge) plus (with) A (a) RAGE (passion)
26 MALADY
Month in which boy gets sickness (6)

MAY (month) containing (in which) LAD (boy)
27 TENEMENT
Principle restricting males to very basic accommodation (8)

TENET (principle) containing (restricting) MEN (males). I wasn’t aware that tenements were necessarily ‘very basic accommodation’
Down
1 SALESPITCH
Promotion for special drinks on sports field (5,5)

S (special) ALES (drinks) next to (on) PITCH (sports field)
2 POWERPOINT
Socket for a presentation system? (10)

A double definition. Socket = POWERPOINT, a presentation system = POWERPOINT
3 RHYME
Limerick, say, by Frost, say (5)

A homophone (the second ‘say’) of RIME (frost). The first ‘say’ is to indicate that a limerick is an example of a type of rhyme
4 LONSDALEBELT
All’s done in preparation for punch that wins boxing trophy (8,4)

An anagram (in preparation) of ALLS DONE plus BELT (punch). I’m not sure I can account for the ‘for’ here
6 STANDARDS
Flags put up next to A roads (9)

STAND = put up next to A (a) RDS (roads)
7 CAIN
Setter in jail with 23’s killer (4)

An insertion of I (setter) in CAN(jail). The answer to 23 is ABEL
8 EPEE
Life peer’s sword? (4)

An answer hidden in (‘s = has) lifE PEEr
11 CROSSEXAMINE
Angry former partner has a fund to question a witness for the other side (5,7)

CROSS (angry) EX (former partner) next to (has) A (a) MINE (fund)
13 LEGITIMATE
I get meal reinstated, maintaining it’s kosher (10)

An anagram (reinstated) of I GET MEAL containing (maintaining) IT (it)
14 EMPLOYMENT
Work memo with plenty changed (10)

An anagram (changed) of MEMO and PLENTY
16 SATURATED
Flooded planet almost reaching unfortunate date (9)

SATURN (planet) with the last letter deleted (almost) next to (reaching) an anagram (unfortunate) of DATE
21 IRATE
Mad old tax collector put away (5)

IR (old tax collector = Inland Revenue) ATE (put away)
22 FORM
Make something to sit on (4)

A double definition. Make = FORM, something to sit on = FORM
23 ABEL
Old Testament character without Latin name (4)

This needed a little head-scratching. But I think it’s LABEL (name) with the first L deleted (without Latin)

15 comments on “Quiptic 837 by Pan”

  1. Thanks Pan and nms
    Yes, good Quiptic. I finished in the NE as it took me longer than it should have to spot the well-hidden PSYCHE.

  3. Thanks Pan and newmarketsausage.

    Just right for a Quiptic. I failed to parse IRATE. PSYCHE was well hidden and I did like IRONS, CONSTABLE, ORBITS, SALES PITCH, RHYME and ABEL.

  4. TENEMENT possibly suffers from the divergence of US and UK (especially Scottish) English. In the States, calling a building a tenement is effectively calling it a slum. In Scotland, it’s more neutral – some of Glasgow’s tenements are positively opulent.

    Thanks for the parsing of IRATE – I got distract by “RATES” as an “old tax” and couldn’t parse the rest.

  5. Thanks for blogging, nms.

    Yes, just right for this slot, with nothing to frighten the horses.

    Interested in Schroduck’s comment about TENEMENT. It’s not a word I’d use very often, but I’ve always associated it with inner-city Scotland and with being run down. Times change. It’s related of course to TENURE and also to modern French ‘tenir’, to hold.

    Thanks to Pan too.

  6. A very nice quiptic today. I almost completed it, missing only 10a, and I couldn’t parse 6d.

    Thanks Pan and newmarketsausage

  7. Rime and Lonsdale were new for me but the crossers and wordplay made solving both clues possible, so no complaints here. Epee took far too long as I had the first letter and convinced myself that the answer had to be Earl. Kicked myself when I eventually got it. Thanks newmarketsausage and Pan.

  9. A form can be a long bench. The term “Form” in school derives from when all the children were in one room, but put into “classes” by sitting them on different benches or “forms”.

  13. Not sure, muffin, I think the school class may have been named after the form it sat on. Forms have been used in dining halls for centuries.

Comments are closed.