A lovely surprise to see Orlando occupying the Quiptic slot this week.
A typically elegant offering from the master craftsman, and one pitched at just the right level. Anyone wanting to learn the cryptic arts could do no better than working through the Orlando puzzles in the Guardian’s Quiptic archive.
This puzzle is a little high on the anagram and double definition count, perhaps, but all in all it makes a terrific start to the cryptic week.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ABSCONDER | Fugitive running Bond’s race (9) |
| An anagram (running) of BONDS RACE | ||
| 6 | PAIN | Suffering with father at home (4) |
| PA (father) IN (at home) | ||
| 8 | TERMINUS | Time runs out — it’s the end of the line (8) |
| An anagram (out) of TIME RUNS | ||
| 9 | UPLOAD | Hack Paul and do data transfer (6) |
| An anagram (hack) of PAUL and DO | ||
| 10 | KAISER | German emperor in King Arthur’s capital is seen by Her Majesty (6) |
| K (king) A (Arthur’s capital) IS (is) next to (seen by) ER (Her Majesty) | ||
| 11 | INDICATE | Show caught in country before half-term (8) |
| An insertion (in) of C (caught) in INDIA (country) preceding (before) TE (half-term, i.e. half the letters of TERM) | ||
| 12 | MINNOW | Little time at present for little fish (6) |
| MIN (little time, i.e. abbreviation of MINUTE) NOW (at present) | ||
| 15 | GREAT APE | Have a meal with fruit brought round for primate (5,3) |
| GRAPE (fruit) containing (brought round) EAT (have a meal) | ||
| 16 | ATHLETES | Ethel’s at ground for sporty types (8) |
| An anagram (ground) of ETHELS AT | ||
| 19 | DESERT | Run away from infertile area (6) |
| A double definition. Run away from = DESERT. Infertile area = DESERT | ||
| 21 | SABOTEUR | Wrecker rues boat wreck (8) |
| An anagram (wreck) of RUES BOAT | ||
| 22 | TENORS | Notes, we hear, for singers (6) |
| A homophone (we hear) of TENNERS (notes) | ||
| 24 | ASSESS | Fools before singular judge (6) |
| ASSES (fools) preceding (before) S (singular) | ||
| 25 | TOM HANKS | Hollywood star cheers when accepting award (3,5) |
| THANKS (cheers) around (when accepting) OM (award = Order of Merit) | ||
| 26 | STAY | Don’t go for support (4) |
| A double definition. Don’t go = STAY. Support = STAY | ||
| 27 | SCHOONERS | Glasses needed when seeing ships? (9) |
| A double cum cryptic definition. Glasses = SCHOONERS. Ships = SCHOONERS | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ARENA | A long time taken up in scene of conflict (5) |
| A reversal (taken up) of AN ERA (a long time) | ||
| 2 | SIMPSON | Homer, a simple chap, going round the outskirts of Paris (7) |
| SIMON (a simple chap; ref. is to Simple Simon) containing (going round) PS (outskirts = first and last letters of Paris) | ||
| 3 | OWNER | Proprietor getting some children worked up (5) |
| An answer hidden in (some) a reversal (up) of childREN WOrked | ||
| 4 | DASHING | Gallant in a hurry (7) |
| A double definition. Gallant = DASHING. In a hurry = DASHING | ||
| 5 | ROUNDHEAD | Where bandeau may be placed for supporter of Cromwell (9) |
| You put a bandeau ROUND your HEAD | ||
| 6 | POLECAT | Staff whip smelly animal (7) |
| POLE (staff) CAT (whip) | ||
| 7 | IN A STUPOR | Dazed cook put on airs (2,1,6) |
| An anagram (cook) of PUT ON AIRS | ||
| 13 | IN TRANSIT | Train isn’t diverted on the way (2,7) |
| An anagram (diverted) of TRAIN ISNT | ||
| 14 | WITNESSES | They see people like Oscar Wilde holding German city up (9) |
| WITS (people like Oscar Wilde) containing (holding) a reversal (up) of ESSEN (German city) | ||
| 17 | LOOSELY | Conveniences on top of cathedral? Not exactly! (7) |
| LOOS (conveniences) above (on top of) ELY (cathedral) | ||
| 18 | STRETCH | Extend term of imprisonment (7) |
| A double definition. Extend = STRETCH. Term of imprisonment = STRETCH | ||
| 20 | SANTA FE | Insect in secure US city (5,2) |
| An insertion (in) of ANT (insect) in SAFE (secure) | ||
| 22 | TEMPO | Speed for musician or bad poet covering miles (5) |
| An anagram (bad) of POET containing (covering) M (miles) | ||
| 23 | RAKES | Dissolute men getting into scrapes? (5) |
| A double cum cryptic definition. Dissolute men = RAKES. Scrapes = RAKES | ||
I thought this was wonderful – loved WITNESSES. As you say, nms, a great puzzle for learners to try out. Maybe its déjà vu but I’m sure I’ve seen the GREAT APE clue before?
Thanks Orlando and nms
Yes, fun. Favourite was SIMPSON. I agree about the GREAT APE clue; I think I’ve seen it quite recently too.
Thanks for blogging, nms.
Perfect Quiptic – I’ll be recommending this one to a couple of my friends who are trying to get into the Dark Arts.
No favourites, really – although, go on, I’ll side with matrixmania and say WITNESSES.
Bravo, Orlando.
I agree that this is a very nicely judged Quiptic. I’ve already recommended it to my husband, who occasionally tears himself away from sudoku for long enough to attempt an easy-ish cryptic.
Thanks, Orlando and nms.
I think you need to have a quiet word with your husband, jennyk. Nobody never learnt nothing about the English language from sudoku. Apart from, of course, about how to count from one to ten, which we all got the hang of in Y2 of infant school.
Apart from, of course, about how to count from one to ten
Sudoku doesn’t teach that, you can use any nine symbols, Hellemans used to do a version with sandwiches and other things you can dump their goop on.
Thanks Orlando and nms.
Perfect for beginners, and slow people like me. I did like SCHOONERS, WITNESSES and IN A STUPOR!
Sidey @6
Yes, standard sudoku is a logic puzzle, not a number puzzle. However, my personal addiction is to Killer Sudoku, which does keep my mental arithmetic up to scratch (well, at least my addition and subtraction up to 45). I try to convert my husband to that as well as cryptics, but with only limited success.
Kathryn’s Dad is of course right that crosswords are more educational. 🙂
Thanks Orlando and nms
I enjoyed this. Not too tricky and some ones that made me smile. SIMPSON was chief amongst these.
Re Sudoku, I prefer to put my words against a human being than doing a puzzle that computers can happily churn out by the truckload. I’ve never smiled at the wit of the 7 in the top left square nor wondered at the elegance of the given theme. Still do the of over occasionally though- when critics make me feel stupid.
They should read ‘pit my wits’, not ‘put my words’
And ‘odd one’ – not ‘of over’
Apologies
Started cry/quiptics 3 weeks ago and this was first one I ever finished ! LOOSELY was brill. Perfect level of challenge and fun for me, a novice, as you say NMS.
Well done on your first ever completion, Pete. Quite an achievement. Here’s to many more.
Orlando’s a bit of a hero of mine, if I’m honest. His was a name I always looked forward to when I was learning how to do cryptics a few years ago. A brilliant setter, I think.
And plenty more of his puzzles in the Quiptic archive on the Guardian site, as I say.
Happy solving 🙂