Nutmeg has got the hang of these Quiptics, this one fits the brief exactly. Well almost, as I have one reservation (8dn).
Either I have missed something (always possible!) or the subsidiary indication is not exactly clear. In fact I had trouble trying to explain it and am not sure if I have done so correctly. Alternative parsings are therefore most welcome.
Across
1 Why athlete may go to ground / expecting punishment? (3,3,4,4)
FOR THE HIGH JUMP – double def.
9 A colourful display from the Gunners in East End (7)
RAINBOW – RA (Gunners) IN BOW (in East End)
10 US author‘s someone not initially gripping me (7)
EMERSON – [p]ERSON (someone not initially) around (gripping) ME
11 Police weapon that a sergeant uses (5)
TASER – hidden in (uses) ‘thaT A SERgeant’
12 Where president has the authority to exaggerate (9)
OVERSTATE – OVER STATE (where president has the authority)
13 Loud rampaging teenager, one without restraint (4,5)
FREE AGENT – F (loud) plus an anagram (rampaging) of TEENAGER
14 Council leader handed down rent (5)
CLEFT – C[ouncil] (council leader) LEFT (handed down)
15 Follow those last in line then, unless you leave (5)
ENSUE – last letters of (those last in) [lin]E [the]N [unles]S [yo]U [leav]E
17 Fellow stalwart in action, sacked from the ministry (9)
DEFROCKED – F (fellow) ROCK (stalwart) in DEED (action)
20 Dame Edna’s one to pull man on board (4,5)
DRAG QUEEN – DRAG (to pull) QUEEN (man on board)
22 Couple penning notes haven’t a clue (5)
DUNNO – DUO (couple) around (penning) NN (notes)
23 Artist’s cries disheartened villains (7)
RASCALS – RA (artist) CA[l]LS (cries disheartened)
24 Retreat, it’s said, diminished corporation (7)
SANCTUM – a homophone (it’s said) of ‘sank’ (diminished) plus TUM (corporation)
25 Confused prelates taken in by criminals’ deceptions (5,9)
FALSE PRETENCES – an anagram (confused) of PRELATES in (taken in by) FENCES (criminals)
Down
1 Traditionally, Adam and Eve / people not previously in suits (5,9)
FIRST OFFENDERS – double def.
2 Another impression touching children (7)
REISSUE – RE (touching) ISSUE (children)
3 Bats breathe in and sleep for months (9)
HIBERNATE – an anagram (bats) of BREATHE IN
4 Cow loose in house — what’s the explanation? (3,4)
HOW COME – an anagram (loose) of COW in HOME (house)
5 Most gloomy feature of ogre? Yes, thankfully (7)
GREYEST – hidden in (feature of) ‘oGRE YES Thankfully’
6 Well I never! Our queen’s scrapped service vehicles (5)
JEEPS – JEEP[er]S (well I never! Our queen’s scrapped)
7 Mother’s wise treatment for stress (7)
MASSAGE – MA’S (mother’s) SAGE (wise)
8 Quotes from “Hamlet”, say (8,6)
INVERTED COMMAS – part of (from … say) “[hamlet]”
14 It could make DG conceal rustic entertainment (4,5)
CLOG DANCE – an anagram (it could make) of DG CONCEAL
16 Large bird seen above the main city of Wales (7)
SWANSEA – SWAN (large bird) SEA (the main)
17 Daughter replacing leader in gym exercise put costume on (5,2)
DRESS UP – pRESS UP (gym exercise) with the first letter (leader in) replaced with D (daughter)
18 Skilful handling‘s needed when imposing penalties on bridge players (7)
FINESSE – FINES (penalties) S E (bridge players)
19 Relations summon up a particular form of energy (7)
KINETIC – KIN (relations) CITE (summon) reversed (up)
21 Where ships may draw up report of security devices (5)
QUAYS – a homophone of (report of) ‘keys’ (security devices)
Thanks Nutmeg and Gaufrid.
That is how I parsed 8 down also.
My favourite was FALSE PRETENCES.
New for me were CLOG DANCE + FOR THE HIGH JUMP = about to be punished.
Thanks Nutmeg and Gaufrid
Very enjoyable. I’m OK with INVERTED COMMAS, but doesn’t the president have authority OVER STATES rather than OVER STATE?
muffin
“… but doesn’t the president have authority OVER STATES rather than OVER STATE?”
There are presidents in many countries that are just a single state.
@muffin
Re 12. I see no problem. For instance, India is composed of many states but the President has authority over ‘state’ in the sense of a nation or a country.
Good point, both. I suppose I’m over-worried by the possibility of a President Trump!
Beginner / improver here. managed to get them all without any help. Though I was going to struggle over the US author (as I’m not good on authors), but the crossers and rest of the clue made it clear. Last one in was SANCTUM
Perfect quiptic- from a top setter.
Thank you Nutmeg and Gaufrid.
As Copmus @7 says, a perfect Quiptic. Many fun clues, FIRST OFFENDERS, DEFROCKED, DRAG QUEEN, JEEPS and I could continue…
I’ll just echo the others – a well-judged Quiptic. I parsed 8d in the same way and didn’t see any problem with it.
Thanks, Nutmeg and Gaufrid.
What jennyk said – a well-judged and well-crafted Quiptic. Brava, Nutmeg.
Excellent puzzle which was most enjoyable. No problem with 8d although it took me ages to see the answer. Last one in was SANCTUM which only became obvious once 8d was solved. Lots of great surfaces here of which my favourite was “Bats breathe in and sleep for months”.
This is what a Quiptic should look like. Thanks to Nutmeg and Gaufrid.
A very good puzzle from Nutmeg. Could someone explain why tum = corporation (in SANCTUM)?
matrixmania @12
One meaning of “corporation” is a paunch or beer belly.
I still don’t get 8D. I can see that the text “Hamlet” includes inverted commas (which might also be referred to as quotes), but surely there’s more to it than that? Can anyone explain?
Ha! I confidently parsed 21 and put in LOCHS, conveniently skating over the fact that “draw up” doesn’t really work in this case. This made 20 and 23 much harder than they should have been!
Lots of fun with this. I liked HIBERNATE the most. I thought the surface of 1d was a bit odd at first, but I guess it works if Adam and Eve is used as rhyming slang.
Thanks, Nutmeg and Gaufrid
David Carslake @14
I think it is a “definition by example”, hence the “say” at the end of the clue. The quotation marks (“quotes”) in the text of the clue are, as you wrote, the INVERTED COMMAS being defined.
phitonelly @15
I don’t see that we need to bring the rhyming slang usage into this clue. It seems to me to be a straightforward double definition, as shown in the blog. The first definition refers to Genesis, with its claim that Adam and Eve were the first humans to sin (offend). The second half of the clue refers to FIRST OFFENDERS in court cases (“suits”), who are therefore ” people not previously in suits “.
jennyk@17
I agree that the cryptic reading of 1d as a double definition is fine. I was just offering an alternative reading of the surface. Not sure whether Nutmeg intended that interpretation or not.