Anto’s turn in the Quiptic slot this week.
| Across | ||
| 1 | WISER | Whip swears ditching regulars is more sensible … (5) |
| The odd letters (ditching regulars) of WhIpSwEaRs | ||
| 4 | SANDWICH | … but leaving one out of picnic is not so bright (8) |
| I assume this must be a reference to the phrase ‘one sandwich short of a picnic’ | ||
| 8 | LIGHT POLLUTION | Stars won’t be seen in this humorous rubbish (5,9) |
| LIGHT (humorous) POLLUTION (rubbish). Not sure I’m completely convinced that pollution and rubbish are equivalent | ||
| 10 | ALACRITY | Eagerness of first-rate amateurs to take credit (8) |
| A (first-rate) LAITY (amateurs) containing (to take) CR (credit) | ||
| 11 | DRY ROT | Doctor turning Conservative might bring the house down (3,3) |
| DR (doctor) and a reversal (turning) of TORY (conservative) | ||
| 12 | ERUDITION | Knowledge of game put into publication (9) |
| RU (game) inserted in (put into) EDITION (publication) | ||
| 15 | ANKLE | It can be painful or pleasing, if well turned (5) |
| I assume this is just a reference to the phrase ‘a well-turned ankle’. If an ankle was well turned it would be painful | ||
| 17 | THEME | Subject of article on chronic fatigue condition (5) |
| THE (article) next to (on) ME (chronic fatigue condition) | ||
| 18 | GEOMETRIC | Design style even squares will be seen in (9) |
| A cryptic definition | ||
| 19 | TABLET | Medication found back in hotel bathroom (6) |
| An answer hidden in reverse (found back in) hoTEL BAThroom | ||
| 21 | PHANTASM | Vision of man’s path being troubled (8) |
| An anagram (being troubled) of MANS PATH | ||
| 24 | STRAIGHT ANSWER | Surprisingly open response to a cryptic clue, perhaps (8,6) |
| A cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | CHATTELS | Distributing the last hundred items of personal property … (8) |
| An anagram (distributing) of THE LAST C (hundred in Roman numerals) | ||
| 26 | ACRES | … landed estates, as housing credit halved (5) |
| AS (as) containing (housing) CRE ( credit halved = half the letters of credit) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | WELFARE STATE | Changing seawater left government looking after everyone (7,5) |
| An anagram (changing) of SEAWATER LEFT | ||
| 2 | SIGNATURE | Tune that can make a singer’s name (9) |
| I assume this is just a reference to the phrase ‘signature tune’, the particular piece of music by which someone may be known | ||
| 3 | ROTOR | Turner too rough to sit in a posh car? (5) |
| An anagram (rough) of TOO contained in (to sit in) RR (a posh car = Rolls-Royce) | ||
| 4 | SMOOTHING | Getting even for second low affair (9) |
| S (second) MOO (low) THING (affair) | ||
| 5 | NELL | King left ring at funeral for his theatrical mistress (4) |
| A deletion (left) of K (king) from KNELL (ring at funeral). The reference is to Nell Gwyn, mistress of Charles ii | ||
| 6 | WATERGATE | About time wage rate changes create a scandal (9) |
| An anagram (changes) of WAGE RATE containing (around) T (time) | ||
| 7 | CHOIR | Singers introducing common Handel oratorio in recital (5) |
| The first letters (introducing) of Common Handel Oratorio In Recital | ||
| 9 | STRETCH MARKS | Challenge test results showing evidence of skin damage (7,5) |
| STRETCH (challenge) MARKS (test results) | ||
| 13 | INELEGANT | Popular English stage setter loses nothing being crude (9) |
| IN (popular) E (English) LEG (stage) ANT (setter, i.e. Anto, minus O = nothing) | ||
| 14 | NEOPHYTES | Newcomers one prepared with scraps picked up (9) |
| An anagram (prepared) of ONE plus (with) a homophone (picked up) of FIGHTS (scraps) | ||
| 16 | KOREAN WAR | A worker upset about an eastern conflict (6,3) |
| An anagram (upset) of A WORKER containing (about) AN (an) | ||
| 20 | BATCH | Stick with extremely clannish set (5) |
| BAT (stick) plus (with) CH (the first and last letters = extremely of clannish) | ||
| 22 | NINJA | Warrior sheltered by woman in jail (5) |
| An answer hidden in (sheltered by) womaN IN JAil | ||
| 23 | OGLE | Go off search engine displaying dirty look (4) |
| A deletion (off) of GO from GOOGLE (search engine) | ||
Thanks Anto and nms
Well, Anto certainly isn’t boring! I loved DRY ROT, TABLET, SMOOTHING, NELL, INELEGANT, NEOPHYTES, NINJA, and OGLE.
However – SANDWICH is impossible unless you know the expression, “in” doesn’t seem right in 8a (through would be better?), “chronic fatigue condition” to give ME isn’t Quiptic, 18a is very vague, SIGNATURE isn’t a “tune” (a “signature tune” is, though!).
An entertaining solve, though.
I nice quick solve. I agree with muffin about SANDIWCH – the expression I know is “A pork pie short of a picnic”
Enjoyable nonetheless
Thanks Anto & nms
Thanks both. Probably the best Anto Quiptic ever, although that isn’t quite the complement it might appear. Maybe I was on his/her wavelength today
Very good from Anto-(I have no objection to SANDWICH.)
Thank you Anto and newmarketsausage.
An entertaining solve, my favourite clue was that for SIGNATURE.
The clue at 2dn doesn’t quite work – surely it should say ‘this tune’ – and ‘make’ isn’t really right either.
Lots to love here. I’d never heard the expression at 4a (it doesn’t exist here in the North American colonies, I don’t think), but chuckled when I saw the explanation of what I’d thought was a direly weak clue. Aside from that, lots of splendid, grinworthy clues; OGLE, NEOPHYTES, INELEGANT, STRETCH MARKS and NELL probably the favourites.
I have no problem with SIGNATURE.
@bangers-didnt notice you blogging! Good to see you.
@copmus
Snuck in quietly at the back. Greetings to you and all the regulars at the other place 🙂
Some of this was almost quite good, as my bosses used to say. But only some.
Nice puzzle. My favourites were NEOPHYTES, INELEGANT, BATCH, ALACRITY.
I was unable to parse 4a, 2d.
Thanks Anto and blogger
We assume that this is supposed to be a Quiptic although there were too many rather obscure references as far as we are concerned. Sorry Anto, If it was a normal cryptic we might have felt more positive about it.
Thanks newmarketsausage for the blog.
Very belatedly…I think the most common expression is actually “two sandwiches short of a picnic”.