Moley pokes her head from her burrow to deliver us this Monday’s Quiptic, then disappears back underground. A few strange clues in this one.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definitions
dd double definitions
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
8 Beth’s in a muddle, having a drink
ASBSINTHE
(BETHS IN A)* for the – to me at least – disgusting-tasting drink.
9 Silver, for example, apparently causing disparity between young and old?
AGE GAP
A charade of AG for ‘silver’, EG for ‘for example’ and AP, which is, apparently, an abbreviation for ‘apparently’.
10 A heavyweight takes on school
ONE TON
A rather strange definition, but it’s ON plus ETON for the school which is a production line for prime ministers.
11 Lid’s replaced: Jane Austen’s heroine has problems
DILEMMAS
I remember signing an online petition a while ago to have Ms Woodhouse retired from Cruciverbiland on the grounds of overuse and being past her sell-by date, but that clearly hasn’t been successful. It took a second look to see how this worked, although the solution was obvious. It’s a charade of (LID)* and EMMAS. The anagrind is ‘is replaced’, and I suppose it works better if you consider that to be ‘is re-placed’; and the second element is EMMA’S for ‘EMMA has’.
12 Exceptional luck — all new leading characters have style
ELAN
The first letters of the first four words of the clue.
13 Red admiral battered the Spanish side
REAL MADRID
(RED ADMIRAL)* gives you Los Vikingos. If you really don’t know, they’re a footie team.
15 Making money by creating new words
COINING
A dd.
16 Unfortunately, silt got into part of vocal apparatus
GLOTTIS
(SILT GOT)*
18 Zest for excitement
ENTHUSIASM
This is a pretty weak dd, imho.
19 Subsidy lady gets, partly for romantic poem
IDYL
Hidden in subsIDY Lady. According to my SOED, it’s an accepted alternative spelling of IDYLL.
20 Kirk tees off, with devotees of a TV series
TREKKIES
(KIRK TEES)* with ‘off’ as the anagrind and a nod to the famous captain of the SS Enterprise in the surface. TREKKIES are devotees of Star Trek, but you knew that already.
22 Singers with a number of alternatives?
TENORS
‘A number of alternatives’ could be TEN ORS.
23 Trust with confidence about student over there
RELY ON
A charade of RE, L for learner or ‘student’ and YON. I would say that ‘over there’ should be YONDER, but my trusty SOED had its second outing this morning and it does give an adverbial sense of YON, citing the phrase ‘hither and yon’.
24 Passion flower opens out, surprisingly, in draughts
AIRFLOWS
Moley is asking you to take ‘opens’ out of ‘passion flower’ and make an anagram. So it’s ([P]A[S]SI[O][N] FLOW[E]R)*
Down
1 One dreads having a case of the jitters
A BUNDLE OF NERVES
A rather weak cd cum dd.
2 Keynotes Kent hit differently in this novelty piano solo
KITTEN ON THE KEYS
(KEYNOTES KENT HIT)* I did get this from the anagram fodder, but only once I’d got all the crossers. It’s hardly a well-known piece, but since you’re all dying to know what it sounds like, here it is.
3 Travellers’ train set in motion
ITINERANTS
(TRAIN SET IN)*
4 Progress made on top road
HEADWAY
A charade of HEAD and WAY.
5 Security for the Italian undergraduate
BAIL
If you’ve been confused by folk referring to ‘lift and separate’ clues, this is an example. You have to lift and separate ‘undergraduate’ into ‘under’ and ‘graduate’. Then it’s IL for one of the words for ‘the’ in Italian under BA for ‘graduate’.
6 Mystery surrounding Atlantic island takes shape
BERMUDA TRIANGLE
I’m not really sure what to call this. It’s a charade of BERMUDA and TRIANGLE with an extended definition is the best I can do this morning. Slightly odd clue.
7 Efficiency personified in tanned gardener
CAPABILITY BROWN
Another really odd clue, which I can’t really define, other than that CAPABILITY is ‘efficiency’ and BROWN is ‘tanned’. Any other explanations out there?
14 Runners carry me to new distance recorders
MILOMETERS
An insertion of (ME TO)* in MILERS. The anagrind is ‘new’.
17 A ransom organised for rower
OARSMAN
(A RANSOM)*
21 One finds no sodium under here off the Scottish coast
IONA
A charade of I, O for ‘no’ and NA for the chemical symbol for ‘sodium’. ‘Under’ works because it’s a down clue.
Many thanks to Moley for this morning’s Quiptic.
Thanks Moley and Pierre
I found this very much harder than the Rufus – too hard for a Quiptic. 1d was poor; I’d never heard of 2d. I was surprised to find AP for apparently in Chambers – in what context would it be used? I had no idea how AIRFLOWS worked; this would have been challenging in a Prize puzzle (well done for working it out, Pierre!) I’d also never come across IDYL with one L.
6d is odd, in that the supposed “Bermuda triangle” is named after Bermuda.
(An E has crept into your answer for MILOMETERS, Pierre.)
Strangely Capability Brown also features in today’s Cryptic from Rufus. What are the chances?
1d would have been better if “ganglion” (an actual “bundle of nerves”) could have been worked into the clue.
Chris Haddow @2
Better not to mention things like that, as people might possibly read this blog before attempting the Rufus (not very likely, I agree).
One of the things that the “Crossword editor” might have picked up…
Sorry Muffin point taken.
I could not parse 24a and did not know that ‘ap’ is an abbreviation of apparently.
I solved 2d with help from google – had never heard that piece of music before
Strange to see the same answer appear twice on one day.
Thanks Pierre and Moley
Anyone else put in MAIL for 5d?
It crossed my mind, kevin – not sure why I went for BAIL instead. Perhaps the bail/lock controversy last week put it into me thoughts.
Thanks Moley and Pierre.
Personally, I don’t think a grid like this should be used in a Quiptic, which is supposed to be ‘for beginners and those in a hurry.’ It’s usually used where a NINA is employed and makes for a difficult solve because of the lack of first letters.
This was considerably more difficult than today’s Rufus. I’ve never heard of 2d, and 24a doesn’t work for me. If one is going to take out a random selection of letters as in opens, the anagrind should come first, I think, ie ‘Surprisingly, passion flower …’
I suppose the lift-and-separate undergraduate can be introduced to Quiptic solvers but in this case with the unchecked first letter it provides extra difficulty.
I actually did read this before doing today’s Rufus. Oh, well. If that little bit of spoilage is the worst thing that happens to me today, it’ll be a good day.
I zoomed through this pretty quickly, but I couldn’t parse 24a and thought I was missing some wordplay on 1d.
I’ll quibble about the grammar of 13a: the word “the” is incorrect in the cryptic reading, unless there’s only one Spanish football team. While my ignorance of football is virtually boundless, I’m pretty sure that’s not the case.
I initially thought that 11a was supposed to be LIDS* + EMMA, and was all set to complain about a missing containment indicator, but Pierre’s got the correct parsing, and I was wrong.
Ted@10 – me too, but never mind. My Monday routine is Quiptic, check the blog for explanations and then on to Rufus.
Thanks Moley, and thanks for the explanation of lift and separate Pierre, it’s been puzzling me.
Robi@9, I found this Quiptic quite a bit easier than the Rufus, which isn’t always the case. I find very long words are helpful, as once you get them they give you a lot of crosses for one solve.
Ted @ 10
I think the grammar is OK in 12 across: the solution is the Spanish side Real Madrid.
I think 6d is a charade of island and shape. ‘Mystery surrounding Atlantic’ is the definition.
Kevin @ 7 and Muffin & 8. “Bail” is security against the accused absconding before a trial. Thus BA fits as the degree but not MA.
Christopher Clifton @15
MAIL (as in chain mail) is security against getting cut by a sword in a fight, so fits just as well…
Apologies if everyone already new this but Capability Brown was landscaper of many a country house estate which is why the “personified” makes sense.