Nothing to frighten the horses here, which is as it should be for a Quiptic. I hope those newer to the dark arts will have enjoyed finishing this one. If I’ve not explained anything clearly enough, just ask.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
4 Doorman produces beer and wine for the Queen
PORTER
The deal with cryptics is that there are always two ways to arrive at the solution: the definition and the wordplay (‘subsidiary indication’ to keep the purists happy). Here there are three, since there are two SIs: ‘beer’, so a dd; and ‘wine for the queen’, which is a charade of PORT and ER for Elizabeth Regina or the beloved Brenda.
6 Composer curbs the arrangement
SCHUBERT
(CURBS THE)*
9 Force ex-pupil to tell an untruth about George
OBLIGE
A charade of OB for Old Boy and G inserted into LIE.
10 For Moley a note to pass through
PERMEATE
A charade of PER, ME for our setter, A and TE for the seventh note of the tonic sol-fa.
11 Essay on big cats for the powerless?
PAPER TIGERS
A charade of PAPER and TIGERS. ‘A person or thing that appears threatening but is ineffectual’, in case you hadn’t come across the term before.
15 Care for Dicky: he’s rich
CHERISH
(HES RICH)* with ‘dicky’ as the anagrind.
17 Able to take in under direction, if initially it’s heard
AUDIBLE
An insertion of the first letters of ‘under’, ‘direction’ and ‘if’ in ABLE.
18 A board game?
TABLE TENNIS
A dd cum cd.
22 Freedom, when I input my code
IMPUNITY
(I INPUT MY)*
23 Fix about a couple
REPAIR
A charade of RE and PAIR.
24 Irish girls in one’s cell anyway
COLLEENS
(ONES CELL)*
25 In high spirits, when a bridge player dealt differently
ELATED
A charade of E for one of the players in contract bridge and (DEALT)*
Down
1 Went ahead with good early run, firstly for the record book
LEDGER
A charade of LED and GER for the first letters of ‘good’, ‘early’ and ‘run’.
2 Maybe create lace and go faster
ACCELERATE
(CREATE LACE)*
3 Thought to have speculated
SURMISED
A (slightly weak) dd.
4 Chance of crop pest mutation
PROSPECT
(CROP PEST)*
5 Fall in research gets worse again
RELAPSES
An insertion of LAPSE in RES.
7 The Spanish article has style
ELAN
A charade of EL for one of the definite articles in Spanish and AN for one of the indefinite articles in English.
8 Journey starts at the river estuary’s keys
TREK
More initial letters: of the last four words of the clue.
12 Person at home wearing dress for worker
INHABITANT
A charade of IN, HABIT and ANT.
13 Ample to make a small cake and possibly tea, say
ABUNDANT
A charade of A, BUN, (AND)* and T. The anagrind is ‘possibly’ and ‘say’ is a homophone indicator.
14 Seconder mistakenly cut
CENSORED
(SECONDER)*
16 Meant for person to whom you are engaged
INTENDED
A dd.
19 Uniformly flat
EVENLY
Moley is intending this as a dd, but I don’t think it works, because ‘flat’ is not, er, a flat adverb (in other words an adverb like ‘hard’ or ‘fast’ which doesn’t end in -ly).
20 Zone in new country originally producing metal
ZINC
More first letters: here the first four words of the clue.
21 Gemstone from old friend
OPAL
A charade of O and PAL.
Many thanks to Moley for this morning’s Quiptic.
Thanks Pierre. Chambers gives “evenly” as one of the definitions of “flat”: perhaps as in “lay [something] flat/evenly”.
Thanks Moley and Pierre
A proper Quiptic, for a change. My only problem was with my LOI SURMISED, which is (as you say) rather weak.
“A board game” would be a better clue for DECK TENNIS, but it doesn’t fit, of course.
Thanks, Andrew. The clue is still in ‘hmm’ territory for me, I’m afraid.
Thanks Moley and Pierre.
I had SUPPOSED for 3d which held me up for a while.
I, too, originally had Supposed for 3d, but wasn’t enormously happy with it. After I’d got Permeate I switched to Surmised – and I have to confess it’s not a lot more satisfying. Hey ho. I also share your ‘hmmm’ for Evenly, Pierre.
Other than that however, a pleasant, albeit undemanding, solve. My favourite was Schubert. Thanks to Moley and Pierre
Thanks Moley and Pierre; it does what it says on the tin.
I was another ‘supposed.’
Here’s WS Gilbert using “flat” as an adverb:
“All children who are up in dates and floor you with them flat,
All persons who in shaking hands, shake hands with you like that,
And all persons who on spoiling tete-a-tetes insist — They’d none of them be missed —
They’d none of them be missed!”
Of course, it doesn’t exactly mean “evenly” in this context, but still it does show that an adverbial use is possible. Andrew @1’s example is better.
That clue and 3d are weak double definitions, since the two meanings are pretty much the same in each case, but that seems to me the only flaw in an otherwise quite good Quiptic.
Thanks Moley and Pierre. In 12d I thought the definition might be “Person at home” and the worplay IN HABIT (wearing dress) ANT (worker).