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A milestone puzzle today: Quiptic no. 1000. I have given a bit of history about the Quiptic at the end of the blog if you are interested.
Carpathian has got the gig for the anniversary puzzle, and a fine job she’s done too. Just what a Quiptic should be: clearly clued, no obscurities, a variety of clue types, and a generous grid. A perfect example of the setter losing gracefully.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Advocate of drink followed by drink
SUPPORTER
A charade of two drinks, the first a verb and the second a noun: SUP followed by PORTER.
6 Foundation degree by half-sibling
BASIS
A charade of BA and SIS[TER].
9 Torment and ecstasy in finest surroundings
BESET
An insertion of E in BEST.
10 Aware Cult with New Order produces discordant shriek
CATERWAUL
(AWARE CULT)*
11 Drew back while accepting first parts of national curriculum, as agreed
RECONCILED
An insertion of NC in RECOILED. NC is in fact an accepted abbreviation for ‘national curriculum’ on its own, but Carpathian is being kind to us because she’s an inherently nice person and it’s a Quiptic.
12 Juliet is in France to fool around
JEST
A charade of J and EST for the French word for ‘is’. Juliet appears by kind permission of the phonetic alphabet.
14 Study cut back at pit
EXAMINE
A reversal of AXE followed by MINE.
15 Broth I’m blending contains something to provide protection
THIMBLE
Hidden in broTH IM BLEnding.
17 Short time to gather in an ethical way
MORALLY
A charade of MO for moment or ‘short time’ and RALLY.
19 Giant bike missing rear end works
CYCLOPS
A charade of CYCL[E] and OPS. New to cryptics? OP for opus or ‘work’ comes up all the time.
20 Eat starters of New Orleans shrimp hash
NOSH
The first letters of the last four words of the clue.
22 Hip with second replacement
SWITCHED ON
Great clue. (WITH SECOND)*
25 Organ damage on vicar’s insides
HARMONICA
Too much port, probably. A charade of HARM, ON and [V]ICA[R]
26 Knock out in the manner of French marsupial
KOALA
A charade of KO and A LA. Don’t ever call it a KOALA BEAR or bad things will happen to you.
27 Deliver an ultimatum about hiding part of the moon
LUNAR
Hidden reversed in deliveR AN ULtimatum.
28 German satirist treated stomach problem
GASTRITIS
(G SATIRIST)*
Down
1 Cry tears regularly becoming dry
SOBER
A charade of SOB and ER for the even letters of ‘tears’.
2 Urge head of board to provide transport for young
PUSHCHAIR
A charade of PUSH and CHAIR.
3 Professed nothing reasonable over time
OSTENSIBLE
A charade of O and T inserted into SENSIBLE.
4 Touchy feline climbing on bit of roof
TACTILE
A reversal of CAT and TILE. ‘Climbing’ works as the reversal indicator because it’s a down clue.
5 About to get freebie for retirement
RETREAT
A charade of RE and TREAT.
6 Preclude loud vomit
BARF
A charade of BAR and F for the musically ‘loud’ gives you a slang word for ‘vomit’. It’s originally American English, but its etymology is uncertain.
7 Fish glide across the ice
SKATE
A dd.
8 Small, quiet Liberal speaks and chokes
SPLUTTERS
We’ve had musically loud; now we’ve got musically quiet. A charade of S, P, L and UTTERS.
13 Hot and uncommonly thick heir is one hoping for a free ride
HITCHHIKER
(H THICK HEIR)*
14 Austen novel left around, then developing into something cheesy
EMMENTHAL
Good old Jane. An insertion of (THEN)* in EMMA L.
16 Large group of actors put on air
BROADCAST
A charade of BROAD and CAST.
18 Unknown Member of Parliament in government is crying loudly
YOWLING
Please tell me it took you as long to get this as me. A charade of Y for the mathematical ‘unknown’, OWL and IN G. It’s not only self-interested incompetents who can be ‘Members of Parliament’. Owls can too, because it’s their collective noun.
19 Pirate’s weapon sliced young woman
CUTLASS
It’s been around the block a bit, but hey ho, it’s Quiptic time. A charade of CUT and LASS.
21 Father with name that causes alarm
SIREN
A charade of SIRE and N.
23 Comes close, partially within earshot
NEARS
Another hidden: in withiN EARShot.
24 Black blade gets beast
BOAR
A charade of B and OAR.
It all started on Tuesday (sic) 23rd November 1999 when Quiptic no. 1 appeared, set by a certain Don Putnam. It was marketed as ‘a web-only crossword, part cryptic and part quick.’ The first ever across clue was: This tree may still make you laugh (8). There have been a few of those in the last twenty years (and why not, they’re not chestnuts when you see them for the first time), but on the whole it’s been a great institution in my opinion: a regular, beginner-level puzzle that encourages folk who ‘can’t do cryptics’ to have a go. When it’s on good form (which is most of the time) it offers entertainment in a gently didactic way, using all the basic clue types in ways that makes their workings pretty self-evident. And I’m sure it will have given many solvers over the past two decades that feeling of having finished a cryptic for the first time – and I hope we all remember what that felt like.
Setters have come and gone. Hectence and Arachne produced their first Quiptics before 1999 was out, and Pan, Moley and Nutmeg were setting soon after. Orlando produced a few. Bonxie, Beale, Pinkie, Guy and Rover we don’t see any more. Fifteensquared started blogging the Quiptic on August 23rd 2010 (the first one was by the redoubtable Gaufrid of a puzzle by Pan). My first ever blog was two weeks later and I’ve been blogging it ever since. I’ve really enjoyed it – it’s a pleasure to write a blog knowing that it might help others to start to enjoy our little pastime.
Who dreamt it up? Hugh Stephenson, the current Guardian crossword editor, should get the plaudits for that. The paper now promotes it as ‘for beginners and those in a hurry’, and as almost every setter I’ve talked to about it has told me, setting an ‘easy’ crossword for ‘beginners’ is actually very difficult. So a big thanks to all those who’ve entertained and amused us so well over the past twenty years, and here’s to the next thousand. And of course, many thanks to Carpathian for today’s offering.
Merci, Pierre and all the setters. I have enjoyed the Quiptic as I have moved from beginner to something-a-bit-above-a-beginner. May a thousand (more) Quiptics bloom.
Thank you, Pierre, for the lovely history lesson, appreciated! YOWLING was far from last in but had to wait until I had most of the crossers. It’s also my favourite clue here. It has owls, a surface so clean you could make your pizza dough on it, and also is amusingly (or not) quite apropos of the turmoil expected in the within during the next 72 hours or so; backbenchers arise! Thanks to Carpathian for an exellent mid-level Quiptic.
I enjoyed reading the history of the Quiptic – thank you Pierre for both that and the blog.
I agree that this was a perfect Quiptic. Thank you Carpathian. My favourite today was HARMONICA.
Thanks Carpathian and Pierre
No OWL picture for 18d, Pierre? I did think that one was the only clue a bit tough for a Quiptic; the rest, as you say, just about perfect (though I took ages to see the reverse hidden for LUNAR!)
Having never commented here previously, I am prompted by your notes on the history of the Quiptic to say how much I have enjoyed getting into crosswords over the past couple of years, and how much the Quiptics have made that possible. Staring at a full cryptic for an hour or more without entering a single answer was never much fun, but working slowly through a Quiptic proved to be a wonderful way in. The gateway drug has made an addict of me!
Many thanks to all involved at both the Guardian and fifteensquared.
Morning mtega – thanks for commenting and welcome to Fifteensquared. The Quiptics are a bit addictive, aren’t they?
Like mtega I, too, originally worked my way into Cryptics via these Quiptics – and though I don’t always find time for many of the former over the course of the week, I always try to set aside some space for that week’s Quiptic. As well as welcoming mtega to the ranks of fifteensquared, may I add my appreciation to all the FS bloggers for increasing my knowledge and vocabulary, my thanks to Pierre for today’s blog and his enchanting history lesson, and my salutations to Carparhian for a very classy anniversary puzzle. In a host of delicious clues – too many to name them all – SWITCHED ON, RECONCILED and EMMENTHAL were masterful, and although it took me a while to parse it, YOWLING is out and away the best. It’s my fave for today – and whilst I was still wondering how to praise it appropriately, I read JohnB’s delightful description of it!
Whoops, typo on Carpathian’s name! Sorry ‘bout that…
Congratulations to the Quiptic on its anniversary, and to Carpathian for the perfect landmark puzzle. As one of the original Quiptic setters (apparently my first was No. 5, which appeared on 20 December 1999) I’m proud to have been part of this project, which has kindled many a solving career over the years. Thanks to Hugh Stephenson for giving birth to the idea and then looking after the baby as it grew up, and to Pierre for the delightful potted history (most of which I’d quite forgotten). Here’s to the next thousand.
Thank you to Pierre for the blog and history lesson. Thanks also to all solvers and commentors. I feel honoured to be the setter of Quiptic 1000 and to be part of the Quiptic team.
I rarely do the quiptic (ironically because I am usually in a hurry on Mondays) but certainly had to today. Congratulations to the quiptic team on the big 1000.
While I could have done without 28a or 6d as answers, no complaints about the clues. Classy stuff indeed, and no YOWLING or CATERWAULING in dissent over the clue of the day.
Thanks Carpathian and Pierre.
Congratulations to all concerned on reaching the 1000th, which I agree was an ideal Quiptic – no unconventional clueing, enough easy clues to get started, but no walkover. Thank you Carpathian.
It’s particularly heartening to hear solvers saying that they’ve found their way into crosswords through the Quiptic. Please don’t hold back from commenting here – I know I benefitted from solvers’ comments when the Quiptics began to be blogged on this site (when I realised I tended to make them too complicated!)
Terrific Quiptic and blog: thanks and congratulations all round. How absolutely amazing and wonderful that we’ve hit 1000. I do remember very clearly when it started; I was thrilled to bits then and still am.
A bit late on parade but it takes me days (these days) to finish even a simple crossword. I went wrong twice in this puzzle ; firstly putting PANIC for 21d which does actually fit the clue; and then putting BASIS in the wrong place. Got there in the end though and really enjoyed this puzzle. I realised that I didn’t know how to spell CATERWAUL or EMMENTHAL BUT CAME UP WITH THE CORRECT spelling from the clues. Please save me from caps lock.
Many thanks to Carpathian and Pierre.
Thank you so much for this. I’ve been feeling frustrated and locked out of the cryptics world for years. I’ve tried many ways to learn but I started working back through the Quiptics, trying my best and then learning from the great explanations in this brilliant blog. To start with I could only get a few right per puzzle but after only 5 Quiptics, this puzzle was my very first ever completed one. I feel so grateful that you’ve opened the door to this enjoyable pastime for me. Thank you!
Hi. Don’t know if anyone will ever read this but just wanted to highlight that there are still people like me starting on their cryptic journey and working their way back through those Quiptics still available via the Guardian website. I only just did no. 1000 ! I’ve found them enormously enjoyable and the analysis on here even more hugely helpful so thank you ! ?