Guardian Quiptic 1,006/Pan

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A nicely pitched, soundly constructed Quiptic from Pan this morning, I thought. You?

 

 

 

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 I’m in front of most of 3’s organ
PANCREAS
The solution to 3d is CREAM, so we have a charade of PAN (for the setter, ‘I’m’) in front of CREA[M] followed by S.

6 Front of cafe refurbished to accommodate a duke
FACADE
An insertion of A and D for ‘duke’ in (CAFE)* The anagrind is ‘refurbished’ and the insertion indicator is ‘to accommodate’.

9 Setter wandering in the road?
STREET
(SETTER)* and the only complete anagram in the entire puzzle (which is quite unusual for a Quiptic).

10 Fellow is lodging in basic accommodation for one who rejects religion
HUMANIST
An insertion of MAN and IS in HUT. The insertion indicator is ‘lodging’.

11 Company changed name before start of takeover by Sky
FIRMAMENT
A charade of FIRM, (NAME)* and T for the first letter of ‘takeover’.

13 Animal with small spike
SNAIL
A charade of S and NAIL. My pet snail has been moving really slowly recently. I took off his shell to see if it would help him go faster, but he just became more sluggish.

15 Start off biblical tale concerning land for cultivation
ARABLE
[P]ARABLE

17 Part of pub used by soldier getting large amount of beer
BARREL
A charade of BAR, RE for Royal Engineer and L.

18 Dispute the accuracy of little devil with damaged gun
IMPUGN
A charade of IMP and (GUN)*

19 Cricketer dismissing second officer’s servant
BATMAN
BAT[S]MAN

21 Principal Eastern state
MAINE
A charade of MAIN and E.

22 A large agitated rat caught by person in charge of bird
ALBATROSS
Excellent. Not had a bird for a while. A charade of A, L and (RAT)* inserted into BOSS. The anagrind is ‘agitated’ and the insertion indicator is ‘caught’. There are around two dozen species of albatross, and since they are essentially seabound, most of us are unlikely to ever see one. They are big, long-lived, and pair for life. They have also entered common parlance as being a ‘burden’, based, it seems, on the bird’s portrayal in Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. As the obligatory Pierre bird link shows, they are also quite good at that flying thing.

25 Great morning to sit around with a criminal
BIGAMIST
A charade of BIG, AM and (SIT)*

26 Concealed chap by banks of rivulet
COVERT
A charade of COVE for a rather dated synonym for ‘chap’ and RT for the outside letters (‘banks’) of ‘rivulet’.

28 Aim to be under canvas?
INTENT
A cd cum dd, with the latter having to be read as IN TENT.

29 Heir upset by label attached to European ancestry
HERITAGE
A charade of (HEIR)*, TAG and E. The anagrind is ‘upset’.

Down

2 Article on origin of tree insect
ANT
A charade of AN and T for the first letter of ‘tree’.

3 Earl tucked into stuff that’s served with strawberries
CREAM
An insertion of E for ‘earl’ in CRAM.

4 Doctor got money to keep old lecturer in science
ENTOMOLOGY
An insertion of O and L in (GOT MONEY)* The anagrind is ‘doctor’ and the insertion indicator is ‘to keep’. The study of insects.

5 Hospital in drive to obtain unknown statue
SPHINX
An insertion of H in SPIN followed by X for the mathematical ‘unknown’. The insertion indicator is ‘in’ and Pan is relying on the ‘she took the car for a spin’ meaning of ‘drive’.

6 Celebrity writing note to self?
FAME
I liked this clue for its succinct surface. It’s a charade of FA for the fourth note of the tonic sol-fa and ME.

7 Riddle posed by fish swallowing holy person given to drink
CONUNDRUM
An insertion of NUN in COD followed by RUM. The insertion indicator is ‘swallowing’.

8 Record ratio turning up to queue for Southern’s trains
DISCIPLINES
A charade of DISC, PI reversed, LINE and S. Those solvers who have to suffer the horror of commuting on Southern Trains might not have appreciated the surface here.

12 Fancy seeing independent wise men leading country!
IMAGINATION
A charade of I, MAGI and NATION.

14 Transport carrying crazy Turkish commanders to an African island
MADAGASCAR
A charade of MAD, AGAS and CAR. The ‘carrying’ bit tells you, since it’s a down clue, to put CAR at the bottom.

16 Attachment formed by a priest with writer at the start of difficult time
APPENDAGE
A charade of A, P, PEN, D for the first letter of ‘difficult’ and AGE.

20 Hold on to some chicks?
CLUTCH
A dd.

23 Roger and I examine a short metal bolt
RIVET
A charade of R, I and VET. R for ‘Roger’ I am struggling to explain. Some sources suggest that it was previously used, before Romeo, in a phonetic alphabet. Mebbes someone can clear that up.

24 Outfit includes Chanel’s latest skirt
KILT
An insertion (‘includes’) of L for the last letter of ‘Chanel’ in KIT.

27 Part of brigadier’s equipment
RIG
Hidden in bRIGadier.

Many thanks to Pan for a fine Quiptic.

17 comments on “Guardian Quiptic 1,006/Pan”

  1. Thanks Pierre and Pan.

    I agree that this was a good Quiptic. I am always surprised by L = lecturer. I can’t imagine how it is used in a sentence or phrase.

  3. Morning, Michelle.  L for ‘lecturer’ is such a crossword standard that I don’t usually think about it any more.  I’m sure it’s used in academia somewhere.  Shirl, I think R for just the first name would be a bit of a stretch.  I fancy the phonetic alphabet route is a better option.  I will go and have another flirt online.

  4. Thanks Pierre

    No need to go online for 23dn. From Chambers under ‘roger: “A word used in signalling and radio-communication for R, in the sense of received (and understood)”.

  6. Thanks Pierre for your usual cogent explanation, large groan at 13a! An enjoyable crossword for logical and smooth surfaces.

  7. No expert I, but been at it for a few years. Figured out all the clues until 24d. So this is a great quiptic.

    Was hung up on “latest skirt” indicating “lt” as the last two letters. Then I couldn’t figure out how “ki” was related to Chanel. Oh, well.

    Thanks Chifonie and Manehi.

  8. A rivet is not a bolt although it may perform the same function as a nut and bolt.

    Just needed to get that off my chest.

  10. Thanks to Pan and Pierre. I’m new to cryptics except for a brief flirtation about five years ago, so I especially appreciate the efforts of the bloggers on 15^2. Pierre, you especially go the extra mile to make sure every clue is fully explained. Thanks again.

  11. Welcome, DaveinNCarolina, if this is your first comment.  Glad you find the blogs helpful – but it’s often the comments from others who’ve solved the puzzle which add something to people’s enjoyment, so it’s always pleasing to get a few contributions to the thread once it’s been posted.

  12. I agree that this was a well-constructed and enjoyable Quiptic. My only questions were about the two abbreviations others have mentioned: L for lecturer and R for Roger. I knew that “Roger” meant something like “received”, but I didn’t know that it had to do with the word being a stand-in for the letter R. Anyway, the evidence seems clear that both of these abbreviations are fine.

     

     

  13. When I had a chat with one of the country’s foremost setters, some months ago, I told him that I did not really understand why a setter [I talked about Pan] who was (rightly so) promoted to the A-List still sets puzzles for the Quiptic. There are so many others waiting for an opportunity, aren’t there?

    But, yes , she’s very good and it feels like her style is somehow recognisable.  Therefore, she’s – at least for me – an obvious candidate to be the next Everyman.

    I know, one is expected to set a crossword every single week but she can do it. With her Guardian output (including the odd Quiptic) plus her contributions to the Independent she comes already quite close.

    That said, I’d wish she would stop using ‘for’ meaning ‘+’ (8dn).

    I also think that she’s one of those setters who are not careful enough with link words.  For example, today, in my book of crosswords, in 11ac ‘by’ links wordplay and definition the wrong way round.

    But then I closed my eyes and said to myself ‘Hey you there at the Observer, I don’t know who you chose (with all respect) but you should have considered Pan!’.

     

  15. Morning Sil @13.  Two points I disagree with you on.  Firstly, you don’t get ‘promoted’ from the Quiptic to the daily Guardian cryptic.  Setting a Quiptic puzzle, as many setters will tell you, is a particularly skilled task precisely because it’s for ‘beginners’.  Secondly, books of crosswords other than yours are available.

  16. Saying ‘in my book of crosswords’ automatically implies that there are other options available. Many solvers, for example, do not care too much about precision as long as a clue is solvable. Not my approach but fair enough. For those who are interested in the pros and cons of link words, there is an interesting (and nuanced) article on this topic on Alberich’s website: http://www.alberichcrosswords.com/pages/linkwds.html .

    I did not say that writing a proper Quiptic is ‘inferior’ to (or easier than) writing a daily puzzle. Yet, I do think that setters like Nutmeg and Pan (and Arachne before them) were offered a daily spot because their Quiptics showed above average skills. It brought them a wider audience (making them even more well-loved than they already were) and it that sense you could speak of ‘promotion’. That

    was actually what I meant.

    Meanwhile, in my opinion, the best crosswords for beginners are those in Times2 where the 13×13 Quick Cryptics are often written by setters who also write 15×15 crosswords for the newspaper. The level over there is much more consistent. That said, Guardian solvers possibly prefer a broader variety. Think (the excellent and nicely pitched) Matilda or Carpathian ‘versus’ (the much harder) Anto or even Hectence].  But, true, in case of The Times you’ll have to buy the paper.

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