Apologies for the late blog, but as you will probably have discovered, this week’s Quiptic wasn’t uploaded to the Grauniad site till late morning. A fine puzzle from Matilda, with a couple of smiley moments which got me out of my grump for the crossword’s late appearance. I have tried to give full explanations for less experienced solvers, but if there is anything that needs clarification, just ask.
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 The wounded, removing constraints, relaxed
CASUAL
CASUAL(TIES)
4 Exhausts puss interfering with EU
USES UP
(PUSS EU)* with ‘interfering’ as the anagrind. Fairly meaningless surface.
9 Cast thereupon to hell — I don’t believe you!
PULL THE OTHER ONE
A clearly signposted anagram to give us plenty of crossing letters. (CAST THEREUPON TO)*
Edit: (THEREUPON TO HELL)* with ‘cast’ as the anagrind. Thank you to Larry for the correction.
10 Fish get these on in a hurry
SKATES
A dd.
11 Blown up grenade left in pieces
ENLARGED
(GRENADE L)* with ‘in pieces’ as the anagrind.
12 Nice sea song for fishmonger, perhaps
MERCHANT
Au contraire, a delightful surface. The sea in the French city of Nice would be [la] MER, and you need to follow that with CHANT for ‘song’.
14 Change position with Matilda among swaying trees
RESITE
An insertion of I for our setter in (TREES)* The anagrind is ‘swaying’. If the setter includes a self-reference, you should normally be looking for an I or ME. ‘Setter has’ is often IVE (from I’VE).
15 Exemplary heads in charge or not in charge
ICONIC
The first letters of the last six words of the clue.
18 Beautiful sweetheart is ticklish, a bit!
ARTISTIC
Hidden in sweetheART IS TICklish.
21 Mother may be boss
SUPERIOR
A dd, the first one referring to the convent top banana.
22 Firm or round boobs
ROBUST
Please. This is a family paper. A reversal (’round’) or OR and BUST.
24 Stunned Solo of Star Wars crashed around the world’s end
AT A LOSS FOR WORDS
An insertion (‘around’) of D for the last letter of ‘world’ in (SOLO OF STAR WARS)* No need to find a place for Hans.
25 It gnaws in its lair, surrounded by rubbish
RODENT
The said animal’s lair might be a DEN, and if you surround it with ROT for ‘rubbish’ then you’ve got your answer.
26 Suppliers of milkshakes not keeping quiet
UDDERS
This made me smile, partly because it reminded me of The Farage’s wetting, and partly because it’s funny. If you’ve heard of crossword folk using the term ‘lift and separate’ then this is an example. You need to do that to ‘milkshake’ so it becomes ‘milk’ and ‘shake’. The first part becomes part of the definition and the second is part of the wordplay. Which is [SH]UDDERS.
Down
1 Suppressed laugh from revolutionary accepting bad luck
CHUCKLE
I don’t think there are trustees of the estate of Señor Ernesto Guevara, but if there were, they’d be rich if royalties were paid every time a crossword compiler has used his nickname to clue ‘revolutionary’. This is (LUCK)* inserted into CHE. The insertion indicator is ‘accepting’ and the anagrind is ‘bad’.
2 Crack open the port
SPLIT
A dd. The second part references the Croatian port.
3 In a pub (and continent), being 24
APHASIA
A charade of A, PH for the Ordnance Survey abbreviation for Public House, and ASIA. APHASIA is an inability to produce speech, usually as a result of brain damage; hence the reference to 24ac. If I was being picky, I would say that the definition leads to APHASIC.
5 Senior common room initially admits greeting Spanish academic
SCHOLAR
Matilda is being kind, since SCR is an accepted abbreviation for Senior Common Room, so we don’t really need ‘initially’. Whatevs, it’s an insertion of ¡HOLA! for the Spanish greeting in said SCR. The insertion indicator is ‘admits’.
6 Shocks US backed leader of rebel forces
SURPRISES
A charade of US reversed, R for the first letter of ‘rebel’ and PRISES.
7 Joke man is offensive
PUNGENT
A charade of PUN and GENT. PUNGENT can be offensive, but some smells can be PUNGENT and pleasant. Gently frying onions, garlic and a few spices, for example.
8 Real hot Rolling Stone!
HONEST
So many to choose from. A charade of H and (STONE)* with ‘rolling’ as the anagrind.
13 No longer given punishment around prisoner’s quarters
CANCELLED
An insertion (‘around’) of CELL in CANED.
16 Oddly no cruet for table
COUNTER
(NO CRUET)*
17 Beginning of symphony in C minor turned bloody
CRIMSON
An insertion (‘in’) of S for the first letter of ‘symphony’ in (C MINOR)* The anagrind is ‘turned’.
18 Raid ordered daily without purpose
ADRIFT
A charade of (RAID)* and FT for the pink’un, or Financial Times.
19 Be embarrassed to join Labour?
TURN RED
A cd cum dd.
20 Popular teams showing guts
INSIDES
A charade of IN for ‘popular’ and SIDES.
23 Penniless in Pembrokeshire
BROKE
Hidden in PemBROKEshire.
Many thanks to Matilda for this morning’s (or in fact now this afternoon’s) Quiptic.
Many thanks, Pierre and Matilda
I thought this was a lovely Quiptic – well worth waiting for.
Some great clues: favourites were MERCHANTS, UDDERS and TURN RED.
As is well known, I can be as picky as the next one but I think ‘being’ in 3dn works if you take it as a gerund, rather than a participle.
A great quiptic, again; thank you Matilda. I preferred this to today’s cryptic which had too many vague definitions and some barely cryptic clues. Thank you, Pierre, as well. 22A is mild compared to some clues we have had in the cryptics.
Pierre, in 9a you have added the anagrind ‘cast’ as part of the fodder and omitted ‘hell’.
That is a fine example of how to write a beginner’s crossword. A good variety of types of clue, including some of the less obvious methods (French word clued by the city, lift and separate) but all done so smoothly and with genuine aplomb. Bravo Matilda, take a bow. Pierre – exemplary blogging for the beginner monsieur.
Aphasia I knew from the writing of Oliver Sacks, who told moving and remarkably fun accounts of his various patients with neurological problems, without ever pulling punches about either the effects of their conditions or the scientific terminology. A sad loss when he died recently.
A fine Quiptic crossword with,as already noted, a helpful Quiptic blog, rounded off with a subtle parse from Eileen @ 1
One of the best Quiptics in recent memory, at least for me. I’ll just mention SPLIT as one gem among many. Thanks to Matilda and Pierre.
DaveinNCarolina @5 – yes, I meant to include SPLIT: it’s quite a common answer but I think it must be one of the very best clues I’ve seen for it.
Thanks Matilda and Pierre
I loved this one. As Larry says, much more fun than the cryptic. Favourites were CASUAL, MERCHANT, ROBUST, UDDERS and SCHOLAR.
Only one question mark – is ARTISTIC a synonym for “beautiful”? They’re related, of course, but the same?
Thank you Matilda and Pierre – just a small quibble for the Star Wars fans … who is Hans? (in 24A blog) … if we had found a place for Hans, would there have been room for Han Solo on the Millennium Falcon?
@7 muffin. I can see what you mean. I make etchings and monotypes. Some of my clients have called them ‘artistic’ (probably in the sense that they are being polite) whereas others have described them as ‘beautiful’. Depends which eye one is using I suspect. Enjoy your evening.
Lovely quiptic, thanks Matilda and Pierre for the blog. Some excellent clues with great sense of fun throughout.
Great level too for a Quiptic.
Whoops, Paulus. My modern foreign languages are better than my Star Wars knowledge.
Thanks to Pierre and Matilda
Almost perfect but I’m not sure about the first letter indicator @ 15, or the fishmonger @ 12 (Navy type?)
A fishmonger is a MERCHANT, Dansar – what did you mean by Navy type?
Yes, a fishmonger is a merchant, as is anyone that sells anything, but in contrast to the rest of the puzzle it felt, to me, a little rushed – hence my suggestion. Merchant is a type of Navy.
One other I thought a little forced you had already mentioned (4), but I eventually took it as PUSS = FACE/MOUTH being inevitably exhausted if one were dealing with Brussels bureaucracy.
A very enjoyable Quiptic for this (almost) beginner. Thank you for the blog, Pierre – a visit here always adds an extra dimension to the pleasure and relief of solving the puzzle!
The (almost) beginner is the person I have in mind when I write Quiptic blogs, Kath, so I’m glad you found it useful. More pleasure than relief, I hope …