A bit tricky for a Quiptic, I thought.
There are a few clues here (particularly 9a and 16a) where the syntax doesn’t quite work, or at least doesn’t seem to fit any standard clue type. I can see what Anto intended, and they’d work in a regular midweek cryptic, but perhaps they’re a step too far for the Quiptic which is supposed to be for “beginners and those in a hurry”. So if that’s you, I hope I’ve explained adequately below; please ask if anything is still not clear.
Some straightforward and enjoyable clues too, though. I liked the surface image of 25a (with 21a in the interest of balance perhaps?), and also 6d – don’t worry, Fifteensquared doesn’t charge you for reading these blogs! Thanks Anto.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
ACROSS | ||
1 | BATH SALTS |
Sailors on tub needed to soften water (4,5)
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SALTS (slang for sailors) added to BATH (tub).
Mineral salts, often fragranced, that can be added to bath water, especially in hard-water areas. |
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6 | SUBS |
Dues to be paid for players not starting (4)
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Double definition. Short for subscriptions = membership fees = dues to be paid; or short for substitutes = sports players who aren’t in the starting team for a game but are brought on later. | ||
8 | DEBUTANT |
One for the first time playing tuba in pit (8)
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Anagram (playing) of TUBA, inserted into DENT (pit = depression in a surface). | ||
9 | POISON |
Fancy an idea containing this, for example (6)
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Hidden answer (. . . containing) in [fan]CY AN IDE[a] is CYANIDE, which is an example of a POISON. I think this counts as an extended definition rather than clue-as-definition, but it’s hard to classify, and not an obvious solution. | ||
10 | PHOTON |
Name on picture provides some illumination (6)
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N (abbreviation for name) added to PHOTO (picture).
Physicists’ term for a particle of light, when they attempt to explain its properties in terms of particles rather than waves. |
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11 | NERVE END |
Neck point involved in transmission of feeling (5,3)
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NERVE (neck = audacity / cheekiness) + END (point = objective).
The definition doesn’t quite work for me, partly because I think “nerve ending” is the more usual term, and partly because the clue doesn’t really give us a noun which is what we need. |
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12 | SWINGS |
Switches new ingredient for drinks (6)
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N (new) inserted into (ingredient for) SWIGS (mouthfuls of drink).
Swings = switches = changes sides, especially in the sense of changing opinion. |
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15 | STEADY ON |
Be reasonable, when regular partner is working (6,2)
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STEADY (short for a steady girlfriend / boyfriend = regular partner) + ON (working, as applied to machinery).
“Steady on!” = “Be reasonable!” = a demand for moderation, to someone who is (literally or metaphorically) going too fast or expecting too much. |
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16 | SNAG LIST |
Slating’s broken in new house? Put it on this (4,4)
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Anagram (broken) of SLATING’S.
Extended definition: the occupier of a new building keeps a “snag list” of minor defects found, which the builder is supposed to correct. This clue type is always a little awkward – the middle few words aren’t wordplay but they don’t quite seem to count as definition either. |
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19 | ON SPEC |
Both sides abandon long aspect when gambling (2,4)
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[l]ON[g] [a]SPEC[t], with the outer letters (both sides) of each word dropped.
Short for “on speculation” = taking a chance, for example buying something without fully examining it first. |
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21 | REDACTED |
Socialist pretended to be held back before publication (8)
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RED (slang for socialist / communist) + ACTED (pretended).
Redacted (text in a document) = blanked out to withhold sensitive information. |
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22 | TOILET |
Grooming hard worker to take time for run (6)
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TOILE[r] (one who toils = hard worker), with T (time) instead of the R (run).
A rather old-fashioned word for washing and grooming oneself. |
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24 | OFFING |
Sound hesitant leaving presentation for execution in America (6)
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OFF[er]ING (presentation), leaving out ER (a sound indicating hesitation).
Off (verb), offing (noun) = US slang for murder. |
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25 | SOB STORY |
Boss upset by right-wing whinging (3,5)
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Anagram (upset) of BOSS, then TORY (Conservative = right-wing).
A tale of one’s misfortune, told to elicit sympathy. |
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26 | ALLY |
Friend declared a position (4)
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Homophone (declared) of A LIE = the position of a golf ball after a stroke. This isn’t a homophone of ALLY (noun) = friend, but it could be a homophone of the verb form “to ally (oneself) with (someone)”, with the stress on the second syllable. | ||
27 | TOM SAWYER |
Twain boy most upset by solicitor dropping line (3,6)
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Anagram (upset) of MOST, then [l]AWYER (solicitor, though we could do with an example indicator because not all lawyers are solicitors) without the L (line).
Character in novels by Mark Twain. |
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DOWN | ||
1 | BEECH |
Old community found in outskirts of British wood (5)
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EEC (European Economic Community, now incorporated into the EU, hence “old”) in the outer letters (outskirts) of B[ritis]H.
Wood from beech trees. |
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2 | TAUNTON |
Tease performing in Somerset town (7)
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TAUNT (tease) + ON (performing, on stage or in a sports arena). | ||
3 | STAIN |
Don’t go out without your cap? It’s a shame (5)
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STA[y] IN (don’t go out), without the Y which is the first letter (cap) of Y[our].
As in “a stain on one’s character”. |
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4 | LATINOS |
South Americans occupying flat in Osaka (7)
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Hidden answer (occupying) in [f]LAT IN OS[aka]. | ||
5 | SUPERHERO |
Flash poseur dancing around her, for example (9)
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Anagram (dancing) of POSEUR, around HER.
Flash is the name of a series of superheroes appearing in DC Comics. (Though I originally thought of Flash Gordon, and there are probably other candidates.) It’s a little awkward to split the definition between the two ends of the clue, but putting “for example” at the beginning would have made it too obvious. |
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6 | STIPEND |
Transmit clue hidden inside for a small fee (7)
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SEND (transmit), with TIP (clue) hidden inside.
A regular payment for services or expenses; perhaps a salary, but not usually a large one. |
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7 | BROWN NOSE |
Crown reportedly understands the outcome of excess flattery (5,4)
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I think this is intended as BROW (crown; they aren’t the same part of the head, but either can mean the top of a hill) and a homophone (reportedly) of KNOWS. It doesn’t really work for me, because I’d pronounce the phrase with two Ns, and the wordplay only gives us one.
A rather unpleasant phrase describing a flatterer; the derivation is not at all polite. |
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13 | WONDERFUL |
Great flow under ground (9)
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Anagram (ground = broken into small pieces) of FLOW UNDER. | ||
14 | SKIN-TIGHT |
Family time in spot that’s fittingly close (4-5)
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KIN (family) + T (time), in SIGHT (spot = line up as a target). | ||
17 | GRAVITY |
Seriousness will tend to keep you grounded (7)
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Double definition: as in “you haven’t understood the gravity of the situation”, or as in the force that keeps us on the ground. | ||
18 | TIDY SUM |
Decent amount to clear up problem? (4,3)
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TIDY (clear up = put in order) + SUM (a problem in mathematics).
Tidy sum = decent amount = typical British understatement for a lot of money. |
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20 | SAINTLY |
Being virtuous is not commonly involved in being devious (7)
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AIN’T (lower-class or “common” form of “is not”), involved in SLY (devious). The word “being” (twice) is probably needed for the surface, but it doesn’t contribute to either definition or wordplay. | ||
22 | TIBIA |
Part of support that Iran bought in America originally (5)
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Initial letters (originally) of T[hat] I[ran] B[ought] I[n] A[merica].
The shin-bone, part of the leg, hence “part of support”. Note that the clue was originally published starting “Component of arms”, later corrected to “Part of support” . The initial version reads better but is clearly incorrect, because the tibia is a leg bone, unlike the humerus, radius and ulna. |
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23 | ERROR |
Part of mirror reflection shows up fault (5)
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Hidden answer (part of), reversed (shows up = upwards in a down clue), in [mir]ROR RE[flection]. |
It may be that Fancy is the definition in 9a (as in “what’s your fancy?”, for Poison as drink)…but then I concede it’s doing double duty.
Thanks Anto and Quirister.
Thanks both. The clue for 22d has been corrected online – the app still has the original “Component of arms” as the definition.
Can I be the first to say that today’s Cryptic and Quiptic should have been swapped?
Shirl @2: thanks, I should have mentioned that in the blog. I’ll put it in now. @3: yes, clearly you can.
Yes, a bit harder than today’s Cryptic.
Chambers has NERVE END or nerve ending. I took the definition of SNAG LIST to be: ‘in new house? Put it on this. Yes, the clue for BROWN NOSE doesn’t quite work unless you say it very quickly. I didn’t see the cyanide in 9, but it now seems to me that the definition is ‘this (i.e. cyanide), for example’, because cyanide is an example of a POISON.
I liked SNAG LIST and ON SPEC.
Thanks Anto and Quirister.
Thanks for the blog.
I liked the puzzle although gave up on poison – but no real complaints about that from me.
I liked snag list which was sort of ad littish, quite a good clue IMO.
Thanks for the blog. A little imagination in the clues at least. The fact that the cryptic is easier is not the fault of Anto.
Perhaps the Guardian should replace the cryptic with a Word-search next Monday.
POISON was the killer clue. It was clever but I wasn’t. I thought STAIN was neat.
I enjoyed this, but it was harder than the cryptic today. This puzzle was not ideally slotted as a puzzle for beginners and those in a hurry. It could be a big turn-off for beginners! Not the fault of the setter but rather the editor.
Favourites: SOB STORY, SAINTLY, SWINGS, SUPERHERO, STAIN.
New for me: Taunton = small town in Somerset
Did not parse: 9 ac POISON.
I was confused by:
11ac neck = nerve end?
7d crown = brown?
22d online clue was confusing/wrong – now corrected.
Thanks, Anto and Quirister.
Good fun with POISON LOI. On the more difficult end, but still Quiptic.
Ta Anto & Quirister
Thanks Anto and Quirister.
As a regular moaner about the Quiptics’ difficulty level, I didn’t think this was egregious as it happens. 9A was my LOI (and from the definition / crossers only) but I agree it’s a step too far to expect a beginner to get that. ON SPEC was very satisfying.
Michelle @9 it’s a joint production IMO – but the regularity with which these are too difficult for beginners points to a systemic editorial issue.
Ah, I spotted CYANIDE early on, but it didn’t fit. And by the time I realised 9a had to be POISON I’d forgotten my earlier spot – doh!
Thanks Anto and Quirister.
An otherwise pleasant puzzle spoilt by “something nasty in the shed?
A good few I wasn’t enamoured of, SNAG LIST and POISON especially. A lot weren’t parsed but just fell in. Still, it’s a win, and I’ll take any of those!
Defeated by POISON, liked STAIN, SUBS, SNAG LIST and SKIN TIGHT.
Michelle@9: Taunton isn’t all that small: it’s the county town and has 69,000 inhabitants.
Like Pierre, I think of a stipend as more like a salary (regular, if nominal) than a fee (one-time).
I’m used to hearing a SNAG LIST called a “punch list.” Perhaps that’s the American term? I’ve never heard of a snag list.
Enjoyable puzzle I couldn’t finish without a little help from the check button (unlike the Cryptic). Thanks, Quirister and Pierre (no bird!)
I agree with Jim @11 that it wasn’t overly excessive for the Quiptic slot in general, but the harder clues were definitely well out of the Quiptic bracket. Bit of a curate’s egg in that respect.
Katherine @12, I had the same experience with 9a. I double checked to make sure that this wasn’t an April fool puzzle in which the answers wouldn’t fit without some twist. Then considered whether a cyanid was a thing. Finally gave up and completed rest of puzzle before coming back to 9a.
While stumped on this last clue, I considered, “what was that weird hidden word I wanted to go to 15^2 to ask about?” and realized that it was in this clue. Then noticed that poison fit the crossers. PDM.
Ben T @17 – I think you have it right. Much of this was at a Quiptic level, but then one as left with some seriously knarly clues: POISON, SNAG LIST (nho), TOILET (because the sense is so old fashioned), NERVE END (for reasons given by Quirister)… POISON was definitely well beyond a beginner level – an included answer? – no, that was just a step on the way. I had seen POISON would fit – like other words – but it took ages to see the CYANIDE. I do find it hard to get on Anto’s wavelength at times. Thanks, Quirister and Anto.
It was a shame to spoil such a consistently dreadful puzzle with a brilliant clue like 13 down.
Once more took twice as long as the days cryptic. Doesn’t really matter to me but let’s drop the pretence that this is an easier puzzle.
If the Quiptic is meant to be a stepping stone for solvers who are not quite ready to take on a Cryptic, shouldn’t it at least be carefully checked for accuracy and cryptic grammar? Not only was there the (corrected) error, but we had BROWN NOSE clued as ‘crown’=BROW and ‘knows’ (homophone)=NNOSE; ALLY clued as ‘a lie’; POISON clued as a hidden word that is an example of a poison; ‘Flash … for example’ split at opposite ends of the clue; and a plethora of what Tassie Tim calls “seriously gnarly clues”, in which I would include OFFING clued as ‘execution’. Anto’s wavelength is not so much hard to get onto at times – more like not even on the dial.
Thanks Quirister, I came late to this and couldn’t get past Poison = Fancy as per Slow Horse@1 and no idea of the rest, so you have helped me out there
I shared most of the gripes but quite liked SNAG LIST – I have no problem with a cryptic but possibly vague definition which contains some wordplay pointing more directly to the solution, is this what others call “partial&Lit” or am I under confusion (again)?
Think this not one of Anto’s best perhaps (and I wasn’t expecting it to be easy so that’s not my complaint at all) but as Roz@7 suggests there are still glimpses of that special something in clues like SKIN-TIGHT, REDACTED and my favourite SOB STORY, thanks Anto.
All very enjoyable, took me for ever, in a good way. Thanks Anto and Quirister both.