I had to make an early start on this Pan puzzle this morning, so it might be that my brain was not fully engaged, but I found this a bit chewier than usual from this setter. Newer solvers will no doubt confirm or deny this hypothesis.
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 Fine report outlining origin of alternative facts circulating about Italy
SATISFACTORY
A Quiptic level definition, perhaps, but a complicated parsing. A double insertion: A, then I in (FACTS)*; then all that inserted into STORY. The anagrind is ‘circulating’ and the two insertion indicators are ‘about’ and ‘outlining’. The A comes from the initial letter of ‘alternative’.
8 Drug company badly need to contain source of inflammation
CODEINE
A charade of CO and I for the first letter of ‘inflammation’ inserted into (NEED)* The anagrind is ‘badly’ and the insertion indicator is ‘to contain’.
9 Aquatic animal showing mass discharge
GRAMPUS
A charade of GRAM and PUS gives you the common name for Risso’s dolphin, although it’s also used for the killer whale.
11 Exhausted actors in exile
OUTCAST
A charade of OUT and CAST.
12 Hairstyle in sport coming back in various tones
TONSURE
An insertion of RU reversed in (TONES)* The insertion indicator is ‘in’; the reversal indicator is ‘coming back’; the anagrind is ‘various’.
13 Rejected measure of cloth containing silicon material
LISLE
An insertion of SI in ELL, all reversed. The insertion indicator is ‘containing’; the reversal indicator is ‘rejected’. An ELL is an old measure of cloth and LISLE is a twisted cotton yarn whose name is based on an old spelling of the French city of Lille, where the material was originally manufactured.
14 Gradually, quiet announced before supper, say
PIECEMEAL
A charade of a homophone (‘announced’) of PEACE and MEAL.
16 Equipment suitable to welcome soldier to America
APPARATUS
An insertion of PARA in APT, followed by US. The insertion indicator is ‘to welcome’.
19 Setter eating shell of exotic nut
PECAN
Normally, ‘setter’ should alert you to I or ME, but here Pan has been completely self-referential: it’s an insertion of EC for the outer letters of ‘exotic’ in PAN. The insertion indicator is ‘eating’.
21 Caught priests involved in illegitimate trade
TRAPPED
An insertion of PP for two ‘priests’ in (TRADE)* The insertion indicator is ‘involved in’ and the anagrind is ‘illegitimate’.
23 Eastern stagehand covering books in exercise in self-aggrandisement
EGO TRIP
A charade of E and OT for Old Testament or ‘books’ inserted into GRIP for ‘stagehand’. The insertion indicator is ‘covering’.
24 Outfit worn by suspect into disturbing the peace
RIOTING
An insertion of (INTO)* in RIG. The insertion indicator is ‘worn by’ and the anagrind is ‘suspect’.
25 Feeling generated by Ireland’s third poet laureate
EMOTION
A charade of E for the third letter of ‘Ireland’ and MOTION. Andrew MOTION was Poet Laureate from 1999 to 2009.
26 Detective with unsteady gait held by one with money to place
INVESTIGATOR
An insertion of (GAIT)* in INVESTOR. The insertion indicator is ‘held by’ and the anagrind is ‘unsteady’.
Down
1 Puts out peel of sizable fruit
SEDATES
A charade of SE for the outside letters (‘peel’) of ‘sizeable’ and DATES.
2 Clan accepting promotion for gay woman
TRIBADE
An insertion of AD in TRIBE. The insertion indicator is ‘accepting’. An archaic (according to some dictionaries) word for lesbian, ultimately deriving from the Greek tribein, to rub. Put a Scissor Sisters CD on and go figure.
3 Small tee between posts damaged part of golf club?
SWEET SPOT
An insertion of WEE and T in (POSTS)* The insertion indicator is ‘between’ and the anagrind is ‘damaged’. The SWEET SPOT of a club, or cricket bat, or tennis racquet is the part with which you need to strike the ball to obtain maximum effect. ‘That’s come right out of the sweet spot.’
4 Language in ship seeking the Golden Fleece for Troy
ARGOT
A charade of ARGO for the ship and T for ‘troy’ weight.
5 Rushed round island in support for apprentice
TRAINEE
This crossword is not short of insertions, and here’s another double one: first of I in RAN, then all that in TEE. The insertion indicators are ’round’ and ‘in’.
6 Artist attached to her work left in charge of transport
RAPTURE
A charade of RA and P[IC]TURE. The removal indicator is ‘left in charge’.
7 Teacher rearranged the classroom
SCHOOLMASTER
(THE CLASSROOM)* A chestnut, but not of course if you’re seeing it for the first time. It’s an oddity, isn’t it?
10 Animal planned to explode in fairground attraction
SHETLAND PONY
An insertion of (PLANNED TO)* in SHY. The insertion indicator is ‘in’ and the anagrind is ‘explode’. Animal rights campaigners should address their concerns to the setter and not to me.
15 English plant, say, given to German as a seasonal gift
EASTER EGG
A charade of E, ASTER, EG and G.
17 Squad extremely grabbed by suggestion
PLATOON
An insertion of TOO in PLAN. The insertion indicator is ‘grabbed by’.
18 Cloth fastener covering large contemptible person
REPTILE
Plenty of fabric this morning. REP is a corded cloth; you need that followed by an insertion of L in TIE. The insertion indicator is ‘covering’.
19 Almost wander into office of cathedral official
PROVOST
An insertion of ROV[E] in POST. The insertion indicator is ‘into’.
20 Jeweller‘s nurse carrying note
CARTIER
An insertion of TI for the seventh note of the tonic sol-fa in CARER. The insertion indicator is ‘carrying’.
22 Poke Italian’s toe
DIGIT
A charade of DIG and IT.
Many thanks to Pan for this week’s Quiptic.
Think it took about the same time as today’s Brendan, but I’m a cogitative stroller by nature. Don’t think I’ve heard of tribade before; will run it by my female gay mates, see what they say. Otoh rep the cloth did ring a faint bell. Dnk that there were so many provosts … in military, education, government. All quite fun, thanks P and P.
I think this was a little bit too difficult for a Quiptic. I did not parse the T/troy weight in 4d ARGO +T
New for me: TRIBADE; REP = a fabric with a ribbed surface, used in curtains and upholstery (for 18D).
I liked: EGO TRIP, SHETLAND PONY, RIOTING, PLATOON. PROVOST (loi).
Thanks, both.
Thanks Pan and Pierre
I found this quite difficult as well. I didn’t parse SATISFACTORY. I constructed TRIBADE, but was most surprised when I checked to find that it’s a word.
PLATOON seems doubly loose – PLAN for suggestion and TOO for extremely?
Favourite SEDATES.
I, too, found this quite difficult. TRIBADE was a new word for me. I agree with muffin@3 about PLATOON. I like INVESTIGATOR though, with its surface making me think of Columbo.
Usually a bug fan of Pan’s, but simply wasn’t on the wavelength. A fair amount of GK in areas of which I have none (textiles, it seems) and some rather complicated constructions. SCHOOLMASTER may be a crossword chestnut, here’s a 225 chestnut: perhaps this was too difficult for a Quiptic?
That is a recurring question, Shaun, but like chestnutty clues, worth revisiting. It’s an impossible question to answer in one sense, since ‘too difficult’ means different things to different solvers. For me, this was in Quiptic territory for all the usual reasons: clear cluing, only one or two ‘unusual’ words, no arcane devices, and good surfaces thrown in for good measure. I found it a bit tricky, but it’s by no means intractable. Really new solvers might not have been able to finish it, but that’s the beauty of the Quiptic – there will be another one along next week for you to have a go at. And one day, you’ll have finished your first cryptic without aids. I remember that, although it was a while ago now, and it felt good. It was an Everyman, and I was so pleased I sent it off to try to win the prize. Which I didn’t.
I think the Quiptic is a great invention and bravo to the Grauniad for introducing it all those years ago. And bravo to the setters too – most of them will tell you that it’s actually quite difficult setting an ‘easy’ puzzle.
I’ve been around for a while, but the SCHOOLMASTER anagram was new to me and raised a smile.
Tough but fun solve. Great blog Pierre.
Ta both
Same here with SCHOOLMASTER: I thought “this must be a chestnut, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it.” Never met TRIBADE before: I revealed it, didn’t know what it meant and was trying to parse it with a very dubious “promoted” BI=gay (which it doesn’t). Rather harder than the usual Quiptic and didn’t enjoy the laborious parsing of SATISFACTORY.
Never heard of TRIBADE but the wordplay obvious & lost the will to live trying to fully parse SATISFACTORY but an otherwise gentle solve & nicely clued throughout.
Thanks to P&P
Thanks for the blog. I blame eg “crossword compiler” or whatever for tribade etc – maybe in Pan’s routine lexicon, nho here…
Curate’s egg for me, but no real complaints.
Thank you for an amusing blog, Pierre, and for the parsing of 6D.
I have a quibble: to put out is not to sedate, it is to anaesthetise. Sedation is a lesser step.
Would someone please explain why ‘shy’ is a synonym for ‘fairground attraction?’
Thought it might be a British usage, but couldn’t find it in Collins on-line. Thanks in advance.
A coconut shy is a stall where customers throw wooden balls in an attempt to knock coconuts off their holders (just about impossible!)
All this time I thought people threw the coconuts!
We thought this was about average difficulty, taking about three passes to solve completely. From crossing letters we guessed SATISFACTORY for 1ac and then saw the parsing. And that gave us TRIBADE – an new word for us, too – as our LOI. Plenty to like, with SHETLAND PONY among our favourites.
Plenty to like, indeed, but also one to hate (4d – that, in my opinion, awful use of ‘for’).
I know, even Araucaria did it but that doesn’t mean that I should like or accept it.
Thank you, muffin.
Is a reptile really a ‘contemptible person’? I can of course see that you could describe someone thus, especially preceded by ‘horrible’ or ‘loathsome’ – but if you said ‘he’s a reptile’ to me I think I’d need to ask for clarification on what you really meant. But perhaps I just don’t hear it enough!
Provost and tonsure are uncommon words. Rep, tribade, lisle, grampus and argot are all completely new to me have this a unpleasantly scrabble-like feel. Much harder than the Everyman from the day before.
Not for beginnings, this.
Does the Guardian actually have a crossword editor?
Although having complained about difficulty, I’m now trying the prize crossword and can’t get anywhere! Maybe I’ve been spoiled!