Quiptic 1,161 by Anto

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An enjoyable puzzle with a good variety of clue types – though, typically for Anto, perhaps not as easy as some Quiptics.

We need to use most of the methods of picking letters out of words: first letters, first and last letters, middle pairs of letters, alternate letters, removing a specific letter, and dropping the last letter. There’s also a reference to drugs slang (it seems no crossword is complete without one) and a couple of non-obvious chemical symbols. I liked the trick in 12a and 13a (though it’s a shame that two clues with such similar constructions are next to each other) and the sneaky definition in 27a, but my top prize goes to the remarkable anagram in 8d. Thanks Anto as always.

Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

ACROSS
1 PEDANT
One particular exercise poet doesn’t finish (6)
PE (Physical Education = exercise classes in school) + DANT[e] (the poet Dante Alighieri) without the last letter (doesn’t finish).
4 SMALLS
Underwear found in shops aboard ship (6)
MALL (an enclosed shopping centre) inside (aboard) SS (abbreviation for steamship).
9 SNAG
Problem amalgamating tin and silver (4)
The chemical symbols SN (Sn = tin, from Latin stannum) + AG (Ag = silver, from Latin argentum).
10 CHILDPROOF
Rich old fop contrived to keep kids out (10)
Anagram (contrived) of RICH OLD FOP.
11 FATTEN
Press lecturer to leave stuff (6)
F[l]ATTEN (press), with the L (abbreviation for lecturer) going away.
12 LAST LEGS
Survive stages on them? You’re nearly finished! (4,4)
LAST (as a verb = survive, as in “to last the distance”) + LEGS (stages of a journey).

As in “on one’s last legs” = about to drop from exhaustion.
13 HIGH HORSE
Off heroin? On it, you are quite arrogant (4,5)
HIGH (off = of food, smelling bad and no longer fit to eat) + HORSE (slang for heroin).

As in “on one’s high horse” = adopting a superior attitude.
15 ICON
Hustler’s confession displayed on computer (4)
A hustler (confidence trickster) might confess: I CON.
16 TEMP
This employee makes pittance at first (4)
Initial letters (at first) of T[his] E[mployee] M[akes] P[ittance].

Clue-as-definition: a temp (temporary employee) might not be particularly well paid.
17 WOODEN LEG
Support rigid line, for example (6,3)
WOODEN (rigid = moving awkwardly, or perhaps not expressing emotions) + L (abbreviation for line) + EG (e.g. = for example).
21 MEASURED
Controlled setter, confident when dismissing second son (8)
ME (Anto speaking as the setter of this crossword) + AS[s]URED without the second S (abbreviation for son). Though it doesn’t actually matter which S you dismiss.
22 BOFFIN
Scientist is away during scrap (6)
OFF (away) inserted into (during) BIN (as a verb = scrap = discard).
24 SUPERGRASS
If you break sugar press, he will tell on you (10)
Anagram (if you break . . .) of SUGAR PRESS.

An informant: one who provides evidence in a high-profile criminal trial in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
25 THEY
General group heads for The Hague every year (4)
Initial letters (heads) of T[he] H[ague] E[very] Y[ear].

Pronoun that can be used to indicate a group of people without identifying them specifically.
26 PATTER
Father has time for idle talk (6)
PATER (public-school slang for father, from Latin) including an extra T (abbreviation for time).

Quick inconsequential talk, especially as used by comedians or by salespeople.
27 CYGNET
Extremely canny gentlemen edit what’s produced by pen (6)
First and last letters (extremes) of C[ann]Y G[entleme]N E[di]T.

Pen = a female swan; cygnet = a baby swan.
DOWN
1 PUNJABI
Injection of wit over island language (7)
JAB = slang for injection, PUN = a form of wit, so an injection of wit could be a PUN JAB; that comes before (over, reading downwards in a down clue) I (abbreviation for island).
2 DIGIT
Appreciate model not having small figure (5)
DIG (slang for appreciate in the sense of enjoy) + [s]IT (model, as a verb = sit as a model for an artist) without the S (small).
3 NO CAN DO
Ignore heart on cuckoo’s wings — impossible! (2,3,2)
Middle letters (heart) of [ig[NO[re], then C AND O (the outside letters, or “wings”, of C[ucko]O).

Slang for “I can’t do that”.
5 MODEST
Demote oldest pastor, essentially for being shy (6)
Middle letters (essentially) of [de]MO[te] [ol]DE[st] [pa]ST[or].
6 LORD LUCAN
One who disappeared in grinding lunar cold (4,5)
Anagram (grinding) of LUNAR COLD.

The 7th Earl of Lucan, who notoriously disappeared in the 1970s after a murder in which he was the prime suspect. Despite several alleged sightings he was never found, and eventually declared legally dead.
7 SHOTGUN
Photographed piece that can encourage reluctant union (7)
SHOT (as a verb = photographed) + GUN (piece = either a slang term for a gun, or one used by experts to refer to specific types such as an “artillery piece”).

As in “shotgun wedding” = a forced marriage as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.
8 WIN, LOSE OR DRAW
World War One is grotesque whatever the outcome (3,4,2,4)
Anagram (grotesque) of WORLD WAR ONE IS.
14 HYMN SHEET
It contains holy text that choristers share in harmony (4,5)
At first glance this just looks like a not-very-cryptic definition, but I think it’s intended as a double definition; the second comes from “singing from the same hymn sheet” = slang for “in general agreement” = in harmony.
16 THE HUMP
Ambassador involved in crash may have a grievance (3,4)
HE (His/Her Excellency = title for an ambassador) involved in THUMP (crash = loud noise of something falling).

As in “to get the hump” = to get annoyed about something.
18 DEBUSSY
One coming out demanding dismissal of fellow composer (7)
DEB (short for debutante = a girl “coming out” in society on reaching adulthood) + [f]USSY (demanding) with the F (abbreviation for fellow) dismissed.

Claude Debussy, French composer.
19 EVIDENT
Conspicuous coverage of competition by papers? Just the opposite (7)
The old trick “just the opposite”: this tells us to cover ID (identity documents = papers) with EVENT (competition, as in a “three-day event” in horse-riding), not the other way round as initially suggested.
20 PRAGUE
Under pressure, debate moving queen up one space — capital! (6)
P (abbreviation for pressure) + ARGUE (debate) with the R (short for Queen, from Latin Regina) shifted to the start. Reading downwards in a down clue, ARGUE is “under” P and the R is moving “up”.
23 FUTON
Fruit sown occasionally in oriental bed (5)
Alternate letters (occasionally) of F[r]U[i]T [s]O[w]N.

Traditional Japanese bedding.

32 comments on “Quiptic 1,161 by Anto”

  1. I’ve enjoyed Anto’s last couple of outings much more than I used to, and I thought this was nicely differentiated from his recent cryptic. Favourites today were the interlocking DEBUSSY and CYGNET, and the rather grim but apposite anagram for WIN LOSE OR DRAW.

    One quibble: ‘idle talk’ to me implies pointless trivialities, whereas PATTER generally has a purpose.

    Thanks Anto and Quirister.

  2. Thanks, Quirister – a fair and thorough assessment. Anto on good form this week. Difficulty level felt about right to me, but other opinions are available. I agree with you on the highlights – especially 8d. I also really liked WOODEN LEG – which kept me guessing far too long. 10a also very good – although I have to admit that my first thought, until I took a closer look at the letters in the fodder, was PROPHYLACTIC…

    Re 12a/13a, avoiding similar clues consecutively is something I try to be conscious of in my own amateur dabblings as a setter. But sometimes it can’t be helped – and it’s hard to resist if a particularly pleasing clue suggests itself. I’m a lot more forgiving these days when the pros do it. And as you say, there’s a lovely variety of clueing techniques throughout this crossword overall.

  4. I wasn’t entirely comfortable with thump = crash in 16d, but I think I could forgive Anto absolutely anything for the utterly magnificent anagram WORLD WAR ONE IS = WIN LOSE OR DRAW.
    I found this appreciably tougher than Vulcan’s regular Cryptic this morning, really struggling with PEDANT, FATTEN and DIGIT.
    But a nicely put together bit of work. Thanks Anto and Quirister.

  5. Tougher than the Cryptic, as is traditional it seems. The NW corner took me a while, despite one answer seeming very familiar and SNAG being a write-in. I solved the long anagram incorrectly at first, with the four letter words swapped.

  7. Some nice oblique definitions here for CYGNET, PEDANT and SHOTGUN, and a splendid anagram for WIN LOSE OR DRAW. Also enjoyed LORD LUCAN and WOODEN LEG.

    I’ve long since given up worrying whether first letters are official abbreviations or not, but L(ecturer) is a bit of a stretch (yes, I know, I know, it will be In Chambers). I didn’t get that one, being distracted by an unparsable Press=hurry=HASTEN. Also failed to explain NO CAN DO.

  8. I liked CYGNET, LAST LEGS, HIGH HORSE, BOFFIN, PEDANT, WOODEN LEG.

    I did not fully parse 3d, 14d.

    New for me: THE HUMP = grievance.

    Thanks, both.

  10. I think I agree with muffin that this is Anto’s best yet.

    I share the admiration for the excellent anagram at 8dn and I also liked CHILDPROOF, MEASURED, CYGNET, DEBUSSY and PRAGUE.

    I’ve stared at HYMN SHEET for some time. I agree that it’s intended as a double definition (I love that expression, ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’) and I can make it make sense if the first definition ends at ‘text’, I think. (You got a sort of namecheck, anyway, Quirister. 😉 )

    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  12. I enjoyed this particularly that amazing anagram at 8D. Came here to check the parsing on a couple of clues – NO CAN DO and bits of others. I thought of “singing from the same hymn sheet” too, eventually. Someone having THE HUMP is familiar, so that went in earlier. It too took me longer than the Cryptic.

    Thank you to Anto and Quirister.

  13. Thanks to Anto for an excellent crossword – far too good for a quiptic.
    And thanks to Quirister for an equally excellent blog.

  15. I agree with Eileen (and muffin) too, except I don’t get the name-check (PEDANT? – hardly, WOODEN LEG? – bit insensitive if so so hardly, BOFFIN?). WIN LOSE OR DRAW is great. Thanks both.

  16. Alphalpha @15: Eileen’s namecheck comment is for “chorister”, because I am one – and because that’s what “Quirister” means. (It’s an archaic form of “chorister”, from the old alternative spelling “quire” for “choir”.) But as a former technical author I’ve also been called a “professional pedant”, which I took as a compliment at the time.

  17. For a long time I just couldn’t see ICON, and was half-tempted to go with IMAC, as in “I’m a C”

    Overall, a nice, tough but fair quiptic. Thanks A and Q.

  18. Thank you Quirister, agree that this is an excellent blog of an excellent, witty and ingenious puzzle (and I was stuck on the same unholy trinity as NeilH).
    I tried some fancypants additive/subtractive anagram for HYMN SHEET as the letters of HYMN appear in Harmony but couldn’t get anywhere so agree with Eileen’s adaptation of your dd theory. [though Eileen if you had ever heard me singing in church you would question the meaning of the full phrase!]
    Thanks Anto, you deserved a ‘proper’ daily slot for this one.

  20. Very good puzzle indeed. WIN LOSE OR DRAW was both a clever anagram & super surface read. Possibly a tad tough for the Quiptic slot though.
    Thanks Anto

  21. I have learnt to approach an Anto puzzle in the expectation that it will be chewier than the average Quiptic, with the result that I can now enjoy them for what they are without worrying about the fact that I am taking longer to solve it than I should. I agree with the favourites identified above.

  22. Good crossword, but more difficult for me than the cryptic (as others have mentioned).

    I particularly liked CYGNET, both for the construction and the definition, and NO CAN DO, although a rather strange surface.

    Thanks Anto and Quirister.

  23. I especially enjoyed CYGNET and of course the spectacular anagram at 8d.

    It’s unfortunate in 7a that “gun” and “piece” have the same meaning in the answer and the wordplay.

    Never heard the “same hymn sheet” expression in 14d. The hump was a new one for me too.

    “Oh, the rising of the sun, the running of the deer
    And the playing of the merry organ, Sweet singing in the quire.”

    I’ve seen setters say that setting a Quiptic or a Monday puzzle is harder than a regular cryptic, like setting with one hand tied behind them, so I resist statements that placement in the cryptic slot is a step up from this. Quiptic is a more, not less, challenging assignment.

    So lots of thanks to Anto for this delight and to Quirister for a good blog and the namecheck clarification. (I had a few in comments today myself, but don’t take it personally, given the date.)

  24. A enjoyable Quiptic, and about the right level I thought.

    I did wonder whether ‘contrived’ was doing double duty in 10A, but I suppose a childproof lock is indeed a lock to keep kids out. Similarly wasn’t sure about ‘ignore heart’ giving O. But again, you can talk about ‘cow heart’ to mean ‘heart of [a] cow’. So ultimately I think I’ve talked myself around!

    Not sure about those comments saying this deserved a ‘proper’ slot for being rather good. It’s difficulty, not quality, that should differentiate the two…

    Thanks Quirister and Anto.

  25. I didn’t know that “get the hump” was an expression. Is it from Kipling?

    Thanks for explaining “hymn sheet”. I couldn’t see any way to regard it as anything other than an uninspired (not very) cryptic definition.

    I thought this was a very enjoyable puzzle. I particularly like the impressive anagram in 8dn and the misleading definition in 27ac.

  27. Oh dear, I could only get 4 answers.
    There must be a publication somewhere that has a crossword suitable to my minimal ability.

  28. @hoofityoudonkey: Do not despair. You will improve I suspect. The Everyman puzzle is often a tad easier if you want easier. Otherwise feel free to reveal answers and then spend some time puzzling out the parsing of the clue. When all else fails come here, see the answers, and ignore all the carping about “the puzzles being too easy.”

  29. @HoofItYouDonkey Its not you. Its Anto. To me it does not look like Anto makes an effort to entice newbies and make them like cryptics. There are adequate venues for Anto to show off his tough clues. But he seems to insist on showing up here and spoiling what little fun I could get out of simpler crosswords.

    I find Times Quick Cryptic, 13×13 grid more to my liking now a days. London Times editors seem to care and throttle down the exuberance of the setters and seem to make sure the clues and puzzle difficulty levels are properly calibrated. I can easily finish one or two a day.

  31. Crashed and burned in the NW (despite SNAG being the POI), and had EXIGENT instead of EVIDENT. Like everyone else, loved WIN LOSE OR DRAW.

    Wasn’t NO CAN DO used a few days ago?

  32. Fell into the category of ‘Quiptics I couldn’t finish’ unfortunately. Oh well, it’s a learning experience as I keep telling myself.

    @WhiteDevil, NO CAN DO a was an answer in Everyman on Sunday.

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