Our Quiptic puzzle is from Anto today.
Anto has a quirky style that doesn’t please everyone, and is on record as saying that he likes to challenge solvers rather than give them an easy ride. On that basis, some have suggested that he’s not really a good fit for the Quiptic slot; their opinion will probably be reinforced by today’s puzzle, which contains some questionable definitions, indicators and grammatical constructions (as I’ve noted below). If you’re a beginner and you found this a struggle, please enjoy the clues that you did get, and blame the setter for the others.
However, there are some lovely clues: I liked the hazardous building site of 11a, the dodgy dealer of 19a, and the “old dance music” of 8d. Thanks Anto for the enjoyment.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ECLIPSE |
Obscure European crops under discussion (7)
|
| E (abbreviation for European) + homophone (under discussion) of CLIPS (crops, as a verb = trims the edges of).
Obscure, as a verb = eclipse = hide. |
||
| 5 | PEERAGE |
Title of No 1 fashion (7)
|
| PEE (No 1 = slang for an act of urination) + RAGE (as in “all the rage” = fashion). | ||
| 10 | WEDS |
Joins with European dissidents supporting their leaders (4)
|
| First letters (leaders) of W[ith] E[uropean] D[issidents] S[upporting]. The grammar of the wordplay is rather strange: I can see what Anto means but I’m not sure it’s what you’d expect in a Quiptic. | ||
| 11 | CLOSE SHAVE |
Shuts up unfinished harbour — it could have been very dangerous (5,5)
|
| CLOSES (shuts up) + HAVE[n] (harbour) without its last letter (unfinished). | ||
| 12 | SPOT ON |
Heads spinning when working, to be precise (4,2)
|
| TOPS (heads) reversed (spinning) + ON (working). | ||
| 13 | SKI PANTS |
Steer clear of workers — they are quite tight (3,5)
|
| SKIP (avoid = steer clear of) + ANTS (workers).
It’s ages since I went skiing, but I’m fairly sure that ski pants aren’t supposed to be tight: you have to bend and move in them. UPDATE: as in comments 38-40, “ski pants” can mean a type of close-fitting trousers for women, so I withdraw my criticism on this one. |
||
| 14 | PEN PUSHER |
Jail drug dealer masquerading as clerk (3,6)
|
| PEN (as a verb = jail = confine) + PUSHER (slang for someone selling illegal drugs). | ||
| 16 | USHER |
Guide female into old city (5)
|
| SHE (female) in UR (city in ancient Mesopotamia). | ||
| 17 | SHUNT |
Move around and avoid tension (5)
|
| SHUN (avoid) + T (abbreviation for tension, particularly the surface tension of a liquid). | ||
| 19 | SMUGGLING |
Illegally supplying 3G in slum complex (9)
|
| Anagram (complex) of G G G (3G) + IN SLUM. | ||
| 23 | I’D LOVE TO |
Do evil to criminal? Count me in (2,4,2)
|
| Anagram (criminal) of DO EVIL TO – but a slightly weak anagram because the TO is unchanged at the end.
Count me in = I’d love to = stating one’s agreement to take part in something. |
||
| 24 | SMUTTY |
Dirty dog hiding in empty sty (6)
|
| MUTT (a mongrel dog) hiding in S[t]Y (empty = only the outer letters). | ||
| 26 | CALIFORNIA |
State recycling African oil (10)
|
| Anagram (recycling) of AFRICAN OIL. | ||
| 27 | FAUX |
Fine gold cross is not genuine (4)
|
| F (abbreviation for fine, as opposed to coarse) + AU (Au = chemical symbol for gold, from Latin aurum) + X (cross). | ||
| 28 | DETENTE |
Relations more relaxed where shelter’s surrounded by river (7)
|
| TENT (a shelter) surrounded by DEE (one of several rivers of that name in the UK and Ireland).
French-derived word for an improvement in relations between two previously hostile countries; for some reason I struggle to remember this meaning, because (to me at least) the word just doesn’t look like it should mean that. I suppose thinking of it as “de-tension” might help. |
||
| 29 | WORRIER |
One’s concerned if Democrat ousts Republican, becoming more verbose (7)
|
| Replacing the second R (abbreviation for Republican) with D (abbreviation for Democrat) would give WORDIER (more verbose). The phrasing of the clue doesn’t make it clear whether WORRIER or WORDIER is the solution; we could read it either way, so we need the crossers to decide. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | CHEAPIE |
Poor quality pile I donated to church (7)
|
| HEAP (pile) + I, inserted in (donated to?) CE (abbreviation for Church of England).
Cheapie = slang for something cheap, with the implication that you wouldn’t expect it to be good quality. |
||
| 3 | INSET |
Home prepared as part of a larger picture (5)
|
| IN (at home) + SET (prepared).
A small picture displayed within the boundary of a larger one, especially a map showing a specific area in more detail. |
||
| 4 | SECONDS |
They are quick to get more on your plate (7)
|
| Double definition, though the first is a bit vague. Short periods of time; or short for “second helpings” = another serving of food after you’ve eaten the first one. | ||
| 6 | EMETIC |
Refer to setter getting promoted — it makes you sick (6)
|
| CITE (refer to something said or written earlier) + ME (Anto as the setter of this clue), all reversed (promoted? = upwards in a down clue; “promote” means to move something higher, but I can’t see how it suggests a “reading upwards” reversal). | ||
| 7 | REHEARSAL |
Picks up something essential to actual practice (9)
|
| HEARS (picks up) inserted into REAL (actual); but surely “essential to” means that something was there in the centre all along, not that it’s been inserted? | ||
| 8 | GAVOTTE |
Old dance music provided excessive content (7)
|
| GAVE (provided) with OTT (abbreviation for over-the-top = excessive) inserted (content).
Renaissance French dance music. |
||
| 9 | LOW SPERM COUNT |
Clowns more put out, as it could mean fewer kids (3,5,5)
|
| Anagram (out) of CLOWNS MORE PUT. | ||
| 15 | PANTOMIME |
Become breathless over suggestive gestures — it’s farcical! (9)
|
| PANT (become breathless) + O (abbreviation for over, in cricket scoring) + MIME (using gestures rather than spoken words to suggest meaning). | ||
| 18 | HYDRATE |
In discussion, don’t reveal charge to provide water (7)
|
| Homophone (in discussion) of HIDE (don’t reveal), then RATE (charge = payment required, as in tax rates). | ||
| 20 | GESTAPO |
Nasty old cops stage trouble at post office (7)
|
| Anagram (trouble) of STAGE, then PO (abbreviation for post office).
The secret police of Nazi Germany. |
||
| 21 | NOT SURE |
UN store destroyed? It’s uncertain (3,4)
|
| Anagram (destroyed) of UN STORE. | ||
| 22 | DEVOUT |
Holy day starts Easter vigil abroad (6)
|
| D (abbreviation for day) + initial letters (starts) of E[aster] V[igil] + OUT (abroad = away from home). “Starts” by itself is rather dubious grammar; “starts of” or perhaps “starts to” would be more usual. | ||
| 25 | UP FOR |
Ready to participate in elevating section in rear of pub (2,3)
|
| Hidden answer (section in . . .), reversed (elevating = upwards in a down clue), in [rea]R OF PU[b].
As in “I’m up for that” = yes, I’ll do it. |
The first setter ever to have reached my “Not worth the time” list. I’ve approached all of his puzzles since the first with a grimace, and left them all with one too.
SPOT ON: Entirely superfluous “when”
WORRIER: The clue leads to WORDIER. At least the R/D had a crosser.
DETENTE: Not a definition
SMUGGLING: 3G is fun and fine for a cryptic, but certainly not a Quiptic device
DEVOUT: “starts Easter vigil” does not indicate EV.
SHUNT: T for “tension” is far too obscure for a Quiptic. As I understand it, it refers specifically to surface tension, so it’s also arguably incorrect.
GAVOTTE: “Excessive content” is not an instruction or a description of putting OTT inside something.
REHEARSAL: “Picks up something” means “hears something”, not “hears”, and just “essential to” is not a containment indicator, as above.
And several clues with “it” or “they” to introduce a definition (LOW SPERM COUNT, PANTOMIME, SECONDS, CLOSE SHAVE). Fine in moderation, but this was not moderation.
Thanks to Quirister for wading through this. Farewell, Anto.
Very tough for a Quiptic. I think the editor put this in the wrong slot? Due to shortage of time, I was tempted give up on it after solving about half of it so this did not really suit the description of a puzzle for “those in a hurry.”
Favourites: SKI PANTS, PEERAGE, DEVOUT (loi).
Thanks, both.
Well, sorry to disagree with cardamom and Quirister but I rather enjoyed this crossword.
I also didn’t think it was too difficult or tricksy for a Quiptic, although I am aware that this sort of assessment is entirely subjective and therefore almost worthless.
DETENTE, SKIPANTS, USHER and EMETIC were pleasing, PEERAGE and PENPUSHER were a delight.
My only quibblet was with 20D, a perfectly good clue in its way but even so, to describe the Gestapo as “nasty old cops” feels a bit like describing Hitler as “a bit of a wrong ‘un”.
Hey ho
Many thanks to Anto and Quirister
PS. GAVOTTE made me grin, too!
PPS. Cardamom: OTT is excessive, “content” is an indication to put OTT inside G A V E…
Thanks Anto and Quirister
How the crossword editor decided that this was suitable for the Quiptic slot is beyond me – I found this harder than Saturday’s Prize, for instance. Lots of loose defintions and dodgy wordplay.
I thought long and hard before entering WORDIER at 29a – I agree with cardamon @1 that this is what the clue leads to.
A DNF in fact – I revealed WEDS.
Struggled with this more than I would expect to with a cryptic, and I felt for beginners. Had to reveal SHUNT – too tough surely – but some others were fun. Liked CLOSE SHAVE and PANTOMIME best. Thanks to both.
A real curate’s egg, this one, and not just because I fell down on HYDRATE. I enjoyed PEERAGE, because I’m a child, and SMUGGLING, but I don’t see where the second E in ECLIPSE comes from, and overall it just didn’t feel right.
I appreciate ‘nasty old cops’ is a poor description on the surface, but I suspect Anto is misleading us to make an anagram (nasty) of ‘old cops’. I certainly fell for it before I had the crossers and it fell in.
I have to concur with previous posters – something about this just rubbed me up the wrong way, and I didn’t really enjoy this.
Not too bad for an Anto, imho. Irritated by WORRIER, but the puzzle is free and nobody is forced to do it.
More difficult than the Cryptic IMHO but some good clues.
I liked the surfaces for SKI PANTS and SMUGGLING, the quirky description for DETENTE, and the carpet (or money) donated to the church.
[If you accidentally delete something while typing here, is there any way of recovering it?]
Thanks Anto and Qurister.
This did not go down smoothly like most Quiptics do. I was particularly unimpressed with promote being used to mean reverse or turn upside down in EMETIC. I also don’t think DEVOUT means holy.
Agree with most cmments re suitability for quiptic.
Regarding 6d, a team that is promoted goes up, so I don’t have a problem with that.
Thanks Anto and Quirister
[Robi @11: Control-Z as an “undo” function works here for me, but that might depend on the browser and/or device you’re using.]
I found this mostly enjoyable, with only one real quibble, that the clue for 29a, as pointed out, could work in either direction. Had a bit of a chuckle at PEERAGE.
Thanks Anto & Quirister.
I really like Anto and enjoyed this puzzle with its quirkiness,… but I don’t think Anto sets Quiptic puzzles: It took me more than twice as long as I often complete Quiptics or the Everyman and longer than the Cryptic. I also get the impression that it’s not the compilers choosing where their crosswords go, but the editor, from comments elsewhere.
Thank you to Anto and Quirister
I’m with Geoff Down Under on this. The ambiguity of 29a is probably a bit too much for a Monday (I’m not going to say the Q-word, since I find it insufferably twee).
Today has reminded me of my constant surprise at how miffed people get by crosswords – it sometimes sounds as if they have been personally betrayed by the setter. Lighten up – it’s just a puzzle, and have you ever tried to set one? It’s jolly difficult.
If you’re promoted you rise up so it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch for the same to apply to a down clue. Well maybe it’s OTT for the quiptic. I think this would have been a good midweek puzzle
Cheers Q&A
Thanks both,
I actually quite liked this puzzle. Agree that 11ac was excellent.
I agree with Quirister. Some nice clues, some questions, some a bit tricky for the slot but the key is to enjoy the good bits.
Quirister @14; wow, many thanks, it works!
I agree with the suggestion that Anto’s style is not a good fit for the Quiptic, and I question why his puzzles continue to appear in that slot, or even a Monday slot.
With that in mind I didn’t approach this with the expectations I associate with a Quiptic, and I found it to be an enjoyable middling to difficult cryptic.
Thanks to Anto and Quirister, and a raspberry to whoever was responsible for selecting the puzzle for the Quiptic – and probably discouraging inexperienced solvers in the process.
I was nowhere near on this one, although I did enjoy the clues I was able to get. Particularly 5a and 9d.
I quite enjoyed this but it did take some time to get on Anto’s wave length. I agree with many of the quibbles although I think they are fairly minor really. Eg where does the extra e in ECLIPSE come from? Doesn’t matter as we get the meaning and it’s a homophone so sounds like CLIPS. But I appreciate that many people would expect the ‘rules’ of cryptic crosswords to be followed pretty precisely for a Quiptic aimed at beginners.
Anyway thanks A and Q
Sigh on the attacks on Anto – this was a fine crossword with some lovely cluing. Most of the ‘looseness’ would be fine if clued by Brendan.
Yes, a tad hard for a Quiptic (though some should be more challenging than others) – hardly his bad that the crossword editor slotted it there.
polyphone @25
“they are quite tight” and “they are quick” are surely loose definitions whoever the setter was?
polyphone @25 and others – this ‘Meet the Setter’ interview with Anto implies that it is the setter who compiles a puzzle specifically for the Quiptic slot.
There was a similar question put to Carpathian – and a rather different reply!
When I see Anto’s name on a Monday puzzle I just pretend it is Tuesday or Wednesday, and I find the number of quibbles to be greatly reduced. For example, 29a WORRIER is a perfectly good clue (as long as the R/D option falls on a crosser), but it may be considered iffy for a Monday puzzle. A lot of Quirister’s Quiptic Quibbles might fall into this category.
I sometimes think, like polyphone@25, that people work a little harder to find fault when it’s Anto up to bat. Yes there are a few quibbles which warrant comment, but the proportion of praise versus pongling seems a bit out of whack in relation to the quality of his puzzles.
Thanks, Anto for the fun and Quirister for the blog.
cellomaniac@28
Yes, if it was a cryptic, but this was supposed to be a Quiptic!
Yup. I would have had no quibbles if this had been a Tuesday puzzle. But this does not fill the bill for a Quiptic. To be fair, that’s the editor’s fault, not the setter’s. But we’ve been complaining about Mr. Stephenson’s lassiez-faire stewardship of these pages for a decade now, so I see no profit in it.
muffin@29
That is sort of what I was saying, and why I referred to the blogger’s criticisms as Q’s Q Qs. Perhaps Anto’s Monday puzzles should have a disclaimer attached. Something like “For beginners who occasionally want to stretch themselves somewhat beyond the normal Monday degree of difficulty.”
I thought this puzzle had lots of very good clues. I especially liked 5a the Paulian PEERAGE, 11a CLOSE SHAVE, 14a PEN PUSHER, 19a SMUGGLING, and 9d LOW SPERM COUNT. I did have a couple of quibbles, but they have already been belaboured by others.
Some lovely clues, but some very poor offerings for an advanced beginner. Particularly troublesome are 13ac – “tight” seems a bit of a stretch for defining ski clobber, and the WORRIER/WORDIER conundrum evoked many blog words.
I’m not sure ‘nasty old cops’ is a suitable definition for the GESTAPO.
Agree with others that Anto is not a suitable setter for the Quiptic slot.
Great fun but not a Quiptic. Will always be an Anto fan.
Ta both.
Not a Quiptic. Not even a particularly good cryptic. Repetition of ‘European’ to clue E in the space of three clues. ‘Starts + fodder’ is nonsensical in terms of grammar, as noted it needs some indication of possession. Anagram fodder sharing a word with the solution. Loose definitions like ‘they are quick / they are quite tight’. ‘provided excessive content’ does not say ‘put OTT into GAVE’. Substitutions that can be read in either direction…
Never mind an editor, does Anto not even use a test solver? (I’m an amateur setter and if I had produced this puzzle it would come back from any decent test solver covered in red ink)
Probably the least satisfying Guardian puzzle since I started doing them.
Thanks for the blog though! 🙂
I enjoyed this more than some Anto puzzles (which may sound like damning with faint praise, but so be it). It was a DNF for me, as I couldn’t manage to get 1ac (ECLIPSE), although in hindsight it’s perfectly fair.
As a physicist, I’ll offer a word in support of T for tension: it’s quite common in introductory physics, and while I’d be happier if setters used fewer one-letter abbreviations, this one is surely no worse than many.
I’m not a skier myself. Perhaps Anto was thinking of Ned Flanders from the Simpsons (image or video clip).
Thanks Anto. I always do Anto’s cryptics but this was my 1st Quiptic by any setter. I chose to do it because I like Anto’s “quirky” style. I also enjoy the apoplexy on blogs whenever Anto’s the setter. Thanks Quirister for the blog.
muffin@26 and others. Here’s ski pants as tight: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/ski-pants seems like a natural definition to me. The image conjured worked naturally.
My first one in was WEDs which i thought was a very good clue. I got bogged down about half way through and went over to the cryptic to regain my confidence. On returning, i could see through the remaining clues better.
I have a feeling that before SKI PANTS became a synonym for Salopettes, they were tight ladies trousers rather like Capris and not worn for skiing. Maybe I am mistaken. The memory is very vague
polyphone @38, nicbach@39: I had a vague memory of “ski pants” not designed for skiing, but Google didn’t seem to know anything about it, so I gave up. Not sure why I didn’t check Chambers, which agrees with your Cambridge dictionary reference. I think they’ve probably been consigned to fashion history, probably to be replaced by something even less flattering . . .
My only problem with ANY of this crossword was the “worrier/wordier” clue. The wording of the clue I found a little odd, and so had to rely on a crosser to determine which of the words to enter into the grid.
Other than that, fine. An enjoyable way to spend ten minutes.
Quirister@40, I had some ski-pants in the 80s or early 90s, but they were fashionable from the 50s or 60s as fairly close fitting trousers with a strap under the foot, not particularly stretchy, but fabrics weren’t until all the sports gear got fashionable with the dancewear sold by Pineapple in the 1980s. Audrey Hepburn promoted Charade in 1963 wearing ski-pants. These days, the ubiquitous lycra leggings have superseded them.
A lot of general definitions that really don’t have a lot to do with the answer. Which is a shame as there’s some neat word play, but playing fast and loose with a definition is just sloppy imo. Never impressed by trying to make a grid harder by being unfair.
I learned about use of ID as a word, in ID LOVE TO. The missing apostrophe is odd, but I guess expected as nobody mentioned it. Hard crossword, so I couldn’t finish, but enjoyed what I got. GAVOTTE and EMETIC were beyond me.
Enjoyable solve, but it took two sessions to finish, with LOI SHUNT. I’m impressed that anyone could finish this in 10 minutes. Thanks, Anto.
Just did not like this at all and whilst not being as critical and pedantic as the ‘spicy’ first respondent, it was not in my comfort zone like other Quiptic setters eg Carpathian & Matilda. Thanks setter though for making me think.