Guardian Quiptic 1,269/Picaroon

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He’s done Guardian Prize, he’s done Guardian  genius, he’s done Guardian Cryptic, but this is as far as I can see Picaroon’s debut in the Quiptic slot. Welcome.

People sometimes comment when a setter who has compiled Quiptics gets a daily cryptic slot, congratulating them on their ‘promotion’, as if the Quiptic wasn’t a proper puzzle. Exactly the opposite: I have talked to many setters over the years who will tell you that setting the Quiptic is a tough ask requiring all the tools in the box, and then some. ‘Setting with one hand tied behind your back’ is how one memorably described it. Picaroon has shown here he is perfectly capable of compiling a puzzle that hits the spot for ‘beginners and those in a hurry’. Clear cluing, no obscurities, and a good variety of clue types. Bravo, and also to the editor for bringing an experienced setter into this slot.

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 Bands take LSD with energy in empty stadiums
STRIPES
An insertion of TRIP and E in SS for the S[TADIUM]S. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.

5 Help for referees – it includes an alternative form
VARIANT
A charade of VAR and AN inserted into IT. The insertion indicator is ‘includes’. The beautiful game rears its head early doors: VAR is the Video Assistant Referee, who in Premier League games sits in a studio watching replays of incidents. Whether that is a ‘help’ to the onfield referee is a subject of much discussion.

9 Menial worker taking pound from e.g. Tiger Woods
GOFER
GO[L]FER. L is an accepted abbreviation for ‘pound’. Those old enough to have used Lsd (but not the sort mentioned in 1 across) will know that. The £ sign developed from a very elaborate capital ‘L’, itself an abbreviation of the Latin libra, which confusingly refers to the pound weight.

10 Settled how nun is dressed by Edward
INHABITED
A charade of IN HABIT and ED.

11 Tactics in games start going wrong
STRATEGEMS
(GAMES START)* with ‘going wrong’ as the anagrind.

12 Hairdo Doctor Faustus has pinned back
AFRO
Hidden reversed in DoctOR FAustus.

14 Strange metaphors in Timon of Athens, say
MISANTHROPE
(METAPHORS IN)* The protagonist in Shakespeare’s play could be described as having shunned society.

18 Pro drug smugglers getting signs of things to come
FORERUNNERS
A charade of FOR, E and RUNNERS.

21 One’s welcoming new name for pubs
INNS
An insertion of N and N in IS. The insertion indicator is ‘welcoming’.

22 France’s very old-fashioned king, one invading others’ lands
TRESPASSER
A charade of TRÈS, PASSÉ and R.

25 Crazy Tea Party figure forced to accept that crooked Republican
MAD HATTER
An insertion of (THAT)* in MADE, followed by R. The insertion indicator is ‘to accept’ and the anagrind is ‘crooked’. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and all that.

26 You heard dram’s swallowed hot, not cool
UNHIP
A charade of U (‘you heard’) and an insertion of H in NIP. The insertion indicator is ‘swallowed’.

27 Detective Sergeant, drinking more rum, walks unsteadily
DODDERS
An insertion of ODDER in DS. The insertion indicator is ‘drinking’.

28 Rifle poorly held by knight’s assistant
PILLAGE
An insertion of ILL in PAGE. The insertion indicator is ‘held by’.

Down

1 Saint, over a long period of time, is most judicious
SAGEST
An insertion of AGES in ST. The insertion indicator is ‘over’.

2 Religious education class mend their ways?
REFORM
A charade of RE and FORM, with an extended definition.

3 Split up clocks, perhaps – they don’t always work
PART-TIMERS
A charade of PART and TIMERS.

4 Smart leader of The Police
STING
A dd. Referring to Gordon Sumner, aka Sting.

5 Fierceness shown by assertive he-men? Certainly!
VEHEMENCE
Hidden i assertiVE HE MEN CErtainly.

6 Massage Sally’s back, which is a deep red
RUBY
A charade of RUB and Y for the final letter of ‘Sally’.

7 Disaster affected cat, dog and fox losing tail
ACT OF GOD
(CAT DOG FO[X])* with ‘affected’ as the anagrind.

8 Little swimmers bit people from Warsaw, say
TADPOLES
A charade of TAD and POLES. ‘Milk?’ ‘Just a tad.’

13 Brighton and Hove Albion FC mostly play in Russia
THE SEAGULL
More footie. Life is good. The Premier League team from the seaside are, go figure, nicknamed THE SEAGULLS. Remove the last S and you have Chekhov’s drama.

15 Girls from Madrid, say, modified assertion
SEÑORITAS
(ASSERTION)* The anagrind is ‘modified’.

16 Declared an FBI agent protects business
AFFIRMED
An insertion of FIRM in A FED. The insertion indicator is ‘protects’.

17 Chinese criminal gang admitting racket around West Indian island
TRINIDAD
An insertion of DIN reversed in TRIAD. The insertion indicator is ‘admitting’.

19 Advanced, complex maths generating complaint
ASTHMA
A charade of A and (MATHS)* with ‘complex’ as the anagrind.

20 Kind of coffee female hip-hop artist hasn’t finished
FRAPPÉ
A charade of F and RAPPE[R].

23 Fortified wine’s knocked back, in a bad mood
STROP
A reversal of PORTS.

24 Starters of pork after lazily eating pasty
PALE
The initial letters of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth words of the clue.

Many thanks to Picaroon for this week’s Quiptic.

34 comments on “Guardian Quiptic 1,269/Picaroon”

  1. Philistine showing that he can do a beginners cryptic with the same elegance and skill that he consistently shows in his more challenging puzzles.

  2. Thanks Picaroon and Pierre
    I didn’t think this was as obscurity-less as you did, Pierre – VAR, Timon of Athens, The Seagulls, Fed, Frappe, Sting?
    Nice puzzle, though.

  5. We are being spoilt today, with Philistine in the regular Monday slot and a Quiptic from Picaroon.

    Lots of fun here: the allusion to US politics in MAD HATTER, the beautifully hidden VEHEMENCE, and the très passé king. Something for everyone – football and drama, even combined in THE SEAGULL.

    Thanks to the Pirate and Pierre

  7. I liked this, it was very enjoyable, flowed nicely and I laughed at 22a and 2d. Sting makes another appearance.
    Thanks so much Picaroon and Pierre.

  8. No hope of solving THE SEAGULL, but it’s all that would fit. The VAR in VARIANT likewise. Otherwise plain sailing and enjoyable.

  9. Totally agree with your intro Pierre.
    PART-TIMERS made me laugh for the def, as did UNHIP, REFORM, DODDERS, AFFIRMED, FRAPPÉ and STRAGEMS, for the surfaces and wordplay.
    muffin@2. STING. I think we got a bit of help with the capitalisation of The Police.
    I particularly liked FORERUNNERS for the drug (E) smugglers (RUNNERS).

  10. A great intro and a neat blog! Thanks Pierre!
    Thanks Picaroon for the cute puzzle.
    Top fave: VARIANT
    Saw it as an extended def.

  11. Apart from not knowing that Timon of Athens was a MISANTHROPE, and trying to fit TIDDLERS into the “little swimmers” clue, this filled the Quiptic bill perfectly: thanks Picaroon. And I agree with Pierre: it takes a skilled setter to write a good Quiptic (Pasquale’s are excellent).

  12. And to add to paddymelon’s comment, muffin@2, I would have thought that FRAPPÉ would likely be fairly familiar to a Grauniad reader. Also, folk who are interested in learning to do cryptics are probably well-read enough to know a bit about Shakespeare and Chekhov as well. So I wouldn’t agree with any of your picks for ‘obscure’ words.

    Gladys@11: indeed, Pasquale is in that category too; I’d also add Vigo/Carpathian to the list.

  13. THE SEAGULL LOI since I’ve heard of neither the team (or most teams) or the Russian play (or most Russian plays…). But it fit.

    Fairly straightforward for most of the rest – a lot went in on the first pass, and most of the rest went in once crossers were there

    Thanks Pierre and Picarron 🙂

  15. Very good. Managed MISANTHROPE without having heard of Timon of Athens. Didn’t parse THE SEAGULL so I assumed it was a reference to the team’s emblem.

    Anyway, I got all of them without help at 1 in the morning after a 6-hour wait in A&E, which I have to imagine is one of the least capable mindsets one could be in, so I’d say this puzzle was pitched perfectly!

  16. A pleasant Quiptic, good for beginners.

    Favourites: PART-TIMERS, TRESPASSER, UNHIP.

    New for me: Brighton and Hove Albion FC = THE SEAGULLs (for 13d) confirmed by google. I grew up in Brighton, a bayside suburb of Melbourne, Australia 🙂

    Thanks, both.

  17. The only obscurities for me were the football clues – not having lived in the UK for over 50 years and having no interest whatsoever in sport they were tricky. As for Timon, I worked it out from the anagram – I’m very well read and educated and yet know nothing of Timon. Perhaps because I changed schools a lot and managed to study Othello three times and no other plays. I’m familiar with Hamlet, King Lear etc, but
    Timon is very rarely discussed or referred to in my experience.

    Great crossword and blog though – thanks to both.

  18. That was a lovely Quiptic. It seemed perfectly pitched as billed – a quick cryptic. As others, I really liked PART TIMERS, TRESPASSER and AFFIRMED. TADPOLES made me smile when I realised the parsing for TAD too.

    Thanks Picaroon and Pierre.

  19. There’s a special ganglion where currency livre, lb pound weight avoirdupois, LSD as in £s shillings and pence, and then as the lysergic acid, all meet in cosmic communion.

  20. muffin @14: I have neither seen (it isn’t often performed) nor read Timon of Athens, but I nevertheless knew just enough about it to understand the clue 🙂

  21. muffin @14: I have read Timon but don’t remember a thing about it. I managed MISANTHROPE from the crossers. I agree with your assessment @2 – this wasn’t a complete breeze. I had no idea how to parse VARIANT and I had to reveal THE SEAGULL (mainly because I refuse to use outside help for a quiptic and I assumed that Hove Albion and Brighton were two different things).

  22. Enjoyed that.

    Never got stuck anywhere but there were some clues I had to come back to MISANTHROPE, FORERUNNERS, TRESPASSERS, STRIPES. Haven’t heard of THE-SEAGULL but have a good friend who is a Brighton fan so once I had the final —-U-L it went in. Have sent him the clue and he will no doubt shrug !

  23. Yes, quite simple, knocked off with this week’s during lunch. I knew the play, but not the FC.
    The pound sterling started as exactly that: one pound of silver. Of course, there’s been a bit of inflation since then…

  24. Am I the only one that finds Picaroon difficult? It is probably a wavelength thing, but I find his clues lengthy and tough to solve as a result. Doing this Quiptic confirmed my thoughts.

    That aside, nothing to add to the comments so far.

    Thanks Picaroon and Pierre

  25. Superb quiptic nothing too difficult but several clues where a little thought was required. Loved the varied GK required and thought all was fair and square. Didn’t know the footie reference but the play was easily gettable enough from the crossers alone.

    Thanks both. More please!

  26. Muffin@14, I have seen TofA in an excellent RSC production featuring a brilliant performance by Kathryn Hunter as Timon. Well worth searching it out on video.

    Gervase@5, you beat me to it with your statement of delight in the Monday pairing of The two Ps. Add Rosa Klebb in the FT on the weekend – how lucky can we get?

    Pierre’s intro is spot on. I would only add that a well-constructed Quiptic (like this) is a thing of beauty to be savoured by beginners and experienced solvers alike. If you eschew them because they’re too easy, you are only depriving yourself. Thanks P&P for all you do.

  27. 27a – where does ODDER come from?

    17d – where does TRIAD come from? How do you know to reverse DIN?

  28. Steffen

    27 a “more rum” is more odd, or ODDER

    17 d A “Chinese criminal gang” is a TRIAD. “around” is the reversal indicator.

  29. Ty.

    I managed half of this today. The whole SE corner was gibberish to me and I checked so many letters elsewhere in the puzzle you wouldn’t believe.

    The main cryptic today has broken me. I have nothing.

  30. Could you help a beginner understand where ‘in’ comes from in 10? I can’t see how it relates to ‘nun’.

  33. Thank you Pierre – I gathered that habit meant ‘to dress’ as a verb, but now I know the nun’s outfit is a ‘habit’. Much appreciated!

  34. Thanks Picaroon and Pierre – lovely Quiptic and great blog. I loved senoritas/assertions for its apparent improbability. Also Timon – yes Muffin i have my hand up too – I hadn’t a clue, got it on the crossers then looked him up. Seems to have had a tough time!

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