Guardian Quiptic 878/Moley

When I started solving and blogging this morning, there wasn’t a setter’s name on the puzzle.  No matter – I enjoyed solving and blogging it.

 

 

 

Abbreviations
cd  cryptic definition
dd  double definition
(xxxx)*  anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x]  letter(s) missing

definitions are underlined

Across

1  In light rain the picture’s identical
SPITTING IMAGE
A charade of SPITTING for ‘light rain’ and IMAGE.  It’s a term in common usage, but always reminds me of the satirical puppet series from the 1980s.

10  Genial as a criminal getting painkiller
ANALGESIA
I originally entered ANALGESIC, which was stupidity on my part because it’s an anagram of (GENIAL AS A)*

11  Moore sculpture of a male lover
ROMEO
(MOORE)* for Juliet’s star-crossed lover.

12  Awful risk with English athlete
SKIER
(RISK E)*

13  French thinker sadly desecrates Edward’s departing
DESCARTES
I can’t quite work this out.  It’s still early, so probs my brain not in gear. It’s an anagram of DESECRATES with SE removed, but I can’t see how SE equates to ‘Edward’s’.  Some kingy thing?

14  More flashy Spanish architect meets the Queen
GAUDIER
A charade of GAUDI for the ‘Spanish architect’ and ER for Brenda, our illustrious current monarch.

16  Slip container into practice area
SKIDPAN
A charade of SKID and PAN.

18  A plover distressed by time/space convergence?
OVERLAP
(A PLOVER)*  Not entirely convinced by the definition here.

20  Puzzling call before soft muscular contraction
CRYPTIC
A charade of CRY, P for musically ‘soft’ and TIC.

21  Free article’s bitterly misguided’
AT LIBERTY
A charade of A for ‘article’ and (BITTERLY)* with ‘misguided’ as the anagrind.

23  Diagram deleted from the whole picture!
PHOTO
PHOTO[GRAPH] and a kind of &lit.  Good clue.

24  Mother — a term now rarely used
MATER
(A TERM)* with ‘now rarely used’ serving as the anagrind and as part of another &littish clue.  I think.

25  Roam around in great fear, getting an unbroken view of everything
PANORAMIC
An insertion of (ROAM)* in PANIC.

26  Drop article on vegetables and reveal a secret
SPILL THE BEANS
A charade of SPILL, THE and BEANS.

Down

2  Quiet room? It’s a cliche
PLATITUDE
A charade of P for musically ‘quiet’ and LATITUDE.

3  Animal in list Greg itemised on return
TIGER
Hidden reversed in gREG ITemised.

4  Fashionable rides, perhaps, for someone in the know
INSIDER
A charade of IN for ‘fashionable’ and (RIDES)*

5  Good women may wear them
GLASSES
It’s a bit whimsical, but it’s G plus LASSES.

6  Death rate inherent in the human condition
MORTALITY
A dd.  We’ve all got a 100% chance of dying.

7  Range greater and more unusual than initially shown
GAMUT
The first letters of the second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth letters of the clue.

8  Sam grasps a foe brutally in a fight
PASSAGE OF ARMS
(SAM GRASPS A FOE)*

9  Cooking appliance that’s boy’s pick — it’s that or nothing!
HOBSON’S CHOICE
You have to read ‘that’s’ as ‘that has’.  Then it’s HOB, SON’S CHOICE

15  One student politician is reactionary
ILLIBERAL
A charade of I, L for learner or ‘student’ and LIBERAL.

17  Chap on the beat is an American cop
PATROLMAN
A charade of PATROL for ‘beat’ and MAN gives you the ‘American cop’.

19  Trap ape playing by a low wall
PARAPET
(TRAP APE)*

20  Seasoning accountant had fancy for not edible, originally
CAYENNE
A charade of CA for the abbreviation for Chartered Accountant, YEN and NE for the first letters of ‘not edible’.

22  Relax and put up with the French first
LET UP
A charade of LE for one of the words in French for ‘the’ and PUT reversed, because it’s a down clue.

23  Papa’s strong desire to kill
PURGE
A charade of P for the phonetic alphabet PAPA and URGE.

 

Many thanks to our anonymous setter for this morning’s Quiptic.