Apologies for the lateish blog – it took me a while to get into this one, and my last couple took some time too. I could be barking up the wrong tree, but I think that there might be a message in this one.
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END and GOODBYE as the last across clue suggests that this might be Provis’ last Quiptic. Which would be a pity, because I’ve always enjoyed solving his/her crosswords, and they normally were just right for this slot. RUES, EMOTIONAL, TRAGEDY?
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 European bridge is hated, initially
SPANISH
A charade of SPAN, IS and H for the first letter of ‘hated’.
5 Pressing need to entreat US city to restrict carbon
URGENCY
A charade of URGE and C inserted into NY for New York.
10 The French finally acclaim British meat
LAMB
A charade of LA, M for the last letter of ‘acclaim’ and B for ‘British’. Good surface.
11 Recovers tug undamaged with queen inside
PULLS ROUND
A charade of PULL amd R inserted into SOUND.
12 See 9
13 Spread rumours about spies and dog
GOSSIPED
(SPIES DOG)*
14 Father returns with amount to share out
APPORTION
A reversal of PA followed by PORTION.
16 See 9
17 Remains like he is
ASHES
AS followed by HE’S.
19 Induce badly mutilated son to take over from daughter
STIMULATE
Provis is inviting you to change the D in ‘mutilated’ into an S and then make an anagram. (MUTILATES)*
23 Writing on the wall for tennis player having seizure at international
GRAFFITI
A charade of the retired German tennis player Steffi GRAF, FIT and I.
24 Snatch extremely interrupted sleep at the end of work
KIDNAP
A charade of K for the last letter of ‘work’, ID for the outside letters of ‘interrupted’ and NAP.
26 Boosts national spirit during enemy shelling at first
ENCOURAGES
An insertion of N and COURAGE in E and S for the first letters of ‘enemy’ and ‘shelling’.
27 Is sorry for heartless controls
RUES
RU[L]ES
28 Setter with a certain standard
MEASURE
A charade of ME for ‘setter’, A and SURE.
29 I’m off to travel round Germany via Spain
GOODBYE
A charade of GO, O, D for Deutschland, BY and E for Espana.
Down
2 Regularly burps after vegetables with duck as a starter
PEA SOUP
A charade of PEAS, O and UP for the even letters in ‘burps’.
3 Aristocrat goes round in flannel bonnet
NOBLE
Hidden reversed in flannEL BONnet.
4 Drink alcohol for comfort
SUPPORT
As some do. A charade of SUP and PORT.
6 Refuse to upset sister
RESIST
(SISTER)*
7 Moving point by a Liberal in support of proposal
EMOTIONAL
Since it’s a down clue, it’s A and L supporting E for a point of the compass and MOTION for ‘proposal’.
8 Denounce criminal men behind trick with diamonds
CONDEMN
A charade of CON, D and (MEN)*
9, 12, 16 Wholly splendid wild nights to stop — enjoyment never lasts
ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO AN END
The key clue, if I’ve understood things well. A charade of ALL for ‘wholly’, GOOD for ‘splendid’, (NIGHTS)* and COME TO AN END for ‘stop’.
15 Floods on top of floating ice sheets reportedly
OVERFLOWS
A charade of OVER and a homophone of FLOES.
18 Eccentric king abandons foreigner finally
STRANGE
I’m sorry, but I can’t parse this. It looks like STRANGE[R] but that doesn’t make sense.
20 Manages to create second party
MAKES DO
A charade of MAKE, S and DO.
21 King Lear, for example, got old beset by trial
TRAGEDY
An insertion of AGED in TRY. King Lear would be classed as a Shakesperean TRAGEDY.
22 I’m backing bishop over introduction of recycled glass
MIRROR
A charade of I’M reversed, RR for Right Reverend or ‘bishop’, O for the cricket ‘over’ and R for the first letter of ‘recycled’.
25 Was bold enough to disturb adder
DARED
(ADDER)*
Many thanks to Provis for this Quiptic. If it is the last one, then thanks for all the other ones as well. I’ve always found them a pleasure to solve.
Thanks Provis and Pierre
Yes, quite meaty. I don’t think that long solutions are appropriate for a Quiptic, but this may be a special occasion….
I parsed STRANGE as you suggest, but you;re right; it doesn’t make sense now I look at it again.
“backing” in the clue for MIRROR would work better in an across clue.
Thanks Pierre
18dn is fine. It is as you suggest STRANGE[r], with R (king) abandoning STRANGER (foreigner) with the ‘finally’ indicating that it is the last R that is removed rather than the one in the middle.
Of course it’s STRANGE[R], Gaufrid, thank you for explaining it. And also of course it’s ETRANGER in French, which should have flicked that little switch in my brain. Or that switch in my little brain.
I enjoyed the rest of it but some of the clues felt tautological – a word in the wordplay has almost the same meaning as in the answer, rather than being something completely different to make the cluing more elegant. STRANGE in STRANGER, URGE in URGENCY, COURAGE in ENCOURAGES, PORTION in APPORTION. For example, ENCOURAGES could be something like “Boosts on cue, perhaps (10)” [ONCUE with rages as a reverse anagrind]
I also hope this isn’t Provis’s last puzzle though I did find it to be pretty tricky for a Quiptic – especially the multi part charades. Thanks for the blog, Pierre.
Thank you Provis and Pierre.
I did not have time to solve this yesterday. I do hope it is not Provis’s last puzzle, I always find them very enjoyable, especially the PEA SOUP clue today!
Thanks Pierre. I parsed 18 as ‘KING’ = ‘R’, and FOREIGNER = STRANGER. Thus ‘king abandons … finally’ = Provis is asking us to remove the final R from ‘STRANGER’.
Sorry, just seen that Gaufrid just said the same. Great minds. Or something.