Guardian 24,817 – Quantum

by

dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram

Surprisingly quite a tame puzzle for a non-Monday. No hard stuff; quite a change from a Nimrod puzzle

ACROSS
1 GRAMPIAN *(pagan rim) Scottish region around Aberdeen, named after the mountains
5 TABARD Cha of TA (Territorial Army) BARD (rev of drab, dull)
9 ARCHWAYS Cha of ARCH (cunning) WAYS (methods)
10 CALICO Ins of ALICE (girl) minus E in CO (firm)
12 SENATE HOUSE *(EU has seen to)
15 INURE INSURE minus S (seconds)
17 NOTRE-DAME Ins of M (mass) in *(one rated)
18 OUTRIGGER OU (Oxford University) TRIGGER (one sets off)
19 SPLIT ha
20 TREACHEROUS Ins of REACH (contact) in *(routes)
24 APLOMB Ins of PL (place) & OM (Order of Merit, award) in AB (able-bodied seaman, sailor)
25 STALLION STAL *(last) LION (animal)
26 EUNICE Ins of UN (one in French) in E (English)
ICE (formally)
27 PHONATED cd a new word for me meaning the same as pronounced or articulated

DOWN
1 GRASS WIDOW A tichy cd
2 ACCENTUATE Cha of AC (account) CENT (money) *(at EU)
3 PEWIT Cha of PEW (seat) IT
4 ANYTHING GOES dd Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter.
6 AWARENESS A WAR (conflict) + *(sense)
7,8 ACID DROP cd
11 BUTTERSCOTCH Butter (yellow stuff) SCOTCH (Uncle Yap’s favourite drink)
13 BALLOONIST Balloon(party item) + *(sit)
14 JETTISONED JET (black) + ins of IS ONE in TD (first letters of the depression)
16 EPISTEMIC Ins of *(times) in EPIC (long story)
21 ELLEN EL (Spanish definite article) LEN (little man)
22,23 GAME PLAN Ins of MEP (Member of European Parliament) in GALA (party occasion) N (note)

30 comments on “Guardian 24,817 – Quantum”

  1. Many thanks, Uncle Yap

    I was defeated by PHONATED, otherwise quite straightforward.

    However, I am confused by your reference to ‘a Nimrod puzzle’.

    I understood Nimrod was an Independent setter whilst this one was set by Quantum.

    Maybe they are one and the same?

    If so, it was very clever of you to suss him/her out.

  4. My comparison with Indy’s Nimrod (aka Enigmatist in Guardian) was simply because I have just finished one of his puzzles the day before and that was difficult (but quite enjoyable as he has now endeavoured to introduce some elements of fun and humour into his clues)

    It would appear that today’s Guardian puzzle is a posthumous contribution from Eric Bruge, a year from his demise. RIP

  5. Thanks Uncle Yap. Quite an easy one, as you say. I wasn’t very impressed by 27ac, which is hardly cryptic at all. I managed to guess PHONATED from the crossing letters, but surely such an unusual word should be given some wordplay to indicate its construction. I also thought 13dn was very weak.

    In 4dn, ANYTHING GOES is more specifically a song (“air”) by Cole Porter – “In olden days a glimpse of stocking/was thought of as something shocking/but now, God knows,/anything goes”.

    Every time we get a Quantum puzzle I think it must surely be the last: I wonder if there are still any more in the pile?

  7. Shirely, ice can mean coolness, calmness, reservation etc. in manner (think Björn Borg), and therefore ‘formally’ meaning ‘acting formally’ or perhaps ice cool.

    Nick

  8. Really? FORMALLY was an adverb last time I looked, and ICE even in that sense is not. Now let’s think: how would Enigmatist have done it?

  9. Ummm. PaulB you got me checking now, I was going by memory. My Collins doesn’t mention it, but Bradford’s and Chambers both list FORMALITY = ICE (under ‘formality’ in Bradford’s and under ‘ice’ in Chambers).

    I wonder if this is a typo?

    Nick

  10. re: 26. Eunice
    I, too, wasn’t happy with ‘ice’ to mean ‘formally’ I think ‘formality’ would have been a better word to use.

  11. ‘Phonated’ was not only new, but passed me by completely. Other than that this seemed straightforward enough.

    I really wrote to say how much I enjoyed yesterday’s crossword by Rufus, which I did last thing at night. His elegant wordplay and wit deserve far more praise than people on here seem to give him. They’re far better than the garbled obscurities of the Bletchley Park mob, whom many seem to adore.

  13. Thanks for the blog, Uncle Yap. An easy one on the whole. I didn’t get PHONATED, which I’ve never heard of. I thought it needed more wordplay since it was unfamiliar. I’m also unhappy about ICE clued as ‘formally’.

  14. Could someone in the know produce a table of these setters’ pseudonyms so we beginners can follow our favourites in different newspapers? I know Don Manley’s trade names but it would be nice to know the others- I never knew Nimrod=Enigmatist for example.

  16. 18ac. Since when did OU indicate “Oxford University”, whatever that is? The Open University will be most unhappy at such a high-jacking of its logo.

  17. GFX says: “18ac. Since when did OU indicate “Oxford University”, whatever that is? The Open University will be most unhappy at such a high-jacking of its logo.”

    It’s not a problem. There’s no mistaking the first-class, high-quality products of the OU for the turgid tomes turned out by the OUP.

  19. So, that’s Bletchley Park and Oxford savaged. Iconoclasts agogo today, but I would like to put forward the idea that there are in reality only two types of puzzle, no matter what their level of difficulty might be, to wit (a) good and (b) bad.

    I’ll stick my neck out and say that, in general, Enigmatist writes hard clues that are good, whilst Quantum (like Rover) writes easy clues among which some are bad (unless they’ve been made harder through poor grammar or technique). This is but a view: please feel free to disagree with it.

  22. Well I dunno what’s going on. Any of you lot understand psychology? Having said yesterday that I struggled with what was plainly an easy puzzle due the medication, today, on exactly the same meds, I almost finished a puzzle which seemed to be of almost similar difficulty.

    And this despite repeatedly dozing off for 30 seconds, re-reading the clue, dozing off for 30 seconds etc etc. So anyone know what is happening, cos I’m getting confused by the lack of consistency.

    OK, back on topic. Due to said dozing it took ages to do, but I didn’t have any real complaints, just the odd niggles as you guys have already noted. In general, I think I prefer the Rufus humour, it is more in tune with my own.

  25. I, too, was defeated by PHONATED, which seems a straightforward definition – not even a CD without wordplay!

    Also, 24A – since when has PL been an accepted abbreviation of PLACE?

  27. 1d “A tichy cd”? I thought this was the best clue in the Xword, with at least two meanings.

    “turfed out” – the widow’s husband is buried under the grass turf.
    “turfed out” – the husband has been thrown out of the house by his wife.
    The whole thing – the usual meaning of “grass widow”

  28. #16 GFX: Oxford University must precede the Open University by at least 9 centuries, and I guess the acronym OU by a goodly time too. It doesn’t just occur in OUP, but in many Societies such as OUDS, OUBC etc.

  30. Re 26a : Perhaps ‘formally’ means ‘with ice’ :
    So, Eun with ice = Eunice.
    I had an Aunt Eunice, and this answer came easily.

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