Bonne Année et Bonne Santé! There, that’s my allocation of exclamation marks for 2018 used up. Now onto the first Quiptic of 2018 (or is it?)
This puzzle appears on the Guardian website this morning, so I have blogged it. However, it’s dated 8 January and has no ‘check’ or ‘reveal’ buttons. The one dated 1 January appeared last week and is blogged here. Presumably this mismatch of dates will be corrected some time this year; reinstating the buttons would be a big help too, especially since this is a cryptic for ‘beginners’ and said buttons are a big help to newer solvers when they get stuck.
The puzzle itself was a delight: sound cluing with plenty of cleverly constructed charades, good surface readings, no obscurities or cds, and a bird. Carpathian’s second outing hit the spot for me.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
8 Rubber lump engineers initially employ
MASSEUSE
A charade of MASS for ‘lump’, E for the first letter of ‘engineers’ and USE.
9 Cook one old piece of pasta
NOODLE
(ONE OLD)*
10 Regularly praises move in ball game
PASS
The odd letters (‘regularly’) of PrAiSeS.
11 Expel people starting to trash carriage
DEPORTMENT
A charade of DEPORT, MEN and T for the first letter of ‘carriage’.
12 Acrid drink
BITTER
A dd.
14 Left relative keeping home
SINISTER
Carpathian is inviting you to insert IN for ‘home’ in SISTER to give you the Latin word for ‘left’. Left-handers are unfairly discriminated against linguistically: SINISTER has all sorts of, well, sinister overtones, whereas DEXTER gives us dextrous and dexterity. That’s what happens to minorities.
15 Some split a line
SEVERAL
A charade of SEVER, A and L.
17 Complain about you and I returning charm
BEWITCH
An insertion of WE reversed in BITCH.
20 Left one to live cost free
LIBERATE
A four-part charade: L + I + BE + RATE.
22 Outlaw articles producing fruit
BANANA
A charade of BAN, and AN and A for two ‘articles’.
23 Wife serving up pre-cooked bird
WOODPECKER
Result. A chance for the first obligatory Pierre bird link of 2018. There are three species that breed in the UK: the greater spotted, the lesser spotted and the green woodpecker. I have chosen the last one for the picture. Handsome colouring. If you hear a woodpecker drumming, it’s most likely not this one. A charade of W and (PRE COOKED)*
24 Vexed about following in such a manner
SORE
A charade of SO and RE.
25 Remove last two episodes of Rude Tube
DEDUCT
The final two letters of ‘rude’ are followed by DUCT. Channel 4 has produced some outstanding programmes, but Rude Tube is perhaps not its finest moment.
26 Unpopular departure for extrovert
OUTGOING
A charade of OUT and GOING.
Down
1 Something to make you go soft consumed around four
LAXATIVE
A charade of LAX and IV for ‘four’ inserted into ATE.
2 Exploits of United States elected state leaders
USES
The first letters of the third, fourth, fifth and sixth words of the clue.
3 Killing instrument returned to Queen
MURDER
A charade of DRUM reversed and ER for Elizabeth Regina.
4 Upheaval when office worker is in France
TEMPEST
A charade of TEMP and EST for the French word for ‘is’.
5 Violate popular part of Edinburgh Festival
INFRINGE
A charade of IN and FRINGE.
6 Appoint firm to start to mount campaign
COMMISSION
A charade of CO, M for the first letter of ‘mount’ and MISSION.
7 Look quickly at German weapon
GLANCE
A charade of G and LANCE.
13 Giant monster due to erupt
TREMENDOUS
(MONSTER DUE)*
16 Rotter amazes, standing on head holding drink
AMARETTO
Hidden reversed in rOTTER AMAzes.
18 Encounter prisoner on seaside promenade
CONFRONT
A charade of CON and FRONT. ‘Let’s go for a New Year’s Day walk on the front.’
19 Computer depots spread across half of UK
DESKTOP
The setter is asking you to insert K for ‘half of UK’ in (DEPOTS)*
21 Irritating drone I flattened
IRONED
(DRONE I)* with ‘irritating’ as the anagrind.
22 Castigate worker harbouring vermin
BERATE
An insertion of RAT in BEE.
24 Quiet work in retail outlet
SHOP
A simple charade of SH and OP to finish.
Brava, Carpathian. If all the Quiptics this year are as well-constructed and pitched as this one, the fabled ‘beginners and those in a hurry’ will be well served.
Thanks Carpathian and Pierre (for the blog, and for showing that there was a new Quiptic today)
Very entertaining (and not particularly easy); LAXATIVE was Paulesque! AMARETTO was cleverly hidden, and was almost LOI for me.
Pity about the grammatical solecism in 17a – should be “me”, not “I”, of course (try dropping the “you and” from the clue).
On 17a, the error led me to think for some time that the solution would contain IU, as that would be the only justification.
Thanks both. Fairly easy, although 3 clues held me up at the end. Nice surfaces, particularly LAXATIVE which is nearly an “&lit”!
Oh and Happy New Year to all
LAXATIVE got a chuckle out loud from me too. Nice start to the year.
Thanks Carpathian; usual smooth cluing just right for the Quiptic. Pity about the absence of the ‘Check’ button, though.
Thanks Pierre; we see your feathered friend in our garden from time to time.
As well as the LAXATIVE, I particularly liked BEWITCH.
P.S. I fell into the ‘rotter’ trap, trying to fit in a suitable synonym; nicely hidden!
A great Quiptic to start 2018. A good variety of clues, with excellent surface readings. If one wanted to find a complaint, it would be the slight inelegance of USE showing up twice in two intersecting clues (2 and 8), but if that’s the worst thing one can say about a puzzle, then it’s pretty good!
The more experienced solver in me found this very, very easy.
But all well clued, perfect for what many solvers would wish the Quiptic to be – week in week out.
Thanks Pierre & Carpathian.
Actually we found this a bit harder than most Quiptics. Things starting slotting in nicely after a second run through though.
I was trying to fit I and U in 17a so didn’t get that one.