A fine Quiptic from Carpathian for the Bank Holiday. A puzzle I would certainly recommend to anyone wanting an easy-end cryptic to improve their solving skills. If you are in that category, please ask if there is something you want explained in more detail.
The puzzle is a pangram. This means that Carpathian has used all 26 letters of the alphabet at least once. Why has she done this? Only she really knows, but I suspect the answer is because she just felt like it. Any why not? This is not a totalitarian country. Yet.
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 Break from desire to hurt after religious education
RESPITE
A charade of RE for ‘religious education’ and SPITE.
5 Unpopular job in remote area
OUTPOST
A charade of OUT and POST.
9 Firm support for reptile
COBRA
A charade of CO for company or ‘firm’ and BRA, which next to ‘tee’ is the most popular form of ‘support’ in Crosswordland.
10 Study tube or train fare collector
CONDUCTOR
A charade of CON, DUCT and OR.
11 Sauté rice vigorously and burn
CAUTERISE
(SAUTE RICE)* with ‘vigorously’ as the anagrind.
12 Quietly urged daughter to leave show
PROVE
A charade of P for the musical ‘quietly’ and [D]ROVE.
13 Faithful old performance
EXACT
A charade of EX and ACT. ‘It was a faithful/exact copy of the original.’
15 I alarm old doddery creature
ARMADILLO
(I ALARM OLD)* with ‘doddery’ as the anagrind.
18 Follow someone around small town initially to flatter
SWEET-TALK
An insertion of WEE and T for the first letter of ‘town’ in STALK.
19 Animosity summit announced
PIQUE
A homophine of PEAK. The homophone indicator is ‘announced’.
21 Relative, losing head, let loose
UNTIE
[A]UNTIE
23 Rough patch is on hole in the wall
CASHPOINT
(PATCH IS ON)* with ‘rough’ as the anagrind. CASHPOINT® is a trademark of Lloyds Bank and was registered in 1972. Not a lot of people know that.
25 Fragrant mixture of cannabis, rain and core of durian
POTPOURRI
A charade of POT, POUR and RI for the middle letters or ‘core’ of duRIan.
26 A labyrinth to shock and awe
AMAZE
A charade of A and MAZE.
27 Gunmen on jetty with small arms
RAPIERS
A charade of RA for Royal Artillery or ‘gunmen’, PIER and S.
28 Beat man to line
TANGENT
A charade of TAN and GENT.
Down
1 About to get bike and make into something new
RECYCLE
A charade of RE and CYCLE.
2 Coach returned to prison and took in food for master
SUBJUGATE
A charade of BUS reversed, JUG as a slang word for ‘prison’ and ATE for ‘took in food’.
3 Angry traitor that is embraced
IRATE
An insertion of RAT for ‘traitor’ in IE for id est or ‘that is’. Some folk get exercised about the cryptic grammar of clues like this, arguing that ’embraced’ – the insertion indicator – is in the wrong place to fulfil its function. Personally I’m cool about that.
4 Dish left in ruined hacienda
ENCHILADA
An insertion of L in (HACIENDA)*
5 No uncertainty bottling small measure
OUNCE
Hidden in nO UNCErtainty.
6 President and journo raise fake
TRUMPED-UP
A charade of TRUMP, ED and UP.
7 Surpass alfresco party
OUTDO
A charade of OUT and DO.
8 Explosive device dropped regularly amidst commotion
TORPEDO
An insertion (‘amidst’) of RPE for the even letters (‘regularly’) of dRoPpEd in TO-DO.
14 Elite lot illegitimately securing right to lead
TITLE ROLE
An insertion (‘securing’) of R in (ELITE LOT)* with ‘illegitimately’ as the anagrind.
16 Create period of work, using whatever is available
MAKESHIFT
A charade of MAKE and SHIFT.
17 Delayed accepting one pound as pay off
LIQUIDATE
An insertion (‘accepting’) of I QUID in LATE.
18 Put an end to meal involving carbon
SCUPPER
An insertion (‘involving’) of C in SUPPER.
20 Beseech topless males to provide something for free
ENTREAT
A charade of [M]EN and TREAT.
22 Infant excited to perform addition
TOT UP
A charade of TOT and UP
23 Preserves antidotes
CURES
A dd.
24 Climbing perennial plants cover area of level land
PLAIN
Hidden reversed in perenNIAL Plants. ‘Climbing’ works because it’s a down clue.
Many thanks to Carpathian for the puzzle and a good Bank Holiday to all.
Thanks to Carpathian and Pierre. Agreed, this was both easy and enjoyable. I’m usually slow to notice features like themes and pangrams, but today the q and the z went in early and alerted me to the possibility. That actually helped with my LOI, PROVE, as I noticed that a v was still needed.
Excellent Quiptic. My favourites were CASHPOINT, RESPITE.
Thank Pierre and Carpathian
Many thanks for that, really useful….but in 10A why does CON mean study?
Cheers!
Tim, CON is in dictionaries as a synonym for ‘study’. It’s archaic, but it comes up often in crosswords so it’s a good one to store away.
Thanks to Pierre and Carpathian
Superb Quiptic with a sure, light touch. Almost all surfaces create a cameo (except perhaps 16d).
Nice Quiptic, not hard – great! Thanks Carpathian and to Pierre for blogging it so nicely. And CON, yes – I don’t think I’ve ever known it used IRL (but maybe I move in the wrong circles?) whereas it’s so common in Crosswordland. I’ve just learnt to accept it … like sailors all being either ABs or TARs …
… or SALTS or JACKS … for those still learning these things.
I learned CON when we did a production of Midsummer Night’s Dream back in school–in the first scene with the mechanicals (I.ii): “But, masters, here are your parts: and I am to entreat you, request you and desire you, to con them by to-morrow night…”