Quiptic 1,125 by Beale

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Beale provides today’s Quiptic: some easy clues to get started, and a few trickier ones for exercise.

I always like definitions that need a bit of lateral thinking; the best here was 7d, with honourable mention to 11a. 12a was one of the harder clues, with a straightforward definition but awkward parsing.

As noted below, I think there’s something missing in 25a, which is a shame because it would be a good clue otherwise. Perhaps our setter will drop in to comment? But nevertheless an enjoyable puzzle – thanks Beale.

Definitions are underlined, BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

ACROSS
9 ATTENTION
Order given to soldiers to show care (9)
Double definition: the first is the military command to stand up straight in formation.
10 IMAGE
Concept of an anonymous Enigma Variation (5)
Anagram (variation) of E[n]IGMA; anonymous = without the N (name).

I wasn’t convinced by concept = image at first, but perhaps either could be used for a “mental picture” of something.
11 ARCHIVE
Car diverted to where workers go to find a record collection (7)
Anagram (diverted) of CAR, then HIVE (where worker bees go).

A collection of records, as in a store of information.
12 TEENAGE
Adolescent rock star Bruce jumps off stage — one way to go! (7)
[springs]TEEN (rock star Bruce Springsteen) with SPRINGS (jumps) taken off, then [st]AGE with ST (street = way) gone.
13 OGLES
Turn back before Leslie gives a dirty look (5)
GO (turn, as in “let me have a go”) reversed (back), before LES (short for Leslie).
14 INANIMATE
After last of cava in pub, one friend becomes unconscious (9)
Last letter of [cav]A in INN (pub), followed by I (one in Roman numerals) + MATE (friend).
16 MORNING SICKNESS
Expecting difficulty? (7,8)
Cryptic definition: a debilitating condition (difficulty) sometimes experienced while pregnant (expecting).
19 LIFE STORY
Biography based on deceit involving one fellow’s account (4,5)
LIE (deceit) including F (fellow, in abbreviations, eg FRS), then STORY (account).
21 PAINS
Something in Zappa inspired a serious effort (5)
Hidden answer (something in) from [zap]PA INS[pired].

As in “take pains” to do something = do it carefully.
22 CREW CUT
Sailors get their share when clippers take off (4,3)
CREW (sailors who operate a particular vessel) + CUT (share, as in “give someone a cut of the profits”).

Short haircut that may be achieved using clippers.
23 DRESSER
Piece of furniture — one that’s helpful to actors (7)
Double definition. The first is either a cupboard / drawers / shelves combination, or a “dressing table” in a bedroom; the second is an assistant who helps an actor with costume changes.
24 INCUR
Experience (including last half of 4) (5)
INC (inc. = abbreviation for including) + last half of [fo]UR.

As in “incur the disapproval of” someone for doing something wrong.
25 MENAGERIE
Staff agree to change — a beastly bunch! (9)
MEN (what “staff” might have been called before equality legislation) + anagram (to change) of AGREE. I think there’s something missing, though, because where does the I come from? Perhaps “a” = one = I in Roman numerals, but there’s no indicator telling us to insert it.

A collection of beasts.
DOWN
1 PARANORMAL
It’s weird to see Lara, Pam and Ron struggling (10)
Anagram (struggling) of LARA + PAM + RON.
2 STICKLER
Pedant needs to stay alert in the middle (8)
STICK (to stay, as in “stick at it” = persevere) + middle letters of [a]LER[t].
3 UNDIES
Taking sun top off fades what’s usually beneath (6)
[s]UN, taking off the top (first letter in a down clue), then DIES (fades).

Extended definition: undies = underwear = what’s usually beneath a sun top (woman’s sleeveless vest).
4 SIRE
Father sounds like one moaning aloud (4)
Homophone of SIGHER = one who sighs = one moaning aloud.
5 UNSTEADILY
Used litany unconventionally, in an erratic fashion (10)
Anagram (unconventionally) of USED LITANY.
6 LIMERICK
I’m (hesitantly) getting into beat for this verse form (8)
I’M + ER (a sound expressing hesitation), getting into LICK (slang for beat, as a verb = defeat).
7 BANANA
Graduate and dimwit split key component (6)
BA (graduate) + NANA (foolish person = dimwit).

The key component of a banana split (along with ice cream, whipped cream, and various toppings).
8 FETE
Charge around first thing to celebrate (4)
FEE (charge = payment required) around the first letter of T[hing]. Some commenters here don’t like this construction and say it should be “first of” something, but it’s becoming fairly common crossword usage.

Fete, as a verb = celebrate = admire and applaud.
14 IN GOOD TIME
Eventually accept positive aspect of being punctual (2,4,4)
IN TIME (eventually), containing (accepting) GOOD (positive aspect). I don’t think the grammar quite works; surely “accepting” would have been better?
15 EASY STREET
Relaxed, being on the road to a comfortable lifestyle (4,6)
EASY (relaxed) + STREET (road).

To be “on Easy Street” is to be wealthy, or at least financially secure.
17 INSECURE
Lacking assurance about getting home safe (8)
IN (home, in the sense of “at home”) + SECURE (safe).
18 EMISSARY
Envoy from Elizabeth bestowing title on beheaded Scottish queen (8)
E (as in ER = Elizabeth Regina = the Queen) + MISS (a title for a woman), then [m]ARY (Mary, Queen of Scots) without the first letter (beheaded).
20 FIERCE
Ferocious fire destroyed empty campsite (6)
Anagram (destroyed) of FIRE, then C[ampsit]E (empty = middle letters removed).
21 PLEDGE
Promise shown by piano student on Fringe (6)
P (p = piano, as in the musical term for quiet) + L (student, as in L-plate indicating a learner driver) + EDGE (fringe = boundary).
22 CHIN
With half the toast gone, find a bit on your face (4)
Half of CHIN-CHIN, a toast = a wish expressed when taking a drink. (The dictionaries tell me it’s a repetition of the Chinese word for “please”.)
23 DENT
Study over time causes depression (4)
DEN (study = a private room) before (over, reading downwards in a down clue) T (time).

31 comments on “Quiptic 1,125 by Beale”

  1. Thanks Beale and Quirister
    Nice Quiptic. I entered BANANA doubtfully (I considered MANANA too), as I couldn’t see the definition and had never heard of NANA for a dimwit.
    I was hoping for an explanation of the missing I in 25, but it appears there isn’t one!

  2. Thanks both. Smooth surfaces throughout. Shame about MENAGERIE. I thought 12a a bit tortuous, but gettable.

  4. This was a well pitched Quiptic, I thought. I took a while to see CHIN (have only ever heard chin-chin in the UK, and then usually ironic). If I were the homophone police, I would question SIRE = sigher in sound, but it was close enough. I really liked TEENAGE, but then, I really like Bruce. I did wonder about the parsing of 14d. IN GOOD TIME can be used to mean “eventually”, so I took it as a double definition, though that does leave “accept” hanging somewhat. Thanks, Beale and Quirister.

  5. A bit tricky for a Quiptic.
    Did not parse INCUR, TEENAGE, or the I in MENAGERIE as mentioned above.
    Failed UNDIES, BANANA (+ how to parse?) – never heard the word nana = dimwit before.

    Liked EMISSARY, ARCHIVE, IMAGE.

  6. Muffin @1, michelle @5: I think “nana” for “idiot” is specifically British usage, and rather old-fashioned. Pronounced with a long A on the first syllable – in fact, probably derived from “banana”, which makes this a slightly less good clue.
    [Those old enough to remember The Two Ronnies – definitely part of my childhood – might recall one of their classic musical items that had them dressing up as Charles Aznavour and Nana Mouskouri. When they embraced at the end of the piece, Ronnie B (as Mouskouri) said “I felt a right Charlie there” and Ronnie C (as Aznavour) replied with “I felt a proper Nana, I can tell you”. Dated, not very PC, but still funny.]

  7. Glad it wasn’t just me with the MENAGERIE.
    I recall Ronald Fraser as CSM Claude Snudge in The Army Game back in the ’50s haughtily informing Alfie Bass’ Private Bisley that “You are making me look a Right Nar-Nar”

  8. “He looked a proper nana in his great big hobnail boots” – is that correct? From “My Old Man’s a Dustman” – was it Tommy Steele? I haven’t checked this.

  10. A pleasant solve with BANANA a particular stand-out. Like quirister, I felt the grammar was a bit ‘off’ in places, but I can accept these little omissions and quirks if they improve the surface reading.

  11. I don’t think I’m a 2d for objecting to the “first ” device as used here in 8d. It is sloppy and illogical and must be stamped out! 😉

  12. Good puzzle.

    Loved TEENAGE, ARCHIVE and thought the surface for BANANA was good and misleading.

    Also wondered about 25a.

    Thanks Beale and Quirister

  13. I thought “key” was a bit of an unnecessary distractor in 7d, especially in a Quiptic. Having said that, I only thought of banana split after rejecting banana as a component of key lime pie. I shall attempt to avoid having the theme tune to the children’s cartoon “The Banana Splits” as an earworm. “Tra la la….”

  16. Thanks Beale and Quirister.

    Far from the worst Quiptic in recent weeks. But hard to see how something as indirect as ‘anonymous’ > ‘without name’ > ‘remove the N’ is appropriate for a beginner’s puzzle.

    Re: 7D, is ‘nana’ etymologically linked to ‘banana’?

  17. I was surprised by 3d given that in local usage undies are generally worn on one’s bottom, being underpants rather than underwear on general. Must have been a long sun top!
    Thanks to B and Q

  18. Jimmy @16: the dictionaries say “probably from banana”.
    ngaiolaurenson @17: I thought that too, but (in British usage at least) the term undies can include both bra and knickers, sometimes referring to a matching set. Also, knickers are beneath (below) a sun top unless the wearer is lying down, I suppose.

  19. Good Quiptic, I thought with a few stretching clues.

    It took me a while to see the BANANA split, and as above MENAGERIE doesn’t work as clued. I liked CREW CUT, STICKLER and UNDIES.

    Thanks Beale and Quirister.

  20. I finished this one last night before the 15^2 post even went up, so that’s a milestone for me!

    TEENAGE charmed me (though I needed to work backwards to parse it), as did BANANA (though I’d never heard of ‘nana’ as dimwit before. I guess ‘graduate and grandma’ would’ve been too obvious.) I enjoyed 18D, and 4D made me groan.

    25A and 22D I had to suss out from the crossers. Special nod for 5D, as it could also have anagrammed to UNSEDATELY, which isn’t a “”real”” word but would fit the definition if it were.

  21. Lovely stuff here today.

    Like others, I really struggled over the parsing of BANANA – the last time I heard the phrase ‘a proper nana’ was many decades ago.

    Thanks Beale and Quirister!

  22. Great Quiptic – thanks Beale and Quirister. I also fond BANANA a bit contrived, and the missing I was a pity. Liked EMISSARY, MORNING SICKNESS and LIMERICK best, but lots of the other clues were lovely.

  23. Nice quiptic: thanks Beale,and thanks Quirister for sorting out exactly how to extract TEENAGE from SPRINGSTEEN and STAGE without tweezers and a corkscrew. I liked BANANA, FIERCE and MORNING SICKNESS : I wondered about the I in MENAGERIE, and reluctantly concluded that it must be another of those irritating A=1=I things that I usually miss because it doesn’t work for me although I know it’s in use.

  24. Yes, great link, ta blaise @14. Lots of comic strands in Lonnie … music hall, stand-up, isihac-style sillyness …

  26. Gladys @23: “… reluctantly concluded that it must be another of those irritating A=1=I things that I usually miss because it doesn’t work for me although I know it’s in use”
    It is not, for the reason Quirister gives in the blog.
    Mistakes happen but this is The Guardian where mistakes only happen when the editor forgot to do his job.
    A generally good Quiptic, all in all with some nice clues.
    But when Quirister says: “Some commenters here don’t like this construction and say it should be “first of” something, but it’s becoming fairly common crossword usage“, I totally disagree. It’s becoming fairly common crossword usage and therefore it’s all right?
    I am totally with David Sullivan @11.
    Burn it!
    [it is also one of the reasons Hectence/Zamora cannot be in my Top 10]
    By the way, what is ‘one’ doing in 19ac?
    Many thanks to Beale and Quirister.

  27. Sil @26 (and David @11): I was trying to be objective, but to be honest I don’t like the “first thing” construction either. It’s fair to say that it’s becoming more common, but I suppose it’s fair for us all to say we don’t like it. And yes, “one” in 19ac makes a slightly better surface but could have been left out.

  28. As to this “first thing” construction, people just seem not to care.
    They don’t like it?
    I’m not sure, they just seem to be all right with it nowadays.
    Many solvers cannot be bothered but, in my opinion, they should be.
    Never seen it in The Independent or The Times.
    Perhaps, crosswords are just a bigger part of my life than some others.

  30. For “Father sounds like one moaning aloud (4)” I erroneously put WINE since it sounds like “whine” and the group Father have a track called Wine

  31. Thanks Beale and Quirister for a great Quiptic and excellent blog. I agree about menagerie and I loved banana – maybe it’s my age but I had no trouble seeing nana=dimwit etc. I must add that I found 5D a terrific and somewhat surprising anagram.

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