Guardian Quiptic 1,345/Alia

36 comments on “Guardian Quiptic 1,345/Alia”

1. Second for Alia in the Quiptic slot – I blogged one a couple of months ago, when there was much discussion about Alia being Paul’s sister in Dune. No conclusion.

   Thank you to Alia and Pierre for the crossword and blog.

2. Good quiptic. Clever little reference in 6d to the Ben Travers farce ‘Dry Rot. Thank you to Alia for the fun and Pierre for the blog.

3. This has so many clues with great surfaces – thoroughly enjoyable.

   I ticked NIECE, RUSSIAN ROULETTE (great anagram), RACE MEETING, EXPRESS, and REALIST

   IGNEOUS is a new word for me and being in SE corner may have been a new word for the setter too after being painted into a corner

   Thanks Alia and Pierre

4. Excellent Quiptic, nicely judged. I particularly enjoyed IGNEOUS and NEWSREADER.

   Thanks to Alia and Pierre

5. Just right for a Quiptic, fun to do for us less experienced solvers. The two long down clues, RUSSIAN ROULETTE and GOLDEN DELICIOUS, both straightforward, were really helpful for crossers.

6. Thanks Alia and Pierre
   Perfect Quiptic.
   Martyn @3 Igneous is one of the three classes of rocks (the others are sedimentary and metamorphic). Igneous rocks have been formed from magma (liquid rock).

7. With a little help from this blog, and from the below the line comments on the crossword itself, I managed to get into, and complete this puzzle. Haven’t been able to do that for a long time.

8. Me @2 – Sorry, I mixed up my Whitehall Theatre farceurs… John Chapman wrote ‘Dry Rot’ not Ben Travers. The actor-manager Brian Rix farces were popular in the 1950’s and 60’s. I recall watching them live from Whitehall on BBC television. I think the Beeb only showed one act of the play, possibly on a Sunday evening?

9. [chargehand @8
   When we had a family trip to London in the 60s we all got to choose a night out. Mine was a Brian Rix farce at the Whitehall; my sister chose ballet at Covent Garden (Cinderella); my mother Britten’s Saint Nicholas at the RFH. My father never said where he went, but we didn’t go with him!]

10. Agree with the praises, a great quiptic, perfectly fit for beginners. Liked ABOVE BOARD and RUSSIAN ROULETTE. Thanks Alia and Pierre!

11. @9 Muffin. Memories, thank you. Perhaps your father went to the Windmill… Have a good day 🙂

12. A brilliantly pitched Quiptic with a number of superb surfaces. Thanks to Alia and thanks to Pierre for the clear and informative blog – I’d reflected as I was completing this that it’s always NIECE, so nice to get a rationale!

13. Very well pitched, and equally enjoyable. Always good to get a quiptic that fits the brief like this one does.

14. Very enjoyable and perfectly quiptic. My only minor quibble was that I didn’t think that the clue for TEARDROP was cryptic.

15. On the one hand, this felt like a dry, by-the-numbers affairs. Stuff like PATELLA, NIECE, SLIP (particularly being Pils backwards or vice versa), POLISH seem as old as time and I’m by no means the most seasoned solver. EXPRESS, REINSTATE and EXPOSITIONS containing near-synonyms of one another is poor style in my book too.

    On the other, with fairly straightforward constructions and no particularly obscure knowledge or vocabulary required it certainly is a puzzle that the experienced can hurry through and the newcomers have a good chance of navigating and learning a thing or two. I cringe when people write cliches like ‘perfectly pitched’, ‘fit the bill’ or ‘gentle stroll’ but we’ll definitely get that today and it’s probably as merited as it ever will be from a difficulty perspective.

16. As someone upthread has already mentioned,perfectly pitched and enjoyable.

17. I really enjoyed this. Put last few in after a walk to get the paper. I wonder why a break seems to work ? Some I’d gazed at for ages ( like above board ) just jumped right out at me after my short stroll. As an inexperienced cryptic solver I much appreciated this puzzle. So thank you Alia – and Pierre for the blog.
    @ muffin and @ chargehand – I remember seeing a programme for the Windmill my father brought home. As a pre teenager I was very shocked !

18. muffin and chargehand – my parents had a story of eating at a restaurant around the corner from the Windmill in the late 50s – 60s, (possibly the Italian place I ate in a few times in the early 80s, now sadly gone), leaving their labrador in the back of the car. When they came out, much panic as no labrador. The dog was discovered back stage at the Windmill enjoying the attention from the girls, and no doubt food – he often had a label round his neck, saying “Please don’t feed me, I’m fed at home”!

19. Haven’t done the puzzle but just wanted to pop in to applaud the use of the magnificent word “furtle” there Pierre okthksbye

20. Really liked this one. Easy but not too easy (for me), which is where I want my quiptics.

    I particularly liked the PATELLA clue — the surface was just great.

    Thanks to S&B

21. I like this setter (and blogger). Lots of fun. Suave clues. Loved many but must mention 21 and 22 a, and 4 and 15 d. Also much appreciated the blog reference to Rufus’ classic clue in 10 a.

    Thanks much

22. Could someone expand upon the purpose of ‘certain’ in 13a please?

    Also, what purpose does ‘shareholders’ serve in 16a?

    Both words seem to me to be redundant

    Ta ever so to everyone

23. Seensaw @22: “certain” in that clue is actually unnecessary, since “a certain” does, as the blog tells you, define ONE, but then so does “a.” But to avoid concluding that it’s an unnecessary word, I’d point out that it makes the surface reading a bit cleaner.

    As for the shareholders: they have the power to fire the board of directors, and thus are ABOVE the BOARD.

24. I agree with most of you. A perfect quiptic, which I could do. Very enjoyable puzzle, thank you Alia and Pierre.

25. Ah! mrpenney @23, 16a is cleverer than I am. Thank you.

26. Further to muffin @6, IGNEOUS does mean “fiery,” as the puzzle says; igneous rocks have a (metaphorically–no actual combustion involved) fiery origin.

    The most commonly encountered igneous rock in your daily life is granite; other examples include basalt and gabbro. (Of the main rocks used in architecture and art besides granite, marble and slate are metamorphic, while limestone, sandstone, and travertine are sedimentary.)

27. I was taught about the three main rock classifications at primary school and they’ve always stayed with me. This wouldn’t help me to classify many actual rock types, but it’s a start.

28. Nice bit of symmetry in the grid with OPPRESS and EXPRESS. Enjoyable perfectly pitched, gentle stroll, which fit the bill.

    Ta Alia & Pierre.

29. I had FEUDS in first for 2d. Feds around U.

30. My impression is exactly the same as Geoff Down Under @14: I don’t see how the clue for 15dn (TEARDROP) is cryptic. But other than that minor flaw, I thought this was an extremely well-made Quiptic.

31. I would also say that the latter halves of 1a and 6d aren’t cryptic either. The apple is called that because it’s supposedly yummy. I enjoyed the rest.

32. I had TUNE for 13a, and the only way I could justify it was UNE=a, which didn’t quite make sense as that trick is usually indicated as “a french” etc. Was grumbling about that until I came here and found I was wrong.

    Thanks Alia and Pierre

33. Really enjoyed this puzzle and agree with others here that it is a good level of Quiptic. Thanks Alia and to Pierre for the blog.

34. Many thanks to Pierre for the blog and to all solvers/commenters.

    And, just so we’re clear for any future outings, I’m not Paul or any of his relatives 🙂

35. Alia is, among other things, the location of an obscure Italian football club. (It’s too hot to put my coat on.)

36. Lovely Quiptic and excellent blog! Thanks Alia and Pierre.

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