Carpathian is also a regular setter of the Quiptic and the Quick Cryptic, and there are plenty of clues here that would be suitable for beginners, but all nicely done. Thanks to Carpathian.
| Across | ||||||||
| 8 | DISCONCERTINGLY | Recycling I’d not sorted contains sheep’s head alarmingly (15) S[heep] in (RECYCLING I’D NOT)* |
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| 9 | THRESH | Article quietly includes Queen hit (6) R (queen) in THE (definite article) + SH (quietly!) |
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| 10 | FRIGHTEN | Startle Conservative in bog (8) RIGHT in FEN |
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| 11 | MISNOMER | Memoirs rewritten to include name and unsuitable title (8) N[ame] in MEMOIRS* |
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| 12 | UNDIES | A Parisian passes on garments (6) UN (French indefinite article) + DIES |
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| 13 | LEAKAGE | Something released by mistake hidden by bleak agency (7) Hidden in bLEAK AGEncy |
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| 16 | CENTIME | Bit of Swiss bread? (7) Cryptic definition: a centime is one hundredth of a Swiss franc |
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| 19 | AGENDA | Programme goal in range (6) END (goal) in AGA (brand of kitchen range) |
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| 21 | ENVIRONS | Surroundings of bridge players with five clubs (8) E N (two bridge players) + V (5) + IRONS (golf clubs) |
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| 24 | MURALIST | Altruism redirected for one decorating (8) ALTRUISM* |
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| 25 | SAFETY | Protection for example covering fleet on and off (6) Alternate letters of FlElT in SAY (for example) |
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| 26 | REVOLUTIONARIES | Right development sign for rebels (15) R + EVOLUTION (development) + ARIES (zodiac sign) |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | HIGH-FIVE | Celebrate great quintet (4-4) HIGH (great) + FIVE (quintet) |
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| 2 | SCREEN | Show shield (6) Double definition |
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| 3 | ANTHEM | Song from worker on edge (6) ANT + HEM |
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| 4 | PERFORM | Function for a class (7) PER (a, as in “twice a/per year”) + FORM (class, in a school) |
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| 5 | ATTITUDE | Approach carriage (8) Double definition |
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| 6 | ON THE DOT | Fuss about keeping new article sharp (2,3,3) N THE in reverse of TO-DO |
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| 7 | ALLEGE | Profess everything, say, with energy (6) ALL + E.G. (say) + E[nergy] |
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| 14 | KINKAJOU | Black ink a journalistic piece used to portray animal (8) Hidden in blacK INK A JOUrnalistic; the kinkajou is (rather endearingly) also called the honey bear |
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| 15 | GRACIOUS | Courteous cougars excitedly embracing one (8) I (one) in COUGARS* |
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| 17 | MINSTREL | Musician wandering in street about to follow master with loyalty at first (8) M[aster) + IN ST RE (about) + L[oyalty] |
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| 18 | FELT TIP | Marker touched summit (4,3) FELT (touched) + TIP (summit) |
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| 20 | GLUTEI | Excess that is lifted to develop muscles (6) GLUT + reverse of I.E. (that is) |
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| 22 | VISHNU | Six shun wayward God (6) VI + SHUN* |
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| 23 | REFURB | Brighten up tops of random equipment for use round bar (6) First letters (tops) of Random Equipment For Use Round Bar |
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All too brief, but nicely constructed with the usual elegant clues, KINKAJOU (not Kangaroo) the only obscurity. It did have a Quiptic feel about it though.
Honey bear made me think of this https://youtu.be/zaMdfkpi8HA?si=MZwE-1_6Mf7oFNC3
Ta Carpathian & Andrew.
Fun puzzle.
I could not parse 19ac.
Thanks Carpathian and Andrew. I did wonder if a writing/news theme was emerging in the clues: ‘journalistic piece’; ‘article’ (x2); ‘memoirs rewritten’; ‘agency’ but with hindsight, probably not enough to be more than a coincidence.
A pleasant few minutes stroll for a Wednesday morning. Surprised to see how many solvers on the G’s own page saw ‘animal’ beginning with K and shoved in KANGAROO. I enjoyed the surface for MINSTREL – very Blondel.
Thanks both
Never heard of a kinkajou. Having solved all the intersecting clues, I thought it could only be “kangaroo”, which I confidently entered, then tried very hard to parse. [Edit: looks like I was not alone.]
That was my only speed bump — all else was tickety boo. A most enjoyable crossword.
Such a quick solve over breakfast. I’m not complaining. Except now I’m not sure what to do when I go out for a coffee later.
All nicely done, as Andrew said. Weirdly, LEAKAGE and KINKAJOU held out on the first run despite the answers being in plain sight. As is often the case, they became quickly apparent after a quick break for some housework. If I had to pick a favourite it would be the Swiss bread; gave me a chuckle when the centime dropped. Thanks Carpathian and Andrew.
Interesting, that. I saw the included KINKAJOU straight off (having already a couple of crossers), and had a vague feeling I’d heard of it before – a quick DDG confirmed it. Kangaroo just never came to mind at all. Thanks, Carpathian and Andrew.
If I had to pick a favourite it would be the courteous cougar – though the Swiss bread was good too. Short but sweet today – and I managed not to fall into the kangaroo-trap – understandable when the wrong answer fitted all the crossers. Not sure about attitude=carriage, my last in.
Postmark#4. KINGJAKOU. It wasn’t only that the animal began with K but all the crossers, depending in which order you’d solved the clues, as gdu and gladys have mentioned. It’s a word picture thing, that can either work with you, or agin you.
Stopped just short of being too easy, and some enjoyable surfaces. KINKAJOU a particularly satisfying solve.
Thanks Carpathian and Andrew
Nice puzzle, as always with this setter. No problem with KINKAJOU – I remember seeing them at Regent’s Park Zoo.
I did have a pause when I tried to work out why ANTRIM was a song @3d.
And neither kingjakou nor kangaroo are cute and cuddly creatures. They’d both rather kill you, if you get in their way.
Another blunderer-in with ‘kangaroo’ and then searching for a rubber I’m ashamed to say.
Hey-ho, satisfying puzzle in the end.
Many thanks, both.
I jumped to the kangaroo conclusion too but couldn’t see a parsing and given the setter it was unlikely to be anything too devious
Some good anagrams and surfaces. Top ticks for ATTITUDE, ON THE DOT and REVOLUTIONARIES
Cheers C&A
(Edit: kinkajou. )
I spent a long time on 14D, mainly because I decided that black ink was K as in CMYK printing colours, leaving me looking for angaroo to fit the rest of the clue, event when I vaguely remembered kinkajou (which I thought was spelt with oo) I now had k ink to confuse me.
I tried to justify APPEND for AGENDA, but sense prevailed in the end. Short but sweet.
Couldn’t parse KANGAROO but luckily KINKAJOU appeared fairly recently in the Grauniad so I spotted it. Otherwise very quick.
Thanks both.
The most difficult for me was FRIGHTEN – couldn’t see it for a long while (not having the F crosser yet); it is also my favourite. Murals seem to be a theme this week. An enjoyable puzzle as always – thanks Carpathian, and Andrew for the blog
I knew the name Kinkajou from, of all things, the Charlie Drake song “My Boomerang Won’t Come Back” (“I can ride a kangaroo, make kinkajou stew”) which the Wikipedia article describes as “not exactly a paragon of political correctness”.
Well, I’m one who IS familiar with KINKAJOU, and rather liked the two hidden words connecting neatly on the K in the grid. Many thanks this morning Carpathian and Andrew…
Nothing to frighten the horses (I did remember KINKAJOU as Kangaroo clearly wouldn’t work). I did slightly wonder if minstrels need to be wandering (they don’t), but it made me think of the G&S line about ‘a thing of threads and patches’, which I suppose could be used to describe crosswords in general.
The NE corner took longer than the rest of the puzzle for me with the intersecting cd and dds. I liked the long ‘uns, FRIGHTEN for the Conservative in a bog, a class that PERFORMs, and the MINSTREL wandering in the street.
Thanks Carpathian and Andrew.
18D “Marker Touched Summit” was the most pleasing I felt!
MINSTREL for me was the most tricky, in a generally easy solve, and KINKAJOU was well hidden, and fooled quite a few it seems.
Thanks C & A
Ten demerits for me as I bunged in KANGAROO, with some misgivings, thinking “well, I can’t see it but it fits, and 15^2 will enlighten me “. Idleness, pure idleness. Talk about missing the bleedin’ obvious… For some reason, these “buried answer” clues can be a bit of a blind spot for both me and Mrs TheSheep, such that, when the penny finally drops if doing a puzzle together, we traditionally exclaim in unison “It’s in the Clue!” in an Eccles-type accent.
Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln…
I liked both the long clues DISCONCERTINGLY and REVOLUTIONARIES, not least the latter because of the dust thrown by three possible anagrinds, and the image of the amiably courteous cougars.
Thanks Carpathian and Andrew.
Another KANGAROO knowing for certain that it must be correct and couldn’t be correct both at the same time.
Otherwise good fun. Thank you Carpathian and Andrew.
[paddymelon@13 – ” They’d both rather kill you, if you get in their way”: Many years ago, I was in Cairns. I went for a walk along a trail in a forest nearby (I can’t remember its name). As you entered the trail, there was a prominent sign which said; “WARNING: The Rhythmic Pounding of Joggers’ Feet may Aggravate Cassowaries”. ]
Very enjoyable and definitely would not have been out of place as one of their Sunday Quiptics. My favourites were MINSTREL, REVOLUTIONARIES and CENTIME. I too was in the kangaroo camp but the crossers didn’t agree and then the hidden word jumped out 😂. BTW it seems the last few of the weekday Cryptics have seemed quite gentle which I’m sure is not always the case? Thanks Andrew for the blog and Carpathian for the grid.
I’m a KANGAROO man unfortunately. It seemed highly unlikely that another animal could fit in there, doh! But it was brilliantly disguised.
Oh well.
Enjoyed the crossword but hate that grid.
Thanks both.
I knew in couldn’t be Kangaroo #14D because of journalistic in the clue
This seemed distinctly easier than Monday’s puzzle. Also pleasurable, as was the blog.
Thanks
Nice puzzle, no particular faves. Kangaroo never occurred to me for KINKAJOU, maybe because I didn’t have the leading K yet when solving.
Is AGA for RANGE the most Guardian bit of clueing ever?
As with everyone else, found this enjoyable and not too hard. Was tempted by kangaroo too but spotted the animal once I couldn’t parse it. I also spent a bit of time googling anagrams of IN GOAL to see if they were mountain ranges, before I worked that one out. Liked the clues that threw a curveball on some usual staples–“conservative” for RIGHT instead of “C,” “for example” for SAY instead of EG.
Thanks Carpathian and Andrew!
Enjoyed this.
muffin @12: Being from Co. Antrim, it was my first thought for 3d (before I had the crossers). There is no shortage of songs about Antrim but I don’t know of any with that one word name.
I have a vague recollection of seeing CENTIME clued as (something like) “a piece of French bread.” If so, that must have been at least 25 years ago.
Ultimately defeated by 14d KANGAROO (what else could it be?). KINKAJOU very well hidden! Everything else was fine and pleasant. As I was solving there seemed to be a lot of anagrams, but now I see there were only five. Like Antonknee@25 (I saw what you did there!) my favourite was 18d FELT TIP (“Marker” a good misdirecting definition)
Thanks both
@34: not really. You will find ‘range’ = AGA in puzzles in virtually every major newspaper.
After a slow start this was a steady solve until the NE held me up for a while. Like others, KINKAJOU was new to me, and I failed to parse AGENDA.
PostMark@38: I have put AGA in my back pocket for next time.
Miche@36: Snap. I too am from Antrim (Belfast) and wondered if such a song existed before discarding it.
Pleasant puzzle, got most of it done last night but with lots of gaps in the upper half.
matt w @35, I got hung up on GOAL IN too.
Anybody else try PFENNIG for the bit of Swiss bread? When I finally got the right word, it was the same thing in another language.”
I also tried to make a song of ANTRIM, with no more success than anybody else.
Thanks, Carpathian and Andrew.
Valentine @41, no, but my first thought was “FRANC? Doesn’t fit–let’s circle back when there are crossing letters”, and when I finally did, my thought was “same thing, wrong denomination”. As an aside, since you’ve brought the word up: if I ever get round to being a setter, I’ve decided I want the pseudonym Pfennig. As my first name is Mark, it’s a pretty good pun. (As an aside to my aside, my middle initial is R, so my handle here is properly read as M.R. Penney, not Mr. Penney. It’s an easy mistake, and the latter works too, so I’ve never bothered to correct it.)
Those of us of a certain age might remember the Guinness ad:
“My Goodness My Guinness’ [Just think what a kink-ajou can do”
Completed later than usual which is my only excuse for putting in KANGAROO without it matching any part of the word play. Insee many others did as well so feel a bit better.
Enjoyed the long constructions in this.
Thanks Carpathian and Andrew
Three completions in a row this week…only to doubtless find myself bemused and battered into submission tomorrow and Fri.
Once I’d got K-N-A—for the animal, I was another who was ready to go with KANGAROO, but as I couldn’t, for obvious reasons, parse it, I held off. I then saw INK A as a possible anagram for the KINKAJOU – of which I did know – but then, upon rereading the clue carefully, the hidden word device jumped out at me.