Guardian Quiptic 704/Hectence

According to her profile, Hectence is a Manchester City supporter, so to cheer her up after Saturday’s events (footie haters can look away now) I will say that I thought that this was a well-set crossword, with some penny-drop moments.  But there were some clues that might stretch the target audience, whoever they are.  And there were also a couple that in my opinion were out of place in a Quiptic. Thank you to her for the puzzle; I am interested to hear what others think.

Abbreviations

cd  cryptic definition
dd  double definition
(xxxx)*  anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x]  letter(s) missing

definitions are underlined

Across

1 Standard model used to be more than enough
EXAMPLE
A charade of EX and AMPLE.  Since EX is a bit whimsical for ‘used to be’ I might have fancied a question mark at the end of this clue.

5 Mum abandoning vernacular is silly
IDIOTIC
IDIO[MA]TIC

9 Model in picture files has talents
GIFTS
More models, and this time it’s the usual reference: the Model T Ford (‘any color you like, as long as it’s black’).  An insertion of T in GIFS.  .gif is a filename extension for images.  I knew that, but was minded to look up what it actually stands for.  It’s graphics interchange format.  Don’t say you don’t learn stuff here.

10 1-0 given at last after goal protest
OBJECTION
Very prescient of Hectence to include Saturday’s scoreline in this Monday’s puzzle, although I don’t think there was a protest about the goal.  A charade of OBJECT, I, O and N for the last letter of giveN.

11 Used to water oranges he’d cultivated
GARDEN HOSE
(ORANGES HE’D)*  ‘Cultivated’ is the anagrind.

12 Fell in low river
MOOR
A charade of MOO and R.  The cattle are lowing … again.

14 Is the Queen arriving in Birmingham university hospital dept causing surprise?
ASTONISHMENT
Nice story-telling surface.  The Birmingham university is ASTON; the hospital department is ENT (ear, nose and throat); and you need to insert IS HM (her maj) in those two.

18 Hangover cure is one of many carried by man’s best friend
HAIR OF THE DOG
A dd cum cd.  Why do we say that?

21 Chair a Question Time covering Middle East trouble spot
IRAQ
Hidden in chaIR A Question Time.  For overseas solvers, Question Time is a BBC programme where invited panellists face questions on current affairs from the audience.   And, sadly, ‘Middle East trouble spot’ could offer a number of options for setters.

22 Western hero, after good turn, goes north on freight train
GUNFIGHTER
Well, I think it’s this.  A charade of G for ‘good’, U for ‘turn’ as in U-TURN, N for ‘north’ and (FREIGHT)* with ‘train’ on duty as the anagrind.  I am happy to be corrected.

25 Artist’s static composition nevertheless has vitality
STILL LIFE
A charade of STILL for ‘nevertheless’ and LIFE for ‘vitality’.

26 Egg on relative to lose pound in weight
OUNCE
A charade of O for ‘egg’ (it’s crosswordspeak for that because it’s round) and UNC[L]E.  L is crosswordspeak for ‘pound’, originally libra in Latin.

27 Cajole chap into married life that’s hollow
WHEEDLE
Nice surface again, but tricky to parse: it’s an insertion of HE for ‘chap’ in WED for ‘married’ followed by LE for the outside letters of ‘life’, which would make that word ‘hollow’.

28 Tick off chicken as food produced here
KITCHEN
This one tickled me.  A charade of (TICK)* and HEN.  The anagrind is ‘off’.

Down

1 Employ criminal gang to get into drugs
ENGAGE
An insertion of (GANG)* in two lots of E, the setters’ drug of choice, with ‘criminal’ as the anagrind.

2 Have enough money for a fine car
AFFORD
A charade of A, F and FORD, he of the Model T fame.

3 Ownership of society’s work is returned before hearing
POSSESSION
Hectence is asking you to reverse S for ‘society’ and OP for ‘work’ or ‘opus’ and then add SESSION for ‘hearing’.

4 Bear up having hard time
EPOCH
Another reversal: of COPE before H for ‘hard’.

5 It’s not fair raising tax on only one church
INJUSTICE
And another reversal (I’m dizzy from going backwards so much).  ‘Raising’ is the reversal indicator, of NI for National Insurance, a tax by any other name.  Then you need to add JUST for ‘only’, I for ‘one’ and CE for ‘church’.

6 Native American states
INCA
A charade of the abbreviations for two US states: IN for Indiana and CA for California.

7 At Dior “Le Fashion” is specially cut
TAILORED
(AT DIOR LE)* with ‘fashion’ as the anagrind.

8 Building material originally cast on Greek island
CONCRETE
A charade of C for the first letter of ‘cast’, ON and CRETE.

13 Depression about husband’s evident everywhere
THROUGHOUT
An insertion of H for ‘husband’ in TROUGH for ‘depression’ followed by OUT for ‘evident’.  My secret is out.

15 Pushy old boy has unexpected virtues
OBTRUSIVE
A charade of OB for ‘old boy’ and (VIRTUES)* with ‘unexpected’ as the anagrind.  ‘Pushy’ wouldn’t be my first choice of synonym for OBTRUSIVE, but it works.

16 Woodcutter bonds with a wife
CHAINSAW
A charade of CHAINS and A W.

17 Unfortunately fails to get home in East End
FINALISE
Happen I’ve not understood this properly, but I can’t quite make it work.  It seems to be an insertion of IN for ‘home’ in (FAILS)* followed by E for ‘East’.  But I can’t see how we’re supposed to add E to the end of the clue.  Surely ‘in’ is an insertion indicator?

19 Awful smell of sulphur by ditch — not right
STENCH
S plus T[R]ENCH.

20 Incite doctor to blow top
URGE ON
[S]URGEON.  Clever clue.

23 Little bit of criticism snootily expressed?
FLECK
I don’t like this in a Quiptic and I wouldn’t have much liked it in a weekday cryptic.  It’s relying on the fact that people like the Queen (or those with Received Pronunciation or RP, although let’s not go there because it’s going out of fashion) would pronouce FLAK like FLECK.  This trick is usually seen to clue GIRL for GEL, or the other way round.  Personally, I’d consign it to the cruciverbal dustbin.

24 Toil away at a PC?
PLOD
People brought up on Enid Blyton will know that in Toytown, Noddy and Big Ears were often in trouble with PC PLOD.  People that weren’t will be mystified.  But it’s a dd.