The puzzle may be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/cryptic/25972.
A puzzle with a concision of clues to rival yesterday’s Paul, with quite basic clue types. It would be a very suitable Quiptic.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Become brighter and cold — king gets excited (5,2) | ||
| CLEAR UP | A charade of C (‘cold’) plus LEAR (‘king’) plus UP (‘excited’). | ||
| 5. | Instigate storing flower in kind of cup (7) | ||
| STIRRUP | An envelope (‘storing’) of R (river, ‘flower’) in STIR UP (‘instigate’). | ||
| 9. | Comprehensive kid gets a quid (5) | ||
| TOTAL | A charade of TOT (‘kid’) plus ‘a’ plus L (‘quid’). | ||
| 10. | Claimant is quiet about offer (9) | ||
| PRETENDER | A charade of P (‘quiet’) plus RE (‘about’) plus TENDER (‘offer’). | ||
| 11. | Term loosely embracing a type of artist (9) | ||
| REMBRANDT | An envelope (’embracing’) of BRAND (‘a type’) in REMT, an anagram (‘loosely’) of ‘term’. | ||
| 12. | Player finally working to perform musical piece (5) | ||
| RONDO | A charade of R (‘playeR finally’) plus ON (‘working’) plus DO (‘perform’). | ||
| 13. | Tenant has no right to come in (5) | ||
| ENTER | A subtraction [r]ENTER (‘tenant’) missing (the first) R (‘no right’). | ||
| 15. | It’s lucky Arabs, say, do some gardening (9) | ||
| HORSESHOE | A charade of HORSES (‘Arabs, say’) plus HOE (‘do some gardening’). | ||
| 18. | Greek writer and leading actor spot Uncle Sam (9) | ||
| HERODOTUS | A charade of HERO (‘leading actor’) plus DOT (‘spot’) plus US (‘Uncle Sam’) for the Father of History. | ||
| 19. | Spare tyre I’d inflated (5) | ||
| TUMID | A charade of TUM (stomach, ‘spare type’) plus ‘I’d’. | ||
| 21. | Half-heartedly incapacitate an aristocrat (5) | ||
| NOBLE | A subtraction NOB[b]LE (‘incapacitate’) ‘half-heartedly’. | ||
| 23. | Impress prisoner with writing (9) | ||
| CONSCRIPT | A charade of CON (‘prisoner’) plus SCRIPT (‘writing’). | ||
| 25. | Fellow keeps chalet designed for sports event (9) | ||
| DECATHLON | An envelope (‘keeps’) of ECATHL, an anagram (‘designed’) of ‘chalet’ in DON (‘fellow’). | ||
| 26. | In the past Newton stored right gas (5) | ||
| ARGON | An envelope (‘stored’) of R (‘right’) in AGO (‘in the past’) plus N (‘Newton’; the abbreviation applies to the unit of force). | ||
| 27. | Comprehensive kid after information (7) | ||
| GENERIC | A charade of GEN (‘information’) plus ERIC (‘kid’). | ||
| 28. | Increase general unrest (7) | ||
| ENLARGE | An anagram (‘unrest’) of ‘general’. | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Set bed overlooking lake (7) | ||
| COTERIE | A charade of COT (‘bed’) plus ERIE (great ‘lake’). | ||
| 2. | Riot teams badly deployed, one reckons (9) | ||
| ESTIMATOR | An anagran (‘badly deployed’) of ‘riot teams’. | ||
| 3. | It could be used to strike a sovereign (5) | ||
| RULER | Double definition. | ||
| 4. | Fuming when conduit’s stolen (6,3) | ||
| PIPING HOT | A charade of PIPING (‘conduit’) plus HOT (‘stolen’). | ||
| 5. | Sons defrost fish (5) | ||
| SMELT | A charade of S (‘sons’) plus MELT (‘defrost’). | ||
| 6. | I mean to make a home — seriously! (2,7) | ||
| IN EARNEST | A charade of ‘I’ plus NEAR (miserly, ‘mean’) plus NEST (‘a home’). | ||
| 7. | Gas causing fuss in the navy (5) | ||
| RADON | An envelope (‘in’) of ADO (‘fuss’) in RN (‘the navy’). Our second 21A gas. | ||
| 8. | Aim to find money bag outside post office (7) | ||
| PURPOSE | An envelope (‘outside’) of PO (‘post office’) in PURSE (‘money bag’). | ||
| 14. | Trot with me and the dog (3,6) | ||
| RED SETTER | A charade of RED (‘trot’) plus SETTER (‘me’). | ||
| 16. | Sympathetic vibration represented on a screen (9) | ||
| RESONANCE | An anagram (‘represented’) of ‘on a screen’. | ||
| 17. | Sound a bell — for a knockout? (9) | ||
| HUMDINGER | A charade of HUM (‘sound’) plus DINGER (‘a bell’). | ||
| 18. | Execute Harry looking dejected (7) | ||
| HANGDOG | A chaarade of HANG (‘execute’) plus DOG (‘harry’). | ||
| 20. | An easing of tensions after river engulfs marquee (7) | ||
| DETENTE | An envelope (‘engulfs’) of TENT (‘marquee’) in DEE (‘river’). | ||
| 22. | Meat firm included in boycott (5) | ||
| BACON | An envelope (‘included in’) of CO (‘company’) in BAN (‘boycott’). | ||
| 23. | Tory caught taking oil preparation for illness (5) | ||
| COLIC | An anagram (‘preparation’) of C (Conservative, ‘Tory’) plus C (‘caught’) plus ‘oil’. | ||
| 24. | Grovel to get chromium tool (5) | ||
| CRAWL | A charade of CR (chemical symbol, ‘chromium’) plus AWL (‘tool’). | ||
Yes, a bit too easy for my taste. The cryptics have some nice ideas, but the literals give everything away. Suitable for beginners, I suppose.
Fortunately, I have not yet tackled this week’s prize puzzle…..
I enjoyed this puzzle with my favourites being 18a, 18d, 11a, 15a, 10a, 22d.
New words for me were TUMID & SMELT = ‘fish’ (last in). I will note for the future that S can be both ‘son’ or ‘sons’. I suppose that D can also be both ‘daughter’ and ‘daughters’?
Thanks for the blog, PeterO.
Thanks, PeterO.
michelle, no I don’t think the same is true of daughters.
Many thanks, PeterO, this was surely the easiest Cryptic EVER!
I always print out the Grauniad Cryptic to enjoy with my breakfast – usually 20 spoonfuls of cereal – but, on this occasion, my cereal won easily by 19 1/2 spoonfuls.
C’mon Chifonie I do know that you can do very much better than this.
Sound throughout, but as others have said, on the easy side. COTERIE was nicely clued, I thought.
Thanks to S&B.
Thanks PeterO and Chifonie.
So here I am, settling in to a 6hr train journey south from Inverness, and looking forward to a lengthy tussle solved, on and off, by the time we get to Edinburgh. And it’s all over before Aviemore. Ah well, plenty of time to enjoy this glorious scenery.
Still, fun enough. RONDO and HANGDOG favourites.
Thanks, PeterO
Could someone please tell me why Eric is “kid”? Does it have something to do with “little by little”?
Thanks Chifonie and PeterO. 7 went in early, so I spent a few moments looking for places where the other 21 gases might go – but no luck. One more at 26 hardly counts even as a minitheme. As others have said, easy but pleasant.
crosser @7
I’ve wondered about that myself. Farrar’s book was certainly responsible for the proliferation of the name and Eric has long been crossword-speak for a ‘little’ boy. Little by Little was first published in 1858, which places it in the right catchment age (my personal theory is that a lot of clues originated circa 1910 – which is why the setters assume we know music-hall references). ‘Little’ boy has the feeling of an in-joke, rather than Eric just being an example of a little boy.
Thanks PeterO and Chifonie
I ticked several clues for their pithiness – 23a, 1d, 14d, and 18d. A rather easy puzzle but that’s no great harm occasionally especially if another life beckons.
Thanks to PeterO for the blog.
I think ‘kid’ just means a child, in this case a boy child.
Thanks Chifonie and PeterO
Was a big step down in toughness from yesterday … but was held up for longer than I needed with TUMID having lazily entered tired … then timid … before getting my act together.
As a newbie, I’m grateful for the occasional easier puzzle to encourage me to keep trying these!
Certainly, this was the easiest I have tried to date.
I’m with Gatacre. Also, timid held me up, partly as the word was new to me but also as I had entente (I know it’s not synonymous but as Albert Lee said at Woodstock, close enough for jazz) instead of detente – the river Ene is in Peru.
Tumid. Damn you, autocorrect!
I know, I know. Alvin. I’m going back to bed.
Although to actually be a Quiptic I think it would need changing to have TIMID.
Did anyone else get SHEAT (also a kind of fish) instead of SMELT for 5d?
I’m another for whom this turned out to be easy, though I my early Grauniad days it might not have been so. Don’t mind the odd one like this, as long as they’re fairly clued (which I think it is).
@speckledjim
Yes, I did, although on checking Chambers it seems not to exist without the word “fish” stuck on the end of it. I think we can claim it, though.
As most of you have said, it was a very easy puzzle, and some of the recent Quiptics have been harder. Having said that, I also don’t have a problem with the odd one like this if it encourages new solvers like Gatacre@13.
The HUMDINGER/TUMID crossers were my last in.
Quite a pleasant stroll but I suppose I’ll have to go back to my web page now. I was hoping for an hour’s break! A few of those clues must surely be from “The Absolute Beginners Book of Cryptic Crosswords”.
We should know by now that
“No Rufus on Monday
Means tears before Sunday”
(I’ll stick to the day job. 😉 )
Thanks to Chifonie and PeterO
Fairly easy, yes, though there were some usages that were outside my GK – “red” for “trot”, “near” for “mean”, and the stirrup cup.
Also, this is very solver-friendly grid, with every first and last letter checked, and all the various “areas” being solidly locked together with crossers (probably due to all the 9 letter answers).
Might have been better saved by the editor for one of Rufus’ days off?
Still, a fun puzzle, thanks Chifonie and PeterO.
Thanks, aztobesed @9, for the clarification.