This week’s Quiptic is by Orlando, one of my favourite setters.
It’s a terrific puzzle: lovely surface readings, lots of wit and humour, and absolutely precise clueing. As you would expect in a Quiptic, it’s mostly straightforward and has a good variety of clue types. Ideal for the cryptic crossword lover pressed for time, or for the solver learning how cryptic crossword puzzles work.
| Across | ||
| 1 | LOCALE | Setting for pub: middle of field (6) |
| LOCAL (pub) E (middle letter of fiEld) | ||
| 4 | ANTIQUE | Old article, quite battered (7) |
| AN (article) TIQUE (anagram ‘battered’ of QUITE) | ||
| 9 | COMMOTION | Dot’s follower with proposal causing a stir (9) |
| COM (dot’s follower, i.e. as in dot com) + (with) MOTION (proposal) | ||
| 10 | PLAID | Forked out about a pound for tartan cloth (5) |
| PAID (forked out) containing (about) L (a pound) | ||
| 11 | SLOTH | Opening hours for slow-moving mammal (5) |
| SLOT (opening) H (hours) | ||
| 12 | ANTIDOTES | Doctor stationed to provide remedies (9) |
| An anagram (doctor) of STATIONED | ||
| 13 | SWANAGE | How old is bird in Dorset seaside resort? (7) |
| A cryptic definition. Bird = SWAN. How old = AGE. You might read SWANAGE as SWAN AGE. | ||
| 15 | ENDURE | Last bear (6) |
| A double definition. Last = ENDURE; bear = ENDURE | ||
| 17 | SCOTCH | It’s still produced north of the border (6) |
| A cryptic definition. Scotch is made in a still (in Scotland) | ||
| 19 | FACADES | Sad face, false appearances (7) |
| An anagram (false) of SAD FACE | ||
| 22 | GUARDSMEN | Soldiers possibly armed with guns (9) |
| An anagram (possibly) of ARMED and (with) GUNS | ||
| 24 | DETER | Put off in high-altitude terrain (5) |
| An answer hidden in (in) high-altituDE TERrain | ||
| 26 | NIGHT | It’s dark almost before the end of August (5) |
| NIGH (almost) + (before) T (the end of August, i.e. the last letter of August) | ||
| 27 | RESIDENCE | Dire scene, broken home (9) |
| An anagram (broken) of DIRE SCENE | ||
| 28 | SOLOMON | Biblical king on his own one day? (7) |
| SOLO (on his own) MON (one day, i.e. Monday) | ||
| 29 | TYRANT | Some nasty ranting despot (6) |
| An answer hidden in (some) nasTY RANTing | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LOCUSTS | Cold American surrounded by many insects (7) |
| C (cold) US (American) contained within (surrounded by) LOTS (many) | ||
| 2 | CAMEO | Item of jewellery that’s arrived with ring? (5) |
| CAME (arrived) + (with) O (ring. The letter O is ring-shaped) | ||
| 3 | LIONHEART | A brave man, I left a throne to wander (9) |
| An anagram (to wander) of I L (left) A THRONE | ||
| 4 | ANNETTE | Girl for a trapper, we hear (7) |
| A homophone (we hear) of A NET (a trapper) | ||
| 5 | TEPID | Lukewarm food served up, including pathetic starter (5) |
| A reversal (served up) of DIET (food) around (including) P (pathetic starter, i.e. the first letter of pathetic) | ||
| 6 | QUARTERED | Provided with lodgings in four sections (9) |
| A double definition. Provided with lodgings = QUARTERED; in four sections = QUARTERED | ||
| 7 | ELDEST | First-born of Israel destined for central role? (6) |
| An answer hidden in (central role) IsraEL DESTined | ||
| 8 | MIRAGE | Illusory sight of silver buried in mud (6) |
| AG (silver) contained in (buried in) MIRE (mud) | ||
| 14 | ARCHANGEL | Gabriel, say, seen in Russian port (9) |
| ARCHANGEL (Gabriel, say). Gabriel is an example of an archangel | ||
| 16 | DECIDEDLY | Police in action taking fifty years? Without question! (9) |
| CID (police) contained in (in) DEED (action) + (taking) L (fifty, Roman numeral) Y (years) | ||
| 18 | HOME RUN | Old poet, French one, hit in baseball stadium (4,3) |
| HOMER (old poet) UN (French one, i.e. the French word for one) | ||
| 19 | FINISH | Stop sounding European (6) |
| A homophone (sounding) of FINNISH (European) | ||
| 20 | SERPENT | Eve’s tempter repents going astray (7) |
| An anagram (going astray) of REPENTS | ||
| 21 | AGENTS | First-class men required as spies (6) |
| A (first-class) GENTS (men) | ||
| 23 | DATUM | Bit of information provided by trade union in current stoppage? (5) |
| TU (trade union) contained in (in) DAM (current stoppage. A dam might be said to stop the current of water) | ||
| 25 | TONGA | Country where nationalist leader appears in Roman garb (5) |
| N (nationalist leader, i.e. the first letter of nationalist) contained in (appears in) TOGA (Roman garb) | ||
Welcome to the team, newmarketsausage, and thanks for a great blog.
[I was lucky enough to land an Orlando cryptic for my first, too.]
Your preamble says it all – but I must just highlight the two excellent &lits at 22ac and 3dn [Richard I, the Lionheart, spent only six months of his 10-year reign in England.]
[My only slight quibble is with 17ac, where I entered WHISKY, without a thought, until ARCHANGEL wouldn’t fit. I presume ‘north of the border’ is intended as a further definition but, as Collins says [and Chambers has something similar]: ‘In Scotland, ‘Scotch’ is not much used outside fixed expressions such as ‘Scotch whisky’, ‘Scotch broth’, etc. The use of ‘Scotch’ for ‘Scottish’ is otherwise felt to be incorrect, especially when applied to people.’ But, since it’s Orlando, all is forgiven – many thanks to him for another lovely puzzle. 😉 ]
I am also a great admirer of Orlando’s puzzles, and enjoyed this one, which I thought was well pitched for a Quiptic. I have one quibble though: newmarketsausage refers to Orlando’s precise cluing, and, in general, I would agree, but at 2d I would contend that a cameo is a feature of an item of jewellery rather than an item in itself. Further definition is required, such as: a cameo ring, or brooch or pendant. A minor pedantic issue I accept.
Eileen @ 1
Thanks for pointing out the &lit clues. They often sail straight past me. With the LIONHEART clue, I didn’t even think about Richard I and his wanderings.
Actually, the clue I thought about identifying as an &lit was the SCOTCH one. I read ‘north of the border’ as meaning ‘in Scotland’ rather than as any kind of definition.
George Clements @ 2
Oxford Dictionaries (online) defines cameo as ‘a piece of jewellery’ so I think we can clear Orlando of the charge of imprecision on this occasion.
It is very often used as a modifier in the way you suggest.
Another excellent Orlando puzzle that was pitched at the right level for a QUIPTIC, IMHO. Count me as another who entered “whisky” at 17ac without a second thought, and I only revisited the clue when none of the crossers would work. 1ac and 1dn were my last ones in, which coincidentally were also my last ones in in today’s Chifonie puzzle.
Perfect level for a Quiptic.
Thanks Eileen for pointing out the LIONHEART &lit.
SOLOMON is also a (nearly) &lit: ‘But Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished all his house.’ So sayeth Google.
Thank you newmarketsausage for a fine first blog. Lucky you indeed to happen upon an Orlando. Rumour on the cruciverbal streets is that Quiptics and other ‘easy’ puzzles are often the hardest to write, but this setter does make it seem effortless (although I’m sure it’s not). Enjoyed this one.
Welcome NMS(2) to our merry band, you’ll get tougher than this, but like the Guardian one I blogged last week another fine solve.
How will the GU lot take your apostasy? 🙂
Thanks for the welcomes.
@flashling
Popped round this afternoon for a quick one. Doorman wouldn’t let me in 🙂
Welcome and thanks for a fine first post.
Any other Android/iPad app users here? It was good to see a Quiptic puzzle on my screen for the first time today.
@newmarketsausage – I’m sneaking in here to congratulate you in your new role and to say, “It’s good to see you again.” (Maybe try the back door, next time? That’s how I get in.)