Nutmeg is now a regular setter of the Guardian cryptic, but she’s not forgotten how to do the ‘easy’ stuff. I liked this one.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Look the worse for wear after a loud set-to
AFFRAY
A charade of A, F for the musical ‘loud’ and FRAY.
4 Speaker’s last boring subject — “circle on sphere“
TROPIC
An insertion of R for the last letter of ‘speaker’ in TOPIC. Cancer or Capricorn – take your choice.
9 Stir trouble on 1st of January
JAIL
A charade of J for the first letter of ‘January’ and AIL. ‘Stir’ is a slang word for jail.
10 Asian land invaded by unfriendly rodent
CHINCHILLA
An insertion of CHILL in CHINA. ‘It’s a chill wind that blows no good.’
11 Hobbled out of capital English bar
IMPEDE
Nutmeg is inviting you to take the first letter out of [L]IMPED and add E for ‘English’.
12 Place for dead feline and canine our mother buried, originally
CATACOMB
A charade of CAT and ACOMB, the first letters of ‘and canine our mother buried’.
13 Bob possibly getting call after controversial musical
HAIRSTYLE
A charade of HAIR for the ‘controversial musical’ and STYLE for ‘call’. HAIR was controversial because the cast got their kit off in one scene (although personally I found the 1970s’ hairstyles more offensive). STYLE in its verbal sense: ‘to style a man a fool’ is the example that my Collins gives.
15 Go off course, lacking right support
STAY
ST[R]AY
16 Blow friends over
SLAP
A reversal of PALS.
17 Genuine doctor in Utah etc
AUTHENTIC
(IN UTAH ETC)* with ‘doctor’ as the anagrind.
21 Indistinct realm where OAPs hang out?
GREY AREA
A cd cum dd.
22 Stolen with chips?
NICKED
And another. If something had ‘chips’ then it might be described as NICKED.
24 More than one banker is in France, relaxing
FINANCIERS
(IS IN FRANCE)*
25 Mounties regularly struck dumb
MUTE
The odd letters of MoUnTiEs.
26 Obsequious Greek making few demands
GREASY
A charade of GR and EASY.
27 Pretentious name adopted by puppet
SNOOTY
An insertion of N in SOOTY, the puppet bear whose best friend was SWEEP. He did a lot of whispering in Harry Corbett’s ear.
Down
1 Blood problem‘s on the rise, I imply in articles
ANAEMIA
An insertion of I MEAN reversed in A and A for ‘articles’.
2 Note written by London college not reliable
FALSE
A charade of FA for ‘a long long way to run’ and LSE for the London School of Economics.
3 A new customer left out from the ark
ANCIENT
A charade of A, N and C[L]IENT.
5 Perform liturgy going round church backwards
RECITE
An insertion of CE reversed in RITE.
6 Number in charge not from South American university
PRINCETON
You need to insert N in PRICE and then follow it with TON, which is NOT reversed. Since it’s a down clue, ‘from South’ is the reversal indicator.
7 My uncle baselessly spread round a malicious lie
CALUMNY
(MY UNCL[E])* around A. If you are a lapsed – or indeed practising – Catholic, then this word will be familiar to you. Associated with DETRACTION.
8 Organising cull, academist slipped up
MISCALCULATED
(CULL ACADEMIST)*
14 Off-the-peg item eager assistant talked of?
READY-MADE
A charade of READY and MADE, which is a homophone (‘talked of’) of MAID.
16 Portion proving adequate
SERVING
A dd.
18 Practical husband and child
HANDS-ON
H AND SON.
19 I worried plenty, showing little skill
INEPTLY
A charade of I and (PLENTY)* with ‘worried’ as the anagrind.
20 Takes in essential features of bridge
TRICKS
Another dd, with ‘bridge’ being the game rather than the structure.
23 Small part of poem accurately recalled
CAMEO
Hidden reversed in pOEM ACcurately.
Many thanks to Nutmeg for this morning’s Quiptic.
I really enjoyed this one, and I thought the surface reading of MISCALCULATED was very apt. I finished back in the NW with JAIL/FALSE/IMPEDE.
Thanks for the blog, Pierre.
I liked this one, too – my favourites were IMPEDE and CATACOMB, I think, but all the surfaces were great, as usual.
I spent a minute or two pondering an anagram of OAPS HANG for 21ac.
[I’d only ever heard ‘It’s an ill wind that blows no good’ but I googled your version – and there it was!]
Many thanks to Nutmeg for another very nice puzzle.
Thanks Nutmeg for an enjoyable solve. A bit on the tricky side for a Quiptic, although once the grid is filled it’s all very clear.
Thanks Pierre; in 1d I got three articles, which left me with ‘I me’ doh! 🙁
I did like PRINCETON being a South American university, 😉 and TRICKS, GREY AREA and a few others.
I agree Pierre that this was as near to the perfect Quiptic as we are going to get. Really an astonishing variety of clue types, and more fun to do than some of the others on offer today, whatever one’s level of expertise.
As for ‘an ill/chill wind’, I am periodically ribbed, by those who know of one of my former careers, with the suggestion that a saxophone is an ill wind that nobody blows good.
When I parsed CHINCHILLA, I must admit I immediately went to ‘a chill wind’; but on reflection, we also say ‘an ill wind’. So now I’m confused. Situation normal.
Hello, I know I appear to be visiting from the future – I’m working backwards! Sorry.
I liked PRINCETON but parsed it wrongly, I think: I saw “not from South” as being its opposite, or “to North” giving TON. But having read the blog I see I was probably barking up the wrong tree though with the right effect!
Thanks Nutmeg and Pierre for a great Quiptic and blog.