Quiptic 781 by Orlando

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What better way to start the crossword week than an encounter with Orlando?

This puzzle is a delight from start to finish and, among other things, might well be described as a masterclass in anagramming.  There are a number of real beauties here.

The level was perfectly pitched as well, I thought, with just the right amount of head-scratching required.  Bravo the curly one!

Across
1 FILLIPS
Buckingham Palace resident’s sound boosters? (7)
A homophone (sound) of Philip’s (Buckingham Palace resident’s).  I half-hoped this might be ‘woofers’, a reference to the residents that scamper round the palace corridors
5 FURIOUS
Fast partner possibly hopping mad (7)
FURIOUS is a ‘partner’ of ‘fast’ in the sense that the two are often found together in the phrase ‘fast and furious’
9 SHUTTLE
Transport frequently used by weaver? (7)
A double cum cryptic definition, a shuttle being a component part of a loom as well as a form of transport
10 ROPED IN
One drip, oddly, may be involved (5,2)
An anagram (oddly) of ONE DRIP
11 UNDERWENT
Experienced peacekeepers by river (9)
UN (peacekeepers) plus (by) DERWENT (river)
12 GRIEF
Intense sorrow of King George that is beginning to fade (5)
GR (King George) IE (that is) F (beginning to, i.e. the first letter of, ‘fade’)
13 EARLY
Like St Peter’s gates, not opening prematurely? (5)
A subtraction of the first letter (not opening) from PEARLY (like St Peter’s gates)
15 OIL TANKER
At sea like tar on ship (3,6)
An anagram (at sea) of LIKE TAR ON
17 SOUR CREAM
Dip nuts in coarse rum (4,5)
An anagram (nuts) of COARSE RUM
19 TRA-LA
Alter altar for gay refrain (3-2)
An anagram (alter) of ALTAR
22 ASCOT
Racecourse in Nova Scotia (5)
An answer hidden in NovA SCOTia
23 SHEFFIELD
Safeguard when English females enter city (9)
SHIELD (safeguard) around (when … enter) E (English) FF (females)
25 THERMAL
Current sort of underwear? (7)
Double definition
26 STATION
Broadcaster in Victoria, for example (7)
Double definition
27 DERANGE
Drive mad grandee round the bend (7)
An anagram (round the bend) of GRANDEE
28 PALE ALE
Drink pints primarily and drink repeatedly (4,3)
P (pints primarily, i.e. the first letter only) plus (and) ALE ALE (drink repeatedly, or twice)
Down
1 FISSURE
Leader of farmers is certain to provide ground rent! (7)
F (leader of farmers) IS (is) SURE (certain)
2 LAUNDER
Clean pants in Arundel (7)
An anagram (pants) of ARUNDEL
3 INTER
Bury uninteresting part (5)
An answer hidden in (part) uINTEResting
4 STEVEDORE
Dock worker to deserve rum (9)
An anagram (rum) of TO DESERVE
5 FIRST
Prime time under trees (5)
FIRS (trees) plus T (time)
6 REPUGNANT
Dreadful nag punter found offensive (9)
An anagram (dreadful) of NAG PUNTER
7 OLD NICK
Lucifer‘s former prison (3,4)
OLD (former) NICK (prison)
8 SENT FOR
Wretched serf not summoned (4,3)
An anagram (wretched) of SERF NOT
14 YACHTSMEN
Singular chest, many sailors (9)
An anagram (singular) of CHEST MANY
16 LIMBERS UP
Member with change in purse gets ready (7,2)
LIMB (member) plus (with) an anagram (change in) of PURSE
17 STARTED
Leading Irish father has begun (7)
STAR (leading) TED (Irish father – I assume this is a reference to the TV programme Father Ted)
18 UNCLEAR
Vague family member with hard heart (7)
UNCLE (family member) plus (with) AR (hard heart, i.e. the middle letters of ‘hard’)
20 AMERICA
A married woman in the New World (7)
A (a) M (married) ERICA (woman)
21 ANDANTE
An Italian poet, rather slow (7)
AN (an) DANTE (Italian poet)
23 SOLVE
Crack only found outside civic centre (5)
SOLE (only) around (found outside) V (civic centre, i.e. the middle letter of ‘civic’)
24 FRAIL
Weak part of cliff railway (5)
An answer hidden in (part of) clifF RAILway

8 comments on “Quiptic 781 by Orlando”

  2. I didn’t think that this was one of Orlando’s better efforts, although I’m sure others will disagree. I thought 2dn was very clunky. I don’t mind “pants” as an anagrind but I didn’t like the way “in” was used. I also thought that the clue for PALE ALE was a little weak because of the way “drink” was used as the definition and then again as part of the wordplay.

  3. Thanks nms & Orlando. Just about right for a Quiptic, I thought.

    I liked FILLIPS, although I needed a few crossers to get it.

    I thought the ‘pants’ was an anagram of ‘clean’ at the beginning but it made sense with some crossers. STARTED was the LOI, and I enjoyed SHEFFIELD, especially.

  5. Hi Matthew. ‘Singular’ is synonymous with ‘unusual’ or ‘odd’, so that’s why Orlando’s used it as an anagram indicator.

  7. If the aim of Quiptics is to present really straightforward clues, then this crossword has it all.
    The only one I couldn’t get was 1ac but that’s probably my fault.

    Orlando didn’t give us anything to think about more deeply – unlike Hectence and Pan, recently.
    I like Orlando very much (and I do miss his contributions in the daily Guardian and, even more, in the FT) but this was indeed a bit minimalistic.

    However, no complaints about the clueing as such apart from what happened in 17ac and 2d.
    In both clues I think the word “in” is completely out of place.
    Very un-Orlando.

  8. This just could not be more perfect for a Quiptic. Beginners want Anagrams and lots of them, Hidden Word Clues, simple Charades and simple DDs. Just enough difficulty to not be a pushover, but nothing too baffling.

    I can’t understand the objections cited above about the ‘ins’ – they both make perfect sense to me.

    Well done Orlando.

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