A fine Quiptic from Pan, as usual. I do wish the Quiptic setters would stop using this stupid Guardian grid, though. It’s got so many entries with less than 50% checking and is pretty much divided into two. See 3dn.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Matured during attempt to produce Hamlet, for example
TRAGEDY
An insertion of AGED in TRY.
5 Litter born in outbuilding
GARBAGE
Not sure I’d equate GARBAGE with ‘litter’, but the surface is irresistable, I suppose. An insertion of B in GARAGE.
10 Time flying saucer returned bland foodstuff?
TOFU
T plus a reversal of UFO. Is it bland? I couldn’t tell you, because I’ve never put it in my mouth.
11 Tout removing large household appliances from London store
SELFRIDGES
SEL[L] FRIDGES. Store for posh folk.
12 US port strangely in a state of inertia
STUPOR
(US PORT)*
13 Disease caught by clumsy Philistines?
SYPHILIS
Brilliant. Hidden in clumSY PHILIStines.
14 Bar found by high ranking officials visiting lake
BRASSERIE
A charade of BRASS (as in TOP BRASS) and Lake ERIE.
16 A shade of make up
ATONE
A plus TONE.
17 Stop the progress of wild boar next to front of tent
ABORT
(BOAR)* plus T for the first letter of ‘tent’.
19 Spice stains are messy
STAR ANISE
(STAINS ARE)* Teaspoon of turmeric, six whole cloves and a small handful of STAR ANISE added to the water you cook your rice in will give you a fragrant (and yellow) rice to go with your curry.
23 Creature in farm building spinning lace
BARNACLE
A charade of BARN and (LACE)*
24 Fiery pit depicted in painting
ARDENT
An insertion of DEN in ART.
26 Grown up taking drug (speed), cut with inferior ingredients
ADULTERATE
A charade of ADULT, E and RATE. In crosswords, ‘drug’ is almost always E. Except when it’s POT.
27 Body part involved in common ailment
NAIL
Hidden in commoN AILment.
28 Prim and proper priest getting a bit risqué?
PRUDISH
An alliterative clue which is P plus RUDISH.
29 Alice’s first cup to get smaller
ATROPHY
The first letter of ‘Alice’ plus TROPHY, and of course a nod to Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Down
2 List of people employed to catch old chicken
ROOSTER
An insertion of O in ROSTER.
3 Miserable character has good backside
GRUMP
A charade of G and RUMP for my middle name.
4 Editor rejected verse translation of warrant
DESERVE
A reversal of ED followed by (SERVE)*
6 Short article by brother put into circulation
ABRUPT
A charade of A, BR and (PUT)*
7 Second rate paperwork not turning up in sport
BADMINTON
A charade of B, ADMIN and NOT reversed.
8 Grace in unusual style of classical architecture
GRECIAN
(GRACE IN)*
9 Infant has help running project enjoying fleeting success
FLASH IN THE PAN
(INFANT HAS HELP)*
15 Checked the progress of beginner in unfamiliar department
STRANGLED
An insertion of L for ‘beginner’ in STRANGE, followed by D for ‘department’.
18 So-called dividing line for resident scholar
BOARDER
A homophone of border for ‘dividing line’.
20 Stand in for monarch swallowing a substance used by chemists
REAGENT
An insertion of A in REGENT, but I’m not sure why the ‘stand in for’ bit of the clue is there. Perhaps someone can enlighten us.
21 Prepared sushi containing Newfoundland variety of black bass
SUNFISH
An insertion of NF in (SUSHI)*
22 Prison officers detaining sailors in ship
SCREWS
An insertion of CREW in SS.
25 Noise to suit dog?
DINGO
A charade of DIN and GO.
Many thanks as always to Pan.
Thanks Pan and Pierre
Great fun. I was misled successfully by 16a, having ROUGE in until it no longer worked. Too many great clues to mention them all, but SYPHILIS stood out.
Pierre, a REGENT stands in for a King who is no longer fit. For instance, the Prince Regent stood in for George III; he later succeeded as George IV.
Ah, thanks, muffin, that makes perfect sense for REAGENT.
Thanks Pan and Pierre,
Yes, this was great fun and, as muffin says, SYPHILIS stood out (I wonder if Pan had that in mind at 27a, to ‘catch a nail’ used to mean a common STD). I also liked SELFRIDGES, BRASSERIE, ADULTERATE, ATROPHY, SCREWS… too many to fully list.
I am just wondering why the crossword grid that is used for this crossword should be called ‘stupid’.
As long as there are no two/three consecutive unches and when every other letter in any slot is ‘checked’, why complain?
Should we really expect that a slot should have more checked letters than unchecked?
And when we are able to trace in any grid a continuous line from top to bottom or from left to right through the blank cells, I don’t appreciate this complaint that the grid is pretty much divided.
Okay, Rishi, perhaps ‘stupid’ was not the best word to use, but I know a lot of solvers do appreciate having 50% checking (myself included). I personally think that it’s a more difficult puzzle to solve if you don’t have that. And as for the grid being ‘divided’, you’ll find that others have also commented/complained about this in the past, because getting a foothold in the top/bottom half doesn’t help you much in getting a start in the other half.
And this is a puzzle for ‘beginners’, so I think any help that the setters can give those in that category to get over the finishing line is welcome. You and I are not the target audience for Quiptics, after all.
Thanks Pierre for your response.
It is healthy to hold a debate like this.
Each is entitled to their opinion.
Very good Quiptic.
Very good crossword by any standard.
The grid? I cannot be bothered.
I see Pierre’s point but is it really that important?
Perhaps meanwhile, Anto thinks this is unexciting and/or old-fashioned clueing.
But, Mamma Mia, what a difference compared to two weeks ago!
This was quite good. If I were a beginner, I might be a bit stymied by some of these, but it’s been so long since I’ve been a beginner that it’s actually a bit hard to say for sure.
It’s worth mentioning, by the way, that NF is no longer current for Newfoundland. The name of the province was officially changed to Newfoundland & Labrador, and the new abbreviation is NL. That having been said, many Canadians (I hear) continue to use the old abbreviation anyway–at least in contexts other than sending mail up there.
(Side note, just for fun: the postal codes for Canadian provinces do not overlap at all with US states. This was done intentionally. Manitoba is MB because all the other possibilities were already taken. (MA = Massachusetts, MN = Minnesota, MI = Michigan, MT = Montana, MO = Missouri.) By the same token, The U.S. Postal Service agreed to change Nebraska from NB to NE to accommodate New Brunswick.)
For what it’s worth, I’m not really a beginner but struggle to do well beyond the quiptic, Rufus and Everyman (at least the old ones but they’re coming back). So, any puzzle that I’m able to do in one reasonable sitting, as I managed with this one, is probably about right for the quiptic slot. Failed to parse 15d. Loi 24. Thanks Pan and Pierre.
Roosters are male. Chickens are female. Therefore, a rooster can’t be a chicken.
More Truth @11
Hens are female. Chickens are any members of the subspecies Gallus gallus domesticus and may be male or female.
A few of these clues I found a bit ambiguous.
25d: how does “go” = “to suit” ?
7d: “second rate” could be “bad”, leaving “min” (?) as paperwork
24a: “pit” could also be “dent”, leaving “ar” (?) as painting
salsaman @13
I think you are missing the point. If there is a word-play that works, why look for another one that doesn’t? (7 & 24)
Suit = go in the sense of “matches” – “suits you, Sir!”