Quiptic 793 by Pan

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An extremely enjoyable challenge from Quiptic regular Pan.

Excellent surface readings, a good range of cryptic devices and some nice touches of humour.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Perfectly pitched as to level too, I thought, with just the right amount of head-scratching required.

A very nice way to start the cryptic week.

Across
1 GO PEAR SHAPED
Get hippy and turn out badly? (2,4,6)
A double/cryptic definition.  If your hips are getting big, you might be said to be going pear-shaped.   I don’t myself see what’s wrong with being pear-shaped.  If you’re a pear, that is
8 ELOPING
Carrying old brooch, broke leg running away to get married (7)
O (old) PIN (brooch) contained within (carrying) an anagram (broke) of LEG
9 SAMBUCA
Chap taking youngster on the rebound a drink (7)
SAM (chap) plus (taking) a reversal (on the rebound) of CUB (youngster) A (a)
11 NANKEEN
Relative eager to obtain fabric (7)
NAN (relative) KEEN (eager)
12 AIRMAIL
Perfect way to travel, securing minister’s first international post (7)
M (minister’s first = first letter of) contained within (securing) AI (perfect = top/first class) and RAIL (way to travel)
13 EXPOS
Shows collected by Sussex postgraduates (5)
An answer hidden in (collected by) SussEX POStgraduates
14 INSOLVENT
Not having cash to buy fashionable workout books (9)
In (fashionable) SOLVE (workout) NT (books = New Testament)
16 TRENCHANT
Keen trainspotter’s hollow charm (9)
TR (trainspotter’s hollow = first and last letters of) ENCHANT (charm)
19 ABHOR
Detest being cuddled by Arab horseman (5)
An answer hidden in (being cuddled by) ArAB HORseman
21 AGAINST
Anti-gas explosion? (7)
An anagram (explosion) of ANTI-GAS.  If I’ve got this right, the ‘anti’ here does double duty, having to be read both on its own as the definition (against) and as part of the anagram fodder
23 RAMPART
Animal found next to section of embankment (7)
RAM (animal) plus (found next to) PART (section)
24 SNORING
Son’s furious call that’s annoying to bedfellow? (7)
An anagram (furious) of SON followed by RING (call)
25 IONESCO
Ice soon broken by dramatist (7)
An anagram (broken) of ICE SOON
26 AROMATHERAPY
A gypsy taking blame for unknown alternative treatment (12)
A (a) ROMA (gypsy) plus (taking) THE RAP (blame) Y (unknown)
Down
1 GROWN-UP
Mature government right to admit responsibility (5-2)
G (government) R (right) OWN UP (to admit responsibility)
2 PRIMERS
Textbooks for beginners in paints (7)
A double definition.  Kennedy’s Latin Primer.  I can picture it still
3 ARGENTINA
Touring in a great new country (9)
An anagram (touring) of IN A GREAT N (new)
4 SASHA
Frenchman‘s diminished swagger (5)
I assume this is SASHAY (swagger) minus its last letter (diminished).  I wasn’t aware that Sasha was a particularly French name.  I thought it was a fairly widespread diminutive for Alexander
5 ADMIRAL
Endless respect given to a large navy man (7)
ADMIR (endless respect = ADMIRE minus its last letter) plus (given to) A (a) L (large)
6 EMULATE
Attempt to mimic bird that’s dead? (7)
A cryptic-ish definition.  A late emu might be a bird that’s dead.  Or just held up in a traffic jam, of course
7 NEANDERTHALS
Share land with ten awkward ancient relatives (12)
An anagram (awkward) of SHARE LAND TEN
10 ALLITERATION
One line rejected in adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby, say (12)
A reversal (rejected) of I (one) L (line) contained within (in) ALTERATION (adaptation).  Nicholas Nickleby is an example of alliteration
15 SATURNINE
Placed vase containing ashes in Eastern grave (9)
SAT (placed) URN (vase containing ashes) IN (in) E (Eastern)
17 ENAMOUR
Captivate English guy, turning up with topless 4 (7)
E (English) a reversal (turning up) of MAN (guy) plus (with) OUR (topless 4 = four minus its first letter)
18 CONFIRM
Strengthen company with new business (7)
CO (company) plus (with) N (new) FIRM (business)
19 AMMONIA
Piece of gammon I ate, resulting in pungent gas (7)
An answer hidden in (piece of) gAMMON I Ate
20 HEARSAY
Share story at last with a dreadful gossip (7)
An anagram (dreadful) of SHARE Y (story at last = last letter of) A (a)
22 TIGHT
Heads of taskforce investigating Grimsby Hospitals Trust reluctant to spend money (5)
An answer formed by the first letters (heads) of taskforce investigating Grimsby Hospitals Trust

7 comments on “Quiptic 793 by Pan”

  1. Thanks, nms. I agree – a just right Quiptic.

    I especially liked GO PEAR SHAPED – there shouldn’t be too many dd cum cds in these puzzles, but this one was a good one. And it might be a bit more subtle: doctors recognise two shapes for those (like me) who are carrying a bit too much fat. Apple-shaped and pear-shaped. Pear-shaped bad; apple-shaped worse. Google it if you’re that interested.

    My other favourites were ALLITERATION and NEANDERTHALS (although they are closer relatives than most people think).

    Well done to Pan.

  2. “those (like me) who are carrying a bit too much fat”

    Come now K’s D. You can still hide behind a lamp post. (I could once, but now even a brick shipyard isn’t enough.) ðŸ™

  3. Thanks Pan and newmarketsausage.

    I found this easier than today’s Rufus. I liked EMULATE, NEANDERTHALS, ALLITERATION and SATURNINE amongst others.

    Cannot think of a Frenchman SASHA, only of Sacha Guitry.

    I have Kennedy’s Shorter Latin Primer (1954) by me on the desk.

  6. I know it’s far to late for this (I only started it when I got back from my Latin class, accompsnied by Kennedy’s Revised Latin Grammar, of course) but 1A should surely be 2,4-6 not 2,4,6. There are enough endangered species without losing the hyphen too! Just consider the difference between ‘extra marital sex’ and extra-marital sex’

  7. I think this was a Pan Quiptic that was much easier (read: had less relatively complicated wordplay) than her previous offerings.
    Still, I couldn’t get the indeed amusing 1ac, being not familiar with the expression.
    What made it even harder for me (and difficult to find it online) was the enumeration.
    I really think it should have been (2,4-6).

    Thanks NMS.
    [if there’s any link to Newmarket then our next S&B is surely just around the corner!]

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