Moley returns to the Quiptic slot with a puzzle offering plenty of encouragement to beginning solvers, while not presenting too many difficulties for those looking for a quick cryptic fix. A puzzle perfectly pitched, in other words, for a Quiptic, and a nicely gentle start to the cryptic week.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DEPICT |
One hundred in department’s draw (6)
An insertion of I (one) and C (hundred in Roman numerals) in DEPT (department) |
| 4 | STRAIGHT |
As the crow flies — honest! (8)
A double definition. As the crow flies = STRAIGHT. Honest = STRAIGHT. |
| 9 | ABODE |
Home (poem by sailor) (5)
ODE (poem) next to (by) AB (sailor) |
| 10 | AGITATION |
Jumping to it again, creating a disturbance (9)
An anagram (jumping) of TO IT AGAIN |
| 11 | BLACKMAIL |
It’s a crime to exclude correspondence (9)
BLACK (to exclude) MAIL (correspondence) |
| 12 | OCHRE |
Round about her unnatural shade (5)
O (round) C (about) plus an anagram (unnatural) of HER |
| 13 | CONSISTENTLY |
Sly contest in a mess, time after time (12)
An anagram (a mess) of SLY CONTEST IN |
| 17 | CHARTERHOUSE |
Carthusian monastery school (12)
A double definition. Carthusian monastery = CHARTERHOUSE. School = CHARTERHOUSE (so named, I believe, because it was built on the site of … a Carthusian monastery) |
| 20 | NIGER |
Back in Germany briefly to discover a river (5)
A reversal (back) of IN plus GER (Germany briefly) |
| 21 | FURRINESS |
Hairy condition ruins ref’s development (9)
An anagram (development) of RUINS REF. Poor old ref |
| 23 | GONDOLIER |
Travel north with one older, batty boatman (9)
GO (travel) N (north) plus (with) an anagram (batty) of I (one) and OLDER. Moley assures me that this is not a reference to her fellow Guardian setter |
| 24 | CREPE |
Caught agent’s point on paper (5)
C (caught) REP (agent) plus (‘s … on = has … on) E (point) |
| 25 | ANALYSED |
Examined article about delays (8)
AN (article) plus an anagram (about) of DELAYS |
| 26 | ERASER |
Eradicating agent partly helping to deliver a service (6)
It took me a while to see this. It’s an answer hidden in (partly helping) delivER A SERvice. Nice definition |
| Down | ||
| 1 | DRAWBACK |
Sketch on the reverse presents a difficulty (8)
DRAW (sketch) plus (on) BACK (the reverse) |
| 2 | PTOMAINE |
A pimento when rotten produces a foul smelling compound (8)
An anagram (when rotten) of A PIMENTO. A useful warning for those with a tendency to let their pimentos rot |
| 3 | CHECK |
Verify chapter on cockney expletive (5)
CH (chapter) plus (on) ECK (cockney expletive). If cockneys were educated at Charterhouse, of course, they would learn to pronounce their aitches |
| 5 | TRIAL AND ERROR |
Experimental method riled narrator absurdly (5,3,5)
An anagram (absurdly) of RILED NARRATOR |
| 6 | AYATOLLAH |
Shiite leader’s short agreement to Allah’s translation (9)
AY (agreement = AYE with its last letter deleted, or ‘short’) plus an anagram (translated) of TO ALLAH |
| 7 | GEISHA |
Homosexual ruler’s said to be a Japanese entertainer (6)
A homophone (said) clue. Homosexual = GEI “gay”, ruler = SHA “shah” |
| 8 | TINKER |
Itinerant‘s fiddle (6)
A double definition. Itinerant = TINKER. Fiddle = TINKER |
| 10 | A MATTER OF TIME |
Prepared teammate for it – it’s sure to happen at some point (1,6,2,4)
An anagram (prepared) of TEAMMATE FOR IT |
| 14 | IN HARMONY |
Compatible with fashionable tune (2,7)
IN (fashionable) HARMONY (tune) |
| 15 | RUDENESS |
Doctor enured on ship to boorish behaviour (8)
An anagram (doctor) of ENURED above (on) SS (ship) |
| 16 | MENSWEAR |
Male crew promise to find appropriate gear (8)
MEN (male crew) SWEAR (promise) |
| 18 | ENIGMA |
Musical variations on this puzzle (6)
A double definition. Musical varations (a reference to Elgar’s ENIGMA Variations) and a puzzle = an ENIGMA. I’m not sure I can account for the ‘on’ here Edit See PeterO’s comment at 6. It makes much more sense to parse this as ‘Musical variations on this’ = def 1 and ‘puzzle’ = def 2 |
| 19 | AGENDA |
Schedule silver finish on article (6)
AG (silver) END = finish above (on) A (article) |
| 22 | INCUR |
Become responsible at home for dog (5)
IN (at home) CUR (dog). I’m not sure I can account for the ‘for’ here, unless you read it as part of the definition (i.e. incur = become responsible for). This would make a more accurate definition, I think, but presents another problem with part of the definition being found in the middle of the wordplay. Hmm |
Thanks Moley and nms
I have discovered that I have been pronouncing “geisha” incorrectly – fortunately, it’s not a word that I’ve pronounced very much at all.
Thanks Moley and nms.
It took me a while too to spot ERASER. I entered MESSWEAR before realising it would not parse (and in fact find it is not even a word).
Change to see a school besides Eton mentioned, and Charterhouse now accepts girls.
I did like ABODE, GEISHA and TINKER among many others.
Thanks for blogging, nms.
Not sure that I’d agree with you about it being perfectly pitched for a Quiptic, though. What a word like PTOMAINE is doing here I don’t know (and yes, I appreciate that it’s an anagram). INCUR doesn’t work for me either. I didn’t even bother to look up the second definition of CHARTERHOUSE, because that’s all it could be. Like muffin, I’ve been pronouncing GEISHA wrong all these years; but a quick flirt online confirms that Moley’s clue does work, because both pronunciations are correct, apparently.
[muffin, GEISHA are not prostitutes, they can be told apart, GEISHA have their obi tied for them at the back, prostitutes tie their own obi at the front…]
Thanks Moley & nms.
Luckily, I knew PTOMAINE. Otherwise, pretty OK for a Quiptic.
I liked GONDOLIER and ERASER.
Thanks NMS and Moley.
Elgar wrote of the Rnigma Variations:
…each one [i.e. variation] attempts a solution of the Enigma, for so the theme is called.
although there is much speculation as to whether the “theme” is the obvious one or some some other, hidden, melody. Either way, the first definition inn 18D might be ‘musical variations on this’.
[ … and often.]
(Ref. Cookie’s comment #4)
Thanks, PeterO. Your suggestion makes much more sense.
I’ve added a comment to the blog.
Kathryn’s Dad @ 3
I must confess I have no idea what ptomaine is. I thought it might be a word familiar to solvers who, unlike me, have at least a basic scientific knowledge.
nms, we had PTOMAINE, Guardian 26,482, 22a, where Pasquale gave an explanation (Jan 30, 2015, so should be OK to mention it now).
I knew ptomaine from Allan Sherman’s 1963 opus “Hello Muddah, hello Faddah. Here we are at Camp Grenada. It’s on YouTube and still manages to amuse me. Sorry I haven’t the technical nous to post the link????
it’s posted by Derek Lazenby @29 on the Guardian 26,482 blog
Thanks newmarketsausage, but surely “harmony” and “tune” are not synonymous?
@ crosser
They’re listed as such in the Collins thesaurus.
Chambers Crossword Dictionary lists tune as a synonym of harmony (though not harmony as a synonym of tune).
@ newmarketsausage
Thanks for the info. I’m very surprised, though, and certainly don’t intend to use them as synonyms!
Ptomaine is obscure? Really? Maybe it’s a generational or geographical thing because I’ve know this word since I was a child. But tune for harmony? That’s a s-t-r-e-t-c-h.