Guardian Quiptic 803 Provis

(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)   An enjoyable straightforward Quiptic with nice storytelling surfaces in the clues, thanks to Provis (aka Magwitch in the FT).  Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1    Economical vehicle switches fuel (7)

CAREFUL : CAR(a vehicle) + anagram of(switches) FUEL.

Answer: …. with the use of resources.

5    Drop in last month’s score (7)

DECLINE : DEC(abbrev. for December, the last month in the year) + LINE(to score;to make a mark in the form of a, well, line, as in “underline”/”underscore”).

9    Sore from cruel treatment (5)

ULCER : Anagram of(… treatment) CRUEL.

10    Collects a Nazi unit badge, trimmed with silver originally (9)

ASSEMBLES : A + SS(abbrev. for “Schutzstaffel “, a Nazi paramilitary unit) “emblem”(a badge;a symbol) minus its last letter(trimmed) plus(with) the 1st letter of(… originally) “silver “.

11    Trust prisoner to dispose of loot without papers (10)

CONFIDENCE : CON(short for “convict”;a prisoner) + FENCE(to sell off;to dispose of stolen property;loot) containing(without) ID(abbrev. for identity documents;papers).

12    District is more open, we are told (4)

AREA : Homophone of(we are told) “airier”(more open to the air).

14    Suited to take over (11)

APPROPRIATE : Double defn: 1st: Apt; and 2nd: To take over, usually unlawfully.

18    Polish crash disrupted financial support for students (11)

SCHOLARSHIP : Anagram of(… disrupted) POLISH CRASH.

21    A regularly grumpy host (4)

ARMY : A + the 2nd, 4th and 6th letters of(regularly) “grumpy“.

22    Ruled out backing Big Issue initially in popular women’s magazine (10)

INELIGIBLE : Reversal of(backing) [BIG + the 1st letter of(… initially) “Issue ” ] contained in(in) [ IN(popular;in fashion) + ELLE(the popular women’s magazine) ].

25    I’m working to protect international film-maker from cheap copy (9)

IMITATION : [ I’M + ON(working, as with an electrical appliance, say) ] containing(to protect) [ I(abbrev. for “international) + TATI(Jacques, French film-maker) ].

26    Run madly to secure gold for Pacific island (5)

NAURU : Anagram of(… madly) RUN containing(to secure) AU(chemical symbol for the element, gold).

27    Tungsten drill bit which is used to support a climber (7)

TENDRIL : Hidden in(… bit) “Tungsten drill “.

Defn: That which is used by a climbing plant to support itself.

28    Gave feedback about performance by journalist (7)

REACTED : RE(short for “with reference to”;about)+ ACT(a performance) plus(by) ED(abbrev. for “editor”;a journalist).

Down

1    Not needed with an automatic grip (6)

CLUTCH : Double defn: 1st: Cryptic, referring to what is not needed with an automatic, a car with an automatic transmission engine.

2    Respectable Democrat replaced by Republican not long ago (6)

RECENT : “decent”(respectable) with “D”(abbrev. for “Democrat”) replaced by “R”(abbrev. for “Republican).

3    Threatening reshuffle for a Lib-Dem (10)

FORMIDABLE : Anagram of(reshuffle) FOR A LIB-DEM.

4    The French greeting when on holiday (5)

LEAVE : LE(“The” in French) + AVE(an expression of greeting – and also of farewell).

5    Attractive guy, not fully dressed, is found in the kitchen (9)

DISHCLOTH : DISH(an attractive guy;a hunk) + “clothed”(dressed) minus its last 2 letters(not fully …).

  That could be a dishcloth, I guess, or at least it could be called a dish-cloth.

6    Affected about a Westminster politician (4)

CAMP : C(abbrev. for “circa”;about, used with a date) + A + M.P.(abbrev. for a Member of Parliament, a politician, in say, Westminster).

Defn: … in mannerisms, dress, etc.

7    I will deal with abuse (3-5)

ILL-TREAT : I’LL(contraction of “I will”) + TREAT(to deal with;to handle, eg. a situation).

8    In the end Poles are trapped (8)

ENSNARED : END containing(In the …) [S,N(abbrev. for , respectively, the South and North Poles) + ARE].

13    Information put out in favour of godless American lawyer (10)

PROPAGANDA : PRO(in favour of, as opposed to “con”) + PAGAN(godless) + D.A.(abbrev. for “District Attorney”, a Public Prosecutor in the U.S.;an American lawyer).

15    Constant peril, involving an enemy navy initially being at sea (9)

PERENNIAL : Anagram of(… being at sea) [PERIL plus(involving) AN + the 1st letters of, respectively(… initially) “enemy navy “].

Defn: Everlasting.

16    Spies act out a Walter Mitty character? (8)

ESCAPIST : Anagram of(… out) SPIES ACT.

Defn: An ordinary, mild person who fantasises about personal adventures and triumphs, from the character in James Thurber’s short story

17    Stick up for the man I love keeping married name (8)

CHAMPION : [ CHAP(a man) + I + O(letter signifying 0;love in tennis scores) ] containing(keeping) M(abbrev. for “married”) + N(abbrev. for “name”).

19    Make off with sailor’s pipe (6)

ABDUCT : AB(abbrev. for “able-bodied seaman”;a sailor) + DUCT(a pipe;a tube).

20    Give money back to daughter after funeral is endlessly re-arranged (6)

REFUND : D(abbrev. for “daughter”) placed below(after, in a down clue) anagram of(… re-arranged) “funeral ” minus its last 2 letters(is endlessly).  A minor quibble with “endlessly” denoting not the last one but the last two letters.

23    Ship some of the petrol in error (5)

LINER : Hidden in(some of the) “petrol in error “.

24    Fine with a strong breeze (4)

FAIR : F(abbrev. for “forte”, the musical direction to play in a loud and forceful manner) +  AIR(a breeze;an atmospheric movement).

Defn: … eg. as with the weather.

(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)