This week’s Sunday cryptic crossword from the Guardian – found here
I found this a mostly straightforward Quiptic from Pangakupu – there are links where I suspect the general knowledge may be less well known. And there’s one clue where I really cannot see how the word play works.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BUTCHER |
Make a mess of Schubert, missing opening when playing (7)
|
| anagram minus – ([s]CHUBERT)* with an anagrind of “playing” and the instruction to remove the first letter (missing opening) – and the definition is misleading as it too could be an anagram indicator | ||
| 5 | CHICAGO |
US city smart in the past (7)
|
| charade of CHIC (smart) + AGO (in the past) | ||
| 9 | GROAN |
Sound of discomfort from good red horse? (5)
|
| charade of G (good) ROAN (red horse) with another misleading definition – “sound” is often a soundalike indicator | ||
| 10 | COMPLAINT |
Frenchman not elaborate in bed, leading to protest (9)
|
| insertion (in) of M (Frenchman) + PLAIN (not elaborate) inserted into COT (bed). M for Frenchman is the abbreviation for Monsieur | ||
| 11 | TESTAMENT |
What’s left in religious text? (9)
|
| double definition – ish (which is why the question mark) – what’s left is the last will and testament – and the Bible is divided into Old and New TESTAMENTS | ||
| 12 | EQUIP |
Provide material for joke after end of game (5)
|
| charade of QUIP (joke) after E (end of gamE) – with an instruction to order the clue components (after) | ||
| 13 | DRESS |
Garment rejected among lesser designs? (5)
|
| hidden reversal (rejected among) leSSER Designs < – the indicators do two jobs rejected (reversal) + among (hidden) | ||
| 15 | TRAMLINES |
Rebuilt terminals for transport routes (9)
|
| anagram (rebuilt) of (TERMINALS)* | ||
| 18 | PLUTOCRAT |
Cartoon dog and cat seizing tail of another fat cat? (9)
|
| charade of PLUTO (cartoon dog) + CAT (from the clue) around (seizing) R (tail of anotheR) | ||
| 19 | HAREM |
Area of New York evicting 50 women living together? (5)
|
| deletion – HARLEM (area of New York) removing (evicting) L (50 in Roman numerals) | ||
| 21 | LINED |
End of quatrain, say, showing signs of age? (5)
|
| double definition – ish (with another question mark) – a quatrain is a verse of four lines, so the end of a quatrain could be LINE D, if the lines are numbered A, B, C and D. | ||
| 23 | SWEET PEAS |
Multiple bloomers in having veg after dessert (5,4)
|
| charade of PEAS (veg) after SWEET (dessert) for these flowers – bloomers is a crosswordese way of saying flowers becasue they bloom. Sweet peas could be multiple bloomers either because there are several flowers on a stem or because the keep flowering if they are regularly cut. | ||
| 25 | RESILIENT |
Is taken aback by deception in lease? Readily recovering (9)
|
| insertion of IS < (IS taken aback) + (by) LIE (deception) in RENT (lease) = RE SI LIE NT. Yes, there are technical differences between “rent” and “lease” but they are often used interchangeably in many circumstances. | ||
| 26 | BRACE |
Support British competition (5)
|
| charade of B (British) + RACE (competition) | ||
| 27 | MALAYAN |
Some south-east Asian fellow penning a song (7)
|
| insertion (penning) of A LAY (a song) into MAN (fellow) – a LAY is a poem designed to be sung – see here | ||
| 28 | CHEDDAR |
Gorge in Somerset? He had to take daughter in car (7)
|
| insertion (to take) of HE’D (he had) + D (daughter) in CAR (from the clue) – for this place | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BIGOTED |
Substantial religious books edited, ignoring alternative views? (7)
|
| charade of BIG (substantial) + OT (religious books) + ED (edited). OT is the abbreviation for the Old Testament and is a regular in crosswords | ||
| 2 | TROUSSEAU |
Uses a tour to move around? It’s for after the wedding (9)
|
| anagram (to move around) of (USES A TOUR)* – and traditionally the TROUSSEAU was the bundle of clothes made by a bride to be to wear after her marriage, it comes from the French, means small bundle, and meant the personal possessions of the bride. | ||
| 3 | HENNA |
Hair dye Anne Hathaway initially promoted (5)
|
| this looks like a hidden reversal – found in ANNE Hathaway, when solving, I read it as an anagram of ANNE* + H is brought to the front (Initially promoted) – but there are no indicators for an anagram or something hidden. Promoted suggests a reversal in a down clue | ||
| 4 | ROCHESTER |
List includes revolutionary romantic hero (9)
|
| insertion (includes) of ROSTER (list) around (includes) CHE (revolutionary). CHE is crosswordlands favourite revolutionary. ROCHESTER is a romantic hero in Jane Eyre | ||
| 5 | COMET |
Old aeroplane company satisfied (5)
|
| charade of CO (company) + MET (satisfied) for the de Havilland COMET – the first commercial jet airliner | ||
| 6 | ILL HEALTH |
I left the hall, struggling – sickness? (3,6)
|
| charade plus anagram of I (from the clue) + L (left) + (THE HALL)* (struggling) | ||
| 7 | ADIEU |
Finish investing in a University? Farewell (5)
|
| insertion (investing) of DIE (finish) in A (from the clue) + U (university) | ||
| 8 | OCTOPUS |
A month’s work to get sea creature (7)
|
| charade of OCT (October – month) + OPUS (work) | ||
| 14 | SWORDPLAY |
Small component of clue? It’s combative stuff (9)
|
| charade of S (small) + WORD PLAY (component of a clue) | ||
| 16 | AUTHENTIC |
Real gold subsequently getting mark of correctness? Not quite (9)
|
| charade of AU (gold) + THEN (subsequently) + (getting) TIC[k] (mark of correctness) – not quite is an instruction to remove the last letter from “TICk”. | ||
| 17 | NURSEMAID |
Nanny with fake surname on documents? (9)
|
| anagram (fake) of (SURNAME)* to get NURSEMA + ID (documents) | ||
| 18 | PILGRIM |
Large house dismissing last dour religious traveller (7)
|
| charade of PIL[e] (large house, dismissing last) + GRIM (dour) | ||
| 20 | MISHEAR |
Fail to understand I’m upset over cut (7)
|
| reversal of IM < (I’m upset) + SHEAR (cut) | ||
| 22 | NASAL |
American agency taking line regarding the nose (5)
|
| charade of NASA (American agency) + (taking) L (line) | ||
| 23 | STERN |
Rear of ship is part of coaster, note (5)
|
| hidden word (is part of) coaSTER Note | ||
| 24 | TABLE |
Furniture item not likely to wobble? Not at first (5)
|
| decapitation (not at first) from [s]TABLE (not likely to wobble) |
It’s this setter’s third puzzle this week (counting Phi in the Independent) and another TESTAMENT to his clueing, if made easier here. My favourites were OCTOPUS and SWORDPLAY. I couldn’t parse LINED, which is another great clue. Thanks Pangakupu and Shanne!
I didn’t check the setter until I came here. It was a fitting puzzle for the slot with no resistance to talk of and just that meaning of LAY that I didn’t know.
I liked ROCHESTER, SWORDPLAY and PILGRIM.
Thanks Pangakupu and Shanne.
3d is perhaps better interpreted as a charade of ANNE (from the clue) + H (Hathaway initially) reversed (promoted in down clue).
Thanks to Pangakupu for a well-judged Quiptic and to Shanne for the usual clarity of her explanations.
Comment #4