Thank you to Anto. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1. Check appearance for president (5)
CHAIR : CH(abbrev. for “check” in chess notation) + AIR(appearance/impression given).
Defn: The person who has the highest authority in an organisation, ie. one who presides over.
4. Avoid part of process on border (8)
SIDESTEP : STEP(one/part of a series that constitutes a process) placed after(on) SIDE(edge/border).
8. Every one gathered with present get invitation to join in (3,8,3)
ALL TOGETHER NOW : ALL(everyone) + TOGETHER(gathered/assembled as one) + NOW(the present time).
Defn: … in, say, a singalong.
10. Is it ok to ask for a repeat? (4,4)
HOW’S THAT? : Double defn: 1st: Question seeking confirmation that something is right/ok; and 2nd: Question asking for a repeat/clarification of what has been said.
11. Relaxed as Republican enters a challenge (2,4)
AT REST : R(abbrev. for a member of the Republican Party) contained in(enters) [A TEST](the process of determining, say, the validity of something/a challenge).
12. Carrying off a second rate set of pipes (9)
ABDUCTING : A + B(the second highest grade in a series/second rate) + DUCTING(a set of pipes carrying liquid or gas/ducts).
Defn: … by force or cunning.
15. Exaggerate large raise (3,2)
BIG UP : BIG(large) + UP(to increase/raise).
Defn: Slang for to …/pump up the importance of a person, thing or oneself.
17. Dispute arrest (3-2)
RUN-IN : [RUN IN](to arrest/take into custody).
Defn: …/disagreement with someone.
18. Piglet had disrupted aircraft’s landing approach (5,4)
GLIDE PATH : Anagram of(… disrupted) PIGLET HAD.
Picture the pilot seeing a piglet right in the middle of the runway.
19. Almost cry out during festival – it obscures your vision (6)
EYELID : Last letter deleted from(Almost) “yell”(cry out loudly) contained in(during) EID(a Muslim festival).
21. Holiday cancelled? You must be joking (5,3)
LEAVE OFF : LEAVE(holiday/a break from work) + OFF(not available/cancelled).
Defn: An expression similar to “…”, said in response to something unbelievable or unreasonable that somebody says, and thus telling that somebody to stop pursuing the subject.
24. Call after date – it’s a sign of serious commitment (10,4)
ENGAGEMENT RING : RING(to call, say, on the phone) placed after(after) ENGAGEMENT(a date/an appointment).
25. Deck boss turned out in nightwear (8)
BEDSOCKS : Anagram of(… turned out) DECK BOSS.
26. Tart ironically described like this on menu (5)
SWEET : A taste that is drastically different from tart/an acidic taste, and also, ironically, that section on a menu under which a tart/an open-faced pastry is described.
Down
1. Spooner lecturing arrogant airline – it can reduce accidents (5,7)
CRASH BARRIER : Spoonerism of(Spooner lecturing) [ “brash”(arrogant/offensively bold) “carrier”(an airline) ].
2. Admitted a lone wild drunk (7,2)
ALLOWED IN : Anagram of(… drunk) A LONE WILD.
3. Southern part of base provides resting area (5)
ROOST : S(abbrev. for “southern”) contained in(part of) ROOT(the base/bottom-most part).
4. Notice cutting type of irresolute behaviour (3-6)
SEE-SAWING : SEE(to notice/perceive) + SAWING(cutting with a back and forth motion, with a saw or other tool).
5. Half of dons hate city (4)
DOHA : 1st 2 out of 4 letters, respectively, of(Half of) “dons hate”.
Answer: Capital city of Qatar.
6. Easy to read report of cheat on board (9)
SCRUTABLE : Homophone of(report of) “screw”(to cheat/to con someone) plus(on) TABLE(the food that is served/board).
7. Weirdo’s diet regularly includes crumble (5)
ERODE : 2nd and every other letter thereafter of(… regularly) “Weirdo’s diet”.
9. Finish quarrel by counting to ten? (4,3,5)
STOP THE FIGHT : Cryptic defn: Refering to what the referee in a boxing match/fight does after he/she has counted out (from 1 to 10) the boxer who has been knocked down.
13. Writer blocking waterways? They’ll have him for breakfast (9)
CANNIBALS : NIB(the pointed writing tip of a pen, and therefore a writer) contained in(blocking) CANALS(waterways/man-made water channel).
Defn: …, ie. they’ll eat the writer/author.
14. I see gulls circling? That’s natural (9)
GUILELESS : Anagram of(… circling) I SEE GULLS.
Defn: …/innocent/artless.
16. Add some sparkle to gem sailor messed with (9)
GLAMORISE : Anagram of(… messed with) GEM SAILOR.
20. Wise man spots current in Irish river (5)
ERNIE : I(symbol for electric current in physics) contained in(in) ERNE(a river in Ireland).
Answer: … Wise, half of the comic duo, Morecambe and Wise.
22. Partially apologise to Vatican over ballots (5)
VOTES : Hidden in(Partially) reversal of(…. over) “apologise to Vatican”.
23. Starts to manufacture exceptionally reliable cable car (4)
MERC : 1st letters, respectively, of(Starts to) “manufacture exceptionally reliable cable”.
Answer: Slang name for a Mercedes Benz car.
Good fun after yesterday’s Pangakupu “challenge”. I haven’t heard of the expression BIG UP. My knowledge of boxing was insufficient to parse STOP THE FIGHT, and I didn’t think of Ernie Wise (and didn’t know the Irish river). I thought at first that sage might have somehow had something to do with it.
Enjoyed your pictorial, scchua, as always.
An enjoyable start to a Sunday morning. Anto never disappoints. I didn’t know something could be scrutable as well as inscrutable. I liked BIG UP, LEAVE OFF and STOP THE FIGHT. SWEET and ERNIE were good too. I just liked all of it really – fun.
Took us noticeably longer than usual for a Quiptic, but all fair and quite a lot of fun. Thanks Anto and scchua.
BEDSOCKS takes the prize for the most unlikely anagram of the year so far :-D)
Slow going for me, but nothing unfair or contentious.
This felt a bit more of a challenge than the usual quiptic, but not by too much. Thanks Anto and scchua
Nothing unfair or unparseable there – despite the Grauniad comments. The River Erne and the Upper/Lower Loughs are absolutely stunning.
Thanks to fellow Dub Anto and scchua.
Nice and friendly, as a Quiptic should be. I had STOP THE COUNT for a while but O-C suggested I was wrong, and everything flowed from that. CANNIBALS made me chuckle.
Re 10A, I thought that when asking someone to repeat something, we said “What’s that?”as opposed to “How’s that?”.
Thanks to Anto for crossword and scchua for blog.
Have battled through a fierce Prize, I hoped for a breeze. It was harder than expected. The device for ROOST was unfamiliar. I eventually thought of the solution but wasn’t sure. Plenty of easy stuff though and I enjoy Spoonerisms.
Thanks Anto and scchua.
Thanks Anto and sschua. I think this had more of a feel of a full fat Anto Cryptic rather than Quiptic, in my opinion. Enjoyable though. Some of the clueing seemed quite playfully obscure in places like ERNIE for ‘wise man’.
We’ve had queries before about Morecambe and Wise: it would seem they’re not as well-known (and so presumably don’t occupy the same warm corner of the heart) in many countries outside the UK.
However, 20D is slightly cleverer than it at first appears.
Morecambe & Wise were their stage-names. Eric Morecambe’s real surname was Bartholomew, and Ernie Wise’s real surname was Wiseman.
So he actually WAS a Wiseman as well as a “Wise man”
[for anyone who doesn’t know about Morecambe & Wise, this is a particularly good routine…
https://t.co/eCR3srQg6t
Thanks sschua and Anto.
Lots to enjoy, especially 13d which made me chuckle.
I thought this was superb and only took me slightly longer than a normal Quiptic with 3 intersecting clues holding me up at the end. A reminder why I shouldn’t click on the Guardian comments.
Enjoyed CANNIBALS, CRASH BARRIER and many more.
Thanks scchua and Anto
Enjoyable but I must be exceptionally dense as I discounted CRASH BARRIER at first since they don’t reduce accidents. They do, however, reduce injuries in accidents. But it could be nothing else. Otherwise this was meatier than expected (like Martin @10 I am somewhat traumatised by yesterday’s prize) but glad of fun and in the end very satisfying.
CANNIBALS was brilliant.
Schucas blogs are always excellent with the links and pictures. Thank you.
A tribute to setters like Anto
I am 75 years old. I started solving quiptics and later Rufus and cryptics a few years ago when Anto had just started off and taking quite a bit of flak for setting puzzles that were far too difficult for quiptic solvers.
I have to admit at the time I hated seeing his name come up in the quiptic slot. I even thought I might even fire off a protest to the guardian for letting a fox into a beautifully protected henhouse. But then something changed. I actually began to get a few clues and then a few more .. and then after many years with Quiptics I decided that if I could solve the clues by Anto I could try my hand at solving cryptics. .
I met the late Rufus in the cryptic crossword on Mondays, I can’t thank him enough for helping me in making the transition. Now I tackle almost everyone. That being said on my hit list as enemy Number One these days is Araucaria. … sigh but I suspect I’ll get there with him before I die.
So thank you Anto Araucaria Paul et al for pushing the envelope and forcing us out of our comfort zones. If it wasn’t for Anto I’d still be sitting happily in the quick and quiptic solving cohort
Finally I have to thank this blogging community for the sterling work you do. Many first time crossword solvers would have never stayed the course if it wasn’t for you
Keep well
Allan
I found that pretty tough, but eventually doable. I’m on holiday so perhaps didn’t really have my brain in gear!
Something must have clicked this morning, because I actually found this easier than the standard quiptic. Had never heard of the river Erne, nor Ernie Wise, but once I had the crossers in it was the only name I could think of with an ‘I’ in it, so I put it in and hoped it wasn’t something weirder.
Thanks for the puzzle and the blog, though this was maybe the first time ever I haven’t needed it for parsing. I’ll be riding a high until I try tomorrow’s puzzle and do horribly, I’m sure.
MuddyThinking @15 I had the same thought about CRASH BARRIERS. On reflection, central ones reduce head on accidents. There are still accidents, but fewer impacts.
I’ve never heard anyone say BIG UP, and was unfamiliar with ERNIE Wise. Still enjoyed the puzzle, especially the spoonerism and CANNIBALS.
Thanks to Anto and sschua.
If you haven’t watched Morecambe and Wise you’ve missed out! Check out their brilliant sketch with Andre Previn.
AR@#16
Well said sir, my thoughts exactly.
AR@#16 – yes, exactly. I gave up as soon as I saw it was Anto and a peek at the Grauniad comments. But today is Friday, and I thought I’d give Anto another chance – so glad I did!