Guardian 24,816 – Rufus
Posted by Ciaran McNulty on September 28th, 2009
An exemplary Monday puzzle – no odd constructions but still enough to exercise the grey matter on the commute.
Across
8. ON THE HOP. double definition
9. SPEARS. S.(PEAR)S.
10. TEMPTS. TE(MP)ST*.
11. NUISANCE. NU(IS)ANCE.
12. STYE. STY + E.
13. DECREE NISI. DESIRENICE*. Decrees Nisi are used in divorces, but not exclusively enough for me to be comfortable with it being used as a synonym. Nice surface, though.
15. REGALIA. ALGERIA*
16. ACETONE. AC(ETON)E.
18. HEAD KEEPER. d.d.
19. BUMS. d.d.
20. ETHEREAL. ALETHERIS*
22. MISERY. MISER(l)Y.
23. REASON. SANEOR*
24. NON-LEGAL. LONGLANE*.
Down
1. UNDER THE WEATHER. d.d.
2. CHAPTER AND VERSE. c.d. Before a bible reading (‘lesson’) the chapter and verse are announced.
3. WHIST DRIVE. WHIST + DRIVE. I wasn’t previously aware that whist meant ‘shush’.
4. SPINACH. NIPS< + A C.H.
5. ASTI. AS + IT<
6. REMAINS TO BE SEEN. d.d.
7. BRICKS AND MORTAR. d.d.
14. ESCARPMENT. CAMPERS* + (t)ENT.
17. OPULENT. OP. + U + LENT.
21. ETNA. ANTE<
September 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Thanks for blog Ciaran, 20ac I’m sure you mean ALETHERE*
September 28th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
1d is *(THE THUNDER WE ARE) rather than a simple dd.
Etna appears in today’s Indy with a very similar clue “Put up stake for mount with hot tip?” and ‘asti’ is in today’s Times though with totally different wordplay.
September 28th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Also spinach appears in todays Quiptic
September 28th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
I finished all but about 4 of the clues in a pb of about 8 minutes; the 4 took another 20 mins. These were 9a, 11a, 5d and 7d. It didn’t help to have SOUP for 5d, which would have been a typical CD for Rufus.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I’m missing something with Bricks and mortar (or is it brick-sand-mortar ?) What exactly is the “of course” about ? Damp courses ? I know new graduates wear mortarboards, but that doesn’t quite seem sufficient to link it to courses.
September 28th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
@NealH – A horizontal row of bricks in a wall is a ‘course’ (as in damp course).
September 28th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
NealH
Bricks are laid in ‘courses’. A course is a row of bricks or as Chambers puts it ‘a range of bricks or stones on the same level in building’.
September 28th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Just one away from finishing my first guardian crossword, i had ‘acetone’ in but with a different reason/guess( i had one + t inside ‘ace’ as in card ace in a card school)- which is wrong lol, i still cant figure out the real reason even tho you have posted it. I liked the ‘spinach’ and ‘remains to be seen’ clues. Good website by the way. Cheers.
September 28th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
John – it’s ETON (school) inside ACE (one)
September 28th, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I’m starting to get fed up with this chemotherapy thing. When you are in such a fog that even a nice Rufus is a struggle it takes the fun away. Strangely, yesterday’s Everyman was no such problem, same doses. I don’t understand. Oh well, it was still fun seeing the explanations as Rufus is fun, so I got something out of it. Take all the positives eh? Got to like a guy who has the same appalling taste in puns etc!
September 28th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Whoever managed to send am MMS to my email, I can’t reply to your message.
A stye is a complaint in the sense of a medical condition.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:23 pm
Derek – sorry to hear about your need for chemo. I went through it a few years ago – not fun at all – but came out fighting on the other side. I’m sure you’ll be rattling off Rufuses again before long!
Chin up old boy.
September 29th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Ditto. My fave uncle’s having his first dose this afternoon.