Guardian 24846 / Rufus
Posted by mhl on November 2nd, 2009
A fun and quite quick puzzle to start the week. 12d and 25a were the troublesome ones for me.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | COMPASS | CO = “firm” + M = “a thousand” + PASS = “spend” |
| 5. | BIG-HEAD | Cryptic definition |
| 9. | RADII | A nice cryptic definition |
| 10. | RECONVENE | (ONCE NEVER)* |
| 11. | WITHOUT STRINGS | Double definition |
| 13. | ECHO | Cryptic definition |
| 14. | BASTILLE | TILL = “Safe” in BASE = “sordid” |
| 17. | KEEP IT UP | Double definition |
| 18. | KRIS | (RISK)* |
| 21. | UNPROFESSIONAL | (PLAINNESS OF OUR)* |
| 23. | INELEGANT | (GET IN LANE)* |
| 24. | LEGAL | EG = “for example” in (ALL)* |
| 25. | SESAMES | SEES = “Understands” around MA’S reversed |
| 26. | EMPRESS | EM = “Printer’s measure” + PRESS = “newspapers” |
| Down | ||
| 1. | CARD | Double definition |
| 2. | MIDNIGHT EXPRESS | MIDNIGHT = “An everyday conclusion” + EXPRESS = “say” |
| 3. | ALIGHT | A LIGHT |
| 4. | SPROUT | Double definition |
| 5. | BACK SEAT | Cryptic definition |
| 6. | GENERATE | (TEENAGER)* |
| 7. | ETERNAL TRIANGLE | Cryptic definition? I can guess at the allusion, but it’s not a familiar expression to me |
| 8. | DRESS SENSE | Cryptic definition |
| 12. | DECK QUOITS | DECK = “Pack” + O = “no score” in QUITS = “even” (as in “call it quits / call it even”) |
| 15. | LINOLEUM | (LION MULE)* |
| 16. | FUNERALS | (NUR ASLEF)* |
| 19. | TSETSE | TEST = “trial” reversed + SE = “bearing” |
| 20. | DOLLOP | DOLL = “something with which one may play” + OP = “work” |
| 22. | ALPS | L = “Lake” in SPA = “resort” reversed |
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Mhl – The eternal triangle is when, as Lady Di famously said, “there are three people in this marriage”
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Very easy today, but enjoyable (14 mins). 12d I got but couldn’t quite see the explanation, so thanks mhl.
I quite liked 9a
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Many thanks, mhl, at first glance I thought that I would zip through this in record time but then I visualised DECK TENNIS for 12d. This and 25a SESAMES threw me for a while but I got there after 19 minutes.
This experience confirms my belief that Rufus is getting trickier. Maybe he’s been talking to Paul?
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Also found this pleasantly easy apart from 12d and 25a; gave up on the latter thinking it must be an obscure shrub (SUSSMAS, anyone ?).
Can’t agree about 9a being cryptic – if you substitute ‘circle’ for ‘ring’ in the clue, it becomes a dictionary definition of RADII.
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:45 pm
PS – I’d have thought ‘eternal triangle’ = man + wife + mistress (or other permutations) was a fairly common expression ?
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Thought I’d finished, looked at blog and realised I just hadn’t seen 18!!!! Not only is that a crazy oversight, it is seriously ironic in that the pet name of my third whippet was KRIS. Like I wasn’t going to get that one! Sigh.
November 2nd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Cool puzzle Rufus.
A joy to solve. (Now I’m well acquainted with the style) – Nice one !
Thank-you.
Jake.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:08 am
PS – I’d have thought ‘eternal triangle’ = man + wife + mistress (or other permutations) was a fairly common expression?
Many Indian films are based on this theme and the reviewers would invariably use the expresion ‘eternal triangle’.
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:12 am
Reminds me of Tom Lehrer’s Lobachevsky song where Metro-Goldwyn-Moskva buy the movie rights for his book, rename it “The Eternal Triangle”, and have Ingrid Bergman playing the part of the hypotenuse.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 am
The phrase “Eternal Triangle” seems to be in most disctionaries – Chambers and Collins both have it.
Thanks Jake for your post!
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:52 am
To Mr. Beaver, “they meet in the centre of the ring” surface has connotations of boxing / wrestling, no?
I didn’t get 21A – what’s the anagram indicator, if any?
Also, could someone kindly explain 8D for me?
Finally, in 20D, work = OP because? Operate?
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Rufus: I’m sure it is – I’m afraid I’ve been travelling and had to do the last couple of posts without any of my dictionaries. :( Thanks for the excellent puzzle, as ever.
Andrew: in 21 across, the anagram indicator is “production”. In 8d, the surface reading is meant to make you think of someone changing gear in a car, whereas in the cryptic reading, “gear” means clothes. “work” = OP from “opus”, a commonly used abbreviation for referring to musical works.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
@the other Andrew:
21a:
amateur: definition
(plainness of our): anagrammed letters
production: the anagram indicator
8d:
cryptic definition; the surface reading first had me thinking about SHIFT SPEED
20d:
Yes, OP = operate/operation = work
A nice crossword; thanks, Rufus.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Was writing while mhl posted; OP for opus is a better explanation than mine…
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Andrew and Andrew: there’s also an Andrew who blogs here, so it would be helpful if you could add some disambiguation to your names when commenting! :)
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Will now be andi – “the newbie”. Thanks for the help.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:27 pm
25ac: is SESAME really a shrub?