A bit of a mixture from Rufus today – mostly straightforward but one or two [22ac, 23dn] needed a bit more thought. As usual, a number of double and cryptic definitions – but only two anagrams [surely a record?]. Characteristically smooth and witty surfaces throughout – many thanks, Rufus
Across
7 Fire and unload (9)
DISCHARGE
Double definition
8 Open closed teeth (5)
UNZIP
Cryptic definition
9 Helpers in mess supply seconds (9)
REPLENISH
Anagram mess] of HELPERS IN
10 Speculate, for example, in produce (5)
BEGET
EG [for example] in BET [speculate]
12 Representation of body height not right (6)
STATUE
STATU[r]E [height] minus r [right]
13 Supports attempts to back horse to come first (8)
GANTRIES
Reversal of NAG [horse] before TRIES [attempts]
14 Player inserts key in a lock (7)
ACTRESS
C [key] in A TRESS [a lock]
17 Tom’s cry of derision (7)
CATCALL
Cryptic definition
20 Discuss and OK travel arrangements (4,4)
TALK OVER
Anagram [arrangements] of OK TRAVEL
22 May be counted as a hazard in headquarters (6)
POLLEN
A very nice cryptic definition, referring to the pollen count issued by the Met Office – I loved the ‘headquarters’
24 50s’ music, with the French missing the boat (5)
SKIFF
SKIFF[le] [50s’ music] minus le [the French]
25 Many raced but were beaten (9)
CHASTENED
C [100 – ‘many’] HASTENED – I’m not keen on the definition here
26 Daily leader studied in alarm (5)
DREAD
D [first letter – leader – of Daily] + READ [studied]
27 Stopping for breather in a boxing arena (9)
ARRESTING
REST [breather] in A RING [ a boxing arena]
Down
1 Take off garment I’d first put on upside down (6)
DIVEST
Reversal [ upside down] of I’D + VEST [garment]: this is rather weak, because the primary meaning of DIVEST is to take off a garment
2 Casting is one of his jobs in the studio (8)
SCULPTOR
Cryptic definition
3 An American uncle? (6)
PAWNEE
Double / cryptic definition, ‘Uncle’ being slang for a pawnbroker
4 A long time since Agnes lost heart with an attempt (4,3)
AGES AGO
AG[n]ES + A GO [an attempt]
5 Charm, finish and musical ability (6)
ENDEAR
END [finish] + EAR [musical ability]
6 Team with genuine line-up of stars (8)
SIDEREAL
SIDE [team] + REAL [genuine] – ‘line-up’ is only there for the surface
11 She‘s writing a reflective article (4)
ANNA
AN [article] + a reversal [reflective] of it – a namecheck for Rufus’ lovely wife, who has been at several of our S and B gatherings
15 Nuts and biscuits (8)
CRACKERS
Double definition
16 Rescue husband (4)
SAVE
Double definition – but they’re rather close
18 Assembles for prayers (8)
COLLECTS
Double definition
19 Where to find fruit or tea on the way (7)
ORCHARD
OR + CHA [tea] + RD [way]
21 Eastern garment for the weekend, a loud colour (6)
KAFTAN
K [weeK end] + A F [a loud] + TAN [colour]
22 Starfish? (6)
PISCES
Doublish / cryptic definition – the star sign represented by a fish
23 “Cast off” order? (6)
EXEUNT
Nothing to do with knitting or sailing but the stage direction for some or all of the cast to go off – my favourite clue, I think
Thanks Eileen – quite tricky for a Rufus, I thought.
I thought that “headquarters” in 22a meant POLL + E N
Thanks Rufus and Eileen
I liked PAWNEE and EXEUNT in particular.
I took ages to get the last two – POLLEN and PISCES. As Andrew did, I thought that the “poll” was what was counted, with the “en” for the quarters, and I was intending to complain that this put the definition in the middle (having separated “head” from “quarters” to give “hazard in head”). However I think that your parsing works better, Eileen.
Quite right, Andrew – thanks. That makes it even better!
…..I thought that PISCES was a fish represented by stars, though it’s only a tiny difference from yours, Eileen.
I also wondered about the “line-up” in the other starry one, and I agree that it takes a bit of a leap to get from “beaten” to “chastened”, which is more the feelings of a beaten person. I wonder if subconsciously Rufus was thinking of “chastised”?
Hi muffin
I did ponder which way round to put that – I think you’re right.
I had the same thought about ‘chastise’. Collins has ‘subdue’ for ‘chasten’ but it’s not quite right.
I’ve re-read and now better understood Andrew @1. The clue for POLLEN seems to be many-layered!
Thanks Rufus and Eileen
Liked this … pretty straightforward apart from EXEUNT, POLLEN (it is the first time I think that I’ve seen Rufus overlay a cryptic definition with a charade which I didn’t spot at the time) and UNZIP which was my last in.
Thought PAWNEE was quite cheeky and witty.
Hadn’t seen the word SKIFFLE before.
Agree with Andrew@1: I’d only guessed POLLED, so thanks to Eileen for explaining definition. Also agree about ‘chastise’.
This was the most unfriendly grid, with at least 50% unchecked throughout 😡
Thanks Rufus & Eileen.
I agree with PeterM @8 that the grid was unfriendly. ‘Chasten’ in Chambers gives ‘to punish,’ although this meaning is given as archaic in the ODE.
POLLEN was nice with the different parsings, and I also enjoyed ARRESTING, which I thought must be something like a nose clip. 😉
I wondered if 22a was BUNKER (being a hazard in golf as well as slang for headquarters), but sadly no.
Count me as another who found this on the tricky side for a Rufus, and I also finished with the EXEUNT/POLLEN crossers. PAWNEE made me smile because it reminded me of Parks and Recreation.
Thanks Eileen and Rufus.
After initially raising an eyebrow at the grid, this turned out to be quite enjoyable.
I’m not an astronomer, but as I understand it, ‘sidereal’ orbital periods are calculated using the alignment of stars as a frame of reference, so I took ‘line-up’ to be part of the definition of 6d.
Thanks Rufus and Eileen
Loved the POLLEN clue!
I would have had PULSES at 22a (radioactive ones, or heartbeats perhaps) if it hadn’t forced myself to go on line for the ‘check’ button. Then it took me some time poring over various unlikely letter-combinations. All the things I don’t like about Rufus cds, when I don’t get them.
On the other hand, I had EXEUNT quite early, and felt very pleased with myself.
Definitely harder than the average Rufus, but (at least to me) not as hard as last week’s. Last in were POLLEN and PAWNEE, and COLLECTS also took far longer than it should have. Now that I understand it, I agree with the plaudits for POLLEN.
Thanks to Eileen and Rufus
3d PAWNEE. I am rather confused here. In France an “oncle d’amerique”, American uncle, is a family member having gone to America and made a fortune…now come to mean a rich person able to magically resolve financial problems, whereas “ma tante”, my aunt, is a pawnee.
Uncle appears to be American slang for law enforcement agencies.
Can see that the term “American uncle” could come to mean a pawnee, but cannot find it on the web.
Has anyone found it in a slang, or other, dictionary?
Got it now, silly me, Pawnee, American Indian, and Uncle, English for pawnee!!! Still, is there an actual term “American uncle”?
Hi Cookie @16
As I said in the blog, it’s a double definition: a Pawnee is a native American http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawnee_people and also a pawnbroker / ‘Uncle’.
Sorry – we crossed.
I’ve never come across ‘American uncle’ as a phrase.
Thank you Eileen, it is quite a common phrase here, and the title of a 1980 film.
@17. I apologise if I have caused offence by using the term “Indian” for a native American. I have not lived in an English speaking country for over 40 years, and my usage basis is more American than English. The term is used by many native Americans as a term of pride and respect.
Much trickier than usual for Rufus, I thought(payback time for those who accuse him of being too easy!) I loved PAWNEE, had the same trouble as others with CHASTISED/CHASTENED which meant that POLLEN and EXEUNT took ages to get. I don’t really understand COLLECTS as prayer.
Still,a tussle but an enjoyable one.
Thanks RUFUS.
Peter @22
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collect
Exeunt really is very good (didn t actually get it sadly along with pollen, glad to see I wasn’t the only one). Did it need the question mark?
Should we have a moratorium on crackers both in clues and solutions?
Hi Gsol
I think the question mark may be there because ‘exeunt’ means that, as I said in the blog, more than one actor – not necessarily the whole cast – goes off.
“Indian” for Native American isn’t terribly offensive, and is an extremely common usage here. The peoples involved tolerate the term, but would rather it not be used.
And “American Uncle” isn’t a phrase in America, but causes us to mentally say, “Uncle Sam? Uncle Remus? Any other American uncles we can think of?” –in other words, the sort of thing that cryptic crosswords depend on.
mrpenney @ 26
Thank you for the clarifications. Many of my last 40 years have been spent in places “cut off” from the world, except for the Guardian Weekly, usually having to be sent in the Diplomatic Bag.
When we fail to finish a Rufus it’s usually on just one clue.
Today we couldn’t find five.
3d and 8ac eluded us but that’s something that can happen.
The other three (22ac, 22d, 23d) were all linked in the grid and all cryptic definitions.
See, that’s what I don’t like.
I am happy with some cryptic definitions but not when they take over – as they did here.
As for the rest of the puzzle, I would say very straightforward.
Thanks Eileen, and Rufus of course (despite …. 🙂 )
Q: Is not Uncle the pawner rather than the pawnee? Just wondering 🙂
many thanks to E & R
nametab @ 29
I did wonder about that, but I decided that the person pawning something was the pawner; hence the person accepting it was the pawnee (though I doubt if it is actually a word in this context!)
I still don’t get POLLEN – could someone explain in words with fewer syllables, please?
mrpenney @26. It seems the term Native American can cause offence to the aboriginal peoples of Canada, and that the terms American Indian or Canadian Indian are preferred. All most confusing.
Thanks again to Rufus and Eileen for an enjoyable puzzle and blog.
my Captcha was 9 x ? = 9 I put in 9 x 1 = 9 and was refused. Think the system is fed up with seeing Cookie all over the place. Had to retype. Now have 4 x 8 = ? It’s trying to make things difficult for me.
Hi Nametab ’29
I checked PAWNEE first thing! {I’m so tired of seeing nouns like ‘attendee’ and ‘standee’, which make no sense to me.]
muffin’s quite right – and it is a word. Chambers – ‘pawner: a person who gives a pawn or pledge as security for money borrowed’ ‘pawnee: a person who takes anything in pawn’.
Hi Alastair
You have to separate ‘head quarters’, to get, as Andrew says, @1, POLL [head + E [East] N [north] [quarters].
In the world of George Smiley our American cousins are the CIA. And not to be trusted.
I found this steady in the W, but hard in the E.
My LOI was UNZIP. It doesn’t seem that cryptic to me, rather a reverse dictionary definition for a slightly quaint negative. How does it work with the commercial catchphrase “unzip a banana” though? (Remember that?) This IS Rufus though, I suppose.
Trailman: I did indeed enter PULSES. They may be counted, and I always understood they were the last thing you wanted in your head (quarters). So one up, setter. POLLEN, that of the count, ( and POLL=head, E=East, and N=North, i.e. quarters) is pretty snug though. Any use, Alistair?
Quite a few very nice ones, as has been said: PAWNEE; PISCES; EXEUNT etc.
Many thanks Rufus, Eileen and posters, for a decent Monday workout and a genial thread.
PS, on my BlackBerry (not this) I’m sometimes getting notification of incorrect captcha entry, even though it’s right. Anyone else?
Eileen and Alastair – just a thought but is it possible that HQ refers not just to the Met Office but to eyes, nose and throat as areas of the head that can be attacked by pollen?
Hi Jovis
Oh dear, this gets more and more complicated! I’d read ‘headquarters’ as you did – until I saw Andrew’s comment @1. I wasn’t connecting Met Office and headquarters.
Eileen @ 37 et al
The clue for POLLEN seems to be getting even more multi-layered. What a thought-provoking crossword.
Cookie @32
You don’t have to retype. When it tells you 9 is wrong you can open fifteensquared as a new tab.There the Captcha would be 4×8. Return to the original tab and now it would also be 4×8 and your comment would be intact. It seems to happen when people are cross-posting. In fact my Captcha was rejected above because I got tangled up with Eileen.
Rhotician: yes I was crossing, ironically perhaps with Cookie at 32, when I had that problem it appears, so you may well be on to something. Thanks for the tip too.
Further to Cookie @32, rhotician @39 and Martin P @40 – if the Captcha fails, like rhotician I would open another instance of fifteensquared in a new tab, but having done that you can cut and paste the comment from the old tab into the new one.
Thanks, Eileen. I’ve never heard of poll meaning head before.
Hi Alastair, if you’re still there
Just for interest, that’s where ‘poll tax’ comes from – Collins: ‘a tax levied per head of adult population’.
In French an American uncle is a rich relative whom one hopes will turn up in the nick of time to bail one out of (financial) difficulties. Not strictly relevant here of course.
Thanks Muffin!
Am I alone in not liking 23 across? It’s not remotely cryptic. The word means what the clue says, it’s a stage order for the cast to leave. Hmph.
As for headquarters, my take is that it refers to sinuses of which the head contains four pairs
Just like David and Gordon to Nick, yet again “I agree with Sil” rings true. This time it’s that I also had the same three gaps at 22ac, 22 and 23dn. I have a feeling this is only the second time in 2014 that a daily Guardian or Independent has defeated me. And it’s a Rufus – quite odd. It may be as I’ve a touch of “man ‘flu” or perhaps because, as it was a Monday Rufus I was attacking in a lower cerebral gear than I might select for a harder puzzle. If the latter, that’ll teach me. Is not arrogance the last refuge of the idiot?
As for 22ac, I see no confusion. It is simply a brilliant clue, being both a cute CD as Eileen explained and a lovely charade as first proposed by Andrew@1 with “maybe counted as a hazard” for definition.
All very nice.
Thanks to Rufus and Eileen.
Thanks, again, Eileen. Obviously I’ve heard of the poll tax but I guess I’ve never thought about the origin of the term. I thought it was something to do with being on the electoral roll!
Crosswords as an educational tool.
Hi Alastair
“I thought it was something to do with being on the electoral roll!”
Well, it is: poll can, as you say, mean the electoral register or roll, which is [SOED] ‘a counting of heads’.
Thanks again, Eileen.