Guardian Prize puzzle 25,298 by Paul

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Guardian Prize Puzzle 25,298 by Paul.  I find Paul’s style becoming more and more like Araucaria as the time goes on, though thankfully without some of Araucaria’s idiosyncrasies.   While writing this blog I initially put Araucaria’s name at the top, mistakenly thinking it was by him.   Whichever, it was a super puzzle and I enjoyed it all the way.

There is a mini theme today on Ernest Hemmingway, which then segues onto related topics of armlessness and death after lunchtime.  I like this style as it adds interest without taking over the whole crossword.  I can’t find any fault with the clues this week either, very tightly constructed with not a loose word in sight.

Hold mouse over clue number to see clue, click a solution to see its definition.

Across
1 DALAI LAMA A MALI (a country) and A LAD (a boy) reversed (from east to west)
6 SOHO SO (extremely) HOt (sexy without last letter)
8 MAGNETIC NET (catch) inside MAGIC (wizard, used as an adjective)
9   See 13
10 THENCE New Chapter inside THEE – ‘never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’ John Donne
11 PARADING PARADIGm (example, shortly) around desigN (back of)
12 DAMSEL Daughter and MALES*
15 POOR LAWS PAWS (hands) around OO (nothing twice) and Right Left (both hands)
16 WASTE BIN (AS rubBish I WENT)* screwed up = anagram, here = the waste bin is the location the rubbish went
19 NAGOYA A GOYA (a painter) following Northern – city in Japan
21 PENDULUM LULU (opera by Alban Berg without the start) and after END (death) inside PM (in the afternoon)
22 VESSEL Double definition
24   See 22
25 BUNGALOW BUNG (plug) A LOW (modest)
26 PLUG Double definition
27 SOAPSTONE TEASPOONS*
Down
1,3,5 DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON (FAITH THREATENED)* and NOON (12pm) – book by Ernest Hemingway
2 LININGS No Good inside bLINIS (pancakes without he top letter) – linings are found on the inside of something
3   See 1
4 ALCOPOP COLA* (fizzy cola) and POP (what bubbles do)
5   See 1
6 SCANDAL Caught inside SANDAL (shoe)
7 HEMINGWAY HEM IN (confine) Wife inside (in the clutches of) GAY (merry)
13,9 A FAREWELL TO ARMS FAR (distant) EWE (source of milk) and LefT (left empty) inside MOLARS*
14 LIBELLOUS LI (Lithium, chemical symbol) and SOLUBLE* (compund=anagram)
17 TIDYING IT reversed (it is rising) and DYING (falling)
18 NAMIBIA I (one, roman numeral) inside ZAMBIA with N replacing Z (different capital)
20 GESTAPO OP (opera=work) AT Suspects (first letter) EG (say) all reversed
22,24 VENUS DE MILO Ancient greek sculpture of Aphrodite, famouly missing her arms.
23 ELOPE penELOPE (writer=pen missing)

*anagram

11 comments on “Guardian Prize puzzle 25,298 by Paul”

  1. Thanks Peedee, I thought this was an excellent puzzle too and enjoyed it rather more then last week’s offering. The theme was not intrusive, there were no doubtful definitions and plenty of tupu’s ‘wit’. 16 was my last; I had convinced myself that WAST was WAIST = MIDDLE with the I taken out but couldn’t get any further until I spotted the clever anagram.

  2. Many thanks PeeDee this was a superb puzzle.

    It sure was nice to meet the Dalai Lama again, having previously met him in the flesh.

    I wish that I could also catch up with Vera-Ellen, Cyd Charisse and Jane Wyman. Anyone?

    (Sorry, Eileen and Stella, but these ladies were well before your time.)

  3. This was an excellent puzzle. Another typical Paul challenge which appears impenetrable at first but then unfolds to reveal cleverness, deviousness and humour in ideal proportions.

    Favourite clues were 1ac and the link from 22,24 to 13,9. A real laugh out loud.

    Thanks for an excellent blog, PeeDee. I was a little fuzzy on 21ac. And 18dn could equally have started with Gambia, not that it makes a difference.

  4. Thanks PeeDee,

    I really enjoyed this although I saw the Hemingway links almost too early to fully appreciate the challenge. I agree with Tokyo Colin about the link from 22,24 to 13,9 – delightful. I also liked the link between 21a and 1,3,5.

    Now to try and persuade the family to allow enough time to tackle today’s mega-Araucaria, which strictly speaking calls for a Twentyonesquared blog…..

  5. Thanks Paul and PeeDee, and to Bryan for the implied compliment 🙂

    I enjoyed this too, not least for the invitation to look up on Hemingway. Circumstances made me rush it a bit at first, and leave it with four to fill in, but these soon revealed themselves as I went about my business, so I was able to fill in the grid immediately on return.

    😆 moment as for Dad’s Lad and Tokyo Colin.

  6. Thanks PeeDee,

    I can’t believe how few comments there are today. Maybe it’s due to the sun and an extended holiday weekend. It’s also St George’s day today which may eventually become a national holiday.

    VENUS DE MILO was my favourite and the anagram of teaspoons was also very good. Also thought TIDYING was clever and DAMSEL was typical Paul.

    Thanks Paul for all the enjoyment that you give.

  7. Paul (under his alter ego Mudd) also contributed puzzle 13675 in yesterday’s FT.

    Well worth a look!

  8. Thanks Peedee for an excellent blog and
    Paul for a witty and tightly structured puzzle.

    After working away at Araucaria’s blockbuster I have only got round to the comments on Paul this morning.

    Hemingway was one of my favourite authors when I was a lad, and I am forever indebted to him for tempting me and a friend to visit Ronda in the 1950s before it had become such a popular tourist resort. It was as peaceful and beautiful as he described it in Death In the Afternoon, and we even manged to take in a corrida at the oldest bull ring in Spain. Unlike the others, the book itself is not a novel. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_in_the_Afternoon

    After my visit I was tempted to write some od verses about various toreros including a fictional one:

    I’m the famous bullfighter Garcia
    I approach all my bulls from the rear
    When my latest one died
    The crowd angrily cried
    Award him its a–e not its ear!

    Many enjoyable clues and favourite the 13,9 22,24 pair as for others and 21a.

  10. Hi tupu …

    My eyes are dim and perhaps I cannot see
    But ‘a-e’ looks like ‘a-e’, to me.
    Maybe ‘a**e’ is what you had in mind
    Since the bull was taken from behind !

  11. Hi Roger

    Exactly! Many thanks for your helpful poetic response. I typed the ‘corrrection’ in a hurry, interrupting my wife’s email writing, and somehow managed to repeat the error. Also your use of asterisks is a much better device!

    The line of course relates to the custom of awarding part of the bull to the torero if he has been especially brave and skilful. I thought (at the time) that a**e + ear rhymed quite nicely with Garcia!
    🙂 But it’s more like a pig’s ear after all my mistyping.

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