No Rufus today, but to replace him we have an (as ever) excellent puzzle from Orlando. There are some lovely clues here.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | EXHIBIT | EX = “Former” + H = “husband” + I = “first person” + BIT = “part”; Definition: “show” |
| 5. | TERRACE | TRACE = “Hint” around ER = “leading lady”; Definition: “patio” |
| 9. | RABBI | RABBIT = “Timid person” without T = “time”; Definition: “teacher” |
| 10. | BROADSIDE | ROADSIDE = “shoulder” after B[attle]; Definition: “More than one shot” |
| 11. | GOING ROUND | Double definition: “Revolutionary” and “providing enough for everybody” |
| 12. | BEAT | EAT = “Put away” by B = “book”; Definition: “club” |
| 14. | TERMINATION | TERM = “21” = “[NAME]” + NATION = “people” around I = “one”; Definition: “close” |
| 18. | KATE WINSLET | (SWEET TALKIN)*; Definition: “actress” – a nice anagram 🙂 |
| 21. | NAME | NA = “sodium” followed by M[or]E = “more” without “or” (“or less” or “or-less”); Definition: “Handle” |
| 22. | AFFORDABLE | A + FABLE = “story” around (Gerald) FORD = “president”; Definition: “not breaking the bank” |
| 25. | ELEPHANTS | HANTS = “county” after PELE = “Brazilian player” reversed; Definition: “Trumpeters” |
| 26. | WHEEL | “We’ll” sounds like WHEEL; Definition: “revolver” |
| 27. | PRELATE | A nice &lit: P[astoral] + RELATE = “say”; Definition: the whole clue |
| 28. | TRY IT ON | Thanks to Jenny for figuring this one out: TRITON = “Hornblower” (Triton blew a conch like a horn) around [convo]Y = “back in convoy”; Definition: “to attempt something audacious” |
| Down | ||
| 1. | ENRAGE | (A GREEN)*; Definition: “Infuriate” |
| 2. | HUBRIS | HUB = “Focus” + RI’S = “state’s” (RI is Rhode Island); Definition: “excessive pride” |
| 3. | BRIDGETOWN | BRIDGE = “sort of roll” (the OED tells me that a “bridge roll” is “a soft, oval, bread roll”) + (NOWT)* – I like the reference to “the bread with nowt taken out” :); Definition: “Capital” |
| 4. | TABOO | TA = “cheers” + BOO = “I don’t like that!”; Definition: “Not allowed” |
| 5. | THORNBILL | THOR = “God” + N = “North” + B = “British” + ILL = “dicky”; Definition: “bird” |
| 6. | RUDD | RUDD[y] = “red apart from the tail”; Definition: “Fish” |
| 7. | AS I SEE IT | EE[j]IT = “Irish fool heartlessly” after A + SIS = “family member?”; Definition: “That’s my opinion” |
| 8. | EVENTING | EVENING = “Close of day” around T = “time”; Definition: “sport” |
| 13. | SALTED AWAY | I didn’t know this expression: “as peanuts may be on holiday?” – peanuts might be SALTED, and if they’re on holiday, they’re AWAY; Definition: “Hoarded” |
| 15. | RING-FENCE | RING = “telephone” + FENCE = “receiver” (of stolen goods); Definition: “Secure” |
| 16. | SKINDEEP | KIND = “variety” in SEE = “Bath and Wells, say” + P[ortishead]; Definition: “Superficial” |
| 17. | STAMPEDE | STAMPED = “impressed” + E = “European”; Definition: “Sudden flight” |
| 19. | ABSENT | S[uspect] = “suspect’s first” in A + BENT = “grass” – the OED says “bent” can mean “A name given to grass of a reedy or rush-like habit, or which has persistent stiff or rigid stems; also to various grass-like reeds, rushes, sedges, and other plants”; Definition: “Missing” |
| 20. | BERLIN | Double definition: “Songwriter” (Irving Berlin) and “once divided city” (the city of Berlin |
| 23. | ONSET | Double definition: “Beginning” and “film here?” |
| 24. | RHEA | Hidden in “summeR HEAt”; Definition: “Bird not taking off” |
Thanks mhl. I found this harder than expected for a Monday, but it may be that I’m not too wide awake yet, or simply that I was expecting someone else 🙂
As you say, impeccably clued, and some raised a smile – the two four-letter across clues, and the ‘definition’ for Kate Winslet, for example.
Thanks for explaining 25ac and 7d.
Thanks for a great blog of a lovely puzzle, mhl. Two Orlandos for the price of one today – the Quiptic’s by him, too, and I reckon it’s a little bit more tricky, but very entertaining.
I loved the Kate Winslet anagram here and the 27ac &lit is excellent.
I didn’t spot the reference in 3dn, so many thanks for that. They were great adverts!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raJRe7J5m6g
Entertaining puzzle; I had to find EEjIT, which I assume is a crossword special.
Thanks mhl for a good blog and to Eileen for a lovely bread link. Like Stella, I particularly liked BEAT and NAME as well as BROADSIDE. Hadn’t heard of RUDD before.
Thank you, mhl, for an excellent blog to a super puzzle.
Loved the Kate Winslet anag, and failed to spot to the &lit at PRELATE.
The RHEA = ‘bird not taking off’ is clever, as is SEE for ‘Bath & Wells’.
Also, a nice a-hah moment when spotting shoulder = ROADSIDE.
A very welcome alternative for a Monday. Thank you Orlando.
Thanks, mhl.
Robi, eejit’s not that common – I remember it last in the Guardian from a 2009 Araucaria (24770), when it elicited a little discussion on this site about whether it was a Scottish or Irish expression.
Thanks, mhl.
This was a most pleasant change for a Monday. A slightly more difficult Orlando than usual, I thought.
There are some excellent clues here: two of my favourites were 10a and 27a, which were among the last to go in, but special mention also for 18 (surprised I haven’t seen this anagram before) and 28 is cleverly constructed.
However, I didn’t like 26. There are often comments about supposed homophones that don’t work with rhotic accents, but many Scots pronounce ‘wh’ as a silent ‘w’ with breath, so that WHEEL and we’ll don’t sound the same. Weak clue anyway, especially considering what great ones it is among.
Well, I finished but I didn’t know why: 12a, 27a, 28a, 2d and 7d needed your elucidation, so thanks, mhl. I should really have seen all of them, but a slow brian day today. Otherwise, as others have said, a fine crossword, and not a CD in sight.
Thanks all
Oh dear. I seem to be out of step. Combined with last week’s Mon/Tues/ Wed this was another puzzle which I do not think earned a place in The Guardian.
True, there were some good clues (10a 18a) but it had nothing to lead to a long rumination for the day and that wonderful feeling when something which was invisible earlier suddenly appears out of the fog and hits you in the brain.
The fact that it included my very favourite actress did nothing to solace me.
Dave Ellison @ 7
What on earth is a ‘Slow Brian Day’?
Surely, you meant ‘Dopey Davey Day’?
But many thanks mhl and Orlando for a very enjoyable romp. I found his Quiptic somewhat more difficult but also very enjoyable.
Thanks to mhl for the blog.
I needed this to explain why I had the right answers for 16d and 28a. Unfortunately with 27a I totally missed the spiritual meaning for pastoral so I found myself unable to pick a word to go in there.
I agree with Geoff @6: we’ll and wheel do not sound the same.
I liked 18a even though I struggled for an age to find her surname!
Brayn @9: It’s Grauniad for “brain”
I didn’t have time for a long rumination today, so found this an ideal challenge. As often happens, I got most of it pretty quickly and then struggled to fill in the last few – TERMINATION and BEAT took me most time to see.
I too wondered whether the Quiptic and the Cryptic had got muddled up. Both enjoyable puzzles, though, so thanks to Orlando, who’ll no doubt be spending his double fee for today at the bar next week at the S&B London get-together. Given beer prices in the capital, it should pay for a couple of pints …
Thanks for the blog, mhl.
Hi Dave E and Bryan / Brayn
You can see a slow brian here:
http://www.broadbent.org/jim_broadbent/films/magic_roundabout.htm
Thanks, mhi, for the blog and explaining 7d to me. I had decided that ‘Irish fool heartlessly’ could conceivably clue E(ir)E I(dio)T but was none too happy with that interpretation so I’m glad there’s a better solution. I loved the use of ‘more or less’ to clue ME. It was a nice, quick start to the week.
Thanks mhl and Orlando.
An excellent blog of a fine puzzle. Started easily but some teasers along the way.
I too missed the reference in 3d.
Likede 5a, 10a, 11a!, 18a, 21a (very neat), 28a,
7d,16d, 17d.
‘Eejit’ is a version of ‘idiot’, I believe.
It is. What a good puzzle, with exapmples of invention everywhere. Orlando may seem underrated, but it is good to see him getting an appreciative audience here. Great stuff!
Thanks mhl and Orlando. I too liked 21a: lots going on in a 5 word clue.
To Eileen@2, that video link looks interesting. Is there a version with subtitles 🙂
Many thanks Eileen @ 13
What a handsome snail!
Brayn
Sorry Tokyocolin, not so far as I know.
I contributed it as an antidote to all the Cockney rhyming slang we get! 🙂
To illustrate my point:
Several very clever and unusual devices were completely wasted because the solutions were too obvious without them.
7 down
In spite of all the ‘eejit’ discussion what else could (2,1,3,2) be for ‘in my opinion’?
21ac
With ‘handle’ and ‘na–‘ (not to mention 14ac) the brilliant ‘more or less’ was thrown away.
Of course there is some pleasure in post-parsing but it doesn’t compare to a genuine tussle with an unsolved clue.
Thanks mhl and to Orlando.
A fine puzzle that took me by surprise. As a creature of habit it took me a to adjust to the absence of Rufus.
Orlando is up to his usual high standard .
Several excellent clues, key amongst them were 18ac, 27ac and 28ac.
I agree with RCWhiting to a point, but I still think there’s enjoyment getting the likes of ‘more or less’ once the clue’s in. It’s far better to have that than scratching your head to understand woolly clues like ‘some of’ anagrams, which often demand you get the solution first.
All but one for us today, we were broadsided. So frustrating! We did enjoy it though, the Kate Winslet anagram was excellent and after wondering what Spoo was the god of for a couple of minutes, 5d was a very enjoyable and cleverly written clue.
Thanks mhl,
I didn’t have time to finish this yesterday so I finished it this monring (brianspeak). This was very enjoyable with impeccable clueing and some great clues including BEAT (last in), BROADSIDE, RING FENCE and I particularly liked the smoothness of BERLIN. If RCW finds this too easy then stick to AZED or the Genius monthly puzzle. Not everyone has a brian the size of a planet so most people enjoy the invention and style of Orlando.
I can’t understand the debate on 26a which I thought was rather good. For normal pronunciation, we’ll and wheel sound identical. It doesn’t matter how wheel is pronounced in Scotland, that’s totally irrelevant.
How picky can some people get !.
Thanks Orlando.
Some of the clues in this crossword were of the highest quality – the economy of words was quite splendid. I left it until very late to take it on (hence not commenting until today) – really enjoyable, several amusing moments. All in all an excellent effort – slightly tougher than the usual Monday fare..