Guardian 25,928 – Chifonie

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Enjoyable and not too difficult. Favourite clues were 18a, 21a and 11d.

Across
1 GREAT APE =”Animal” EAT=”to have a meal” inside GRAPE=”fruit”
5 YAMMER =”Complain consistently” Y=”Yankee” in the phonetic alphabet + [h]’AMMER=”drive [h]’ome”
9 MILLINER =”retailer” MINER=”Prospector” around ILL=”sick”
10 POUNDS double def =”Money”; =”drums”
12 LISZT =”Composer” Z=”final letter” of the alphabet in LIST=”inventory”
13 SHOOT DOWN =”Defeat” SHOOT=”Film” + DOWN=”sad”
14 ILLUSTRATION =”example” ILLUSION=”Misconception” around rev(TART=”fallen woman”)
18 CABINETMAKER =”skilled craftsman” John Major would as Prime Minister have been a CABINET MAKER
21 AGAMEMNON =”Greek king” GAME=”intrepid” + M[aiden] (cricketing abbreviation), all inside ANON=”unknown”
23 DRAMA =”scene” DRAM=”shot” (of whisky) + A
24 BRIDGE =”game” BRIDE=”Union member” around G[irl]
25 ASTEROID =”heavenly body” A + STEROID=”drug”
26 ELEVEN =”soccer team” LE=”The [in] French” inside reversed/”rejected” + EVEN=”uniform” – thanks Brian and Jezza
27 TEETOTAL =”temperate” TEE=”Supporter” of a golf ball + TOTAL=”whole”
Down
1 GAMBLE =”flutter” GALE=”Squall” around MB=”doctor”
2 ENLIST =”recruit” E[ast] and N[orth] are “Players” in bridge + LIST=”catalogue”
3 TRIATHLON =”sports event” (Art Hilton)*
4 PRESS CUTTING =”published piece” PRESS=”Smooth” + CUTTING=”hurtful”
6 ADOPT =”Take responsibility for” ADO=”fuss” over P[hysical] T[raining]=”gymnastics”
7 MONROVIA =”African [Liberian] capital” Marilyn MONRO[e]=”Norma Jean” + VIA=”through”
8 RESONANT =”Rich” (senator)* around N[ews]
11 MONTPARNASSE =”in Paris” (Parmesan’s not)*
15 AMENDMENT =”correction” A[merican] + MEND=”cure” + ME[a]NT
16 SCRAMBLE =”rough ascent” (Clambers)*
17 ABRASIVE =”irritating” BRA=”supporter” + (is)*, all inside AVE[nue]=”street”
19 RAGOUT =”Stew” R[oyal] A[rtillery]=”soldier” + GOUT=”illness”
20 VANDAL =”deliquent” V[ictoria] AND A[lbert]=”Museum” + L[earner]=”student”
22 EAGLE =”bird” [b]EAGLE=”Dog”

19 comments on “Guardian 25,928 – Chifonie”

  1. All straightforward and unobjectionable. Thanks to blogger, setter and, especially, editor for a Monday without Rufus — always a treat.

  2. Thanks Chifonie and manehi
    Enjoyable, on the whole. POUNDS was my last.
    In 8d (RESONANT) I though “a bit of news” for N was a little weak
    There was what seemed to be an extra A in the clue for 25ac, both in my paper and the online version – a Grauniadism, unless I’m missing something?

  3. Muffin @2 – I spotted the extra A too in the clue for 25ac and it didn’t seem to be needed.

    Like you manehi 11d was one of my favourites, not only because it was a clever anagram, but also because when I solved it I relished the thought that I would be staying in MONTPARNASSE in May.

    All in all a relatively easy and pleasant start to the week. Thanks Chifonie.

  4. To quote from the revised edition of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe’: “Mostly harmless”.

  6. Thanks manehi and Chifonie

    As others say, pretty straightforward. I liked 11d and 20d.

    Was a bit disappointed with crossing uses of list in 2d and 12a.

  7. Thanks for the blog. Just to be super-pedantic, isn’t 26a LE reversed (“rejected”) followed by EVEN ? Like all the best superpedantry, it makes absolutely no difference, of course.

  8. A straightforward, but pleasant puzzle.

    Thanks to manehi, and to Chifonie.
    I thought 26a was a reversal (rejected) of LE (The french), rather than an insertion.

  9. Thanks both for 26a, edited now. I had thought it was a slightly weird use of X “rejected” Y as the opposite of X “accepted” Y implying Y inserted into X.

  10. Very sorry. For ‘Universe’ at 4, read ‘Galaxy’ – this puzzle failed to stimulate all the neurones this morning.

  11. Thanks to manehi for the blog.

    I was disappointed in 17d where the clue said street. This usually gives ST. If the setter wanted AVE then the more general ‘way’ (or similar) should have been used in the clue.

    I hate things like 22d item1 beheaded item2: the clue does not say which one should be beheaded!

  14. I enjoyed this puzzle by Chifonie. My favourites were 10a, 23a, 7d, 17d & 20d.

    Thanks for the blog, manehi.

  16. For 22d, I wrote EAGLE without really thinking, but had a nagging doubt that another answer might exist. Lucky I’m not as clever as Audrey @12 …
    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  17. An unusual double bill for this setter today as his alter ego Armonie was the chosen one for the FT Prize Crossword.

    Chifonie only uses devices that we all know too well (anagrams, envelopes, charades, etc). There’s never any deviousness.
    But within this restricted area I think he is one of the very best. Concise and smooth surfaces. No cryptic definitions.

    I agree with chas (@11) on 22d, but even Arachne did it last week (in 13d) and nobody commented on that.

    I also agree with tupu (nice to have met you again last Sunday (and the others too, of course)!) on the double use of ‘list’ in two intersecting clues.

    My CoD is one I share with michelle: 23ac.
    “Shot a scene (5)”.
    Very simple, but oh so effective.
    Both ‘shot’ (part of the construction) and ‘scene’ (definition) are not what they are within the surface.
    Really elegant.
    Even if my own cryptic mind works in a more complex way, I always admire setters who come up with such a beauty (which I think it is).

    Many thanks manehi.

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