Guardian Cryptic N° 26,014 by Paul

by

The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26014.

A sheer delight to solve.

Across
1. Squirm, making dog endlessly fetch (6)
FIDGET A charade of FID[o] (‘dog, endlessly’) plus GET (‘fetch’).
4,21. Book leaving Doctor of Divinity into theologies unmoved? (3,3,8)
THE GOD DELUSION An envelope (‘leaving … into’) of DD (‘Doctor of Divinity’) in THEGOELUSION, an anagram (‘moved’) of ‘theologies un’; for the bestseller by Richard Dawkins.
9. Business cracking in image (4)
ICON An envelope (‘cracking’) of CO (‘business’) in ‘in’.
10. What is written in the first half of November? (5,5)
SHORT STORY The ‘first half of November’ is NOVE[l] – that is, story, short.
11. European capital I appreciate that encapsulates the nation (6)
TIRANA An envelope (‘encapsulates’) of IRAN (‘the nation’) in TA (‘I appreciate that’).
12,6. Excruciating listening to a brat on television starting out — here? (8,3,6)
BRITAINS GOT TALENT An anagram (‘excruciating’) of ‘listening to a brat’ plus T (‘Television starting out’). I have never seen the programme, but I quite believe the extended definition.
13. Gift: English wine, drained (9)
KNACKERED A charade of KNACK (‘gift’) plus E (‘English’) plus RED (‘wine’).
15.. Surrender a month after retreat, end of battle (4)
CEDE A charade of CED, a reversal (‘after retreat’) of DEC (‘month’) plus E (‘end of battlE‘).
16,1down. Soft stuff, romance, for Tarantino film (4,7)
PULP FICTION A charade of PULP (‘soft stuff’) plus FICTION (‘romance’). I cannot quibble with the wordplay, but it hardly catches the tenor of the film.
17. Gibbons’ thing to have dined in US city, informally (9)
PHILATELY An envelope (‘in’) of ATE (‘dined’) in PHILLY (Philadelphia, ‘US city, informally’), for Edward Stanley Gibbons.
21. –
See 4 See 4.
22. Leave precious little time to collect piano (6)
DEPART An envelope (‘to collect’) of P (‘piano’) in DEAR (‘precious’) plus T (‘little time’).
24. 16 across 1 down pre-qualified? (10)
PROFICIENT An anagram (PULP) of FICTION plus ‘pre’. How about that for deviousness?
25. Something I force backwards (4)
ITEM A charade of ‘I’ plus TEM, a reversal (‘backwards’) of MET (Metropolitan Police, ‘force’).
26. Cashier, the sneak? (6)
TELLER Double definition.
27. Meal has gone by rouge lips (6)
REPAST A charade of RE (‘RougE lips’) plus PAST (‘gone’).
Down
1. –
See 16 across See 16 across
2. –
See 23 See 23
3. Catch last of criminals in Queens after uprising (7)
ENSNARE An envelope (‘in’) of S (‘last of criminalS’) in ENNARE, a reversal (‘after uprising’, in a down light) of ER ANNE (‘Queens’).
5. Wind thatch around books (3,3)
HOT AIR An envelope (‘around’) of OT (Old Testament, ‘books’) in HAIR (‘thatch’).
6. –
See 12 See 12
7. Poet reserves minutes 31-60 for old comic (7)
DURANTE An envelope (‘reserves’) of [ho]UR (the last half hour, ‘minutes 31-60’) in DANTE (‘poet’), for Jimmy “Schnozzola ” Durante.
8. “Fat-faced” as is a synonym of “bottoms up”? (6-7)
DOUBLE CHINNED An allusion to CHIN-CHIN as a toast (‘bottoms up’).
14. Foul drunk about to look threatening under Conservative leader, so rich (9)
COLOURFUL An envelope (‘about’) of LOUR (‘to look threatening’) in C (‘Conservative leader’) plus OFUL, an anagram (‘drunk’) of ‘foul’.
16. Clown I offend, punching stomach (7)
PIERROT An envelope (‘punching’) of ‘I’ plus ERR (‘offend’) in POT (‘stomach’).
18. Character not quite securing promotion for less than charming girl (7)
LADETTE An envelope (‘securing’) of AD (‘promotion’) in LETTE[r] (‘character not quite’).
19. Most great least great, only 40% off (7)
LARGEST An anagram (‘off’) of ‘least’ plus ‘gr[eat]’ ‘only 40%’.
20. O for a group of friends, perhaps? (6)
CIRCLE Double definition.
23,2. Difficult woman in the years before the Material Girl, say? (5,5)
PRIMA DONNA A homophone (‘say’) of PRE-MADONNA (‘the years before the Material Girl’).

27 comments on “Guardian Cryptic N° 26,014 by Paul”

  2. This was fabulous and fun. I particularly liked 23/2, 25a, 3d, 4/21 and my favourites were 7d DURANTE, 12/6 BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT, 24a PROFICIENT & 8d DOUBLE-CHINNED.

    New word for me was LADETTE.

    I couldn’t parse 10a.

    Thanks for the blog, PeterO.

  3. What a great puzzle. Got off to a bad start putting ITALIA for 11a and missing some of the easier biggies – megadohs as they popped put a while later.

    COTD hard to pick – between 4a,12d (self back-pat for guessing the indication) and 7d for (for niftiness).

    Thanks for the blog PO.

  4. Thanks Peter. I enjoyed just about all of this. Maddeningly I got the Dawkins book in the first minute or so, and never got GOT in 12,6 at all. I should stay in more: the TV show meant nothing – and I did wrestle with various anagram options. In 19d (I’m no mathematician) isn’t it 30% off ‘least great’ or 60% off ‘great’ – but not 40% anywhere?

  5. A puzzle to savour. So much to enjoy: Paul’s clue to 6dn was much better than the book itself, the BGT clue was top-drawer, the Gibbons’ clue had me in turns scouring the Roman Empire and the hillsides of SE Asia, and to cap it all off DOUBLE-CHINNED had me outpauling Paul by seeing a double entendre (‘double-cheeked’) where none was intended. Bravo!

  6. @ molonglo But then you’d be making ‘off’ do double duty – it’s 40% of (not off) GReat!

  7. Thanks, PeterO. As others have said, it’s hard to pick a favourite in what was a delightful puzzle (and even harder to find one that I didn’t like!)

  8. Thanks PeterO and Paul
    Great puzzle. My only regret was that “Material girl” didn’t mean anything to me, so I didn’t appreciate the wonderful clue until I had guessed the answer.

  10. Wonderful puzzle and a great joy to solve. SHORT NOVEL also fits 10a rather well, but it was bumped out when I got BRITAINS GOT TALENT. I thought the Dawkins clue was just brilliant.

    Thanks as ever to Paul, and to PeterO for his clear blog.

  13. Yes, full of delights, and I seem to have mirrored Ulaca’s thought-processes @5, and with Michelle @2 failed to parse SHORT STORY.

    Sometimes folk seem to imply that Paul is not all he is cracked up to be but anyone who can force solvers into the intellectual space between Cowell and Dawkins is doing the right thing by me.

    TIRANA was last in. By the time I got there I was convinced that the one thing it could not be was a European capital. After all, Paul would not be so specific, would he. But how to put E into *I*A*A?

  14. Good puzzle, nice balance of fairly straightforward and almost impossible clues.

    Thanks PeterO; I didn’t parse the fiendish PROFICIENT. That, and, SHORT STORY my favourites.

    I’m not sure that I understand the ‘leaving’ in 4,21; I assumed that it was a misprint for ‘leading,’ but maybe someone could explain it, otherwise.

  15. Thanks, PeterO

    Splendid crossword: wide range of cultural references, from the highest to the lowest, and some brilliantly ingenious clues.

    I starred 4,21, 10a, 12,6, 24a, 8d, 23,2 – but many of the others would have been favourites in a lesser puzzle.

    I spotted that ‘minutes 31-60’ was probably (HO)UR but tried unsuccessfully to fit this into DONNE until the penny dropped.

    It seemed to me that Paul was having a (relatively) mundane period some time ago, but he is emphatically back on form.

  16. Robi @14: I hadn’t registered that the wording of 4,21 is a bit strange. Either ‘…leading…into’ or ‘…leaving…in’ would have been a better indication of the insertion to fit the surface.

  17. Excellent Paul as always, especially the ‘second half hour’, the pulping of ‘fiction’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’ itself which I took as Paul’s Irony. He’s too clever by ‘alf that one.

    [[ incidentally; early this morning, an offensive, rambling comment on yesterday’s thread, responding to Uncle Yap (and said to come from ‘Aunty Yip’) has disappeared – entirely – from the record!! Not even a ‘This comment was removed…’ type thing??

    It occurs to me that if this facility ‘to make people disappear’ is available, then early use of it could have saved a lot of heartache. Admin could have stepped in early for those posts containing particularly personal attacks, excessively strong language or Beetroot ‘dip’ recipes.

    Just saying…]]

  18. Guaufrid could be like Pinochet? I hope not, morphiomonat, even though there have been some horrid posts!
    This was very good, and I likes the CHIN CHIN idea very much. Pre-Madonna too is funny, and a great idea.

    Cheers
    Rowly.

  19. I wasn’t having a particularly good morning until I decided to give up what I was doing and do this crossword. Thank you Paul for brightening up my morning with such a splendid crossword. far too many ‘dots’ to pick one favourite. Thanks to PeterO too.

  20. Isn’t this another ‘Marc Almond’ type Paul puzzle or am I looking too hard?

    Having a dig at Richard Dawkins with ‘fiction teller’ ‘knackered prima donna’ and even ‘Durante’ – who famously had a big nose (like Pinocchio)?

    Even if this layer isn’t here, I like the fact with Paul that you have to wonder…

  21. It took me longer than usual to get into this one, but it was a sheer delight once the pennies started to drop. If I had to pick a favourite clue it would be the Dawkins one, but there were so many good ones today.

  22. I must finally be getting on Paul’s wavelength. I found the oblique, subtle devices very witty, and didn’t tire of a few being of a type.

    Thanks setter and all.

  23. Thanks, Paul and PeterO,

    Great fun from Paul once again. Liked the variety of clues very much. Favourites were PULP FICTION,LADETTE and PRIMA DONNA but also smiled at BRITAIN’S GOT TALENT!

    Please keep them coming.

    Giovanna xx

  24. Lovely puzzle from Paul.

    I was on catch-up tonight so I had just done Puck’s puzle from yesterday. Whether it was this or I was just on Paul’s wavelength I found this a little easier than usual. After the first pass it was more than half complete. God Delusion and Britains Got Talent just leapt out at me!

    Still very enjoyable and as ever amusing from Paul.

    I particularly like pre Madonna and 24a

    Thanks to PeterO and Paul

  25. Best Paul for a while I thought. Was defeated by CHIN-CHIN so thanks for filling me in. BRITAINS GOT TALENT was a standout among many excellent clues.

  27. Tremendous puzzle. Started it when I woke up at 5 this morning, which might explain why I immediately put ‘chubby-cheeked’ into 8d and came to a grinding halt. Then I couldn’t see an alternative to ‘short novel’. Had a cup of tea, which got the cogs moving, and eventually made it over the line.

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