Although I was only away for a week, I missed two blogging slots, so my thanks to Writinghawk and Gaufrid for standing in for me.
And what a treat to come back to a Philistine puzzle, which I found not so tricky as usual* – the four long clues, for instance, were straightforward and a big help – but still most enjoyable, with the customary wit and fine surfaces. Many thanks, Philistine.
[*There is one clue that puzzles me and another that has me completely flummoxed. I have to go out shortly but I confidently expect them to have been cleared up by the time I get back – or even before I go. My thanks in advance.]
Across
1 Story that has no beginning, that has no end — Jesus, that is a writer! (6,8)
AGATHA CHRISTIE
[s]AGA [story that has no beginning] + THA[t] – has no end + CHRIST [Jesus] + I E [that is]
9 It would be stupid if mother leaves, in a manner of speaking (9)
IDIOMATIC
If MA [mother] leaves, it would be IDIOTIC
10 Better picnic (5)
OUTDO
OUT DO
11 Some womanising Arab … (5)
OMANI
hidden in wOMANIsing
12 … still giving pussy a drink (9)
CATATONIC
CAT [pussy] A TONIC [a drink]
13 Willing, after a fashion, when not playing host (4,4)
AWAY GAME
GAME [willing] after A WAY [a fashion]
14 Serious, lonesome and heartless man (6)
SOLEMN
SOLE [lonesome] + M[a]N
17 Among undesirable persons (6)
LEPERS
Hidden cryptically in undesirabLE PERSons
19 Those leading clubs ruffed Omar Sharif’s spade in new game of bridge (8)
CROSSING
First letters of Clubs Ruffed Omar Sharif’s Spade In New Game
An apt clue, as Omar Sharif is a leading bridge expert
22 Keeping away from extremely tempting liaison diabolique (9)
ISOLATING
Anagram [diabolique!] of LIAISON + T[emptin]G
24 Nag mouse-like creature (5)
SHREW
Double definition
25 Store in the middle of the winding road (5)
HOARD
H [middle letter of tHe] + anagram [winding] of ROAD
26 Light setback in vote: rift escalating (3,4,2)
SET FIRE TO
Hidden reversal [set back] in vOTE RIFT EScalating
27 Anne McGregor is, perhaps, being alarmist (14)
SCAREMONGERING
Clever anagram [perhaps] of ANNE MCGREGOR IS
Down
1 Compiler to slip into a clever and attractive person (1,3,2,3,5)
A BIT OF ALL RIGHT
I [compiler] TO FALL [to slip] in A BRIGHT [a clever]
2 Valid core degrees for woodcutter (3,4)
ALI BABA
[v]ALI[d] BA BA [degrees]
3 Disturbed mind in bigger one that’s really big (9)
HUMDINGER
Anagram [disturbed] of MIND in HUGER [bigger]
4 Tunnel across in uneven combat (8)
CATACOMB
AC [across] in anagram [uneven] of COMBAT
5 Read out list of ingredients quietly — lost for time (6)
RECITE
RECI[p]E [list of ingredients] with p [quietly] replaced by T [time]
6 Games of shaven swine? (5)
SPORT
I have pondered this, on and off, since shortly after midnight and still can make nothing of it, I’m afraid. [I’m sure I’m going to kick myself!] See Muffyword’s clear explanation @2 -many thanks!
7 Vivid in future, possibly (7)
INTENSE
IN TENSE [future, possibly]
8 It’s a safe bet car now got damaged, if held by juvenile (3,4,2,5)
YOU CAN’T GO WRONG
Anagram [damaged] of CAR NOW GOT in [held by] YOUNG [juvenile]
15 Fanatical Philistine has first leaders swapping leaders (9)
OBSESSIVE
I want this to be I’VE [Philistine has] with, first, BOSSES swapping their first two letters but that doesn’t quite work
16 Cow not left in lowland (8)
FRIGHTEN
RIGHT [not left] in FEN [lowland]
18 Picaroon’s not on? That could be dull (7)
PROSAIC
Anagram [could be] of PICARO[on]S
A nice reference to Philistine’s fellow-compiler
20 Is priest following god, one from the Middle East? (7)
ISRAELI
IS + ELI [priest] following RA [god]
21 Oriental offering obscure problem (3,3)
DIM SUM
DIM [obscure] SUM [problem]
23 As a source of dread leading to ophiophobia (5)
ADDER
& littish anagram [source] of DREAD – but why ‘as a’?
Thanks Eileen and Philistine
Apart from not being able to parse SPORT (Eileen, you have let me down!), this was one of the easiest Guardian crosswords I’ve ever done.
I agree that the “as a” in 23d is superfluous, but it does work as written, I think.
Favourite was SET FIRE TO for the ingenious hidden reversal.
Thanks Eileen and Philistine,
I think SPORT is S-Port (S plus Port which has synonyms haven and wine).
I can’t help with OBSESSIVE, which I thought I had parsed as you suggest, but now see that it doesn’t quite work.
Amongst many fun clues, I enjoyed a couple of risque surfaces.
Yes, I agree about OBSESSIVE – I thought it worked, but I see now that it isn’t as straightforward as I reckoned.
muffyword @ 2
Very good on SPORT!
Many thanks, Muffyword [and sorry, muffin!]. That’s very good, isn’t it? I’m not sure I would ever have got there – I’d tried shaving all sorts of things! But at least it won’t be bugging me all morning now.
I did enjoy solving that. Thanks to Philistine and Eileen (welcome back).
I think it was intended that the clue should work as Eileen says in her blog but no-one realised that the single S/double S bits end up in the wrong place. I could be wrong but I don’t see what else the wordplay can be.
Completed successfully, but I was also flummoxed by the same clues as Eileen. While most of the puzzle was very good indeed, I’m afraid that the explanation of ‘sport’ still doesn’t work for me, and I can’t figure out obsessive’ either. While 17a is a perfectly valid clue, I find it a little distasteful, bearing in mind what an awful affliction leprosy remains for many people I the world.
Thanks Eileen, I had the same problems as you.
The clue for 9A should have read “if mother left”, or “it will be stupid”.
Thanks Philistine and Eileen.
I enjoyed the solve very much, straightforward as it was. Nowhere near as hard as Philistine has been on occasion, but “easy” doesn’t necessarily mean “bad” – plenty of fun and invention in the long answers and elsewhere. I didn’t parse SPORT properly so I’m grateful to Muffyworld as well – ingenious.
Shame about OBSESSIVE – I agree with the others that as clued it leads to “OBSSESIVE”. I have to admit though that I didn’t notice this during the solve – the bottom half was completed first for me and it completely passed me by.
I also made a mess of SPORT, but thought the surfaces were great – particularly 1A. Thanks Eileen and Philistine.
Delightful puzzle from Philistine, which I much enjoyed. Just the last few that I took some time over.
Well done Muffyword for parsing S-PORT, S-HAVEN and S-WINE. Clever clue.
Thanks to the setter and to Eileen for the blog.
I’m as one with others: fairly straightforward stuff, OBSESSIVE is a problem, but the clever surfaces lift the whole puzzle into a satisfying realm.
‘OBSSESIVE’ is a mistake, but at leasi it is a good idea, even though wrong. Unluclky, is what they say. The S-PORT I would have groaned and moaned about, but becauset there are TWO examples it made me laugh. It was okay apart from the ‘goof’ this one..
Thanks for the blog, Eileen! I couldn’t parse SPORT either, so thanks to Muffyword for the explanation. And I didn’t real stop to work out OBSESSIVE to realise that this was a bit of a problem.
While I agree that this was on the easy side for Philistine, I really enjoyed the puzzle from start to finish. 1ac, which was my first, made me laugh and there were lots of really good surfaces. 27ac was a splendid anagram.
Thanks, Philistine!
Entertaining crossword with some nice surfaces.
Thanks Eileen; I came here for the parsing of OBSESSIVE. Could one stretch it to ‘first leaders’ being the leading six letters that come first before I’VE. And ‘swapping’ being an anagrind for BOSSES? If that’s the case it’s a bit arcane – probably simpler that it is a mistake as given above. 😕
I particularly liked IDIOMATIC, RECITE and SET FIRE TO; the latter taking some time to see. I didn’t particularly like the use of ellipses. I suppose it does make a sentence but the two halves are not related and the clues would have stood without them, I think.
Also troubled by OBSESSIVE. Perhaps it is I’ve, then first an anagram (letters swapping) of bosses
Oops perhaps ahould be anagram of leading letters of (BOSSE)S
Re “sport,” like everyone else I was confused. I spent a lot of time shaving pigs of various kinds. Since the clue ended with “swine,” I spent a fair amount of time playing games with razors, hoping to wind up with a shoat, too.
Barber, barber, shave a pig / How many hairs to make a wig.
The actual solution turns out to be very satisfying. Thanks.
Thanks Picaroon and Eileen, as ever.
I enjoyed the puzzle. Like mrpenney @18, I was shaving pigs, too. I even contemplated POR(k)!!
Now back to the real world…
Giovanna xx
Thanks Eileen and Philistine
I found it harder than some others seem to have done but satisfying nonetheless.
Like others I had some problems with ‘sport’ and ‘obsessive’. I was not happy with the latter, and eventually came to the conclusion like others that it was just an anagram of bosses + I’ve.
I saw the s-wine s-port link but missed s-haven. I thought ‘shaven’ must somehow relate to shaving the ‘s’ off ‘sport’ and off ‘swine’ which doesn’t quite work.
I ticked 10a, 14a, 22a and 8d.
Re 15dn – I’m glad it wasn’t just me!
I’m sure it must be a mistake: I’m afraid I can’t accept ‘leaders’ as the first five of six words!
Thanks to Eileen for the blog. You and Muffyword with a little help from K’s D explained those cases I failed to parse. I did not think deeply about 15d so I missed the error that several people have commented on.
I thought 17a was very good with the two words being the definition and holding the answer.
15 down: oops. Sorry
Having read all the comments on 15 and looked at it some more, the only way I can vaguely see it not being an error is if it’s
I’VE (Philistine has) SESSOB (leaders, reversed but not indicated?), with its two syllables swapped round (= OBSESS), then IVE & OBSESS swapped.
But that is very convoluted, and belies Philistine’s usual care with the surfaces.
I should have posted sooner or not at all!!
Many thanks, Philistine. 😉
Same views as many: fairly straightforward overall with neat clues; couldn’t parse SPORT (well done Muffyword); played around unsuccessfully with variations involving ‘possess’ and ‘Ive’ for 15d.
Personally, I feel it’s bad taste to use ‘Jesus’ as expletive in the surface of 1a.
Thanks to Eileen
I also thought this was on the easy side for a Philistine puzzle, with the already much discussed exceptions of SPORT and OBSESSIVE.
I didn’t parse OBSESSIVE so didn’t realise there was an error in the clue until I came here, and SPORT was my LOI with a shrug. I thought the “shaved swine” may have been (S)WIN(E) because “sport” and “win” are related, but they’re certainly not synonymous and the explanation put forward by Muffyword is obviously the right one, and very clever it is too.
Thanks all
I enjoyed this (in spite of 15,thankd for confession).
Favourutes were 10ac and 27ac.
I failed to parse 6d as others have; I tried (s)have(n) where the sn are out so ‘snout’.
Eileen,
I haven’t commented for ages and even though Philistine says sorry for 15d, I think it works.
ie IVE (Philistine) has (could be before of after); first (of) leaders (BOSSES) = BO swapping leaders
becomes OB therefore OBSESSIVE.
Davy, you are missing the point. The way you are trying to parse it BOSSES becomes OBSSES, not OBSESS which is needed for the answer.
Yes Andy B, I have missed the point. I think I’ll go to bed now.
Must admit I missed the cock up in obsessive but was a lovely easy puzzle. Thanks philistine and Eileen.
Just the same comments as everyone else. Easy for Philistine.
Couldn’t parse SPORT and thought OBSESSIVE must be a mistake.
Still very enjoyable and thanks to Eileen and Philstine.
I’ll say it again as nobody else seems brave enough. “What does our Crossword Editor actually do except pick (randomly it often appears) the crosswords from those submitted?”
This is the umpteenth time they’ve gone to press with mistakes which even the most cursory of checking should have spotted. (I assume the setters do submit the answers as well!)
Get your finger out Hugh!
Oh and I forgot.
Mr Clements @7
You better get on to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary folks as well as they have also been very distasteful. (I suspect they are one of thousands you should be contacting!)
leper
B noun.
1 A person with leprosy. Now usu. avoided in medical use. lME.
2 A person who is shunned, esp. on moral grounds; an outcast. e19.
I assume you have by now developed some kind of immunity to the disease due to your constant intimate contact with lepers! 😉
By the way this is a crossword not a guide to morals or ethics!
Sorry if I sound rude but I find your coments distaststeful! Or perhaps you’re just taking the p***. Ooops
I think, Brendan (not that one), that you are going too far in attacking a perfectly valid comment by George Clemnets @7. He is absolutely not rude at all, just made a comment formulated in a very friendly way.
In fact, I had similar thoughts about 17ac – even if I am not offended very easily.
However, I do support your remark about 15d.
Despite Philistine’s apologies it shouldn’t have happened.
Apart from that, this puzzle was a classic example of how a Monday-ish crossword can still be delightful.
As Flashling says “a lovely easy puzzle”.
Many thanks to Philistine and Eileen.
Easy? Thanks a lot! It took me hours to finish, but then an American like me would have trouble with something like ‘a bit of all right,’ which I’ve never heard before. Thanks for the S-port insight; I guessed ‘sport’ but couldn’t relate it to ‘shaven swine’. ‘Obsessive’ never made any sense. Glad everyone agrees about that.
I prefer the cryptic crosswords in Dell puzzle magazines. At least I don’t have to worry about the spelling of words like ‘tire,’ ‘color,’ or ‘center.’
Fascinating and perfect for a Tuesday after I, for once, finished a Rufus. Mostly easy clues all over the place, I even broke 1D, as per Roy, no idea what it means.
Sport was brilliant, thanks to Muffyworld for the parsing. Prior to that my COD was 19, such an excellent clue.
20d, tiresome, really, haven’t I seen this exact clue twice already?
15 looks like an editing mess – if the second “leaders” was just “letters” it would be perfect. As said by others, Hugh, wake up!
Thanks for the blog, Eileen, and the lovely little puzzle, if slightly corrupted, Philistine.