Guardian 26,233 – Rufus

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Well, we know Rufus has his own style, but with (by my reckoning) 8 cryptic and 8 double definitions I think we can justifiably complain about a lack of clue variety in this puzzle. Some of the CDs seem not very cryptic to me, too. Sorry to be negative – no doubt others will have enjoyed it.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
9. CLERGYMEN They’re paid for services rendered (9)
Cryptic definition
10. INAPT Shown to be unfit during a gym session (5)
IN A PT (PT being short for “PT lesson”)
11. INNINGS Games period (7)
Cryptic definition
12. PRIVATE Undisclosed military rank (7)
Double definition
13. ENEMY Three points go to my opponent (5)
E + N + E + MY
14. GARDENERS Good ones can always grow better (9)
Cryptic definition – a good gardener can grow plants better than other can
16. THREE-LEGGED RACE Sporting event one’s bound to compete in (5-6,4)
Cryptic definition – in a three-legged the runners’ adjacent legs are tied (=bound) tobether
19. LAST MAN IN Cricket finalist? (4,3,2)
Cryptic definition
21. PILOT Guide back to border (5)
Reverse of TO LIP
22. MEMENTO It reminds chaps to give me priority (7)
ME + MEN + TO
23. HANDOUT Gift for the poor — a welcome gesture (7)
Double definition – to put your hand out is a welcoming gesture
24. SALSA A student on board having a dance (5)
A L in SS + A
25. NON-RUNNER Haricot bean, for example, not a starter (3-6)
Double definition – a haricot bean is not a runner bean, and a non-runner doesn’t start a (horse) race
Down
1. ACCIDENTAL Fortuitous bit of scoring? (10)
Double definition – in music an accidental is a flat or sharp sign (or similar) that indicates that a note isn’t to played as in the key signature. Nice to see the “correct” use of “fortuitous” in the other definition as “by chance” rather than the increasingly-common “fortunately”.
2. REINDEER Noel’s tower of strength (8)
Cryptic definition – reindeer pull Santa’s sleigh at Christmas (Noel)
3. AGENCY It won’t play a principal part (6)
Cryptic definition – in legal terminology an Agent is not a Principal
4. AMIS Novelist makes friends across the Channel (4)
Double definition – AMIS is French for “friends”. For the novelist, take your pick of Kingsley or Martin.
5. SNAPDRAGON Photograph monster that’s seen in the garden (10)
SNAP (photograph) + DRAGON
6. DIVIDEND Benefit from investment is cut about a quarter (8)
N in DIVIDED
7. PALACE Site includes a splendid residence (6)
A in PLACE
8. STYE Something troubling your eye, initially (4)
Initial letters &lit
14. GREENHORNS Young and inexperienced musicians? (10)
Cryptic definition
15. SPECTATORS They watch sport etc as recreation (10)
(SPORT ETC AS)*, with an &littish surface
17. EMMENTAL Set me up with intellectual? Hard cheese! (8)
Reverse of ME + MENTAL
18. ALL FOUND Nothing lost, having everything provided (3,5)
Double definition
20. SIMPLE Naive politician caught in a web of lies (6)
MP in LIES*
21. PENT UP Enclosure sheep is held in (4,2)
PEN (enclosure) + TUP (dialect word for a ram). PENT is actually a variant of “penned”
22. MUSE Just think, she may inspire you (4)
Double definition
23. HIND Animal quarters? (4)
Double definition – think of “hind quarters”

23 comments on “Guardian 26,233 – Rufus”

  2. Thanks, Andrew.

    I was struck by the paucity of anagrams [only one and a half] in today’s puzzle and, since Rufus is particularly known for anagrams and double / cryptic definitions, the fewer there are of the former, the more there will be of the latter.

    I thought the anagrams were particularly good: I really liked the ‘re-creation’ in 15dn and the ongoing topicality of 20dn.

    Like many others, I’m not keen on too many cryptic definitions, especially when they’re not very cryptic, but I did rather like 9ac and 2dn.

    I thought 13ac and 23ac were good, too.

    Thanks to Rufus for a pleasant puzzle.

  3. 14 down I took it that greenhorns are young and inexperienced, while green horns are inexperienced musicians

  4. Thank you Andrew & Rufus.

    Lovely day so I’ll try not to spoil it. My slight gripe, as often with this setter, is the plethora of possible solutions to some clues.

    With CLERGYMEN, for example, one sees the gag straight off but one could enter ministers, reverends, churchmen, cardinals, preachers…before even starting with the more obscure possibilities.

    Also, I can’t quite see what ‘of strength’ is doing in the REINDEER clue. Just making it fit the surface, I suppose.

    I liked GARDENERS, but that’s about it I’m afraid.

    Nice week, everyone.

  5. Charles, I agree about the green horns; the problem with the clue is that it doesn’t really have a definition of the answer.

    Judy, well spotted on the typo: I’ll fix it.

  6. Thanks Rufus and Andrew
    I found some of this harder than usual (not helped by writing in SWAN – S, W and N – for 23dn). I thought that some of the cryptic definitions were very loose – INNINGS, REINDEER and GARDENERS in particular).

    I did like SIMPLE and PENT UP.

  8. I like Rufus – his double definitions are often very clever – and thought it was all good fun and about right for a Monday. PS Paul’s Saturday puzzle was strangely easy for a prize puzzle.

  9. LOI 9ac as I concentrated too much on the rendering rather than the services for a long time, otherwise not much to stretch the brain today. No ‘groaners’ at all. Also found Saturday’s easy for a prize puzzle.

  10. A fairly standard Rufus, which didn’t take long to complete – my last three were AGENCY, REINDEER and INNINGS, all cds and all a bit loose so I didn’t write any of them in until I could see all three…

    Thanks to Andrew and Rufus

  12. Not Rufus’s best. I was particularly unimpressed by 9ac, so many answers were possible. There were some good DD/CDs in there but some editing was necessary. Just by chance some were going to be good because of the sheer number of them.

  15. Not much to say about this Rufus, as PeeDee said not one of his best.
    What struck me was that the first 8 clues contained 5 cryptic definitions – that must be a World Record!

    I took GREENHORNS as Charles Smith @3.
    “Young” might be seen as the definition when taken as a collective noun (although one would prefer “the young” [Rufus could easily have added “the”]). I think it’s meant to be a DD rather than a CD.
    DD or CD, does it matter? There are too many of them anyway today.

    Thanks Andrew (and Rufus, of course).

  18. In agreemnent with many. 9a and 11a in particular, but 2d and 3d I like on reflection.

    Last week’s Rufus was rather better I thought.

    Many thanks all.

  19. My goodness, what a lot of moaners! It’s a Monday – certainly it yielded swiftly, but with little jarring (save a couple I marked “cryptic??”). A lovely puzzle on the whole, I thought.
    How interesti the contrasting views on 2dn; I’m with Eileen, but agin William et al, as I found it oh so elegant. There is succinct misdirection (twice!!) in just four words! Worthy of two (if not three) ticks in my book!

  21. William F P @19
    Could you explain what the “of strength” contributes to 2d? Wouldn’t it be as good (better?) as “Noel’s tower?”

  22. 21 muffin:

    I’d say the well-known phrase was to add force to the “wrong” meaning of “tower”. I suppose the fictional animal would provide the strength necessary for the like job too.

    William F P: I don’t most think people are “moaning”. Rufus has produced some first-class puzzles, and this was generally good, but with a couple of perhaps spoilers. It is a site for crossword critics after all.

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