Guardian 26.411 – Imogen

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A good Friday challenge from Imogen, with some interesting clue constructions. Only two anagrams (and no partial anags) and no hidden clues, which perhaps explains my initial progress was slow. I thought the two cryptic definitions were a bit weak, but otherwise a great piece of work – thanks to Imogen.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. DUCKED Broadcasting channel failed to answer (6)
Homophone of “duct”
4. THEMATIC The thoughtless take car out, in accordance with recurrent idea (8)
THE + AUTOMATIC (thoughtless) minus AUTO
9. BONGO Singer acquired good piece of drum kit (5)
G in BONO
10. SALAD DAYS Youth announces panto is to be held, but not at home (5,4)
ALADDIN (panto) less IN (at home) in SAYS (announces)
11. STAGE LEFT Transport once set off right to the house (5,4)
STAGE (old form of transport) + LEFT (set off). Stage left is on the right if you’re sitting in the house (auditorium)
12. LEARN Discover original of really thin walls (5)
R[eally] in (walled by) LEAN
13. NEAR AS DAMMIT Close to swearing? (4,2,6)
Cryptic definition
17. INTEREST-FREE Ideal sort of loan for flat (8-4)
Double definition – this rang a bell, and I found a similar clue in an Azed puzzle, of all places: “Like an attractive loan, boring apparently?”
20. ADIEU Going, going … what am I bid? (5)
Just a cryptic definition, I think: when you’re going you may be bid adieu. The surface reading misleads with a reference to auctions
21. CHIEFTAIN Leader‘s symbol of office that is with something pink inside (9)
I.E (that is) + FT (the Financial Times is printed on pink paper) in CHAIN (symbol of office)
23. BOOMERANG Loudly disapprove of sugary confection that may come back on you (9)
Homophone of “boo meringue”
24. OWING Down — why unable to fly? (5)
You can’t fly if you have 0 WING[s]. Not sure about down=owing – perhaps both mean low in funds, perhaps in gambling?
25. ENORMITY War crime perhaps men committed in hatred (8)
OR (Other Ranks, men) in ENMITY
26. SOLENT Very fast stretch of water (6)
SO + LENT (period of fasting)
Down
1. DEBASING Depressing quality of extremely deplorable town (not Stoke) (8)
D[eplorabl]E + BASING[stoke] (“[a] word that teems with hidden meaning”, as Mad Margaret says in Ruddigore)
2. CINNABAR Bright red, about to drink in one hostelry and another (8)
INN in CA + BAR
3. ERODE On ’orse, what man did wear (5)
When the man was on the ‘orse, ‘E RODE
5. HALF-TIMBERING No end of break in playing on the sea, typically Elizabethan arrangement (4-9)
HALF-TIM[E] (“break in playing”) + BERING [Sea]
6. MEDALLIST Sort of winner is still made to struggle (9)
(STILL MADE)*
7. TO A MAN Armoured vehicle shortly suppresses revolutionary rising, without exception (2,1,3)
Reverse of MAO in TAN[k]
8. COSINE In a comparison of sides, wrong for runner to go round (6)
SIN (wrong) in [Sebastian] COE. The cosine of an angle is “adjacent over hypotenuse” in a triangle, so a “comparison of sides”
10. SPEED MERCHANT Drug pusher who acknowledges no limits? (5,8)
Double definition – the speed merchant doesn’t acknowledge speed limits
14. AD NAUSEAM Past bearing boy, accepting an uplifting employment (2,7)
(Reverse of AN + USE) in ADAM
15. ORGANISE Ignores a possible fix (8)
(IGNORES A)*
16. SENNIGHT Party of women succeeded replacing husband for a week (8)
HEN NIGHT with (the first) H replaced by S – old word for a week, with SEN being a contraction of “seven” (cf “fortnight”, which of course still survives)
18. MARBLE Horse swallows black stone (6)
BL in MARE. How many people assumed MARLE must be a kind of horse? Chambers doesn’t give bl as an abbreviation of black but , for what it’s worth, I found it here
19. KIMONO Wrapper of novel — it’s horrible! (6)
KIM (novel y Kipling) + O NO!
22. FRODO He held the greatest ring not to be enough (5)
FRO (not “to”, in “to and fro”) + DO (be enough). Frodo carries the “One Ring” in Tolkien’s trilogy.

44 comments on “Guardian 26.411 – Imogen”

  1. Thanks Imogen and Andrew

    I found this about as difficult as the recent Enigmatist, with the difference that I was able to parse nearly all the answers after solving them (I didn’t parse FRODO).

    In 16d we are invited to replace a letter, but given no indication with which other letter. This has happened several times recently. Is it fair clueing?

    I wasn’t sure about “bl” = “black” either.

    13a doesn’t quite work for me. I’m not sure that it’s just a cryptic definition, as the meaning is “close”, not “close to swearing”.

    More egg white in meringue than sugar, I think!

  2. Great puzzle, great blog – thanks for both.

    Re 18 dn MARLE?: count me in for one.
    [I even thought of RAPIDS for 26 ac – but thought it very weak indeed!]

    Muffin, in 16dn the S comes from ‘succeeded’.

  3. Thanks Imogen and Andrew

    Enjoyed this, like muffin I did most of the parsing after getting the word.

    20a is strange – there are several diagonal ‘Ninas’, for instance CALM, FIT, END, MAN…a bit sinister
    18d what BLarney
    2d where does CA come from, CAfé?

  4. Thanks Andrew. I too got quite a few long before parsing, like the panto one, and Frodo. Decided black had to be BL in 18D and 12A was another shrug. Got just 4 letters short of finishing: trawled the myriad options, all implausible, for 11A – share rent, space belt, stage nest, slave meat, snake feet etc – and waited for you.

  5. Strong stuff.

    I now see that I entered the wrong end for 16d – so one letter out – technical DNC as they say over yonder – for the sake of one letter.

    13a – I’m not sure that CD is the full story. If TO can clue AS (can’t think of why but surely it can somehow) then word for word:

    NEAR = CLOSE
    AS = TO
    DAMMIT = SWEARING

    plus the whole surface means close – it also involves swearing. Maybe not a clue easy to slot into a conventional category – but a good one – as were so many others.

    Many thanks for the blog Andrew.

  6. Thanks Imogen and andrew

    Imogen is a setter I struggle with, can’t seem to get on the wavelength, so I persevere and get there in the end, with less enjoyment than other setters (that’s a reflection on me, not Imogen).

    Cookie @ 3 CA is the abbreviation of CIRCA = ‘about’ – hth

  10. Thanks, Andrew.

    Good puzzle from Imogen, with a lot of misdirection in the definitions and clever constructions. Took me quite a while to get properly started, and an age to finish.

    Despite JollySwagman’s valiant attempt @5 to parse 13a, it doesn’t really work for me. Nice idea, though.

    Favourites were SALAD DAYS (‘announces’ = SAYS, and not a homophone indicator), STAGE LEFT (great surface and misleading def) and SOLENT (surface again), but practically all of the clues are excellent.

  11. 13A ‘close enough’ equals the answer really, so ‘close’ can’t be the full definition. So it must be a CD. Weak as Andrew says but I quite like the other one.

    Other clues are very good though. An excellent puzzle.

  12. Like muffin @1 I found this as difficult as the Enigmatist, with the difference that I gave up about half way. Looking at the answers here (thank you Andrew) I might have finished eventually but it would have been essentially by guesswork and reverse engineering. That’s good enough if you work at Bletchley Park; it’s no fun in a crossword. Clever cluing, as several have said, but sometimes (eg Frodo) taken to the point where the wordplay is no longer useful as a means of reaching the answer.

  14. I’m with David Mop and muffin on this one. Strange, really, I remember enjoying Imogen’s first few contributions, which gave me little trouble. With this one I had zero entries first time through.

    I liked 13ac but I didn’t like the “definition” for COSINE – a cos is not a comparison, but a ratio (don’t tell me – it’s probably in Collins?)

    Thanks, Andrew.

  16. Found that pretty tough but in retrospect I think I was having an off day. I gave up trying to do it on paper (I’m away this weekend and wanted to get a comment in before going offline) – I needed to use check a few times to complete it and there were some tricky parsings, but in retrospect it all seems quite fair. Last in was COSINE which should have been one of the easiest.

    Thanks to Imogen and Andrew

  17. Thanks to Imogen & Andrew.

    Pretty tough – I got stuck on the bottom half and needed a walk to rescue some brain connections.

    Can FRO really be ‘not to?’ Seems a bit of a stretch to me[very fast one. 😉 ] I see Imogen has used ‘that is,’ rather than that’s [see yesterday’s discussions.]

    I did like STAGE LEFT and KIMONO was the LOI.

  19. FWIW, boo-meringue reminded me of this Ogden Nash bit of verse:

    The kangaroo can jump incredible.
    He has to jump, because he’s edible.
    I could not eat a kangaroo,
    But many fine Australians do.
    Those with cookbooks as well as boomerangs
    Prefer him in tasty kangaroo meringues.

  21. O kangaroo, O kangaroo
    Be grateful that you’re in the zoo.
    And not transmuted by a boomerang
    To zestful tangy kangaroo meringue

    Animal Crackers, Eric Whitacre from the by Ogden Nash

  22. muffin @1 etc

    Slightly to my surprise, I would defend 13A as a cryptic definition, and one of the better ones of its kind. There might be other ways of describing the clue (but I am not particularly taken with JollySwagman’s @5), but I think that, to paraphrase, it is asking for “a phrase meaning ‘close to’ which uses a big, big D”, so that ‘swearing’ serves to narrow the definition.

  23. Phew. Thanks Andrew, got there in the end but failed to parse FRODO.

    Cookie @21 Ha-ha! Nice one.

    Well-crafted puzzle which I enjoyed more than he Enigmatist offering. Both tough (for me) but I could parse most of this one.

    Thank you Imogen, nice weekend, all.

  24. Perhaps there is some confusion caused by the short- and longhand versions of the relevant English translation of ID EST, namely, to wit, et cetera, ‘that is’ and ‘that is to say’. I can understand completely why it would be okay to contract the ‘that is’ to ‘that’s’ in the latter, because it doesn’t affect the meaning: but in the former? I wouldn’t like to chance it personally! Roddy Forman, RIP, was on about this on one occasion, and he didn’t care for it much either. Font of wisdom that he was, especially on matters grammatical, perhaps that says something.

    That is all, save to say what a fine puzzle today’s really is.

  25. Thanks all
    Very tough, I failed to complete the SW corner.
    Frodo unknown to me and senninght very obscure!
    Still I cannot complain, see my comments passim.

  26. Absolutely the most appalling crossword I have ever seen – and I’ve seen a few bad ones.

    Two hours of staring at this – my wife doing the same on another copy. We found one answer and even then could not tell where it came from. “not to” = fro! Come on guys.

    Yesterday’s was bad enough using RSPCA as a word. It’s a crossWORD!

    There are some great compilers of the Guardian Crossword, but Imogen’s use of obtuse terms is only acceptable when the definition is clear. Using weak definitions as well, makes the whole thing a real chore. No wonder everyone is playing computer games and surfing the net. It’s supposed to be a puzzle – not cracking the Enigma code.

  27. Thanks A and I. I didn’t get to this till late. Found it tricky “enough” and didn’t fully parse one or two. Still thought it a good puzzle: varied clueing, not many obscurities. FRODO and KIMONO were my least favourites; the word play on the former is dodgy, imho, and the definition is tricky on the latter (which, with subtle word play, makes it very hard).

  28. Jim @26 – appalling ? really ? It did take a bit of getting started on, but we finished it (well, almost – 11a defeated us), and this is from a couple who often take several days to complete a crossword, only to find others here found it ‘a breeze’. I didn’t find any obtuse terms, and only SENNIGHT might be a bit obscure 😉

    I enjoyed it, though the blog was a big help for 11a, and I failed to parse FRODO, though the answer leapt out.

    I think 13a is one of those clues (of which Araucaria used to be fond) that instantly feel right when the answer (eventually) occurs to you, but don’t stand up to rigorous parsing – it’s not really a cd, and not really an &lit, but I’m not complaining

  29. Got there in the end. Like many others I couldn’t parse FRODO

    On the whole I think I enjoyed this. I think Imogen has improved since the initial puzzles. At least she/he? is trying to come up with a more challenging puzzle which is something I applaud.

    Thanks to Andrew and Imogen

  30. Re Brendan.
    “Got there in the end. Like many others I couldn’t parse FRODO”
    The same here, although we saw the DO bit. Clever.

    “On the whole I think I enjoyed this”
    We certainly did too, one of the best puzzles we recently tackled.

    “I think Imogen has improved since the initial puzzles. At least she/he? is trying to come up with a more challenging puzzle which is something I applaud”
    There I do not agree. Right from the start, Imogen’s puzzles were very challenging and surely at the higher end of the Guardian spectrum. I don’t think he (yes, he) is “trying to come up with a more challenging puzzle” as his style was very consistent so far.
    Perhaps, the result of working all these years for The Times.

    I echo Paul B’s last line (@24).

  31. Thanks for the the confirmation Sil. I had an inkling that Imogen was a “he”.

    Slightly off topic now. Your comment on Otterden’s puzzle included

    “if Otterden’s style is really close to Bunthorpe’s (as ulaca suggests) then I am very happy to have missed that era.”

    Well I remember Bunthorne as my favourite setter. As good as the great Araucaria in my opinion. So I thought I’d see if the “late and great Bob Smithies” was as good as I remembered.

    Bunthorne’s last Guardiam puzzle was published on 4th November 2006. So I thought I’d try something a little earlier. My choice was puzzle no 23415 30th March 2005.

    A pure delight and better than I remembered. (Perhaps I can appreciate him more now).

    I don’t know how ulaca can compare him to Otterden. A bit like comparing Dickens to Jeffrey Archer in my opinion.

    Why not try it and see what you missed?

  33. “I don’t know how ulaca can compare him to Otterden. A bit like comparing Dickens to Jeffrey Archer in my opinion”

    I never solved a Bunthorpe, he sadly died before I started doing crosswords. But I will give the puzzle you mention a go. Perhaps, I will discover a whole new world.
    Not sure what Otterden will think of your comparison. 🙂

    BTW, do consider joining us all in Cambridge next April.
    Who or whatever “us all” is.

  34. The Prof, why?
    Posts like this are not very much appreciated at Fifteensquared.
    If you think a puzzle is “really quite bad” you should tell us why.
    As one who thought this was a splendid puzzle, I am really interested in why you disagree with me (and many others).
    This site is about content, not shouting about.

  35. A sheer delight, this one, with the possible exception of 20a, which doesn’t quite work for me and suffers by comparison with the marvellous ‘near as dammit’.

    Brendan, go a little further back and try 23,339 – virtually every clue a novella, and a thematic puzzle that really comes off.

    I’ve never read a word by the sage of Grantchester, so cannot possibly pass comment on your comparison! But even the “great” FR Leavis couldn’t make up his mind about Dickens. Having controversially left him out of his grand survey of the English novel, he returned to him near the end of his life to defend him against charges of being a mere entertainer and press his claims as a great writer. (Even here, in a book jointly authored with his wife, Queenie was responsible for the best bits!)

  36. ulaca, I think I’ve probably already solved all of Bunthorne’s output.

    I didn’t mean to offend you by my comparison it was really just a conceit to express my disagreement with your comment. (Probably a bit OTT! from me!)

    I only picked Dickens as an example of a recognised “good” novelist. I know a lot of people find him a little verbose. This is probably due to his serialised method of publication but I personally love him!

    Mr Archer was also picked as a recognised producer of “potboilers” and in fact I have never had the inclination to read any of his work.

    Sil – Thanks for the invite to Cambridge but I fear I won’t attend any of these events. My “surprise” 60th birthday party was cancelled on the advice of my wife. She assured the organisers that I wouldn’t attend. (I’m just an old grump 😉 (who hates “social” events) )

  38. I didn’t finish this until this morning(Sat) Very tough,I thought. I didn’t get SENNIGHT,and indeed had never heard of it. Good clue though. I’m not sure I can say the same for the others although I did manage to parse most of them after the event.
    Now for Paul.

  39. Thanks, Andrew.
    I’m a bit late so I don’t know if there’s anyone still there. If there is, could you please explain 26a? I would have thought that “down” was the opposite of “owing” and not a synonym because we say “so much down and the rest to pay later” i.e. owing. I can only assume it’s in a different context but what context? Please enlighten me!

  40. Hi crosser,
    Solent (one of those I did not get before the parsing here, since being from the Midwest in the US I hadn’t heard of before) is:
    Very=so
    Lent=fast
    Solent=Channel in southern England between Isle of Wight and mainland.

    Owing I did get. You are down as in some are up (money owed to them) and some are down. Might happen in poker, I think.

    Overall, very hard puzzle for me, but enjoyable. Never heard the phrase near as dammit, so of course missed it, but no complaints. Thanks much setter and blogger.

  41. Ilene: the full phrase (almost never heard) is “as near as dammit is to swearing” – ie extremely close.
    Stronger words can of course be substituted for ‘dammit’ for greater effect….

  43. This is very late but such a superb puzzle compels me to comment (not least lest the editor or even Imogen himself should be reading).
    This was not the sort of crossword to be enjoyed for (sometimes too few) minutes whilst watching Strictly, as with a lovely Rufus or an elegant Dac or yet a crisp Crucible (even the easier of the beloved Pauls and magical Phis). But this is, as Andrew rightly observed, a “great” puzzle.
    For myself, I gave it a quick look on Saturday morning, with more than an ear on the radio, and swiftly realised I wasn’t getting very far “any time soon”.
    This evening I afforded it the attention it deserved. As each clue yielded in this eclectic assortment of delights, so did I savour the twin crossword grails of enjoyment and achievement.
    Clearly, there’s artistry afoot!
    Well done (again) that Imogen….

  44. Thanks Imogen and Andrew

    This is one that sat in the backlog pile for ages – started early on a quiet Saturday night off! As many have said, I found this an excellent puzzle where there were no free clues – they all had to be worked through with rigour.

    Didn’t help myself by writing in some wrong answers to start with, including my first in – RAPIDS at 26a and later writing in LEITMOTIF (sans the T, ‘unbeknowingly’) at 4a after having —M-T–.

    Didn’t parse three properly – had no idea at all with SALAD DAYS (just knew that it was right – haven’t ever associated Aladdin with pantomime!), missed the ‘flat’ meaning of INTEREST-FREE (clever now one sees it) and FRODO (again clever once pointed out, but a difficult clue).

    Now another one put to bed !!!

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