Guardian 26,427 – Araucaria (and friend)

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Well, this was a pleasant surprise! When I saw Araucaria’s name on the website I first assumed it must be another Guardian cock-up, but the puzzle itself proved (happily) otherwise.

Another surprise was the butterfly theme, as we’d had something similar, including some of the same names, in a Nutmeg puzzle very recently. It took me a while to get the Araucaria-solving part of my brain out of retirement, but it all came out nicely in the end, with a new word for me at 5d and one clue that I can’t fully parse at 23d.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. ADMIRAL Boatman 25 (7)
Double definition
5. SKIPPER Boatman 25 (7)
.. and another
9. AESOP Sit back alongside a storyteller (5)
A + POSE<
10. BRIMSTONE Steamed with fire (9)
A fairly outrageous “left and separate” – S = Sulphur = Brimstone, and brimstone is “teamed with fire” in the expression “fire and brimstone”. The Brimstone is also a butterfly (it also appeared in the Nutmeg puzzle),so I wonder why there isn’t a reference to 25. Does the style of this clue combined with 1a and 5a give us a hint who the “friend” might be?
11. FRITILLARY 25 plough through Tuckhouse? (10)
TILL in FRIARY
12. LIEU No homeowner leaves officer in place (4)
LIEU[tenant] (a tenant is “no homeowner”)
14. SWALLOWTAIL 25 indulge in ordering a list (11)
WALLOW in (A LIST)*
18. IMPROVIDENT Araucaria’s for depression around 6 or 7 (11)
VI in I’M PRO DENT
21. LIEF Faith be dismissed, gladly (4)
[be]LIEF
22. PARAPHRASE Soldier and Sherpa on the move use other words (10)
PARA + SHERPA*
25. BUTTERFLY It’s what it does to another Rev (9)
The “other Rev” (the first one being the Rev John Graham, aka Araucaria) is William Spooner, whom the butterfly might “flutter by”
26. DEBIT What could get one overdrawn? (5)
“One overdrawn” = I “in DEBT”, &lit, though rather weakened by the fact that “debt” and “debit” are essentially the same word
27. RINGLET 25 curlicue in covering letter from girl, 10, about phone permit (7)
Two definitions; also hidden in coveRING LETter; anagram of GIRL TEN; and RING (phone)+LET (permit). Phew!
28. MONGREL Cross among religious houses (7)
Hidden in aMONG RELigious. As is getting to be a bit of a habit with me, I failed to spot the hidden answer for ages, and this was my last one in
Down
1. AMALFI Town in Italy is left in the grip of Mafia organisation (6)
L in MAFIA*
2. MYSTIC One meditating on Araucaria’s sophistication, at heart (6)
MY + [sophi]STIC[ation]
3. REPAIR SHOP Where to get a fix and note couples dance (6,4)
RE (note, as in do-re-mi) + PAIRS HOP
4. LABEL Means of identification left on murder victim (5)
L + ABEL (killed by his brother, Cain)
5. SHIRRALEE In Australia, a load of real trouble in the county (9)
REAL* in SHIRE – an Australian word (obsolete, to boot) for a swagman’s bundle
6. IN SE Find Esc key out of bounds, essentially (2,2)
Central letters of fINd eSc kEy
7. PRODIGAL Sharing letters — nudge, nudge — girl that’s wanton (8)
PROD + DIG + GAL, “sharing” the overlapping letters
8. RUEFULLY Tours street, then finally off: adieu, all feel empty with sorrow (8)
RUE (French “street”) + last letters of ofF adieU alL feeL emptY
13. SWITCHED ON With second replacement hip (8,2)
(WITH SECOND)*
15. ANIMAL FAT Perhaps shortening a film at an unusual showing (6,3)
(A FILM AT AN)*
16. MILLIBAR Tender a bill immediately, upholding a little pressure (8)
Hidden in reverse of tendeR A BILL IMmediately
17. UPPER TEN Presumably not the sole net return for the elite (5,3)
UPPER (not the sole of a shoe) + NET< – “the richest or most influential class”
19. CAMBER Automobile award invested in bank (6)
MBE in CAR
20. LENTIL Nearly sick with fast pulse (6)
LENT (period of fasting) + IL[L]
23. ABYSM An annoying Scotswoman heard in this pit (5)
A + something that sounds like “bism”? The nearest I can get is a defnition from the Urban Dictionary, but I’m sure there must be a better explanation.
24. WELL Healthy source of water (4)
Double definition

62 comments on “Guardian 26,427 – Araucaria (and friend)”

  1. Many thanks, Andrew.

    A heart-stopping moment when I opened my paper and saw this name under the puzzle. A lovely tribute [many thanks to A’s friend] and reminder of what we so sadly miss.

    Andrew, the annoying Scotswoman in 23dn is a besom [pronounced exactly like ‘abysm] – a word I learned from my husband, so a doubly poignant puzzle for me today. [It also means a broom.]

  2. Thanks Andrew, Araucaria (and, as revealed in G2, Philistine)
    It seems a little churlish to say it, but “enough butterflies already!”. This is actually the third in recent weeks. Perhaps, if the editor knew this was coming up (as no doubt he did), the others might have been held back.
    A very enjoyable solve, all the same. Two very clever hiddens (I took ages to see them too, even with all the crossers placed), and a couple of new things for me (5d and 17d). He is still missed.

  3. I find the clue to 25A a bit too cryptic! It was obvious enough from the other references to it, and the checking letters, but I had to come here to find out how the clue worked.

  4. What a wonderful puzzle. My favourite was PRODIGAL and I completely missed the Spoonerism in 25. Thank you, Andrew for explaining that.

  6. Thanks for the elucidation about “besom”, Eileen – I know it as a broom, but not the meaning or pronunciation used here.

    Mitz, thanks for the link – so much for my Boatman theory!

  7. It is nice to have a tribute to such a great man, but really, butterflies AGAIN! Surely the editor could have done something to keep them atart a bit.

  9. Thanks Andrew and Philistine (and Araucaria of course).

    I thought I would be out of my depth in an Araucaria puzzle, and I could not get 25a, but after solving 1d, AMALFI, and 4d, LABEL, 1a fell into place and away I went, even understanding 23d, ABYSM.

    12a fooled me, and I first put in SITU.

    Favourite BRIMSTONE, and I think Araucaria’s use of a “lift and separate” clue gives the go ahead for the practice (I find them great).

    6d, IN SE appears again after Enigmatist’s 26,423 crossword, so it is not that uncommon.

    SHIRRALEE was used in the title of a 1957 film “The Shiralee” (usual spelling). It can also mean a burden, and the burden was the swagman’s young daughter. I don’t think the word is obsolete in Australia.

  10. Not very good in my opinion.

    Duplications in it, as with L = left, and the MY joke (plus you’re not Araucaria!), 12 across is awful, 23 down is unsolvable, some words are much too unusual for a day puzzle, and some of the ‘libertarian’ devices here I would not have expected Araucaria himself to use really.

    But, I liked 13 down. That was good.

  11. Thanks Andrew and Araucaria

    A fine puzzle with a bevy of admirably imaginative clues sadly reminding us what we have lost. I especially enjoyed parsing. 10a, 25a, 26a, 3d, 8d, and 15d.

    Chambers also gives bisom as a spelling for besom.

  12. Thanks, Andrew.

    Great fun – though I agree with muffin @2 that it’s a pity the recent two other lepidopteran puzzles weren’t kept back until after this one.

    Lots of characteristic Araucarian touches: the devious lift-and-separate at 10a, the cryptic Spoonerism at 25a, the chutzpah of a quintuple clue at 27a and the constructional ingenuity of 7d.

    My favourites were MONGREL (almost my LOI!), LABEL and SWITCHED ON – all beautifully put together and with great surfaces (possibly polished by Philistine? Araucaria’s were frequently off-the-wall!)

  13. Thanks to Araucaria & Philistine – a fitting tribute.

    Thanks Andrew – I did eventually get the Spooner connection although it took a long time. SHIRRALEE is in Collins and Chambers, but both say obsolete. I thought I recognised it though – from Wiki: ‘The song “Shiralee” used as soundtrack was sung by Tommy Steele and reached #11 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart in 1957.’

  14. What a lovely surprise to see Araucaria’s name today. Thanks, Andrew, too.

    I enjoyed the butterfly clues once I had forgotten about various mythical boatmen!
    It helped to ease the disappointment of the poor olive crop this year.

    Giovanna xx

  15. Very enjoyable and something of a surprise. The butterfly theme was quite easy to get probably as we’ve had butterflies quite a lot recently. It would be churlish to criticise in the circumstances. I puzzled over SHIRRALEE which seemed to have grown an extra R. I remember the film and actually posessed the record of the theme sung by Tommy Steele! I couldn’t parse 6DN I’m ashamed to say but the rest were a joy!
    RIP old friend.

  17. A fine tribute, though I think we’ve had a few too many butterflies recently. I wish someone would do spiders; I’m better at those.

    The NE corner proved my undoing, and choosing ABYSS (without really asking why) rather than ABYSM prevnted anything useful going in for the final answer. Or the final clue, if one interprets it that way.

  18. Thanks, Andrew.

    (Shouldn’t sulphur be sulfur these days, though I can hardly bring myself to spelling it that way?)

    Pleasant surprise, indeed.

    I toyed with the idea that 1 and 5 ac were an Auracarian trick and both should be ADMIRAL (red and white).

    I don’t think 6d was an A. type clue.

    I failed with SITU, too

  19. A lovely and poignant surprise and reminder of what we’ve been missing for the last year. Last in was SHIRRALEE (the only new word), failed to parse BRIMSTONE, but I did like the “another Rev” for Spooner – I only saw that and hence the theme after getting FRITILLARY from the wordplay. Liked MYSTIC too. IN SE would have been unfamiliar had it not been discussed here last week.

    Thanks to Araucaria, the anonymous friend and Andrew.

  20. PS When I posted the previous comment, I hadn’t read the link (thanks to muffin and Mitz for that) so “the anonymous friend” should now read Philistine. My first ever comment here was the Araucaria tribute, so this is the first (and sadly probably the last) chance for me to comment on one of the great man’s works.

  21. Thanks to Andrew for the blog.

    Thanks to Mitz @5 for the link to the article.
    I now understand why I had so much trouble with the parsing – which very rarely happened when A wrote the clues.

    I am another who put in SITU without enough thought. 🙁

  22. Thanks to setters and Andrew. A fittingly tough workout. Though I completed the grid, there were a couple I could not parse. Both the unfamiliar (to me) answers (IN SE and SHIRRALEE) were comparatively straightforwardly clued, in authentic Araucaria fashion. Well done, Philistine!

  25. I enjoyed this a lot – posthumous thanks to A, to his friend, and to Andrew. Particularly liked IMPROVIDENT, PARAPHRASE and LENTIL. MONGREL was also my last one in.

  26. Robi @23, perhaps the OCED is being too concise, 1995 edition. No-one has complained about ABYSM, 1995 edition does not give it, but 1982 does as “archaic. or poet.”.

  27. Cookie @26 – complaining would surely be churlish in the circumstances, and it is difficult to think of an alternative for A.Y.M – can we call it an Araucarian liberty?

  28. 10 also is terrible. But I’ve realised I COULD be speaking ill of the dead, which is bad. I do wonder of course how much of this had to be added by Philistine.

  29. Dave @18,

    Well the IUPAC and even our Royal Society of Chemistry prefer sulfur but the OED has both spellings with sulphur first. So, I would use sulfur in a technical context but sulphur in less technical contexts.

    It’s not all bad news, IUPAC chose aluminium over aluminum (but later allowed aluminum as an acceptable variant).

    John

  30. Thanks both!
    How delightful to have a puzzle started by my old favourite and completed by my present favourite!

  31. Kenj @24
    The definition is the Spoonerism, you must allow that revs deal in the unsubstantiated every day without blinking!

  32. Beery Hiker @27, I am not complaining, quite the opposite, there is another lovely archaic example, LIEF. I was defending SHIRRALEE above which some people seemed dubious about because it is supposedly obsolete.

  33. Ah good, I see I am NOT speaking ill, GOOD! Phewee.

    Can I just add that the LIEU in lieutenant also means ‘place’: a lieutenant is a ‘place-holder’ from the French.

  35. Re Besom: For a contemporary usage, Amycus Carrow calls Professor Mcgonagall an ‘old besom’ in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (when Harry is investigating the Ravenclaw common room for clues as to the whereabouts of Ravenclaw’s lost diadem.)

  36. Just like yesterday, a late start but, when I did get started, a fairly fast finish. But then, the point about Araucaria was not his difficulty but his style.

    I wonder what proportion of the clueing was the Rev’s and how much from Philistine. I’m for 27 as a nailed-on Araucaria and 13 on the certainties list too. Overall I’m not entirely convinced that this was up there with the great man’s finest – too many, like LENTIL, too easy; but just for the day-long anticipation alone (I’d known the setter’s identity since lunchtime), it was a delight to have him back with us.

  38. What a marvellous surprise. Huge thanks to the friend and Andrew. This was a joy for me and a sad reminder of what we have lost.

  40. What a pleasant surprise to see Araucaria’s name.

    I also thought at first this was another example of the “superb technical skill” of the Guardian IT team. (Just use the “Archive Crossword Search” on the Crossword page and enter Prize as type and setter as any. You’ll always get the Prizes for that month but the first is always Araucaria’s prize puzzle of 18th December 2010!)

    However it turned out to be a “real” Araucaria. what a joy and oh how we miss him.

    I parsed 10A as Steamed = “subjected to steaming”

    steaming = damned

    with fire is the def and “fire and brimstone” = torment in hell.

    I’m not sure if this is more convoluted than the blogged parsing!

    A really poignant solve.

    Thanks to Andrew and Araucaria and friend

  41. Is 21ac not LIEF? The ‘be’ taken from belief. Meaning willingly according to Chambers. Apologies if this has been spotted already.

  44. When, just after midnight, I saw the preamble and then had a first glance at the clues, a kind of anger came over me.
    “It’s not the one mentioned in the first two clues, hopefully?”
    Boatman and Araucaria may have been friends perhaps but their clueing styles are very very different.
    Then I noticed the use of the name “Araucaria” in two clues.
    “Araucaria never used his name in a crossword – is this apt?”

    Today I approached this crossword with some kind of uneasiness.
    But, after solving it tonight, I must say the ‘friend’ did a very good job, a labour of love.

    The theme must have been Araucaria’s and I agree with those who think the editor should have held back the puzzles by Nutmeg and Qaos.

    I got Philistine/Goliath on my radar after solving 6d.
    It’s a thing he often does and something he has in common with that setter that we all love, Arachne.

    On the other hand, 10ac (BRIMSTONE) is wholly inappropriate.
    Araucaria would never have written a clue like this.
    But, who knows, Philistine knew more about Araucaria’s thoughts about crosswords than we do.
    The clue is an extreme form of what many call a ‘lift and separate’ clue. Hedgehoggy doesn’t like this device anyway, I do not like it either in this form. Moreover, for me a ‘lift and separate’ clue is something else though similar.

    I (we, I must say) liked ‘Tuck-house’ for FRIARY a lot.
    Other favourites were 12ac and 13d.

    All in all, a lovely crossword that made clear how different Araucaria was. We’ve almost forgotten about that.
    A big plus to Philistine who, however, should have left out his own trademarks (unless there was a reason not to).

    Just one afterthought:
    an unfinished Araucaria, shouldn’t that have become a Biggles?

  45. Poignant tribute to Araucaria.

    I knew 5a had to be SKIPPER, but could only see the crosser at 6d being UNDO (except of course it is not 2,2)- this being parsed as derived from (ie coming out of) the essential part of (ie middle of) [bounds], namely [ound]. Convoluted I know, but the brain wouldn’t let go.

    Thanks to Andrew

  46. @ 44
    Why did you say Araucaria never used his name in a crossword? Well, he did. See for example (I happened to do it today) Guardian 22103, 26a: Put off before Araucaria’s to decide (5)

    You may be right about the brimstone s-teamed trick, though I’m not sure. The rest of that clue, on the other hand, does seem pretty Araucarian in style. I don’t much like the separating thing either, although it depends on the context. I’d be interested to know if A did ever use it. Can anyone remember?

    (Having two identical clues next to each other is something he definitely did do.)

    I think Philistine is broadly right that he did this in something like Araucaria’s style.

  47. What a wonderful tribute. Thanks Andrew and Philistine. I was undone by 23 which I had as ABYSS – even though I knew ‘besom’ – and so didn’t get MONGREL either. It’s a sad day

  48. Herb @46:
    what I said about Araucaria using his name in clues was something I put in quotation marks because it was what I thought when I saw it 20+ hours ago – right or (as it seems to be) wrong.
    Philistine did all in all an admirable job, as I said a labour of love.

  49. Excellent puzzle and a worthy tribute. Not sure how much was by Araucaria and how much by Philistine but you couldn’t see the join.

    SHIRRALEE is fine – as a normal word it’s obsolete but it was used as the title of a film – that brought it back into currency.

    I’m not aware of Araucaria’s ever having visited Australia but he has used this sort of thing before.

    YELLOW DOG DINGO was clued as:

    Kangaroo chaser lying to conceal row on colour (6,3,5)

    in G25675

    and as (no def – it was thematic)

    Wile God – only God – could devise(6,3,5)

    in G25197 (the 2011 Christmas Special).

    It’s from The Sing-song of Old Man Kangaroo by Rudyard Kipling (in the Just So Stories) but hardly known here in Australia, even though I think of it now every day when my own hound (the breed being reputedly part-dingo) wants feeding an hour early – “yellow dog dingo – always hungry” .

    Thanks to Andrew for the blog and also to Eileen for the extra info – plus Philistine and all others involved in putting this on.

  51. Re word-splitting.

    Araucaria regularly split words – those such as :

    INCOME -> IN COME
    INFANCY -> IN FANCY

    There seem to be less hackles raised when two words result – but that wasn’t always the case – eg G24887:

    12d Bird with smoggy sound? (4)

    smoggy sound -> S moggy sound -> S MEW = SMEW

    Araucaria’s cryptic grammar was pretty much in line with what Barnard described in his book Anatomy of the Crossword (1963).

    Whilst accepted as being at the tricky end of the scale that sort of thing was considered so unremarkable that aside from demonstrating and describing it Barnard never saw the need to defend it from detractors.

  52. So, I’m wrong again? [re 10ac]
    Then I surrender.
    But I still think it’s more Philistine than Araucaria.
    Perhaps, they were/are closer to each other than I think they were/are.
    I’m not sure though.

  53. Re #49 and other posts, the article is very clear that Philistine and not Araucaria made the clues. The grid on the other hand WAS JG’s handiwork.

    HTH

  54. @51
    Thanks for clearing that up about Araucaria splitting words. I suppose it’s hardly surprising as he was certainly “libertarian”. Although I’m certainly not a great fan of the device, both BRIMSTONE and SMEW seem ok to me, probably by dint of their humour, or perhaps sheer outrageousness. If you’re going to be naughty you’d better be funny. I hate the “lift and separate” name though (for more or less the same reason).

  55. Very late completing after going to see tthe Alan Turing film last evening. Another great puzzler. Used a crossword to recruit to Bletchly. A wonder Araucaria didn’t end up there. Really enjoyed the puzzle and the blog

  56. SHIRRALEE is in a prominent place in the crossword. Was Araucaria using an Australian word deliberately to say he was putting his load down and finishing wandering?

  57. Thanks Aracuria (and friend) and Andrew

    What a lovely surprise and a great reminder on his anniversary of the brilliant challenge that he used to so prolifically produce.

    It was certainly at the harder end of his non-prize jobbies – there were four clues that I couldn’t parse (and don’t think ever would have) – the ‘steamed’ bit of BRIMSTONE, the Spoonerism of BUTTERFLY, the extremely clever PRODIGAL and the unknown ‘besom’. Having said that, I’m very happy to have correctly completed the grid.

    The hidden clues were excellent – MONGREL being my third last clue and then I could correct the errors that I had with DEBIT and CAMBER.

    The quintuple clue with RINGLET was just brilliant!

  58. A great and slightly sad treat. Thanks all. It felt like an Araucaria – it hadn’t occurred to me before that the choice of words in a grid could be distinctive of the setter.

  59. I think the clue for brimstone was funny and brilliant. Those who object protesteth too much and I suspect they are more embarrassed than angry!

    Too many people here think there is a set of rules…

  60. I found this a very pleasant, nostalgic solve but resorted to the blog to complete a final few (13, 17, 21). I cracked the theme very quickly but it took me a while to understand 25. Thank you John Graham, friend and Andrew.

  61. I’m very glad I saved this to savour today as intimated earlier.
    As the clues were written by Philestine it is to him that my very sincere thanks are directed.
    Like Tim Phillips (but unlike Sil, with whom I usually agree, and hedgehoggy, with whom I often disagree) I thought BRIMSTONE was both superb and Araucarian.
    Thank you again, Philestine, quite brilliant.
    As for the great man, he is, in no small part, responsible for my being a regular visitor to this site. Whilst a regular Guardian solver over four decades, it was John Graham’s death that determined me to make cruciverbalism a more central part of my life which accordingly embraced the glorious 225.
    How is it that we all feel we knew him (or at least the soul behind the artistry of crossword setting) and so miss him, particularly this week.
    Well done, the Guardian.

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