Guardian 26,454 by Rufus

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The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26454.

A fairly typical Rufus. I particularly liked 2D, 5D, 17D.

completed grid
Across
1 ALPHABETICAL
An order followed init­ially (12)
Cryptic definition.
8 RECTORY
Parson’s place has lines written on the right page (7)
A charade of RECTO (‘on the right page’) plus RY (railway ‘lines’).
9 TWIN-TUB
Succeed in race, then use bath primarily as a washing machine (4-3)
An envelope (‘in’) of WIN (‘succeed’) in TT (Isle of Man motorcycle ‘race’) plus U B (‘Use Bath primarily’).
11 NEEDLES
Do they have piercing eyes? Just the opposite (7)
Cryptic definition; in a hand needle (but not one for a sewing machine) the eye is at the opposite end to the piercing point.
12 REINS IN
Sinner I reformed pulls up, perhaps (5,2)
An anagram (‘reformed’) of ‘sinner I’.
13 NOTED
Made a record and was famous (5)
Double definition.
14 NESTLINGS
Slings net around birds not able to fly (9)
An anagram (‘around’) of ‘slings net’.
16 BILLBOARD
Money acquired by firm’s directors hoarding (9)
A charade of BILL (‘money’) plus BOARD (‘firm’s directors’).
19 RISEN
How bread’s gone up! (5)
Cryptic definition.
21 ATTRACT
Tact as well as art may be needed to draw (7)
An anagram (‘may be needed’?) of ‘tact’ plus ‘art’.
23 INSTEPS
How one may make progress on one’s feet (7)
Definition and literal interpretation (IN STEPS).
24 DOLLARS
Foreign money, fifties, invested in new roads (7)
An envelope (‘invested in’) of LL (Roman numerals, ‘fifties’) in DOARS, an anagram (new’) of ‘roads’.
25 SCRUPLE
Reservation has little weight (7)
Double definition.
26 UPHOLSTERERS
They restore plush to order (12)
An anagram (‘to order’) of ‘restore plush’, with an extended definition.
Down
1 ANCIENT
Article on foreign currency includes one that’s out of date (7)
An envelope (‘includes’) of I (‘one’) in AN (‘article’) plus CENT (‘foreign currency’).
2 PEOPLED
New Pope showed the way to be full of humanity (7)
A charade of PEOP, an anagram (‘new’) of ‘pope’ plus LED (‘showed the way’).
3 ABYSSINIA
Land a hole in one, an amazing start! (9)
A charade of ABYSS (‘a hole’) plus ‘in’ plus I (‘one’) plus A (‘an Amazing start’).
4 ENTER
Record a stage direction (5)
Double definition.
5 INITIAL
What’s in a name? This, for a start (7)
Somewhere between a cryptic and a double definition.
6 ARTISAN
Made a move to train as a mechanic (7)
An anagram (‘made a move to’) of ‘train as’.
7 IRONING BOARD
I call round on committee for help with pressing business (7,5)
An envelope (’round’) of ‘on’ in I RING (‘I call’) plus BOARD (‘committee’), with a dubious cryptic definition. See Rog @1.
10 BEND SINISTER
Bred in sin, set about showing one’s pedigree? (4,8)
An anagram (‘about’) of ‘bred in sin set’
15 SIDE ISSUE
Team result of little importance (4,5)
Definition and literal interpretation.
17 LET SLIP
Unintentionally reveal something? Spell it out! (3,4)
An anagram (‘out’) of ‘spell it’.
18 BRAVADO
Boasting about a number well done (7)
An envelope (‘about’) of ‘a’ plus D (Roman 500, ‘number’) in BRAVO (‘well done’).
19 RESERVE
Book is in stock (7)
Double definition.
20 SHERPAS
Phrases articulated by Himalayans (7)
An anagram (‘articulated’) of ‘phrases’.
22 TASKS
Model requests jobs (5)
A charade of T (‘model’) plus ASKS (‘requests’).
*anagram

33 comments on “Guardian 26,454 by Rufus”

  1. Thanks, PeterO. Isn’t the definition in 7dn ‘help with pressing business’? That makes it slightly less dubious in my book. I didn’t like the repeated use of ‘board’ though.

  3. I don’t think you chaps can do much pressing or you’d know what a help an ironing board is!

    Having finished the puzzle I now have absolutely no excuse not to get on with my tax return, so wish it had been harder…

    Thanks to Rufus and PeterO anyway.

  5. Quite a straightforward Rufus this time, but quite a pleasant start to my day in the office. It’s not often that I finish a crossword before starting work but I did have more time than usual due to the vagaries of Christmas bus services. Last in was SCRUPLE. ABYSSINIA could have done with an indicator that the land is historic. Wonder whether anyone else was introduced to the phrase “BEND SINISTER” when it was used as the title of an 80s album by The Fall…

    Thanks to Rufus and PeterO

  7. Thanks Rufus and PeterO
    Easy but very enjoyable – would have made a good Quiptic, I think. I loved UPHOLSTERERS, IRONING BOARD and LET SLIP. I did have the same little quibble about ABYSSINIA that beery hiker mentioned @5.

  8. All good Rufusian stuff. I didn’t mind IRONING BOARD at all – thought it was fine. Last in was ALPHABETICAL – was staring at that for ages. Thanks to Rufus and PeterO.

  9. Wordplay in 9A misled me — I though the leading T was unclued having parsed as: WIN=succeed in race,TUB=”then use bath primarily”. Thanks for the clarification!

  10. There’s nothing wrong with the IRONING BOARD clue in structure I think, it’s just that annoying ‘Rufusism’ to have a ‘witty’ definition.

    Generally annoying, can’t see why ‘was’ is in 13, wrong tense at 10D, etc, but I really don’t like this sort of thing, i.e. anagrams and AWFUL cryptic defs, any more. It’s SO old hat! Of course the Rufusians always shout ‘it has to be easy because that is his brief, you know’, but surely there has to be a way to bring ‘easy’ up-to-date.

    Happy Xmas and New Year by the way!

  11. I liked the fortuitous ‘couplings’ of BILLBOARD with IRONING BOARD, ALPHABETICAL with INITIAL, BEND SINISTER with SCRUPLE and UPHOLSTERERS with TASKS.

    I have really enjoyed these puzzles this year, thank you Rufus, and thank you PeterO for all the blogs.

  13. Didn’t time myself but this must have been one of my quickest-ever solves – since Rufus usually leaves me staring at a couple of cds that do not compute, this was a surprise.

    IRONING BOARD was a clever clue spoilt only by the need to shoehorn in ‘on’; the preposition doesn’t read naturally in the surface.

  14. Thanks Rufus for your last one in 2014, I presume.

    Thanks PeterO, I didn’t know BEND SINISTER or the little weighty SCRUPLE.

    I liked the UPHOLSTERERS and ABYSSINIA. Like drofle @8, my LOI was ALPHABETICAL.

  15. I enjoyed this Rufus – I don’t always – and thought 7dn was a lovely clue. Rufus at his best is full of wit (like the dear Reverend). I am sorry you don’t like that hedgehoggy (is there anything you do like?) but a smile when solving is part of the fun for me.

  16. Of course there is! You should check out my posts, they’re not necessarily negative about the Guardian stuff. BUT: if it’s a lemon I do like to fill my boots. With Rufus you can’t really hit it for a technical six as usually the technique is all right, but that’s not the only thing that helps towards a good solve for me.

    In 7D I agree with Trailman, who gets it right.

  18. One of my quickest solves too. I had no problem with IRONING BOARD. I missed the parsing for RECTORY,so thanks for that. I liked ATTRACT and BEND SINISTER but I can’t say I disliked anything here. Just right for a post festive Monday.
    Thanks Rufus

  19. Re 7D, I thought the surface read fine – and generally Rufus’s surface readings are beautifully smooth. I liked the puzzle, thanks Rufus and PeterO

  21. Well thanks Cookie! You seem very fair-minded.

    I’m a fan of Orlando actually, who always for me writes very fluently. Don’t think I’ve ever seen a bad one from him. He’s like Dac in The Indy, where the tech is generally better in any case.

  23. Fair enough. But if Rufus had used the Hans Christian Anderson/flaky pastry clue there would no doubt have been more than a few sniffy remarks…

  25. Also, I really can’t see why you have a problem with that clue. One def, an anagram, another def: what is wrong with it?

    Yes the construction is unusual, but not THAT uncommon!

  29. Yippee

    My second fully solved cryptic! I know its nothing great but I do get a buzz.

    Struggled with Bend sinister but after that it was steady away. Liked twintub.

  32. Thanks Rufus and PeterO

    New for me was BEND SINISTER.

    I failed to solve 25a SCRUPLE and needed help to parse 8a.

    My favourite was 7d.

  33. Thanks Rufus and PeterO

    Found a pile of Christmas 2014 period puzzles not done … and trying to fit them in with current ones !!

    A typical Rufus which took just ove a quarter of an hour last night before switching off the light. Interesting to be reading the hedgehoggy comments again after so long – hope that he is doing well !!! :))

    Finished with SCRUPLE and RESERVE down in the SE corner.

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