Guardian 26,466 – Rufus (updated from placeholder)

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Due to some nasty delays at the airport I won’t be able to blog until 2pm (UK) or so, but discuss away!

Blog now updated – thanks for the comments, and the good wishes.

Found this both easier and more fun than usual for Rufus, most likely because I was, for once, on the right wavelength for most of the many cryptic and double defs. Favourites were 13dn and 21dn…

…several people in the comments have noted a possible sporting connection:

1ac SCRATCH means a sporting handicap; 5ac mentions the batsman; 19ac has a sporting (football?) surface; 22ac is tennis; 3dn is a basketball/rugby term for changing possession; 6dn mentions golf and boxing; 16dn is golf again, 21dn is about exercise, and 24dn (and 2dn?) links to horse racing… and you could even connect 26ac’s “court” to 22’s tennis, or TRADE UNION to rugby

Across
1 SCRATCH
Minor injury is no handicap (7)
=”Minor injury”; also =of a competitor, having “no handicap”
5 GRACED
Well-known batsman gets 500 and is honoured (6)
=”honoured”. W.G. GRACE [wiki] is the “Well-known batsman”, plus D=500 in Roman numerals.
9 EMIGRANT
He settles abroad with English road permit (8)
=”He settles abroad”. E[nglish], plus MI=M1=”road” plus GRANT=”permit”
10 TURN IN
Give up and go to bed (4,2)
=”Give up” to the authorities; also =”go to bed”
12 NOTHING DOING
Idle? Definitely not! (7,5)
=”Idle?”, doing nothing; also =”Definitely not!”
15 PERCENTAGE
Cut in decimal rates (10)
=”Cut”, a share of the profits; also =”decimal rates”, with rate in the sense of ‘proportion’, and ‘decimal’ meaning something like ‘to do with powers of 10 – and in particular, 100’… or maybe ‘numeric [and in base 10, e.g. 12.5%], and therefore not a fraction [1/8] or a ratio [1:7]…’
17 UNA
One seen in France with a girl
=”girl”. UN=”One” in French, plus A
19 END
Stop a goal (3)
=”Stop”, put an END to; also =”goal”, acting towards an END
20 CENTIMETRE
Short measure I encountered in the middle of town (10)
=”Short measure”. I MET=”I encountered”, in CENTRE=”middle of town”
22 DOUBLE FAULTS
Repeated mistakes by servicemen (6,6)
cryptic definition – “servicemen” as in tennis players on serve
26 CLIENT
Patron with a legal right in court (6)
=”Patron”, a customer. LIEN=”legal right” in C[our]T
27 ECSTATIC
Note a hundred still in rapture (8)
=”rapture”. E=musical “Note”, plus C=”hundred” in Roman numerals, plus STATIC=”still”
28 SANITY
One has no reason to want it (6)
cryptic definition – if “One has no reason”, then one is wanting for SANITY
29 RESIDUE
New rise to be paid now? Remains to be seen (7)
=”Remains to be seen”. (rise)* plus DUE=”to be paid now”
Down
1 SEEM
Appear to make a sound joint (4)
=”Appear”. Sounds like ‘seam’=”joint”
2 RAIL
Track a bird (4)
=”Track”; also =a family of “bird”
3 TURNOVER
Amount of business produced by a pie (8)
=”Amount of business produced”; also =”a pie”
4 HUNCH
Richard III had this premonition (5)
=”Richard III had this”; also =”premonition”
6 ROUNDS
Golfing or boxing circles? (6)
=”Golfing or boxing” which are both made up of ROUNDS; also =”circles?”
7 CONTINUITY
Sequence that needs to be checked when shooting film (10)
(not particularly) cryptic definition
8 DENIGRATED
Libelled, but need it drag out like this? (10)
=”Libelled”. (need it drag)*
11 KNIGHT
Titled person on the board (6)
=”Titled person”; also =chess piece “on the board”
13 APPENDICES
Writer’s additions that may be cut out in the theatre (10)
=”Writer’s additions”; also cryptically =”may be cut out in the [operating] theatre”
14 TRADE UNION
Working association involves routine and order (5,5)
=”Working association”. (routine and)*
16 TEE OFF
Start driving, of course (3,3)
cryptic defition – to begin driving (striking the ball) on a golf course
18 IMITATES
Takes off meat — it is cooked (8)
=”Takes off”. (meat it is)*
21 PLANET
Way in exercise to produce a heavenly body! (6)
=”a heavenly body”. LANE=”Way” in P[hysical] T[herapy]=”exercise”
23 ULCER
Cruel doctor causes pain (5)
=”causes pain”. (Cruel)*
24 STUD
Boss’s education cut short (4)
=”Boss”=knob. STUD[y]=”education cut short”
25 ACNE
Name expert seen about skin problem (4)
=”skin problem”. N[ame], with ACE=”expert” around it

54 comments on “Guardian 26,466 – Rufus (updated from placeholder)”

  2. Many thanks, manehi. Must be jolly trying for you. My life too seems to be one of endless flight problems these days.

    Fairly usual fare from Rufus this morning.

    Not quite sure what he had in mind with the seemingly uncryptic CONTINUITY. I think the problem is we’re all so used to “sequence” in the film context referring to “scene”. This loses the cryptic element of the clue, I think.

    Otherwise mighty quick but nonetheless enjoyable bully-off.

    Nice week, all.

  3. Hi manehi
    Hope that you get home soon.

    Thanks Rufus
    I thought that this highlighted Rufus’s strengths and weaknesses. There were some lovely clues (for example RESIDUE, APPENDICES, IMITATES, PLANET and ULCER), but the “cryptic definition” for KNIGHT might have easily (without crossers) have been BISHOP, and there was an uncharacteristically rough surface for 25d – “New expert seen about skin problem” would have made more sense as a surface.

    I’ll have to wait for the explanation for PERCENTAGE – is a a double definition?

  4. Pretty straightforward Rufus (although not many anagrams). I also thought CONTINUITY was the weakest clue. I liked NOTHING DOING.
    Good luck, manehi!

  5. Muffin @3
    Percentage is a CUT of the box office that a performer may expect as part of the fee. I.E., one may be on £5,000 plus 3% of nett takings.

  6. Just quickly on PERCENTAGE – I read it as a double def, with “cut”=share of=PERCENTAGE and with “decimal” reading as something like “not as a fraction or a ratio”.

  7. @5 and 6
    Thanks – though I had seen the “cut” definition. I wasn’t clear whether the rest was a second definition, or “decimal” = “percent” and “rates” (somehow!) gives “age”.

  8. This was an enjoyable Monday morning workout. My favourites were DOUBLE FAULTS, NOTHING DOING & GRACED (LOI).

    Thank you Rufus, and manehi I hope that your flight problem gets sorted out soon

  10. i also see “percentage” as double def

    1/ percentage = cut/share
    2/ decimal rate as opposed to quarter, half, three quarters, two thirds etc

  12. I didn’t think about PERCENTAGE very much as it was so obviously the solution but on consideration it doesn’t present some difficulties. But, as I’ve said before, if you get the answer the compiler intended from the clue quite easily, it’s not clear that the clue is bad!
    I thought this was quite straightforward and enjoyable- and Rufus is what what he is!
    Hope the flight problems resolve themselves.
    Thanks Rufus

  13. David Mop * 10: I was bothered by this too, but it works if you think of a client as a customer patronising a business, rather than a patron sponsoring a client.

  15. Thanks Rufus and manehi.

    Being in my second childhood (see rcwhiting @1) I really enjoyed this puzzle managing to float through for once like a grown up. The Quiptic today is more of a challenge.

    I liked TURNOVER and, especially, APPENDICES.

    Do hope you manage to get some lunch manehi.

  16. I enjoyed this one, thanks Rufus. The CDs and DDs were definitely more hit than miss today.

    I took PERCENTAGE as a cryptic definition, though it is bit vague as it really should be hundreds rather than tens (decimal).

    Hope you get home soon manehi.

  22. Fairly straightforward as usual, but I’m afraid Rufus is showing his age today – I’m not sure how many of the TwentyTwenty generation would consider Grace a well-known cricketer. I didn’t help myself by writing centimeter but 8d cleared that up. Last in was GRACED.

    Thanks to Rufus and manehi (I’m sure the blog will be worth waiting for)

  23. Could someone explain the Monday crossword situation to me, please? We have the Cryptic, which is generally Rufus, and we have the Quiptic, whose nature I don’t understand at all; it just seems to be a standard, but slightly easier, Cryptic. If they are going to single any one out with a different name, should it not be these offerings from Rufus, which are distinctly different from the usual fare, in their high proportion of double or cute definitions?

    And while I am on my soapbox, how can we tell the Guardian that to place a flashing or constantly changing ad next to the online crossword grid only makes one want to give up the crossword and boycott the advertiser?!

  24. RogerBear @23
    Most Mondays at least one person (often me!) says of the Quiptic “harder than today’s Rufus”. However a Rufus isn’t generally a typical cryptic, so perhaps wouldn’t be as good a “practice” as the Quiptic for the mainstream cryptics.

  25. RogerBear @23 – would you pay for an online crossword without the annoying adverts? If not, just remember that without the adverts the web service would be prohibitively expensive. You can always resize your browser screen to hide the adverts anyway.

    The Monday Rufus has been around for many more years than either the online crossword or the Quiptic, and the Quiptic does not appear in the printed paper (which some of us still buy).

  26. Re PERCENTAGE, PeeDee has it right @16 – percentages are in no particular sense ‘decimal’, and often appear with fractions attached – eg 33 1/3% for one-third, far more practical than the ‘decimal’ equivalent 33.333… recurring. As a former (very former) maths teacher, that rankles, and delayed insertion of what could only have been the answer.

    Otherwise, NE corner held me up a bit, CONTINUITY not helping.

  27. In defence of my colleague, I would say that Dr W.G. Grace is a very significant historical figure for cricketers, and others, of all ages. None of this silly nonsense please about the goodly Rufus showing his age! Long may WGG live on! We crossword setters are here to represent pretty well a universality of cultural contexts: sport, science, religion, history, geography,…, not just the transient trendy stuff (though we might include a bit of that too).

  29. Pasquale says:
    January 12th, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    In defence of my colleague, I would say that Dr W.G. Grace is a very significant historical figure for cricketers, and others, of all ages. None of this silly nonsense please about the goodly Rufus showing his age! Long may WGG live on! We crossword setters are here to represent pretty well a universality of cultural contexts: sport, science, religion, history, geography,…, not just the transient trendy stuff (though we might include a bit of that too).

    But the truth is he does show his age – as do you and many others among the mostly old and mostly male setters who dominate the national press. A bit more of what you call the ‘transient trendy stuff’ (ie things that have happened since 1960) might help make crosswords more relevant and accessible to a younger audience.

  30. I take it you are all blind as bats? Otherwise why has no one pointed this out yet? The skeleton of Richard III has been widely viewed in the media since it’s discovery. Whilst it is clear that he did indeed have a deformity of the back, that was clearly due to scoliosis, which has nothing to do with a hunchback which is the condition known as kyphosis. So 4d is wrong.

    No doubt someone will mention common usage, but I can’t see why. We proved the world was not flat and that it was ceased to be common knowledge. We, the whole world, have now seen the Tudor propaganda to be a lie, hence it can also no longer be considered to be knowledge, common or otherwise.

  31. Derek @30
    It did cross my mind to mention it, though not on the basis of the skeleton – I don’t consider that to be proved beyond doubt to be that of Richard.
    Polydore Vergil has a lot to answer for!

  32. Pasquale @27 – I’m happy to accept responsibility for my “silly nonsense” and I apologise for any offence it may have caused – the comment was intended as a light-hearted throwaway, but maybe that wasn’t clear.

    I welcome any references to cricket history and I much prefer test cricket to 20/20, but I would have thought “legendary”, “old” or “former” would have been less misleading than “well known” to those whose cricket knowledge is shallower…

  33. Easy enough fare from Rufus this morning, but generally well-constructed; and the ‘easy’ bit is what he’s paid/requested to do.

    I think GRACE as ‘well-known batsman’ is fair enough. He was a cheating son of a ***** but he is certainly well-known.

    If you want clues reflecting a more popular and up-to-date culture, then wait for the next Tramp puzzle to come along. And Arachne, now that she is back with us. Or try the Indy puzzle: Rorschach, Donk, and others are male, but certainly not old.

    For me the clue to 13dn doesn’t work, because if you have more than one appendix in a book, they are APPENDICES; if a surgeon takes out more than one appendix in a day, he’s taken out APPENDIXES. Style guides give this usage, and I’d always make the distinction. Cue someone telling me ‘Chambers says …’ And as any fule kno, Chambers is always, invariably and without exception right …

    Thanks to S&B (especially the B).

  34. [Some years ago, a Guardian writer used the term “as any fule kno”. I polled the staff common room in the school where I was teaching, and no-one else understood the reference. I wrote to the journalist, who bemoaned the state of education, but awarded me an extra week’s holiday from St. Custard’s.]

  35. RogerBear @ 23 You could install Adblock plus or something similar in your browser, as an add-on so these annoying ads will be suppressed.

  36. I enjoyed this very much, so, again, can we cut out the sniping about it being too easy. Shall I start sending in long sarcastic blogs for the ones I find too dificult?

    I liked a number of clues, eg 12a.

    I did wonder about 4d but thought it was common lore, even if proven untrue.

    I did not like 15a, although the answer was obvious. Percentage = cut is fair enough. However percentage is based on 100, hence the name. Decimal is based on 10, ditto.

  37. K’sD @33: Chambers actually gives both plurals, but makes no distinction between the literary and medical appendixes/ces.

    PERCENTAGE does seem very clunky – “decimal rates” to me would give “PERCENTAGES”, plural. Unless I misread it somehow.

  39. We were happy with this – as we are with all the Guardian crosswords. Some are more of a challenge than others, some have ‘tighter’ clues than others, but we like the variety. And we have improved our success-rate since reading the helpful comments on this blog. Can’t stand the moaners, though, and I wish they could be more positive!

  40. Guardian @39 Hear, Hear! I for one enjoy having Rufus on a Monday, it’s a pleasant and very enjoyable way to limber up for the crosswords later in the week. Long live the Monday Rufus cryptic.

  41. @beery hiker 25, I am of course perfectly aware of the importance of ads in keeping these sites free. And I have no problem with 95% of the ads on the Guardian site; indeed, they are often for things that interest me a lot. But flashing ads on this page seem new, and as an expatriate doing the crosswords on my iPad, where you can’t resize the screen, their annoyance spoils the crossword and actually reverses the success of the ad.

  43. As I have said a few times I am a tyro, so I was pleased to finish Rufus today. Started with Rail and finished with Residue so a little alliteration there. A few more moaners than usual. Any one with a passing knowledge of Lancashire topography will know Billinge from Billinge Hill, so I’d best not mention the angst from Lazenby. It was along time ago and time should heal. Many thanks to Rufus and all.

  44. I wish the moaners would be more constructive certainly, though no obligation to be positive.

    The comments sections would be a bit pointless if only positive comments are allowed.

    I was struck today about how little moaning there was (RCW excepted of course, bless him).

  45. I also – rather perversely – like the moaners. It makes for a rich tapestry of comments. It would be rather boring if everyone said something to the effect of “jolly nice puzzle!” every day (which is more or less what I tend to do).

  46. I suppose the issue is the distinction between moaning and discussing…I don’t really see how anyone can moan about a free puzzle set by a setter with no rule book to which to refer. The goal is to fill up a grid with letters that agree with the setter’s intention; and have some fun on the way.

    In that respect I don’t think I have ever been let down!

  48. Thanks Rufus and manehi

    Every so often. Rufus will serve up a puzzle that is a bit easier than his normal fare – this was certainly one of them! I don’t think it is a good or a bad thing – it’s just what gets delivered. For what it’s worth – I still enjoyed it. Had no problem with the correctness of any clue – didn’t have to correct any of them. GRACED was the last in too.

  49. Bit late to this…didn’t get an opportunity for my Rufus fix yesterday so I saved the paper & have just done it. Enjoyed it, not really very difficult – & as a relative newcomer to the world of cryptic I enjoyed being able to write lots in on my first look through!! Re WGG – I got that…I’m 38 on Thursday – does that make me part of the TwentyTwenty gen?! I don’t know!! And RogerBear @23, have you an opportunity to print it off? I do that if I don’t have the paper…my crossword brain seems to work better when I’ve a pen in my hand anyway!! Just a thought…

    Thanks Rufus, for making this crossword duffbag feel quite accomplished! & happy Tuesday everyone!

  50. Once again im wholeheartedly in the positive comment camp. I really look forward to mondays puzzle set by the super rufus. Its always the usual suspects that are the moaners with their tired repetition of complaints. If they continuously find it so easy why on earth do they bother? Or is it so they can once more crow about their intellectual prowess to the rest of us inferior lot? Yawn. Go rufus!!

  51. LilSho @49 – “Re WGG – I got that…I’m 38 on Thursday – does that make me part of the TwentyTwenty gen?!”. I’m 48, so no spring chicken, and my earliest serious memories of cricket are from 1975 – add ten years to that and you’re in the Botham/Gower era, long before 20/20 started.

    I suppose I was generalising, but for me I suppose it comes down to what form of the game you were first exposed to (unfortunately in my case that must be the 40-over John Player League, which used to be on proper TV on Sunday afternoons, but I was following “proper cricket” (tests and the County Championship) by 1977). So it’s a bit similar to the question whether one’s first exposure to the Guardian crossword was on paper or online.

  52. I was pleased to get within one clue of completing the grid, for some reason Centimetre eluded me, why I’ll never know. The question I have is around 14 down. I understand a “Working Association” is a Trade Union, not sure about routine and order, I guess routine is working is trade and order is Association is Union? Is that it?

  54. A bit late however many thanks, this is like asking the Apple Support line for help, when they explain it, it is so obvious. Again many thanks.

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