The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26602.
This one gave me more trouble than Paul’s offerings have recently; I had the right half finished before getting anything in the left, and the NW quadrant was last of all.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BLOATER |
Fatty fish (7)
Somewhere between a cryptic definition and a double definition. |
| 5 | LOOK-SEE |
“Fail” about right, poor grade for examination (4-3)
An envelope (‘about’) of OK (‘right’) on LOSE (‘fail’) plus E (‘low grade’). |
| 9 | ALIBI |
Defence shown by boxer with giant cut (5)
A charade of ALI (‘boxer’) plus BI[g] (‘giant’) without its last letter (‘cut’). |
| 10 |
See 26
|
|
| 11 | DONALD DUCK |
Character billed as land devastated — do nothing about it (6,4)
An envelope (‘about it’) of NALD, a anagram (‘devastated’) of ‘land’ in ‘do’ plus DUCK (‘nothing’). |
| 12 | THOR |
Spike Milligan’s back scrubbed? God! (4)
THOR[n] (‘spike’) without the N (‘MilligaN‘s back scrubbed’). |
| 14 | JAM TOMORROW |
Expectation of rush hour delays, an empty promise? (3,8)
Definition and literal interpretation. |
| 18 | TEST MATCHES |
Demonstrate that it’s possible to light up games (4,7)
Definition and literal interpretation. |
| 21 | CHAT |
Bird jaw (4)
Double definition. |
| 22 | PLASTICINE |
In ecstasy after short film packages endure? That’s the stuff of Wallace and Gromit (10)
An envelope (‘packages’) of LAST (‘endure’) in PIC (‘short film’) plus ‘in’ plus E (‘ecstasy’). |
| 25 | LABORIOUS |
Tough promises by Miliband’s lot, or … (9)
LABOR IOUS. Has Paul crossed the pond? There is a ‘say’ on the far side of the ellipsis – at a distance, and it hardly applies in any case. Also, ‘Milliband’s lot’ shall we say does not have the force it once did. |
| 26,10 | PETER PRINCIPLE |
… safe leader, say, rising to a height of incompetence, as a rule (5,9)
A charade of PETER (‘safe’) plus PRINCIPLE, a homophone (‘say’) of PRINCIPAL (‘leader’). I represent that remark. |
| 27 | RELATED |
Similar, it’s told (7)
Double definition. |
| 28 | LARGELY |
Dutch painter admits not all of art good, in general (7)
An envelope (‘admits’) of ‘ar[t]’ without its last letter (‘not all’) plus G (‘good’) in LELY (Peter, 17th century ‘Dutch painter’). |
| Down | ||
| 1 | BRANDY |
Mark Antony’s extreme spirit (6)
A charade of BRAND (‘mark’) plus Y (‘AntonY‘s extreme’). |
| 2 | ONIONS |
Bulbs shining, these charged (6)
A charade of ON (‘shining’) plus IONS (‘these charged’). |
| 3 | TRIPLE JUMP |
Journey ends in the hajj, entering mass event (6,4)
An envelope (‘entering’) of EJ (‘ends in thE hajJ‘) in TRIP (‘journey’) plus LUMP (‘mass’). |
| 4 | RAPID |
Fleet seeks power in attack (5)
An envelope (‘in’) of P (‘power’) in RAID (‘attack’). |
| 5 | LOINCLOTH |
Pass up around hip, unwilling to go lower for wrap-around garment (9)
An envelope (‘around’) of IN (‘hip’) in LOC, a reversal (‘up’ in a down light) of COL (‘pass’) plus LOTH (‘unwilling’). ‘to go lower’ emphasises the order of the particles, and there is the suggestion of an extended definition. |
| 6 | ORCA |
Black and white beast turning up in zebra crossing (4)
A hidden reversed answer (‘turning up’) in ‘zebrA CROssing |
| 7 | SAPPHIRE |
Stone — rock perhaps describing one (8)
An envelope (‘describing’) of I (‘one’) in SAPPHRE, an anagram (‘rock’) of ‘perhaps’. |
| 8 | EYEBROWS |
A couple faced listening to what a cow says she does? (8)
A homophone (‘listenig to’) of I BROWSE (‘what a cow says she does’). |
| 13 | WORSHIPPER |
Queue up with overseas trader for prayer (10)
A charade of WOR, a reversal (‘up’ in a down light) of ROW (‘queue’) plus SHIPPER (‘overseas trader’). |
| 15 | METALLOID |
Arsenic, for example, in it: old meal poisoned (9)
An anagram (‘poisoned’) of ‘it old meal’. |
| 16 | STICKLER |
Perfectionist, model ultimately wearing label (8)
An envelope (‘wearing’) of L (‘modeL ultimately’) in STICKER (‘label’). |
| 17 | ISTANBUL |
Transcontinental location, a Butlins resort (8)
An anagram (‘resort’) of ‘a Butlins’. |
| 19 | LITTLE |
Minor left among offspring, having bottom wiped (6)
An envelope (‘among’) of L (‘left’) in LITTE[r] (‘offspring’) without its last letter (‘having bottom wiped’). |
| 20 | HEARTY |
At sea, tar yeh? (6)
An anagram (‘at sea’) of ‘tar yeh’, &lit. |
| 23 | SISAL |
Fibre found in legumes is a lot (5)
A hidden answer (‘found in’) in ‘legumeS IS A Lot’.
|
| 24 | GRIT |
Bits of stone balls (4)
Double definition. |
Thanks, PeterO. Yes, it yielded rather slowly. Needed parsing help with 22a, 5d and 8d. Thanks, Paul.
Should have added: a ‘cracking’ puzzle!
Thanks Peter. JAM TOMORROW went in within a minute: it had all the smooth style this setter is famous for. Nothing LABORIOUS about the rest, except parsing that clue – I had similar troubles to yours. Favourite was 8D. Thanks Paul.
Re 25A, I assumed it was LAB + OR + IOUS, with ‘by’ helping the logic along.
Got there in the end, although I was almost tempted to give up on solving 6 clues in the top half. New words for me included JAM TOMORROW, Wallace & Gromit, PETER PRINCIPLE, METALLOID and I needed help to parse 26/10 and 7d.
My favourites were 25a, 5d, 11a, 3d, 12.
Thank you Paul and Peter.
Thanks Paul and PeterO
Slow start but rapid finish. FOI was my favourite – THORN. I also liked ISTANBUL.
I had LABORIOUS as molonglo @4, but I wasn’t entirely happy with it, as the construction seems to give “labiousor”.
26,10 and 15 were a bit “general knowledgy”, I thought. The former was easy if you had heard of the principle (as I had), but I could imagine that it would be impenetrable if you hadn’t. Nice to have a scientific reference in the latter, though.
23d was an uncharacteristically clumsy construction for Paul.
THOR(n) of course!
Medium-hard work for me, but got there in the end. Couldn’t parse SAPPHIRE (cleverly clued). Favourites were DONALD DUCK, EYEBROWS, PLASTICINE and TEST MATCHES. Many thanks to Paul and PeterO.
Well, for once I found this on of Paul’s easiest – must have been on his wavelength today.
I am with molonglo on LABORIOUS.
Thanks Paul and peter
With regards to 25 across I also parsed it as molonglo@4. I see what muffin@6 is saying but I interpreted the clue as follows. “Miliband’s lot, or” gives LAB OR. If you say “X by Y” you can interpret it as “X next to Y” and therefore as YX. Given that, “Promises” (IOUS) by “Miliband’s lot” gives LAB OR IOUS. So I read it as the “by” suggesting that the “IOUS” should go after the “LAB OR”.
In general another excellent puzzle from Paul and a great blog from PeterO; many thanks to both!
Rick.
Apologies. I should have said “Promises” (IOUS) by “Miliband’s lot, or” gives LAB OR IOUS.
Thanks Paul and PeterO.
I did not know the Dutch painter, see that he spent most of his adult life in England, and had to refresh my memory by googling the Peter Principle.
I parsed LABORIOUS as LAB OR with IOUS ‘by’.
Favourite was THOR, and I also liked, PLASTICINE, LOINCLOTH, LITTLE, GRIT and EYEBROWS.
Rick @10,11, has explained what I was trying to say about LABORIOUS better.
An enjoyable puzzle, nicely pitched for me – difficult enough to give some morning mental exercise but not too much of a struggle. My favourites are DONALD DUCK, THOR, JAM TOMORROW, TEST MATCHES and SAPPHIRE.
I also parsed LABORIOUS as IOUS “by” (beside, or close to) LAB OR. I think the presence of the US spelling of LABO(U)R is just a coincidence, though it does add a little helpful (to the compiler) misdirection.
Thanks to Paul and PeterO.
Good morning, and thanks PeterO.
First read through yielded scant pickings. Unluckily DONALD DUCK and the Wallace & Gromit clue were among the first to yield so assumed it was a theme, doh.
LOOK SEE took ages and I’m not wild about BLOATER – one sees the connection readily enough so no complaints, but I can’t quite see how it works as a double def.
I learn that the principle in question is accredited to Lawrence J Peter who states that “the selection of a candidate for a position is based on the candidate’s performance in their current role, rather than on abilities relevant to the intended role”. This is one of those statements which is so staggeringly obvious and true from experience, that one is left wondering how it continues to endure to this day.
Hey-ho, mercifully I have now left the greasy pole to others and can observe and enjoy their undignified squabblings and wranglings from a safe distance!
Enjoyable crossword, thank you Paul.
Nice weekend, all.
Hi,
I’m probably being dense, but can anyone tell me why PETER = safe?
Thanks to Paul and PeterO
Thanks Paul for an entertaining puzzle; I got a bit stuck on the NE corner.
Thanks also to PeterO. I didn’t know the PETER PRINCIPLE, although I’ve seen many instances of it. I guess not many knew of LELY, although maybe that’s just me being ignorant.
I particularly enjoyed DONALD DUCK and EYEBROWS. I wasn’t entirely sure about browse for cows but I found this: ‘Cows both graze and browse, but they are definitely more “grazers” than “browsers” ‘
Matt @16
Underworld slang. A “peterman” is a safe-breaker. I don’t know its origin, though.
Matt @16; Peter=safe is a bit of a crossword chestnut. It’s in Chambers as slang. I must say I’ve never heard anyone using it in the real world!
As many theories as theorists, it appears! See
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061006145400AApnZJk
Also elsewhere I’ve seen it as Cockney rhyming slang for Peter Pan = this seems even more tenuous.
Wiki gives this: ’17th century slang for a safe, cash box. My ODE gives peter=safe as archaic
Sorry – Peter Pan = can
Thanks Paul and PeterO
A quick google suggest that PETER = SAFE comes from Cockney rhyming slang: Peter Pan = Can + (Wall) Safe. I’ve never come across iy used on its own, but am certainly aware of PETERMAN = SAFEBREAKER from fiction of the Holmes or Wimsey ilk.
hth
@15
The double definition at 1a isn’t very controversial:
bloater (?bl??t?)
n
1. (Cookery) a herring, or sometimes a mackerel, that has been salted in brine, smoked, and cured
2. Brit a fat or greedy person
Collins English Dictionary
As a US solver I was doubtful about LABORIOUS until I finally gave up on the “u.” PETER PRINCIPLE jumped out at me, but I was slow to spot the browsing cow and the “perhaps” anagram for SAPPHIRE (that misdirection worked on me) – and JAM TOMORROW is not in my mental phrase book. Still, a very enjoyable exercise. Thanks to Paul and PeterO.
Thanks Paul and Peter0. Slow start but sped up before finally completing the NW.
Made all the more enjoyable for the fact that I am staying with my elderly father, and I have finished while he hasn’t. This despite the fact that I told him that he had introduced me to the 26, 10.
Peter = safe: is that where “Robbing Peter to pay Paul” comes from? (alternatively I had thought the derivation was robbing St Peter’s Westminster to pay for the building of St Paul’s).
Marienkaefer @26
“Robbing Peter to pay Paul” was one of the many possible origins given on the link I posted @20. I must say that none of them seemed very convincing, though as a scientist I prefer the “saltpetre” offer.
Muffin @26 – thanks: I hadn’t followed the link. Safe (ho ho) to say that no one really has a clue where the expression comes from.
Thanks all
I liked eyebrows, triple jump and Thor.
Last in was brandy because I couldn’t get past Brando!
Thought this was going to be one of Paul’s trickier ones, but it yielded nicely once a few crossers were in place and was enjoyable as ever. Last in was the groanworthy EYEBROWS. Only the painter LELY was unfamiliar, and that was quite guessable. Liked ISTANBUL.
Thanks to Paul and PeterO
ACD @25.
Jam tomorrow deriv is here (but probably not coined by LC) – though I never until now knew how clever it was.
From Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass (1871), where Alice is offered “jam to-morrow and jam yesterday — but never jam to-day”. This is a pun on a mnemonic for the usage of iam in Latin (note i/j conflation in Latin spelling), which means “now”, but only in the future or past tense, not in the present (which is instead nunc).
Thanks PeterO and Paul
I forgot to mention that, although THOR was my FOI, I had Googled to see if PITO(n) was an obscure god!
On first read through I just had a couple of down answers but a bit of perseverance from WORSHIPPER led to the others going in without too much trouble. Biggest problem was spelling PLASTICINE with an E for the last I, hence LITTLE was last in. Couldn’t parse it either, misled by the CINE being something to do with ‘short film’.
Didn’t know Lely was Dutch, what with all those portraits of adenoidal English aristocrats. Loved the stuff of Wallace and Grommit (love Wallace and Grommit, in fact!). Elsewhere, Paul seems quite Rufous in the DD dept today ????
Enjoyable as ever, though. Thanks Paul&Peter….
I thought this was one of Paul’s easier puzzles. The only one I had trouble with was LOOK SEE which was my LOI. But the parsing was easy enough once I’d written it in. As to PETER. So far as I know this is rhyming slang for “can” ie “metal container”. I’ve also heard it applied to a prison cell- which is also a metal container/can. Anyway,PETER PRINCIPLE was surely very straightforward given crossword convention.
Anyway,all most enjoyable.
Thanks Paul.
Query from a non-UK speller. I have no trouble adjusting to labour, rancour, ardour, vigour down the alphabet to favour (all of which were just highlighted in my US spell check), but what about motor and (I think) visor? Obviously, the “ou” does not pertain in every situation, so what distinction am I missing?
ACD, it goes back to word origins, our ending derive from French eur endings. We keep the u as a pronunciation guide. You have color, but it isn’t exactly pronounced coll-or is it. colour is closer.
Derek@37: Thanks for the explanation. I assumed the spelling had something to do with derivation, but I was thinking Latin, not French (an equivalent to a compilers misdirection?). Yes, the eur-our makes good sense – and you are right about my pronunciation of colour-color.
ACD @36; I’m no etymologist but the -or in motor and visor are pronounced in my neck of the woods like ‘or.’ As Derek says, harbour and ardour endings sound more like ‘er’ or ‘eur.’
Herb @24
Ah…didn’t know that second def, perfectly fine clue therefore.
PS This gives me the the opportunity to apologise for my bizarre post of a couple of weeks ago. As I explained to Eileen, I had just landed from west coast US and my brain must have been on a later flight! Goodness knows how, but I somehow completed the crossword and muddled the blog.
Whilst I think of it ACD, I’m currently in the midst of yet another discussion with an American friend and author I do proof reading for. We are currently browbeating each other over the ‘l’ or ‘ll’ debate. All good fun and absolutely no chance of either of us changing our minds. So if you are into that sort of thing, click on my name, then click on the Feedback link. (Or anybody else that fancies a natter really!)
I much preferred Wednesday’s and yesterday’s Guardian cryptics. I find Paul always seems to overstep the mark with a couple of clues in every crossword he sets.
As I’d never heard of the Peter Principle, I was tempted to see this a as a smutty clue …
However, Paul was as serious as he could be.
If it’s any consolation, I think there is hardly anyone in the Netherlands who thinks of a painter hearing the name Lely (pronunciation: Laylee, think a bit Eric Clapton).
But he spent nearly two thirds of his life in England, so that’s not a surprise.
For your information, there is a Lely, well-known to the Dutch.
A great engineer and the pioneer of waterworks, irrigation and converting water into land:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornelis_Lely.
A relatively new town (think: Milton Keynes) is even called after him: Lelystad.
Have to admit I found this a really fast solve for a Friday Paul. I didn’t spot the parsing for Thor, and chat was the last one in, but generally it was steady progress, and I seemed to be on the right wavelength for the various double definitions and so on. Peter Principle had special resonance for me as I reached my level of incompetence at work fairly early on, and spent most of my time thereafter on idle pursuits such as crosswords.
No doubt I will pay for my hubris tomorrow, but for today I shall enjoy the satisfaction of solving a Paul at unusual speed.
A fine puzzle from Paul.
It’s a real skill to write such clues which at first seem daunting but as they unravel become obvious! All good clues as far as I’m concerned. (Where did Paul overstep the mark Pauline @42 ?)
Bizarrely I solved this in the exact opposite sequence to PeterO.
Thanks to PeterO and Paul
Thank Paul and PeterO
A back pile one (and second post today for same setter / same blogger!)
Only got to this early on Tuesday morning and then checked off today. Was another classy offering from Paul with a good variety of subject matter and clue devices. Made a start down in the SE with HEARTY first in … and ended up in the SW with GRIT, METALLOID (a new term for me) and LABORIOUS the last few in.
JAM TOMORROW was new to me – and quite a catchy phrase.