Guardian 26,597 / Paul

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Oops, a very rushed blog post, since while we solved the puzzle quickly, I forgot about writing the post until 23:40 on Friday evening…

Anyway, this theme (the songs of ABBA) was up our street, so it was a pretty quick solve, but with lots to enjoy as you’d expect – Paul’s setting is as brilliant as ever. I’ve tried to link to all the ABBA songs I know, but might well have missed some! Thanks to brucew@aus for pointing out two I didn’t know (Fernando and Ring Ring) as well as one I did know but forgot annotate: Mamma Mia! oh, and another one – Name of the Game (thanks, Kevin).

Across

1. Musical group, possibly retro, has to tour clubs (9)
ORCHESTRA
(RETRO HAS)* around C = “clubs” – I love the repetition of “Musical group, possibly retro” in these first two clues, with different cryptic interpretations.
Definition: “Musical group”

6. Musical group, possibly retro? (4)
ABBA
“possibly retro?” here is a palindrome indicator, I think, like “either way”
Definition: “Musical group”

8. Honey Honey, Mamma Mia! (4,4)
DEAR DEAR
DEAR = “Honey” + DEAR = “Honey” (Honey Honey is an ABBA song)
Definition: “Mamma Mia!” (Mamma Mia is an ABBA song)

9. Urge party to take a fifth of 6 across’s number? (6)
LIBIDO
LIB = “party” + I DO = “a fifth of [ABBA]’s number”, referring to the ABBA song I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
Definition: “Urge”

10. Babble as baby, Dancing Queen! (6)
YABBER
(BABY)* + ER = “Queen” (Dancing Queen is an ABBA song.)
Definition: “Babble”

11. 6 across’s great loss (8)
WATERLOO
Double definition: “great loss” and “[ABBA]’s” (Waterloo is an ABBA song)

12. Before 1002, I diminish in value (6)
IMPAIR
M + PAIR = 1000 + 2 = “1002”, with I beforehand
Definition: “diminish in value”

15. Lunatic pleased to accommodate one bright group of relatives? (8)
PLEIADES
(PLEASED)* around I
Definition: “bright group of relatives?” – the Pleiades are a constellation an asterism or open star cluster Thanks to Vinyl1 and jennyk for that correction, named after seven sisters from Greek mythology

16. A shade raised around stack (5,3)
BRICK RED
BRED = “raised” around RICK = “stack”
Definition: “A shade”

19. Keyboard operator extremely twitchy, something of a nut? (6)
TYPIST
T[witch]Y = “extremely twitchy” + PIST[achio] = “something of a nut?”
Definition: “Keyboard operator”

21. 6 across’s number outlining case for the inquirer (8)
SOCRATES
“[ABBA]’s number” = SOS (my favourite of the ABBA songs here) around CASE = “crate”
Definition: “the inquirer”

22. Drunk first of brandies — take a chance on me! (6)
BLOTTO
B = “first of brandies” + LOTTO = “take a chance on me” (Take A Chance On Me is an ABBA song)
Definition: “Drunk”

24. Drink, last bit dropped on envelope (6)
COCOON
COCO[a] = “Drink, last bit dropped” + ON
Definition: “envelope”

25. Peculiar play with Act 1 at sea (8)
ATYPICAL
(PLAY ACT I)*
Definition: “Peculiar”

26,27. PM’s first words got Fernando confused with Ring Ring? (4,9)
GOOD AFTERNOON
(GOT FERNANDO O O)* (Fernando and Ring Ring are ABBA songs)
Definition: “PM’s first words”, as in “the first words you’d say to someone in the afternoon (P.M.)”

Down

1. Greek character taking up long and short periods (5)
OMEGA
AGE + MO = “long and short periods” all reversed
Definition: “Greek character”

2. Parts of an organ in church bear cracks — that’s about right (7)
CEREBRA
CE = “church” + (BEAR)* around R = “right”
Definition: “Parts of an organ”

3. Islamic ruler of supreme erudition (5)
EMEER
Hidden in “[supr]EME ER[udition]”
Definition: “Islamic ruler”

4. Give up one’s dinner hour with pained expression, sheep being passed round (5,2)
THROW UP
HR = “hour” + OW = “pained expression” in TUP = “sheep”
Definition: “Give up one’s dinner”

5. Share totally exaggerated, people claimed (9)
ALLOTMENT
ALL = “totally” + OTT = “exaggerated” around MEN = “people”
Definition: “Share”

6. A singer shortly going north, south of a Canadian province (7)
ALBERTA
A TREBL[e] = “A singer shortly” reversed (“going north”) below (“south of”) A
Definition: “Canadian province”

7. Primarily counterpanes observed being spread out? (9)
BEDCOVERS
(C OBSERVED)*
Definition: the whole clue (a nice &lit.)

13. Old travelling merchant bringing old stuff over — that’s the name of the game! (5,4)
MARCO POLO
O = “old” + CRAM = “stuff” reversed + POLO = “that’s the name of the game!” (Name of the Game is an ABBA song)
Definition: “Old travelling merchant”

14. Song written up about topless prude in mythical kingdom (9)
RURITANIA
AIR reversed around [p]URITAN = “topless prude”
Definition: “mythical kingdom” (from The Prisoner of Zenda)

17. All passengers in Italy, Charles and Bill (7)
CARLOAD
CARLO = “in Italy, Charles” + AD = “Bill”
Definition: “All passengers”

18. Mr O’Connor hasn’t the talent to be a singer (7)
DESCANT
Lovely surface reading 🙂 DES = “Mr O’Connor” + CAN’T = “hasn’t the talent”
Definition: “a singer”

20. Qualification is secured by college official — no way! (7)
PROVISO
IS in PROVO[st] = “college official – no way!”
Definition: “qualification”

22. Customer taking massage the wrong way, you getting squeezed? (5)
BUYER
RUB = “massage” reversed around YE = “you”
Definition: “Customer”

23. Match captivating a US author (5)
TWAIN
TWIN = “Match” around A
Definition: “US author” (Mark Twain)

31 comments on “Guardian 26,597 / Paul”

  1. Thanks Paul and mhl

    Typically enjoyable puzzle from Mr Prolific (these days). It was a puzzle where the theme thrust itself upon one and also a passing acknowledgement to the topical bicentenary of the real Waterloo.

    Started this on the train ride into work yesterday and didn’t get it finished until a couple of other short stints at it, so didn’t find it that easy. Finished down in the southwest with CARLOAD (which was clever) and the excellent SOCRATES last in.

    Don’t know if you would refer to RURITANIA as mythical – fictional yes – with “The Prisoner of Zenda”, in which it featured, a very entertaining read from memory.

    A couple of their songs that you missed were MAMMA MIA (which was also the stage show about ABBA) at 8 and FERNANDO at 26, 27.

  3. Thanks mhl. This got my foot tapping again, most enjoyable. 8 was my LOI, I knew it had to be DEAR DEAR but couldn’t see it as an exclamatory synonym for MAMMA MIA.

  4. Thanks to mhl for the blog.

    Obviously I have heard of Abba but they rose to fame after I had stopped being interested in that sort of thing. I knew the names of some of their hits.

    SOS I had never heard of so 21a beat me. I totally failed to understand 17d. If I had solved that I might perhaps have got the answer to 21a. 🙁

  6. A nice Paul puzzle, but really quite easy for a prize. I didn’t know any of the Abba songs, and was still able to solve it quite quickly….for me.

    It should be noted that the Pleiades are an asterism, not a constellation; they are located in Taurus.

  7. Thanks Paul and mhl

    I could not solve 24a and I needed help to parse 9a.

    My favourites were 19a, 18d & 20d.

    New for me was the game of MARCO POLO.

  8. Many thanks mhl & Paul.

    This was very enjoyable and it prompted me to investigate some of ABBA’s material.

    Agnetha Faltskog had always been a favourite of mine.

    Wasn’t she gorgeous?

    It was great to see her gain.

  9. Have you noticed that Paul is fond of cluing and re-cluing ORCHESTRA in such a way that no carthorses are harmed in the production of each clue?

  10. Thanks Paul and mhl
    Was there a reason for an Abba- themed crossword? The only anniversary I can think of is WATERLOO – is that it?

  11. Thanks all
    Favourites were Socrates, carload.
    Last in was cocoon.
    Fairly straightforward for a Saturday.

  12. Thanks all
    Favourites were Socrates, carload.
    Last in was cocoon.
    Fairly straightforward for a Saturday

  13. A really enjoyable puzzle from Paul.

    After a promising start I had completed the top half and most of the SE. However I was held up for a very long time by the SW. I had entered WATER POLO for 13D but couldn’t parse it. It never occurred to me that the full name of Mr POLO was a good idea. (I blame the beer!) I also spent far too long trying to incorporate NARNIA into 14D. It also took me ages to parse BLOTTO. (I had B then LOT but couldn’t fathom TO for “me” until Camelot came to mind. (Perhaps it’s me 😉 )

    When I finally solved it I was hard pressed to see why it had taken so long. Always the sign of a very good puzzle in my opinion.

    Thanks to mhl and Paul

  14. Yet another entertaining but not too difficult puzzle from Paul – what more is there to say?

    Thanks to Paul and mhl

  15. I loved this one. My views of Abba back then changed rapidly: from snobbish disdain (Eurovision? No concept albums or Jimmy Page guitar solos? Pah!) to foot-tapping guilty pleasure, to recognising pop perfection in the writing, production and performance of their music, to lifelong appreciation as their throwaway pop songs became classics.

    As this was a prize puzzle, I guess the winner takes it all. (No apology; that one is still my all time favourite Abba song and one of favourites from any artist: I listened to it again the other day and was just as moved as the first time.)

    Thanks Paul and mhl; you are Super Troupers, both.

  16. The ABBA theme was a challenge for me, but it seems that quite a few of their songs had infiltrated themselves into my mind, which helped. In the end, it was a straightforward solve, and enjoyable. My favourite was GOOD AFTERNOON.

    Vinyl1 @6

    As well as an asterism, the Pleiades are a genuine star cluster, not just a line-of-sight phenomenon.

  17. P.S. poor Des O’Connor – even with Morecambe and Wise no longer mocking him, he is still a target.

  18. So I say,
    Thank you the puzzle (Paul), he clues I am solving,

    Thanks for all the joy they’re bringing
    Who can live without it , I ask in all honesty

    What would life be?

  19. Michelle @7

    MARCO POLO is the definition whereas POLO (the game) is part of the wordplay.

    I really enjoyed this puzzle and didn’t find it that easy despite the theme.
    Some great clues of which I mention, BLOTTO, GOOD AFTERNOON (favourite), CEREBRA
    and CARLOAD (took me ages to see CARLO).

    Many thanks to Paul and mhl.

  20. Thanks to brucew@aus for pointing out the Abba songs I missed (credit in the preamble) and Vinyl1 jennyk for the Pleiades correction…

    Now I know that Fernando and Ring Ring are ABBA songs, 26 has got to be my favourite clue here.

  21. Thanks Paul and mhl.

    A most enjoyable puzzle for the bicentenary of the Battle of WATERLOO. Apparently ‘WATERLOO’ brought ABBA their first worldwide fame when they won the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest for Sweden. It shot straight to the top of the UK pop singles chart and also became the group’s first top 10 hit in the USA.

  23. I loathed Abba so it is quite annoying that I found I knew virtually allthe songs here-RING RING being the exception. Indeed, not only did I recognize the songs, I could hear them in my head. I suppose this shows the ubiquity of the Abba songbook.
    That said I thought this was an extremely entertaining puzzle and a little on the easy side for Paul. I loved DESCANT,ORCHESTRA and too many to list.
    Thanks Paul

  24. Hi mhl @20

    [Thanks for the blog.]

    I thought 26,27 was just brilliant – to get two songs into the wordplay, along with a plausible and misleading surface: my favourite by a mile – but there were lots of other good clues, too.

    Thanks, Paul, for a most entertaining solve – I really enjoyed singing along!

  25. I knew a few but definitely not all of the Abba titles (so needed help from Google) and did not know Des O’Connor (so DESCANT was my last in along with CEREBRA) but the clues were enough to get me through. Thanks to Paul and mhl.

  29. Must have lead a sheltered life! Hardly familiar with most of the Abba titles but still managed to enjoy and complete the puzzle. Even more enjoyable now that I’m aware of how much else was going on in the cluing. Not surprising, though, that I was baffled by the surface of 26, 27!

  31. Thanks to Cookie@22 for speaking up in my absence. mhl, all is forgiven. Not everyone enjoyed ABBA music as much as I did/do.

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