Guardian 26,669 / Paul

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We certainly found this tough going – lots of lovely clues to enjoy along the way, though. Thanks to Paul for a difficult but fun challenge.

Across

1. Lean to one side, then lean back, in part of plane (7)
COCKPIT
COCK = “Lean to one side” followed by TIP = “lean” reversed
Definition: “part of plane”

5. Position breaking off, inelegant (4,3)
FINE LEG
Hidden in “[of]F INELEG[ant]”
Definition: “position” (a cricket fielding position)

9. Perfect oil for cooking mayonnaise (5)
AIOLI
AI = “Perfect” + (OIL)*
Definition: “mayonnaise”

11. Choral work — I’m flipping expected to stretch singer! (1,5,4)
B MINOR MASS
BASS = “singer” around MI = “I’m flipping” + NORM = “expected”
Definition: “Choral work”

12,24. Dull people run without jumping (4,4)
FLAT RACE
FLAT = “Dull” + RACE = “people”
Definition: “run with without jumping” – a type of horse race

14. Labouring obsession in creation of an icon, barmy? (11)
CORBYNMANIA
Lovely clue: (AN ICON BARMY)*
Definition: “Labouring obsession”

18. Having spoiled a couple of drinks, bloke taking last of Cointreau in case (11)
PORTMANTEAU
MAN = “bloke” in PORT + TEA = “a couple of drinks” (I’m not sure why this is “spoiling” really) + [Cointrea]U = “last of Cointreau”
Definition: “case”

21. Groom, male snared by nag? (4)
COMB
M = “male” in COB = “nag?”
Definition: “Groom”

22. Might one fear the motor in old scanning device? (4,6)
CARD READER
Someone who’s a CAR DREADER might “fear the motor”
Definition: “old scanning device”

25. Party atmosphere initially does for singer (9)
BALLADEER
BALL = “Party” + A[tmosphere] = “atmosphere initially” + DEER = “does”
Definition: “singer”

26,10,2,17. Never mind, come to the bakery — what’s this clue about? (5,3,3,3,6,8)
THAT’S THE WAY THE COOKIE CRUMBLES
A huge anagram: (COME TO THE BAKERY WHAT’S THIS CLUE)* – “about” is the anagram indicator
Definition: “Never mind”

27. Philosopher has to take stock, they say? (7)
RUSSELL
Some who would “take stock” might be a cattle rustler, and RUSSELL sounds like “rustle”
Definition: “Philosopher” (referring to Bertrand Russell)

28. According to Spooner, lad observed pulse (7)
SOYBEAN
A Spoonerism of “boy seen” (“lad observed”)
Definition: “pulse”

Down

1. Irritable, as shelled on the beach, perhaps? (6)
CRABBY
Crabs are creatures with shells, which you might find on the beach
Definition: “Irritable”

3. Carefully prepare oneself to accommodate criminal as con — is here? (6,4)
PRISON CAMP
PRIMP = “Carefully prepare onself” around (AS CON)*
Definition: “here?” in the context of the whole clue

4. Bear market’s first symbol (5)
TOTEM
TOTE = “Bear” + M[arket] = “market’s first”
Definition: “symbol”

5. Stagger round filthy house in outskirts of Folkestone — or crawl, perhaps? (9)
FREESTYLE
REEL = “Stagger” around STY = “filthy house” all in F[olkston]E = “outskirts of Folkestone”
Definition: “crawl, perhaps?” (as in “front crawl” or FREESTYLE in swimming)

6. Cattle good in Texas? (4)
NEAT
Double definition: “Cattle” and “good in Texas?” (“neat” being US slang for “great”)

7. In general, something designed to grip much less (3,5)
LET ALONE
LEE = “general” around TALON = “something designed to grip”
Definition: “much less”

8. Change of gear, rating outstanding western as “monstrous action” (5,3)
GREAT WAR
(GEAR)* followed by TAR = “rating” (both are words for a sailor) around W = “western”
Definition: ‘”monstrous action”‘

13. Posh gets to make an impression with mean clothing in audacious fashion (10)
IMPUDENTLY
U = “Posh” + DENT = “to make an impression” with IMPLY = “mean” around the outside
Definition: “in audacious fashion”

15. Trigger a memory, as circle on mysterious label (4,1,4)
RING A BELL
RING = “circle” + (A BELL)*
Definition: “Trigger a memory”

16. Counter, on top of which room key (8)
SPACEBAR
BAR = “Counter” with SPACE = “room” on top
Definition: “key”

19. Commercial programs showing up in some raw data (6)
ADWARE
A nice clue: hidden reversed in “[som]E RAW DA[ta]”
Definition:

20. Prayer is off, _____ as an alternative? (6)
ORISON
Inserting OR IS ON in to the blank would give “is off, or is on as an alternative?”
Definition: “Prayer”

23. Board game something to play when upset (5)
DARTS
STRAD = “something to play” (a Stradivarius) reversed
Definition: “Board game”

20 comments on “Guardian 26,669 / Paul”

  1. Usually, I do not like these ‘huge anagrams’.
    I cannot be bothered to parse them after finding the solution rather easily.

    But hey, this was a brilliant clue!
    I am talking about 26,10,2,17.

    Thanks Mark for the blog.
    I agree, reservations about 18ac.
    Looks like padding unless I miss something.
    If you and I are right: very un-Paul.

    Good crossword, though.

  2. Thanks mhl. As a non-resident 14 caused me some difficulty but became realisable with the crossing letters and the anagram fodder. I didn’t think it was particularly tough going though except that for some reason the print version did not incorporate the usual greys but instead only a little device in place of the solid squares which made it a bit more difficult to work with.

  3. Thanks mhl. The long answer a brilliant anagram, but half a dozen crossing letters revealed it. I got the mania part of 14A long before the Labour leader, who is not at all on my radar. Last in was 19D, otherwise no problems.

  4. Another Saturday, another Paul. This one was one of his better ones, particularly the long one and CORBYNMANIA.

    Anyone who did the Knut on Thursday will see an obvious connection (I would recommend anything by Knut to those who have not yet tried one – I think they would appeal to Paul fans). I’m off to Scotland for a week today, and I’m not sure what the internet connection will be like…

    Thanks to Paul and mhl

  7. A finely crafted puzzle from Paul. Smooth surfaces and some nice misdirection. A good prize puzzle, neither mind-bendingly difficult nor too easy.

    By the way, if I had a nice big glass of PORT and TEA and spomebody put a man in it I personally would consider it spoiled. 🙂

    Thanks to mhl and Paul.

  8. Thanks Paul and mhl.

    Found this hard going, but enjoyable. CORBYMANIA was unknown.

    18a, to spoil in the archaic or literary sense is to plunder, so the man takes the PORT and the TEA, then goes on to steal the COINTREAU ?

  9. Excellent puzzle which I found rather easy to solve once I’d got the long anagram the answer to which leapt out at me. The parsing had to come later. I chuckled at CORBYNMANIA to which some would say I am a victim, and I loved BAND READER and B MINOR MASS.
    Thanks Paul.

  10. I enjoyed this and was helped by the blog, so thanks to Paul and mhl. I’m with BNTO @7 in having no problem with PORT and TEA being ‘spoiled’ by having man shoved between them. My favourite clue was CORBYNMANIA which was also very current!!

  11. Coltranesax @10, I have no trouble with the man spoiling the drinks either, the clue works fine for me. BNTO’s post @7 came up while I was typing mine @8. I was just pointing out that there are two meanings that could apply to ‘spoiled’.

  12. Cookie @ 8 and 11. I agree with you as well, I just wanted to say I had no trouble with this clue, which I thought was rather good either way!!

  14. Nick Corney @13. I have just read the breaking news of Jeremy Corbyn’s election to leader of the Labour party from you here on 225, then had to go to the BBC to confirm!! Scoop??

  15. The long anagram is impressive but I couldn’t initially see a way into it so I left it until I had a lot of the crossers. A homage to a regular poster here, perhaps? My favourites were FREESTYLE, B MINOR MASS and LET ALONE, but CORBYNMANIA deserves a mention too.

    Thanks to Paul and mhl.

  16. Thanks to Paul and mhl. As a US resident who reads the Guardian online, I got CORBYNMANIA but had trouble parsing GREAT WAR (I did not catch “tar” as a “rating”) and missed CARD READER as “car dreader.” An enjoyable puzzle.

    With the exception of one unusual word, today’s prize puzzle (Sept. 12) was for me the quickest solve of the week. I’m looking forward to hearing the reactions next Saturday.

  17. I remember having enjoyed this. I’m an American who ignores British politics, so Corbynmania was new to me. The clue was straightforward, though, so it went in after a little googling to confirm. Also new to me was FLAT RACE.

    I did not know, prior to this that “neat” to mean “great” was an Americanism. I thought that the “car dreader,” COCKPIT, and PORTMANTEAU clues were neat.

    It’s worth noting that the question mark in the FREESTYLE clue (“crawl, perhaps?”) is indeed necessary. By the rules, in a freestyle race you can swim however you wish. But since the Australian crawl is the fastest stroke, it’s what everyone does. So as a practical matter crawl seems like a synonym for freestyle.

  18. Thanks Paul and mhl

    This was a classy piece ! Outstanding misdirection throughout, in particular the DEER in 25a and the IMPLY at 13d.

    Didn’t get the long anagram (another excellent clue) until over half way through when the penny dropped with it – although it was still by using the enumeration and the crossing letters rather than the anagram fodder that helped to get it.

    The last few in were RUSSELL (although it looks so obvious after getting it), CORBYNMANIA (didn’t know about him and only deduced the answer from possible combinations of the anagram and a Google confirmation – wonder if he’ll feature as regularly as Mr Miliband did) and Bach’s B MINOR MASS as the last one in.

  19. A nice one this, which I enjoyed for much the same reasons as everyone else, it seems.. And what good timing for the Corbyn reference! (I’ve seen someone told to stop using a ‘lane marked ‘freestyle only’ in an Australian pool because they were doing the butterfly – even though they were easily as fast as anyone else there.) Thanks to Paul for this one, and to mhl.

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