A good test from Picaroon, we thought – probably a bit above average in difficulty, particularly for a few obscurities.
The three that were new to us were LEMAN, OERSTED and AVESTAN, but they had correspondingly easy cryptic parts. I didn’t spot any particular theme, but might well have missed something. I think our favourite clue was 9a (ROUNDERS), at least that was the one that got a biggest smiles 🙂
Across
1. With chores unfinished, wife in temper cleans jug (8,6)
WORMWOOD SCRUBS
WOR[k] = “chores unfinished” followed by W = “wife” in MOOD = “temper” + SCRUBS = “cleans”
Definition: “jug” (slang for prison)
8. Getting knocked back, call Latin lover (5)
LEMAN
“call” = NAME + L = “Latin” all reversed
Definition: “lover” – LEMAN was a new word for us
9. Game played at Her Majesty’s residence? (8)
ROUNDERS
A lovely clue (one of our last two): “at Her Majesty’s residence?” = “Round E.R.’s”
Definition: “Game”
11. Obscure British film screening in the vicinity (7)
BENIGHT
B = “British” + ET = “film” around NIGH = “in the vicinity”
Definition: “Obscure”
12. Hanging a scoundrel, endlessly corrupt (7)
CURTAIN
CUR = “scoundrel” + TAIN[t] = “endlessly corrupt”
Definition: “Hanging”
13. With heart not in lechery, back away from call girl (5)
LYDIA
L[echer]Y = “With heart not in lechery” + DIA[l] = “back away from call”
Definition: “girl”
15. In speech, fool gets foolish in Shakespearean location (9)
DUNSINANE
DUNS sounds like “dunce” = “In speech fool” + INANE = “foolish”
Definition: “Shakespearean location”, referring to Macbeth – “Macbeth shall never vanquish’d be until / Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him”
17. Different way to enter beach? Sun could be here (9)
NEWSSTAND
NEW = “Different” + ST = “way” in SAND = “beach”
Definition: “Sun could be here” referring to the tabloid newspaper
20. Gathering fruitcake for snack in diner? (5)
DONUT
DO = “Gathering” + NUT = “fruitcake”
Definition: “snack in diner?” (“in diner?” suggesting the US spelling…)
21. South African maybe putting greenery in set location (7)
ELSTREE
ELS = “South African maybe putting” (referring to Ernie Els, the golfer – we thought this was an error before reading “putting” in a golf context! Nice misdirection, really) + TREE = “greenery”
Definition: “set location”, referring to Elstre
23. It’s played in two acts, with nothing amiss (7)
TOCCATA
(ACT ACT O)*; (the O is from “nothing”, “amiss” is the anagram indicator)
Definition: “It’s played”
25. Place with cross, gloomy rocker plugging a record for spinning (8)
GOLGOTHA
GOTH = “gloomy rocker” in A LOG reversed
Definition: “Place with cross” from the gospels (e.g. see Matthew 27)
26. Light running clothes could be made from this (5)
RAYON
RAY = “Light” + ON = “running”
Definition: “clothes could be made from this”
27. Wilde gutted, play done with amateurs getting haughty verdict (2,3,3,6)
WE ARE NOT AMUSED
W[ild]E = “Wilde gutted” + (DONE AMATEURS)*
Definition: “haughty verdict”
Down
1. Spring off, clutching weapon, unlikely to fall (4-8)
WELL-BALANCED
WELL = “Spring” followed by BAD = “off” around LANCE = “weapon”
Definition: “unlikely to fall”
2. City dweller heading for rolling country (5)
ROMAN
R[olling] = “heading for rolling” + OMAN = “country”
Definition: “City dweller”
3. Success for one girl showing flute? (9)
WINEGLASS
WIN = “Success” + EG = “for one” + LASS = “girl”
Definition: “flute?” (you might serve champagne in a flute, for example)
4. Unit showing strength in field from old desert battles (7)
OERSTED
O = “old” + (DESERT)*
Definition: “Unit showing strength in field” – Chambers says this is “The CGS unit of magnetic field strength”; really quite obscure, although the clue does give you an appropriate amount of help
5. Hint — it’s two things found in can (7)
SOUPCON
SOUP might be found in a can; a CON (convict) might be found in the can (prison)
Definition: “Hint”
6. Traveller not so rainswept after lowering head (5)
RIDER
DRIER = “not so rainswept” but with the first letter moved down (“after lowering head”)
Definition: “Traveller”
7. A toff backed to secure Republican victory, like George W Bush? (4-5)
BORN-AGAIN
NOB = “toff” reversed around R = “Republican” followed by A GAIN = “victory”
Definition: “like George W Bush?”
10. Sick nurse taught for free (12)
UNRESTRAINED
(NURSE)* + TRAINED = “taught”
Definition: “free”
14. Run below hills and fall (9)
DOWNSLOPE
DOWNS = “hills” + LOPE = “Run”
Definition: “fall”
16. During one month, love unusual and improper behaviour (9)
INDECORUM
IN DEC = “During one month” + O = “love” + RUM = “unusual”
Definition: “improper behaviour”
18. Salutation with special function in ancient language (7)
AVESTAN
AVE = “Salutation” (like much ancient history, only known to me from Asterix) + S = “special” + TAN = “function” (referring to the tangent function in trigonometry)
Definition: “ancient language”
19. Take away shipment finally transported to the North (7)
DETRACT
[shipmen]T = “shipment finally” + CARTED = “transported” reversed (“to the North”)
Definition: “Take away”
22. Le Père Goriot: somewhat revolting fellow! (5)
ROGER
Hidden reversed in “Père Goriot”
Definition: “fellow”
24. Gondola’s back alongside vessel in gulf (5)
ABYSS
[gondol]A = “Gondola’s back” + BY = “alongside” + SS = “vessel”
Definition: “gulf”
Thanks mhl. I enjoyed this one, in part at least because its lack of any theme which meant every clue could be treated on its merits. The NW corner held me up for a while until 1d revealed itself. I wasn’t sure about 7d, as far as I can ascertain George W never did make such a claim.
Thanks mhl. I confess to thinking ‘bird-brain’ when I had most of the crossing letters for 7D but sadly it wouldn’t parse. I liked the answer along the bottom and had no trouble with the long ones. Wondered if ‘Regor’ was a revolutionary in 22D since ‘revolting’ doesn’t quite equal ‘reversed’; I bunged in OERSTED fairly confidently and for LOI took a punt on AVESTAN. Nice one Picaroon.
Whether George W ever specifically made the claim, here in the US he certainly aligned himself with born-again Christians and was often seen as pandering to them, and as I recall he expressed that Billy Graham had helped him turned his life around, so I think it’s fair, especially with the question mark.
Great puzzle and blog. I think quite a few folk thought “bird brain” before working it out.
Thanks Picaroon and mhl
A proper prize puzzle, unlike the previous two. I really enjoyed this, and had a feeling of satisfaction when I finished (after rather more time than usual!)
A real challenge from the Pirate. This took me 3 sessions to complete.
Although I’d heard of some of the more obscure answers it took some effort to drag them from the depths of my subconscious. E.g. AVESTAN, LEMAN,OERSTED etc.
15A was annoying as on several occasions I had considered Birnam Wood without completing the quote!!! At that stage I had convinced myslf that the place contained “ASS”. However all became clear when I finally untangled O DESERT to get the long forgottem OERSTED. (Grrrr!)
My only gripe was 8A which held me up also. The “Getting” does seem to be superfluous and the surface is also probably as good without it.
However I did enjoy this and it was nice to have a challenge which lasted to fill the inevitable post-Rufus “What shall I do now?” moment.
Thanks to mhl and Picaroon.
I found this challenging but enjoyable. AVESTAN was new to me, but fairly clued. GOLGOTHA should have been a write-in and yet it was my LOI – I don’t know why it took me so long. There are too many good clues for me to list favourites.
Thanks to Picaroon and mhl.
Thanks Picaroon and mhl.
Enjoyable, but too hard for me to finish last Saturday. New word was AVESTAN, but I remembered LEMAN turning up in June in a Shed puzzle and Eileen warning us to ‘file it away’. BENIGHT is now regarded as obsolete, only used as ‘benighted’, it took me a while to get. I could not fully parse ELSTREE, good hint the ‘putting’ but I missed it.
ROUNDERS, TOCCATA, WINE GLASS, BORN AGAIN and many others were fun.
Nice puzzle. I enjoyed it a lot even those I found difficult- DUNSINANE and ELSTREE. I loved WORMWOOD SCRUBS and NEWSSTAND.
More like this!
Thanks Picaroon.
Thanks to Picaroon and mhl. I knew LEMAN and OERSTED but needed help from Google to get AVESTAN. However, ELSTREE defeated me (I know of Ernie Els but missed the “putting” clue).
Enjoyed this one but would agree that it was tough. Needed to check AVESTAN but at least the wordplay for that was straightforward.
Thanks to Picaroon and mhl
A nice one, and thanks to Picaroon for it. AVESTAN was never in my subconscious, but ALEUTAN was, and I spent a while trying to make that fit. But it was very fairly clued and I got there in the end. I made slow progress at top left, held up trying to get WINEGLASS, which was embarrassing as those are the only flutes we have in the house. Thanks for the blog, mhi..
Failed miserably in the SW corner, as I was convinced that the “revolting fellow” hidden in Le Père Goriot was quite simply a “leper” (in the figurative sense).
“Wot, no comments?”
An unexplainable dearth of posts.
Was the puzzle too difficult or have the “Captcha” sums become too challenging? 🙂
I was surprised that Ernie Els the golfer in 21a got no complaints after all the comments regarding Oliver Giroud the footballer in 23a in puzzle 26,687.
Thanks mhl and Picaroon.
A quality un-themed puzzle. Tough but ultimately completed with OERSTED and AVESTAN both new words for me but solvable from the clues.
It did take a while to get going mind you. DUNSINANE was first in followed by NEWSSTAND – which got me back to the top line to start proper progress.
I too marked ROUNDERS as a favourite.
Thanks again.
Thanks Picaroon and mhl
This was the third toughish Prize in a row for me (still chasing down one in the previous Qaos puzzle!)
This one I found a lot more fun than the other two though, with some quite brilliant, in depth and cleverly misdirected clues. The best was probably my last one in, ELSTREE which I could only get from a word finder, track down the film studio and then untangle the fiendishly disguised ELS.
Funny where we all start – ROGER fairly jumped out at me from 22d. It stood as a singleton for a long time, as AVESTAN, GOLGOTHA and ELSTREE were the last few in.
Heavy overwriting of words at 17a, 19d, 23a and 27a (from wrong initial entries) was clear evidence of the trouble that I had down in the bottom half of the puzzle. A real sense of achievement and learning when it was done!
I’m sorry but this is unacceptable. Quite apart from the seriously obscure words in some solutions, is it really acceptable today to translate fruitcake as nut? ‘Rounders’ was an awful solution, few would regard Roman as a solution to city dweller, a rider is not a traveller… Picaroon should return his fee.