Guardian Cryptic 26,779 by Crucible

by

Very enjoyable – favourite was 12ac, but there were many excellent clues. Thanks Crucible.

A few clues are linked to 1dn, being to do with hair or dogs.

Across
9 HOLE IN ONE Golfing ace left a German disk in Polish (4,2,3)
L[eft] plus EIN=”a [in] German” plus O=”disk”, all inside HONE=”Polish”
10 HORSA Welsh or Saxon captured English invader (5)
led armies to invade England in the 5th century [wiki]. Hidden in [Wels]H OR SA[xon]
11 HEAVE-HO Keep head office euros stuffed inside sack (5-2)
HAVE=”Keep” plus H[ead] O[ffice], with E[uros] inside.
12 CHIGNON A politician avoids mushroom in Paris bun (7)
a hairstyle [wiki]. A MP=”politician”, removed from CH[amp]IGNON=”mushroom in French/in Paris”
13 IRIS Egyptian god dispat­ched very big Greek goddess (4)
[OS]IRIS=”Egyptian god”, removing O[ver]S[ize]=”very big”
14 CORNED BEEF Cold squaddies been fed in mess with this? (6,4)
C[old] plus O[ther] R[anks]=”squaddies”, plus (been fed)*
16 OWN GOAL Lagoon spread over wicket, hence embarrassing score (3,4)
(lagoon)* around W[icket]
17 POMPEII Translated poem in page 2 that was buried in Italy (7)
(poem)* inside P[age] and II=”2″
19 TRICHOLOGY Three works about short cut in study of locks (10)
The study of hair, or “locks”. TRILOGY=”Three works”, around CHO[p]=”short cut”
22 WING Fly‘s weight in grams (4)
W[eight] IN G[rams]
24 EXPOUND Spell out where 2s might come from? (7)
Alsations might come EX- as in ‘out of’ a POUND
25 ALCOHOL Half an hour in local, hammered on this (7)
HO[ur]=”Half an hour” in (local)*
26 OVOID Old poet eats duck egg or suchlike (5)
OVID=”Old poet”, around O=”duck”=a score of zero in cricket
27 FILAMENTS If mantles are replaced, these may replace them (9)
(If mantles)* – “mantles” [wiki] and FILAMENTS are used in lighting devices
Down
1 THE HAIR OF THE DOG Forehead to thigh, throbbing? More 25 needed (3,4,2,3,3)
25 being ALCOHOL. (Forehead to thigh)*
2 ALSATIAN German shepherd, a large one wearing fine fabric (8)
A L[arge], plus A=”one” inside SATIN=”fine fabric”
3 VIXEN Nearly new 14 turned up, one chased by 15 (5)
NE[w] plus XIV=”14″, all reversed or “turned up”
4 MOTOR OIL Procedure to agitate film-maker? (5,3)
creates a lubricating film between motor parts. M[odus] O[perandi]=”Procedure” plus TO plus ROIL=”agitate”
5 BEACON Signal rise in English meat sandwiches (6)
the rise or hill from which a signal can be sent. E[nglish] sandwiched in BACON=”meat”
6 SHEIKDOMS Some kids need refreshment touring hot spots in Gulf (9)
(Some kids)* around H[ot]
7 FRINGE Bang handle right near the top (6)
as in hair across the brow. FINGER=”handle”, with R[ight] moved closer to the top
8 MAGNIFYING GLASS Nagging family infuriated Sunday school examiner? (10,5)
(Nagging family)* plus S[unday] S[chool]
15 FOXHOUNDS Fine bulldogs and hunters (9)
F[ine] plus OX=”bull” plus HOUNDS=”dogs”
17 PIGTAILS One girl’s top in twisting plaits, making these? (8)
I=”One” plus G[irl]=”girl’s top”, all inside (plaits)*
18 EPIPHANY Taking tube north, start to have some insight (8)
PIPE=”tube”, reversed or taken north; plus H[ave]; plus ANY=”some”
20 IMPROV Finish off better stage technique (6)
IMPROV[e]=”better” with its finish taken off
21 LED OFF Began occupying newfangled office (3,3)
Hidden in [newfang]LED OFF[ice]
23 SCAMP Monkey‘s beginning to pick apples up (5)
P[ick] plus MACS=Apple computers, all reversed or “up”

39 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 26,779 by Crucible”

  1. Many thanks, manehi.

    3 belters and it’s only Wednesday – how spoilt we are at The Graun.

    Loved this, with ticks everywhere. Particular favourites include POMPEII, FILAMENTS, VIXEN, MAGNIFYING GLASS & EPIPHANY.

    My own slight concern was over ‘keep’ = ‘have’ in HEAVE-HO. Can’t quite see how they are synonyms but no doubt someone will suggest an example.

    Many thanks, Crucible, fine setting.

    Nice week, all.

  2. Thanks for the blog, manehi.

    There was the usual ‘Aha’ of satisfaction when I saw Crucible’s name on this one, [it’s been a while since the last one], tinged with some disappointment that I’d missed blogging it by one day, but, as I worked my way through the clues, I realised that there were a few where I was shelving the parsing and, for once, began to feel rather relieved that the job wasn’t mine.

    However, when I finished solving and went back to the clues, the mists began to clear and there were more ‘ahas’ as the pennies began to drop. FRINGE and MOTOR OIL held out the longest. Some great definitions – golfing ace, film maker, study of locks; wordplay – CHIGNON, ALCOHOL, THE HAIR OF THE DOG, VIXEN and surfaces – SHEIKDOMS, MAGNIFYING GLASS, and the &lit FILAMENTS.

    Great stuff – many thanks, as ever, to Crucible for a most enjoyable solve.

  4. Another cracker to follow Nutmeg yesterday. Started pretty quickly but there was plenty to think about, with EPIPHANY an appropriate last in.

    Thanks to Crucible and manehi

  5. Thanks Crucible and manehi.

    Another crossword I could completely solve and parse, really being spoilt this week. MOTOR OIL and FRINGE were the last to be parsed. FILAMENTS was my favourite clue.

    William @1, how about “I keep a dog”, “I have a dog” ?

  7. Cant find a theme in this excellent puzzle but just occurred to me that German Shepherd is the normal terminology esp in America and Australia for a breed that seemed to undergo name change after the Hitler years I suppose Alsace is is just over the Rhine so Alsatian sounded less controversial, Whatever they are called they are a truly regal breed of canine.

  9. Very nice. I couldn’t parse CHIGNON or MOTOR OIL, nor get FRINGE, but there were some lovely clues. Favourites included MAGNIFYING GLASS, EPIPHANY, MOTOR OIL and VIXEN. Many thanks to Crucible and manehi.

  10. Thanks Crucible & manehi.

    Very enjoyable crossword with some super clues. When I got VIXEN I wondered if we were on track for a pangram, but no. Many ticked, including CHIGNON, CORNED BEEF, EXPOUND (I wondered if the 2s was ‘two shillings’ from the ‘ex’ pound, but I’m sure the parsing above is better,) ALCOHOL, FRINGE & PIGTAILS.

  13. What mij said @11.

    I have to confess that, for 5D, I haven’t come across this usage of “beacon” before — i.e., to mean the hill on which the beacon stands. I guess Bostonians had the same difficulty as me when naming Beacon Hill.

  14. Yes, an excellent puzzle. Not too difficult and many clever clues. I particularly liked several of the anagrams with neat surfaces, eg CORNED BEEF and MAGNIFYING GLASS.

    Thanks, Crucible and manehi.

  15. Same parsing problems as others with FRINGE & MOTOR OIL. Personal favourite is the lovely &lit at 14a. Thoroughly enjoyable! Thanks to all concerned.

  16. Thanks to Crucible and manehi. Like drofle@9 and DP@15 I needed help parsing several items (CHIGNON, MOTOR OIL, FRINGE) but much enjoyed the process. Great fun.

  17. I thought yesterday’s Nutmeg was one of the best ever, and I have to say the same about this one. This was a very enjoyable puzzle – all the more so for my having solved it when I was out, without access to any reference sources. I was stuck only on 7D (FRINGE), but that yielded eventually.

    By the way, did anyone notice a new excuse, reported in today’s Guardian, for rail travel delays: ‘angle of the sun’. I’m not kidding. Shed would love to have known this for his recent crossword built around the theme of specious excuses.

    Back to 7D (FRINGE). I thought at first the wordplay implied that you insert, not move, the ‘R’ as the second letter (‘near the top’). It didn’t actually say either, so when one didn’t work I tried the other, and then it worked.

    No gripes though – this was excellent.

  20. One of my favourite setters, and this puzzle did not disappoint. FOXHOUNDS my personal highlight.

    It was quite a quick solve, until the very end. What could possibly have held me up? Diffidently, I asked Mrs T if she could check a couple for me. MOTOR OIL? I was ready with ROTOR just in case. FRINGE? – I was even less certain. Then I read the blog. Felt much happier.

  21. Ah, so that’s how CHIGNON works. I gave up on the parsing despite being convinced of the answer. I found this somewhat harder than yesterday but, once I got going it gradually came together even if some of the parsing didn’t.
    I liked HEAVE HO and EXPOUND. FRINGE was LOI.
    Thanks Crucible.

  22. Liked this very much. There were too many good ones to list but I enjoyed “magnifying glass” particularly.

    Many thanks to Crucible & manehi.

  23. I thought I defected a couple of themes both linked to hair of the dog, ie hair, (trichology, fringe, chignon), and dog, (Alsatian,foxhounds).

  25. Meg @ 24

    Not to mention ALCOHOL, VIXEN (the fox family is canis lupus), CORNED BEEF (known in schoolboy slang as corned dog), and at a *real* stretch, MAGNIFYING GLASS (sort-of-beer-goggles!!).

    Plus, of course, if you do have too much alcohol, you end up with a HEAVE-HO down the big white telephone…

  28. Enjoyed this immensely. Loved CHIGNON, CORNED BEEF, POMPEII, WING, ALCOHOL, MAGNIFYING GLASS, SCAMP and more. Brilliant puzzle.

    I did think the lift-and-separate in bulldog was gratuitous because I didn’t see how the clue is any better than “Fine bull, dogs and hunters” (If I missed any deeper meanings in the surface, apologies). Also, I thought “pound” was a better answer to 24a than “expound”, which might have been fixed with a minor tweak. “spots” I thought was not as good as could be in 6d.

    Many thanks Crucible and thank you manehi

  29. Alan Browne @17 – you have been a bit naughty by revealing the theme of a different crossword, one which is certainly on my “to do” pile, for reasons that have nothing to do with discussion of this crossword. Somewhat annoying, if stopping well short of heinous.

  30. Van Winkle @ 29

    I think you are being over hard on Alan Browne @17 for revealing the theme of a different crossword.

    I’m a relative newcomer to this site and more experienced contributors will no doubt correct me if I am wrong but my understanding is that it is not on to comment on a prize crossword until after the solution is available.

    The solution to Shed’s prize puzzle of 2nd Jan appeared here last Saturday, expertly blogged by Eileen, and I don’t think it is reasonable to criticise someone for referring to its theme.

  32. Sorry to Van Winkle @29, David @30 and drofle @31 for missing this discussion until now. I’ve been out and have just returned.

    I knew Shed’s puzzle had been blogged several days ago, and as David explained that was why I thought I could refer to it here within the letter and the spirit of the rules. Thanks to David, and to drofle.

    However, a comment on a puzzle should be posted with that puzzle. As it was today’s news that brought to light the coincidence, I put my point here without thinking. If I had thought for a moment of the possible consequences, I would have posted my comment (which I was itching to tell) with Shed’s puzzle and supplied a link here without giving anything away – or else suppressed my post altogether.

    My humblest apologies to Van Winkle. The spoiler was unintentional but could have been avoided.

  34. Breach of site policy 3 causing (small) detriment to those who had yet to solve the puzzle referenced. Irrelevant that it was a prize puzzle. No apology necessary. Plea against spoilers.

  36. Thanks Crucible and manehi

    Another very enjoyable offering from this setter that took a little while to get into, but eventually gave way. A lot of variation in the clues, as is normal and as Eileen points out some really clever and amusing definitions to be deciphered – I’d add ‘buried in Italy’ to the list and think it would have been my cod.

    Both long clues down each side remained incomplete until well into the second half of the solving journey. A couple of new terms in TRICHOLOGY and HORSA (amazed that he and his brother Hengist had remained unknown to me for this long). Did notice a trace of a canine theme in the left hand side of the puzzle, but doesn’t really go far.

    Finished in the top central area with CHIGNON (nice wordplay), BEACON (seems simple now) and MOTOR OIL (that did resist for a long time and clever when it finally dropped) as the last few in.

  38. Thanks manehi and Crucible.

    Just couldn’t see bang=fringe so failed on 7dn – but that’s my own failing.

    Otherwise, this was another class act needing a lot of lateral thought to derive the answers.

    I particularly liked CORNED BEEF and learnt a new word – TRICHOLOGY.

    That reminds me, must get a haircut (and change my name to Shaun?)

Comments are closed.