Guardian 26,860 / Shed

by

I haven’t done one of Shed’s puzzles in a while, and it’s very welcome to do so again – excellent clues throughout, I thought. (I have a couple of queries below, which I’m sure people will help out with in the comments!)

Across

8. Turns up by river with great self-confidence (8)
COCKSURE
COCKS = “Turns up” (as in “to cock your hat”) + URE = “river”
Definition: “with great self-confidence” (I’m not sure the part of speech is right here – “cocksure” is an adjective, while “with great self-confidence” is adverbial.)

9. A temptation said to diminish (5)
ABATE
A followed by BATE, which sounds like “bait” = “temptation”
Definition: “to diminish”

10. Astonish with unfinished trick (4)
STUN
STUN[t] = “unfinished trick”
Definition: “Astonish”

11. Runner, having consumed pork pie, first to go into spasm (10)
FIBRILLATE
RILL = “Runner” + ATE = “having consumed”, with FIB = “pork pie” first
Definition: “to go into spasm”

12. Aristocrat getting substantial return from ape (6)
GIBBON
NOB = “Aristocrat” + BIG = “substantial” all reversed
Definition: “ape”

14. One supplying information that E = R, maybe? (8)
SQUEALER
(E EQUALS R)*
Definition: “One supplying information”

15. Cause unrest? A crowd suppresses it (7)
AGITATE
A followed by GATE = “crowd” (as in “the gate” at a football match, I think) around IT
Definition: “Cause unrest?”

17. Less vivid second city (7)
PALERMO
PALER = “Less vivid” + MO = “second”
Definition: “city”

20. Flagship bearing right? (8)
STREAMER
STEAMER = “ship” around R = “right”
Definition: “Flag”

22. Back unknown plant (6)
BETONY
BET ON = “Back” + Y = “unknown”
Definition: “plant” (not one we’d ever heard of…)

23. Receiver receiving dodgy, initially rum, deal from snake (3-2-5)
FER-DE-LANCE
FENCE = “Receiver” (of stolen goods) around (R DEAL)* (the R is from “initially rum”)
Definition: “snake”

24. Strike a light! (4)
LAMP
Double definition: “Strike” and “a light”

25. Date to vex proverbial patience? (5)
TRYST
TRY = “to vex” + ST = “saint” – someone with “proverbial patience” (as in “the patience of a saint”)
Definition: “Date”

26. Investigator’s ploy involving hollow cats and dogs? Hardly (8)
SPITTING
STING = “Investigator’s ploy” around PIT = “hollow”
Definition: “cats and dogs? Hardly”

Down

1. Unduly upset, getting into brief liaison of little significance (8)
FOOTLING
TOO = “Unduly” reversed in FLING = “brief liaison”
Definition: “of little significance”

2. Like to participate in streaking (4)
AKIN
Hidden in “[stre]AKIN[g]”
Definition: “Like”

3. Fashionable hand warmer on top of cake (6)
MUFFIN
IN = “Fashionable” with MUFF = “hand warmer” beforehand
Definition: “cake”

4. Prolix poetic production penning personal problem (7)
VERBOSE
VERSE = “poetic production” around BO = “personal problem”
Definition: “Prolix”

5. Tyrant’s glacial university reform (8)
CALIGULA
(GLACIAL U)* – the U is from “university”
Definition: “Tyrant”

6. Pop perhaps returning letters received from legislators (10)
PARLIAMENT
PARENT = “Pop perhaps” around MAIL = “letters” reversed
Definition: “legislators”

7. Insect let loose on another (6)
BEETLE
(LET)* under BEE = “another [insect]”
Definition:

13. Incomplete tea set Darby smashed, revealing what he and Joan have seen? (6,4)
BETTER DAYS
(TE SET DARBY)* (TE is from “Incomplete tea”)
Definition: “what [Darby] and Joan have seen?” I don’t quite get this – “Darby and Joan”, as I understand it, are an idealised, happily-married couple (usually old?) – I don’t know if there’s a suggestion that they were happier in earlier days. However, I wasn’t familiar with “Darby and Joan” beforehand, so I’m probably missing something… Thanks to everyone who pointed out that “having seen better days” just implies that they’re now a bit old

16. Sacred building sheltering a priest’s last model (8)
TEMPLATE
TEMPLE = “Sacred building” around A + [pries]T = “priest’s last”
Definition: “model”

18. Second Greek letter inscribed in memorial (8)
MONUMENT
MOMENT = “Second” around NU = “Greek letter”
Definition: “memorial”

19. Salty islanders losing heart to Norway (7)
BRINISH
BRITISH = “islanders”, replacing T (the central letter, or “heart”) with N = “Norway”
Definition: “Salty”

21. Score one less than this? (6)
TWENTY
This clue’s number is 21, so “one less than this” is 20
Definition: “Score”

22. Piece about monarch’s proposed divorce (6)
BREXIT
BIT = “piece” around REX = “monarch”
Definition: “proposed divorce”

24. Reluctant to sin? Not initially (4)
LOTH
[s]LOTH = “sin? Not initially”
Definition: “Reluctant”

30 comments on “Guardian 26,860 / Shed”

  1. I think the ‘with’ in 8a is simply a link word, even Azed allows them. The Darby and Joan thing didn’t really work for me either.

    Thanks both.

  2. Darby and Joan are an elderly couple and therefore have seen BETTER DAYS. Seems straightforward to me. I’d never heard of BETONY either -or FER DE LANCE for that matter. I had a lot of trouble with BRINISH (LOI) and, annoyingly, with BREXIT. Still,rather enjoyable.
    Thanks Shed.

  3. Thanks to Shed and mhl. BRITISH and SPITTING defeated me and the northwest corner gave me a lot of trouble (with FOOTLING I got the “fling” part but not the reversed “too”). Definitely a challenge.

  4. Thanks mhl. Pretty straightforward though I had some logic/sequence problems with 11A and similarly 7D (whose ‘right’ answer had to be TLE-BEE). Another fiddly quibble with ‘second’ as mo, and again as moment (17A and 18D). LAMP had to be right but the strike aspect beat me. I liked the Darby & Joan clue.

  5. Thanks mhl. It has all been said. Like molonglo, I wasn’t convinced that strike = lamp. I know what he means about 7d but it would have been quite OK as an across clue. Like Peter Aspinwall, I had no problem with 13d; something that has seen better days is simply getting on in age and deteriorating somewhat. Aren’t we all?!

  6. A person with great self confidence is a COCKSURE person – It can be adjectival as well as adverbial. I hadn’t met BRiNISH before or the “strike”meaaning of LAMP, but I did know BETONY. Spent quite a while muttering “he’s used MO twice, and where does the MENT come from?” before I started kicking myself…

  7. mhl and early comments exhibiut a lot of trivial quibbles about a very good puzzle with absolutely no problems! (In my humble and unworthy opinion od course 😉 )

    Thanks to mhl and Shed

  8. Thanks mhl and Shed.

    I had no problem with BETTER DAYS either.

    FER DE LANCE was new but gettable.

    I fouled up in 26ac. The proper answer passed me by for some reason and I put in an unconvinced STINTING. Doh!

    No outstanding clues, but no poor ones either.

  9. BNTO @7. Could you please enlighten us on the trivial question of how ‘strike’ relates to ‘lamp’ in your humble and unworthy opinion.

  10. Well, I thought it was a delightful puzzle with lots of wit and ingenuity, leading to several chuckles when the pennies dropped. And I had no problem with “lamp”: Chambers gives “punch, thump” as definitions, which seem close enough to “strike” to me.

    More of the same, please!

  11. Thanks Shed and mhl

    LAMP = “strike” seems only to be in the most recent Chambers, hence the confusion. I’ve certainly never heard it.

    I’m glad I got MUFFIN!

  12. Thank you Shed and mhl.

    It has all been said, I’ll just add that I particularly liked SQUEALER, VERBOSE and TWENTY.

    A shame muffin does not solve the Saturday prize cryptic.

  13. muffin @11, I can’t believe it – I wanted to drop a hint to you earlier this week, but knew I would be in trouble if I did. You must have posted while I was choosing favourites!

  14. Biggles A @9

    The SOED seems to agree with me.

    lamp lamp ? verb3 trans. Chiefly N. English. e19.
    Hit or beat (a person)

    I am a “Northerner” though so my opinion is possibly worthless 😉

  16. I’m surprised so many people hadn’t heard the “he lamped him” sense of “to lamp”! I thought it was quite widely-known slang.

    Thanks to Peter Aspinwall for the explanation of the Darby and Joan clue—I’ve updated the post with that.

    @sidey: I considered “with” being a link word, but that doesn’t work either: “self-confidence” is a noun.

    @Gladys: I think you read what I was saying the wrong way round. The answer is an adjective; the definition in the clue is either a noun or an adverbial phrase.

    @Brendan (not that one): I described it as excellent in the preamble, and meant that! I only had a quibble with one clue, and the other was one I just didn’t get.

  17. mhl @16

    Sorry mhl, you’re right.

    I was overwhelmed by the wave of negativity in the early comments. I thought this was a great puzzle and I’m sorry you were implicated in my “robust” defence odf it.

  18. ‘Punch your lamps out’ or ‘beat the living daylamps out of you’ doesn’t quite do it somehow

  19. A good solid puzzle from Shed but that’s only to be expected. I must have been doing his puzzles for about 30 years or maybe more. No big favourites here but I did like SQUEALER and BRINISH. I finished this on Tuesday so it must have been on the easy side.

    I can’t understand all this fuss about “lamp”. It was quite common in British gangster films. Some heavy might say “lamp him one” or “give him a smack”.

    Brendan @14. Being a Northerner, you have gone up in my estimation.

    Many thanks to Shed and mhl.

  20. I was concerned when I didn’t get any of the across solutions during my first quick pass, but then I made a good start on the down ones. It took me a while to see “better days” and I wasted quite a while trying to find a city ending in S (second) before getting PALERMO, but SPITTING was my LOI. I don’t any problem with see any problem with LAMP = “strike”. While not part of my regular vocabulary, I’ve heard it often enough on TV or in films. My favourites were SQUEALER and VERBOSE.

    Thanks, Shed and mhl.

  21. myself @20
    Oops, editing/proofreading failure with “I don’t any problem with see any problem with”, but I think you can all work out what I meant to type.

  22. Polished as ever from Shed – have to admit that I failed on the unfamiliar BETONY, and FER-DE-LANCE was only familiar from a previous crossword.

    Thanks to Shed and mhl

  23. BNTO @ 14. Thank you, my education continues. Maybe I should spend more time watching TV and gangster films, but then I would have less time for crosswords.

  24. Can someone enlighten me as to why N = Norway? Is it the letter on vehicles? When I looked up country codes I found NO. I noticed quite a few BRITISH people missed BRINISH over on the Guardian blog site. No one has mentioned the country code though.
    I did enjoy SHED’s puzzle. And thanks mhl.

  25. For 24a, I think it’s LAM (strike) + P (per = a, as in miles per second), definition light.
    Nice puzzle, quite straightforward for Shed, but well clued as always.

    Thanks, Shed and mhl

  26. paddymelon @24; yes, N is the number plate code for cars registered in Norway.

    phitonelly @25; genius. Your comment is like a nippy little Fly Half side-stepping a dozen hairy great Backs in rugby! Either parsing works for me but yours is unarguable.

    Well done S & B; entertaining, enjoyable and in places, funny.

  27. I may have to modify my previous. ‘Per’ can equal ‘a’ and ‘a’ can equal ‘per’. ‘Per’ can certainly be abbreviated to ‘P’ but I suspect many would disagree that it follows that ‘a’ = ‘P’.

  28. Thanks all
    Betony was a mystery but inevitable.
    Amazing to get brexit in so early.
    I failed to get spitting, wonderfully remote definition.

  29. Thanks Shed and mhl

    I found this tough – started it on Saturday morning and didn’t get my last two (BREXIT (nearly got done by it again) and the very cleverly defined SPITTING) in until tonight … and then had to fix up my FOTTLING to FOOTLING in my final parse-checking.

    Many excellent clues throughout – one of the best and challenging Sheds for a little while now.

    Didn’t know LAMP as ‘strike’ at all and was trying to head down the same path as phitonely with the LAM + P thinking, except I couldn’t justify the P at all.

    A very good Prize puzzle … which I obviously should have started a lot earlier than I did.

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