Enjoyed this, with 9ac and 12ac favourites…
…and with two happy “oh, of course, that IS a word” moments at cracking the wordplay for 11ac and 22ac – though I’ve not seen this particular spelling of the latter. Not completely sure about the parsing for 16dn. Thanks to Paul.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BAR CODE | Some Tesco-read bands to decipher? (3,4) |
| &lit definition. “Some” letters of [Tes]co read b[ands] “to decipher”, or to use as anagram fodder, so (co read b)* | ||
| 5 | HITCHED | Married, husband proved irritating (7) |
| H[usband] plus ITCHED=”proved irritating” | ||
| 9 | PIPIT | Bird of about 6.28 feet, no charge (5) |
| a lark-like genus of birds. PI + PI = 2×3.14159… = “about 6.28”, plus [fee]T ‘without the fee‘ = “no charge” | ||
| 10 | TARPAULIN | Setter at sea, perhaps, wearing something waterproof (9) |
| TAR=a sailor=”at sea, perhaps”, describing PAUL=”Setter”, plus IN=”wearing” | ||
| 11 | AMAZEBALLS | A puzzle with cojones, brilliant! (10) |
| A plus MAZE=”puzzle” plus BALLS=”cojones” | ||
| 12 | AFT | A pink organ moving towards the rear (3) |
| A, plus F[inancial] T[imes]=”pink organ” | ||
| 14 | GAGGING ORDER | Legal directive good, ruling ultimately welcomed by brotherhood of elders? (7,5) |
| G[ood], plus: [rulin]G inside AGING ORDER=”brotherhood of elders?” | ||
| 18 | POPULAR PRESS | Sun etc in before this, brightness ends (7,5) |
| POPULAR=”in”, plus PRE=”before this”, plus the ends of [brightne]SS | ||
| 21 | ION | Charged particle nothing to write home about (3) |
| O=”nothing”, with IN=”home” written about it | ||
| 22 | FNAAR FNAAR | Snigger repeatedly if, on man, a bra regularly seen (5,5) |
| two repetitions of: regular letters of [i]F [o]N [m]A[n] A [b]R[a] | ||
| 25 | PAINTWORK | Discomfort with provocative dance reported as an act of touching up? (9) |
| PAIN=”Discomfort”, plus ‘TWORK’ which sounds like ‘twerk’=”provocative dance” | ||
| 26 | EX-CON | About ninety, one exercising, one having done a stretch? (2-3) |
| (one)* around XC=”ninety” in Roman numerals | ||
| 27 | ABRIDGE | A game of tricks cut short (7) |
| A + BRIDGE=”game of tricks” | ||
| 28 | ENHANCE | Better to spray henna on coarse skin (7) |
| (henna)* plus C[oars]E | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BYPLAY | Attributed to political extremists always, lesser action (6) |
| BY=”Attributed to”, plus the extremes of P[olitica]L, plus AY=”always” | ||
| 2 | RIPSAW | Tool putting inscription on tombstone, a motto (6) |
| RIP=”inscription on tombstone”, plus SAW=”a motto” | ||
| 3 | ON THE TABLE | At dinner time, food is thus submitted for consideration (2,3,5) |
| double definition | ||
| 4 | EXTRA | Entering vortex, travelling further (5) |
| Hidden in [vort]EX TRA[velling] | ||
| 5 | HARD-LINER | In time, Ireland abandoned uncompromising leader (4-5) |
| (Ireland)* inside HR=hour=”time” | ||
| 6 | TEAL | Food and drink, lake, for duck (4) |
| TEA=”Food” and =”drink”, plus L[ake] | ||
| 7 | HOLLANDE | President from nation needing leadership in Europe (8) |
| François Hollande is the French president. HOLLAND=”nation” plus E[urope] | ||
| 8 | DENATURE | Change character, seeing awful starter filling plate (8) |
| A[wful] inside DENTURE=”plate” | ||
| 13 | GOOSEFLESH | Evidence of excitement, as energy feels so incredibly hot (10) |
| GO=”energy” plus (feels so)*, plus H[ot] | ||
| 15 | GIRANDOLE | Wall ornament aligned or skew-whiff (9) |
| (aligned or)* | ||
| 16 | SPLIT PEA | Capital letter pronounced, one’s in the soup (5,3) |
| SPLIT=a type of “Capital” investment trust?, plus PEA sounds like ‘P’=”letter pronounced” | ||
| 17 | SPONGIER | Lighter grip, one’s loose (8) |
| (grip one’s)* | ||
| 19 | FALCON | Bird in brief dive, gull (6) |
| FAL[l]=”brief dive”, plus CON=”gull”=swindle | ||
| 20 | ORANGE | Fruit, simian ecstasy (6) |
| ORANG=orang-utan=”simian”, plus E[cstasy] | ||
| 23 | ARKLE | Ship left Spain for famous Irish bay (5) |
| ARKLE was a famous Irish bay horse [wiki]. ARK=”Ship”, plus L[eft], plus E[spaña]=”Spain” | ||
| 24 | STUD | Boss in brief survey (4) |
| STUD[y]=”brief survey” | ||
11Across is a word not found in Chambers nor OneLook. I had to google and found it at http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2012/12/27/who_coined_amazeballs_and_why_do_they_hate_humanity.html
Thanks for the blog and the puzzle, manehi & Paul
I found this quite difficult. I failed to solve 22a – never heard that word before – and my online dictionary spells it as fnarr fnarr or fnar fnar anyway.
I needed help to parse 10a, 14a, 9a and 12a – still don’t get it – why is FT a pink organ?
New words for me were AMAZEBALLS, the horse ARKLE and AY= always (dialect).
I mistakenly thought that Split is a capital city so I did not notice that there was a problem parsing 16d. I also did not pick up on the subtraction of letters to make an anagram of BARCODE – I just assumed it was sort of defined as bands of info to be deciphered. The subtraction of letters seems a bit random/lopsided!
Thanks manehi and Paul.
Thanks manehi. Paul as he often is, smart, funny and off-colour (pink organ – the FT used to be that hue, michelle). He slips sometimes, and I guessed for 16D he had the second city of Croatia as its capital: apologies if it’s me that’s wrong. Confidently shoved in the unheard-ofs AMAZEBALLS and FNAAR-FNAAR, and fossicked in the memory for the famous Irish bay. Loads of fun.
1A: “barcode” is a single word
11A: does this word actually exist?
I usually enjoy Paul’s xwords, but, with stuff like “fnaar fnaar”, not this one. Sorry.
@michelle
The Financial Times is printed on pink paper (often known as “the pink un”).
I can’t avoid the conclusion that Paul has forgotten Zagreb; neither can I have much to say of a positive nature about the clue for BARCODE.
Thanks to S&B
Sadly, my favourite setter has defeated me today – I couldn’t get 14a GAGGING ORDER, 18a POPULAR PRESS (UK newspaper) or, as others have already remarked, a totally obscure 22a FNAAR FNAAR. Despite using a variety of online and print resources, I remained flummoxed by these.
Also 9a PIPIT and 12a AFT were complete guesses without understanding the parsing.
I was ok with 16d, assuming SPLIT to be the capital of Croatia, which I now find is ZAGREB. Maybe Molonglo@3 is right in thinking Paul has made an incorrect assumption too?
A little niggle in the use of CON (albeit with different clues with different meanings) in both 26a EX-CON and 19d FALCON.
Still had some fun with 5a HITCHED, 11a AMAZEBALLS (only familiar with that word because a most annoying contestant on a recent Aussie cooking show used it constantly), and 13d GOOSEFLESH.
Thanks to Paul and manehi.
Sorry baerchen@5, our comments about Zagreb crossed over.
PS Does anyone know what happens if you get the simple sum wrong in the Captcha (I only learned recently that Captcha relates to being tested to ensure you are not a robot posting – thanks to a recent Guardian puzzle!)?
molonglo@3 and baerchen@5
thanks for explaining 12a – I did not know the FT is printed on pink paper.
Also did not know that ORGAN can be a newspaper, but just looked it up: “a newspaper or periodical which promotes the views of a political party or movement”.
does the team think that some of the racier aspects of word-play, coupled with GAGGING ORDER, POPULAR PRESS, FNAAR FNAAR is an allusion to the “celebrity superinjunction”?
Ladies and gents, my mistake re Split, I am so sorry. Not sure how that happened, other than poor research.
Have a lovely day, to you all
John (Paul)
Thanks Paul and Manehi.
I parsed 18ac slightly differently (but no more convincingly):
POPULAR=”in”, plus PRE=”before”, plus the ends of thi[S] [brightnes]S.
Like others, I found a few of the answers a little less than ‘fair’, but overall the puzzle achieved the setter’s goal of losing with elegance and charm.
Thanks Paul and manehi
I enjoyed this a lot more than is usually the case with me and Paul puzzles; particular favourite was ARKLE for the “Irish bay” misdirection.
I wasn’t convinced by AFT meaning “moving towards the rear”; it is the rear. “Moving towards the rear” would be “going aft”.
In what way are SPONGIER and “lighter” equivalent?
Do we have to read PAINTWORK as a verb for 25 to work? The noun seems not to match “an act of touching up” (as in “Don’t put your dirty hands on the paintwork!”).
Thank you, manehi.
Paul always manages to get our urban sang juices flowing, doesn’t he.
I presume twerk came from twist + jerk but perhaps I’m making that up.
Great fun here generally and ARKLE in particular (Irish Bay indeed!)
Wasn’t fnaar fnaar used by some cartoon character or other? Private Eye perhaps? Perhaps someone knows.
Thanks to the setter for dropping in with the mea culpa re Split but I was blissfully ignorant of the gaffe before he did.
Not sure we’ve seen the ‘hidden anagram’ device before, have we? Rather neat with its &lit surface too.
Great fun John, as usual, many thanks.
Nice week, all.
Bit of a curate’s egg. Is 11ac actually a word? 18ac is rather indelicate given recent events – The Sun is certainly not popular in Liverpool! As for 12ac, I’m surprised that Paul, with his penchant for smut didn’t work in the old schoolboy joke – “what’s pink and hard in the morning? – the FT crossword”
Muffin @13 I rather think you have a point re AFT & PAINTWORK. “I’m going aft” could hardly be replaced by “I’m aft” could it? And I can’t get the PAINTWORK clue to have the right part of speech either.
On SPONGIER, your point is correct although I’m less queasy, feeling it’s just about alliterative enough to be acceptable in crosswordland.
I think it’s a character in a Viz comic strip whose sneer is represented as ‘fnaar’ x2 – or ‘fnarr’ x2
@muffin
If a cake was SPONGIER (and therefore not as densely structured), I’d describe it as lighter. I didn’t really have a problem with that one.
I see what you mean about AFT – although “moving towards” could just be saying that the clue is moving towards the definition.
I did have a problem with FNAAR FNAAR, although I’d say it’s just about excusable owing to the obvious “regularly” indicator.
scott @18
Ah, “lighter” figuratively. It would of course weigh the same; just have a greater volume and lower density.
baerchen @10, I think HOLLANDE clinches that…
Thank you Paul and manehi.
This was an enjoyable solve, TARPAULIN and ARKLE were my favourites. I twigged on to the parsing of BAR CODE, it was rather a surprise, I do not remember having met this device before – incidentally it is two words in the COED.
Thanks both. Re 22a – Finbarr Saunders and his double entendres from Viz. I’m just showing off my extensive literary education!
muffin @13, the COED gives for AFT “adv. at or towards the stern or tail”, Collins gives “adv. towards stern of ship”
I’m not sure we should blame Paul entirely for the SPLIT error, there is an editing process isn’t there?
I loved FNAAR FNAAR. It’s the sort of clue only Paul could set, it’s perfectly gettable, and it sounds just like what Terry-Thomas (or some such) would say. AMAZEBALLS not in a dictionary? Ah, but it will be. Much prefer this to the essentially mythical, but COED-blessed, CR = councillor that cropped up yesterday.
So after having had a bit of a moan at Paul recently, I’m back on his side today, despite the dodgy anagram fodder for BAR CODE. And he deceived me with the 6.28 – I assumed this was roughly two metres, so started looking for an MM bird.
Thanks Paul & manehi.
I didn’t notice the Split gaffe. Entertaining solve; as I looked at the ‘regularly’ in 22 I couldn’t believe at the beginning that the word would start with FN…
BAR CODE seems to be spelled in several ways including hyphenated and as a single word. I BIFD a few but got there in the end and parsed them all except POPULAR PRESS where I thought the ‘before’ was included in the ‘ends.’
The 16d clue has now been changed to
Letter from Dalmatian port’s read out – one’s in the soup
[Trailman @24, don’t blame the COED for the councillor = Cr, it also had Cllr abbr. Brit. Councillor.]
20dn ORANG is not, of course, a SIMIAN. ORANG means MAN in Malay and the animal in question was called ORANG (H)UTAN meaning JUNGLE MAN. In English the two, however spelt, are never separated.
Cookie @23
…but it doesn’t mean moving towards the stern. “He lives towards the top of the hill” doesn’t mean he is moving upwards.
muffin @29, I think “moving” should not have been included in the definition.
Cookie @30
Yes, that makes the definition work … but what then is “moving” doing in the clue?
Looking at my old Viz annuals I see that Finbarr used the fnarr fnarr spelling. But then we couldn’t have had the brilliant Arkle.
Ashamed to say 11a was my first ‘in’…
Otherwise, I bailed about half way through. Had more success with Paul’s Prize Crossword last weekend!
No problems with the Viz stuff (never bought it myself but used to share a house with a man who did), but GIRANDOLE was new to me and last in – it was the mist plausible arrangement of the fodder so easy enough to look up. All very entertaining.
Thanks to Paul and manehi
muffin @31, apparently the FT has been moving back to its old quarters in the City.
Uncle Yap @1, 11a is found in Collins online.
I also found the FNAAR spelling in several online sources and, to be fair to Paul, he doesn’t specifically mention Finbarr Saunders.
Lots of terrific clues, but ARKLE was my pick. Simple and beautiful.
Thanks, Paul and manehi.
Thanks to Paul and manehi. I needed help parsing PIPIT; GIRDANDOLE and AMAZEBALLS were new to me; and I was defeated by FNAAR FNAAR, but I did get ARKLE and (rightly or wrongly) SPLIT PEA. Lots of fun.
[ARKLE was owned by the Duchess of Westminster, and named after one of the three prominent mountains near her Scottish estate, not far from Kinlochbervie in Sutherland. The other two mountains are Ben Stack and Foinaven; the latter gave its name to an equally famous (though less generally successful) steeplechaser of hers. I don’t know the reason for the spelling mistake, though – the horse was called FoinavOn.]
Lots of fun but I was defeated by AMAZEBALLS, of which I’ve never heard, but the rest was lovely. I spelt 22ac as FNARRx 2,as per Viz which I did read in its heyday, and this slowed me down a little. I didn’t notice the problem with SPLIT and everything else went in nicely.
Thanks Paul.
I liked this though was defeated by FNAAR FNAAR. Hard to know where to start for the good clues, but PIPIT, GAGGING ORDER and GOOSEFLESH were my favourites.
Thanks to Paul and manehi.
I also made the mistake of assuming 6.28 to be two metres, but the crossers eventually enlightened me. I have no quarrel with either 11 or 22, but I didn’t like having to guess what the anagram fodder was in 1a. But that is a very minor quibble in a very enjoyable crossword. Never spotted the SPLIT error. Favourite ARKLE (as he so often was).
[muffin @38 – to those of us who followed Notts back in the day, Arkle will always be Derek Randall – that definitely came from the horse not the mountain]
Can’t remember ever seeing a clue like 1 across in a Guardian crossword.
Although the answer is fairly obvious, you have to select the letters and then form an anagram.
Usually in this type of clue there is a hidden word or whole words need to be anagramised.
kenj @43
I agree that it was an unusual clue, but at least the letters required for the anagram were placed consecutively in the clue.
1 across is weird. It’s also unfair, I think. Some of something is the anagram fodder, yes, thanks a bunch! I don’t really think these are deciphered either, so the ‘&lit’ element of this clue isn’t great.
I enjoyed this – was reminded of an old favourite Paul clue:
Pink organ inelastic, if man excited (9,5)
Trailman @24
I’m not sure we should blame Paul entirely for the SPLIT error, there is an editing process isn’t there?
Sadly, over the last year, it has become more apparent that this is no longer true. 🙁
I always like Paul’s puzzles even when I can’t do them. I managed to almost finish this but had to come here for Arkle and the first word of gagging order. Most of them went in unparsed and I have yet to go through the blog. I wondered about Split but just assumed Paul knew something that I, Google and my solver did not. Loved amazeballs and fnaar fnaar. Thanks Paul and manehi.
I got BAR CODE straight away, because there used to be a setter many years ago (can’t remember the name) who occasionally did a whole crossword of hidden anagrams, and this clue immediately rang a bell for me.
I completed this today without being able to check anything, so 11A (AMAZEBALLS) and 15D (GIRANDOLE) were guesses – I’m glad they turned out to be right. Amazeballs is a silly word, and I wondered until I came online late tonight whether a puzzle other than a maze might form part of the answer instead.
I didn’t know Paul could be quite as devious as this. 1A (BARCODE) was gettable (I correctly interpreted “some”), but this vague cryptic device surprised me a bit. The wordplay in 9A (PIPIT) also surprised me: I must remember to emulate Paul’s way of doubling a mathematical constant in this way (pi + pi) when I clue a word like FEET – I can write ‘about 5.44’ to mean e + e.
Apart from these instances of pushing the boundaries, I thought this puzzle was excellent. The clueing was inventive (and some!) and clever, and I got a lot of enjoyment out of it. I particularly liked 12A (AFT), 22A (FNAAR FNAAR) and 25A (PAINTWORK).
Many thanks to Paul and manehi.
sheffield hatter @49
I have a similar memory to yours. The crosswords I remember had a preamble to explain the special type of clue, and I believe each clue included a short definition as well as a hidden anagram, and we were further told that the two parts never overlapped. Very enjoyable usually, and not inherently difficult for the solver, but that depends as always on how difficult the setter chooses to make it.
I do love some of Paul’s clues, particularly the likes of 11 & 12 which I treat a pair of (non guardian) xword buffs to at my local.
Thanks Paul for a good smirk
Just popping by to say how much I enjoyed doing this, despite the Split moment – there again, any city that has a football team named Hadjuk can’t get enough publicity. I knew no spelling of ‘fnaar fnaar’ – I’m sure it wasn’t in vogue in the Carry On! days – so just got that from the cryptic.
I was at Kempton nearly 50 years ago when the greatest steeplechaser that ever lived finished second with a broken foot. Thanks for the memories, JH.
‘Pink organ’ rather tame by the standards of my current reading, ‘Fanny Hill’…
Thanks Manehi and Paul.
I printed my version after the clue for 16dn was corrected so no problem there.
I see that you put nation in inverted commas at 7dn – just in case Sil’s reading?
This was great fun from start to finish, even if like many I hadn’t seen that particular spelling of 22ac before.
Similarly, using hidden letters for anagram fodder as in 1ac is a new device to me – but it produced quite an “aha” moment so that’s great too.
Totes amazeballs!
Re ‘Amazeballs’, see David Mitchell on Would I Lie To You (from about 19:25):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5YR12v8bMA
Thanks Paul and manehi
This was Paul at his hardest (and best). I actually started this on the published day and after looking at 22a on an off across the period – it was only this morning when I lucked out by finding FNAAR FNAAR.
I’m not usually one for using the ‘check button’ but this morning I did (having checked my down crosser clues a half dozen times previously) and all showed correct. I’d previously looked at the A.R. as regular parts of ‘a bra’ – this morning I just took it all the way back … said “Nah, that can’t be !” – looked it up … and bugger me, it was !!!
I also used the ‘check button’ with 16d to confirm what I thought must be ! Then spent ages to see if through any of it’s long history, SPLIT had ever been a capital of Dalmatia or anywhere else- it wasn’t – so thanks JH for dropping in and fessing up!
AMAZEBALLS made me smile – to see new age slang work its way into a Guardian crossword – good stuff ! Thought that ARKLE was a gem as well (had originally written something else in – but cannot see what it was now) – a very clever misdirection with the ‘Irish bay’.
Didn’t see the hidden anagram at 1a – and took it as some sort of cryptic definition. I do like the way that Paul does push the boundaries of device and think that this one works pretty well – just another variation of the compound anagram type of clue.
It’s always satisfying to nut out one that has taken a long elapsed time to finish … and even more so to have it all correct.