Guardian Cryptic 26,903 by Rufus

by

The puzzle may be found athttps://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26903.

It seemed for a while that this crossword was to be all double definitions. A spurious accent seems to have crept into the given answer to 8D.

Across
9 ON CUE At the right moment put chalk here (2,3)
Double definition, the second being an allusive reference to billiards or the like.
10 OILFIELDS Well-provided places for those with boring occupations (9)
Cryptic definition.
11 TIN OPENER Can starter be produced in the kitchen? (3,6)
A charade of TIN (‘can’) plus OPENER (‘starter’).
12 FACIA It may give a shop a name (5)
Cryptic definition.
13 CAPSULE Medicine used by astronauts? (7)
Double definition.
15 DERIDES Laughs at what could be desired (7)
An anagram (‘could be’) of ‘desired’.
17 EASED Stopped losing head and relaxed (5)
A subtraction: [c]EASED (‘stopped’) minus its first letter (‘losing head’).
18 SEA Half-term drink (3)
‘Half’ of SEA[son] (‘term’).
20 NASAL Sort of organ that sometimes needs a blow (5)
Cryptic definition.
22 MINORCA Young accountant’s holiday spot (7)
A charade of MINOR (‘young’) plus CA (chartered ‘accountant’).
25 PEERAGE To look one’s years requires nobility (7)
A charade of PEER (‘to look’) plus AGE(‘one’s years’).
26 GOT IT Understood one has been punished (3,2)
Double definition. A somewhat unfortunate intersection with 14D.
27 BAREFACED Shameless when unveiled (9)
Double definition.
30 ASCENSION Atlantic island rising above the horizon (9)
Double definition.
31 ROMEO He was known for loving capital, nothing more (5)
A charade of ROME(‘capital’) plus O (‘nothing’).
Down
1 POST The letters column (4)
Double definition.
2 SCHNAPPS Extra comment following school game shows spirit (8)
A charade of SCH (‘school’) plus NAP (‘game’ of cards) plus PS (‘extra comment’).
3 DEEP Cunning, in the main (4)
Double definition.
4 COUNTERS Contradicts men on the board (8)
Double definition.
5 FLORID Lord, if drunk, becomes flushed (6)
An anagram (‘drunk’) of ‘lord if’.
6 DIFFERENCE Dispute the number left (10)
Double definition.
7 PLACID Still used as a name for an American lake (6)
Double definition; Lake Placid is in the Adirondacks of upstate New York; the area was host to the Winter Olympics a good few years ago.
8 ASIA A unit in the Salvation Army covers a large area of land (4)
A charade of ‘a’ plus SIA, an envelope (‘in’) of I (‘unit’) in SA (‘Salvation army’).
13 CREAM Pack a quarter in of the very best (5)
An envelope (‘in’) of E (east, ‘a quarter’) in CRAM (‘pack’).
14 UNDERSTAND Get it from where market traders keep stock (10)
Double definition, sort of, the second being a allusion to a market stall or stand.
16 SOLVE Possibly loves to finish the crossword? (5)
An anagram (‘possibly’) of ‘loves’.
19 APPARENT When father came up by himself, the rift was unmistakable (8)
A charade of AP, a reversal (‘came up’) of PA (‘father’) plus PA (‘himself’, this time the right way round) plus RENT (‘the rift’).
21 SEARCH ME A blend of cashmere? I’ve no idea! (6,2)
An anagram (‘a blend’) of ‘cashmere’.
23 NOTICE Advice given when one is leaving work (6)
Cryptic definition.
24 ALBEIT A student has to live with it, though (6)
A charade of ‘a’ plus L (‘student’ driver) plus BE (‘to live’) plus ‘it’.
26 GNAT Rising flavour has bite (4)
A revrsal (‘rising’ in a down light) of TANG (‘flavour’).
28 FORD Car gives way for pedestrians (4)
I suppose this in intended as a double definition, with the second a reference to a stream crossing, although that is not necessarily for pedestrians.
29 DUOS Acts of duplicity? (4)
Cryptic definition.
completed grid

41 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 26,903 by Rufus”

  1. Thanks PeterO and Rufus.

    DDs took longer to resolve….Is “counters” really “contradicts”…it could just be a response.

  3. Thanks PeterO, I failed on two clues but found the rest pretty easy. So frustrating to get so close but not be able to complete!

    FACIA – I did actually think of fascia for the answer but it didn’t fit and I wasn’t aware of this alternative spelling.

    FORD – as noted above, fords can also be used by vehicles, so the ‘pedestrians’ reference threw me.

  4. Thanks Rufus and PeterO.

    Got through this reasonably quickly (for me) but stumbled at the last hurdle.

    Could not for the life of me get 2d SCHNAPPS. I even had the Sc bit at the beginning, thinking that was the abbreviation for school. Have never heard of a game called “Nap”. Missed the notion of a postscript. Kicking myself. I imagined it must be some obscure spirit from an unknown religion!

    I did like 27a BAREFACED, 14d UNDERSTAND and 23d NOTICE.

  6. I enjoyed this puzzle – I think it was perfect for a Monday. I like doing two crosswords every Monday and I don’t want to spend too long on them or the whole morning (or afternoon) is gone!

    My favourites were ON CUE, BAREFACED, CREAM.

    New for me were ASCENSION Island and NAP = card game.

    Thanks Rufus and PeterO.

  7. Thank you PeterO and good morning everyone.

    After Saturday’s stinker from Enigmatist, I was hoping for an easy ride this morning. Most of this went in easily enough but I found myself staring at a few Rufusian “‘spose” clues, including DIFFERENCE, SEA, UNDERSTAND & FORD.

    Don’t really see the pedestrian reference in the latter. I always assumed a ford was to allow vehicular traffic to cross a river while pedestrians could easily make do with stepping stones or little makeshift bridges of planks etc. No doubt someone while shed light on it.

    Favourites were the excellent cashmere anagram and ALBEIT.

    Thank you, Rufus, nice week, all.

  8. Thank you Rufus and PeterO.

    I really enjoyed this crossword, but wonder what the anti-DD brigade will think, there seem to be 12 double definitions!

  9. Still can’t see why FORD is FORD – I was trying to work something involving RD for way, but getting nowhere. Putting in MOUTH organ instead of NASAL organ didn’t help. But I did like UNDERSTAND.

  10. Gladys @ 9:

    The pedestrian definition of ford is as per Chambers (‘a place where water may be crossed by wading’), whereas Collins prefers ‘a shallow area in a river that can be crossed by car, horseback, etc.’.

    If one uses the narrow Chambers definition, ford = way for pedestrians, which works as a double definition with the Ford car brand.

  11. John E@10 Many thanks for running that to earth. I think in modern times we have come to know a ford more for it’s capacity to provide vehicles with a crossing point across a river but from your Chambers def it may not have started this way.

    Gladys @9 Me too with mouth-organ. Makes no sense but it didn’t stop me putting it in!

  12. Well, Cookie @8, I wouldn’t say I’m part of the anti-DD/CD brigade – one or two per puzzle is perfectly reasonable – but I do struggle with them a bit, so today’s Rufus was a bit of a stinker for me. Wasn’t entirely convinced by the likes of DEEP and DUOS and was relieved when I checked things here. Oh and I was another with an early MOUTH at 20a, thankfully not for long thanks to SEARCH ME.

    I breezed through Saturday’s Enigmatist, two clues excepted, in less time than today. All of which goes to show, what a continuum of setters – and solvers – we have.

  13. Leo says:

    Dear William: @ 11 you wrote “it’s” for “its” – aaaaarrrgh! I agree with your comments @ 7 though.

  16. Thanks Rufus & PeterO.

    Good enjoyable puzzle, although rather a lot of dd/cd. I did like OILFIELDS though. I wasn’t that enamoured with DEEP=cunning although I see it is in the Chambers Xword dic.

  18. Phyllida @15; variant spelling of fascia. Collins gives 1. the flat surface above a shop window. That’s where the shop name might be put.

  19. I am another who completed the Saturday Enigmatist in less time than I did to fall short by one here. Fortunately Phyllida already asked my question but with that explanation I am glad I didn’t spend any more time on it. Seems a particularly arbitrary use of the word to me, but it’s in a dictionary so hey ho.

    Thanks PeterO.

  20. I have noticed that from time to time people seem to question the definitions used in crosswords. There were two examples today (‘ford’ and ‘counters’) although the criticism of the latter was gracefully withdrawn. I have always understood that some degree of latitude was permitted, especially if this made for a neater clue or a clever misdirection. Of course the definitions need to be reasonably accurate in order for the crossword to be fair.

  21. Did I read that someone thought this was harder than the Saturday puzzle? Blimey,is all I can say!
    I thought this was quite a good Rufus and a little harder than usual-SCHNAPPS for example. Some goodies though-ALBEIT,MINORCA and SEA. Enjoyable!
    Thanks Rufus.

  22. I can’t quite believe what heavy weather I made of this – as usual with Rufus they all make perfect sense, but coming so soon after Saturday’s Enigmatist I must have been subconsciously overcomplicating.

    Thanks to Rufus and PeterO

  23. Thanks Rufus and PeterO

    Found it a little bit harder than is usual for some reason – things were decidedly slow at the very start … and at the very end.

    Didn’t help myself by writing RED at the bottom of 5d and unsuccessfully looking for another word for ‘Lord’ for a while. ASIA took a whole lot longer than it should have as well.

    Didn’t have issue with FORD – defined in the dictionary I used as ‘a shallow place in a body of water where one can cross by walking, riding an animal or driving a car’ !! It made for a nice surface by using the pedestrian option, I thought.

    Finished in the top half with the very clever OILFIELDS, FLORID when the anagram finally sang out and DEEP (hadn’t heard of the cunning definition of it).

  24. Thanks for blogging, Peter.

    I’m fond of a Rufus dd or cd, although I will admit there were perhaps more than is good for me today. I enjoyed it. CAPSULE was my favourite, because it took me ages to see it and then I said a word I won’t repeat here.

    The not untypical Grauniad typo in ASIA, where the first letter was A with a grave accent is really annoying, because it wouldn’t let me confirm that I had everything right. Those that buy the paper wouldn’t have had that problem.

    Thank you, Rufus.

  25. K’d D @24

    … but those who buy the paper have to wait a day for the solution or use the online system, and with Rufus there are quite often multiple solutions that more or less fit so guess and check makes it too easy!

  26. I’m very pleased to say that I found this much, much easier than Saturday’s Enigmatist. For that, I only got one clue on the day, but I hope to get back to it at some point during the week, just for the pleasure when I stop hitting my head against that brick wall.

    Back to Rufus, I enjoyed this. The types of clue and how often they appear in a particular puzzle don’t really bother me. I had to check that spelling of FA(S)CIA, though. Some slightly dubious definitions have already been mentioned, but the one which leapt out at me was CAPSULE. To define it as “medicine” is like defining “box” as “chocolates”. Does anyone say “I’ve got to take my capsule now”?

    My favourite clues include DERIDES, NASAL, MINORCA, FLORID and SEARCH ME.

    Thanks, Rufus and PeterO.

  27. Leo Pilkington @13 My – so I did. Well spotted. Sorry for the delay responding, had to go out.

    jennyk @26 I’m astonished anyone found Saturday’s Enigmatist easier than this. I finished the brute late on Sunday night after 6 or 7 head-banging attempts. Last in was 8d, which I only got by eliminating all other possibilities!

  29. Thanks to Rufus and PeterO. I had the same problems as those already cited (e.g., with FORD, the spelling of FACIA, or “nap” as a card game) but still finished quickly. Lots of fun.

  30. Cookie @28,
    Hm … perhaps, but that feels more natural, somehow. I do say it about pills, but I don’t remember ever saying the capsule version. I think I say “pills” even when they are actually capsules, but then I never claimed to be rational. 😉

  31. myself @30
    I think “Holds medicine used by astronauts?” or “For medicine used by astronauts?” would have worked better for me, though they might have made the clue too easy.

  34. jeceris @ 33: do you have access to a copy of Chambers dictionary? If so, I recommend reading the entry for duplex.

  35. jeceris @ 33. (I am assuming that you got the two meanings of acts, i.e. deeds or stage performers).

  36. Why are there several references to a “live” Saturday puzzle in here? All comments on this should appear in the blog which will appear next Saturday hopefully.

    Even the most trivial of references can give unwanted information to the unwary reader. This has been mentioned before.

    P.S. This was the worst Rufus in a long while. IMHO of course 😉

  37. BNTO @36 – I have just re-read all of the comments on this thread, and although there are several references to the Enigmatist and its level of difficulty, none of them spoil apart from one that gives the number of a clue one individual solver had most trouble with. This is consistent with the way active prize puzzles are discussed on the Guardian comments page, and I for one can’t see anything wrong with it.

  38. I too am amazed that anyone found enigmatist easier than Rufus. I I had no problems with references to enigmatist in today’s comments. Duplicity might mean two faced – a two faced stage act = duo? Thank god for Rufus I say – the only day I expect to finish!

  39. bh @37

    This has been discussed in great detail in the past.

    All mentions of a “prize” are frowned upon before the next Saturday. Any comment on a puzzle has lots of information in it.

    Many readers are familiar with the skill levels and opinions of a lot of the posters on here. So, even if no actual “spoilers” are posted, the way in which the comment is made can often communicate more than was intended.

    The best (and proscribed) policy is to “say nowt”.

  40. Thanks PeterO and Rufus.

    I must confess to having a feeling of unease throughout the solve.

    With so many Double and cryptic definitions, I’m always concerned that there may be alternative answers that I haven’t thought of – so I wrote them all in finely until I had them all.

    How very, very Rufus!

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