Guardian 26,945 – Rufus: Updated

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Apologies all – boring real world things have kept me from blogging this puzzle so far. This post will be updated soon.

Edit: blog has now been posted. Not too sure about 5ac or 23ac. Favourites 13ac and 18ac.

Across
1 STRIP OFF Remove a coat — or more! (5,3)
=Remove a coat of paint; or =remove a coat, and the rest of your clothes
5 DANIEL He takes lead in play (6)
(lead in)*. not sure if there’s more to the definition than “He” – maybe a Daniel who is an actor (Day-Lewis, Radcliffe)?
9 EMPERORS In pre-Rome’s constitution they were the rulers (8)
(pre-Rome’s)*
10 MYOPIC My work in charge of those limited in their outlook (6)
MY plus OP=”work” plus IC=”in charge”
12 REICH Point to go into in affluent German state (5)
E[ast]=”Point” inside RICH=”affluent”
13 TURNSTILE Revolver may be used when approaching big game (9)
cryptic definition – a revolving gate to get to a sports game, rather than a gun to use against a game animal
14 ON REFLECTION No, when one’s thought about it (2,10)
“No” could be clued as ON REFLECTION=> reversal of ON
18 IN SINGLE FILE Where unmarried person’s records go, one after another? (2,6,4)
cryptic second definition of “Where unmarried person’s records go”
21 CONQUEROR Victor or William? (9)
Second definition referring to William the Conqueror
23 EXPEL One way to apply a finish to education (5)
is this a cryptic definition or is there something else going on?
24 IDIOCY The presidio cynically admits stupidity (6)
Hidden in [pres]IDIO CY[nically]
25 STAGE ONE First phase of Stone Age building (5,3)
(Stone Age)*
26 FINGER Index needed for a digital computer? (6)
cryptic definition – an index FINGER might be used for a “digital computer”=someone who counts on their fingers?
27 ASSEMBLE Bless me! A strange get-together (8)
(Bless me A)*
Down
1 STEERS Cattle drives (6)
double definition
2 REPAID Given help, salesman got out of debt (6)
REP=”salesman”, given AID=”help”
3 PARTHENON Ruined temple right in the way, nobody turns up (9)
R[ight] in PATH=”way”, plus NONE=”nobody” reversed/”turns up”
4 FIRST SEA LORD He’s responsible for the navy’s ships — also drifters drifting (5,3,4)
(also drifters)*
6 ABYSS Beast of burden goes round by deep gorge (5)
ASS=”Beast of burden” goes round BY
7 IMPLICIT Bad spirit permissible — it goes without saying (8)
IMP=”Bad spirit” plus LICIT=”permissible”
8 LECTERNS Upholders of the Christian word (8)
cryptic definition – desks that hold up e.g. Bibles or “the Christian word”
11 PROLIFERATES Increases in cooked tripe for sale (12)
(tripe for sale)*
15 COLLEAGUE Officer has association with us at work (9)
COL[onel]=”Officer” with LEAGUE=”association”
16 MISCHIEF Monkey business involving the head of military intelligence (8)
MI’S CHIEF, or Military Intelligence’S CHIEF
17 ASUNCION A northern cousin seen out in South American capital (8)
capital of Paraguay. (A n cousin)*, where n=N[orthern]
19 APLOMB Assurance that dad is about to see doctor (6)
PA=”dad”, reversed/”about”, plus LO=look!=”see”, plus MB=Bachelor of Medicine=”doctor”
20 FLEECE Charge exorbitantly for a warm woollen coat (6)
double definition
22 UNCLE Cryptic clue about northern relative (5)
(clue)* around N[orthern]

39 comments on “Guardian 26,945 – Rufus: Updated”

  5. I don’t know what the “takes” contributes to the cryptic grammar, but apart from that, “He” is the definition and “play” is the anagram indicator for “lead in”, I think.

  6. Thanks to Rufus and manehi. Isn’t 5ac just a normal clue for a boy’s name? More usually it would be “boy takes lead in play”.

    But I too am stumped on 25ac.

    25ac a favourite – but then in the dim and distant past I was an archaeologist.

  9. re 5ac – I agree with the parsing as spelled out by muffin – but was wondering if I was missing an &lit or similar

    re 23ac – I wondered if EXPEL had a meaning close to ‘spray’ or ‘spread’ which might then mean “apply a finish” of paint or similar, but I can’t find anything to back this up

  11. re: 5a — what a wonderful clue that would be for BASSANIO.

    Decipher: In “The Merchant of Venice”, Bassanio is the suitor who wins Portia’s hand by selecting a casket containing lead, rather than the gold or silver ones.

  13. Thanks, manehi, done and dusted in 20′ this morning.

    For 5ac, according to wikipaedia: “The Play of Daniel, or Ludus Danielis, is either of two medieval Latin liturgical dramas based on the biblical Book of Daniel, one of which is accompanied by monophonic music”. Don’t know if this was intended – never heard of them myself.

    I took 23a to be one of Rufus’ “straightforward” CCs (no apostrophe, please note, Eileen), so I didn’t search for further explanation.

  14. Dave @ 13, I think you may be onto something there re 5ac. I felt there must be more to it than ‘he’ being simply an indication of a male name.
    And I’m now kicking myself because, somewhere, I have a recording of a reconstruction of Ludus Danielis!

  15. There is a “Play of Daniel” see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_of_Daniel but also seems a bit of a stretch – perhaps an old favourite of the venerable Rufus?

    I thought EXPEL to be very straightforward and yet pleasantly cryptic: if I decide to expel someone (not that I could or would) then I have certainly found a way to apply a finish to their education. After a fashion, of course, since they would then move on to a school for expelled persons. The Sorbonne perhaps? (No longer an option, I hazard, for post-Brexit émigrés.)

  16. Hmm – 5a was my LOI, and not a happy ending. If Dave @ 13 is right, then he’s brilliant (well obviously he is anyway), but I feel that rationale is too obscure. Yes indeed, El Ingles @ 11!

  18. Thanks to Rufus and manehi. I’ve heard of (but not read) The Play of Daniel but I took the route cited above that “he” just referred to a man’s name. I also took the simple approach to EXPEL (after all this is Rufus) as a way to finish or abort an education. My only problem with this puzzle was my inability the first and second time around to spell ASUNCION until I looked more closely at the anagram fodder. A quick but enjoyable solve.

  19. When in doubt go for the simple explanation-DANIEL is a man’s name,EXPEL
    and education is finished- that’s what I did anyway. Neither are especially
    good but—.
    Solved this very quickly. Not the best Rufus but Ok!
    Thanks Rufus.

  20. Thanks Rufus and manehi

    I was also wondering how to parse 5a. Perhaps the simple way is the answer.

    My favourite was MISCHIEF

  21. Quite an appalling offering even for a Rufus.

    Of course our “illustrious ed” has vetted this and thinks it fit for publication. Who are we to doubt his decision (or even his participation 😉 )

  23. Thanks Rufus and manehi!!

    I took the easy parse options all along and so finished in a record for me 15mins. Lived in Paraguay for 5 glorious years in the 70s so ASUNCIÓN jumped out and brought back very pleasant memories of place and friends!! Thought 9d was a good clue in a rather ordinary bunch. But hey it’s Monday and so much more to look forward to and we won the Test!!

  24. STAGE ONE is just AGE in STONE – perhaps an indicator of this other than “anagram” would have been more appropriate?

    btw thanks Rufus and manehi. Favourites were MYOPIC and CONQUEROR.

  25. re 5a – you poor English people who are trying to relieve the continuing shame of Icelandic defeat by over-complicating your crossword solving do appear to have achieved forgetfulness that Daniel Sturridge led the play from the centre forward position for your abject XI.

  26. I took 23a as a straightforward cryptic definition. I don’t have a better parsing for 5a than manehi’s. The “Play of Daniel” seems too obscure to be correct. Favourites include ON REFLECTION and IN SINGLE FILE.

    Thanks, Rufus and manehi.

  27. Thanks Rufus, us greenhorns enjoy your crosswords, as we can do ’em! thanks manehi, and all commentators. Faves 13a and 14a.

  28. I know this is very late but Rog I totally agree with you. I still don’t get it despite explanation but Rufus can do this however being doing his crosswords for years and usually get it but he is more than capable of throwing in a curved ball and of course it’s a very gentle start to the week. Diolch Rufus a Manehi in other words thank you Rufus and Manehi. Nos da (good night)8

  29. By the way should have said loved all the Shakespeare stuff as I have an English degree but many of you were well ahead of me.

  30. Van Winkle @25: you amuse me, but then I’m Welsh.

    5a DANIEL is still nagging me – I can’t get it out of my head that the definition is actually He takes. Otherwise (as muffin @5 implies) why not just “He’s lead in play”?
    (I wondered if it could be a reference to one of the actors previously mentioned – a film actor would do several ‘takes’, hence “He takes” – but ‘Daniel’ as one of thousands of actors isn’t really specific enough to justify it.)
    El Ingles @11, that’s a good spot. Portia/Balthazar is referred to as a Daniel, but my Shakespeare is rusty and with Bassanio you could be on to something.

  34. Thank you Rufus and manehi.

    Lovely start to the week yesterday. TURNSTILE, SINGLE FILE, FINGER, FIRST SEA LORD and ON REFLECTION were great.

  36. Thanks Rufus and manehi.

    Time differences meant I missed commentimg when the blog appeared.

    Yes, maybe for those of us looking for more precision and meaning than just an anagram, 5a DANIEL felt a bit weak. Although I quite liked the Icelandic explanation from Van Winkle @ 25.

  38. Thanks manehi and Rufus.

    I think that we’re over complicating 5ac. I think it’s simply He as the definition and “takes” added to improve the surface (but devalue the clue).

    23ac could have been Exams or Exeat – this is Rufus after all.

    ON REFLECTION and APLOMB were both excellent though.

  39. Thanks Rufus and manehi

    A reasonably quick solve and enjoyable to fill in. Thought that 5a was simply DANIEL being a boy’s name and nothing more (I think that it would have read better as ‘He plays lead in’) ! Had bigger problems trying to get EXPEL and satisfied myself that it was a cryptic definition, albeit a weak one.

    Quite enjoyed 12a,14a and 18a.

    Finished in the SE corner with APLOMB, FLEECE and that EXPEL last of all.

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