Guardian Cryptic 26,975 by Rufus

by

Smooth sailing, with some nice surfaces and favourites 21ac, 22ac and 5dn. Thanks, Rufus

Across
1 ABRADE Scrape a new beard (6)
  A, plus (beard)*
4 AS IT IS Unaltered, it’s as I designed (2,2,2)
  (it’s as I)*
9 DOOM Downfall makes temper return (4)
  Reversal/”return” of MOOD=”temper”
10 CULTIVATED Farmed in a civilised way (10)
  double definition
11 IN CASE Peruvians head east as a precaution (2,4)
  INCAS=”Peruvians”, plus E[ast]
12 APPLE PIE For dessert, such an order can’t be bettered (5,3)
  ‘apple-pie order’ is an old-fashioned phrase meaning ‘perfect order’, so “such an order can’t be bettered”
13 ADVERSITY Setback — very sad to get upset about it (9)
  (very sad)* around IT
15 IMPS Military policeman is about to see mischief-makers (4)
  M[ilitary] P[oliceman] with IS about it
16 EASY Soft piece of cake (4)
  double definition
17 CERVANTES Quixotic writer never acts in play (9)
  =the author of Don Quixote. (never acts)*
21 DISGUISE I guess I’d need dressing up for masquerade (8)
  (I guess I’d)*
22 NABBED Arrested outlaw sent back to bed (6)
  BAN=”outlaw” as a verb, reversed/”sent back”; plus BED
24 ARTICHOKES Choirs take in new version of what may follow Jerusalem (10)
  referring to the root vegetable Jerusalem ARTICHOKES. (Choirs take)*
25 NOES Bill’s opponents (4)
  cryptic def – those in support of a Parliamentary Bill are the ‘ayes’, its opponents are the NOES
26 SIGHTS Things seen on guns (6)
  double definition
27 INTENT Firm plan (6)
  double definition: adjective and noun
Down
1 ADORNED Put on finery and rode out (7)
  (and rode)*
2 RUMBA Dance that’s odd to half the band (5)
  RUM=”odd”, plus half of BA[nd]
3 DUCHESS Title of the French game (7)
  DU=’of the’ [in] French; plus CHESS=”game”
5 SKIMPY Kipling character to watch out, in short (6)
  KIM [wiki] is a character by Rudyard Kipling, with SPY=”watch” outside it
6 TRADESMAN New master and merchant (9)
  (master and)*
7 SPECIES Kind of gamble is without point (7)
  SPEC[ulation]=”gamble”, plus IS outside E[ast]=”point”
8 CLEAR THE DECKS Put the cards away and get ready for action (5,3,5)
  a second, cryptic, definition referring to “cards” as DECKS
14 EASYGOING Simple departure is without formality (9)
  EASY=”Simple” plus GOING=”departure”
16 EMIGRES French aristos unable to adapt to new regimes? (7)
  =a French Royalist who fled during the Revolution. (regimes)*
18 VENISON Might it be served at a stag party? (7)
  cryptic definition – VENISON might be served at a party with a stag [deer, rather than pre-wedding] theme, though presumably not at a party attended by stags
19 EVEREST Always set out for the highest peak (7)
  EVER=”Always”, plus (set)*
20 MISHIT Strike that didn’t come off? (6)
  cryptic definition – an attempted strike in a ball game, rather than industrial action[?]
23 BINGE Party being organised (5)
  (being)*

22 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 26,975 by Rufus”

  1. Thank you manehi and Rufus

    This was a very enjoyable puzzle. The only one I failed to parse was 7d.

    My favourite was IN CASE

  3. Thanks Rufus and manehi

    Enjoyable, with CERVANTES, SKIMPY (I tried to justify STALKY for some time!), TRADESMAN and BINGE favourites.

    AS IT IS must be in the running for “easiest” anagram ever, and, mentioning “easiest”, it was odd to have two crossing EASYs.

  4. Agree with drofle@2 that 24a ARTICHOKES was good – a clever anagram.

    I thought my answer to 20d MISHIT must have been wrong as I couldn’t see that it was cryptic. I noticed that you put in a question mark, manehi, indicating that the “Strikes” part of the clue was not referring to industrial action. But it also might have implied that you also felt it was a rather weak clue. Can anyone see any other shade of meaning than the ball game one? It was my LOI, although I spent longer than I should have on my second-last one in, 27a INTENT, which was quite a good DD.

    I also felt KIM in SKIMPY 6d and Quixotic in relation to 17a CERVANTES have been used quite a lot in previous crosswords; an observation more than a complaint.

    Thanks to Rufus and manehi.

  6. Agree with Cookie – completed over coffee and toast – unlike the Prize which occupied many hours of (eventually successful)head-banging!

  7. Like Muffin, I found it odd to have the S in EASY crossing the S in EASYGOING; I am also unhappy with AS occurring both in the solution and the anagram clue for 4a. JERUSALEM and EMIGRES were my favorites.

  9. Having spent half the morning finishing the last few of the Maskarade, I found it surprisingly difficult to recalibrate my solving head for this one, which should have been elegant and straightforward as we expect from Rufus. thought the crossing EASYs were a bit sloppy and could easily have been edited.

    Thanks to Rufus and manehi

  10. Julie in Australia @4: for 20d I think what manehi is saying is that you’re supposed to read the surface of the clue as referring to an industrial action that didn’t take place. It is then a cryptic definition of the sporting MISHIT. The problem with this sort of clue is that it is often just as easy to read the surface in the second sense, in which case it doesn’t seem cryptic at all.

    There were some nice clues here. I liked 17a.

  11. Very straightforward. A nice gentle Rufus and a corrective to Maskarade.
    I wish people would stop telling me they’ve finished the Saturday puzzle;
    I’ve made virtually no impression on it and reminders make me feel even dimmer!
    Grizzle grizzle!
    Seriously, have a nice day everyone.
    Thanks Rufus.

  12. JimS @10 I agree with you re 20d. However, I fell for the misdirection and then found the second sense. So it seems that Rufus has succeeded.

  13. Thanks to Rufus and manehi. I breezed through this puzzle (and enjoyed the process) but then took a long time getting MISHIT, even with all the crossers.

  14. Sorry to say, did not enjoy this Rufus, which needed a deal of editorial attention before being allowed through. Two crossing “easy”s just too clumsy, and the “as it is” anagram pretty well staring you in the face. “Bed” in “nabbed” too straightforward an addition, and “venison” more worthy of the Daily Mirror. Sorry, Rufus, perhaps I’m just reeling from Maskarade’s shenanigans.

  15. Thanks both. I was away for the weekend and have only glanced at the prize, but it sounds like a snorter. In contrast this was mostly easy with some enjoyable clues, eg 3d and 17a.

  16. Keith @14

    Don’t you know that it is verboten to point out errors in a Rufus puzzle. (Even if they are of the schoolboy variety)

    He is beyond criticism as apparently he is an icon of the crosswording fraternity.

    You are quite right though. This was an awful puzzle in dire need of the tender attentions of an editor.

  18. BNTO @ 16. No one is beyond criticism on this site, and I’ve often seen Rufus criticised, sometimes with justification, sometimes not. Keith had some particular criticisms (essentially to the effect that there was too much which was too easy, and an element of duplication), which he expressed in a measured and polite way. Whereas your remarks are without particularity, as well as being unnecessarily sarcastic and rude both to Rufus and to what you call the ‘crosswording fraternity’. As we know, setters do look at this site (though I’m not aware that Rufus does), and Maskarade (Tom Johnson) made it clear on the Guardian letters thread here that he was disheartened by a criticism aimed specifically at his latest crossword. Coincidentally, a friend of mine was deeply upset by some very unpleasant (and unjustified) remarks made by one individual on another forum about a live broadcast she did this weekend. It behoves us all to have a care about how we express ourselves on this site.

  19. For 17A I read that differently but had the same answer.
    NEVER acts in (is playing inside) CATS (a play)

  21. Thanks manehi and Rufus.

    Pretty standard fare. Several barely cryptic clues and a couple of gems – ARTICHOKES and SKIMPY.

    Now back to slogging through the Bank Holiday Maskerade!

  22. Thanks Rufus and manehi

    Even this much later, I used this as a break from that Prize puzzle.

    It was a typical serving from this setter – like the style or not! I do, just as a slightly easier break from the other Guardian stable.

    Did have to ponder INTENT for a while and had to read about the definition of ÉMIGRÉS based on the fleeing Royalist during the French Revolution to be comfortable with 16d. The Jerusalem ARTICHOKES was my last one in.

Comments are closed.