Guardian Cryptic 27,037 by Paul

by

The puzzle may be  found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27037.

Paul is not particularly noted for themes, but here we have two mini-themes: famous western films (only two of the four with John Wayne), and countries (with 4D kind of tying the two together). And a passel of envelopes. I found the puzzle not too difficult, but diverting, as Paul generally is.

Across
1 BUCKSAW Male beheld tool (7)
A charade of BUCK (‘male’ deer, for example) plus SAW (‘beheld’).

A bucksaw
A bucksaw
5 MATCHED Married in church, consummated outside (7)
An envelope (‘outside’) of CH (‘church’) in MATED (‘consummated’).
9 SHANE Western hospital insane? (5)
An envelope (‘in-‘) of H (‘hospital’) in ‘-sane’, for the novel by Jack Schaefer, and the film based on it.
10 MORTGAGES Into social values, time to silence bonds (9)
An envelope (‘into’) of T (‘time’) plus GAG (‘silence’) in MORES (‘social values’).
11 CRIMEAN WAR Air crewman prepared for action once (7,3)
An anagram (‘prepared’) of ‘air crewman’.
12 NEE Maiden name here, all may conclude (3)
Last letters (‘all may conclude’) of ‘maideN namE herE‘, with an extended definition.
14 FOR THE RECORD Officially, something temporarily held here with string (3,3,6)
A charade of FOR THERE (‘something temporarily held here’) plus CORD (‘string’).
18 THE SEARCHERS Western shooters mentioned here? (3,9)
THESE ARCHERS (‘shooters mentioned here’).
21 ALT Key accessing locks, thankfully all opening (3)
First letters (‘all opening’) of ‘Accessing Locks Thankfully’.
22 STAGECOACH Western drama tutor? (10)
A charade of STAGE (‘drama’) plus COACH (‘tutor’) – or the two particles may be regarded as hanging together.
25 GUATEMALA A weak little boat reversing around a country (9)
An envelope (‘around’) of ‘a’ (the second one) in GUTEMALA, a reversal (‘reversing’) of ‘a’ (the first one) plus LAME (‘weak’) plus TUG (‘little boat’).
26 ADAMS Barrier breaks as US president (5)
An envelope (‘breaks’) of DAM (‘barrier’) in ‘as’, for John, the second US president, or his son John Quincy, the sixth.
27 TONGUED Nude has got bum that’s pronounced (7)
An anagram (‘bum’) of ‘nude’ plus ‘got’.
28 ARMBAND Frenchman grasping black buoyancy aid (7)
An envelope (‘grasping’) of B (‘black’) in ARMAND (‘Frenchman’).
Down
1 BISECT Halve slice with dry content (6)
An envelope (‘with … content’) of SEC (‘dry’, of a wine) in BIT (‘slice’).
2 CRANIA Brainboxes coming up with a popular line (6)
A reversal (‘coming up’, in a down light) of ‘a’ plus IN (‘popular’) plus ARC (‘line’).
3 STEVEDORES They load the day before and delivery’s first in shops (10)
An envelope (‘in’) of EVE (‘the day before’) plus D (‘Delivery’s first’) in STORES (‘shops’).
4 WOMAN She in country and western? On the contrary (5)
A charade of W (‘western’) plus OMAN (‘country’), with ‘on the contrary’ indicating the order of the particles.
5 MARRAKECH African city, where tool wielded in demonstration (9)
An envelope (‘in’) of RAKE (‘tool wielded’) in MARCH, for the city in Morocco often spelled Marrakesh.
6 TOGO Country for taking away (4)
TO GO (‘taking away’, from a restaurant, for example).
7 HIGH NOON Western off? I disagree! (4,4)
A charade of HIGH (‘off’, rancid) plus NO, ON (‘I disagree’ – concerning ‘off’). Another landmark western film.
8 DISTENDS Lucifer watches balloons (8)
A charade of DIS (‘Lucifer’ of a different tradition) plus TENDS (‘watches’).
13 MEERSCHAUM Parent drinking bubbly reaches for a pipe (10)
An envelope (‘drinking’) of EERSCHA, an anagram (‘bubbly’) of ‘reaches’ in MUM (‘parent’).
15 TAROT CARD Justice, perhaps, as actor injured with dart (5,4)
An anagram (‘injured’) of ‘actor’ plus ‘dart’.

Justice
16 STRAIGHT Honest hand? (8)
Double definition; the ‘hand’ is in poker, say.
17 RESTRAIN Break fall, as bridle (8)
A charade of REST (‘break’) plus RAIN (‘fall’).
19 PANAMA Country where god has topped priest (6)
A charade of PAN (‘god’) plus [l]AMA (a one-l lama, he’s a ‘priest’) minus his first letter (‘topped’).
20 CHASED Entering the country, some extremists hunted (6)
An envelope (‘entering’) of SE (‘SomE extremists) in CHAD (‘country’; its second appearance, similarly used, in two days)
23 GHANA A badger in lift touring hot country (5)
An envelope (‘touring’) of H (‘hot’) in GANA, a reversal (‘in lift’, in a down light) of ‘a’ plus NAG (‘badger’, in the sense of pester or a pesterer)
24 PERU Country in Europe, Rumania (4)
A hidden answer ‘in’ ‘EuroPE RUmania’.
completed grid

29 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,037 by Paul”

  2. Thanks PeterO, I didn’t enjoy this all that much. Possibly because I was distracted by the US election schemozzle. Nevertheless, PANAMA and TOGO both made me smile. Thanks to Paul.

  3. Liked this. Up late because of the giant turd sandwich my country just handed the world. Genuinely sorry and embarrassed.

    Anyhow, I particularly liked that the two themes “Country” and “Western” do belong together. (You know, the music genre–Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, and the like.) Clever.

    I feel like I’ve seen variations of that TOGO clue before, but I still think it’s clever.

  4. Thanks Paul and PeterO

    Easier and more enjoyable than many Paul puzzles. I hadn’t heard of a BUCKSAW or seen that spelling of MARRAKECH, but both were gettable from the clues.

    I remember TOGO clued similarly too, and odd that CHAD also turned up yesterday.

    I liked the nice anagram of “air crewman”.

  6. Nothing much to add. Plenty of smiles We had never heard of The Searchers, but checked it out oon Google. The American newss has depressed us all. An enjoyable crossword helps. Thanks Paul and PeterO

  7. Thank you Paul and PeterO.

    Hard to get started, then whizzed away, good distraction as Shirl @5 notes. Parsed 14a as Steve B @1. TAROT CARD also has ACTOR reversed in it, that sort of clue annoys me, DRAT it.

  8. Like Cookie, I took a while to engage gear with this puzzle. I think Paul has a bit of previous for western movies, although I could be mistaken. I tend to think of Needles and Pins rather than John Wayne wrt The Searchers and that held me up for ages, as did my completely wrong idea that Paul had unusually (for him) chucked in a Nina of SARACENS across the middle row.
    many thanks to S&B on this miserable day

  9. Thanks PeterO, I enjoyed this as usual with this setter. I realised early that there were two mini-themes, took a while to grasp the C&W connection.

    I also had halfheartedly accepted the FORT HERE CORD parsing for 14 as per SteveB@1 but much prefer your parsing and am sure that is what Paul intended.

  10. Well, it’s a miserable day – and it’s raining too. But this was a most enjoyable crossword puzzle, full of fair and fun clues.

    I saw 14a FOR THE RECORD the same way as Steve B @1 (fort/here/cord). I didn’t know 18a THE SEARCHERS but guessed it, not spotting the neat ‘these archers’.

    Among many good clues my favourites were 22a STAGECOACH, 3d STEVEDORES (my second in after SHANE), 4d WOMAN and 13d MEERSCHAUM.

    Many thanks to Paul and PeterO.

  11. I disagree with HKrunner @ 9. I think Steve B @1 and Shirl @ 5 are correct. (Hold the) FORT, HERE (present) and CORD (string).

  12. Thanks to Paul and PeterO. The spelling of MEERSCHAUM and especially MARRAKECH slowed me down and I did not know that Justice was a TAROT CARD, but I got the four classic westerns early on (and for me THE SEARCHERS was a high point of that genre though I was imprinted with the finales of both SHANE and HIGH NOON). Lots of fun on a grim evening.

  13. Re 14, if the clue had read “something temporarily held, present with string” then I would agree with SteveB and Gasmanjack, but I can’t see Paul clung HERE as ‘here’. And he has history with ‘not this, so that” style clues as seen here in 7d. I must admit that I had originally thought FORT was “for a time” and “hold the fort” is more persuasive for “temporarily held”, but I still think Paul was cluing “temporarily held’ = “for there”. But I also thought Hillary would win easily.

  15. Hard to enjoy on a strange day, but liked HIGH NOON and also STRAIGHT which seemed to chime along with the Western theme. Haven’t got DIS=Lucifer heretofore; better remember I suppose? Thought ARMAND as a Frenchman was a bit random. But all in all a nice distraction from the events of the day.

    Thanks to Paul and PeterO

  17. Clever theme – “country & western” as pointed out by mrpenney. 22a was great.

    Surprised so many people hadn’t heard of The Searchers. Not just one of the greatest westerns, but one of the greatest films, of all time (IMHO).

  18. We prefer Paul when he is complex and almost unfathomable. This was pretty much a walk through. Still,it passed a pleasant lunchtime. Thanks to everyone.

  20. Very enjoyable and nicely constructed but one of the easiest Paul’s I’ve ever done. I got the theme(s) very quickly and the rest just followed. Obviously on the wavelength today! Just as well as the American electorate has demonstrated that it’s just as gullible as the British-which is no consolation whatsoever! Anyway, I liked THE SEARCHERS and PANAMA.
    Thanks Paul

  21. Cookie @19

    I think that’s a brilliant clue! I often try to think of alternatives like that, particularly when I think a clue could be improved. You could say ‘wayward dart’ instead, but there are many possibilities.

  22. Alan B @21, just trying to keep my brain busy with trivia today – I was imagining someone in the audience throwing a paper dart at the actor…

  23. An enjoyable distraction. BUCKSAW was new to me, but the SAW part was obvious and I had the initial B, so it seemed the obvious guess, confirmed by an online dictionary search. I’m another who parsed FOR THE RECORD like Steve B. @1, and I prefer that to the alternative parsing, though I did hesitate slightly over the inclusion of “here” in the clue instead of a synonym. It would be interesting to know which Paul intended. Although I don’t see any problem with Paul’s clue for TAROT CARD, I like Cookie’s version @19 too. There are too many nice clues to pick just a few favourites.

    Thanks, Paul and PeterO.

  24. I enjoyed the Country and Western theme. I’d never heard of The Searchers, but google tells me it’s on authoritative lists as one of the great movies of all time. Maybe I’ll track it down — something I’ve never managed to do, but keep meaning to find out how.

    Other than that I’m too depressed about what my compatriots have done to themselves and the rest of us. Nobody I know believed such a thing could happen. I for one was more het up about the Senate, and look at the White House and the Climate-Denier in Chief! I’d be worried about posting something political, but mrpenney’s turd sandwich heartens me.

  25. I got HIGH NOON but couldn’t begin to parse it. I’m not familiar with that use of ‘high’.

    No need for despair! The country in which I grew up died the day that we cheered the torturing of illegally-held prisoners. Yesterday was merely the laying of the gravestone. Democracy demands a well-informed populace and Americans decided quite some time ago that it’s not worth the effort. Fascism is much less exacting.

    And while the prospect of a 19th century Supreme Court is distressing, having Melanoma as First Lady promises lots of giggles, and I can’t wait to see how much of “THE WALL” is going to get built! Of course, it’s a bit easier for me to be blithe since my flight to Heathrow leaves at 17:55 tomorrow! Asylum, anyone?

  26. I enjoyed this puzzle and managed not to let Mr Trump’s success bother me.

    It amazes me that people on here apparently get upset by such things. It would appear that pseudo Liberals are the most gullible of people.

    So long and thanks for all the fish.

  28. @19, I think my take on 15d was wrong, Paul is probably referring to the part the actor is playing, not the actor him/herself,
    “Justice, perhaps, as bent dart circles retreating actor” might be more relevant.

  29. An enjoyable Paul with some clever clues, mentioned above. Thanks too to PeterO for the blog. 18a was certainly one where the answer went in before the parsing.
    Any truth in the rumour that Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau is rapidly seeking funding for a 3000 mile wall?

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