Guardian Cryptic 27,093 by Paul

by

Got stuck a few times but it was well worth the struggle. Favourites were 1ac, 23ac, 2dn and 4dn. Thanks, Paul

[and solving 18 and 19 consecutively reminded me of GAS HEATER from last week’s Paul…]

Across
1 EXCLAMATION MARK Seafood that’s dead? Then transport to main ship! (11,4)
the definition is the final punctuation mark. EX-CLAM=”Seafood that’s dead?”, plus (to main)*, plus ARK=”ship”
9   See 5
10 FLUTTER Maker of an instrument gripping end of cricket bat (7)
=as in to bat eyelids. FLUTER=”Maker of an instrument”, around [cricke]T
11 ACE One is cracking (3)
double definition: =”One” in playing cards; =”cracking” as in ‘excellent’
12 ALTERCATION Clash with Conservative entering amendment (11)
C[onservative] inside ALTERATION=”amendment”
13 IMPRESSIVE Marvellous monkey revises, having failed (10)
IMP=”monkey”=mischief-maker; plus (revises)*
15 PELF Money invested in raffle, paid back (4)
=a derogatory term for riches acquired dishonestly. Hidden reversed or “invested in… back” inside [raf]FLE P[aid]
18 GASH Cut hydrogen by itself? (4)
H[ydrogen] by GAS=”itself?”
20 FOUR-POSTER Pour liquid in to promote growth in bed (4-6)
(Pour)*, inside FOSTER=”promote growth”
23 UNTHINKABLE Might one say, fat boy’s first to tuck in to green vegetable? Out of the question! (11)
UN-THIN=”Might one say, fat”, plus B[oy] inside KALE=”green vegetable”
25 MET Force impacted (3)
double definition: the MET[ropolitan] Police “Force”; =made contact with=”impacted”
26 TWIN-TUB Revolving part of a gun that’s about to get two revolvers in one? (4-3)
=a washing machine with two spinning drums. BUTT=”part of a gun”, reversed/”Revolving”, around WIN=”get”
27   See 5
28 REGISTERED NURSE Worker often seen wearing blue, red, green and russet, I suspect (10,5)
(red green russet I)*
Down
1 EMBRACING As one heads for Mount Everest when climbing, cold as Skegness? (9)
the head letters for M[ount] E[verest], reversed/”climbing”; plus BRACING=”cold” and referring to the “Jolly Fisherman” poster with the slogan “Skegness is so bracing” [jollyfisherman.co.uk link]
2 CLOSE-UP Shot has to drop into golf hole (5-2)
LOSE=”drop” in CUP=”golf hole”
3 ANIMATED A male in jail turned up, given life (8)
A; plus M[ale] inside DETAIN=”jail” reversed/”turned up”
4 AUGHT Anything explained, head getting scratched (5)
[t]AUGHT=”explained” with its head letter removed
5, 9, 27 I’M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES  Song with new love brewing, I form pop group? (2,7,7,7)
(new love brewing I from)* gives I’M FOREVER BLOWING; plus BUBBLES=a group of things that pop. Edit to anagram fodder thanks to phitonelly
6 NOUGAT On rising I appreciate that weapon’s loaded with nothing sweet (6)
reversal/”rising” of all of: TA=thanks=”I appreciate that”, plus GUN=”weapon” around O=”nothing
7 ASTRIDE Sitting on a seat that’s empty to go (7)
A, plus S[ea]T emptied out, plus RIDE=”to go”
8 KORAN Puzzling question about right for sacred text (5)
KOAN=a nonsensical question to be meditated upon in Zen Buddhism, around R[ight]
14 SHOCKABLE Stuffed by white, black can suffer trauma (9)
SABLE=”black”, around HOCK=”white” wine
16 FORETASTE Stuff coming up in strong suggestion of the future (9)
SATE=fill up=”Stuff” reversed/”coming up” in FORTE=”strong”
17 HONEYBUN Baby boy, he plays with nun (8)
(boy he nun)*
19 SETTING My work is going down at the end of the day (7)
double definition: Paul’s work is setting crosswords; the sun sets at the end of the day
21 TUMBLER Gymnast, one filled with spirit (7)
double definition: someone who makes acrobatic tumbles; a glass for alcoholic spirits
22 HIATUS Break hearts in this way, splitting trousers (6)
the “hearts” of [t]HI[s] [w]A[y] [spli]T[ting] [tro]US[ers]
23 UTTER Unqualified, say (5)
double definition: UTTER=absolute=”Unqualified” e.g. success; =”say” aloud
24 BIBLE Tucker’s best mate put on the covers of large sacred text (5)
“Tucker” is the mate of BIB in the phrase ‘best bib and tucker’ meaning one’s best clothes; plus the outer letters or “covers” of L[arg]E

49 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,093 by Paul”

  1. Thanks Paul and manehi

    My favourite was exclamation mark.

    New for me was the song I’M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES, and I failed to solve PELF (never heard of that word before).

    I needed help to parse 23a – un-thin (=fat) is very clever!

  2. 5/9/27 I’m forever blowing bubbles
    I think Bubbles (also known as Bless) refers to the
    Swedish girl pop group that was active from 2000 to 2010.

  3. Thanks to Paul for the enjoyable puzzle and to manehi for a helpful blog.

    Like michelle@1 I had not heard of 15a PELF but thought it must be a hidden from the wordplay. I also guessed 1d EMBRACING without parsing it properly. Even googling Skegness in an attempt to understand was unhelpful – though it must be truly bracing there today – the temperatures in the town I found called Skegness are very very low – it was zero degrees when I looked! [It’s 31 degrees (Celsius) in Queensland today and I live on the Sunshine Coast (a little too much sun for my poor garden), but I am feeling for all of you on the forum who live in those very cold climes at the moment.]

    My favourite was 19d, for Paul’s work of SETTING.

    [Did anyone else have the numerical misprint of the song title clue on the online version of the puzzle?]

  4. Julie @3 – I also had the numerical misprint of the song title clue on the online version of the puzzle? I looked at the comments below and worked out what was going on with that clue

  5. Thanks for the blog, manehi. The Jolly Fisherman was a piece of Britishism that passed over the head of this New Zealander. I was wondering what the reference to Skegness was!

    Koan was a new word for me, but gettable from the definition and crossers, and I solved but could not parse HIATUS.

    A lovely puzzle – my favourite being 1ac.

    Thanks to manehi and Pail

  6. 15ac PELF. The only time I’ve ever come across this word before is in the song “The Red Flag”, which is the semi-official anthem of the British Labour Party. One verse reads

    It suits today the weak and base
    Whose minds are fixed on pelf and place
    To cringe before the rich man’s frown
    And haul the sacred emblem down.

  7. Thanks Paul and manehi

    The wrong clue numbers were in both the paper and the printout, though the interactive version had it corrected. More seriously, the printout had the “I” in 28a so close to the 21d clue that I didn’t notice it, making the anagram baffling!

    I liked the 1s and MET. I didn’t know PELF, and tried various backward hidden combinations before getting the right one. I didn’t parse HIATUS (unsurprisingly!) or NOUGAT, as I thought the weapon was “gat”.

    Not sure I like “to go” giving “ride” in 7d – this was another I had a question mark against the parsing.

  9. The numbering on my print version doesnt correspond. I have 5,7,7,7 for 5 down, which is impossible. There is no 29

  10. I knew the song, so biffed from enumeration and checkers I B B not looking for anagram or pop group. Thanks for parsing HIATUS – I’d got nowhere from ‘in this way’=thus, though I had it from definition.

  13. Tough but fair! It helped to have been a West Ham supporter in my youth and to have also seen the Skegness poster. I’m glad I wasn’t alone in failing to parse 6 and 22. Pelf was new to me. Thanks Paul and Manehi.

  14. Thanks Muffin. Am I the only one with this problem? How come Manehi gives 5, 29, 7? Or has my puzzle AND blog misprinted? No wonder I got stuck!!

  17. “Koan” not in my idiolect. In the 60s I had a school textbook with a chapter heading “Pelf and Power”. The song and the Skeg poster part of growing up in the UK. LOI Hiatus.
    Thanks to blogger and setter.

  18. Although the term “koan” might be unfamiliar, most will probably have heard of at least one – the challenge of imagining the “sound of one hand clapping”.

  19. Not sure where Eileen is today but I’ll go first for a change and then she can say she agrees with me (unless she doesn’t which only happens once in a Blue Moon)

    I really enjoyed this – I knew the ‘unknowns’ which helped. Some splendid clues but 24d wins the prize ‘Tucker’s best mate’ is just brilliant.

    Thanks to Paul and manehi

  20. Brilliant puzzle, as usual from this setter, but ruined by misprint in print version: “5,7,7,7” for “5,9,27” (as already said). The former would have been even more brilliant; not impossible, though, pace Phyllida @ 9, as there could be a song entitled “I’m forever astride astride”. In fact, I think I’ll write one now.

  21. Wonderful puzzle, although quite hard work. Like some others, couldn’t parse HIATUS. Favourites were EXCLAMATION MARK, EMBRACING, SHOCKABLE and GASH. Many thanks to Paul and manehi.

  22. Hi everyone, I hadn’t heard of the band Bubbles either! Bubbles pop, so I’d considered ‘bubbles’ a pop group.

    So sorry about the enumeration problem. Must try harder.

    All best, and enjoy your day!

    John (Paul)

  23. Typical of the delightful challenge I’ve come to expect from Paul, as a relatively recent convert to the Guardian. Teasing and very clever but I agree it was quite hard work. I’m with the crowd who couldn’t parse HIATUS (that clue beat me!) and hadn’t come across KOAN or PELF though both were solved from the wordplay. Interesting minor co-incidence to have BIBLE and KORAN; I wondered if any other holy scriptures were going to pop up.

    Rather like drofle @21, I really liked EXCLAMATION MARK, UNTHINKABLE, EMBRACING and SHOCKABLE and my two favourites – both really short but both brilliant – GASH and MET.

    Many thanks to Paul for the pleasure and manehi for helping me understand the more obscure bits.

  24. Thank you Paul and manehi.

    A fun puzzle, the clues for UNTHINKABLE and BIBLE were great. KOAN and PELF were new for me, the latter is related to “pilfer” which might help me remember it.

    I got tied up trying to parse ASTRIDE, all I could think of was “Let it go/ride”, meaning let something take its natural course, but does that leave the “to” in the clue unaccounted for?

  25. After getting past the mistake in the clue numbers at 5d, I really enjoyed this. Favourites were 23a, 14d and 19d.

    Paul showed some restraint here – I’m sure he could have come up with something really smutty for the song at 5d!

  26. Only discovered this site a few weeks ago, and am getting increasingly drawn in – let me echo the thank-yous, to setters and bloggers, that so frequently and courteously appear. Wondering why no attention on the site to, say, Oldie and Spectator puzzles, both far more interesting than, say, Everyman, but maybe that is a question for elsewhere. Wondering also whether those who solve online also buy the paper edition or (e.g. if in the Antipodes) sometimes make a donation to support this indispensable newspaper, and thus incidentally its puzzles. Subscribing works well for me since my corner shop accepts the coupons and opens at 6 a.m., allowing a breakfast routine of Codeword, Quick, main puzzle, first skim of the paper, and then a first look at the site before the working day begins…

    Anyway: today was well up to Paul’s high standard. 1 Down turns out to be brilliantly topical because of today’s bracing east-coast weather, with Skegness in the news. Of course the advertisement is an old one – crossword-solving does often depend on knowledge that young people wouldn’t easily have – is this a deterrent, making crosswords, like cricket, something that is losing touch with a new generation? Or has this always been so, and the progressive accumulation of knowledge, of Skegness etc, is part of the attraction? (Discuss.)

    Apologies for the one-off length of this first submission: not the last, I hope.

  27. Thanks to Paul (who seems to be getting cleaner and cleaner these days) for another diabolically clever puzzle, and to Manehi for help with the parsing. I knew koan, which is also the name of a brand of clothing in a department store here in Italy. I guessed hiatus but couldn’t parse it. All the best, Julie aka Giulina.

  28. as usual a lovely puzzle from Paul, even if the challenge was heightened by the numerical error on 5d. Like many others I didn’t manage to parse HIATUS and 12AC fooled me for a while because I thought the solution must be an anagram of CON (Tory) and entering. My personal favourites were UNTHINKABLE and SHOCKABLE. I’m another one for whom KOAN and PELF were new, but the solutions were clear from the clues and crossing letters. Thanks to Paul and manehi

  29. One of the hardest Paul’s I can remember. I only got one across solution (PELF) on the first pass, but made headway with the downs. Some great clues: I loved EXCLAMATION MARK, FOUR-POSTER and UNTHINKABLE. I too didn’t parse HIATUS, so obvious now!
    Thanks, Paul, for the puzzle and the BUBBLES explanation. I guessed it was an old pop group but didn’t bother to Google.
    Thanks also to manehi. P.S. The blog has a slight error: 5,9,27 is an anagram (new) of (love brewing I form) + BUBBLES.

  30. This was wonderful! I blundered through it in the middle of the night in a series of happy accidents. In went BIBLE and KORAN unparsed, the BUBBLES just floated into my head and there was no problem about where to put the last word. It went on like a magical mystery tour ending with a long pause at HIATUS, and I’ve just now had the chance to discover the parsing. Great thanks to Manehi and Paul.

  31. What a wonderful way to finish the week. 1ac was a fantastic clue. I was also reminded of the old clue where UNTHINKING = Henry VIII. Didn’t know PELF and KOAN but easy to get from the clues.

    As was discussed a few weeks back, long solutions often solve themselves somehow and no exception today after I had BIBLE and FORETASTE – particularly as I was married so long to a West Ham fan. In looking to parse bubbles I thought “pop group” as a group of items that would pop (as manehi) – any connection to a Swedish troupe was unknown. It would be interesting to know Paul’s intention.

    Thanks to Paul and manehi

  32. FoHaN @31
    John Halpern @22 is Paul the setter. He says:
    “Hi everyone, I hadn’t heard of the band Bubbles either! Bubbles pop, so I’d considered ‘bubbles’ a pop group.”

  33. Just wonderful as (usually) usual for Paul. We love a challenge and hiatus and Co gave us just that. My favourite was ! and my wife’s was 20ac. Thanks to everyone.

  34. muffin@32

    Thanks for pointing this out. My wish was already granted! I thought that was likely but it’s always nice to have an insight into a setter’s mind.

  35. Thanks to Paul and manehi. I struggled with this puzzle though I did not have trouble with either HIATUS or PELF. I did have trouble parsing TWIN TUB, did not know “bib and tucker” for BIBLE, was confused by the error in 1ac, and took forever to see GASH. I’m familiar with the term “pelf” because it turns up in my favorite moment in Ben Jonson’s plays where in the final words of the Epilogue the con artist Face tells the playgoers:

    I put myself
    On you, that are my country: and this pelf,
    Which I have got, if you quit me, rests
    To feast you often, and invite new guests.

    “Country” here means “jury”; “quit” means “acquit”; “pelf” is part of the spoils of the con games. If the playgoers applaud, they are condoning all the previous deceptions and asking for more with perhaps themselves as victims.

  36. Muffin @8, I’M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES is as official an anthem for West Ham United as could possibly be, played not once but twice before kick-off and with massive crowd participation guaranteed. After 50+ years singing it, I can conclusively state that it is probably the greatest football song of all. So any puzzle that clues it fairly is OK by me.

    Thankfully, there was much else to admire in Paul’s puzzle today. HONEYBUN was top of my list but HIATUS was up there too, once I’d worked out what was going on.

  37. Thanks Paul and manehi. This was a hugely enjoyable solve – its tone was set for me by my first one in, 1dn, which raised a smile of both recognition and enjoyment. I also thought the colours in 28ac were perfect. I got stuck at the end, like others, on 22dn, and also on 20 across as I was convinced it was some sort of fertiliser – lovely misdirection.

  38. I’m glad Paul dropped in because I didn’t buy the Swedish pop group! I found this quite difficult and struggled on for far too long with IMPROBABLE for 13ac. Once I corrected that, things went with a swing. Didn’t know PELF though and I’m deeply ashamed to learn that it features in the lyrics of The Red Flag. Oh calamity!
    Thanks Paul.

  39. I really enjoyed this puzzle; one of Paul’s very best recently, I thought, with the Pun King at his groanworthy best with ex-clam and un-thin.
    Because of the way I happened to solve it, the crossers of the last two words of the long clue screamed BOOTLEG BEATLES at me (a band I saw in some bloke’s garden in Bahrain in 1982) and I wondered if they’d added a prefix! It was a pleasurable PDM.
    many thanks to S&B

  40. A super crossword, and a nice one to follow the excellent Vlad yesterday.

    I managed to solve just 6 clues on my first pass, including the long one going along the bottom and two guesses that turned out to be right. Then the misprint at 5 down in the print version, combined with a tricky clue that needed more crossers than I had already, rather held me up, as I wanted to solve that one before going out on some errands. I decided to ‘solve that clue in advance’ (i.e. cheat!) so that I could enjoy a good brain exercise later in my coffee break, when I would not have access to any crossword aids.

    It was great fun and quite challenging. I had many favourites, including 1a EXCLAMATION MARK, which I was rather slow to get. The other ones were 23a UNTHINKABLE, 10a FLUTTER (=bat), 26a TWIN-TUB, 14d SHOCKABLE (which I tried to parse at first as an anagram of BLACK inside SHOE), 24d BIBLE and 16d FORETASTE.

    At 1d I thought ‘Why Skegness?’, but I see it now (thank you manehi for indicating that).

    Many thanks to Paul (for the crossword and for dropping in) and manehi.

  42. Hooray! Managed to complete this on the same day it was published – makes a change from posting yesterday for the puzzle on 22nd April 2016. Couldn’t get any clues to begin with so had to go off to play Bridge to warm up brain; and then start at 1715 to get it completed now. First in was 6d ( a good guess) and then the breakthorugh started with 1d and 5d. Liked 1a lots – and also struggled to parse 22d but it was the last one so we stopped bothering.
    Thanks Paul and Manehi – though we were expecting some “Paul special” clues. I was expecting something rather different to be the answer for 20a.
    An entertaining way to avoid dealing with the family tree and reading planning committee papers…

  43. Just an afterthought. I said @25 that Paul showed some restraint today, but on reflection I wonder if he’s having a bit of fun with us.

    In his last appearance (27,086) he raised a few eyebrows with his clue for GAS HEATER. Today not only does the offending word reappear at 18a but we also get I’M FOREVER BLOWING… and “My work is going down..”

    Apologies if everyone is just being too polite to mention this.

  44. Fair point, JimS. I’ve been told not to use “gash” for “rubbish” when in the Stoke area due to its alternative meaning – but my friend translated it more as “slut” rather than what you find on the interweb…

  45. Thanks to Paul and manehi for an enjoyable puzzle and blog, esp HIATUS. I too hadn’t heard of KOAN but with the R and N solved it couldn’t be anything else. This lead to ARK for ship and the agreeable discovery that “Seafood that’s dead” = EXCLAM. Among others I liked the way that blue in 28a was part of the definition and the other colours the anagram fodder. PELF I know but have never used myself, like so many other words found here.

  46. I had a slow time with this, partly thanks to the numbering mistake.
    phyllida @9 — the interactive version also had 5,7,7,7 when I printed it, though 9 and 27 had “see 5;” I thought it must be some extremely ingenious setting device, until I came here many hours later and saw the correct enumeration.

    I loved the ex-clam,as well as un-thin,

    I couldn’t find a definition of “fluter” as a maker of instruments. I’ve always thought of a tumbler as a water glass — appino made the point well.

    I did know PELF, though it’s not a word I could ever imagine using, and KOAN, but twin tub new to me. So was the Jolly Fisherman. I enjoy Britishisms because they give me the chance either to learn something or to congratulate myself.

    The blue in Registered Nurse defeated me, for instance, because RNs over here wear white.

    How can “can suffer trauma” be a definition for SHOCKABLE? There’s no sentence you could use both in.

  47. V. late but I really loved this one and felt I had to post something. 1a and the song (notwithstanding the wrong answer location give in the printed version) were great clues and 23a wasn’t far behind. A few new words (KOAN and PELF) and highbrow cultural references (to Skegness and ‘bib and tucker’) – I couldn’t ask for anything more.

    A big thanks to Paul and to manehi.

  48. I was away on Friday and I don’t think I commented on this – found it pretty tough for a Paul apart from the bottom section, but fortunately I guessed the song from the enumeration and the crossers in the last word (not before trying to think of one that ended in BABLYON!), which helped unblock the top half. All quite entertaining.

    Thanks to Paul and manehi

  49. Utter self indulgent rubbish. Disgraceful waste of a solver’s time trying to decipher this cliquey dross. Rules are either adhered to 100% or you might as well not bother.

Comments are closed.