Guardian 27,101 – Rufus

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A typical Rufus, with lots of double and cryptic definitions – some of the later being rather weak, I think, including one that seems not cryptic at all. Quite a few anagrams in the other clues too. Thanks to Rufus.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. AFGHANS Fag chewed by German hounds (7)
FAG* + HANS (stereotypical German name)
5. TORMENT Using more TNT could cause trouble (7)
(MORE TNT)*
9. SCRAM Involved with swindle, right to get out hurriedly (5)
R in SCAM
10. TAP DANCER Performer who can tread about quietly? Not this one! (3,6)
P in (CAN TREAD)*, and sort of &lit, though not quite, and the anagram doesn’t really seem to be indicated
11. GROUND RENT Money for the landlord after an earthquake? (6,4)
Double definition
12. FLEE Desert one’s post, though left in charge? (4)
L in FEE
14. STAIR CARPET It reduces the noise on some flights (5,6)
Cryptic definition
18. INGREDIENTS Tenderising chopped-up cooking components (11)
TENDERISING*
21. FAST Refuse to eat quickly (4)
Double definition
22. FAR-FETCHED Strained, as Indian tea is? (3-7)
Double definition, though the second seems very weak to me – Indian tea may be fetched from afar, but so are lots of things
25. ELEVATION Architect’s plan for advancement (9)
Double definition, though “plan” is usually used in contrast to “elevation”
26. ENTER Record some inadvertent errors (5)
Hidden in inadvertENT ERrors
27. DOLPHIN Phil bumped into fellow swimmer (7)
PHIL* in DON
28. EXHUMED Dug out old coloured cover for madam (7)
M[adam] in EX HUED
Down
1. ASSIGN Fix a direction indicator (6)
A + S + SIGN
2. GORGON She turned to stone (6)
A barely cryptic definition – more of a general knowledge question
3. ADMINISTER Notice a government official’s conduct (10)
AD (notice) + MINISTER
4. SATYR Wood spirit (5)
Unless I’m missing something, this seems to be a plain definition. Did Rufus forget to finish writing the clue? (I suppose it could be trying to make us think of wood alcohol)
5. TIP-AND-RUN I’d trap nun out in cricket game (3-3-3)
(I’D TRAP NUN)*
6. REAP Harvest a variety of rape (4)
RAPE*
7. ESCALOPE Get out and look inside meat dish (8)
LO in ESCAPE
8. TORRENTS Hill splits and falls, perhaps (8)
TOR (hill) + RENTS (splits)
13. FALSE TEETH They may be in for supper but then out all night (5,5)
Cryptic definition
15. ANIMATION I’m in a state of exhilaration (9)
I’M in A NATION
16. OILFIELD Boring place but it makes lots of money! (8)
Cryptic definition
17. EGGSHELL Food container originally produced in layers (8)
Cryptic definition
19. RHYTHM Beat in run to hospital, exploding myth (6)
R + H + MYTH*
20. ADORED Loved to see the dreadnought wrecked (6)
Anagram of DREAD + O (nought)
23. FENCE This criminal may be cleared (5)
Double definition
24. BACH He wrote music for half the band and part of the orchestra (4)
BA[nd] + [or]CH[estra]

42 comments on “Guardian 27,101 – Rufus”

  1. Thanks, Andrew. In the terminology of architecture, plans and elevations are indeed different things. Re 2 down: there is something ambiguous about the sense of ‘turned to’ giving the clue a cryptic quality. Medusa apart, gorgons did not become stone but petrified people who looked them in the eye.

  2. Thanks Andrew and Rufus.

    What is the purpose of ‘originally’ in 17D? The clue works without it, as far as I can see, which makes me think I’m missing something.

  3. Thanks, Andrew and Rufus. Some enjoyable clues to solve here, such as the clever anagram for INGREDIENTS at 18a and the amusing FALSE TEETH in 13d.

    But I share your reservations, Andrew, regarding 22a, FAR-FETCHED, 2d GORGON and 4d, SATYR.

    I take your point re 2d GORGON, Epeolater@1, but I still think it is barely cryptic.

  4. Thanks Rufus and Andrew

    I wrote in DRYAD for 4d, thinking “that’s not cryptic”. It is actually slightly more accurate than SATYR, as “spirit” is closer to “dryad”. I also would have written in MEDUSA for 2d if I hadn’t already got SCRAM. I too thought the second definition for FAR-FETCHED was, er…, far-fetched.

    I thought something clever was going on in 15d, as the printout had “exhil-aration”, but no, it was just a Grauniadism.

    I liked DOLPHIN and ADORED. I would also have included INGREDIENTS if I hadn’t seen a very similar clue somewhere prviously.

  5. Thanks for the blog, Andrew. I agree this was somewhat a mixed bag. We had RENT twice and as mentioned a couple of barely/non cryptic cd clues. And at TAP DANCER I didn’t notice the anagram at all – I thought it was just another weak cd.

    These, however, were mitigated by some really lovely clues. FALSE TEETH and EGG SHELLL produced great pdm’s and I thought dreadnought in ADORED was very inventive for Rufus.

    In the online version, 15d has a hyphen in exhil-aration. I assume it is just a Grauniad typo – was it in the print edition?

    Thanks to Rufus for an enjoyable start to the week.

  6. Re Gorgon, I took it that if you turn people to stone, it can be said that you ‘turn to stone’ in the verb sense.

  7. @Tom 2. I may be overthinking it but I thought ‘originally’ was an attempt to refer to the origin riddle: “which came first, the chicken or the egg?”. I agree it’s not required by the surface, definition or wordplay. Perhaps it was left over from a previous draft of the clue and not picked up in editing?

  8. I share others’ reservations about some of the barely cryptic definitions, but they were made up for by the pleasing riddles for STAIR CARPETS, EGG SHELLS and FALSE TEETH.

  9. 22a Is there some kind of tea which is not “fetched from afar”?

    4d Could “wood” allude to a more scatalogical meaning? If the setter were Paul I’d be inclined to think so, but Rufus not so much.

  11. Thank you Rufus and Andrew.

    Most enjoyable after the weekend struggles, especially the clues for STAIR CARPET, FALSE TEETH, EGG SHELLS and ADORED.

    I agree with Pex @6 as regards GORGON and tea certainly stands out from other importations in being FAR-FETCHED, think of all those tea clippers that were built specifically to rush the leaves to “England”.

    Typo 18a, definition “cooking components”.

  12. Thanks Rufus and Andrew.

    Only got 80% of this this morning. Struggle sometimes with cryptic definition clues like STAIR CARPET and FALSE TEETH. Hey ho.

  13. I agree with the majority of the mildly critical comments already offered and would also query the inclusion of “the” in front of dreadnought in 20d. As far as I recall, “the dreadnoughts” was a loose term used for a class of battleship but I can’t recall “the” being used in front of the name of the original battleship. Nevertheless it was a pleasing puzzle with some clever clues. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew, the latter of whom managed to confirm some of my doubts!

  15. Well, I really enjoyed this despite a few iffy clues, which is not unusual with a Rufus. Loved ADORED, FALSE TEETH and AFGHANS. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

  16. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

    Along with others I enjoyed ADORED, FAR-FETCHED (after enlightenment from Shirl@14) and FALSE TEETH (one of those that wouldn’t hatch, but after a short break just popped). But I had GARBOT for 2D, loosely based on the loose logic that “to brag” was probably an arcane synonym for “casting the first stone” – why do we insist on defending nonsense, any nonsense, from our own critical faculties? Or is it just me…

  17. Nothing wrong with GORGON as pex has already said. Mostly I thought this quite nice. I liked GROUND RENT,FAST and ADORED.
    Thanks Rufus.

  18. A curious mixture of the trivial, a couple of slightly debatable devices and a few of the usual cryptic definitions – as usual it was the latter that caused me most trouble, specifically GORGON…

    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew

  19. Tap dancer I thought was (can tread)* with P (piano) for quietly with about being the anagram indicator and performer being the definition with the not this one &lit

  20. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew. I enjoyed this puzzle but was slowed down because 1) until I had all the crossers I could not believe that SATYR was correct and 2) the typo with “exhil-aration threw me off.

  21. We always look forward to a steady stroll on Mondays when Rufus comes up and we weren’t disappointed. Nothing too challenging and all most acceptable. Gorgon last in, to a mild groan. Thanks to everyone.

  22. FAR-FETCHED was my favourite, for the reason given by Shirl@14. DOLPHIN also made me smile – maybe dolphins just always do.

    ‘wood spirit’ is listed in Chambers as methyl alcohol, so I am happy SATYR is cryptic, and I agree with the ‘turned to’ ambiguity in GORGON.

    I found myself explaining the weak cryptic defs in the telegraph today as well (BigDave’s site) – they are a Rufus trademark that I have learned to cherish.

    Many thanks Rufus and Andrew

  23. I completed this in good time so I should have nothing to moan about, but I do protest M as an abbreviation for Madame @28A. The correct abbreviation is Mme, and plain M specifically denotes Monsieur, not Madame.

  24. I loved this. The whole was warm and satisfying despite some of the slightly irritating parts. I agree with every criticism mentioned here but my general enjoyment of the lovely surfaces and witty definitions is the flavour that remains.
    Thanks for the fun.

  25. El Ingles @23, agreed that Mme is the abbreviation for Madame, and “cover” in the clue cannot indicate the first letter of madam since it is used as an insertion indicator, unless it is doing doing double duty; however, written correctly in French, according to Larousse, the M is a capital with the ‘me’ in small print raised in the air, like this M²² (I cannot do that here with letters, can only do the squared sign) – in English the abbreviation for madam is ma’am.

    I am surprised that some people did not get the sense of 22a, does no-one make Indian tea in a teapot anymore? China tea traditionally is not strained, if some little pieces of leaf float on the surface one just blows gently before sipping.

  26. Cookie @25
    If the answer had been “strained”, then “far-fetched” and “as Indian tea is” would be a good double definition. I don’t think it works the other way round, though.

  28. I think 25 ‘plan’ should be taken more cryptically than you give Rufus credit for. A plan can be a design/intention, as well as the representation from above. I therefore thought it was rather good misdirection.

  29. muffin @26, agreed, I was not suggesting it could be a double definition, just commenting on the surface of the clue, really good – by the way, it has been used before, in 2002, good idea of Rufus to resuscitate it!

  30. Cookie @25
    I was pleased to read your explanation of 22a FAR-FETCHED, as I thought at first this was one of the weaker clues in today’s puzzle. If Rufus intended this then full marks to him.

    Thanks Rufus and Andrew.

  31. It appears some solvers are not familiar with ground rent – they’re lucky, I, alas, am all too acquainted with it. Albeit not normally paid to a landlord.

  32. dutch @22 – I like your attitude to Rufus’s barely cryptic definitions. They used to really wind me up, but treating them as a foible of a great setter is an excellent way to look at it. They are not going to go away any time soon so learning to look forward to them is a much better option for my health and happiness.

  34. Pex @ 6 and Peter Aspinwall @17. A gorgon is a woman who turns (people) to stone which is why I don’t think the clue is cryptic. A favourite clue from many years ago – I can’t remember the definition but the wordplay was “petryfying novelist” and the answer GORGONZOLA.
    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew

  35. Cookie @33
    It’s no joke. My question is: what does the train take back to China. (I see that from Spain it takes back hams, cheese and wine.)

  36. PeeDee @32
    It was refreshing to read your point of view on Rufus’s puzzles generally, not just this one – also dutch’s comment before yours.
    I’m not a Rufus fan, but I know what I’m getting when his puzzles appear (which is not true of most setters), and when I have time on a Monday to tackle a Rufus I will happily do so, even though I often find room for improvement in some of the clues.
    I’m sure there’s room for the likes of both you and me on this forum.

  37. Made life difficult by putting GOLDMINE at 16d. Reasonably, as profitable enterprises are often referred to as gold mines; I’ve never heard the busy cafe down the road from me called an OILFIELD.

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