Guardian 27,129 – Qaos

by

Good fun from Qaos (with reservations on a couple of clues). As almost always with this setter we have a “ghost theme” in the solutions…

… in this case John le Carré’s novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. As well as the words of the title, we have the rest of the counting rhyme it comes from: RICH MAN, POOR MAN, BEGGAR MAN, THIEF, and the characters George SMILEY and CONTROL (the head of “the Circus”, who is dead in TTSS but often mentioned there). We also have a MOLE in the clue for 15d, and I wonder if it’s significant that the first and last solutions are INCEPTION and ENDING respectively. Thanks to Qaos.

 
 
 
Across
7. INCEPTION Elected fraud? Two leaders quit establishment (9)
IN (elected) + [DE]CEPTION
8. THIEF He gets time, if he’s crooked (5)
T + (IF HE)* &lit
9. FOOLHARDY Rash caused by rough, dry loofah (9)
(DRY LOOFAH)*
10. DOUGH Claim note is ready (5)
Homophone (“claim”) of “doh” (note, as in doh-re-mi) – dough and ready are both slang for money
12. SMILEY I’m in agreement, being retired and over 50 :-) (6)
L in reverse of (I’M in YES)
13. EVICTORS They kick out online winners? (8)
E-VICTORS
16. BUM RAPS False charges for Spooner’s alcoholic rolls (3,4)
Spoonerism of “rum baps”
19. CHUTNEY Relish church tune played on Sunday — at last! (7)
CH + TUNE* + [Sunda]Y
22. CON FUOCO Clown welcomes fun about ring with fire (3,5)
FUN* + O in COCO [the Clown]. Con fuoco is used in music to tell the performer to play “with fire”
25. TINKER Fiddle made from metal by royal couple (6)
TIN + two royals: K[ing] and E.R.
27. SNICK With this, one might be out of special prison (5)
S + NICK (prison) – in cricket, a snick is ‘a glancing blow off the edge of the bat’, which might lead to the batsman being caught out
28. STAIR RODS They maintain in-flight safety (5,4)
Cryptic definition
29. LEADS In Paris, the Bill’s the origin of security tips (5)
LE (French “the”) + AD (bill) + S[ecurity]
30. NO COMMENT Ten common outbursts? My lips are sealed (2,7)
(TEN COMMON)*
Down
1. INFORM About to experience the finale of William Tell (6)
IN FOR + [Willia]M
2. CELLULAR Porous flour regularly kept in basement (8)
[f]L[o]U[r] in CELLAR – Chambers gives “porous” as one of its definitions of CELLULAR
3. STEADY Chop up dates and finally enjoy being regular (6)
DATES* + [enjo]Y
4. SOLDIER 17 double-crossed one about to return (7)
SOLD (double-crossed) + I + reverse of RE
5. THROAT Every other itchy European scratches head and neck (6)
[i]T[c]H[y] + [C]ROAT
6. BEGGAR Impoverish Russia symbolically over gulag being evacuated? (6)
G[ula]G in BEAR (symbol of Russia)
11. RICH Productive element in electric heater (4)
Hidden in electRIC Heater
14. OWN Have olives with nachos for starters (3)
First letters of Olives With Nachos
15. SPY Spot or mole? (3)
Double definition
16. BSC Programming language lacks a first qualification (3)
BASIC (programming language) less A and I (first – rather dubious, surely) – the (3) is perhaps a bit misleading, as this is (1,2) if anything, but abbreviations are often treated this way
17. MAN A number under 1,000,000? Wow! (3)
M + A N
18. POOR Possessing little money and no gold (4)
P (penny, little money) + O + OR, &lit
20. TANGRAMS Time to get mixed up letters, but not advanced puzzles (8)
T + AN[A]GRAMS – rather a vague indication to remove one of three As
21. CONTROL Manage to be relaxed, enjoying books and reading (7)
NT + R (reading, as in the three Rs) in COOL (relaxed). Can “enjoying” indicate inclusion?
23. OINKED Squealed over getting tattooed (6)
O + INKED
24. FACADE Fine shopping area has river out front (6)
F + A[R]CADE
25. TAILOR Fleet’s last crew member gets rid of small cutter (6)
[flee]T + SAILOR (crew member) less S
26. ENDING Close friend in Guardian piece (6)
Hidden in friEND IN Guardian

55 comments on “Guardian 27,129 – Qaos”

  1. Thanks, Andrew.

    Good fun, as you say, ending a week of fine puzzles.

    I liked the clue for SMILEY [which made the ghost theme rather easier to spot than Qaos’ often are] and CHUTNEY was rather nice. Two good &lits, too – and the Spoonerism wasn’t bad!

    I didn’t really think about ‘enjoying’ when I entered 21dn but now I think I might have queried it if I’d been blogging.

    I = first is fine by me, thinking of it as a regnal number.

    Many thanks, Qaos – I really enjoyed it.

  2. Thanks Qaos and Andrew

    Qaos is in my top five favourites, but I didn’t enjoy this one. I didn’t see the theme until a comment on the Guardian site alerted me, of course.

    “Claim” for a homophone indicator, is bizarre; no indication of either music or Italian for CON FUOCO (although this was one of my earlier ones); in what way is “lead” the same as “tip”? – there is a tenuous link, perhaps in detection, but they don’t mean the same; SOLD for “double-crossed” is also tenuous; I isn’t “first” in 16d (as you hint, Andrew); and the clue for MAN is feeble in construction and definition.

    I did like TANGRAMS and OINKED.

  3. Eileen @1
    I don’t think regnal numbers work – “Henry I” would be ca;;ed “Henry one” or “Henry the first”, but not “Henry first”.

  4. I thought this a fun crossword in a very good week, Vlad beat me yesterday, but I managed to fill in most before I surrendered!!
    As I have said on another occasion, I know nothing about the process which brings these crosswords to the newspaper, and online in interactive and printable forms, but I am very grateful. I read a lot of criticism of the ‘editor’ on this site, but he must play a role in this process and I would like to thank him!! Does anybody else agree, or have I got it all wrong and the crossword arrives magically.
    Anyway, today thanks to Qaos and Andrew. STAIR RODS brought a big smile when I finally got it!!

  5. Saw the theme (unmissable really). Not quite as exciting as previous Qaos puzzles, as I remember, but I liked FACADE, DOUGH (LOI for me), BUM RAPS and STAIR RODS. Many thanks to Qaos and Andrew.

  7. For 16d, I had the b from bum raps, and happily wrote in BUT for qualification, thinking there’d be some programming language I hadn’t heard of that satisfied the rest of the clue. When 22 scuppered that, I put in BAC, for baccalaureate, and didn’t give it any more thought until I came here. Do I feel stupid/lazy? Not really
    Just wiki’ed long lists of languages: there’s one called ABC (parent of Python), for which I’m sure I could contrive a parsing so that BAC’s the right answer. Hmm, lacking A first, must mean that the A goes somewhere else, so ABC becomes BAC … bingo! Any blogging spots going, ed?

  8. I had exactly the same experience as @7 James with 16d. Thought it must be BUT, which of course delayed getting CON FUOCO. Then BAC, partly because of the abbreviations issue noted by Andrew. But anyway, a fourth successive satisfying puzzle in a theme-heavy week. Was there a hidden theme in Rufus in Monday, to make a full week of it?

  9. Thanks Qaos and Andrew.

    I started brightly enough but then crashed a bit at the top end, so to speak.

    I didn’t like ‘enjoying’ as a container, embracing would have been preferred, I think. I did actually spot the theme, which made entering the last few a bit easier. STAIR RODS as flight security etc seems to be quite popular.

    I liked the SMILEY clue.

  10. Ouch. Should have got the theme but never even thought to look. It might have helped with last-in CONTROL, though I’m not sure I know the work well enough for that. LEADS needed a check button, or more precisely LEANS (another sort of ‘tips’) did, though of course Bill = AD is an old crossword chestnut.

  11. I had BAC for 16d-fitted the def and I wouldn’t be able to parse that or the correct answer.
    Not complaining seeing I survived yesterday’s Vlad.]Loved use of theme.Thanks for blog. Much appreciated.

  12. Thank you Qaos and Andrew.

    Wow! I enjoyed that, poor muffin seems to be a bit of a “rum bap” today. Actually, I did not spot the theme until quite late on, so it did not really help. I entered BAC for a “first qualification”, as James @7 and a few others did, even though I have a BSc degree, and at first considered CABIN CREW for 28a, but was suspicious…

  13. Thanks Qaos and Andrew.

    Can someone please explain how ’17’ is a definition for SOLDIER at 4d? Does it refer to the solution for 17d being MAN? I still don’t get it if so.

    Thanks.

  15. Soldiers are often referred to as ‘men’ or ‘the men’. We have women too in the armed services but language lags so the usage will continue, I expect. So a soldier is a man.

  18. I made heavy weather of this, but I enjoyed it, as I always do with Qaos. Spotted the theme very late but it helped with my last in SOLDIER. Liked SMILEY and POOR.

    Thanks to Qaos and Andrew

  19. This wasn’t nearly as hard as yesterday’s, but it wasn’t easy. I totally missed the theme until I got here and learned that there was one. I also join James with having put in BUT and then BAC, never got BSc until I got here either. I liked CHUTNEY and FOOLHARDY.

  20. Thanks to Qaos and Andrew. Lots of terms new to me, so I struggled with SNICK (as usual, owing to my limited knowledge of cricket terms), CON FUOCO, TANGRAMS, and BSC, and I needed help parsing DOUGH.

  21. Loved the alcoholic rolls! Sold down the river is double-crossing,surely,a man is a soldier, and to give someone a lead is to give them a tip. This is the sort of nitpicking I was referring to some time ago. Don’t let’s spoil this otherwise excellent blog. Rant over again.

  23. Tenerife Miller @21 I wholeheartedly agree!! Those nitpickers (you know who you are) are rarely saying they could not complete the puzzle because of poor setting but just being critical for the sake of it. As I tried to say earlier we have had a fabulous week of puzzles for which we should all, who love crosswords, be grateful. Now my rant is over!! What say you all: Paul tomorrow in the Prize?

  25. My experience was different from that of most commenters here. I was more entertained by comments like
    “Light relief after Vlad!”
    than by the crossword, as I found it quite hard going.

    What I did like was the theme, which I didn’t spot, but I have read the books and I recognise all the theme words. Qaos did well to incorporate so many in the grid.

    Qaos must like this grid, in which as many as 12 answers have fewer than half of their letters checked, because he used it in his last Guardian crossword a month ago.

    I find weak clues and weak types of clue like 17a INCEPTION and 10a DOUGH (and I counted 4 others) harder and less pleasant to solve than anything Vlad produced yesterday. There was enough to keep me going, though, and I had some fun getting my head round many good clues. DOUGH was the only blank remaining when I finished.

    Thanks to Qaos and Andrew.

  26. We enjoyed this puzzle, but totally missed the theme despite Charles saying Qaos likes themes before we started.

    Thanks Qaos and Andrew.

  28. James@14

    I did unsuccessfully look for nina after completing the grid, and now I spot Rudi and Karla. What’s the connection?

  29. I’m with muffin et al. as well. In particular, I agree that first does not work for I. It didn’t help that I’ve never seen a BS abbreviated as BSc.

    Basically the puzzle was too advanced for my skill level. I counted five terms I’d never seen before and six clues that I was completely unable to parse.

    The clue for stair rods was really clever, although that was one of the terms that was new to me.

  30. ilippu @28
    Karla is Smiley’s KGB nemesis
    Rudi I’m not quite sure. I think it was a name used by an infiltrated agent.

  32. Got through it without seeing the theme. EXCEPT 1ac where I had Invention. The first 2 letters of invention missing , after in. Well it kind of works and could mean establishment. But the real answer is better! I liked Tangrams

  33. S Panza @4

    Your question might have been tongue-in-cheek (after all, I know you don’t believe that crosswords magically appear), but as there has been been no reaction to it yet, and it’s getting late, I thought I would say something briefly.

    What I know about the editing process and the editor’s role is only what I have picked up on this forum. The most useful and valuable insights have come from setters when, occasionally, they have posted comments here referring respectfully to the editor and giving us snippets of their discussions with him on some aspect of the content or construction of their crosswords.

    Evidently there is a process, what we see is not necessarily the setter’s original creation, and we can fairly conclude that sometimes the editor does a service to us all by spotting and correcting various sorts of error, and at other times (I trust not too often) let us all down through hasty and uncalled for editing decisions.

    There was a time just over a year ago when there was a spate of typos and technical errors in Guardian crosswords, giving rise to some, er, rather frequent comments about the absent or mythical editor, but things have definitely improved since then.

    For me the most interesting part of the editor’s remit is to do with the management of and his relationship with the pool of talent at his disposal. He must get something right, and I agree with you when you say we must thank him for it. We have, in my opinion, a pool of exceptional setters producing consistently good and sometimes outstanding crosswords.

  35. About a month ago I was at an interactive crossword talk in Brighton, hosted by Ashley Knowles (Boatman), John Halpern (Paul) and Hugh Stephenson (Guardian editor).
    The latter said a few things there that are perhaps worth mentioning here.

    While he knows that a lot of more experienced solvers rather see less Rufus, he emphasised that this setter has a huge following among the Guardian readers.
    Which I think means, he will never let him down whatever people (especially at this site) say about this puzzles.
    The editor also said that he wasn’t too keen on an overdose of themed puzzles because he thinks the average solver doesn’t like to have too many of them.
    Meanwhile (through the years), themed puzzles like today’s enjoyable Qaos have become quite common in the Guardian.
    One person in the audience asked what she had to do to be given a chance (as a setter).
    HS made clear that one should have published already several puzzles at various places.
    Loads of newbies [not me!] sent/send him puzzles, day in day out and he does not always have the time to have a good look at them.
    He told the audience that editing a crossword does not mean first solving it but that it meant just going through the clues to see whether something might be ‘wrong’ or whatever.
    I found this rather surprising because actually solving a crossword tells you more than just whether clues are fine or not.
    I am, however, not in the position to criticise the editor’s workload.
    I am not sure, Alan, whether the number of ‘typos and technical errors’ has become less in recent times [and BNTO will surely not agree] but let’s leave that there.
    Ultimately, I think, Hugh Stephenson really tries to get the balance right to please the whole range of potential solvers.
    He also praised Fifteensquared as the place to be, especially for anyone who wants to have a way in into this wond’rous world.

    Last year, Boatman published a book with the first 50 puzzles he wrote for the Guardian.
    That book gives some [un understatement] insight in what happens between a setter and the editor.
    While I found it, in a way, a rather ‘difficult’ book to read, it is worth every penny.
    Personally, I find Boatman’s style one of extremes.
    But after this ‘event’ and after talking to him for quite a while in a Brighton pub, I do see how passionate and thoughtful he is about crosswords.
    [and he did like the S&B in York and said he intended to come to these gatherings more often – but that aside]

    For me, the Guardian editor is a real person, nothing mythical about him.
    I think he has a genuine view on crosswords, even if I do not always agree (think of Anto as a Quiptic setter).
    While I think The Independent has a more consistent crossword style (with an editor who gives new talent a real chance), I do think the Guardian setters are more distinctive.
    Something to celebrate, in my opinion.

  36. An excellent contribution, Sil (@35) – thank you. It must have been interesting to listen and speak to the Editor and the setters who were at that event.

    I would just add (because it is still clear in my memory) that, when people already felt that there were too many typos, etc, in the clues, I started to keep a tally of all typos and technicsl errors (as I called them) that I and others discovered in Guardian crosswords in the four months Nov 2015 to Feb 2016. There were 8 such errors in Nov and Dec but only 1 (plus a marginal one!) in Jan and Feb. I haven’t kept those notes – I just remember the figures. I believe some-one or something in the Guardian triggered that improvement because I honestly believe that the low frequency of errors has been maintained since that time.

    What I was recording, of course, were obvious (accidental or careless) errors and not what people consider to be doubtful examples of wordplay or other things we might take issue with.

  37. Alan and Sil. Thank you both for your contributions!! I guess the quip about magic was tongue in cheek and perhaps a bit stupid, but I am genuinely upbeat about the quality of crosswords in the Guardian, and about the range and inventiveness of the setters and the top-class puzzles we get to solve!! I would imagine that the choice of setters each day is the work of the editor and I just wanted to go on record to say I am grateful!! These days there rarely seems to be a dud puzzle and this week IMHO they have been especially praiseworthy!!. Obviously every contributor to 225 has the right to his opinion, but, like Tenerife miller, I would prefer to see less nitpicking, and more constructive criticism and praise of the crosswords we get to solve!!

  38. I do not think nitpicking is a problem here, it helps to clarify things.

    As regards ‘enjoying’ for an inclusion indicator, it makes sense to me, to enjoy something you have to “take it in”, through your ears if it is music, through your eyes if it is a picture exhibition, through your skin if it is warmth etc.. Even if you are happily reminiscing, it is about something you have “taken in” in the past.

  39. Cookie @38
    Well said. When I was told a while ago that I was ‘nitpicking’ I decided to take it as a compliment and not reply! The other notable nit to pick today was ‘I’ for first in the wordplay of BSC, and that has been explained and argued about very well on this page. (And incidentally, the non-word BSC may not have been allowed in other papers, but that is one way in which I think the Guardian stands out.)

  40. Well spotted James @14.

    Thanks Sil @ 35 for sharing that with us.

    I agree with Cookie (38) about nitpicking. What may seem nitpicking to some can be useful clarification for others. There have been many times that I’ve felt that a word was not a true synonym or definition until someone on here has pointed out another way of looking at it.

  41. Sorry pex, Cookie. Alan B and others, nitpicking is nitpicking defined as ‘fussy or pedantic fault-finding’. Now constructive criticism is quite another matter and should be part of the discussion and encouraged!!

  42. S Panza @41
    Quite right – that figurative meaning of nitpicking, as something to be frowned on rather than applauded, is indeed the only meaning now recognised in the dictionaries. [I’ve just checked for myself.] Sometimes, though, constructive criticism or questioning is unfairly labelled ‘nitpicking’.

  43. There is no need for nit-picking with this puzzle. I have an IQ of 144 and a pretty good vocabulary, but I’m getting increasingly annoyed with compilers who can’t make good clues with common parlance words. Don’t get me wrong, I am pleased to find new words, but this puzzle has two “new” words for me (Con Fuoco? Tangrams?) along with dodgy definitions.

    I had a similar experience with “new” words in the Pasquale puzzle last week (Bromance? Aperient? Clodpoll? Lessor?).

    The purpose is to give users a test, not to make sure they can’t finish the crossword. One “dubious” word at a time please.

  44. amalthea @ 43

    I dont think IQ has anything to do with ability to solve crosswords. My wife has a high IQ, but admits she is a linear thinker, and often struggles when I try to explain parsing to her.

    And I don’t see why the words setters use have to be in common parlance. One of the delights (and challenges) of crosswords is, for me, learning new words, phrases and expressions. I’ve certainly been aware of TANGRAMS since the 1970s, BROMANCE has been around for the last few years, for sure (eg Bliar & Shrub), CON FUOCO is a standard musical term, LESSOR is a regular legal term and has appeared at least a couple of times in G-I-FT crosswords over the last few years, as has APERIENT.

    As has been observed on numerous occasions, ‘obscure’ simply means not in someone’s vocabulary. That’s not a failing on the part of the setter.

  45. Fully agree with Simon S @44. New words are part of the fun of the solving. I didn’t know CON FUOCO, but it was gettable from the wordplay and a stab at the realm of the definition. SMILEY and DOUGH both have elements of the old and the new.

    I personally find cricketing and military references and abbreviations uninventive, and very ‘old school’ and masculine. But it’s a code, and once learnt it’s part of the armoury used in the field. 🙂 I suppose it’s a question for the editor as to setting for a certain demographic or encouraging new solvers. I for one buy newspapers or subscriptions for the crosswords.

    I also agree with comments above re the excellent standard of the Guardian setters and the editor’s contribution. Discussion on this site is mostly constructive, helpful with parsing and adds to the enjoyment of the solve. I do find the weekly negativity about Rufus tiresome and unfair. What is ‘easy’ for some is not for others. But he’s like the clown or the stuntman who is so adept at the craft and the deception while entertaining at the same time. There are plenty of other days in the week if you don’t like Mondays.

    Thanks to setters, editor, bloggers and all for quality, daily fun.

  46. Well I always seem to agree with everything Andy B has to say (and mostly with Sil), so it’s been particularly enjoyable to read their, and others’, contributions.
    I found this an excellent week – with Vlad the most fun. I thought both Tramp and Qaos a little below their best but, given how great their best can be, this is no criticism.
    I tend to collect my puzzles by photocopying library’s papers when I’ve not bought a copy. This means I usually solve later than most here – and am less tempted, by impatience or weakness, to ‘cheat’. Similarly, I tend to avoid visiting 225 before a full solve and parse. This means I’m often one of the last to comment and it’s interesting to note how often “quibbles” that populate earlier comments have subsequently been proved vacuous. Indeed, there has been at least one occasion (an early Screw?) when, even after dozens of comments, I’ve been the first to point out the correct parsing!
    So I agree that much “nitpicking”, though useful, is groundless.

  47. …..there has even been the (rare) occasion when a blogger has missed one or two wordplays, so not enjoyed the puzzle, and been unfairly critical. Their view has been picked up by (some) subsequent commenters so that the setter has suffered unfairly. I don’t recall this happening since early 2014 but, be assured, when it does I shall be there, cudgel in hand, ready to defend the compiler – even if it should mean disapprobation raining down on me!
    Back to this week of super crosswords, a big thank you to all setters and bloggers. In particular, I do like Andrew’s style and perspicacity.

  48. Managed to almost finish this one – though couldn’t get “dough” and put “knock” in for “snick” – which we thought worked ( k for special; nick with o for i and a knock-out anyone?). We get the paper with the shopping on Friday so everyone else who blogs has usually finished before we even start! Nice to hear William @46 also gets his crossword late. Totally missed the theme, which was a pity as it might have helped! Liked “bum raps” as we like the spoonerisms and had to check “con fuoco” as musical terms aren’t our forte. Enjoyed most of it and thanks Qaos.

  49. William @46
    I flatter myself that your reference to Andy B was actually to me, in which case thank you very much!
    My posts are usually late(ish), although typically not as late as yours. However, I am in the habit of going back over blogs that might still be going one or two days later, and I enjoy reading yours when they do arrive.

  50. I had a lot of trouble in the SE corner and gave up on solving 25a, 27a, 28a, 16d, 26d. Also I could not parse 10a.

    New word for me was TANGRAMS.

    My favourites were BUM RAPS & OINKED.

    Thanks setter and blogger

  53. Completely missed the theme, a favourite of mine.

    And, if anyone’s still reading, could they tell me where Karla and Rudi are to be found. Pex @40 seems to imply that James @14 has found them.

  54. Frances @53

    This is very, very late, and I would have given you the answer to your query two days ago if I knew it.

    I have only just found the nina. Just look across the 5th and 13th rows of the completed grid and ignore the irrelevant letters following the respective names.

    I just find it a bit puzzling that nobody on fifteensquared or the Guardian’s own crossword blog thought to reveal the nina’s whereabouts. Qaos himself acknowledged there was one.

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