Guardian 27,209 / Rufus

27 comments on “Guardian 27,209 / Rufus”

1. Stormont is not in Belfast it is in Dundonald

2. Thanks Rufus & Eileen.

   I cant get my head round log cabin as a background or cabin as a requirement,

3. I thought this was a really good Rufus! Great fun. Favourites were ONSLAUGHT, ADORATION and CITING. As Eileen says, some great anagrams. Thanks to R & E.

4. re 7d: The log is obvious enough but why is a cabin a Captain’s “requirement”, please?

5. pex @2 and Terriblyslow @4

   I had no problem with log cabin = humble background: I immediately remembered seeing, as a child, a book on my grandparents’ shelf, ‘From log cabin to White House’, the life story of President James A. Garfield.

   And why wouldn’t a captain require a cabin?

6. Thanks Eileen. I had not thought a cabin to be specific enough – most people on board a ship need a cabin? Enough, though. I also thought we had some great anagrams today.

7. I usually find Rufus a little ‘dull’ but this was just about perfect, in every way, from start to finish. I wish Bank Holiday puzzles took a little longer (as Araucaria’s in days of yore) but thanks a lot to Rufus and Eileen.

   There’s a pub in Lytham, currently known as The Taps, which used to be called The Captain’s Cabin.

8. Enjoyed this very much – there is something very satisfying with a Rufus puzzle in the way that the clues fall like ninepins at times (other setters might be compared to taking careful aim in a hunt, but I wouldn’t like to milk the analogy).

   I wasn’t as taken with 18 as others were, since I’m sure Ive seen it a few times before – though come to think of it, the anagram fodder is usually “MOON STARERS” so I guess it was an unusual take.

   I did like 5d. It’s nice to be surprised at how many meanings a word can have.

   As for 7d, I might quibble that a (completed) log is a requirement of a Captain, but a cabin is a requirement for a Captain, but I don’t want to.

   Thanks Rufus and Eileen.

9. Thanks Eileen @ 5. Maybe Rufus’s grandparents had the same book ha ha.

   My experience of a log cabin is a superior accommodation on a caravan site.

10. Denis @ 1

    If you wish to quibble Belfast’s parliament is in Westminster. Stormont is an assembly!

11. I really enjoyed this puzzle. My favourites were DISMISSIVE, MANGO, OVAL, SATANISM.

    I was unable to parse 1a.

    Thanks Rufus and Eileen.

12. Thank you Rufus and Eileen.

    A very enjoyable puzzle, especially the anagrams Eileen has noted. I was taken in by 6d, I entered OBAN thinking ‘square cuts’ might be something to do with highland dancing at the games.

13. Hooray for the Monday Rufus which never disappoints. The cryptic definitions, 28a, 6d & 13d put a big smile on the face, although I suspect the old-timers would groan. 16a defeated me, had to come here to discover. Big thanks to Rufus and Eileen.

14. Thank you to Rufus and Eileen.

    I must admit that I did write cryptic? beside three across clues, 5, 11 and 28.

    Nevertheless, I agree that there were several good anagrams, as Eileen and others have said.

    While I understand the debate about 7d LOG CABIN, I really liked that clue and thought it was fun and fair. My other favourite was 16d BADINAGE.

15. Nice start to the week, although this took me a lot longer than last week. My only complaint was with 7d, which eventually, reluctantly went in. Many anagrams to like esp. 18a.

    Thanks again to Eileen and Rufus.

16. Quite a good Rufus. I was initially foxed by DAWN but I remembered “daw” from an earlier puzzle. STORMONT was LOI. Now, if the rain stops—.
    Thanks Rufus.

17. Trismegistus @8 I actually wrote ‘moonstarers’ as my answer to 18a though it was not in Chambers…. doh!
    An enjoyable puzzle. Thank you Rufus and Eileen.

18. Uncle Tom liked it.

19. Thanks both. ”Twas only yesterday we were explaining to our guests from France that British birds had first names: Robin Redbreast, Jenny Wren, Mag Pie, Jack Daw.

20. Thanks to Rufus and Eileen. From the US I did know OVAL and STORMONT and had no trouble with the “daw” in DAWN, but like others I had trouble believing LOG CABIN was correct (the phrase itself was very familiar). Lots of fun.

21. The usual barely cryptic fare from Rufus. (Mondays could be so much more interesting 😉 )

    However for the pedants’s uninformed comments regarding Stormont I would recommend this official webpage

    Particularly the name of the building and the address in “Contact Us” could be of interest. 🙂

22. Log cabin a humble background? Try these for size!

23. Dave Ellison @22, those are not ‘cabins’, read this from Wiki

    “The log cabin has been a symbol of humble origins in US politics since the early 19th century. Seven United States Presidents were born in log cabins, including Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, and James Buchanan.” – and James A. Garfield as Eileen @5 mentions.

24. 23dn: Fruit gives chap vitality ??PEACH

25. I must have been on Rufus’ wavelength today as I rattled through this almost in clue order – and that’s never happened before. As others have said it was a typical enjoyable Rufus with some nice anagrams and the odd barely cryptic definition, but it is nice to be able to solve elegant clues without having to examine every syllable for possible interpretations to derive the answer. Thank you Rufus and Eileen – let’s see what the rest of the week brings.

26. I don’t want to be pedantic, but “pedants’s” — really?

27. And

    Rufus’

    of course, Steve.

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