Guardian 27,251 – Rufus

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“Only” five cryptic definitions from Rufus today (a couple of them barely qualifying as cryptic), but a lot of anagrams, which made this a very quick solve for me. Thanks to Rufus.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. TAKE THE WRAPS OFF Disclose what offers kept a reserve (4,3,5,3)
(WHAT OFFERS KEPT A)* – the anagram indicated by the letters being “re-served”
9. IN A CANTER I can’t earn redress, as race won easily (2,1,6)
(I CAN’T EARN)* – I think “at a canter” is a more usual version of this phrase, but this version does seem to exist
10. RHINO Creature developing one horn (5)
(I HORN)* , with an &littish surface
11. KEEPS ON Continues to pay for the boy (5,2)
KEEP SON
12. BRUTISH Cruel animal brush, it should be thrown out (7)
(BRUSH IT)* – I read this as two definitions, with ”animal” as an adjective
13. TAI Language establishing an audible bond (3)
Homophone of “tie” (bond): it’s a variant form of “Thai” – I originally put TIE here, thinking the clue was faulty
14. HABITUÉ He often resorts to a piece in colour (7)
A BIT in HUE
17. TERRAIN Country with rain after winter’s half gone (7)
[win]TER + RAIN
19. WHOOPEE Exclamation partygoers may make (7)
Double definition
22. SUSPECT American small change being found in school is dodgy (7)
US + P (penny, small change) in SECT (school)
24. RYE Some very early cereal (3)
Hidden in veRY Early
25. REENTER Appear on stage again in a more entertaining way (7)
Hidden in moRE ENTERtaining
26. TRANSOM It may appear smart on the stern of a boat (7)
(SMART ON)*
28. DRAKE Sailor died a dissolute man (5)
D + RAKE
29. TROUSSEAU Clothes not a single woman will go out in (9)
Cryptic definition
30. FREEDOM OF SPEECH Say what you like, this right is not protected everywhere (7,2,6)
Double definition (just about)
Down
1. THINK THE WORLD OF Love someone who left hot drink out (5,3,5,2)
(WHO LEFT HOT DRINK)*
2. KNAVE Jack found in church, we hear (5)
Homophone of “nave”
3. TRANSIT Passing through Turkish capital, changing trains (7)
T[urkish] + TRAINS*
4. ENTENTE Understanding French (7)
A barely-cryptic definition – ‘Entente’ is French for ‘understanding’
5. RAREBIT Unusual portion of toasted cheese (7)
RARE + BIT
6. PURSUER It’s one after another (7)
Cryptic definition
7. ORIGINATE Start to speak without a single drink (9)
I GIN in ORATE
8. FROM HAND TO MOUTH Improvident way to eat (4,4,2,5)
Double definition
15. BROKERAGE Exploded with fury, where there’s commission to pay (9)
BROKE + RAGE
16. USE Avail oneself of sheep, we hear (3)
Homophone of “use” “ewes”
18. EMU Some of the musicians get the bird (3)
Hidden in thE MUsicians
20. PITHEAD Entrance for the colliery boss? (7)
PIT + HEAD, again with an &littish surface
21. ERRATUM Singular mistake in Latin translation (7)
Cryptic definition (again, barely)
22. SETS OFF Starts out and trips (4,3)
Double definition (think of a bomb for the second)
23. STAYS UP Puts off one’s retirement (5,2)
Cryptic definition, referring to a late bedtime
27. SCENE Setting for a confrontation? (5)
Double definition

26 comments on “Guardian 27,251 – Rufus”

  1. Rufus crosswords often seem easier in retrospect, which shows that he is very good at what he does. TAI as a language was new to me. I did think that a synonym for RAIN would have been better in 17a which was barely cryptic, but that is a minor quibble.

    Thans to Rufus and Andrew

  2. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

    I did exactly what you did, Andrew, with Thai/TIE at 13a, and once I got (Welsh) RAREBIT 5d, just had to assume that Thai can also be spelt TAI as in Tai Kwan Do.

    I thought 30a FREEDOM OF SPEECH was okay as a double definition and liked its fellow dds, 19a WHOOPEE, 6d PURSUER, and 8d FROM HAND TO MOUTH.

    1a was LOI. For some reason I kept thinking about taking the covers off as in cricket, and WRAPS eluded me for a while.

  3. Sorry about the fat finger syndrome, Tai KWON Do (which probably has nothing at all to do with Thailand?)

  6. Thanks Rufus and Andrew

    Another TIE at first here too (with a note to question it!) “Passing through” is generally IN TRANSIT, though Chambers is vague enough for Rufus to get away with it. I quite enjoyed this, in fact, with HABITUE, REENTER and TROUSSEAU favourites.

    If the EMU did not exist, crossword compilers would have to invent it!

  9. “Exploded” = “Broke”? I don’t think so. Nor do I believe that anyone, in or out of equestrian circles, ever says “in a canter”. It’s always “at a canter”. Sorry but I found these irritating.

  12. Yes George @4. I had siege too then changed to scene. Also had tie then changed to tai. Great minds..

  13. Julie @3 I think it’s Tae Kwon Do and originated in Korea I believe.

    Delfini @9 I wasn’t familiar with this version either but a simple google gives as much precedent for ‘in a canter’ as ‘at a canter’, we live and learn!

  14. Make that three, George @4 and pex @5.

    Doubly annoying as for once I had enjoyed some of Rufus’s cds, especially PURSUER. SCENE apart, my only problem was whether the boat thing was TRANSOM or TRAMSON.

  15. Thank you Rufus and Andrew.

    I thought this a super Rufus crossword, my particular favourite clues were those for TROUSSEAU, HABITUE and PITHEAD.

    Delfini @9, “He broke the myth that…”, “He EXPLODED the myth that…”

  16. Nobody’s commented on the excellent anagrams at 1a and especially 1d. WHAT OFFERS KEPT A for “take the wraps off” and THINK THE WORLD OF for “who left hot drink.” They were a delight!

    (Andrew — I think “love,” rather than “love someone” is a definition for THINK THE WORLD OF.)

  18. Valentine @16
    I can’t make any sense of the surface of 1a – and I keep thinking “which, not what” (though obviously the anagram no longer would work).

  19. Tae Kwon Do has nothing to do with Thailand. The Korean word “tae” (from the Chinese “tai”) means to trample or kick, explaining the style of this particular martial art.

  20. Thanks to Rufus and Andrew. Like Julie @2 WRAPS eluded me in 1ac and I was slow in spotting the other phrases. Still, lots of fun.

  21. When I last saw this grid (which is not as friendly for the setter as for the solver) it was also a Rufus puzzle. Full marks to Rufus for filling it with words of which TAI is the only unfamiliar one (to some at least).

    This is the third time I’ve seen 10a RHINO clued in this way recently. The model for it I would say is the one by Tramp on 31 March this year:
    “Wild one with horn? (5)”

    Like baerchen @7, I would query the definition of 30a FREEDOM OF SPEECH (‘Say what you like’). And, as Valentine @16 pointed out, the definition of 1d THINK THE WORLD OF is ‘love’, not ‘love someone’, in which case the word ‘someone’ in the clue is just there for the ride, as another blogger recently commented in similar circumestances.

    I enjoyed 1a TAKE THE WRAPS OFF and 19a, 14a HABITUE and 19a WHOOPEE, but I think other clues needed some refinement as I have implied already.

    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

  22. This took me rather longer than usual with this setter partly because I didn’t twig that 1ac was an anagram -and WRAPS took some time to see! Otherwise this was fairly typical and enjoyable. I liked KNAVE.
    Thanks Rufus.

  23. Even little old me was able to complete that, having also fallen into the TIE trap. Rufus really should not have included RAIN in the clue to 17A.

  24. Many thanks to robert@13 and Keith@19 for clarification and explanations regarding TAE KWON DO. I was clearly up a dry gully both in terms of spelling and suppositions regarding any connections with Thailand! Not sure if the notion that my brain is ten years younger is working for me, but I do think it’s working for our 85 year old setter!

  25. Late to bed and was pleased to be able to solve this without too much trouble. I took an alternative approach to TIE and decided there must be a RAREBET version of cheese on toast. Like others I thought the long anagrams were neat and HABITUE was my favourite and BROKERAGE LOI.
    I hope I’m still able to solve, let alone set at 85 – thank you Rufus and Andrew.

  26. Like others here I stumbled over “exploded”, trying to fit “boom” before finally twigging the “d” for dead sailor to make the crosser. No problem with “in a canter” which was how my dear old dad used to put it when his bet came in at Ellerslie. Thanks Rufus and Andrew and to John E for the encouraging ES link plus news, to me, of Rufus’s vintage. Senior Service indeed!

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