Guardian 27,265 – Chifonie

36 comments on “Guardian 27,265 – Chifonie”

1. This was my quickest solve for some time – I think with Chifonie you can always see how the clues will break down almost immediately, so the only difficulties are the similes – you have to know the crossword cliches like TON=fashion. I did notice that there was an alternative capital he might have used at 28 and with some other setters I might have tried to parse that!

   Thanks to Andrew and Chifonie

2. Thanks to Chifonie and Andrew.

   Yes, a straightforward solve, although I took a long time to see SWANSEA, being convinced that ‘all’ would be in there somewhere. R for Royal is in Collins, but not in Chambers.

3. Thanks Andrew, thanks Chifonie.

   I’m not sure about “cadaverous” = “like death”. A corpse is dead, for sure, but is it like death? The wordplay is perfectly clear and extremely smooth, though, so I won’t complain too much!

4. Thanks Andrew and Chifonie, this was a really nicely compiled puzzle which although on the easier side was a delight to solve.

   My last in was TEHERAN where I was caught out by the spelling. I’d been trying to force SEVERAN, thinking of the Egyptian god, Ra, who appeared yesterday, and somehow making “capital” relate to the Severan Roman emperors of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Clearly I was overthinking things too much!

5. Thanks to Chifonie and Andrew.

   Nothing too challenging here. Like Robi@2 though, I stuffed around a bit trying to fit in “all” to 26d. When I saw SWANSEA though, I thought, can it really be that simple?

   I take your point regarding 26a CADAVEROUS, Tom@3, but I still liked it as it flowed well. I also quite enjoyed 14a STOP PRESS.

6. [beery@1, which other capital occurred to you? Just interested.]

7. Thanks Chifonie, Andrew
   The ‘in Wales’ type of definition is one I think I remember from the Times years ago, though not aware of having come across it there recently.
   Yerevan (Yenesid?) sprang to mind, but fortunately Teheran followed immediately.

8. Thanks to Chifonie and Andrew. I too was slowed down by the spelling of TEHERAN (my spell-checker agrees) and did not know HONESTY as a plant, but I much enjoyed this puzzle.

9. Thanks Andrew & Chifonie,

   Rare as a (relative) beginner to be able to flounder my way through, but did ok, eventually caving on a couple at the end. Starting to remember some conventions/obscurities like this meaning of carpet. TON was new to me.

   Just to check – in 14a, holy woman = saint, ST? I got the whole, then the specificity obstructed my parsing … But maybe holy person makes it too easy?!

10. I must be showing my age. TEHERAN is still the spelling that first comes to mind for me.
    Nice, quick solve.

    Thanks Andrew and Chifonie.

11. Julie @6 – my alternative was also spotted by James @7

12. With some setters, I know I’m going to be in for a slog. With this setter, I expect it to be quick but that I’ll be left with maybe one answer missing. It could have been TEHERAN, but fortunately – after sizing up and rejecting YEREVAN – that came quickly. No, today’s teaser was BANSHEE: the -A-S-E- pattern suggesting SHE but also SUE (and I wasn’t expecting an -EE ending). Still, it all added to the satisfaction when the penny finally dropped.

    Thanks, Chifonie and Andrew.

13. Thank you Chifonie and Andrew.

    A pleasant solve. I rushed in with BOOBY as the prize before realising it would not fully parse. TEHERAN went in without a second thought, showing my age like Crossbar @10.

    I don’t get the parsing for CONTEST – does the C stand for 100, i.e. many?

14. Tom @3, “He looks like death”, “He looks cadaverous”, does this work?

15. Ben, @9
    Indeed, ST = saint which is gender neutral so some setters will use a feminine clue word just to mix it up or make a point.

    And I do wish the bloggers would spell out every part of the construction otherwise newcomers will be put off because they are not aware of every convention.
    E.g

    RA = artist (because if they are members of the Royal Academy they can put R.A. after their names.)
    OT = Old Testament = books
    T = Tango (phonetic/NATO alphabet)
    ER = Elizabeth Regina = queen
    C = 100 (roman numerals) = many
    RE = Royal Engineers = soldier

    I’m not suggesting putting in the long explanation, but just something in brackets would be nice.

16. Lucy Lastik @15, thank you – I am still not convinced about C for many, the wiki list gives “Many – CL, XD… (A collection of at least 2 Roman numerals)”, however this list gives it, but does not explain, most probably it is in Chambers…

17. I also like Chifonie’s economy of style, and made quick progress but slowed down at the end. Favourites were HONESTLY, CADAVEROUS and BANSHEE. Many thanks to C & A.

18. me @16a, the COED gives for hundred, or hundreds, “colloq. a large number” – I suppose one might say “I have a hundred things to do”, “I have many things to do”.

19. I’ve never had a crossword yet that I’ve gone through with equal facility from beginning to end – there are always a few that resist and take longer than the rest put together. In today’s it was TEHERAN (LOI and the “A” number misled me), SWANSEA (like others trying to get “all” in) and BANSHEE (because I thought they were corporeal rather than spiritual until Mrs W put me straight).
    Otherwise smooth and straightforward and ideal for newer solvers – who might also benefit from the additional explanations as suggested by Lucy Lastik.
    Thanks to Chifonie and Andrew.

20. Cookie@ 16. A hundred would be many in a restaurant say, but not at a President’s inauguration.

21. My LOI was DRESS DOWN which, once I saw it,was obvious. The rest went in quite quickly but I paused over NEWTON because I was unaware that TON could be used in the way it was here- so I’ve learned something today!
    I did notice that I was tending to overthink some of the clues- SWANSEA has already been cited by others,and,yes, I tried to get ALL in the answer like some others. Enjoyable!
    Thanks Chifonie.

22. An enjoyable, quick diversion this morning. I don’t like “ST” for a “holy women” given that it is gender neutral but of course it was an easy solve anyway with a few crossers in. Haven’t heard of TON in the context of fashion before and still don’t understand EA from “…each in Wales”.

23. Sorry, my mistake in my previous post. I meant to say I don’t understand why “EA” is an acceptable derivation from “each”.

24. beery @1, Julie @5, James @7

    The capital Yerevan (of Armenia) appeared as recently as 17 June in a Paul Prize puzzle (an alphabetical), blogged on 24 June.

25. Can someone explain TON as fashion, please? I haven’t come across this usage before.

26. Tenerifemiller @25

    Chambers
    ton²
    noun
    1. Fashion
    2. People of fashion

    Collins
    ton² (French)
    noun
    Style, fashion, or distinction
    [C18: from French, from Latin tonus tone]

    ODE
    ton²
    noun [mass noun] fashionable style or distinction: riches and fame were no guarantee of a ticket — one had to have ton.
    (the ton) [treated as singular or plural] fashionable society: it is the most elegant establishment and half the ton was there.
    – origin French, from Latin tonus (see tone).

27. Thanks Chifonie and Andrew, also to all those who explained the clues I didn’t quite get today, feeling a bit thick for some reason!

28. Thanks Chifonie and Andrew
    Not much to add. Two sittings, the second proceeding much faster than the first. I liked HONESTLY.
    Pentman @22
    Arachne is well-known for always choosing a female example of a gender-neutral person (such as “saint” – to redress the balance perhaps? Chifonie has also been doin this recently.

29. I approve totally of using the female gender whenever possible – why should it be holy man’s?

    Lovely puzzle from Chifonie as always. I didn’t understand though why we have embrace instead of embraces in 28a? The latter, it seems to me, works better in both surface and cryptic readings. Just trying to learn from the experts.

    Too many nice clues to list

    Thanks Chifonie and Andrew

30. pentman@23

    “ea” is an acceptable abbreviation for each, in Chambers for example under “ea.”

    I think it’s a grocer’s thing, “apples @ 50p ea”

31. I think “apples @ 50p ea” is a redundancy. I was always taught that the @ sign means “at … each”

    I finished this puz and enjoyed it. Must admit it took a little online help.

32. Felt like a Monday crossword but nevertheless I enjoyed solving it. Two of the most prolific “crossword scientists” appear in today’s crosswords (the other in the Times).

33. Help, please

    My only problem was 3dn. Why does REACT = dissent. One can react positively to something.

    (I whizzed carelessly through 14ac – ST OPPRESS is clearly a female saint. How sexist is that??)

34. Authenticity note: shouldn’t it be “apple’s @50 p ea”?

35. Interesting point V @34, 30 & 31. Of course it should be apples 50p ea.

    Re Oppress, is the male version Oppror ? Ha ha

36. pex@35 – good joke, so am surprised you missed V’s (&34) whimsical use of the grocer’s apostrophe!

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