The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27270.
I picked up Picaroon’s last Guardian ten days ago, and have no complaints about the repetition. I think this was an even better offering than the last. One or two clues – no more – seemed familiar, but the polished surfaces made even those sparkle. 12D provided the heartiest laugh, and 27A is a clue to remember. Many thanks, Picaroon.
| Across | ||
| 1 | STRATAGEM | Scheme to get extremely large pastries from the Orient (9) |
| A reversal (‘from the Orient’ in an across light) of MEGA (‘extremely large’) plus TARTS (‘pastries’). | ||
| 6 | EPOCH | What includes Post Office counter’s opening time (5) |
| An envelope (‘includes’) of PO (‘Post Office’) plus C (‘Counter’s opening’) in EH? (‘What’?) | ||
| 9 | WHITE MAN’S BURDEN | Poet’s refrain about English imperialist notion (5,4,6) |
| Kipling again: last week’s Rufus referenced The Ballad of East and West; here we have The White Man’s Burden: the United States and the Philippine Islands. Each stanza starts starts with the exhortation “Take up the white man’s burden”, and goes on to point out how difficult the task will be (for the colonial powers, that is). Not surprisingly, like TWAIN of Monday last week, the quote is better remembered than the rest of the poem. As for the clue, it is a scarcely cryptic definition, with ‘refrain’ referring to the repeated line in the poem (and BURDEN being a synonym, giving a wordplay of a kind). Even though the full title of the poem addresses the US, the ‘English imperialist notion’ is fitting.
See Steve B @1 for the full wordplay – an envelope (‘about’) of E (‘English’) in WHITMAN’S BURDEN (‘Poet’s refrain’). |
||
| 10 | ROOK | Castle of Otranto’s walls besieged by kings (4) |
| An envelope (‘besieged by’) of OO (‘OtrantO‘s walls’) in R and K (‘kings’), for the chess piece. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole is generally regarded as the first Gothic novel, although the clue is perhaps a little closer to the history of the real Castle of Otranto, in the heel of Italy, than the book’s plot. | ||
| 11 | KEYNOTES | Try to defend Blair over core principles (8) |
| A reversal (‘over’) of SETONYEK, an envelope (‘to defend’) of TONY (‘Blair’) in SEEK (‘try’, as in “I will seek/try to get it right”). | ||
| 14 | KISSOGRAM | Affectionate message retiring chap’s received is really grand (9) |
| An envelope (‘received’) of ‘is’ plus SO (‘really’) plus G (‘grand’) in KRAM, a reversal (‘retiring’) of MARK (‘chap’ – a man’s name). | ||
| 15, 23 | MARCO POLO | Traveller wants nothing sweet after a brandy (5,4) |
| A charade of MARC (‘a brandy’ made from pomace, the residue after pressing grapes for wine; in full eau de vie de marc) plus O (‘nothing’) plus POLO (‘sweet’; for Americans, and maybe others, a Lifesaver candy). | ||
| 16 | DELFT | Where potter may be skilful, pocketing ball in the end (5) |
| An envelope (‘pocketing’) of L (‘balL in the end’) in DEFT (‘skilful’). | ||
| 18 | MINUTEMAN | Little old lady close to Russian revolutionary (9) |
| A charade of MINUTE (‘little’) plus MA (‘old lady’) plus N (‘close to RussiaN‘). The ‘revolutionary’ of the definition is not Russian, but in the US War of Independence. |
||
| 20 | AFFINITY | Females in a cool, periodically wintry, feeling of kinship (8) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of FF (‘females’) in ‘a’ plus IN (‘cool’) plus ITY (‘periodically wInTrY‘). | ||
| 21 | ODIN | Divine figure from sculptor needing no introduction (4) |
| [r]ODIN (‘sculptor’) minus its first letter (‘needing no introduction’). | ||
| 25 | PROFESSIONALISM | High standards for Lisa Simpson, working with energy (15) |
| An anagram (‘working’) of ‘for Lisa Simpson’ plus E (‘energy’). | ||
| 26 | DEFAT | Make lean daughter grilled feta (5) |
| A charade of D (‘daughter’) plus EFAT, an anagram (‘grilled’) of ‘feta’. | ||
| 27 | DROMEDARY | One may be travelling dry road around Middle East (9) |
| An envelope (‘around’) of ME (‘Middle East’) in DRODARY, an anagram (‘travelling’) of ‘dry road’, with an extended definition. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SOWER | Maybe farmer‘s a source of litter on farm? I’m not sure (5) |
| A charade of SOW (‘a source of litter on farm?’) plus ER (‘I’m not sure’). | ||
| 2 | RUINOUS | Dire game across Atlantic, involving ball (7) |
| An envelope (‘involving’) of O (‘ball’) in RUINUS, a charade of RU (Rugby Union, ‘game’) plus IN US (‘across Atlantic’). | ||
| 3 | TIER | Before river, draw level (4) |
| A charade of TIE (‘draw’) plus R (‘river’). | ||
| 4 | G-MAN | Fed European but not head of state (1-3) |
| G[er]MAN (‘European’) minus ER (‘but not head of state’). Devious, apart from the enumeration. | ||
| 5 | MASTERMIND | Bright individual flower maiden’s kept in memory (10) |
| An envelope (‘kept in’) of ASTER (‘flower’, a real bloomer for once) plus M (‘maiden’, cricket) in MIND (‘memory’). Do you think the double appearance of MIND detracts from the clue? | ||
| 6 | EQUANIMITY | Many quite outraged and one’s kept calm (10) |
| An envelope (‘kept’) of I (‘one’) in EQUANIMTY, an anagram (‘outraged’) of ‘many quite’. | ||
| 7 | OLDSTER | Person knocking on door’s let out after dropping round (7) |
| An anagram (‘out’) of |
||
| 8 | HANDS DOWN | Workers not working comfortably (5,4) |
| Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 12 | CONTINGENT | Uncertain German admitted to not having sex (10) |
| An envelope (‘admitted to’) of G (‘German’) in CONTINENT (‘not having sex’). | ||
| 13 | DRAMATISED | Overdid a little drink — date is going badly (10) |
| A charade of DRAM (‘a little drink’) plus ATISED, an anagram (‘going badly’) of ‘date is’. Alternatively, you might equally well make ‘a little’ part of the definition. | ||
| 14 | KIDNAPPED | Snatched a little butter, then had rest (9) |
| A charade of KID (‘a little butter’ – goat, that is) plus NAPPED (‘had rest’). | ||
| 17 | LIFT-OFF | Face of Lancôme provided with swell launch (4-3) |
| A charade of L (‘face of Lancôme’) plus IF (‘provided’) plus TOFF (‘swell’). | ||
| 19 | MADEIRA | Island arrived at by air, perhaps (7) |
| A charade of MADE (‘arrived at’) plus IRA, an anagram (‘perhaps’) of ‘air’. | ||
| 22 | NIMBY | New setter’s joining Times, a selfish sort? (5) |
| A charade of N (‘new’) plus I’M (‘setter’s’) plus BY (‘times’). Not In My Back Yard, or a person who might say that. | ||
| 23 | See 15 | |
| 24 | RACE | Run one? (4) |
| A charade of R (‘run’) plus ACE (‘one’), with a question mark indicating the &lit allusion rather than definition. | ||
9 is actually WHITMAN’S (poet’s) plus BURDEN (refrain) around E for English.
I also loved the clue for DROMEDARY.
Thanks PeterO and Picaroon!
Steve B @1
Thanks for the prompt response. I had the feeling that there should be more to 9A, but had not spotted WHITMAN. That makes yet another splendid clue.
And 7 should be: An anagram (‘out’) of ‘let d[o]or’s’ minus one O (‘after dropping round’).
And 8: HANDS (‘workers’) DOWN (‘not working’).
Quite a tough workout, as I’ve come to expect from this setter, but nothing held me up for too long so I mustn’t grumble. I did enjoy OLDSTER (for the “Person knocking on” definition) and DROMEDARY.
Thanks, Picaroon and PeterO.
Another gem from Picaroon – too many good clues to list. Favourite was 9a (as parsed by SteveB.) and I thought that 10 and 16a were rather neat.
Thank you for the good start to the day Picaroon, also to PeterO for the blog.
Thanks Picaroon and PeterO
Picaroon is in my top three favourite compilers, but, unlike others, I didn’t think this was one of his best. Some of the definitions were very loose (DRAMATISED, for example), and ODIN and DELFT were both GK-reliant.
5a is a classic “guess the answer, then try to parse” clue. He could have made it a more realistic “bottom-up” prospect by giving us “American poet….”. KISSOGRAM is another “top-down” only, as MARK is one of many possible “chaps”.
I liked STRATAGEM, RACE and DROMEDARY.
Hi JuneG @6
You said yesterday that I’d saved you some typing – thanks for doing the same for me today. 😉
I’m with Eileen and June G – a lovely Tuesday treat – thank you Picaroon and Peter O
27a would be my top favourite but there are quite a few runners-up including 16a
I was so close to finishing this without assistance. Couldn’t work out why 2D might be RUINOUS (obvious when it is pointed out to you) so had to click Check This. Then 9A and finally 5D fell into place.
Not sure about BY = “times” in 22D but I’m assuming it is to do with multiplication?
thanks for a comprehensive blog, PeterO. (plus correctors @1, @3, @4)
Bravo, Picaroon! I loved this. So many clever clues, with nothing obscure or difficult for difficulty’s sake. I particularly liked DROMEDARY and laughed out loud at OLDSTER.
Thanks also to PeterO.
A good, fun puzzle with a couple of clues where I learned something (WHITE MAN’S BURDEN and MINUTEMAN) although I would never have parsed the former, so well done Steve B.
DROMEDARY was brilliant.
Thanks to Picaroon and to Peter for the blog, especially the literary explanations – interesting.
Another textbook offering from Picaroon.
I was held up on STRATAGEM after writing in, early on, HEINOUS for 2 down: maybe some others did the same? Definition fits, and HE (alternative to IT) is an old playground tag game. But RU is a familiar setters’ standby for ‘game’ and I should have tried it first…
Mostly good, especially 27a, but 14a was a “guess from the crosses then use the check button and don’t waste time trying to parse it because you won’t enjoy the experience” kind of clue.
Also, I don’t understand how ER comes from “head of state” in 4d.
poc@15 ER is the regnal cipher of our current Queen and Head of State. This turns up more times in cryptic crosswords than you’ve possibly hat hot dinners!
or even ‘had’
Hi @poc. E(lizabeth) R(Regina) head of state of England
Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks Picaroon and PeterO
slipstream @3 and 4
I was nodding in 7D, now corrected, but in 8D I was trying to express the same as you in a different way.
Thank you Picaroon for a fun puzzle and PeterO for the blog with literary explanations.
The clue for WHITE MAN’S BURDEN was great, well parsed Steve B @1! I also liked the clues for DROMEDARY, NIMBY and RACE.
Thankyou PeterO for your elucidation, especially for me 9,14 and 18, and to Picaroon for a fun puzzle.
Thanks to Picaroon, Peter O and the forum contributors. All most enjoyable.
A lovely puzzle as always from Picaroon. Favourites were KEYNOTES, OLDSTER and NIMBY. Many thanks to P and P.
I gave up with three to go. Walt Whitman crossed my mind having the ‘W’ to start with, but I failed to resolve it as ‘refrain’ = ‘burden’ was obscure to me. I mis-phrased 7D and tried to derive something from ‘pollster’ as ‘person knocking on door’, so was thrown there too.
Enjoyed what I managed nonetheless.
Thanks for the enlightenment.
5A Why is “burden” refrain? Got as far as Whitman and E… so if it is that and not to do with Kipling’s poem then doesn’t make sense to me
JenA @25
One of the meanings of “burden” is the refrain or chorus of a song (often found in carols).
Good stuff from Picaroon today. Even though perhaps not absolutely on top form, he makes setting seem easy.
Thanks Muffin.
Favourite clue was 1ac. We found this easier than yesterdays
Thanks both. Great stuff
(Has anyone here tried the brandy MARC? I attempted to find some in a couple of supermarkets while on holiday in France in June, but failed. Is it worth it?)
[Shirl
If you like grappa you should like marc – made by a similar process.
For my taste, if I don’t have the slightest impulse to spit it out, it’s too smooth!]
(Thanks muffin – maybe too rough for me then!)
[You can get smooth ones, but they tend to be the more expensive ones]
Another top class puzzle, which goes without saying when Picaroon is the setter. Probably at the easier end of his range, in fact I found it easier than yesterday’s Pasquale. Too many favourites to list, but STRATAGEM is very clever.
Thanks to Picaroon and Petero
I’m with JenA @28 on STRATAGEM because I loved the idea of “megatarts,” but my real favorite was 18 MINUTEMAN, both because I loved the picture in the surface reading and because I was so busy chasing Russians I never spotted the iconic (overused word I’ve avoided using till now,but it fits here) hero of my own national Revolution. (We call it the American Revolution, rather than the War of Independence, although that accurately describes it too. Hence “Revolutionary” to refer to the period.)
I’d never heard of a KISSOGRAM, but reluctantly pieced it together.
Lots to like although some of the parsing are was beyond me (1a, 9a, 23d). I now remember BY for “times” (x) from some time ago and maybe it will stick with me now. My favourite was DELFT and LOI was 24d which was delightfully simple and obvious when Mrs W looked at it and said “isn’t it race?” Doh!
Thanks Picaroon and PeterO.
Not my favorite setter but this was Ok. I tend not to quite get on his wavelength and consequently miss some of the wit e.g. STRATAGEM and MINUTEMAN. NIMBY went in without being fully parsed.
I did like CONTINGENT and WHITE MANS BURDEN.
Thanks Picaroon.
I think there is a suggestion of &lit about the clue for KISSOGRAM. Leastways, we had at least one occasion where a ‘retiring chap’ at work did indeed ‘receive’ such an accolade on his last day at work. Not me, I hasten to add! I just got the clock – to Mrs FD’s evident relief!
I solved very few on the first pass then things gradually fell into place which means that it was a good crossword for me. A few quibbles but that’s almost inevitable and they were far outweighed by the likes.
Whenever I come across 6d I’m reminded of Shaw’s comment on Brahms’ German Requiem that it was a work to be borne with equanimity only by the corpse.
[FirmlyDirac @37, one of my sons when at London University took a holiday job ‘with’ KISSOGRAM, I told him I hoped that he shaved and asked him for some anecdotes, but he could not think of any…]
Crossbar and cryptic Sue, re ER: Doh!