Guardian 27,281 – Rufus

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Only three cryptic definitions today, and three doubles (or possibly 4+2). With mostly straightforward constructions in the other clues, I got through this very quickly, Thanks to Rufus

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. CREATOR Man on the make? (7)
Cryptic definition
5. MANIAC Massachusetts’ murderer brought back, a deranged person (6)
MA + reverse of CAIN (son of Adam & Eve, who killed his brother Abel)
9. BRICKBAT Blunt criticism from decent chap to striker (8)
BRICK (decent chap) + BAT (striker)
10. TAKE ON Undertake challenge (4,2)
Double definition – rather a weak clue, as the meanings are almost identical, and the repetiton of ‘take’ is unfortunate
12. FROM THE HEART When moved, mother and father may talk thus (4,3,5)
(MOTHER FATHER)*, with an &littish definition
15. UNIFORMITY In one class where everything is the same (10)
I think this is supposed to be a double definition, but again the two meanings are the same, and in any case “in one class” would define “uniform”, so maybe it’s a long cryptic def. See comments: the consensus seems to be that it’s actually FORM 1 or 1 FORM in UNITY (one), which makes it a better clue than I thought; but one of the Is seems be unaccounted for, unless FORM 1 = “(unspecified) class (in a school)”
17. DUB Make a touching gesture as evidence of a person’s entitlement (3)
Cryptic definition: Chambers defines it as “to confer knighthood upon (from the ceremony of striking the shoulders with the flat of a sword)”
19. TWO The number that was offered initially (3)
First letters of That Was Offered
20. PIANOFORTE It may provide accompaniment to Pinafore production (10)
(TO PINAFORE)*
22. ELDERBERRIES More mature fruits used to make wine (12)
ELDER (more mature) + BERRIES (fruit)
26. SCRAPE Capers used to make pickle (6)
CAPERS*
27. SPRAYING Watering‘s always in season (8)
AY (always) in SPRING
28. SEDATE A steed in not very frisky form (6)
(A STEED)* – the anagram doesn’t seem to be indicated, unless we borrow “frisky” from the definition
29. DELETED Lease included in legal document removed (7)
LET (to lease) in DEED (legal document)
Down
1. CUBA Island producing copper and barium (4)
CU + BA (chemical symbols for the elements)
2. EMIT Give out overtime (4)
Reverse (“over”) of TIME
3. TAKE ROOT Become established down under? (4,4)
Cryptic definition
4. REALM True figure is in this region (5)
L (Roman 50, so “figure”) in REAL (true) REAL + M (Roman 1000) Thanks to Steve B for pointing out my careless error
6. APACHE Perhaps a brave father put up with pain (6)
Reverse of PA + ACHE
7. ICELANDERS Declares in a way they are from a chilly area (10)
(DECLARES IN)* – “in” has to do double duty to get the anagram indicator
8. CONSTABLES Policemen examine where the horses are kept (10)
CON (study, examine) + STABLES (where horses are kept)
11. WHITEN Turn pale when it comes in (6)
IT in WHEN
13. BUTTRESSES They strengthen walls but locks are also needed (10)
BUT + TRESSES
14. DISORDERED In trouble, daughter is told what she must do (10)
D[aughter] IS ORDERED
16. MAILED Posted under protective cover (6)
Double definition – sent by post or wearing chain mail
18. AFTER ALL Nevertheless, is not to be satisfied with just part (5,3)
If you’re not satisfied with part then you might be AFTER ALL
21. ARMPIT Under treatment, impart personal depression (6)
IMPART*
23. RAPID Fleet is quiet in attack (5)
P (piano – quite) in RAID
24. FIST The hand is in the foot (4)
IS in FT
25. AGED Being old, agreed about being dropped (4)
AGREED less RE (about)

47 comments on “Guardian 27,281 – Rufus”

  1. At 17a I think a case can be made for ‘dab’ (a fiingerprint as used as a password on some computers), and ‘dob’ as an abbreviation for ”date of birth’. Perhaps not as convincing as the approved answer, but tenable.

  3. On second glance, I just realized that gives an unaccounted-for I. Ok, I have no idea what 15 was supposed to be…

  4. However, I can say 4 is REAL + M (Roman numeral for 1000, thus fulfilling Rufus’s criteria for using a Roman numeral at least once in every one of his crosswords).

  5. I also toyed with DAB, but realised it was a clever Rufus CD. Mostly a write-in, but good fun as always from Rufus. Favourites were ARMPIT and WHITEN. Many thanks to R and A.

  6. Thanks Rufus and Andrew

    Trickier than usual for Rufus. I went for DAB, in fact. 15 is “I FORM” in UNITY. I took “form” in 28 as the anagram indicator, but it is an unusual distance from the fodder.

    I didn’t write in TAKE ON for some time as I couldn’t believe it could be right.

    Favourite was BUTTRESSES.

  7. Pretty much a write in except that we couldn’t quite credit that 10 could be take on. We thought 15 was form in unity and didn’t spot the extra i needed for it be so. I suspect it is intended to be that and the error is in the clue. (Mr Bayleaf thinks class could imply Form 1 but I disagree.)

  8. All very much what we have come to expect (and love?) about Rufus. A very quick solve, which would have been even quicker if I hadn’t spent time trying to think of a more cryptic alternative solution for TAKE ON.

    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

  9. I was another “DAB” at 17a but DUB makes much more sense now.

    Like drofle@5, I enjoyed 21d ARMPIT. My other favourite was 5a MANIAC. Unlike muffin@6, I didn’t really like BUTTRESSES because of the repetition of “but” from the clue, which was similar to muffin and Andrew’s objection to the repetition of “take” in TAKE ON at 10a, which felt barely cryptic to me.

    Thanks to Rufus for a likeable brain exercise and to Andrew for the blog.

  12. I loved the clever anagrams in 12a and 20a. In fact I found the whole puzzle more enjoyable than the usual Monday offering.

    Thanks Rufus.

    Even the sums’ are getting harder ha.

  13. A little too straightforward for me on this (rare) occasion, though i was briefly held up by initially solving 28A as SEATED instead of SEDATE. What am I going to do with the rest of my morning? Thanks to Rufus and Andrew

  16. Writing FORTRESSES at 13d didn’t help but finally that got resolved and now I can wave farewell to Rufus for another week.

  17. Thank you Rufus and Andrew.

    As enjoyable as ever, I loved the clues for EMIT and WHITEN, rather tricky. George Clements’ @1 alternatives for DUB are fun and, as pex @12 points out, the anagrams for FROM THE HEART and PIANOFORTE are great.

  18. One of my quickest-ever solves, but quite enjoyable nonetheless.

    Julie in Australia@9 – is the BUT in BUTTRESSES really as objectionable as TAKE in TAKE ON? And where do you draw the line? By the same token, could one object to the repetition of IS in the answers to 14d and 24d? I’m not sure of the answer, but is it perhaps to do with the word repeating and also having the sense, in which case undertake/TAKE ON is not acceptable but but/BUTTRESSES would seem to be OK?

  20. Thanks to Rufus and Andrews. I paused over CREATOR (could this be correct?) but otherwise proceeded smoothly. Much fun as usual.

  21. Another one who had DAB (and found it unsatisfactory). Glad to see that it should have been the cleverly-clued DUB.

    I don’t like the way “fruit” is doing double duty in the clue for 22, if “fruit used to make wine” is the definition.

    Thanks, R & A.

  22. Well, this was Ok, I suppose but there was some sloppiness-TAKE ON springs to mind- and I was delayed by having CHANCER rather than CREATOR for 1ac which,of course, wouldn’t work. I did like ARMPIT though.
    Thanks Rufus.

  25. Another nice Rufus offering. I never find them as quick as expected and always struggle over the last 2 or 3 when Mrs W comes to the rescue -‘in this case with EMIT which I had to have explained! A doh moment. The 12a anagram was brilliant for its surface, but I wasn’t a fan of 20a as it was too close to the solution. Multiple takes were disappointing but there was lots more to enjoy than fault.
    Thanks Rufus and Andrew.

  26. Thanks Andrew and Rufus.

    I put a tentative P at the end of 10a; I also couldn’t believe TAKE should go in there.

    I think poc@15 is probably right, it is form in class ie FORM 1

  27. The only way I can make 15a UNIFORMITY work is IFORM inside UNITY. muffin @6 suggests ‘I FORM’ means ‘class’. Is that because ‘I FORM’ means First Form in the manner of VI Form meaning the Sixth Form?

    I agree with muffin that the anagram indicator in 28a SEDATE is ‘form’.

  32. Hopped across from the DT again today – looks as though Rufus is AWOL from there again this week.
    Much of the usual Rufus wit here but, as others have said, one or two that didn’t quite hit the mark. 10a was probably the major offender – I tried to get either ‘wade in’ or ‘game on’ to work but left it blank in the end, hoping that someone else had found a better answer.

    Thanks nevertheless to Rufus and to Andrew for the blog.

  33. Nice crossword from Rufus – sadly completely spoilt by 1ac. I put in CHEATER which fits just as well. Where’s Ximenes when we need him?

  35. Thanks John E @34.
    I didn’t know that. I thought it might be I Form on the model of VI Form, but Form 1 was of course always a possibility. I hope that’s what Rufus intended.

  36. I also agree with Muffin about “form” as the anagrind in 28: the form of “a steed” that makes it “sedate”, i.e. not very frisky.

  37. Thank you to Rufus and Andrew.

    Trying and failing to think of a situation where ‘nevertheless’ could be replaced by ‘after all’ …

  39. Being aware of the specialised meaning of ROOT Down Under in Australia I was briefly confused by 3D then I remembered it was Rufus not Paul. Clear surfaces and wit as usual, though it didn’t take long.
    Thanks to Rufus and Andrew.

  42. Thanks to Andrew and Rufus.

    I had to come here for the parsing of AFTER ALL and UNIFORMITY, and had a nostril meets eyebrow moment at TAKE ON. Nevertheless, enjoyed ARMPIT, FIST and AGED. So, after all, enjoyable.

  46. Didn’t see anyone else mention this, but my initial write-in for 19ac, having the initial “T” only, was TEN (being the first syllable of “tendered”, i.e., “offered initially”). That fouled me up for a few moments on 14dn, forcing me back to 19ac to spot the wordplay for TWO. Thanks Rufus & Andrew.

  47. I didn’t think 1ac was a particularly good clue,but I don’t think CHEATER is a justifiable alternative, especially given the question mark, which implies a punning answer. Somebody ‘on the make’ is not necessarily a cheat. CREATOR seemed the obvious answer to me.
    I agree with VinnyD @21 that ‘fruits’ is doing double duty. I also share the admiration for the anagram in 12.
    I think the only way of reading the wordply to 15 is FORM I in UNITY, as some have ssuggested already. ‘Class’ for ‘FORM I’ seems acceptable to me.

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