Guardian Cryptic 27,293 by Rufus

by

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27293.

The clues are more terse than usual for Rufus, but otherwise standard fare: some decent simple clues, marred mainly for my taste by the cryptic definitions, which strike me, as Flanders and Swann put it in another context, as “far too loud, far too often, and flat”. For example, take 6D.On the first reading, the clue cried “Cryptic Definition!!” (what else could it be?), and had to turn on the interpretation of ‘row’ argument or ‘row’ arrangement. Since the surface leant to the former, the latter was more likely. Thus the only slight difficulty I saw was coming up with a word of the given definition, a difficulty worthy of a non-cryptic crossword.

Across
1 SNUFFS IT Extinguishes the candle and passes on (6,2)
Double definition.
5 LADDER Defect in hose used by firemen (6)
Definition, with a dash of the cryptic, and allusion.
9 ENTREATY Petition to take meals in the lobby (8)
An envelope (‘in’) of EAT (‘to take meals’) in ENTRY (‘the lobby’).
10 GIANTS They play big parts in children’s tales (6)
Cryptic definition.
12 ENDOW Provide money, enough to keep daughter (5)
An envelope (‘to keep’) of D (‘daughter’) in ENOW (archaic form, ‘enough’)
13 LICENSEES Local managers (9)
A play on ‘local’ as a public house.
14 REMINISCENCE It may help in crime scene reconstruction (12)
An anagram (‘reconstruction’) of ‘in crime scene’, with an extended definition.
18 CIVIL SERVICE Polite assistance from bureaucrats? (5,7)
Definition and literal interpretation.
21 VADE MECUM This guide wants you to go with him (4,5)
Definition and literal interpretation – of the Latin, no less.
23 RIPEN Mature — or mature to a point (5)
A charade of RIPE (‘mature’) plus N (‘a point’ of the compass). Since RIPEN is just the verb associated with RIPE, this seems to me rather weak.
24 NANSEN Anne’s going out with North Polar explorer (6)
An anagram (‘going out’) of ‘Anne’s’ plus N (‘North’).
25 KNEADING Requiring sound massage (8)
A homophone (‘sound’) of NEEDING (‘requiring’). The word order is unusual rather than wrong.
26 EVEN SO Nothing more than a 50-50 chance, nevertheless (4,2)
A charade of EVENS (‘a 50-50 chance’) plus O (‘nothing’).
27 ASPHYXIA It’s a breathtaking experience (8)
Cryptic definition.
Down
1 SCENES Angry outbursts in play (6)
Definition and allusion.
2 UNTIDY Slovenly in duty — removed (6)
An anagram (‘re-moved’) of ‘in duty’.
3 FREEWHEEL Go effortlessly by bicycle to coast (9)
Is that intended to be a cryptic definition or a double definition? Either way, I do not think much of it.
4 INTELLIGENCE News the teacher would welcome in any form? (12)
Definition and allusion.
6 ALIGN Get into a row (5)
Crypticish definition.
7 DUNGEONS Where people once spent time underground (8)
Cryptic definition.
8 RESISTED Sees dirt, becomes repelled (8)
An anagram (‘becomes’) of ‘sees dirt’.
11 ACHIEVEMENTS The done things (12)
Cryptic definition.
15 COCKROACH Bird, fish and insect (9)
A charade of COCK (‘bird’) plus ROACH (‘fish’).
16 SCAVENGE Collect items others consider useless (8)
Definition.
17 EVIDENCE Witnesses appear to give it (8)
Crypticish definition.
19 SPHINX Ancient Greeks were riddled by it (6)
Cryptic definition.
20 ENIGMA Elgar’s variations of gamine (6)
An anagram (‘of’, although ‘variations’ might be on loan from the definition) of ‘gamine’.
22 MEETS Effectively copes with sporting events (5)
Double definition.
completed grid

46 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,293 by Rufus”

  1. I struggle to see anything cryptic about 7 or 16, though the former is possibly slightly (and irritatingly) whimsical.

  2. This was a fun puzzle. I got a bit held up because I put in LANDLORDS @ 13a, but once I fixed that it was easy enough to finish it.

    My favourite was SNUFFS IT.

    Thanks Rufus and PeterO.

  3. I filled in SCROUNGE for 16d which held me up momentarily. Agree with Flavia, SCAVENGE did not appear to be cryptic (and nor would SCROUNGE have been).

    Like Michelle@2, 1a SNUFFS IT was my favourite. Contrastingly, I was tempted by HOTELIERS rather than LICENSEES for 13a, but was reALIGNed by the crosser.

    Thanks to Rufus and PeterO.

  4. I found this one hard to love. My biggest gripe: LANDLORDS would also have worked for 13A, and all but one of its crossing clues is a cryptic definition of sorts.

  5. At 10across; could Rufus be referring to the New York Giants who play American football? I thought that made it a better clue.

    Agree with other comments/ criticisms so far. But very grateful to have been introduced to Nansen. His Wiki entry is very interesting and I’m slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t come across him before.

    Thanks Rufus.

  6. PUBLICANS for 13ac held me up for a bit. I quite liked 22d.
    I think peeps are being a bit hard on Rufus, I always think his puzzles are for beginners or those wanting a gentle start to the day.
    Thank you Rufus and PeterO.

  7. I respectfully disagree with the idea that Rufus’s puzzles are for beginners. If one were to start solving cryptics with Rufus, they would get the mistaken notion that they are nothing but mostly double definitions, anagrams, and (usually very weak) cryptic definitions. Someone more along the lines of Chifonie would be more appropriate, I think, as he/she uses a pretty good mix of other devices like charades, hidden words, deletions, reversals, etc., but always relatively straightforward, with no tricks up their sleeve. I’m always pleasantly relieved to see Chifonie (or anyone else) in the Monday slot instead of Rufus. Your mileage, of course, may vary.

  8. Digbydavies@6: I never recommend Rufus to beginners! I find that the preponderance of cryptic, or not-even-cryptic, definitions frustrates them. One learns that most cryptic clues have a definition and a wordplay component, and that although the parsing is difficult and feels ambiguous, once the answer is found, it’s the only answer that fits. Cryptic definitions are the exception to this, which is fine: it adds an additional challenge for the solver and an additional misdirection tool for the setter. But when one is confronted with a puzzle in which more than half of the clues are cryptic definitions of some sort, and one of them has a least 3 equally plausible solutions to fit its enumeration, it’s hard to offer the “at least you know you have the right answer” argument.

  9. Like michelle@2 I had LANDLORDS to start with and I enjoyed SNUFFED IT. A good start to the week on the whole and an encouragement to turn up for work again tomorrow!

  10. To Steve B @7 and Tom@8, you’re absolutely right! I should have engaged brain before commenting. I just meant his puzzles are not too much of a challenge.

    BTW, anybody know if there’s to be a blog for the Maskarade fiendish prize puzzle?

  11. My usual Rufus solving experience: two-thirds of clues go in straight away, there’s a block with some cds, so I go away for a while. Thankfully today the block resolved itself after the break – it doesn’t always – due to the helpful consonants of VADE MECUM.

    Totally agree with Steve B @7, and despite a bit of over-egging (more than half are cds?), Tom @8.

  13. Trailman@11: I counted! According to PeterO’s analysis above (for which I forgot to say thank you. Thank you!) 15 of the 28 clues are listed as “cryptic definition”, “definition with allusion”,
    “definition and literal interpretation”, or simply “definition”, plus 13A which is a cryptic definition, but isn’t specifically called out as such.

  14. I am another who was held up by landlords at 13ac. I am usually pleased to have a gentle Rufusian start to my crosswording week, but this puzzle had just too few properly cryptic clues. I am mystified as to how 16d got through in a cryptic. But thank you PeterO for confirming it isn’t just me having a grumpy day!

  15. After posting my previous comment, I realise it could be read as implying PeterO was grumpy. Not what I meant of course! I mean it is the crossword that is a bit off today, not PeterO and me!

  16. Thank you Rufus and PeterO.

    A pleasant start to the week. My favourite clue was that for INTELLIGENCE, followed by those for SNUFFS IT, CIVIL SERVICE, VADE MECUM, KNEADING and SPHYNX.

  17. We always love Rufus, probably because we can always do his puzzles! Not that we’re beginners, but learning all the time! Thank you Rufus, don’t be discouraged by all these grumpy comments today.

  19. I had PUBLICAN for 13ac on my initial read through which I rectified fairly quickly- I never thought of LANDLORD but I can understand those that did. I do agree about the loosness of some of the cluing here and the number of cryptics and semi cryptics.
    That said, I did enjoy the puzzle even though it was something of a quick solve.
    Thanks Rufus

  20. Presumably Rufus wasn’t able to devise a cryptic clue for ‘scavenge’. Can anyone here suggest a Rufus-style cryptic clue for that word?

  22. I’m one of the grumpy brigade today, having successively put in PUBLICAN and LANDLORD before lighting on LICENSEE. As has been said, all equally plausible. This fails the ‘I can see it’s correct’ test. Altogether, a bad case of CD overload.

  23. Thanks to Rufus and PeterO. I had the same problem with cryptic definitions as those already noted (e.g., ALIGN, SCAVENGE) – and yes, there were a lot of them – but it’s a Monday and that’s part of the fun.

  25. Rufus may not please everyone however I find some of the comments rather disrespectful.If you don’t like his crosswords why bother doing them?He is a long serving setter and one of his crosswords was the first I ever completed many years ago when I was young.Thank you Rufus and Peter O

  27. ezzie@25: It comes from a place of respect, tinged with frustration. For me, disrespect would be not to bother with the puzzles, but I attempt them every time. Why? Because I’ve had multiple positive experiences with Rufus puzzles, including many “Rufus definitions” which have surprised and amused me, and which I don’t think any other setter could pull off. I think it’s fair to criticize a puzzle that falls short of the mark.

  28. I thought that 3d was an amalgam of FREE (Go effortlessly) + WHEEL (by bicycle) defining “to coast”. However, that also felt a bit contrived and since I’ve only been working on these puzzles for a couple of months now, I am prepared to be wrong!

    I am a big fan of good cryptic definitions and to be fair to Rufus, his are generally excellent – amusing or clever or twisted in all the right ways. A couple of duds today, perhaps, but enjoyable nonetheless.

    Thanks to Rufus and PeterO 🙂

  29. Disappointingly feeble in places, some barely cryptic. Not The Red Man at his best. 14 was clever but the rest capitulated far too easily.

  30. As a Flanders & Swann expert, I feel obliged to decrypt PeterO’s reference for the benefit of the young ‘uns. It’s from the song “The English, The English, The English are best” (I wouldn’t give tuppence for all of the rest). The verses go on about the shortcomings of other nationalities. The Welshman, for example, “Works underground with a lamp in his hat, and sings far too loud, far too often, and flat”. That last word is sung “as written”, musically.

    The last line is one of my faves in the whole songbook. “It’s not that they’re evil or naturally bad. It’s knowing they’re foreign that makes them quite mad”.

  32. Thanks to Rufus and PeterO.

    I found this the usual gentle one and a half tube journeys Rufus solve. The half was because like others I put in “landlords”.

    I thought ydn would have been better with “reportedly” or “it is said” which would have given it a slight & littish feel (ie a + line), but perhaps i am missing something.

    JohnE @? (sorry – entry numbers don’t appear on my phone) – very good!

  34. Clue of the day, for me, was John @26!

    As for the clues in the puzzle, I think my favorite was SNUFFS IT, which was also my FOI, or would have been if I hadn’t entered the answers for 2d and 4d first to confirm my initial guess about 1a.

    For me there were three clues that seemed like straight definitions with little or no discernible wordplay or cryptic quality: SCAVENGE, DUNGEON, and ACHIEVEMENTS. I’ve seen the first two discussed by others above, but not the third (which I also see that PeterO has described as a “cryptic” definition), which makes me think that perhaps the phrase “the done things” is an idiomatic expression that I am not familiar with. Would any other solvers care to enlighten me about what I am missing here, i.e., what other possible meaning this phrase could have?

    Thanks to Rufus and PeterO, and for all US solvers, hope you’re having a happy Labor Day.

  36. I share a lot of the frustrations expressed. I’m an adherent to the principle that there’s usually two ways to get the answer, a definition and some cryptic wordplay. That said, I can only applaud all crossword setters for their skill, so thanks Rufus.

    Another victim of the LANDLORD/PUBLICAN/LICENSEE indecision. New words/people – enow, Nansen, vade mecum (though my rusty Latin fired a couple of neurons here).

    El Inglés: as an F&S aficionado I’ve come across your annotation before – thank you for reminding me of it! Presumably all those expressing exasperation with Rufus are of a similar mindset to the subject/victim of “The Gas Man Cometh” – dreading each Monday morning…

  37. DaveMc @34
    Generally, done things are referred to in the negative singular: ‘not the done thing’ is an act that breaches etiquette

  38. James @37

    Thank you for that explanation – I understand now. I still wouldn’t mark 11d as one of my favorites, but at least now I can appreciate it as a typically Rufusian cryptic / misdirection clue.

  39. James @37

    There is also the positive: standing for the national anthem, offering a standing lady your seat on public transport, admiring someone’s baby. These are all the “done thing”; honesty and natural predisposition must be set at naught.

  41. Thanks Rufus and PeterO

    Late to this, and found Rufus at his most irritating – I nearly threw it away when I found that not only PUBLICANS at 13a but also INHALING at 27a (a typical Rufus solution!) were wrong. I did finish, but didn’t find much to enjoy.

  42. Alphalpha @39 and @40
    Thanks for the further enlightenment! Will tuck this phrase away in memory – it may be of use for a future puzzle (or, one never knows, perhaps a future “real life” situation!).

  43. Like others, I bunged in LANDLORDS at 13ac, but on reflection I suppose that could be considered a bit too sexist for a Guardian crossword. Apart from that, another pleasant start to the week. Thanks Rufus.

  44. It’s Rufus; it’s Monday; what did people expect? I do agree with many comments regarding the large number of cryptic definitions, though most had a twist of some sort (SCAVENGE excepted). DUNGEONS would have contained prisoners doing “time”, so mildly cryptic. ALIGN depends on a double meaning of getting “into a row”, so ditto.

    Like many, I went for landlords, with no reason not to.

    Not the best of crosswords, or of Rufus, but still a brief diversion from life’s woes.

  45. Wonderful Rufus as always. Please keep your elegance flowing! I love the cryptic definition clues and the easier ones give me confidence.

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