We found this quite a tricky puzzle; it took a few sittings to complete. Some really excellent clues here, though…
… e.g I especially liked 22a (DISMAY), 24a (ROYAL OPERA HOUSE) and (with a groan and a smile) 20d (CHASSIS). I think there’s a bit of a theatrical theme here, with NATIONAL THEATRE, ROYAL OPERA HOUSE, PROPERTY and PROMPT.
Across
1. Dance exercise starting on time … (6)
PROMPT
PROM = “Dance” (in the USA, a high school prom) + PT (“Physical Training”) = “exercise”
Definition: “starting on time”
4. … ending in breaking plate (6)
FINISH
IN inside (“breaking”) FISH = “plate”. This one annoyed me a lot, because I parsed it correctly and looked through Chambers to find any sense in which FISH could be “plate”, but didn’t spot the right one, and spent ages trying to think of alternatives. Chambers does have “fishplate (noun): An iron plate used in pairs to join railway rails”, but I didn’t see that at the time. The Oxford dictionaries online have: “fish (noun): A flat plate that is fixed on a beam or across a joint in order to give additional strength.”
Definition:
9. Citizen poking about there at show house (8,7)
NATIONAL THEATRE
NATIONAL (as a noun) = “Citizen” + (THERE AT)* (“poking about” is the anagram indicator)
Definition: “show house”
10. A number in school in bad odour … (6)
STENCH
TEN = “A number” in SCH = “school”
Definition: “bad odour”
11. … getting through exam, almost grumpy about it (8)
SURVIVAL
VIVA = “exam” with SURL[y] = “almost grumpy” around
Definition: “getting through”
12. House an actor may have in his pocket (8)
PROPERTY
Double definition: “House” and “[something] an actor may have in his pocket” (more usually we would just say “prop” but it is “property” in full)
14. Country-style nickname Alice could give either twin? (6)
TWEEDY
The reference here is of Alice’s meeting with Tweedledum and Tweedledee in “Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found there”. The nickname TWEEDY might have worked for either of them.
Definition: “Country-style”
15. Snooty chap astride flanks of horse, lining up for this? (3,3)
THE OFF
TOFF = “Snooty chap” about H[ors]E = “flanks of horse”
Definition: “lining up for this?” referring to “the off” at the start of a horse race
18. Why film star may get fat? (8)
DIETRICH
Cryptic definition: if your DIET was RICH, you might get fat
Definition: “film star” referring to Marlene Dietrich
21. Mammal long suffering in agony (8)
PANGOLIN
(LONG)* in PAIN = “agony”
Definition: “Mammal”
22. If B was Brown and C was Cameron … oh dear! (6)
DISMAY
A lovely clue: “If B was Brown and C was Cameron” then perhaps D IS MAY
Definition: “oh dear!” – an expression of DISMAY
24. Venue that may offer pleasure? O, hooray! (5,5,5)
ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
(PLEASURE O HOORAY)*
Definition: “Venue” / the whole clue (you could see it as a semi-&lit)
25. Bouncer’s horse in dead heat, right? (6)
TIGGER
GG = “horse” in TIE = “dead heat” + R = “right”
Definition: “Bouncer” – TIGGER from Winnie the Pooh bounces around
26. Teacher with degree pulled back out of the rubble (6)
DEBRIS
SIR = “Teacher” + B.Ed. = “degree” (one appropriate for a teacher) all reversed (“pulled back”) – “out of” are link words
Definition: “the rubble”
Down
1. Place teacher, not the head, as cover for break (7)
PLASTER
PL = “Place” + [m]ASTER = “teacher, not the head”
Definition: “cover for break”
2. Two forwards crush one that may be in the soup (5)
ONION
ON = “forward”, so “Two forwards crush one” may be ON I ON
Definition: “may be in the soup”
3. Cat finally loth to stop longer (7)
PANTHER
[lot]H = “finally loth” in PANTER (one who pants) = “longer” (one who longs)
Definition: “Cat”
5. Come in to join her: I take part (7)
INHERIT
Hidden in “[jo]IN HER: I T[ake]”
Definition: “Come in to” as in “she will come in to / inherit a great fortune”
6. I serve in US army: never would I work for Walt? (9)
IMAGINEER
I’M A G.I. = “I serve in US army” + NE’ER = “never”
Definition: “would I work for Walt?” Walt Disney famously employeed “imagineers” to design Disney theme parks and their attractions. On a personal note, I actually had the job title “imagineer” at one point, although for a different organisation.
7. Here one may learn from a bible in stiff cover (7)
HARVARD
A RV (a Revised Version) in HARD = “stiff”
Definition: “Here one may learn”
8. Magazine’s good year overcoming financial problems (6)
GLOSSY
G = “good” + Y = “year” over LOSS = “financial problems” – I think this might be better as just the singular “financial problem”
Definition: “Magazine”
13. As capital, bad smell about yen, a principle for the Chinese (9)
PYONGYANG
PONG = “bad smell” around Y = “yen” + YANG = “a principle for the Chinese” (as in Yin and Yang)
Definition: “Capital”
16. What a reverse — a big defeat — don’t interrupt! (4,3)
HEAR OUT
EH = “What” reversed + A ROUT = “a big defeat”
Definition: “don’t interrupt!” – I think is a bit loose – I can’t think of a sentences in which I could substitute “hear out” for “don’t interrupt” directly; you’d have to change the word order, e.g.: “don’t interrupt him!” / “hear him out”
17. Being nauseating fouls me up (7)
FULSOME
(FOULS ME)*
Definition: I’m not sure about this. Maybe it’s the whole clue, referring to “fulsome praise” sometimes being meaning praise that’s nauseating? It doesn’t quite work for me anyway. Another one where I got the answer early but then didn’t have confidence to put it in right until the end because the definition wasn’t clear to me.
18. Animal in River by Turner (6)
DONKEY
DON = “River” + KEY = “Turner” (something that turns)
Definition: “Animal”
19. Play and blow for time (7)
ENDGAME
To “blow for time” would END a GAME of football
Definition: “Play” (referring to the Samuel Beckett play)
20. How one might briefly describe the Princess Royal’s body? (7)
CHASSIS
An entertaining clue: CHAS (short for “Charles”) + SIS (short for sister) = “How one might briefly describe the Princess Royal”
Definition: “body”
23. Thoroughly search small playing area? Not quite (5)
SCOUR
S = “small” + COUR[t] = “playing area? Not quite”
Definition:
Thanks mhl. One of those that yielded little on the first pass but that fell into place readily enough when the first few entries were in. I hadn’t come across 6d before but the crossing letters made it plain. LOI was DONKEY, don’t know why, but I needed 18a before realisation dawned.
I didn’t like PROPERTY much with its pocket connotation, it draws rather a long bow but had no difficulty with FULSOME, it seemed quite straightforward to me and I didn’t give it a lot of thought.
Thanks to Imogen and mhl. I struggled with this puzzle for the entire week filling in piece by piece. I got FULSOME and THE OFF without any confidence (I thought mistakenly that the latter was a cricket term). The southeast corner held me up. I chose ENDGAME as the play without parsing it and at last caught onto DIETRICH, then DONKEY as LOI. Actually getting to the finish line came as a surprise.
I think PLATE refers to the type of flounder found in the Atlantic – but shouldn’t there be a question mark to indicate definition by example. I agree this was a tough puzzle – I think DIETRICH was my last in and I only got it by recalling the same answer had appeared recently in another Guardian puzzle. Thanks to Imogen and mhl.
Thanks Imogen and mhl.
For 4a, perhaps rather dimly, I thought ‘plate’ was just a meal, something to eat, the same as ‘dish’.
For 17d, Chambers has for definition 2 “nauseatingly affectionate’ for fulsome, which leaves ‘up’ as the anagrind – is that right? It’s a little loose for me.
Rather like ACD@2 I was slightly surprised to get through this. What stood out for me were the large number of very lightly pencilled-in answers I had, all of which turned out to be correct, but which I didn’t really quite believe – ‘key’ as a ‘turner’, ‘plate’ as a fish, ‘fulsome’ where the ‘me’ didn’t change at all, ‘arv’ for the Bible, which I didn’t get until I came here, etc. (In passing, I don’t know how people manage on-line without the ability to use varying shades of pencil as you fill in the grid.) For me, IMAGINEER was last in – I was faintly surprised to find it was a word, and I certainly didn’t know the Disney connection. But there were a lot of thoroughly enjoyable clues – DIETRICH, DISMAY (oh yes!), CHASSIS, and more – and finishing it was satisfying.
Thanks Imogen and mhl.
(I had trouble submitting this, with first the captcha and then the duplicate submission detector complaining, so I hope this doesn’t end up appearing twice.)
I found this hard and ended with just the bottom half done. I did enjoy the parts I finished, particularly when the penny dropped for ‘DISMAY’ and ‘CHASSIS’.
Thanks mhl and Imogen.
Didn’t quite get there. Defeated by the lovely ‘dismay’ and ‘chassis’. Good puzzle.
I got most of this done, but didn’t really enjoy it. Probably because it relies on “obscurity” for its cleverness. (I know obscure is in the mind of the solver)
For example, 12a: obviously HOUSE = PROPERTY, and actors use PROPs, but unless you know that PROP is short for property (as I did not) then you waste a lot of time wondering how to get ERTY from pocket…
I usually don’t finish the Guardian Saturday puzzle, so I was rather pleased when I got through this quite quickly last Saturday night.
I have memories of fishplates in Meccano sets when I was a lad, and assumed that was what was meant in 4ac.
Thanks Imogen and mhl.
In 16d, “hear out” and “don’t interrupt” can directly substitute each other, e.g. “hear out/don’t interrupt my explanation”
I found this a relatively easy solve so I must have been on Imogen’s wavelength and made easier by having DIETRICH appear hard on the heels of another puzzle with it in. 22a was the stand out clue for me.
I don’t know what I expect to be different in a prize puzzle, but this one didn’t feel prize-worthy to me and could have appeared on any day – apart from Rufus Monday. I suppose that unless you have some guideline like “prize puzzles have a theme” then it is very much down to how the solver perceives it.
Thanks to Imogen and mhl.
Re 17D, I found an interesting page at https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/fulsome.
Do we accept Dr.Johnson as an authority?
Thank you Imogen and mhl.
I didn’t find this too difficult for Imogen: it was most enjoyable and raised quite a few smiles. 25ac bounced in first, followed closely by 24ac, which led to 9ac, all giving lots of crossers to work with.
The glorious 22ac and 20dn went in last. Worth the wait!
4ac – Bradford’s has “fish” as a synonym for plate.
A fine challenge – quite tricky in places. Can’t believe how long it took me to see DIETRICH. IMAGINEER was new to me but fairly clued.
Thanks to Imogen and mhl
I often have difficulty with puzzles by this setter but I thought this was much more approachable and finished it quite quickly. I really liked DISMAY which was beautifully clued.
Thanks Imogen.
I pencilled in 17d, FULSOME without quite understanding the clue, then realising I didn’t really know what it meant (it’s not a word I recall ever using). Resort to the BRB gave (surprisingly) “nauseous”, though. I think “up” is an accepted anag indicator (@UncleSkinny), but I’m not sure why.
I also got 4a, F..ISH by reference to fishplate (also knowing it from Meccano, @Dormouse). Btw, @Mhl, you forgot to write in the definition, “ending”.
“Two forwards” in 2d is probably just as iffy as “two legs” (as seen from Paul recently in a clue for ONION) — and so equally acceptable to the Editor.
I didn’t know ENDGAME (19d) was a Beckett play, just took it as a type of play in chess (or go).
“They hear out those posing questions” = “They don’t interrupt those posing questions”
@Mhl: terribly curious to know what you actually did as an “imagineer”.
This was indeed tricky & took me a fair bit of time. However it was worth the effort – what could be seen as obscurities were very well clued and I enjoyed the challenge.
Thank you Imogen & Nutmeg.
A generally easy workout. Probably too easy for a prize in my opinion.
On the whole nicely clued but with the odd exception. For example ….
17d is obviously fulsome *(fouls me) but where is the anagrind. “Up”? Surely not. Is this some kind of mini &lit anagrind “fouls me up”? Doesn’t work for me.
4a uses “plate” in the wordplay charade to indicate “fish. Question mark required I think. “Plate” is not sufficient to refer to “fish” = “fish-plate” or even “fish” meanin this as this is by no means the total definition. So whether a “plate fish”, a “plate which is fish” or a “plate for fish” we still need the question mark.
Thanks both. I enjoyed this a lot, not generally the case with Imogen. Fabourite TIGGER.
Usually struggle with Imogen but strangely solved this in around 30 minutes, quick for me for any crossword. Like Uncleskinny@4, I just took ‘plate’ to mean ‘meal’ in 4a. Thought DISMAY was fantastic and, when CHASSIS finally came as LOI, this became best clue of the week. Bravo Imogen.
“too easy for the prize” – is this really Imogen we are talking about? I don’t know why any of you still expect the prize to be the most difficult puzzle of the week…
Thanks. mhl. I struggled through most of it but the NE corner did me in.