The puzzle can be solved online here.
Picaroon serves up an entertaining challenge, let down only by the “filler” solution at 20dn. Its crossers left Picaroon with E_A_T_S, which limited his options considerably, so Erastus was probably the most likely candidate (exactas and ecartes probably even more obscure or difficult to clue).
My favourite clues were 1ac and 17dn, but there were a few honourable mentions.
Thanks Picaroon
| Across | ||
| 1 | BRANDY BUTTER | Festive treat from black stag in mating season? (6,6) |
| B(lack) + RANDY BUTTER (a description of a “stag in mating season”) | ||
| 8 | UNCOVER | In France, a man runs free of clothes (7) |
| UN (“in France, a”) + COVE (“man”) + R(uns) | ||
| 9 | SUNLAMP | Glower as student group knocked over clock (7) |
| <=N.U.S. (National Union of Students, so “student group”, knocked over) + LAMP (“clock”, i.e. punch or thump) | ||
| 11 | CORINTH | My cryptic hint for old port (7) |
| COR (“my”) + *(hint) | ||
| 12 | TERMINI | Stops king donning transvestite’s jacket and skirt (7) |
| R (rex, so “king”) donning T(ransvestit)E and MINI (“skirt”), so T-E(R)MINI | ||
| 13 | ELITE | Base of trifle with less calorific cream (5) |
| (trifl)E with LITE (“less calorific”) | ||
| 14 | RECUMBENT | Lying bum flogged modern houses (9) |
| *(bum) housed by RECENT (“modern”) | ||
| 16 | SACRILEGE | Clergies horrified about a deed such as this? (9) |
| *(clergies) about A | ||
| 19 | PLEAT | Tuck in to sample a treat (5) |
| Hidden in “samPLE A Treat” | ||
| 21 | ONAGERS | Equids, one of them hidden by rambling rose (7) |
| NAG (a horse or equid, so “one of them”) hidden by *(rose) | ||
| 23 | KNOW-ALL | Smug fellow‘s not a boring tool, it’s said (4-3) |
| Homophone of NO AWL (“not a boring tool”) | ||
| 24 | KILOTON | One’s heavy, large and round, wearing clothes outside? (7) |
| L(arge) + O (“round”) with KIT ON (“wearing clothes”) outside | ||
| 25 | IDIOTIC | Silly graduate abandons speaking naturally (7) |
| IDIO(ma)TIC (“speaking naturally”, without MA (“graduate”)) | ||
| 26 | MENAGE A TROIS | Faulty gasometer in a kind of household (6,1,5) |
| *(gasometer in a) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BACARDI | AC/DC covering a Christmas staple? That’s rum (7) |
| BI(sexual)(“AC/DC”) covering A CARD (“a Christmas staple”) | ||
| 2 | ADVANCE | A header from Vardy, cracking ball — come on! (7) |
| A + V(ardy) cracking DANCE (“ball”) | ||
| 3 | DARK HORSE | Unknown quantity of diamonds and heroin around vessel (4,5) |
| D(iamonds) + HORSE (“heroin”) around ARK (“vessel”) | ||
| 4 | BESET | Hem in blouse’s edging fixed (5) |
| B(lous)E + SET (“fixed”) | ||
| 5 | TANTRUM | Fit six-footer right in the middle (7) |
| ANT (“six-footer”) + R(ight) in TUM (“middle”) | ||
| 6 | EVASIVE | Slippery, sinful indivÂidual steals credit card back (7) |
| EVE (“sinful individual”) steals <=VISA (“credit card”, back) | ||
| 7 | BUTCHER’S HOOK | Look, with VAT rising, pop star trembled (8,4) |
| <=TUB (“vat”, rising) + CHER (“pop star”) + SHOOK (“trembled”) | ||
| 10 | PAINT IT BLACK | Stones hit bird, after suffering without milk (5,2,5) |
| TIT (“bird”) after PAIN (“suffering”), + BLACK (“without milk”)
Paint It Black was a No 1 hit for the Rolling Stones on both sides of the Atlantic in 1966. |
||
| 15 | CHECKLIST | European composer, in recital, has things to do (9) |
| Homophone of CZECH LISZT (“European” and “composer”), indicated by in recital | ||
| 17 | CHARLIE | Overcook pork pie and coke (7) |
| CHAR (“overcook”) + LIE (“pork pie”) | ||
| 18 | INERTIA | Reluctance to move home, rate changes entrapping one (7) |
| IN (“home”) + *(rate) entrapping I (“one”) | ||
| 19 | PROVISO | Rider favouring protection for face when cut (7) |
| PRO (“favouring”) + VISO(r) (“protection for face”, cut) | ||
| 20 | ERASTUS | Theologian and Darwin swapping tips for theorem (7) |
| ERAS(m)(T)US (Erasmus “Darwin” with one tip of “theorem” (M) swapped for the other tip (T))
A fair amount of general knowledge required here, I’d suggest, as neither Erastus, not Erasmus Darwin, Charles’s grandfather, are that well known. |
||
| 22 | SENSE | Martial arts teacher’s detailed wisdom (5) |
| SENSE(i) (“martial arts teacher”, detailed (i.e. having its last letter (or tail) removed)) | ||
*anagram
This was enjoyable. I particularly liked BRANDY BUTTER and TERMINI.
But is there a mistake at 20d? The answer has to be ERASTUS, but the famous theologian was Erasmus, as was E Darwin.
Thomas Erastus was a 16th-century Swiss-German theologian.
Kind of proves my point?
Thanks Loonapick. Yes, Erastianism rings a bell now. But perhaps a bit obscure as you say.
Erastianism, as practiced by Archbishop Laud, is probably better known than its founder.
An enjoyable solve but I bet I’m not the only person who hadn’t heard of the theologian
Thanks to Picaroon and Loonapick too
Another super puzzle from one of my favourite setters.
I’m quite a fan of early Rolling Stones music, but I also have a Religious Studies degree, and Erastus is no more obscure for me than ‘Paint it Black’: for some solvers he would be less obscure.
Thanks, Loonapick. Impressed that you sorted out ERASTUS, I failed on that. As you say, it was probably his last ‘filler’ clue but I’d have gone for EXACTAS (types of bet on horses).
The rest of it was most enjoyable, however, with ticks at BRANDY BUTTER & PAINT IT BLACK.
Not wild about glower as a def for SUNLAMP but I suppose it’s fair enough.
Many thanks to the pirate, nice week, all.
Thanks Loonapick for sorting out IDIOTIC, EVASIVE and of course ERASTUS. Held up by guessing SUNDIAL for 9a – it’s a sorta clock, innit? And thanks Picaroon, especially for PAINT IT BLACK.
Fun crossword. I had to check Erastus as it looked likely. Seems there was an Erastus of Corinth, so an unmentioned link to 11a
I thought this was a wonderful puzzle, with lots of laugh-out-loud moments: BRANDY BUTTER, PAINT IT BLACK and MENAGE A TROIS in particular. I was saying to my wife this morning how every day cryptics give so many (tens of?) thousands of people harmless fun! Many thanks to P & l.
Unusual for the immaculate Picaroon to have a clue like 20d. I think four things fit, couldnt parse any of them but ERASTUS was from CORINTH.
I loved Paint it Black.(both clue and track).
Thanks loonapic and Pickers.
After the drubbing I had from Philistine yesterday it was good to find myself on Picaroon’s wavelength today. In addition to those already mentioned I liked the misdirection of 11a and unlike William I was happy with the use of glower as yet another example of the subtleties of spoken English – to say nothing of the minefield of the written version.
Thanks Picaroon and Loonapick.
Thanks Picaroon and loonapick
Great fun from one of my favourite setters (though there are a couple of minor quibbles). Favourites were 1a, 1d and 10d (though one would have to be of “a certain age” for this to work); and especially 4d for the wonderfully misleading “in”.
I didn’t know “lamp” for “clock” (as in hit) so, as did Gladys, I had SUNDIAL until I couldn’t get the crossers. 20d was obviously ERASMUS (though I couldn’t fit in the last part of the clue); again failing on the crosser made me look further than Erasmus and Erasmus Darwin (both of whom are fairly well-known, I would have thought; certainly more so than Erastus). I didn’t know “sensei” either, but it could only be SENSE.
Disappointed to see the appalling “lite” for “low-calorie” in a Guardian crossword.
Great fun, but like many, stumbled at the last with 20 down
From the hilarious (1a) to the too obscure (20d) via pop culture (10d – went straight on the turntable).
Anyone else think look should have had a rhyming slang indicator – bow look say – and is it fair game to put vat in caps? Went down a purchase tax rabbit hole for quite a while on budget day!
Not knowing glower for SUNLAMP, I googled “glower sunlamp” and came up with three links which said 1 day ago, 2 hours ago and 9 hours ago. The 1 day ago was http://www.crosswordsolver.org which appears to insert clues into a database after the answers are revealed (so the 1 day ago was incorrect); the 2 hours ago was a reference to this site; and the 9 hours was to http://www.guardiancrosswordsnswers.co.uk (note the spelling of “answers”) which say “Probably you are looking for the solution of Glower as student group knocked over clock crossword clue. You’ve come to the right place! Our staff has finished solving all today’s Guardian Cryptic Crossword”. It has the look and feel of a genuine Guardian site; does anyone know anything about it?
Thanks loonapick and Picaroon. I wanted the explanation for the B in BLACK, thinking it was LACK of something – doh!
Enjoyed the puzzle but have to disagree with those who approve of 1a. A randy goat may be a butter, but a stag in the mating season is a rutter. Also didn’t care for lamp = clock.
Excellent. That was a lot of fun. Small blot in 20d not because the solution was Erastus but because Erasmus Darwin was presumably named for Erasmus the theologian. Why not ‘theologian and theologian swapping tips for theorem.’ I think that works better.
Thanks to Picaroon and loonapick.
BRANDY BUTTER, BACARDI (with its surface), CHECKLIST, TANTRUM, CHARLIE (as in chocolate factory)…old port, trifle/cream, treat, pork pie… Do I detect a tinge of Christmas spirit seeping into the background here?
Particularly enjoyed SACRILEGE. Sensei was news to me. (Now to work it into conversation….)
Dave Ellison @16: Hmm, well spotted. I agree it looks like a genuine Graun page but it’s so covered with ads that I doubt it. However, one thing that makes it look realistic is the typo of newspaper!
Thank you for visiting our site. Below you may find all The Guardian Cryptic Crossword 27357 Answers. This crossword puzzle is posted daily on The Guardian Newspapper.
Great puzzle today! Many elegant surfaces and enjoyable PDMs. I probably had too many favorites to mention, but they included all of the long answers around the perimeter (and I have had 10dn playing in my head since I solved that clue). Speaking of 10dn, I was amused to see another TIT so soon after the discussion of BUSHTIT on Friday.
Although my brain is by now well-trained to think of rivers the instant I see “flower” in a clue, I stared at 9ac for awhile before I finally saw the wordplay of “glower”. KNOW-ALL also took a few beats before the lightbulb came on, as I had to remember that (as I have learned primarily through these crosswords) this is the UK variant of the term typically used here in the US, “know-it-all”.
Many thanks to Picaroon and loonapick and commenters.
Christmas at Picaroon’s sounds like fun … BACARDI, CHARLIE, HORSE, MENAGE-A-TROIS
Thanks to setter and blogger. I was pleased to have done quite well with this, but I don’t understand where the ‘cor’ comes from in 11. Is anyone able to explain?
Alison @23
“My” as in “My goodness” could be “Cor” as in “Cor blimey” (a corruption, of course).
[btw I have given Feedback to Gaufrid about the very slow response times in the last couple of days. He is aware of the problem and trying to do something about it.]
My LOI was ERASTUS, after a good deal of Wiki’ing. I’d call this an unfair clue – a golden rule which was put to us by one of Picker’s colleagues, recently, is: “If the definition’s tough, make the wordplay a bit easier, and vice-versa”. 20d is poor becaue most people won’t have heard of the theologian (I certainly hadn’t) – nor the first name of Charles D’s granddad – needed for the wordplay (ditto).
Other gripes? For me, 10d. After a bit of poking around I guessed that I needed to trawl through the Stones’ discography (not being a fan) until I hit on something that matched. OK – but that’s not the way I like to solve a clue!
But to redress the balance – my FOI was SENSE. This might have not occurred to everyone, but my son is a Sensei in Karate, so I was a leap ahead of some folks there! (not literally)
Gripes apart, thanks Pickers for a real challenge and Loona for unpicking!
Considering that I’ve not been domiciled in the UK since 1952, it’s surprising that I’m as familiar with the colloquialisms in these puzzles as I am. “Clock” is very familiar, but “lamp” is not. Could anyone please enlighten me as to its provenance?
All very enjoyable as always from Picaroon – I particularly liked BACARDI. TANTRUM was last in but I should have seen that much earlier.
Thanks to Picaroon and loonapick
Thanks Muffin @24, that makes sense now.
Just a query about 7d (BUTCHERS HOOK). I know that the Law According to Ximenes says, thou shalt not de-capitalise a word which needs to be capitalised for the wordplay. But it’s permitted the other way around: you can add an initial capital to a word when the wordplay says otherwise.
However, does that last apply to where all the letters in the word in the clue are capitalised? I guessed that VAT probably wasn’t talking about tax, but thought it a bit dubious.
Of course, for ‘libertarians’, this question is irrelevant.
Great fun – PAINT IT BLACK and ELITE were my favourites.
Thanks both,
I enjoyed this a lot. 1a and 10d were my favourites but there were lots of other good ones. A ‘sensei’ I’d never heard of. I was OK with the Erasmuses (Erasmi?) but Erastus I’d never heard of either.
Another possibility for 20d would have been erastes which OED defines as ‘In ancient Greece, an older man who desires or pursues a younger man (known as an eromenos).’ I’m sure some setters would have had fun cluing that.
Liked this but I was distracted by Hammond’s budget so it took me longer than it should. Lots of favourites but BUTCHERS HOOK made me smile, and I did like BRANDY BUTTER despite the criticism of it.
Good fun.
Thanks Philistine.
Whoops – Picaroon! I grovel!
Many thanks to Picaroon and loonapick for helping me understand and parse a few of the answers today.
Of course when I am stumped I am sorely tempted to use the reveal button but a less “sinful” source of help is
http://www.wordfun.ca
just in case the odd solver here should need something like this.
Thinking a bit more about this ERATUS word which has come in for criticism (by me amongst others)! Loonapick and others suggest that it’s a ‘filler’ put in because it’s virtually the only thing that would fit E_A_T_S.
True, maybe (perhaps Picaroon will comment)? I still have aspirations at being a setter, and if it had been me, I’d have gone along a different line. Sacrificing PLEAT, I’d change the first E to a P perhaps, then I could have put PLAUTUS as 20d. A not-very-well-known Roman dramatist and poet, but probably more familiar than ERATUS! And for 19a, PIPIT would fit in.
Alternatively, we could try a W, making WRAITHS. Then 19a could be PEWIT (ok in Chambers as variant of PEEWIT). My 19a’s seem to be getting rather ornithological!
Just my thoughts. I hope I’m not offending Pickers with my hubris!
“ERASTUS” not “ERATUS”. I can’t even copy out the solution properly! 🙁
Thanks to Picaroon and Loonapick. A fun puzzle with some neat misdirections.
Minor quibble – sensei is the general term for teacher in Japan, not just of martial arts.
Char featured in Rufus on Monday – as I pointed out then it is a highly trendy way of cooking now.
There was a lot I liked here, particularly PAINT IT BLACK, but I suspect a lot of US solvers were frustrated by several unfamiliar terms. I was familiar with cor, kit, cove and even butcher’s hook but I didn’t know brandy butter, lamp, or Charlie (I’ve managed to find Charley on the intertubes). Of course, it’s a given that I didn’t get ERASTUS. And though I got BICARDI, it would never occur to me that a card was a Christmas staple – I thought it was some sort of food I’d never heard of.
Thanks to Picaroon and loonapick. I had the same trouble with ERASTUS despite knowing Erasmus and E. Darwin and took a long time getting the “hook” in BUTCHER’S HOOK. TANTRUM was my LOI.
I am a little surprised no one commented on the fairness or otherwise of the elided apostrophe in “Stones’ hit…”, which would have ruined the surface
I failed to solve 21a, 24a, 13a, 7d and of the ones that I did solve, I could not parse 8a, 9a, 1d, 20d.
My favourite was TANTRUM.
Thanks Picaroon and loonapick
Dave Ellison@41:
Somewhat belatedly…You make an interesting point but is there necessarily an apostrophe there in the first place to elide? Of course it is a hit belonging to the Stones but it is also a hit by the Stones, so no apostrophe needed there. Compare “the new Madonna single” or whatever where the two nouns are simply juxtaposed and little sense of ownership applies. Or I could go on about “our kitchen worktop” rather than (?) “our kitchen’s worktop” but I guess that’s enough for now. Regards and enjoy today’s puzzle.