My first Guardian outing for some time on a rather chilly St Andrew’s day.
There seems a bit of a theme with clergy, sermoniser, temple, dean, Swift and allegory but it’s too early for me to make much more sense of it all, perhaps someone can enlighten me.
Across
1 Record poem about island event (7)
EPISODE
EP – record & ODE – poem with IS(land) inserted, a gentle start at least.
5 First person to settle in South Sea archipelago (7)
ISLANDS
I – the first person & LAND – to settle in S(outh) S(ea)
10 Personal repair kit on display in the Tuileries (4)
ETUI
It’s been a while since I saw this old crossword favorite – it’s hidden – on display in thE TUIleries, slightly off the wall definition as it’s a small bag for holding sewing kit
11 Rent hotel or school in south-east Clydesdale, for one (5,5)
SHIRE HORSE
[HIRE – rent & H(otel) & OR & S(chool)] all in S(outh) E(ast)
12 Order fool to withdraw article in Times (6)
DIKTAT
KID – fool reversed & A(rticle) inside 2 x T(ime)
13 Utterly base and gruesome moral tale (8)
ALLEGORY
ALL – utterly & the mathematic natural logarithm base “e” & GORY – gruesome
14 North-west town’s lost rare items in soup kitchen (9)
STOCKPOTS
STOCKPO(r)T’S losing R(are)
16 Snide remarks set back great art in Paris (5)
GIBES
BIG reversed & (tu)ES French for (thou) ART, all a bit archaic to deliberately throw solvers . I’ve been got by ART too many times before
17 Present side at Old Trafford starts to earn respect (5)
OFFER
Old Trafford is a Manchester cricket ground, so the OFF side in cricket & starts of E(arn) R(espect)
19 Endless urban street party growing in volume (9)
CRESCENDO
Most of CRESCEN(t) & DO – party
23 Fellow feeling round government office for ruler (8)
KINGSHIP
G(overnment) inside KINSHIP
24 Church office worker lied regularly (6)
TEMPLE
TEMP – office worker & alternate letters of LiEd
26 Preacher’s small sin involving suspect monies (10)
SERMONISER
S(mall) & a suspect MONIES* inside ERR – to sin
27 15 characters in Pride and Prejudice (4)
DEAN
Another hidden, some characters in priDE ANd prejudice, 15 is clergyman
28 Golden reefs flanking northern 5 (7)
ORKNEYS
5 is ISLANDS, OR – golden & N(orhtern) in KEYS – reefs
29 Pages and pages of articles of faith on board (7)
SCREEDS
CREED inside – on board of S.S. a ship
Down
2 Nationalist conveniently hosts group (7)
PATRIOT
PAT – an adverb for conveniently with TRIO inserted
3 Flyer in posh part of London paper (5)
SWIFT
SW1 the postcode area for Buckingham Palace, hence posh & the F.T. paper
4 Daughter spoke out about tense workstation (7)
DESKTOP
D(aughter) & SPOKE* out & T(ense)
6 Girl associated with stars briefly (6)
STELLA
It’s most of STELLA(r)
7 Right-angled triangle has one next to it (9)
ALONGSIDE
Certainly a right-angled triangle has A LONG SIDE
8 Journalist goes up to present warrant (7)
DESERVE
ED(itor) reversed & SERVE – to present
9 Cynic ruffled top Irishman, Patrick perhaps (13)
MISANTHROPIST
A ruffled [TOP IRISHMAN ST. (patrick perhaps)]*
15 Minister nearly left Germany devastated (9)
CLERGYMAN
C – circa, about, nearly & L(eft) & a devastated GERMANY*
18 Lock worker’s increase in scale (7)
FRISEUR
A hairdresser apparently, not a word I keep in constant use. RISE – increase in FUR – scale in a kettle say
20 He abandons charities in trouble, taking off (7)
SATIRIC
HE is removed from a troubled C(h)ARITI(e)S*
21 Dope turns up all right in bust (7)
DULLARD
ALL reversed & R(ight) inside DUD – bust, broken
22 How come bar’s cutting noise from 11? (6)
WHINNY
11 is a horse, so INN – bar inside WHY
25 Fly plane over Germany and Spain (5)
MIDGE
Russian figher MIG over D(Germany) & E (spain)
Thanks Crucible
I thought 9 was superb. Thanks Crucible and flashling.
Hi flashling
Just read your preamble and discovered that this is [Dean] Jonathan Swift’s 350th birthday. Off to peruse the puzzle some more!
Even “Stella” makes an appearance, Eileen!
Didn’t spot the theme, but STELLA (6d) relates to DEAN SWIFT. “A Journal to Stella is a work by Jonathan Swift first partly published posthumously in 1766. It consists of 65 letters to his friend, Esther Johnson, whom he called Stella and whom he may have secretly married.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Journal_to_Stella
I’d noticed one or two ecclesiastical references but hadn’t connected DEAN and SWIFT. Now that you’ve pointed him out, I can see SATIRIC and ISLANDS and [SHIRE] HORSE as being references to ‘Gulliver’s Travels’ – and also WHINNY, the derivation of Houyhnhnms, the talking horses, which we met somewhere pretty recently. Interestingly, when I searched the archive, I couldn’t find it – but I did find a very clever double-themed puzzle on authors Jonathan and Graham Swift by – guess who? – Crucible! http://www.fifteensquared.net/2013/03/05/guardian-25887-crucible/
Back to today’s puzzle: I’d thoroughly enjoyed it, without seeing these connections. I particularly admired MISANTHROPIST, chortled at seeing ETUI and groaned [again] at ‘art in Paris’. 😉
Many thanks to Crucible for another lovely puzzle and flashling for the blog.
Thanks for the top-class puzzle and the quick build-up of commentaries. But the clue for STELLA is weak, no real wordplay at all.
Thanks Eileen for filling in the blanks, I suspected there was more but had to dash off to work after posting.
27368. Can’t parse 16a at all!
Nice puzzle, theme a little sparse especially as a Clydesdale is smaller than a Shire horse.But the MISANTHROPE fits in well with the Fourth part of GT-and of course
Swift(first in) was er Dean of Dublin-cant remember.
Thanks flashling and Crucible.
Fab puzzle and very clear blog.
Had to resort to check a few times.
My dark ages Maths o level helped with the excellent 7d but couldn’t stretch to the e for base in 13a.
Shame on me I had a different busy in 21d so couldn’t work out where the u came from!
Sorry for busy of course read bust
Many thanks, flashling, fine blog to a fine puzzle.
Brava, Eileen, for spotting the total theme (which I, of course, missed completely.)
Ticks included EPISODE, DIKTAT, ALLEGORY, SWIFT, FRISEUR, & pride of place to the excellent ALONGSIDE which I was convinced would be ‘isosceles’ if only I could make it fit.
Jane @8: For once I spotted the old ‘art’ gag as in ‘thou art’ which becomes ‘es’ in French.
This was a belter of crossword; all too often for me, a themed puzzle ends up with that ‘shoe-horned’ feeling, but this was smooth as silk.
Many thanks, Crucible, nice week, all.
copmus @9: Had to check myself but you’re right, He was Dean of St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin.
BlueCanary @10: I’m intrigued to know which ‘bust’ you had in DULLARD?
Some clever clues from Crucible, several of which passed me by, so thanks to flashling for insightful explanations.
I was defeated by FRISEUR: sadly I have had no dealings with hair professionals for some years now. I am distressed.
I thought using the cricketing version of Old Trafford was a clever disguise as I spent quite some time thinking of the more famous football version.
So “Base” in 13a gave us the E in ALLEGORY, because e is the mathematic natural logarithmic base? So obvious when you put it like that. I doubt if I will spot that one next time, just as I didn’t this.
ALONGSIDE and MISANTHROPIST were brilliant.
Many thanks to Crucible and flashling.
Good crossword and blog, and thanks to Eileen for the theme, which escaped me.
I made somewhat heavy weather of this but got there in the end.
Yes, MISANTHROPIST was good and I liked the FRISEUR. I managed to remember the French art from a previous puzzle here.
Most enjoyable puzzle for some time. Challenging without being a slog.
Thank you Crucible and flashling.
Yes, a most enjoyable crossword, of course the theme escaped me, as it so often does. Just been reading up about Jonathan Swift and found that he is considered the foremost SATIRIC writer in the English language and that he was a severe judge of people, a bit of a MISANTHROPE.
Another top crossword, many thanks Crucible. The week is getting better and better. I usually miss the theme and this was no exception. I have read Gulliver and am aware of Dean Swift’s satirical credentials but with clueing as smooth as this I did not need help from the theme. I enjoyed MIDGE and SWIFT, but there really wasn’t a dud clue to be found. Add to that Flashlings exemplary blog and the theme explanation from Eileen et al and as the kids say “I’m made up”! I wonder what we have in store for tomorrow, Paul, Arachne; can’t wait?
I especially like 7 down, but I agree with Martin that 9 was good too. It’s a pity, on this day, that he didn’t write “Andrew perhaps”.
DD old boy. Then all plus u for right (opposite of non-u?). Worth a try
@15 I settled for the more obvious Old Trafford on the grounds because football also has an offside.
No one yet nitpicked that it’s called ORKNEY not ORKNEYS? Okay, I’ll have to do it then.
Too many abbreviations for my personal taste – at least 25!
Very difficult for me! I failed to solve ETUI, SWIFT, DIKTAT, GIBES, ORKNEYS and could not parse 2d, 13a (the E), 14a, or the OFF in 17a
New word for me was FRISEUR.
My favourite was ALONGSIDE.
Thanks b+s
Good entertainment from Crucible – not as hard as some Thursdays. I was perplexed by ETUI but it looks like an obvious filler (what else fits _T_I?). Anyway the wordplay helped. [I suppose SWIFT could have been replaced with something else to get rid of the ‘I’ – except that this would have spoilt the theme as wells as sacrificing an excellent clue.]
I endorse the comment above, that SHIRE HORSE and CLYDESDALE are not equivalent, nor is one an example of the other. Both are distinct breeds of draught horse – along with Percheron, Suffolk Punch, and several others. But that’s a minor point.
Are there too many initial-letter clues in today’s wordplay? Wasn’t too happy about 4d’s T[ense] nor 23a’s G[overnment] without indicators, for example.
Liked PATRIOT, ALONGSIDE, DIKTAT, and many others. Oh – and GIBES. I spotted the wordplay on ‘art’ – reminds me of an old favourite “art master” = “tea-chest”…… and the old adage “Tha ‘tha’s them as ‘tha’s thee first, and not afore!”
Thanks to Crucible and Flashling.
MrSmeam@23 I was going to comment similarly; however, knowing the Collinsophiles (I’m not one of them)on this site, I thought I had better check first. Guess what?
Looks like most of the theme sailed over my head, but I still enjoyed this – full of Crucible’s usual precise and fair clueing.
Thanks to Crucible and flashling
Thanks to Crucible and flashling. Tough going for me but very enjoyable. FRISEUR and SHIRE HORSE were new to me, I missed the es=art in GIBES, but for once I knew the cricket term so got the “off” in OFFER.
Thanks flashing and crucible. Like several others I missed the theme during solving but still found the puzzle enjoyable. Scanning through Wikipedia on the dean, I see references to his reputation as an Irish patriot and to his patron William Temple. Allegory and clergyman also seem to be thematic. In retrospect, 9d is brimful of meanings and with its spectacular anagram is my no.1 clue. The whole puzzle is a tour de force.
at 8d its is correct to serve a summons but a warrant is excecuted
I found myself marooned on 16a, not helped that I spell GIBES as JIBES, and despite being able to conjugate être in the present and a limited number of other cases. One to file away.
This didn’t have yesterday’s fun factor I felt – though knowing more about SWIFT might have helped; no idea there was a theme until I came here. ALONGSIDE was a cracker though.
Thanks Crucible and flashling
I enjoyed it on the whole, with SCREEDS my favourite.
Odd that 1a contains “island”, then 5a is ISLANDS.
I didn’t like “nearly” for C in CLERGYMAN. “Nearly” isn’t the same as “about”, in that “nearly” is always “less than” – I had nearly £100 = I had less than £100; I had about £100 – it might have been more.
I wonder if anyone ever has been brave enough to write a clue for Houyhnhnm(s).
And C is not an abbreviation meaning ‘nearly’: it is CIRCA, meaning ‘about’ or ‘approximately’. I should think it is always wise to stick with the conventions in these matters!
NHS @34
Otterden in 2014 amongst others
Swift horse you resolved to enter in very hard inaugural National Hunt November meeting (9)
(The search facility on this site is very useful)
I forgot to mention that DEAN was a bit clumsy as the “Prejudice” has no function except surface.
NHS @34, muffin @36 – only two in the Guardian, the first and only other was also in 2014:
Imogen 26200: You struggle to gut two hens to feed the Queen’s horse (9)
BH @37
There was a Swift themed Crucible in 2014 (I think) – Jonathan and Graham – which featured Houyhnhnm in a clue.
muffin @36 – re me @5
Ha, so that’s why I couldn’t find the recent puzzle [Wanderer 3rd November] with HOUYHNHNM – I put an S on the end. The search facility is not usually so sensitive!
We crossed, muffin – that’s what I was talking about @5.
Eileen @39
Yes, the puzzle I referred to @38 you had already linked to @5. Sorry, I missed that!
G for government, as in GCHQ, seems ok to me.
David @31. The “warrant” has no connection with the SERVE in the solution. It’s the definition = DESERVE, of which as flashling says the SERVE comes from “present”.
Bit too difficult for me. My LOI was GIBES and I don’t fully understand it. I saw DEAN SWIFT and wondered about a theme but I didn’t know about the anniversary. I got 9 dn early on but I didn’t make the connection between it and SWIFT although I suppose there is one.I don’t think I’ve come across FRISEUR before and I had to look it up. ETUI is something of a chestnut and was my FOI.
Very clever but—
Thanks Crucible.
I thought of the footy ground for Old Trafford too and immediately thought ‘offside!’. Never considered cricket at all, but I suppose that makes more sense.
All but one, again. Friseur. i thought Islands and crescendo were also excellent clues. I lilliput, i means nearly put, jibes, but spotted big back just in time.
A very enjoyable puzzle today. Unfortunately I missed the theme (which I have enjoyed reading about here) … but since I did not know (or possibly I once knew, but did not remember) that Jonathan Swift was a 15d in addition to being a writer and poet — and since I was utterly unaware of Swift hitting the big 3-5-0 today — I think the only clues that might have or should have tipped me off as to the theme were SWIFT, MISANTHROPIST and SATIRIC (oh, and with respect to GT at least, ALLEGORY and ISLANDS).
[Before posting this, I went back to see if there might have been a yahoo hiding somewhere in the grid.]
Many thanks to Crucible, flashling and other commenters.
Thanks both,
We sometimes criticise the editor, but after a good week, we might think to be grateful to him a bit more frequently.
Tyngewick @48: hear hear! Actually a rather good fortnight or so.
Whether a Clydesdale is a ‘shire horse’ or not [probably not], the clue for 11ac has a truly excellent surface.
7d’s ALONGSIDE I’ve seen many times before, the first time on a Maths conference in, I think it was, Reading.
The use of ‘all right’ (in 21d’s DULLARD) is quite neat – I may nick it at some point (after everyone’s forgotten about it).
Yes, a lot of one-letter thingies but Crucible will be the first to admit.
He did so years and years ago, saying that they can be very useful building stones for a setter.
Lovely Crucible puzzle, closer to Redshank than to Radian.
None the worse for that!
Thanks flashling for the blog
Thanks to everyone for the highlighting the additional depth which as usual I missed. I’ve not come across the “art, thou, es” device before so I must still be a newbie.
Vaguely related is something I was told by an village elder whilst growing up in Lancashire “listen lad, thee thou’s them as thou’s thee and not afore”. I still remember it 50 odd years later.
I needed help parsing 18d as well – furry kettles indeed! Thanks to Crucible and flashlights and good night all.
Agree with Muffin on circa v nearly.
Can someone explain base= E please to a non mathematician. Thanks
A clever puzzle from Crucible which even after sleeping on it I failed to solve. And with only half the grid completed, I didn’t spot the theme. Great to be able to come here and read such an interesting blog. Thanks to Crucible, flashling and all contributors. Well done to those who solved it and commiserations to those who didn’t.
I forgot about the C in Clergyman. Not good at all.Agree with Muffin here.
It didnt spoil my fun but I dont think an editor should have let it go in.
PS Fun to note those little quirky parts of posts along the way – thanks to BlueCanary@10 for the DD-sized bra for “bust” in 21d, and to 1961Blanchflower @15 for your account of being “distressed” and therefore not having visited a FRISEUR (18d) for some time.
A Clydesdale is NOT a Shire Horse. they are two distinct breeds.
Hi Eric, frankly unless you’ve done mathematics to near degree level, just accept that e is what it is. Unless you really want a course in maths that is ?
Eric @ 52 if you’re still around: I will try..
We normally use base 10 (because of our fingers originally).I f you use the strange number 2.718 (ish) as a base it is interesting. e to the power of something rather than 10 to the power something.
The fact that the symbol of this constant is ‘e’ makes me uneasy about it being used in a crossword where you would put ‘E’ which is definitely not the same thing.
c is the speed of light but you could get away with C as its the same shape.
Actually I agree that e and E aren’t the same, it’s why I put it in quotes. As a very sad 16 year old I memorised the value of e to 200 decimal places. I’ve got over it now 🙂
It’s part of one of the most intriguing equations known to man!
e^{i\pi }+1=0
(where i is the (imaginary) square root of -1)
Actually, that hasn’t copied properly. It’s e to the power of (i times pi) +1 =0
Ha ha flashling. I never got beyond pi to 5 d.p. Glad you got over it now lol.
muffin: I thought about adding that one but couldn’t think how to express it. I always thought it was ‘j’ rather than ‘i ‘but see it seems to have changed. now.
Another one was: the derivative of e to the power of x equals e to the power of x