Guardian Cryptic 27,372 by Nutmeg

by

Challenging fun – I particularly liked 5dn and 21dn. Thanks, Nutmeg.

Across
9 ISOLATION “O joy”, leader expressed, on island’s remoteness (9)
O; plus [e]LATION=”joy” without its “leader”; all after IS[land]
10 ATRIA An interminable case in courts (5)
=plural of atrium, a courtyard
A TRIA[L]
11 ECONOMY Restraint that’s surprising after company stops one retiring (7)
=as in being careful not to waste resources
MY=as in ‘oh my!’=”that’s surprising”; after CO[mpany] inside ONE reversed/”retiring”
12 HOBNAIL Elf to fix protector to boot (7)
=a strong nail used in horseshoes
HOB=a mischievous spirit, as in hobgoblin=”Elf”; plus NAIL=”fix”
13 WREST Extract with ease? Yes and no (5)
=to Extract, but not with ease
W[ith] REST=”ease”
14 NEBULISER Spray dazed rebel in US (9)
=an atomiser, something used to spray a fine mist
(rebel in US)*
16 TAKE INTO ACCOUNT Consider what cashiers do with banked cash? (4,4,7)
double definition, one cryptic/indirect
19 HYPERLINK Hospital doctor perkily penning note: “site access here” (9)
=a link to access a website
H[ospital]; plus (perkily)* with “doctor” as the anagrind around N[ote]
21 SAUTE Browned dish – stuff with posh filling (5)
SATE=”stuff”, with U=upper-class=”posh” inside
22 BRITTLE Frail UK citizen is going to broadcast (7)
homophone/’broadcast’ of: Brit’ll=Brit will=”UK citizen is going to”
23 CURRANT Fruit spread with snappy packaging (7)
RAN=”spread”, as in colours running in the wash; inside CURT=”snappy”
24 LICIT Legal officer’s trapped here in France (5)
LT=lieutenant=”officer”; around ICI=”here” in French
25 TARPAULIN Missionary pursues sailor wearing his hat (9)
=a sailor’s waterproof hat
PAUL the Apostle=”Missionary”; after TAR=”sailor”; plus IN=”wearing”
Down
1 TIME SWITCH What could delay paper? One’s spelling! (4,6)
=a device to turn electric devices on/off at certain times, possibly at a delay
[The] TIMES=”paper”; plus WITCH=one who casts spells=>”One’s spelling”
2 POLO NECK A warmer kiss and cuddle that holds up the game? (4,4)
NECK=”kiss and cuddle”; after POLO=”game”
3 CAVORT Frisk roughly five or ten at first (6)
CA=circa=”roughly”; plus V=”five” in Roman numerals”; plus OR T[en]
4 WILY How Irish lady regularly displays cunning? (4)
regular letters [every third letter] from [Ho]W [Ir]I[sh] L[ad]Y
5 IN THE BLACK Supply lab with kitchen solvent (2,3,5)
=with enough cash to settle all debts
(lab kitchen)* – “Supply” or supple-y is the anagrind
6 CARBOLIC Type of acid Spooner’s delivered to prevent wind (8)
Spoonerism of BAR COLIC=”prevent wind”
7 FRIARS Brothers greatly welcoming sacred teaching on Sunday (6)
FAR=to a great extent=”greatly”; around R[eligious] I[nstruction]=”sacred teaching”; plus S[unday]
8 BALL Event giving rise to Liberal party (4)
reversal of L[iberal] plus LAB[our]=”party”
14 NUTRIMENTS Foods unhappy men trust in (10)
(men trust in)*
15 RETREATING Paying again for making withdrawal (10)
RE–TREATING someone to e.g. have lunch on you=”Paying again for”
17 IRRITATE Provoke and mock bishop coming in for mass (8)
I[m]ITATE=”mock”; with R[ight] R[everend]=”bishop” replacing m[ass]
18 UNUSABLE Pants from North America in exotic blue (8)
=Pants as in awful, worthless
N[orth] USA in (blue)*
20 PRINCE Royal knight in charge (6)
N=”knight” in chess notation; in PRICE=”charge”
21 STREAM One form of water runs into another (6)
I originally thought this was R[iver] in STEAM with a possible &lit definition; but R[uns] in STEAM seems more likely
22 BELT Bash sash and strip zip (4)
quadruple definition: =Bash=strike forcefully; =sash=a band worn around the waist; =strip=a strait or narrow area of land; =zip=to move very fast
23 CURL Wind: constant feature of 19 (4)
=Wind as in the verb pronounced ‘wined’
C[onstant]; plus URL=web address that a HYPERLINK points to

43 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,372 by Nutmeg”

  1. Thanks Nutmeg and manehi

    I don’t know if it’s just me, but I am finding Nutmeg’s puzzles increasingly challenging. This was a slow solve, with the NW in particular taking ages. Favourites were IRRITATE and PRINCE, and especially IN THE BLACK, as I initially thought that “solvent” was the anagram indicator.

    At an early stage I was sure that 23d was GALE, with 19a having an “ale” connection.

    I was surprised to find that TARPAULIN can also be a sailor’s hat – I thought that was a “sou-wester”.

  2. Many thanks Nutmeg and manehi.

    Could 21 across be saté (or satay), i.e. the Indonesian dish, with u in it, thus meaning “browned” and giving the é as well??

  3. Martin @2
    I had the same parsing for SAUTE as manehi did. I like your idea, but “browned” would be “sauteed” rather than “saute”.

  5. Muffin @1
    I don’t know how crossword editors choose which puzzles to publish on particular days, or how they assess the level of difficulty, but I suspect they make subjective assessments and try to provide a variety over the days. They may also ask compilers to offer puzzles of different levels of challenge. Having now tackled Nutmeg’s puzzles over a period of time, I do know that she is more than capable of setting ones of a wide range of complexity, from Quiptic up to Listener level, but they all have the common characteristic of immaculate cluing. I usually find that the clues look daunting on a first read through but are solvable once a few checkers are in place, and I enjoy them very much.

  6. I didn’t think I was going to get anywhere with this at first, but having found NUTRIMENTS and CARBOLC which gave me confidence though no immediate help, the others fell into place.

    I couldn’t parse IRRITATE having forgotten about Right Reverend, and I’m not very fond of those “regularly” clues as in 4d, but I did enjoy this crossword. Particularly liked 21d and those snappy multiple definitions like 22d always make me smile.

    Thanks to Nutmeg and Manehi.

  7. I enjoyed this even though I failed to solve a few – 1d (only got SWITCH), 2d (only got NECK), 6d, 10a.

    Thanks Nutmeg and manehi

  8. My thoughts were the same as muffin@1 and thanks to george@5 for pointing out Nutmeg’s range. There was some tricky parsing – almost missionary like in places – and 25a as a hat was new to me as well. 1d is excellent – it took me ages having come up with the magic version of spelling and even then I 13led with the NW. Lots of ticks including 19, 25a, 1, 6, 17, 23d – and the quadruple definition which I didn’t fully parse.
    Thanks for a great challenge Nutmeg and to manehi for making everything clear.

  9. Finished apart from parsing 17d.Too tricksy for me – more like solving mathematical equations sometimes (11a, 13a and 7d). Definitely not my forte. Maybe it’s just the hope and despair of following the cricket – Vince out on the drive who’d have guessed!
    Thanks for the workout Nutters and for the elucidation Manehi.

  11. Thanks to Nutmeg and manehi. I agree – challenging and enjoyable. I did finally get through, but I had trouble with TIME SWITCH (my LOI), TARPAULIN (I didn’t know the hat connection), WILY (I should have remembered every third letter from a previous puzzle), IN THE BLACK (for a while I missed “supply” as the anagrind), and UNUSABLE (that meaning of “pants” was new to me). A good workout.

  13. Phew. Toughie for me today. Failed on SAUTE by running out of time but enjoyed it all.

    Ticks the same as manehi but also loved the outrageous BELT with its multiple defs.

    Top job, Nutmeg, many thanks.

    Nice week, all.

  15. Definitely a game of two halves. Completed 25 clues before going to bed. Took most of the morning to get the last 4. Great crossword as always from Nutmeg.

  16. Got there eventually – NE corner was last in. Favourites were HYPERLINK, ECONOMY and UNUSABLE. Couldn’t parse RAN = spread in CURRANT – thanks to manehi, and to Nutmeg for a good puzzle.

  17. Thanks both,

    As others have said, the NE corner was hardest. I needed a bit of checking and a wild card search to get ‘wrest’. 17 was brilliant. I doubt me that ‘wind’ and ‘curl’ are synonyms, but doubtless someone will be along in a minute to provide a sentence where they can be.

  19. That was a proper challenge – it seems that difficult puzzles are the norm on Tuesdays these days. I found this one very enjoyable, full of the usual wit and elegant misdirection. The NW corner was last to crack, with WREST last in.

    Thanks to Nutmeg and manehi

  22. That was fun! A completely delightful array of witty and deft cluing.
    2d last in. Though I thought of both POLO and NECK early on I was fixated on the ‘game’ being ‘held up’ and seriously wondered what NOLO PECK might be! Makes you wonder, doesn’t it!

  23. That was fun! A completely delightful array of witty and deft cluing.
    2d last in. Though I thought of both POLO and NECK early on I was fixated on the ‘game’ being ‘held up’ and seriously wondered for a minute or two what NOLO PECK might be! Makes you wonder, doesn’t it!
    Thanks to setter&blogger.

  25. Enjoyable. I’d place this on the ‘tough’ side of ‘tough’!

    It all went in fairly smoothly until I got round to the NW corner, which was a real humdinger! WILY indeed! Why it didn’t occur to me that ‘regularly’ could mean every third, or every fourth, etc. etc., instead of simply ‘every other’ – I don’t know. O Coyote!

    And POLO NECK should’ve been easy, but there I was WRESTing with SPOT KICK, GOAL KICK, FREE KICK etc. – all things that might “hold up game”.

    Liked CAVORT – simple enough clue, demon to spot!

    And no really obscure words this time. Excellent from Nutmeg!
    Thanks to her and Manehi.

  26. Strange. I found this puzzle quite dull and thought that it really could have done with a big pinch of nutmeg to stir it up a bit. I say this just to contrast how different people’s experiences with crosswords can be, not to demonstrate any superior ability to identify a bad crossword. Remember it next time someone attempts to claim that they know what a good crossword is and that the Guardian has a duty to deliver one to them every day.

  28. Flashling @27: Well spotted. But – er – “MEG” – yes, ok, a hidden signature (Nutmeg says in her “meet the setter” interview that the ‘MEG’ part comes from her own name Margaret.

    But the rest? I don’t see anything in TEESL. I suppose, if one looks hard enough, one can find a cryptic NINA in any puzzle, but I don’t think this qualifies.

    Talking of hidden messages and Nina’s – and thinking again of WILY and its ‘every third’ wordplay – wasn’t there some weird book published once, about taking every fiftieth letter out of a passage from the Bible, and decyphering a hidden prediction of Armageddon or what-have-you?

    I don’t think the ‘regularly’ indicator should be taken that far!

  29. FD @28 – I don’t see why you have a problem – every third letter is just as regular as every second, and I am pretty sure the device has been used a few times before – not that it is an easy one to search. That was one of my first in!

  30. It’s conventionally taken to be every other letter, and usually from the even ones. Not always though. Oddly gives the odds, oddly enough.

    Enjoyable puzzle. The setter is well-versed in cryptic mechanics, so the clues are made well.

  31. I didn’t expect to like this after my disaster with Nutmeg’s last, but I gave it a go and was quite glad I did. It probably helped that I managed to get IN THE BLACK,NEBULISER,CARBOLIC and TAKE INTO ACCOUNT quite quickly. The rest followed rather more slowly but they did follow! Quite tough but ok.
    Thanks Nutmeg.

  33. BH @29 – rest assured I don’t have a problem with WILY – not anymore! 🙂 Just that I had a problem in that I couldn’t solve it – for ages! It was almost my LOI and I was afraid today was going to be a DNF for me – but it wasn’t! 😀

  34. Still a bit unsure that 4d works, on the grounds that WILY is an adjective, whereas the definition, ‘cunning’, is a noun. But thanks Nutmeg really enjoyed this one.

  36. I should add that it’s a noun in the surface reading, certainly, but the cryptic grammar splits the clue in two
    How Irish lady regularly displays; cunning?

  37. Firmly @28: Presumably, then, we can expect any day now a clue using oddly as the 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th etc letters?

  39. A pleasure to solve another quality crossword by Nutmeg. I did reasonably well but slowed down in SE.

    Not everything I sauté ends up brown (maybe my onions do), so I just didn’t twig that one. I didn’t get the quadruple definition – but I’m already thrown by triple definitions, so no surprise there.

    Favourite was IN THE BLACK. A great puzzle all round

    Many thanks Nutmeg and thanks manehi for the explanations

  40. Re CARBOLIC – not a great fan of Spoonerisms as a rule (problem is, almost always you need to include the word ‘Spooner’ as an indicator) – but couldn’t suppress a chuckle at the thought of the dear old Reverend absentmindedly administering Carbolic Acid (i.e. phenol) to a howling infant.

    OK this is gallows humour, if you like – it would almost certainly kill the poor mite…

  41. Splendid stuff. Was quite stuck in the NW, but after a break, I stared at them very hard and that seemed to do the trick. I may be easy to please, but I like Spoonerisms and “regular letters” clues (ref comments above): I take what I’m given. BRITTLE was my favourite today: a lot of clue went into producing just LE.

    Thanks to both Nutmeg and manehi.

  42. re 4d – as the fodder was relatively straightforwardly identifiable as having 12 letters and the solution had 4 letters, then the arithmetic shows that “regularly” meant take every third letter. I thought the clue was fair.

  43. Two weeks too late but here goes.

    I thought this the toughest Nutmeg I’ve done.

    Surprised no-one’s queried 1D. How does “one’s spelling” give WITCH. I’m used to ‘s being interpreted as is or has but I think here it is necessary to interpret it as who is. So it doesn’t quite work for me. Just “one spelling” would work but, of course, wouldn’t give as good a surface.

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