Guardian Cryptic 27,540 by Brummie

by

The puzzle can be solved online here.

I found it a little difficult to get going here, but the two long entries across the middle got me off and running and then most answers just slotted in, although it took me a while to parse a couple.

Some commenters on the Guardian site are saying this is not up to Brummie’s usual standard, but I think it was fine in the main.  The surfaces were very good, and the only possible quibble could be that you need some general knowledge to get NIELSEN and CITTERN, but they were clearly clued and easy to get from wordplay and crossing letters.

Thanks, Brummie.

Across
1 CARAMEL Sweet ungulate crossing a river (7)
  CAMEL (“ungulate”) crossing A R(iver)
5 MAFIOSO Gangster and ex-chairman thus provided backing internally (7)
  (“Chairman”) MAO (Zedong) with <=SO IF (“thus” = “provided”) backing internally
9, 24 SET ON EDGE  Excited group playing at Fringe (3,2,4)
  SET (“group”) + ON (“playing”) at EDGE (“Fringe”)
10 VITRIOLIC Bitter players engaged in civil disorder (9)
  TRIO (“players”) engaged in *(civil)
11 AT PLEASURE Enjoying oneself, when it suits (2,8)
  Double definition
12 MILL A philosopher‘s works (4)
  Double definition, the philosopher being John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)
14 STOP A BULLET Get shot of Paul? Bottles out! (4,1,6)
  *(paul bottles)
18 HARRIS TWEED “Cloth ears” with red mobile (6,5)
  *(ears with red)
21, 4 NINE LIVES  All used up, Tom’s a goner (4,5)
  Mildly cryptic definition
22 BLACKADDER Want to cut extra evil, vulgar sitcom character (10)
  LACK (“want”) to cut BADDER (“extra evil”)
25 TREADMILL Punishing drill, mate — it’ll get you nowhere (9)
  *(drill mate)
26 GONAD Energy burst Dan’s ball? (5)
  GO (“energy”) + *(dan)
27 CITTERN Old instrument gets bird changing key (7)
  C(b)ITTERN – The B (“key”) of BITTERN changed to another key, C, gives us CITTERN, a pear-shaped guitar-like instrument of the 16th century.
28 NIELSEN Composer Daniels ends in the middle (7)
  Hidden in the middle of “daNIELS ENds”

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) is Denmark’s best-known composer
Down
1 CASBAH Airline in the money acquires African citadel area (6)
  BA (British Airways, so “airline”) in CASH (“money”)
2 RETYPE Put in another class? Correct (6)
  Cryptic defintion
3 MONKEY SUIT Derogatory habit of putting £500 on legal action (6,4)
  MONKEY (“£500”, in slang) + SUIT (“legal action”)
4   See 21
 
5 MOTORCADE Democrat shot around midpoint of “knoll” procession (9)
  *(democrat) around (kn)O(ll)
6 FOIL Leaf used in fencing (4)
  Double definition
7 OILFIELD It produces crude painting, given scope (8)
  OIL (“painting”) given FIELD (“scope”)
8 OSCULATE Kiss very upset copper on behind (8)
  <=SO (“very”, upset) + Cu (“copper”) on LATE (“behind”)
13 QUADRANGLE Equal distribution with grand court (10)
  *(equal grand)
15 OCTILLION Very large number getting month off (something charged) (9)
  Oct.(ober) (“month”) + ILL (“off”) + ION (“something charged”)
16 PHONETIC Said Buzz, said Mark (8)
  PHONE (“buzz”) + homophone of TICK (“mark”, said)
17 TRANSEPT Pianist ran septet embracing church element (8)
  Hidden in “pianisT RAN SEPTet”
19 ADONIS Who’s a noble Spaniard? A fair character (6)
  Answer to “whose a noble Spaniard?” could “A DON IS a noble Spaniard”
20 DRYDEN Poet gasping “Retreat!” (6)
  DRY “(gasping” for a drink) + DEN (“retreat”)
23 COLON Intestine that calls for a pause (5)
  Double definition
24   See 9
 

*anagram

36 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,540 by Brummie”

  1. I liked this a lot. Couldn’t parse PHONETIC; liked HARRIS TWEED, MAFIOSO and VITRIOLIC. Many thanks to B & l.

  2. Many good things here. 5dn MOTORCADE for me captures the essence of Brummie – an elegant anagram in an &lit allusive surface.

    Thanks, Brummie – and loonapick

  3. Yes, a slow start here too, but much to like. In 22, I think ‘vulgar’ is part of the wordplay rather than the definition, ‘badder’ being a vulgar alternative to ‘worse’.
    Anyone else have REFORM for 2d?
    Thanks Brummie and loonapick.

  4. Yes, Gonzo@3, REFORM was my first stab at 2; I also thought MIND might be a simple cryptic definition for 12! Otherwise, pretty plain sailing. I’m not conversant enough with individual setters’ ‘personalities’, but from what I can remember of other Brummie puzzles, and this, I like his/her style. Thanks to loonapick for the blog.

  5. A bit out of practice so this took a while. I liked it though, especially 21,4a NINE LIVES, 25a TREADMILL and 26a GONAD. I thought the “hiddens” were fine (once I saw them) – 28a NIELSEN and 17d TRANSEPT. CITTERN at 27a was unfamiliar, but I agree with loonapick that it was gettable from the wordplay (with the help of the crossers).
    Many thanks to Brummie and loonapick.

  6. An easy solve this morning, DRYDEN yielding last. I have no reservations about general knowledge requirements. It’s all part of the solver’s armoury.

    Thanks to Brummie and loonapick.

  7. Not an easy solve for me, but no complaints, either about the degree of difficulty, or the quality of the puzzle in general.

    Worth doing for the brilliant MOTORCADE alone. With STOP A BULLET and perhaps MAFIOSO, I wondered if there may be a theme, but I couldn’t see anything else.

    GONAD has a scrotal partner in another puzzle today.

    Thanks to Brummie and loonapick

  8. I was glad to be using a pencil on this (where is that precious Waterman of mine?)I pencilled in REFORM then saw SET OFF so Plan B. Similar with BITTERN could change to GITTERN or CITTERN so it was a bit like doing the Quick. Whereas in a decent cryptic you get a sort pf pinging noise in the head when the nuts and bolts fit together.

    Nice to see BLACKADDER but what a rotten clue.

    I did like HARRIS TWEED though.

    And I used to like Brummie.

  9. Thanks Brummie an loonapick

    For a while I just had HARRIS TWEED and FOIL, but the excellent MOTORCADE got me going on the rest.

    I thought that this was rather better than Brummie’s last one (here), in fact.

  10. I took ages to get going on this and was tempted to give up about halfway through but I slogged on to the end. I could not parse 3d MONKEY (“£500”, in slang).

    Thanks Brummie and blogger.

  11. Thanks to Brummie and loonapick.

    MOTORCADE was indeed excellent, though relating to a rather sombre subject.

    I liked HARRIS TWEED. (Anyone remember “Harris Tweed, Super Sleuth” in the Eagle?)

  12. Slow to start but helped by the seven partial/complete anagrams. Nice anagram for TREADMILL.

    The MOTORCADE &lit was superb; maybe intentionally related to STOP A BULLET and MAFIOSO. Good ‘middle’ hidden for NIELSEN.

    Very enjoyable solve; thanks Brummie and loonapick.

     

  13. Thanks to Brummie and loonapick.

    I used to groan a bit at the sight of Brummie’s name, but I seem to have found his wavelength and this hatched very pleasantly. I loved MOTORCADE for the same reasons as JohnR@2, and other favourites were OSCULATE, OCTILLION and the structure of QUADRANGLE. Don’t quite get AT PLEASURE – I had MY PLEASURE so NW was held up for a while until CASBAH kicked in, and I made a half-parsed effort at MAFIOSA involving “sofa” and erm… anyway in it went and now a little peeved at myself.  Proving yet again that I couldn’t do what loonapick and other bloggers do here; from this prone position I offer that “whose a noble Spaniard” is not a transcription of the relevant clue element and the solution could be the answer; is this type of thing very annoying? And the definition in RETYPE…. before I scuttle away.

  14. Gonzo@3 – I originally put in REFORM as well.

     

    Point taken on BADDER, although I think it works both ways.

  15. Auriga@6 – I also welcome general knowledge as it adds an element of fun and sometimes learning to the process, but some solvers prefer “dictionary only” entries.

  16. [btw JinA@5, I posted a link in yesterday’s Pan blog aimed mainly at you but you were otherwise engaged:)?]

  17. Working through possible key variations for 27a threw up ‘gittern’, which is an ancient stringed instrument. That rather kyboshed 16d where I threw in ‘phonetag’, apparently modern slang for two people playing voicemail tennis. So a plausible (just) solve, and a slightly cheated feeling.

  18. Thank you Brummie and loonapick.

    This was challenging but enjoyable with some fun clues. At first I put in REMOVE for 2d, visions of Billy Bunter.

  20. Thanks to Brummie and loonapick. Well the week does not get any easier for me. I also struggled to get going, but eventually did. Then got held up in the NW and the SE for ages. Primarily because I was another who had reform and also had gusto for 26 (should have read the clue more carefully). Once I realised both were wrong I eventually finished, if somewhat slowly. Lots of clues to like which mostly have been mentioned, and thanks again to Brummie and loonapick.

  21. Lord Jim @11:  You beat me to it!  Regrettably, I’m old enough to remember Harris Tweed in The Eagle.  Does this also ring a bell with you?

    Great puzzle but a jolly slow start for me.  SE corner took longest.

    Great surfaces with MOTORCADE the pick of the crop.

    Many thanks, Brummie.

    Nice week, all.

  22. The top half went in at a trot but then slowed. Yes had reform until casbah emerged, took ages over the cheeky gonad, knew cittern because a Geordie neighbour plays one, and thought 16d, 19d and 23d were inventive.

    Thanks Loonapick and Brummie

  23. I found this one quite entertaining – mostly straightforward, but it took me too long to see PHONETIC and HARRIS TWEED. Liked that one, MOTORCADE and TREADMILL. I didn’t think any of the GK was obscure.

    Thanks to Brummie and loonapick

  24. The top half went in quickly but then I slowed right down in the bottom half and eventually DNF. A few too many anagrams for my liking (I only say that as I’m not good at them!). But saying that, MOTORCADE was all kinds of awesome.

    I struggle with BUZZ = PHONE (and the similar BELL = PHONE from a while back). Maybe it’s just the usage I am familiar with, but I would say ‘give me a buzz/bell’ but I would not say ‘give me a phone’. Likewise, I’d say ‘phone me’ but not ‘buzz/bell me’. I’m probably getting to anal about it and shall just add it into my future armoury.

    Overall, lots to like today. Thanks to Brummie and loonapick.

  25. Thanks to Brummie and loonapick. I’m another who got off to a slow start, but NINE LIVES got me started. I knew both CITTERN and GITTERN so had trouble choosing. I took some time before getting GONAD and DRYDEN, my LOI.

  26. Brummie can be fun, and this one didn’t disappoint. MOTORCADE was excellent – my second in after HARRIS TWEED. STOP A BULLET, OSCULATE and ADONIS were also very good. Unlike Auriga @6, I got lucky with DRYDEN: as soon as I saw ‘poet’ my mind somehow called up both DRYDEN and MILTON in case one of them wanted to go here, and seeing ‘retreat’ meant I didn’t have to look any further. I know ADONIS has been queried, but I thought the wordplay in the form of a question was sound (“Who’s a noble Spaniard?”).
    Thanks to Brummie and Loonapick.

  27. Enjoyable, with (mostly) very simple and concise surfaces and a few nice misdirections (e.g., the “crude painting” in 7dn) adding to the fun and challenge.  Noting both the surface and the answer for MOTORCADE, as well as the answers in STOP A BULLET and MAFIOSO, I began searching about for a possible (John F.) Kennedy assassination ghost theme, but that was much as I could see.  I thought PHONETIC was clever, and I found both GONAD and NINE LIVES amusing.

    Many thanks to Brummie and loonapick and the other commenters.

  28. I couldn’t get going on this either and I don’t think this was one of Brummie’s best. That said there was some good stuff here. I liked GONAD and HARRIS TWEED – I remember the Eagle too- and CARAMEL. The latter I parsed incorrectly because I couldn’t get the River Camel out of my head- and I know it doesn’t work but there you are.
    Thanks Brummie

  29. DaveMc

    [I posted a comment @42 on the Pasquale blog yesterday, prompted by a comment from Eileen and addressed to her, but it concerns a question you raised the other day about ‘A is an example of B and vice versa’.  You may like to read it.]

  30. [Alan B @29 – Yes, thanks, I saw your comment @42 on yesterday’s blog, and I thought your identification of worker as an example of an ant, and ant as an example of a worker, was nicely done.  But giving credit where credit is due, it was actually James @74 on the blog of last Friday’s Arachne puzzle, who raised the question of finding word pairings that would fit that pattern (other than enamel and paint, the words from that day’s puzzle that actually inspired the question).]

  33. [Thanks Alphalpha@16. Yes a busy few days and didn’t finish last quarter of the Pan – the tricksy NE – so am only just catching up on the blog. Thanks for the interesting alert. Now there’s a memory from my childhood! I am embarrassed that the Bee Gees thought it worth covering, but despite its awful lyrics, my family knew it by heart and used to sing it on long road trips!]

  34. Another reformer. I had set on edge in and then took it out after ‘solving’ reform. Then had to retype both clues! Also put gittern before changing to cittern

  35. [JinA@33:But how impressive they were at such a young age – crystal harmonies and a nice line in presentation -very committed performers.  I was never a fan, but hats off to them as youngsters.  Of course the song was number 1 in the UK and Oz; also in my own parish (Ireland) so we all knew it back in the day.]

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