Guardian 27,552 / Philistine

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The sun is shining even more brightly this morning, with a Philistine puzzle to solve.

 

Perhaps not quite so tricky as Philistine can be but most enjoyable, as ever – many thanks, Philistine.

Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

9 Hector is by definition adorable (9)
PERSECUTE
PER SE [by definition] + CUTE [adorable]

10, 5, 18  Tree surgeon’s plant is about right for me (5,6,8)
FIRST PERSON SINGULAR
FIR [tree] + an anagram [about] of SURGEON’S PLANT IS + R [right]

11 In retreat to meet up: majority of one, missing a member (7)
AMPUTEE
Hidden reversal [in retreat] in mEET UP MAjority

12 Got together in hospital with a composer (7)
SMETANA
MET [got together] in SAN[atorium] [hospital] + A

13, 25  Exploit dispute minister rejected in agreement (8)
OVERWORK
A  reversal [rejected] of ROW [dispute] + REV [minister] in OK [agreement]

14 Shabby at interrupting dog instructions (4,2,4)
DOWN AT HEEL
AT between DOWN and HEEL – both instructions to dogs

15 More delectable than a salmon terrine is egg roll for starters (7)
TASTIER
Initial letters [starters] of Than A Salmon Terrine Is Egg Roll

17 Actual consumer suffers with a twist in the tail (3,4)
END USER
ENDURES [suffers] with the last three letters reversed

19 Planning a set dinner to finish badly (3,2,5)
END IN TEARS
Anagram [planning] of A SET DINNER

22 Formerly one in a hundred? On the contrary (4)
ONCE
C [a hundred] in ONE

23 Object to experimental mice being present locally (7)
ENDEMIC
END [object] + an anagram [experimental] of MICE

24 What to wear in case? (7)
LAWSUIT
Cryptic definition

26 Preserved member of an ancient civilisation (5)
INCAN
IN CAN [preserved]

27 It’s King Lear BBC can blame for losing odd characters treatment (5,4)
TIGER BALM
I need help with this, as I can’t quite see how it works: TIGER BALM is almost alternate letters of ‘iT‘s kInG lEaR bBc cAn bLaMe’ but not quite – I’ve stared at it for ages and hoped the penny would drop while I was writing the blog but it hasn’t happened! Please see Comment 1 – many thanks to Geoff Cleasby for the help

Down

1 He just appears gentle around climax: he made it up (5,2,3,5)
SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
SOFT [gentle] round PEAK [climax] + HE + a reversal [up] of LIVED [made it]

2 Eliot, Eliot & Eliot (8)
TRIPLETS
TRIPLE T.S. [three Eliots] – see here 

3 Gone sinister (4)
LEFT
Double definition

4 See you when you arrive, but not first off (2,6)
AU REVOIR
Anagram [off] of [y]OU ARRIVE, minus the first letter [not first]

6 Had an impact on camp (8)
AFFECTED
Double definition

7 Shops here are holding scoundrel (6)
ARCADE
ARE round CAD [scoundrel]

8 Still confused about a copy of the Iliad? (3,3,5,2,2)
IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME
Cryptic definition – I’m not sure what ‘still’ is doing here [Please see Comment 2 [thanks, Jam]: this is a much better clue than I thought – I should have known! ]

16 Half in the dark and troubled in my disgrace (8)
IGNOMINY
IGNO[rant] [in the dark] + an anagram [troubled] of IN MY

17 Hears endless adverts? Not with these! (8)
EARPLUGS
[h]EAR[s] + PLUGS [adverts]

20 Conclude being educated not at fault (6)
DEDUCE
Anagram [fault] of EDUC[at]ED

21 Thrill from sexy act with her unclothed (6)
EXCITE
[s]EX[y] [a]C[t] [w]IT[h] [h]E[r] – ‘unclothed’

51 comments on “Guardian 27,552 / Philistine”

  1. 27a, remove the odd-numbered letters of each word, not of the whole phrase.

    8d, ‘still confused about a’ = ‘it’s all’.

     

  4. 27 across. ‘Losing odd character’ means just retaining the even-numbered ones. So the second and fourth characters of the preceding words. But I thought ‘treatment’ was not a good description of Tiger Balm. (I have an ancient jar of it in the cupboard)

  6. Yes, an enjoyable puzzle. Not too tricky as the long down clues helped. Favourites were LAWSUIT, TRIPLETS and EARPLUGS. Many thanks to Philistine and Eileen.

  7. Phew, that felt like picking oakum even though there was a good smattering of easier ones, like amputee, tastier, down-at-heel and lawsuit. I took ages to get the long multiples, which didn’t help. I do like Philistine’s puzzles nonetheless: per se cute is very neat, and the two long downs are great.

    Thanks Eileen and Philistine.

  8. Thanks Philistine and Eileen.

    A good Philistine in lighter mood.

    Eileen, may I make a small correction to the parsing of 4? As you say, ‘off’ signifies the anagram: the removal of ‘y’ is given by ‘not first’.

  9. Thank you Eileen and Philistine.

    A slow start for me followed by steady progress until the long ones showed themselves.

    I thought ITS ALL GREEK TO ME was a belter.  lovely &lit-ish surface.

    Kicked myself when I finally saw TRIPLETS.  Nice clue.

    Thought INCAN was OK but should really have had a ? somewhere.  Only a minor niggle.

    Many thanks both, nice week, all.

  10. Thanks, Simon S @8. I knew that when I solved it! – careless error when I came to write the blog. [It’s not one of my better days. 🙁 ]

  11. Great puzzle and good work on the blog, Eileen.
    Echoing some others’ comments about enjoying 9a PERSECUTE, 2d TRIPLETS (my LOI) and 8d IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME. I also liked 13a 25d OVERWORK, 14a DOWN AT HEEL, 1d SPEAK OF THE DEVIL and 4d AU REVOIR.
    Thanks to Philostine and Eileen. Enjoyed the previous discussion, so many thanks to the other posters.

  12. Thanks Philistine & Eileen. Strange how solving differs. grantinfreo’s FOI was my LOI – I’m forever missing embedded solutions especially when reversed.
    Favourites were 8 and 13,25.

  14. Really enjoyed this but definitely needed help with the parsing of some, including speak of the devil and triplets. Brilliant clues! Loved it’s all Greek to me. Thanks Eileen and others for the explanations, and Philistine for an excellent puzzle.

  15. Glad to see I’m not the only one whose last one in was TRIPLETS. I’d guessed that TS came into it (and possible George) but when I’d sussed the crossers I became obsessed with the idea that the answer was some kind of xxxPoEtS. Very enjoyable throughout, especially LAWSUIT.

  16. A lot of ends on this. END USER, END IN TEARS, ENDEMIC and then “endless adverts” in the clue for 17d.

    I’d have finished this quicker if I hadn’t popped the solution for 17d EARPLUGS in 18d. 😀

    Thanks Philistine and Eileen.

  17. Another one with TRIPLETS as loi – but then I had made it harder by having a half-parsed PROSECUTE rather than PERSECUTE! Along with POETS did anyone else try NESS as an Eliot? And like Bolb@12 AMPUTEE came at the end – a cleverly hidden embed.
    And notwithstanding William@9’s comment I had INCAN as my cotd in what I thought was a lovely puzzle with the right level of challenge to keep me engaged. Thanks to Philistine and Eileen.

  18. I got bored with 2dn as it was the last one in after I came up with the vaguely possible (IMO anyway) “Crappers” based on eliot reversed (for no obvious reason) and TS making toilets.

  19. Re the “ss” debate yesterday Tony’s observation of the plural for bus is interesting and highlights that all our spelling is just a convention based on rules that are frequently broken. I grew up with the i before e except after c rule, only to discover a few years ago that there are more (English) words that break this “rule” than conform to it. Focus(s)ed still makes me think which way to go.

  20. Liked the puzzle, loved the blog.  I especially enjoyed IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME, once it was explained to me.

    Another tiny correction: in 7d ARE should be in all caps.

    Thanks, Philistine and Eileen.

  22. Thank you Philistine and Eileen.

    A most enjoyable puzzle, and with one of my favourite composers to boot.  Some super clues, but I needed help with  the parsing of several answers.  Favourite was that for IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME!

  23. WhiteKing @19 the rule is : I before e when the sound is e – far fewer exceptions when you add this bit to your version!

  24. Thanks to Philistine and Eileen. Lots of fun. TIGER BALM was new to me and my LOI, though like others I took a while spotting TRIPLET.

  26. Thanks Philistine and Eileen (for ENDUSER and SPEAK OF THE DEVIL – the latter was LOI and got the “stare” for longer than was reasonable and I still didn’t see the reversal of “lived”: in fact I still don’t see the equivalence with “made it” – and IGNOMINY)

    PERSECUTE was a lol, and TRIPLETS was a nice nut to crack. Very enjoyable.

    I see that the BUSED/bussed argument continues on yesterday’s blog

     

  27. Thanks J Bolton@23 – the rule didn’t have the extra bit in my day (or at least in my school) and I’m inclined to think the extra was added when the fallacy of the initial rule was exposed when computers made it easy to evaluate it. Or that could just be me making stuff up to fit my theory.
    And now I see the full cleverness of IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME it has to take the cotd crown away from INCAN.

  28. One of Philistine’s better ones, full of wit and invention. Needed all of the crossers to see SPEAK OF THE DEVIL.

    Thanks to PhilistEileen

  29. Alphalpha @26 re 1dn: I think we perhaps see the expression more often in the negative, e.g. ‘Unfortunately, he didn’t make it’.

  30. Thanks to Philistine and Eileen. Not much to add to the above, lovely puzzle with lots of great clues. I have seen the wonderful 8d in another puzzle, but a while ago now. Tiger balm brought back fond memories of visiting Tiger Balm garden in Singapore many many years ago. Thanks again to Philistine and Eileen.

  31. I went through my Eliots and only got as far as George and TS. How was that going to help? I needed three. But I reasoned that TS might go at the end and then I saw what was happening. Wonderful! Just part of a top-notch puzzle.

  33. I’m blaming the beers during the football because I didn’t even come close today. However, reading the blog I can only admire most of the clues. Witty and clever. Excellent stuff. Like a Pickford penalty save!

    Thank you Eileen and Philistine – great work both.

  34. Thanks Philistine and Eileen

    Great fun! Laugh out loud at TRIPLETS (my FOI – honest!) and INCAN; PERSECUTE another favourite. A couple I didn’t parse – 1d and 27a. I was a bit uncomfortable with the surface of the latter, as it seems that there should be an apostrophe somewhere in “characters”.

  35. Keyser @33 his non-penalty save none too shabby either.Up yours, Courtois!

    Thanks to Phil and Eileen. I have to say I liked 9. Slight niggle over 2d probably cos everyone else is raving about it.

    There are at least three Eliots if you include Missy.(HELLOOOO!!!)

    The man from St Louis was pretty versatlile-from Murder in the Cathedral to Wasteland and Four quartets not to mention his best posthumous seller with music by ALW.

    Then there is Mary Ann Evans-what a novelist she was!

     

    What with Iliad, King Lear etc it was a bit cultural-or pseuds corner.

     

    nd the there is mary SA

  36. JBolton & WhiteKing:  Your chat about the “i before e except after c when the sound is ee” got me thinking.  I can think of a few exceptions which are names such as Keith, Sheila, & Neil; also some place names such as Leith, Keighley, & Raleigh; and then there’s codeine, protein, & caffeine.

    Any more?

  37. Quite a lot of fun, but took a while and dnf: didn’t know 12a, SMETANA and couldn’t parse or be bothered to consult lists. Also, less excusably, failed to get 13,25 OVERWORK.

    I never bothered to fully parse 10a, FIRST PERSON SINGULAR, but suspected “me” as def from the beginning and once the crossers suggested SINGULAR just wrote it in.

    In 11a, AMPUTEE there’s no indicator, is there?

    I thought14a, DOWN AT HEEL was delightful

    24 LAWSUIT is not quite a CD, is it? More of a definition embedded within a whimsical definition. I got it quite quickly, but kept an eye on it in case it wasn’t right.

    @Whiteking, thanks for highlighting my BUS comment, which took a while to write but probably came too late for many to notice. (I didn’t do that puzzle, actually. Was looking for this post whih wasn’t up yet, so read that instead).

  38. Another excellent puzzle. I got started on the right-hand side and enjoyed those super clues to IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME and FIRST PERSON SINGULAR.
    As for the rest, it’s all been said.
    Thanks to Philistine and Eileen.

  40. LOI TRIPLETS snap and it took a long time to see 1dn. This was clever but I found the puzzle difficult. I only had LEFT on the first pass but then the NE yielded and then FIRST PERSON SINGULAR leaped out at me and I was away. I liked INCAN.
    Thanks Philistine.
    P.S. I found myself getting into the football last night. Extraordinary!!!

  41. Great fun.  My favorites included PERSECUTE, AU REVOIR, EXCITE, and my co-CotDs, TRIPLETS and IT’S ALL GREEK TO ME.  The rest of them were good also!

    William @36:  Weird.  (But not Eileen!)

    Many thanks to Philistine and Eileen and the other commenters.  To my fellow US solvers, Happy Fourth.

  43. JBolton @23

    I before E except after C

    Or when sounded like A as in “neighbor” and “weigh”.

  44. William @ 36

    seize, inveigle, {w}{sl}{h}eight{y}{een}, sleigh, abseil, ageing, albeit, atheist, deign, foreign, geisha, pein, neigh, vein…should I go on?

  45. Simon S @44

    [Maybe not, but I posted a comment on the General Discussion page earlier today about the ‘-s-‘ vs. ‘-ss-‘ spellings of words like BUSES and BUSSED, on which a mini-discussion got going on yesterday’s Tramp blog and continued (and broadened) here.]

  46. Simon S @44 – you’re reinforcing (!) the point being made – the vowel sound isn’t “ee” in any of those examples.

  47. TRIPLETS irritated me. Clever construction but “Eliot, Eliot, Eliot” is a triplet (singular) NOT triplets (plural) – unless I’m missing something. Most unlike Philestine to be so careless – or was there another reason? So what for others was a favourite clue was, for me, rather a shame.
    The rest of the puzzle was simply delightful with 1dn my favourite – nice definition!
    Many thanks, both and all.

  49. Brilliant! Thanks for that, Eileen, and taking the trouble to enlighten my dimness. Perhaps I should have had more faith in my admiration for Philestine – he never gets it wrong – and thought harder. It happened to be my last one in which may have something to do with it. Had I encountered this clue in those uncivilized days before the Creation of fifteensquared and my own religious conversion I might have concluded, wrongly, that the weakness
    was the setter’s not mine. By dint of a kind apostle I am now genuinely gladdened that the fantastic Philestine can remain an untarnished hero – a “top favourite”!

    (I don’t know if you’ll be watching the football tomorrow – though I imagine you will if you can. I’m not much of a footy fan usually but already feeling quite excited – though not without a twinge of foreboding!)

  50. Well, I might switch over from time to time, to see how they’re doing, while the tennis players are changing ends. 😉

  51. (Mind you, they’d have to be from different families, not necessarily born at the same time, or else how could they be told apart? Their poor parent(s) would at best be neurotic. And as for the triplets themselves – would they have any sense of self? Would they become serial killers? A profound clue indeed.)

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