I’ll be interested to see if other people found this as tough as we did! It’s one of those ones where looking back I’m not sure why it was quite so hard, but it’s probably just a mix of things – missing general knowledge (e.g. the botanical term), well hidden definitions and getting stuck on the wrong parsing in several cases. Anyway, some brilliant clues here (1 across, 3d and 17d in in particular for me) – thank-you, Paul!
Across
1, 18. Duplicitous as in political sphere, also phoniest allies, pair struggling to maintain conceit, primarily? (7,12)
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
A remarkable &lit. – there are two anagrams that could get you to the answer here: (AS IN POLITICAL SPHERE)*, or alternatively (PHONIEST ALLIES PAIR)* around C[onceit] = “conceit, primarily”
Definition: The whole clue (referring to Theresa May and Donald Trump meeting this week, representing the UK and USA)
9. Somewhere in Asia, hotel’s neighbour? (5)
INDIA
In the NATO phonetic alphabet, “hotel” for H is the “neighbour” of INDIA for I.
Definition: “Somewhere in Asia”
10. Sadly, the traditions of US apartments? (3,6)
CON DOLORE
CONDO LORE (condo is short for “condominium”) might be “the traditions of US apartments?”
Definition: “Sadly” – a musical term you might see in sheet music
11. Where Jack accommodated divine liturgy easily, initially (10)
FORECASTLE
FORECAST = “divine” + L[iturgy] E[asily] = “liturgy easily initially”
Definition: “Where Jack accommodated” – the FORECASTLE is where sailors’ living quarters were, apparently. I find the phrasing of this definition a bit ungrammatical, I’m afraid.
14. One performing delicate work drops into flower (5,7)
BRAIN SURGEON
RAINS = “drops” inside BURGEON = “flower”
Definition: “One performing delicate work”
21, 5. Wearing tie, figure carrying small black jumper (4,7)
DICK FOSBURY
FOUR = “figure” around S = “small” + B = “black” all in DICKY = “tie” (although isn’t a DICKY a shirt front? And it’s a “dicky bow” that’s a tie? I’m sure someone who actually knows about these things will explain…)
Definition: “jumper”
22. Man after hit story that’s hot (10)
BONKBUSTER
BUSTER = “Man” after BONK = “hit”
Definition: “story that’s hot”
25. Save some nice old works (9)
ECONOMISE
(SOME NICE O)* (the O is from O = “old”)
Definition: “Save”
26. Not exactly a spell (5)
ABOUT
A + BOUT = “spell” (as in a period of time)
Definition: “Not exactly”
27. Stalk headless monster in bar (7)
PETIOLE
POLE = “bar” around [y]ETI = “headless monster”
Definition: “Stalk”
28. Bird for Trump? (7)
TWEETER
Double definition: Birds tweet, so one might be a “tweeter” – and the wholly reprehensible President Trump makes frequent use of Twitter for his mendacious bluster – to send a message on Twitter is “to tweet”, so he’s also a “tweeter”
Down
1. Superior numbers ultimately high, one senses? (6)
SNIFFY
[number]S = “numbers ultimately” + NIFFY = “high, one senses?” – something that’s high (rotten) smells bad
Definition: “Superior”
2. Suffer demise, nation lacking leadership getting comeuppance (6)
ENDURE
END = “demise” followed by [p]ERU (“nation lacking leadership”) reversed
Definition: “Suffer”
3. Where beer may be found to contain copper? Wrong (10)
INACCURATE
Nice clue: IN A CRATE = “Where beer may be found” around CU = “copper” (its chemical symbol)
Definition: “Wrong”
5. Last two standing in a line wearing boxers? (9)
FINALISTS
FISTS = “boxers?” around IN + A + L = “line”
Definition: “Last two standing”
6, 4. Chelsea so poor, Oxford ties? (9)
SHOELACES
(CHELSEA SO)*
Definition: “Oxford ties?”, referring to Oxford shoes
7. Closed one end up high (8)
UNOPENED
(ONE END UP)*
Definition: “Closed”
8. Soft bowing (8)
YIELDING
Double definition: (read “bowing” as in “to bow to someone”, rather than the surface reading of bowing a string instrument)
13. Pictures I almost deleted, dead say (10)
ARTICULATE
ART = “Pictures” + I + CU[t] = “almost deleted” + LATE = “dead”
Definition: “say”
15. Compound where I’m being carried round on large animal (4,5)
IRON OXIDE
I RIDE = “I’m being carried” around ON + OX = “large animal”
Definition: “compound”
16. Find endless fruit covering lip (6,2)
DREDGE UP
DRUP[e] = “endless fruit” around EDGE = “lip”
Definition: “Find”
17. Save bags to have everything you need when power’s lost (8)
BLACKOUT
BUT = “save” (as in “they stole everything save/but the furniture”, say) around LACK 0 = “to have everything you need” – inclusion is indicated with “bags”
Definition: “when power’s lost”
19. No more time after half of air gone (2,4)
AT MOST
T = “time” after ATMOS[phere] = “half of air gone”
Definition: “No more”
20. Large hole where bottom caught, with fundament in fact squeezed up (6)
CRATER
A tricky one to parse: [fac]T = “fundament in fact” in REAR = “bottom” followed by C = “caught”, all reversed
Definition: “Large hole”
23. Toll cut, tax at first went down (5)
KNELT
KNEL[l] = “Toll cut” + T = “tax at first”
Definition: “went down”
24, 12. Creator claims to witness decay (2,2,4)
GO TO SEED
GOD = “created” around TO SEE = “to witness”
Definition: “decay”
Thanks mhl. Not easy I agree but entirely fair. I had to seek assistance with DICK FOSBURY (I share your reservation about DICKY) and with PETIOLE but got there after a bit of a struggle with the SE corner. BONKBUSTER was new to me but that’s probably something to do with a sheltered upbringing.
It’s condominion BTW.
Thanks to Paul and mhl. Very tough going for me. My first pass yielded only SHOE LACES, so I kept working away during the week. I did know Dick Fosbury and the flop and finally pieced out PETIOLE, but the combination of KNELT and BONKBUSTER defeated me.
Thanks mhl.The high jumper shouldn’t have been LOI as not long before he revolutionised the sport I was trying hard at it. Some cunning clues in this likeable puzzle, including 15 and 19D; but too foxy for me were 1 and 20D which, baffled, I biffed . Luckily the long anagram yielded with just one cross letter.
Hi mhl and other solvers, This was like the Paul during the week – I just can’t seem to connect with Paul at the moment. I found I was not very inspired by this one, which was so disappointing as Paul is a favourite setter. While BONKBUSTER at 22a raised a smile, I had very few ticks and several question marks, including a big WHA? against the clue for 1,18a – to me, a very convoluted surface indeed. I also asked myself whether 10a should have had an Italian reference. I had AT COST for 19d (“no more” seemed to fit but I couldn’t parse the rest – it was a biffed in LOI just to finish…) so it was really a DNF for me. I also had to look up the high jumper (DICK FOSBURY) at 21,5a, as well as the stalk (PETIOLE) at 27a, Biggle A@1. 20d CRATER took ages and again felt like an overly-contrived clue.
I did like 9a INDIA and 14a BRAIN SURGEON.
Overall I was underwhelmed by the puzzle and my performance on it. Sorry to sound so negative… sometimes it’s just the mood I am in when I tackle a puzzle. Thanks just the same to Paul, mhl and other participants.
[Sorry, BiggleS A]
Having never heard of BONKBUSTER, I entered SOCKPUPPET (sock=hit, puppet=man), which I thought might loosely describe a fake persona or “hot story”. As a result I failed on 19 and 20 … my first DNF in quite some time. Thanks to Mhl for parsing what I found to be a very difficult Paul.
1a is an amazing clue
Thanks Paul and mhl
I was held up for ages on CON DOLORE, which I think should have had some foreign language (or at least musical) indication.. Favourites were INACCURATE and SHOELACES.
Timon and I also found this hard, and we never did parse CRATER satisfactorily, so thanks for sorting that one out.
Chambers has this as one definition for “dicky”: “(also dicky bow) a bow tie”.
I also agree about SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP.
Thanks mhl. PETIOLE was new to me, though later the same day, I was trying to identify a flower, and came across that very word in the description. Never say crosswords don’t learn you nowt!
Thanks both,
Bonkbuster. Of course. Now why didn’t I get that?
Thank you Paul and mhl.
A very enjoyable crossword, 1a was a super clue!
I seem to be able to get on to Paul’s wavelength now, that was not the case in the past where I found his puzzles harder to solve than those of other setters.
I had trouble with tie = DICKY, the Western Roll being still used when I was at school, I had not heard of the Fosbury Flop. Last ones in were ABOUT and YIELDING.
Thank you Paul and mhl. I always find Paul’s clues look nigh on impossible on first read-through but, equally, something always pops up. 6/4 & 28 in this instance the latter being a bit too obvious I thought. But I’m not often defeated and this did: 10 foxed me completely and I couldn’t shake Pugilists for 5dn even though I knew it couldn’t be right (and still not sure about the parsing). Thus Dick Fosbury got away too – I’m no sort of sports fan so I’m not sure I’d have got him in any case. Favourites were 13, 14 & 19 I reckon though it’s hard to choose.
Thought this was a meaty and enjoyable Prize which is good to see as some of his Prizes in the past have been a teeny bit watery.’So full marks
I’m finding Paul more difficult lately but he is rather a variable setter. He’s still a favourite though. I didn’t know DICK FOSBURY but fortunately Mrs PA did at least once the crossers went in. I didn’t know PETIOLE either but was able to find it easily enough. The one that foxed me most was-er-AT MOST. This last seems quite brilliant now but took me ages to get!
As for SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP,I got this straight away and,despite myself,I found I was feeling almost sorry for Theresa May!
Thanks Paul.
Ps I’m still struggling with yesterday’s Picaroon.
Thanks to Paul and mhl. Well I also found this very tough (I have just looked at my paper and I have written “this was a pig” at the side of the crossword). It took me an age to actually get going, and from then on it was a crawl through the rest. I could not parse crater (even though it had to be that) but managed to unpack the rest. Con dolore was last in and needed a dictionary check. I think I agree with mhl on the favourites and thanks again to you and Paul.
After reading Peter Aspinwall @15, I realised one of my last in was AT MOST, not ABOUT – I misremembered @12.
Yes, very tough mhl. It was a dnf for us as I gave up after a weekend of revisiting it – the SE corner being largely empty. Seeing BONKBUSTER (Mrs W did come up with BUSTER but I was unconvinced and we didn’t pursue it) meant I got KNELT and confirmed our unparsed CRATER before being defeated even with all the crossers by AT MOST.
PETIOLE was a nice TILT (or TILLW – Last Weekend) – I’m less convinced about the TILT value of 22a.
JinA – for once I have a different view from you – I thought 1a was a great clue as the surface worked so well with the solution and current events. It also helped that I felt I was making progress when I got it.
Thanks to Paul for keeping my feet on the ground, to mhl for sorting it out and other contributors for sharing their experience.
Thanks mhl and Paul,
yes this was tough going, even though I got SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP and DICK FOSBURY quite early (missed oppe to not team up FOSBURY with another clue leading to FLOP surely ?)
the SE corner was most challenging, I spotted CRATER of course, but the parsing eluded me until 30 seconds ago on seeing mhl’s lucid explanation. AT MOST was both easy (once solved) and difficult all at the same time and BONKBUSTER, a word I’ve known but never used was LOI, just before I fell asleep on Thurs, so too late to trouble the prize giving again. Not sure how well BONK works as a synonym for hit, and again surprised Paul didn’t take the opportunity to clue the reverse word, very much up his street.
Thanks again – for an entertaining puzzle and great explanations.
Thanks for the kind comments, everyone (and to Biggles A for spotting my typo in condominium, which I’ve fixed now!)
Thanks to both for puzzlement and erudition. Both applied here.
This took me longer than usual, but I did finish, as I started it in Singapore, continued in Melbourne and finished here at home in New Zealand. A real airline lounge crossword. Aren’t holidays wonderful?
My main problem, apart from parsing CRATER, was unthinkingly entering TWITTER for 27a which led to all sorts of contortions to try and get 13d but I couldn’t get an obscure Italian painter to fit. Eventually I gave up and actually reread the 27a clue, which helped enormously.
BONKBUSTER appeared when I remembered this is a Paul crossword so the odd risqué term should be hiding somewhere. All in all I enjoyed the challenge which I found anything but easy.
Quite tough and I was pleased to complete it after unravelling all the wordplay. Staggered by the brilliance of 1,18 of course.
I did look at _O__BUSTER for quite a while.
Luckily I knew the jumper as I also did a bit of high jump at school — at a time when the straddle had recently supplanted the western roll (@Cookie), and not long before Fosbury revolutionised the sport.
I know some Italian, so knew that CON DOLORE meant sadly without reference to sheet music, though I guessed that’s where it’s applied.
14 suggests Paul has so assimilated ‘flower’ as a river that he’s used it as such in the surface, which, when you think about it, is distinctly odd. Picnic by the flower on this gorgeous day, anyone?
… or maybe it’s an insect performing delicate work (14). Yes, that makes more sense.
Wholly unacceptable as is too often the case with Paul. Time for The Guardian to get rid of this imprecise setter.
Bonkbuster sounds like a desperately distant Americanism to me.
However, and I do love my however, it was a brilliant crossword.
Hands up, Baby – Hands up; if you love Paul and his ingenious and witty clues.
Thank you XXX