Guardian 27,601 – Picaroon

by

To paraphrase Dr Johnson, when a solver is tired of Picaroon’s puzzles, he is tired of life; and here is another fine example of the genre. I can’t see a theme in this one, but Picaroon does sometimes do them, so I may well have missed something.. Many thanks to Picaroon (and apologies for the later-than-usual appearance of this blog).

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. ANGINA After a liaison’s end, woman’s heartache (6)
A + [liaiso]N + GINA
4. PILLAGER Person stealing beer wants second drink (8)
PILS less (“wanting”) S + LAGER
9. BISECT Split from sexually open-minded faction (6)
BI[-sexual] SECT
10. SCREW TOP Feature of some wines, eight swallowed in bar (5,3)
CREW (as in a rowing eight) in STOP (to bar)
11. TOILET-TRAINING Tot learning it, one getting potty? (6-8)
Anagram of TOT LEARNING IT + I (one), &lit
13. SKYSCRAPER Great structure broadcaster’s right to include in romp (10)
SKY’S (Sky TV etc) + R in CAPER
14. AGRA Mogul’s capital of precious metal with Russia’s banks (4)
AG (silver, precious metal) + R[ussi]A. Agra (formerly Akbarabād) was capital of the Mogul (or Mughal) empire for various periods in the 16th and 17th centuries
16. ABET Assist with half of letters? (4)
Half of alphABET
18. STRATEGIST One like Napoleon artist gets to pose (10)
(ARTIST GETS)*
21. THE GREAT ESCAPE Danger’s kept for one key war yarn (3,5,6)
E.G. (“for one”) in THREAT + ESCAPE (key on computer keyboard)
23. LITIGATE Sue‘s books, one with a scandalous ending (8)
LIT. (literature, books) + I + GATE (all-purpose suffix for a scandal, from Watergate)
24. TAKE TO Like film-maker’s second try to knock out western (4,2)
TAKE TWO less W, with a nicely inconspicuous definition
25. CHANCERY Why outspoken opportunist’s put before court (8)
CHANCER + Y (homophone of “why”)
26. STASIS Way a family member shows inactivity (6)
ST + A SIS[ter]
Down
1. ABBA Group‘s chiastic rhyme scheme (4)
Double definition. Chiastic means “like a cross” (from the Greek letter chi), and its noun form chiasmus can mean the ABBA rhyme scheme (though I would have thought it would be more logical for it to mean ABAB)
2. GASCONY Rabbit seen twice somewhere in France (7)
GAS (slang for “talk”, as is “rabbit”) + CONY (an actual live rabbit)
3. NECKLACE Drink to fortify for embellish­ment (8)
NECK (to drink) + LACE (fortify, e.g. a drink)
5. INCARCERATE Mostly tinned pulp caterer put away (11)
IN CA[n] (most of “tinned”) + CATERER*
6. LIEBIG False information by great German chemist (6)
LIE + BIG. Perhaps not the best-known of names, but Liebig is know as the founder of organic chemistry, among other achievements, and the clueing is clear
7. G-STRING Motioning to leave EU? This is very revealing (1-6)
GESTURING less E and U
8. REPUGNANT Awful ruling blocked by leading revolutionary (9)
Reverse of UP (leading) in REGNANT (ruling)
12. TOASTMASTER MC Hammer set to star without old lady (11)
MA (mother, old lady) in (SET TO STAR)*
13. SMART ALEC Poseur swots up about literary work (5,4)
TALE in reverse of CRAMS
15. PENCHANT Liking what a songwriter may do (8)
The songwriter may PEN a CHANT
17. ELECTRA 20 lady‘s plump for a queen giving a twirl (7)
ELECT (to plump for) + reverse of (A R)
19. IMPRESS Wow! Current ruler drops ecstasy (7)
I (symbol for electric current) + [E]MPRESS
20. TRAGIC Mail penned by jerk is depressing (6)
RAG (newspaper, e.g. the Daily Mail – other rags are available) in TIC (an involuntary jerk)
22. MOSS M&S clothing very large for fashion star (4)
OS (very large) in MS, giving the model Kate Moss

32 comments on “Guardian 27,601 – Picaroon”

  1. As Andrew says, once again Picaroon does not disappoint the solver, apart from the fact that this was one of his friendlier crosswords, so over far too soon

    Thanks to him for the fun and Andrew for the review

  2. Thanks Picaroon and Andrew

    I found this hard, and not as much fun as usual (sorry Andrew!) I didn’t see GAS in GASCONY, or parse TAKE TO and REPUGNANT at all.

    Favourite was TOILET-TRAINING.

    Misprint in 21a, Andrew – e.g., not e.e.

  3. Thank you Andrew, I wasn’t so sure of how easy this was myself; after a swift start, I slowed right down and the NW corner held me up for so long, I thought I’d have to give up for the first time in many months. Couldn’t parse REPUGNANT at 8, and 1a took me ages. Qualified thanks to Picaroon for an impressive challenge!

  5. Yep, I am in the harder Picaroon camp, so am with muffin and Bullhassocks.

    Parsing REPUGNANT defeated me too. I was chuffed to spot  A TO M for 16ac, though it clearly did not fit ASSIST.

     

    Thanks Andrew and Picaroon

  6. Thanks Andrew for a good blog and the parsing of REPUGNANT – seems like it was tricky for others also.

    Thanks Picaroon for a sparkling crossword. I particularly enjoyed G-STRING (but then, I’m a man!)

  7. Thanks, Andrew.

    What copmus said! For once, I disagree with crypticsue [second part, that is] as I found this harder than usual, although I was never completely stuck.

    Terrific clues, as always – particular favourites today: TOILET TRAINING, LITIGATE, TAKE TO, CHANCERY, G-STRING, TOASTMASTER and MOSS [small but perfectly formed].

    Many thanks, Picaroon – most enjoyable.

  8. Andrew my Collins gives chiasmus as revesal of order: “He came in triumph, in defeat he departs”, which fits with Abba. I knew optic chiasma (where some nerve fibres cross), so it was a hint.

    Fairly steady solve for a Pic, though the SW held me up a bit; took ages to gestalt the movie and didn’t have all crossers. Jerk evokes pic first up, but the Mail was a nice misdirect, although it is indeed the rag of rags.

    Tons of class among the clues; favourites 4, 11, 26a, and 2, 5, 7, 15d, the latter being Xmas crackerish and the more fun for it. And ditto the bovver boyishness of ‘neck’ for drink in 3d.

    Most enjoyable, thanks Picaroon and Andrew

  9. I have to confess I was stumped by most of this. REPUGNANT is, now that it’s been parsed for me, brilliant. So is G-STRING, but I couldn’t get the leap from motioning to gesturing so I suppose I’d better go and join the kids at our next-door kindergarten. Even so, thanks to Picaroon and Andrew.

  10. Thanks to Picaroon and Andrew. Challenging but enjoyable. LIEBIG was new to me (but gettable from the clues), and I needed help parsing G-STRING (though I did work out REPUGNANT).

  11. Found it hard. Did not finish. Couldn’t see 24a TAKE TO. Was sure it was the name of a Western film. I had similar parsing troubles as others, and also similar favourites to some solvers. Would say more but just typed in a more detailed post and lost the lot. Not the site, gaufrid, but in this case our internet (the dreaded Australian NBN!).
    Thanks to Picaroon, Andrew and other posters.

  13. Thanks Andrew for enlightening me on several of Picaroon’s brilliant clues, which I’d simply biffed without seeing how to parse. COD to 11ac.

  14. Ticks from beginning to end for the lovely concise and misleading clues. Like JinA (sorry about your internet woes – I’d have liked to read your original post) I couldn’t think of a western film for 24 so I too dnf.
    I’ll single out GASCONY as my cotd as it took ages for the p to d. What do Pasquale and Sil make of Picaroon using “for” in 3d?
    Thanks to Picaroon for providing the entertainment during another appointment wait and to Andrew for the blog now I’m back home.

  15. Thank you, Andrew.

    I’m in the “not so easy” camp although got there in the end if you’ll forgive a failure to parse ABET properly.  Couldn’t help thinking of atom which does not fit the def but is half of the alphabet.

    Favourites the same as Eileen but would add ABET now that I see the gag.

    Most enjoyable, as always with The Pirate.

    Nice week, all.

     

  18. Thanks to Picaroon and Andrew. I am another in the tough camp. Generally found it a slow grind with a few not fully parsed (e.g. repugnant). Thought I had finished it, but no, a DNF for me because I put Liedig for 6d (turns out he was a military German officer). Still it was an enjoyable challenge and favourites were g string and screw top. Thanks again to Picaroon and Andrew.

  19. The first time most students meet LIEBIG is via his eponymous condenser. LOI was ELECTRA, but only because I got hung up on TRAGIC. Needed help with a couple of parsings.

    COD for me was MOSS: small but perfectly formed!

    Thanks to Picaroon and to Andrew.

  20. Far too tough for me so didn’t finish but pleased I got 11a which was a brilliant clue. The blog was a great help, showing the workings of some excellent clues. I’ve never seen CONY without an E so that’s one to remember. The only thing that jarred a little was Poseur = SMART ALEC. No doubt it’s in Collins but they really aren’t the same thing at all (in my humble opinion).

    Thanks to Picaroon and to Andrew.

  21. Managed to finish this one, and even (just about!) parsed everything. The best sort of crossword – seemed initially impenetrable but once you get stuck in…
    And a big thank you to everyone involved with this blog.
    Started doing these crosswords again about a month ago after many years’ abstinence, and was very rusty! These blogs were invaluable to discover all the various shorthand and abbreviations etc typically used by the setters – some of which I’d forgotten, others I never knew. Now got to the stage where I can often finish them without having to resort to the reveal button 🙂
    Thanks again!

  22. Another lovely puzzle – all of the trademark wit and ingenuity. Took me a while to think of SMART ALEC because I was reading the clue the wrong way round. LIEBIG was new to me but easy enough to look up and confirm.

    Thanks to Picaroon and Andrew

  23. SW corner was troublesome for me. Spent far too long trying to work out how ATOM could mean assist. Illustrates my inability to move on from the obviously wrong and rethink.

    ELECTRA put me in mind of the wonderful Kristin Scott Thomas in the title role at the New Vic a couple of years ago.

  24. Thanks both,

    One of those satisfying ones that I had to keep coming back to and getting a few clues until getting stuck again. The ingenuity of the parsings was stunning, 8,13 and 21 being cases in point.

  25. Escape isn’t a computer key, it’s ESC. And I don’t equate “depressing” .with TRAGIC. And STRATEGIST wouldn’t be the first word to spring to my mind first when describing Napoleon. So they were some of the last in.

  26. Took me some time to get into this and I only had AGRA at the first pass. This did give me G STRING which took ages to parse even though it had to be right. It got easier but I thought this quite a toughie. I did like TAKE TO but it was LOI. I also liked PILLAGER and SCREWTOP.
    Thanks Picaroon

  28. Enjoyed this and managed to finish with only a minimum of electronic help. Thanks to Picaroon and Andrew. I’m surprised nobody else has mentioned that ‘screw top’ is a feature of some bottles rather than some wine.

  29. Cracking crossword which I finished quite quickly after grinding to a halt earlier in the week with much “easier” puzzles, a reminder that this is not a science. 8 & 25 my favourites.

  30. Again writing from the US and again enjoyed it, tho a little trickier than others this week (naturally). Really did like PENCHANT 🙂

  31. I’m relieved to see that other people found this at least somewhat difficult. I made very slow progress, and I had to cheat a bit at the end, but I agree that one clue after another was brilliantly constructed.

  32. Thanks Andrew. I did enjoy your first sentence – with which I concur.
    I particularly liked PENCHANT and the wordplay for TRAGIC evoked a gentle “hear hear”!
    Many thanks to Picaroon

Comments are closed.