Guardian 27,698 – Crucible

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This felt like a bit of a write-in at first, but some meatier clues slowed me down after a while.

25D helpfully points out that puzzle has a THEME, summarised by 9d, PARTS OF SPEECH in various senses, with grammatical terms (DATIVE, ADVERBS), punctuation (QUOTES, SEMICOLON), phonetics (GLOTTIS, ENUNCIATE), and actual speeches (LECTURE, ADDRESS, ORATION). Perhaps PLATITUDES, BADINAGE and even TWEET also qualify as theme words, as does the “loud speaker” STENTOR; and of course SAMOAN and MAORI are languages, so altogether a remarkable feat of grid-filling. Thanks to Crucible.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. GLOTTIS It’s got to change to accommodate language, primarily (7)
L[anguage] in (IT’S GOT)*, &lit, as the glottis is involved in the production of speech
5. FAR EAST The Orient Express carried a lot of engineers (3,4)
A + R[oyal] E[ngineers] in FAST (express)
10. ACME Top expert brings in millions (4)
M in ACE (expert)
11. PLATITUDES Cook stipulated chestnuts (10)
STIPULATED*
12. QUOTES They usually enclose 9 estimates (6)
I think this is a triple definition – for the first, quotes = quotation marks enclose what they are quoting
13. TRUNCATE Cut short series about to be shown in gallery (8)
RUN (series) + C (circa, about) in TATE
14. SEMICOLON House officer working for Mark (9)
SEMI (house) + COL[onel] + ON (working)
16. MAORI Wander over island, one in NZ (5)
Reverse of ROAM + I
17. SOLVE Crack small fruit I pinched (5)
S OLIVE with the I removed or “pinched”
19. ESTATE CAR Transport people back out of condition (6,3)
STATE (condition) in reverse of RACE (people)
23. BADINAGE Not a good time to limit latest banter (8)
IN (latest, fashionable) in BAD AGE
24. DATIVE Musical director withdraws case (6)
Reverse of EVITA + D
26. RIGHT ON CUE Pat‘s blue uniform fitted in previously (5,2,3)
RIGHT (blue – colour of the Tory part) + U in ONCE
27. EBRO Spanish runner featuring in outside broadcast (4)
Hidden in outsidE BROadcast. The Ebro is a river in Spain
28. ANODYNE It soothes anyone at sea rounding Land’s End (7)
[Lan]D in ANYONE*
29. ASPERSE Criticise cast not taking sides, essentially (7)
AS (cASt without its “sides”) + PER SE (essentially)
Down
2. LECTURE The priest in Paris saves time for talk (7)
T in LE CURÉ
3. TWEET Send messages in tiny dry bottles (5)
WEE in (bottled by) TT (teetotal, dry)
4. IMPASTO This writer’s former old thick coat (7)
I’M (this writer is) + PAST (former) + O
6. ADIEUX Last words of two people hugging one? (6)
I in A DEUX (of two people)
7. ENUNCIATE Articulate English sister spies tortoiseshell (9)
E + NUN + CIA + TE (the “shell” of TortoisE)
8. STENTOR Support inserted in vessel or loudspeaker (7)
STENT (tube or support inserted into a blood vessel) + OR. Stentor is a loud-voiced character from Greek mythology, source of the adjective “stentorian”
9. PARTS OF SPEECH Eg articles a perfect shop’s displayed (5,2,6)
(A PERFECT SHOP’S)*
15. INVEIGHED Did rail overrun, as some may say? (9)
Homophone of “invade”)
18. ORATION Bill deserts love for 2 (7)
ADORATION (love) less AD (bill)
20. ADDRESS He abandons ornamental hat and tackle (7)
HEADDRESS less HE
21. ADVERBS They qualify subtly and accurately, maybe (7)
Adverbs qualify a verb, and “subtly” and “accurately” are examples, so it’s kind of a double definition
22. SAMOAN Polynesian bird once seen in clinic (6)
MOA (extinct bird) in SAN (clinic)
25. THEME This puzzle has one note around the edge (5)
HEM (edge) in TE (note, in sol-fa)

41 comments on “Guardian 27,698 – Crucible”

  2. This was indeed “a remarkable feat of grid-filling”. For once I actually spotted the theme quite quickly and really enjoyed the challenge of unearthing the examples of its various senses. 15d was my LOI, closely beaten by 17ac ironically – both very clever clues I thought.

    Many thanks to Crucible and Andrew.

  3. Thanks Crucible and Andrew

    The top went in quickly (though incorrectly – another unparsed ADIUES, though I wouldn’t have parsed ADIEUX either!), but the bottom, and particularly the SE, took ages. I didn’t parse RIGHT ON CUE or ASPERSE.

    Favourites were GLOTTIS, ENUNCIATE, STENTOR and ADDRESS.

    I did see a theme before getting THEME!

  5. I really enjoyed it – a great theme for wordsmiths like us! Many thanks to Crucible for the fun. All the layers of parts of speech were to be relished as the puzzle unfolded. So many ticks on my print-out!

    Technically a DNF though, as like Ilan Caron@1 and muffin@3, I had ADIEUS at 6d. Embarrassing as I have studied French (DEUX) and I also think it is the preferable plural. At least I did put a ? beside the clue, as I wasn’t able to parse it (obviously). I was very fond of 21d ADVERBS once I saw the device, but 25d THEME was my favourite of all!

    Thanks for a great blog, Andrew!

     

  6. Thanks for a great blog, Andrew and Crucible for another great puzzle.

    I really enjoyed the theme [and, thinking of Cicero and Demosthenes et al, would tentatively add INVEIGHED] and admired the clever exploitation of it.

    My favourites today, largely for the surfaces [though they were all good, as ever], were PLATITUDES, ANODYNE and ENUNCIATE.

    Now for Redshank in the FT – a double helping of Mr Anderson today, as an end-of-term treat. 😉

  7. As usual, I agree with Eileen. The best puzzle of the week, so far, for my taste.
    If I don’t post again before Tuesday, best wishes to all setters, bloggers and contributors for enriching my life throughout the year.

  8. Many thanks to Crucible, and Andrew for helping me to see things I had missed – most embarrassingly, 21d ADVERBS: it’s just too obvious… Love it!

    A wonderful puzzle, that left a warm glow that I hope will last me over Christmas.

  9. Thanks to Andrew and Crucible

    Technically a DNF for me as I parsed ASPERSE as ASPERSE(D) (cast as in sprinkled), “not taking SI(D)es essentially”, and looked no further. Surely I’m not alone!

    Excellent puzzle

  10. Dansar @9: You are not alone! Exactly my interpretation, though I think Andrew’s was probably the intended parsing. This was decidedly a Good Friday (sorry, wrong religious festival!) Thank you both, Crucible and Andrew.

  12. RH@11: Pat as an adjective, meaning ‘exactly correct’.

    I was another with unparsed ADIEUS; the whole puzzle was clever and enjoyable, and a rare example of a THEME (probably my cotd) that helped with solving.

    Thanks setter and blogger.

  13. RH@11 on ‘pat’: I had a Shakespeare line at the back of my mind, and have now located it in King Lear Act I Scene 2. Edmund begins to talk malevolently about half-brother Edgar, who appears, as if ‘right on cue’, just as his name is mentioned, prompting Edmund’s aside:

    And pat he comes like the catastrophe of the old comedy…

  14. Hi quenbarrow @13 – the one that always springs to my mind is Hamlet’s

    ‘Now might I do it pat, now he is praying …’ as he contemplates killing his uncle.

  15. Hung over – 11pm curry not a good idea – so late to the oche.

    This took some solving as I was excused grammar at school but was very satisfying in the end. Loads of really cleverly constructed clues of which my pick would be ANODYNE (to me usually prosaic or dull)and RIGHT ON CUE. Lovely quote from Quenbarrow for the latter

    Thanks to both. Back to bed!

  16. A great and enjoyable puzzle. The SE Corner was the hardest and 25d our last in and such a chuckle when we got it, since we noticed the theme very early on quite unusual for us. Too many lovely clues to list. Thanks Crucible and Andrew. Happy Xmas to all

  20. A perfect early Christmas present, thoughtfully chosen and beautifully wrapped! Loved the broad use of the theme, even slipping into a second language at 6d. Struggled with the lower half after a flying start and Ebro was new to me. But not a note out of place here,succinct blogging included. Thanks Crucible and Andrew.

  21. Thanks to quenbarrow & to Eileen – I was considering ‘Pat’ in the context of either ‘off pat’ e.g known, or recited off by heart, or in poker terms, ‘standing pat’, no wonder I couldn’t parse it!

  22. Thanks to Crucuible and Andrew. My experience similar to Andrew’s. Thought it was going to be a write in then ground to a halt in the SE. Eventually got most off it but failed on three, Samoan and stentor (no idea why) and another with adieus. That said needed to come here to clarify some parsing. A DNF then but still an enjoyable solve (liked that clue) as far as I got. Thanks again to Crucuible and Andrew.

  23. A very clever puzzle, which I found quite challenging, though cracking the theme about two thirds of the way through helped with the rest.

    Thanks to Crucible and Andrew

  24. Mercy
    Ever so close to finishing clear. But
    Robbed by a couple.
    Regrettably I slapped in the obvious for 6D
    You all now know it pluralises with an

    X
    Mea culpa.
    Adverbs – I’ve had a few
    Some might say – too few to mention

    The theme so
    Obvious. Yet

    Arcane to those without the learning
    Lots of thanks to Crucible for making it an enjoyable if extended
    Lunch

    (I should not attempt something like this after so many pints)

  25. I seem to remember learning at school (in the year dot) that adjectives are ‘qualified’ but adverbs are ‘modified’. Is this rubbish?

  26. 12a QUOTES  I thought you over there called quotation marks “inverted commas.”  And if it’s a triple definition, then quotes are parts of speech — but they aren’t.

    Eileen @14 A friend of mine takes Hamlet’s remark as proof that Hamlet had an Irish sidekick:  “Now might I do it, Pat ..”

    I never spotted the theme till I got to THEME.

    Thanks to Crucible for a fine puzzle and Andrew for a very helpful blog.

  27. Valentine @26

    QUOTES: not a part of speech in the gramatical sense, but I might quote Kennedy as saying Ich bin ein Berliner as a part of his speech (and I might put the quote in quotes).

  29. If any of you had also, totally by chance, solved as your first entries FAR EAST, MAORI, SAMOAN and then THEME, what would you have thought was going on?

  30. What a treat of a puzzle to wrap up the week!  Because I happened to start in the SE corner with EBRO, my third one in was THEME (“This ouzzle has one”) — a “yeehaw!!” moment (a “YHM”?  haha), for certain!  Not only was it a pleasure to later discover just what that theme was, and to see all of the inventive ways it was used, but also, this was one of those rare (for me, at least) days when I seemed to be right on the setter’s wavelength, or maybe just lucky, because even on some of the more convoluted clues, my first guesses at the wordplay and the solution seemed to be landing bang on the nose at a much higher success rate than usual.  In the end, however, ADIEUX stumped me, and I ended up going online to see a list of possible words for A_I_U_ before the lightbulb finally lit.  That little blip did not detract from what was, for me, a highly enjoyable solving experience.

    Many thanks to Crucible and Andrew and the other commenters.  Have a nice weekend (and Happy Christmas), all.

  31. [Off topic, but does anyone know the publication dates for next week? There doesn’t seem to be an easy way of finding it on the Guardian site. I’m assuming Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat?]

  32. [Me @31

    Stupid question – I just had to look at my tokens. It’s only Tuesday that’s missed out (though whether my paper shop will be open on Wednesday is a different question!)]

  33. Muffin – according to Wiki “National daily newspapers publish every day except Sundays and 25 December.”

    Isn’t it funny how we all forget when Christmas happens every year!

    Happy Christmas all

  34. Thank you both.

    Another one from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

    Pyramus: You will see it will fall pat as I told you: yonder she comes.

    Enter Thisbe.

  35. Another one who also wrote ADIEUS. Also had THERE at 25d, why didn’t l go through the alphabet for surely M it would be. Bar those two, got the rest. If this setter is Redshank, found this easier than his FT one.

  36. Thanks both,

    Anybody else waste time trying to fit in something about a postman in a blue uniform for 26A? There were some excellent clues but I struggled with the last few. ‘Ebro’ was brilliantly hidden.

  37. I realized there was a THEME before getting to 25dn but,having solved SEMICOLON, I was looking for Punctuation marks but then there was 9dn and the penny dropped. Couldn’t fully parse RIGHT ON CUE but I was almost there. I liked GLOTTIS.
    Thanks Crucible.

  38. Re 12: Nobody seems to have pointed out that the traditional use of quotes or”quotation marks” is, literally, to enclose words that are spoken: i.e. 9, parts of speech…

  39. Thank you, beermagnet@24.  I imagine that took a lot of effort (especially after a few pints) and I enjoyed it – particularly “adverbs – I’ve had a few.” Happy Holidays to everyone – thank you all for keeping my sanity during work days!  (well, I’m convinced that cryptics keep me sane, my staff might argue otherwise).

  40. Thanks to Crucible and Andrew. Great fun. To my surprise (given my limited French) I did get ADIEUX and knew STENTOR but took a while getting my LOI, GLOTTIS. Re the Irish Pat from Valentine @26, there are other such (supposed) names that crop up. My favorite remains the first name of Lady Macbeth which is revealed when her husband addresses her as “dearest chuck.”

  41. There is another element to 12 across not seemingly alluded to. The figure “9” resembles handwritten quotation marks  Thanks for a wonderful puzzle at this tine. And thanks to the blogger.

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