Guardian 27,849 – Vulcan

by

Last time I blogged a Vulcan puzzle I commented that ” I can’t summon up much enthusiasm for his puzzles, with their mostly very straightforward clues mixed with some rather weak cryptic definitions”, and I’m afraid this one only serves to confirm that opinion. However, chacun à son goût and all that, and I know he has his fans (as I also said last time), and many people like an easy puzzle on Mondays. Thanks to Vulcan.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
1. SUDDEN DEATH Hated to move on to improvised way of settling match (6,5)
SUDDEN (improvised) + HATED. I’m not totally sure how sudden=improvised, but Chambers gives it
9. INROADS These incursions not cross-country? (7)
Cryptic definition
10. SHIPLAP Boards’ arrangement of vessel to drink (7)
SHIP (vessel) + LAP (to drink). Shiplap is a type of board used for cladding houses etc
11. VOLUNTEER One can’t be forced to work (9)
Cryptic definition
12. AMIGO A fighter’s old friend (5)
A + MIG (fighter plane) + O
13. RACK Could it make a lamb joint stretch? (4)
Double/cryptic definition, referring to the dish “rack of lamb” and the torture device
14. KNEE-LENGTH Such as would suit you down to the ground? Only half (4-6)
Cryptic definition
16. EQUALISING Evening game (10)
Cryptic definition of “making the game even”
19. WARM Conflict taking month to heat up (4)
WAR + M
20. VENOM A bit of love, no more malice (5)
Hidden in loVE NO More
21. UNWRITTEN Sort of rule you can’t look up? (9)
Cryptic definition
23. CREMATE Make a fuss about mass way to dispose of bodies (7)
M[ass] in CREATE (make a fuss), with a grammatical inaccuracy in the definition: a way to dispose of bodies would be “cremation” or “cremating”
24. EXCERPT It’s only a tiny bit of work (7)
Yet another CD, though surely an excerpt doesn’t have to be tiny
25. SWEETHEARTS Lovers share tweets when travelling (11)
(SHARE TWEETS)*
Down
1. SIR ALEC GUINNESS Cast assuring silence for leading actor (3,4,8)
(ASSURING SILENCE)*
2. DRAWN Pictured as tense (5)
Double definition
3. EASTERN From one direction, point to the back of the ship (7)
E (compass point) + ASTERN (to the back of a ship)
4. DESIREE Long for European girl (7)
DESIRE + E
5. AGITATED Worried by area — see it secured all round (8)
A[rea] + IT in GATED
6. HOLDING PATTERNS They have you going in circles around the airport (7,8)
Cryptic definition
7. SILVER SERVICE Cutlery and a set of plates one may have at a banquet (6,7)
SILVER (cutlery) + SERVICE (set of plates, as in tea service)
8. UP TO THE MINUTE The latest is the responsibility of very small people (2,2,3,6)
UP TO (the responsibility of) + THE MINUTE (very small people)
15. PLUM CAKE Something for tea brought by pack mule (4,4)
(PACK MULE)*
17. SOUREST Most peevish, so you say ‘relax’ (7)
SO + U (“you”) + REST (relax)
18. NOWHERE Two presents can’t be found? (7)
NOW + HERE (two kinds of “present”)
22. INCUR Be liable for where a dog’s dinner’s gone? (5)
The dog’s dinner is IN [the] CUR

46 comments on “Guardian 27,849 – Vulcan”

  1. Thanks Vulcan and Andrew

    I’m afraid that I found some of this rather irritating, not helped by having DINNER SERVICE at 7d until I couldn’t find anything for 11a. I don’t think VOLUNTEER works as a cryptic defintition. You don’t drive INROADS, but on them. EQUALISING is feeble. AGITATED is a guess then parse (gated for secured?).

    I did like SIR ALEC GUINNESS and NOWHERE.

  2. I found this took me longer than usual for Vulcan, but otherwise concur with Andrew and muffin.

     

    Thanks Andrew and Vulcan

  4. Not quite a write-in this. First in was nowhere, after guessing that 16a might end in ing, so hardly a fast start but then it all did unravel pretty well. Refrained from dinner service, thinking no, too straight even for Monday, and then volunteer gave the silver. Shiplap took a minute or two, despite having done a bit of building with it in the past. Wouldn’t mind a bit more chewiness but no I don’t seem to get irritated, all part of the week’s fun and besides one can always try the genius (finished June’s, first time, yay!) Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.

  5. Took me a while to find a starting place (“warm” then “venom”) but things flowed quickly from there. I really liked “shiplap” (which is alas not accurately defined as it is not an arrangement of boards, just the boards themselves – I suppose the setter thought it referred to the way boards are joined), “nowhere” and “up to the minute”, but again do not like the emphasis on cryptic definitions which are weak enough that one stares at them thinking “I suppose it has to be that but I’d need a couple of crossers to be sure”. “unwritten” and “inroads” worked well – once seen they were clearly the answer, but “excerpt” (I really cannot parse it as other than a PD or Poor Definition) and “equalising” were at the other end of the CD spectrum.

    A bit of fun for a Monday morning, however – thank you Vulcan as there was a decent amount of wit and novelty here, and thanks andrew for the blog.

  6. I had WESTERN in 3d for a while. W from point, E from thE, plus STERN, but of course BACK would be doing double duty.

  8. thezed @ 5 I read ‘arrangement’ as part of the wordplay rather than definition (but it works fine as blogged – shiplap can mean the board, the method or the resulting surface).

    Not a fan of the easy Monday ‘policy’ myself and there is lots not to like in this but it doesn’t irritate me, Vulcan does write some very good clues and on the assumption that they are a fledgling setter there is hope for the future.

    Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew.

    p.s. Are they a he? I wondered if Vulcan (yes) was a clue to a female setter.

  10. Can’t remember the setter but I remember Alec Guinness once being clued as an anagram of “genuine class” which I thought was rather fitting. Tramp maybe?

  11. thezed@5: I didn’t know SHIPLAP but Chambers defines it as “An arrangement of boards or plates, used esp. on a ship’s hull, …”

    I don’t see SILVER SERVICE as being cryptic, but maybe that’s just me.

  12. My favourite was UP TO THE MINUTE.

    The surface for 23a – Make a fuss about mass way to dispose of bodies – made me feel uncomfortable because it brought to mind Auschwitz and other extermination camps.

    SHIPLAP was a new word for me.

    Thanks B&S.

  13. Monday Rufus-style puzzle; as I’ve said before I don’t much like all the CDs where one is never sure if the answer is correct until many crossers are in.

    I did like INCUR, UP TO THE MINUTE and the anagram for SIR A G. I didn’t much like ‘brought by’ as an anagrind if that is what was intended.

    Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.

  14. All a bit dry for my taste, I’m afraid, with a solitary tick at NOWHERE.

    Mostly comprised of the weird (SUDDEN DEATH, INROADS, etc) the barely cryptic (UNWRITTEN, SILVER SERVICE, HOLDING PATTERNS, VOLUNTEER etc) and the glaring (SWEETHEARTS, CREMATE, etc)

    Sorry to be negative but a bit of feedback of this sort might help the setter to improve.

    Nice week, all.

  15. I ended with three ticks SWEETHEARTS for the surface, AGITATED (secured seems ok for GATED to me – as in a gated community) and the whimsical NOWHERE. A surplus of CDs doesn’t make for a satisfying puzzle for me, but it seems the tradition on a Monday. Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew.

  16. Hi WhiteKing

    I wasn’t suggesting that “gated” was wrong for “secured”. It’s more than it would be a long way down the list of words suggested by “secured”, so making a “bottom-up” solution unlikely.

  17. Hmm, didn’t pick up on the implication of mass in relation to cremation, michelle; disturbing indeed.

  18. Robi@13 has said pretty much everything I was going to say. I’ll just add my thanks to Vulcan and Andrew.

  19. Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew. I seemed to find this a bit more difficult than most. I think with CDs and DDs you either see them or you do not, and in some instances I just could not see them. I finished but 6d was a complete guess based on letter patterns. A little heavy on CDs for me, but still enjoyed the challenge. Thanks again to Vulcan and Andrew.

  22. I think this might be a fine puzzle for newbie solvers. The difference between Cryptic Definition clues and the standard Definition+Indication is that the latter require some work, while with the former it all depends on how you read it. Seasoned solvers have had their (our) neural parsing circuits corrupted to the point that getting the cryptic reading can be as natural as the alternative.

    Thanks.

  23. I’m off to buy another broadsheet in the hope of finding a more challenging puzzle. I liked NOWHERE, but no doubt that’s been done before.

     

  26. BTW was anyone else thinking this was shaping up to be a pangram? After “excerpts” went in and I saw there were other odd letters, I went looking for a Q before the U crosser which pointed me to “equalising”. Right answer wrong method!

  27. I don’t normally struggle with Vulcan, but it did take me too long to consider SHIPLAP a plausible enough word to look-up, even though the wordplay is clear!

    Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew

  28. I don’t think this was at all Rufus-like. Rufus set much better puzzles than this. I found this quite difficult to get into and I’m not sure it was worth the effort. SILVER SERVICE and EQUALISING were very weak. HOLDING PATTERNS was a guess from the crossers and SHIPLAP was a half decent clue but I still had to look it up.
    I did like UP TO THE MINUTE though.
    Overall,rather disappointing.

  29. As is often the case, I found most people’s critical comments a bit much. This is a free crossword produced by a (possibly) fledgling setter. I can see the value of offering constructive criticism (e.g. where the clue does not work for some reason) but the snarky asides are uncalled for. And if this setter irritates you, take your cross words elsewhere!

     

  31. Quick and mostly forgettable though SHIPLAP was new. A couple of the long down clues weren’t that cryptic, but I liked the ALEC GUINNESS anagram and SOUREST. Thanks to both

  32. Shotclog @29 – also the suggestions that Vulcan needs to up their game as a setter because the clues were too easy. They are clearly setting to a brief of approachability.  I think that it is a treat that someone is trying to fill the hole left by Rufus.  Lots of lovely CDs and barely cryptics.

  33. I agree completely with Shotclog@29 and Van Winkle@32. I have a friend who wants to start doing cryptics, so I’ve pointed him at the Everyman and the Guardian Monday; we’ve all got to start somewhere

    And the Monday puzzle provides me with my weekly “can I get it done before Gatwick?” challenge on the way home to Brighton. Today I did, btw.

  34. The Quiptic, published online on Mondays, is aimed at “beginners, and those in a hurry”. It’s often more fun than the Monday Cryptic. Today’s is a wonderful example.

  36. Have to agree with Muffin @34. The Quiptic was very good. Not so impressed with this one as there were too many rather poor cd clues.

  39. Thanks to Andrew and Vulcan

    7d is cryptic in the sense:

    Cutlery + set of plates  = method of waiting employed at some banquets (meal components delivered over the left shoulder of the diner) – SILVER SERVICE.

    I thought a couple of the CDs quite tidy, but 14a I can’t really fathom.

  40. beery hiker @28 — neither have I, but I really needed some extra storage space.  Learning the word shiplap made it all seem worthwhile.

  42. Shotclog @29
    As is often the case, I found most people’s critical comments a bit much. This is a free crossword produced by a (possibly) fledgling setter.

    This is of course utter codswallop. The Guardian are not kindly giving us a “free” service. They refuse to offer a crossword subscription (I have asked many times). This is almost certainly because they make many times more than they could charge for a subscription from the advertising revenue they make from the annoying puzzle ads.

    Also the poor “fledgling” setters are putting their work in the public domain so should expect to receive all sorts of criticism. They also get a fee! It is they who should decide to “go elsewhere” if the fee is not sufficient or they can’t take the flak. There are plenty would be setters waiting for their chance to get their efforts into a daily paper.

  43. Sad to see so many grumbling about Vulcan’s puzzles. I’m always pleased to see his name come up. An almost full grid is something of a confidence boost for those of us who might only get half a dozen answers when (for example) Vlad is setting the clues.

  44. Alex @ 42

    Sorry, I’m not sure I see your point. I suggest that the crossword is provided free and you say that’s codswallop because the Guardian refuse to make you pay for it. Still, I’m a bit slow.

    And I’ve nothing against constructive criticism, as I believe I said. It’s the petty sniping I was talking about. The fact that someone gets a fee does not mean that this sort of behaviour is ok, at least by my standards. But I’m very old fashioned about these things.

  45. Alex @42 I’m sorry I have to agree with short clog ( or is it Sean snook?) sometimes the petty sniping is a bit over the top. I remember recently where one setter publicly said that he would not come back here for the same reason. I think everybody should keep their comments confined to constructive criticism.

    Lloydus @33 For beginners I have found the Chambers online crossword to be very good.

  46. Roberto@45

    It’s Shotclog actually. I posted from someone else’s computer last night and forgot to sign in/anonymise the other person. Which only proves how old-fashioned I am.

Comments are closed.