Guardian Cryptic 27,917 by Nutmeg

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An enjoyable puzzle with some very nice surfaces and cluing. Favourites were 14ac, 26ac, 3dn, 5dn, 16dn, and 20dn. Thanks to Nutmeg.

Across
1 PATCHY Inconsistent chap, extremely tidy but disorganised (6)
  (chap ty)*, where ty=extreme/outer letters of “tidy”
4 SCOLDS Shipboard complaint bringing reprimands (6)
  COLD=”complaint” inside/boarding SS=”Ship”
9 POLITICAL ASYLUM Might dissidents seek this erstwhile home for the loony left? (9,6)
  with a second cryptic definition referring to lunatic asylums
10 REVERE Priest leading prior to worship (6)
  REV (Reverend)=”Priest” + ERE=”prior to”
11 ARBORETA Wooded Gardens from retro artist sporting boater (8)
  RA (Royal Academician) reversed/”retro” + (boater)*
12 ON THE SLY Honestly uneasy in private (2,3,3)
  (Honestly)*
14 READER Contrarily, editor cutting back is one authors rely on (6)
  ED (editor) reversed/”Contrarily”; inside/”cutting” REAR=”back”
15 FLABBY Fine workplace basically unoccupied far from firm (6)
  F (Fine) + LAB=”workplace” + B[asicall]Y with occupants/inner letters removed
18 PRICE TAG Sign of damage? (5,3)
  cryptic definition, with “damage” as in ‘what’s the damage?’ meaning ‘what’s the cost?’
21 INDIANAN Statesman from Commonwealth country making an investment (8)
  =someone from the state of Indiana
INDIAN=”from Commonwealth country” around AN
22 NEPALI Asian from Eastern China stops returning home (6)
  E (Eastern) + PAL=mate=”China” plate in rhyming slang; inside IN=”home” reversed/”returning”
24 THE CHIPS ARE DOWN Reports of crisis and reduction at fast food outlet (3,5,3,4)
  with a second cryptic definition using the fast food meaning of ‘chips’
25 SPRIGS Small branches offering special outfits? (6)
  SP (special) + RIGS=”outfits”
26 ASCEND A second C to terminate scale (6)
  A + S (second) + C + END=”terminate”
Down
1 PHONE IN Imposter abruptly stopped trendy radio show (5-2)
  PHONE[y]=”Imposter” stopping before the final letter; plus IN=”trendy”
2 TRIBE Race of noble birth, some from the south (5)
  hidden/”some” reversed/”from the south” in noblE BIRTh
3 HEIRESS Passion-filled Nazi bigwig, one expected to succeed (7)
  IRE=”Passion” inside HESS=”Nazi bigwig” Rudolf Hess
5 CHAMBER Recognition of good work in cleaner part of house (7)
  MBE=”Recognition of good work” in CHAR=”cleaner”
6 LAYER CAKE Stick together after relay races for teatime refreshment? (5,4)
  CAKE=”Stick together” after (relay)*
7 SHUTTLE Linking service not trading regularly till end of June (7)
  SHUT=”not trading” + regular letters from TiLl + end of JunE
8 GALAXY Show axes stars (6)
  GALA=”Show” + X and Y “axes” on a graph
13 HYBRID CAR What cross driver gets into? (6,3)
  cryptic definition, “cross” meaning mixed or hybrid
16 LYNCHES Summarily dispatches taoiseach once peace process ends (7)
  Jack LYNCH=”taoiseach once” + the “ends” of peacE procesS
17 YANKING Five lost in navy rising, leader providing a tug (7)
  v, Roman numeral for “Five” is lost from a reversal/”rising” of NAvY; plus KING=”leader”
18 PUNISH Encourage guards in upping discipline (6)
  PUSH=”Encourage” around/guarding IN
19 INNARDS Finding a way to break into pubs shows guts (7)
  A + RD=road=”way”; inside INNS=”pubs”
20 ALLOWED Nobody was solvent, it’s conceded (7)
  ALL OWED=”Nobody was solvent”
23 PADRE Daughter coming in to shave father with force (5)
  a clergyman/”father” with the military/”force”
D (Daughter) in PARE=”shave”

35 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,917 by Nutmeg”

  1. Thanks Nutmeg and manehi

    A very sound puzzle – nothing wrong with it at all, but I didn’t find the joy in it that I often do with Nutmeg,

    Favourite was PRICE TAG.

  3. Absolutely whizzed through this, which isn’t usually the way with a Nutmeg puzzle. Though stalled right at the very last with the Hybrid Car…

  4. As often with the spice lady, not a single ? on my printout, all sweet, although on second thoughts Indianan is a bit erk and only fell after I got lazy and cheated by looking up a list of Irish PMs to get Lynch, a neat clue among many others. Hybrid took a while to drop, tho I have driven them. Ta Manehi and the ever enjoyable Nutmeg.

    Good luck to all at Old Trafford (not to mention Wesrminster!).

  7. Such wonderful surfaces. Looking back I can’t believe I struggled with any of the clues, which are so fair, but they still mislead and confused me for long enough to be a pleasure. Thank you Nutmeg for a very elegant and tidy puzzle.

    Looking at “profit margin” I see a number of other references to current politics – “political asylum”, “chamber” (of horrors?), “lynching” (of rebels), “tribe” (tribal politics), “on the sly” (how the current PM is acting?) and “the chips are down” – well they certainly were yesterday.

    Many thanks manehi for the clear blog.

  8. @Frankie the cat
    When we sport, we skip about or frolic happily. There is movement. So ‘I would accept ‘sporting’ as an anagram ind.

  9. Sorry FTC, I thought “sporting” as an anagram indicator excellent.
    Favourites were 15 & 18 across but the outright winner the beautifully simple 8 down.

    Thanks all

  10. Further to my Comment at 8, I might use ‘disporting’ but I might be accused of old-fashioned writing or showing off !

  11. I didn’t notice the PROFIT MARGINS – a nice extra. I finished the top half before completing the lower – there are only two squares connecting them.

    I have commented my aversion to many CDs in the past, but I thought Nutmeg’s were fine examples.

    I agree with gsolphotog@9 about 8d GALAXY.

     

    Thanks manehi and Nutmeg

  12. I enjoyed this but it seemed gentle for a Nutmeg and I can see where Muffin is coming from – when you are expecting excellence even the very good can underwhelm.

    A recent Guardian puzzle prompted me to look up US demonyms and for Indiana the options were Indianian, Indianer and Hoosier – although I’m sure Indianan is justified somewhere (it is Nutmeg after all)!

    16d reminded me that many years ago I was shown the site in Galway where the Mayor (called Lynch) had hung his own son from a tower when a mob tried to prevent his execution for murder. I was told that this was the origin of the term but it appears to just be coincidence – the term being attributed to an American some 300 years later.

    Thanks to Nutmeg and manehi.

  13. I am in the camp of finding this very enjoyable. I agree not at the difficult end of the Nutmeg spectrum, but still meaty enough to keep me occupied for a while. Last two were Indianan and lynches, and favourites were price tag and chamber. Thanks to Nutmeg and manehi.

    grantinfreo@4. I have tickets for Saturday, therefore it’s fingers crossed that it lasts that long and the weather stays reasonable.

  14. How does “political” work into the second definition in 9a?

    manehi, in 18d PUNISH it’s PUSH containing IN reversed (“upping”).

    grantinfreo @4 “Statesman” is an old gimmick for “resident of a particular state.”  Although there are states in Australia, Mexico and India, the state always seems to be in the US.  How about “state” for NSW in “kinswoman”?

  15. @Valentine 14 “Loony left” was a term for some of the more extreme factions in left-wing politics. Common in the 80s, probably still around. I think the phrase “the lunatics have taken over the asylum” is being referenced.

    Nice puzzle, tough one for me, but engaging. Cheers Nutmeg & manehi.

  16. Very enjoyable crossword.  I agree with others in admiring the very clever GALAXY at 8d.

    Pet hate – and this is not a criticism of Nutmeg because it is in dictionaries these days – I really don’t like the spelling “imposter” (1d) instead of “impostor”.

    Thanks Nutmeg and manehi.

  18. offspinner @17 – yes I thought that….

    I thought this was a (slightly) underwhelming Nutmeg. So I hear what muffin @1 and robert @12 are saying. But still a lot to enjoy…. 11a since arboretum is a relatively little known word but the plural….????

  19. Very enjoyable, but if “radio show” has become a definition for PHONE IN then I am glad I have not listened to the radio for 40 years. Thanks Nutmeg and Manehi.

  21. Rain at the cricket PetHay; no, playing again, so yes good luck for Saturday. And Valentine yes, I know the gimmick but just question whether Indianan would actually be used by the locals.

    Umbrellas up again… hey ho.

  22. … and KL Colin, what, then, is your joy? Without radio from our ABC and your Beeb, I’d rather die! Regards, ginf.

  23. As someone who spent the first eighteen years of his life in Indiana, the word “Indianan” makes me twitch. Sure, it exists, and you’ll find it in dictionaries. But people from Indiana, almost to a man (or woman or child), refer to themselves as Hoosiers. (Ourselves, I suppose. I’ve now lived away longer than I lived there, but as they say, you can’t take the Hoosier out of the boy.)

    I thought the puzzle was clean good fun, with the top half going more quickly than the bottom for some reason.

  24. Not a huge fan of cryptic definitions and China = plate = mate = pal is WAY too tortured for my liking. Nevertheless, a very enjoyable solve…

  25. 13 across is only just cryptic, since a HYBRID CAR is indeed a hybrid car, involving a mixture of energy sources.

  27. OK, cancel my previous comment!   (I don’t care, I’m equal top of the table again, which isn’t bad after a few beers.)

  30. Phew, what a struggle! Top half whizzed in but with only two clues joining it to the bottom I found myself staring at it fruitlessly for much of the day.
    Last one in was PRICE WAR, too tired to parse it properly so ranked as a DNF.
    Spent ages trying to fit “wobbly” into 15ac before settling on FLABBY but not overly happy about lab = workplace.
    So, tough but enjoyable. Many thanks Nutmeg and Manehi.

  31. grantinfreo @21 I agree.  mepenney has straightened us out about residents of Indiana/Hoosiers not being any of those clumsy-sounding words.  But people in Texas are Texans, a much easier thing to say.

    I live in Connecticut, and Connecticutter is an even more cumbersome word than Indianan.  We mostly get called Nutmeggers, coming from a probably apocryphal tale that Connecticut Yankee peddlers sold wooden nutmegs to ignorant southerners during Reconstruction.

  32. Also to Jay@24: China is Cockney Rhyming slang where the first word is invariably used on its own and thus is effectively synonymous with the word that the second part rhymes with. So dustbin lid = kid. Hope that’s not patronising!

    Thanks very much to Nutmeg for a lovely puzzle: I loved Hybrid Car which had me scratching my head for ages.

    Thanks to manehi too for the parsing of a couple.

  33. I liked it a lot, though like Lord Jim I bridled at that spelling of imposter in 1d. Thanks Nutmeg, manehi and commenters.
    [Interesting times in your UK parliament that’s for sure!]

  34. enjoyed this and found it at the easier end of Nutmeg. wondered about the nina- I noted the political leaning answers but did not connect that with profit, so appreciated the comment from TheZed. I agree re the elegance of GALAXY, my fav clue, but did smile also when penny dropped re the cross driver. Thanks to Nutmeg for the romp and to Manehi for the blog

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