Guardian Cryptic 27,952 by Tramp

by

Tough, but ultimately satisfying.

I struggled with this puzzle for a while and then the two long answers came into view through a few crossers (I appeared on WWTBAM, but that was twenty years ago, so wasn’t fresh in my mind).  Once I had worked out their parsings and satisfied myself that they were right, the rest of the puzzle slotted in fairly quickly.

I don’t think there was anything amiss with any of the clues, although some were a little difficult to parse.  I liked the missing B&B in 23 ac and the “two magazines” in 25ac, which were typical of the setter.

BUBO was a new word for me.

Thanks Tramp.

Across
1 PROBES Feels soft clothes (6)
  P (soft) + ROBES (“vlothes”)
5 EUROSTAR For train, affected routes are detailed (8)
  *(routes ar) where AR is AR(e) [detailed]
9 NARCOTIC Went back to bed, one originally called number (8)
  <=RAN (“went”, back) to COT (“bed”) + I (one) + [originally] C(alled)
10 LOUNGE Kill time in boxing ring with jab (6)
  LUNGE (“jab”) boxing O (“ring”)
11, 20 WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE  Show Lewis Hamilton bio: not aware when taxed (3,5,2,2,1,11)
  *(lewis hamilton bio not aware)
13 BUBO Tramp cut smell that might come out of armpit (4)
  BU(m) (“tramp”, cut) + BO (body odour, so “smell”)

New word for me; bubo is apparently a swelling of the lymph nodes.
14 ADVOCAAT ‘Drink stock of vodka regularly’, returning addicts admitted (8)
  <=(s)T(o)C(k)O(f)V(o)D(k)A [regularly, returning] with AA (Alcoholics Anonymous, so “addicts”) admitted
17 HELSINKI City brothels in kinky houses (8)
  Hidden in [houses] “brotHELS IN KInky”
18 ROSE Got up to make drink (4)
  Double definition, although the second answer requires an accent on the E.
20   See 11
 
23 EDIBLE OK to take in features of hotel room? Going off opening B&B? (6)
  (b)ED + (b)IBLE (“features of a hotel room”) with their initial Bs removed [going off B&B]
24 AIRSTRIP Runway show? Take clothes off (8)
  AIR (“show”) + STRIP (“take clothes off”)
25 PLAYBOOK It’s printed with parts from two magazines (first is short) (8)
  PLAYBO(y) + O.K. (“two magazines”, the first is short)
26 GARDEN Turn over paper and study plot (6)
  [turn over] <=RAG (“paper”) + DEN (“study”)
Down
2 ROAN Run out on a National horse (4)
  RO (run out, in cricket) on A N (National)
3 BACKWOODS Help drivers to find remote places (9)
  BACK (“help”) + WOODS (“drivers” in golf)
4 SITCOM Show model short dress (6)
  SIT (“model”) + [short] COM(b) (“dress”)
5 EXCLAMATION MARK Run through Kama Sutra’s middle one: climax in new positions! (11,4)
  R (run) through *(kama T one climax) where T is (su)T(ra) [‘s middle]
6 RELATIVE Dependent on tablet — necessary to get up (8)
  RE (“on”) + <= (E (“tablet”) + VITAL (“necessary”)) [to get up]
7 STUNT Exploit model in paper over time (5)
  (model) T (car) in SUN (“paper”) over T (time)
8 ALGEBRAIST Sorting bag later — is one dealing with problems involving letters? (10)
  *(bag later is)
12 SUPERMODEL Me? Poser? Nude in centre spread all stripped (10)
  *(me poser ud) where UD is (n)UD(e) [in centre] + (a)L(l) [stripped] and &lit.
15 CARPENTER Chippy with fish written on board (9)
  CARP (“fish”) written on ENTER (“board”)
16 ANTI-HERO Topless senhorita excited unconventional leading man (4-4)
  *(enhorita), i.e. [topless] (s)ENHORITA
19 OIL RIG Call for attention, woman in lift well below this? (3,3)
  OI (“call for attention”) = <=GIRL (“woman” in lift, so going up?)
21 LOBBY Look to leader from Brussels before campaign (5)
  LO (“look”) to [leader from] B(russels) + BY (“before”)
22 WIDE Extra papers in the Guardian (4)
  ID (identity “papers”) in WE (“the Guardian”)

*anagram

39 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,952 by Tramp”

  2. Thanks loonapick, and to Tramp for what looked initially impenetrable but ended up proceeding pretty smoothly. It seems I’ll never stop being fooled by the old chestnut of ‘number=anaesthetic’. And BUBO in the singular was new to me too; probably through only ever having seen it in the plural and assuming that the singular was buboe.

  3. It took me a while to get onto Tramp’s wavelength (as usual), and I am very glad I managed to finish this puzzle.

    BUBO new for me.

    My favourite was EDIBLE.

    Thanks Tramp and loonapick.

  4. I’d agree with copmus @1

    Tramp always makes you work (although only in places today) but it is all so clever that you end up feeling very satisfied with the solving experience

    Thanks to Tramp for the entertaining brain stretching and loonpick for the blog

  5. Thanks loonapick. The Lewis Hamiltion clue for 11,20a WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE was brilliant and my favourite clue. [My brother was also on “Millionaire” in Australia some years back (it is now called “Millionaire Hotseat” here) and won A$32,OOO. He is great at trivia and has just also been on Australian “Mastermind” but beaten by one point.]

    I didn’t know 13a BUBO either but got it from the wordplay and the Bubonic plague.

    This one really stretched me, but it was very rewarding and I did like the little gems like the clever hidden at 17a HELSINKI. I took ages to see little ones like 22d WIDE.

    Much appreciated, Tramp.

     

  6. A few went in easily and then took a while to get the long answers, and then proceeded steadily to the finish almost. I had put in HOBO (unparsed) which held things up for a while – I confess to using the check button as I knew something wasn’t right, once I got supermodel, then bubo (LOI) was obvious. An enjoyable solve overall, though did not parse edible nor the ‘com’ part of sitcom, was thinking of the wrong meaning of dress. COTD for me was BUBO.
    THanks to Tramp and to Loonapick

  8. So I’ll say it then, JinA. 😉

    [I was my son-in-law’s ‘phone-a-friend’ about twenty years ago – thankfully not called upon.]

  9. I thought 23 was an excellent clue but can’t recall the last time I discovered a bible in a hotel room. Am i staying in the wrong/right places?

  11. Damn fine puzzle once again from the Hobo. EXCLAMATION MARK was my favourite. Finding the long anagrams tough as away walking with just a phone and no good old pen and paper.

    JinA is your bro available to join the Legz Akimbo pub quiz team on tour this Wednesday 9 pm at the Cheshire Cheese in Hope? We have too many (myself included) who know nothing but can argue the toss at great length.

  12. JinA and Eileen. Great claims to fame. You should go for the quizzes yourselves!!

    @Ronald @ 10. Me too.

    Felks @ 9.LOL. I was going for a bar fridge. That doesn’t work either, even though there were some letters in Gideon. 🙂

  13. Lots to like including BUBO, which I remembered by its association withe the plague, EDIBLE with the original ‘Going off opening B&B’ wordplay and the ‘well below this’ def for OIL RIG. I’ll go for the sneaky ‘one dealing with problems involving letters’ for ALGEBRAIST as my favourite.

    My only beef was that my printed version of 5d was obviously written by an over-excited texter and indicated the answer should have been in the plural!! (and a few more for good measure!!!!).

    Thanks to Tramp for an entertaining solve and to loonapick

    Thanks to Tramp and loonapick

  15. Surprised that so few knew that bubonic plague is named after the characteristic BUBOes (swellings in the armpits, groin and anywhere else that you might have a lot of lymph nodes) – oh well, I guess you know now and won’t forget easily!

    A strange mix of difficult and easy, but satisfying nonetheless as is typical of Tramp.

    I did wonder about 6dn because I always thought that DEPENDENT is the adjective and DEPENDANT is the noun – and the clue seems to be calling for a noun. So I looked it up, and apparently the distinction is disappearing through usage and I can’t argue with usage. My (slightly) bigger quibble might have been the loose definition – surely not all your relatives are dependants? – but then I realised that in other contexts (e.g. relational database theory) a relationship usually expresses a dependency…. oh, it gets complicated, and I can only admire Tramp that I was unable to find a flaw in the end! 🙂

    The long answers went in surprisingly easily from the crossers. Like bullhassocks @ 2, I found 9ac took far too long because today I was blind to the alternative meaning of “number” in crosswordland. Clues like 9ac were a joy when the penny dropped, but I think my favourite was 17ac – it was “only” a reveal, but it was so well hidden!

    Thanks to setter and blogger – especially as although I knew BUBO, I couldn’t quite parse it. Also needed help with 23ac though I suspected the Gideons had something to do with it….

     

  16. I would think both versions of dependent/ant can qualify. If something is relative to something couldn’t it be dependent upon it? Thanks Tramp, enjoyed it.

  17. Trismegistus @15:  I’m ashamed to say I’m to be added to the list on non-bubo-ers.  Fascinating.

    Finished, but failed to wholly parse 5 clues.

    Thought ran = “went back” a tad loose in NARCOTIC but, other than that, really enjoyed this effort from a master setter.

    Many thanks both, nice week, all.

  18. Using “!” as the definition is a bit underhand, but I have seen this trick before and I wouldn’t go as far as calling it unfair.

  19. I’m a member of the large and popular HOBO club, though I did know BUBO from the plague — the hard part of that was BU(m).  And I did remember the numbness of number.  Didn’t help.  I took forever with 5d, and even when I had the K from PLAYBOOK I tried bank? park?  Check gave me _ARK, and then I got it.

    Enjoyable puzzle (thanks, Tramp) and very helpful blog (thanks loonapick).  I got very little done last night and made liberal use of check this morning.  Didn’t have to go as far as reveal, though.

  20. I agree a tough puzzle but still very good. A DNF for me because 19d would just not come at all despite having rig pencilled in at the bottom. I do not know why now, because it seems obvious, maybe just a mental block. Playbook was also a guess, but I was another fan of exclamation mark. Thanks to both Tramp and loonapick.

  24. Thanks to Tramp and loonapick.

    Didn’t have the energy for this so threw in the towel after WWTBAM.  I felt this was a prize level crozzie and would have liked the weekend to ponder, not the coffee break I gave it. I enjoyed ADVOCAAT in particular of those I cracked.  Sorry I couldn’t rise to the occasion Tramp – not your fault.

  26. Thanks Tramp and loonapick

    William @ 17: how about “the car ran/went well”? ‘back’ is just the reversal indicator.

  27. I liked this a lot. I got the wrong end of the stick with 11,20.I was looking for a Musical rather than a TV show and got the answer from the Frank Sinatra/Celeste Holm number and only then remembered the TV show. I last saw the show in its Indian iteration in an hotel in New Delhi many years ago!
    I was tempted by HOBO for 13ac but I’d already got SUPERMODEL which had to be right.
    Thanks Tramp.

  28. Another who was slow to start (15d was my foi on the initial read through) and also a member of the semi-parsed HOBO club. A very enjoyable puzzle well worth persevering with – I especially liked the clever ! clue and PLAYBOOK. Many thanks to Tramp and loonapick.

  29. Trismegistus says:
    October 15, 2019 at 11:34 am
    Surprised that so few knew that bubonic plague is named after the characteristic BUBOes (swellings in the armpits, groin and anywhere else that you might have a lot of lymph nodes) – oh well, I guess you know now and won’t forget easily!

    A strange mix of difficult and easy, but satisfying nonetheless as is typical of Tramp.

    I did wonder about 6dn because I always thought that DEPENDENT is the adjective and DEPENDANT is the noun – and the clue seems to be calling for a noun. So I looked it up, and apparently the distinction is disappearing through usage and I can’t argue with usage. My (slightly) bigger quibble might have been the loose definition – surely not all your relatives are dependants? – but then I realised that in other contexts (e.g. relational database theory) a relationship usually expresses a dependency…. oh, it gets complicated, and I can only admire Tramp that I was unable to find a flaw in the end!

    The long answers went in surprisingly easily from the crossers. Like bullhassocks @ 2, I found 9ac took far too long because today I was blind to the alternative meaning of “number” in crosswordland. Clues like 9ac were a joy when the penny dropped, but I think my favourite was 17ac – it was “only” a reveal, but it was so well hidden!

    Thanks to setter and blogger – especially as although I knew BUBO, I couldn’t quite parse it. Also needed help with 23ac though I suspected the Gideons had something to do with it….

     

  31. I don’t think anyone’s commented on this, but isn’t there a bit of a theme going on?  A lot of clues seem to refer (more in the surfaces than the answers) at least vaguely to the world of glamour modelling (with an emphasis on the more seedy side of that business) and the associated lifestyle.  For example 1a, 14a, 17a, 18a, 24a, 25a (Playboy), 4d, 5d, 6d, 7d, 12d, 16d.  Maybe others?

    Many thanks Tramp and loonapick.

  32. Very enjoyable – so many PDMs and as usual very creative. Many great clues but I particularly enjoyed ADVOCAAT, HELSINKI and the Chippy.

    Think I’m being daft but in what sense is comb = dress (I did just check Chambers online but still not obvious to me!)

    And yes Lord Jim – seems to be a bit of a salacious theme going on

  35. Nobby @32: Collins online has ‘to comb out or arrange (the hair) into position’, which I think is covered in Chambers by ‘to set in order, to prepare, arrange’

  36. Rather a raunchy puzzle today. I liked many of the clues, e.g. HELSINKI, EDIBLE, but I seem to be the only person who thinks that EXCLAMATION MARK is horrible. WHO WANTS TO BE A MILLIONAIRE is one of those clues you spot the answer to first, then have to work out the wordplay. I thought the allusion to Hamilton’s tax avoidance (if that’s what it was) was a bit strained. Travelodges (and I think Premier Inns) always seem to have a Bible tucked away somewhere, thanks to Gideons International. (Sadly, not the King James Version.) It always looks brand new, almost as if it had never been read.

  39. Harry Audus @ 39 De-tailed as in without its tail! Thanks all for explaining why narcotic is number! I was racking my brains and thinking only in terms of numerals… Duh!

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