Guardian Cryptic 28,091 by Nutmeg

by

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28091.

With the shortened time available, I am happy to have to deal with a crossword safely in my Goldilocks zone – nothing to hold me up unduly, but, equally, nothing trivial. Thanks Nutmeg.

ACROSS
1 SCRUBBING BRUSH Abandoning backwoods, I’m often out on the tiles (9,5)
A charade of SCRUBBING (‘abandoning’) plus BRUSH (‘backwoods’).
8 RIDGE Retiring say, after Republican papers fold (5)
A charade of R (‘Republican’) plus I.D. (‘papers’) plus GE, a reversal (‘retiring’) of E.G (‘say’).
9 SPIRALLY Initially so passive, I perk up as spring goes on (8)
A charade of SP (‘initially So Passive’) plus ‘I’ plus RALLY (‘perk up’). Definitely not a dictionary definition.
11 ERISKAY Close to safe area in hazardous Scottish island (7)
A charade of E (‘close to safE‘) plus RISKAY, an envelope (‘in’) of A (‘area’) in RISKY (‘hazardous’). It’s in the Outer Hebrides.
12 POSTDOC Researcher‘s mail counter paid for on delivery (7)
A charade of POST (‘mail’) plus DOC, a reversal (‘counter’) of COD (‘paid for on delivery’).
13 PAPAL Pontifical comrade coming round every year (5)
An envelope (‘coming round’) of PA (per annum, ‘every year’) in PAL (‘comrade’).
15 EYESTRAIN Coach following Everton’s lead certainly causes tension for viewers (9)
A charade of E (‘Everton’s lead’) plus YES (‘certainly’) plus TRAIN (‘coach’), with ‘following’ indicating the order of the particles.
17 INORGANIC Popular journal one catholic finds ‘lifeless‘ (9)
A charade of IN (‘popular’) plus ORGAN (‘journal’) plus I (‘one’) plus C (‘Catholic’).
20 OASIS Band from Stoke essentially unchanged (5)
A charade of O (‘StOke essentially’) plus AS IS (‘unchanged’).
21 TREASON Compromising one’s art a capital offence? (7)
An anagram (‘compromising’) of ‘one’s art’.
23 TO SPARE Extra box with digit on the outside (2,5)
An envelope (‘on the outside’) of SPAR (‘box’) in TOE (‘digit’).
25 STRIPPER Small truck carrying right tool for decorator (8)
An envelope (‘carrying’) of R (‘right’) in S (‘small’) plus TIPPER (‘truck’).
26 EXTOL Talk up erstwhile turn of fate (5)
A charade of EX (‘erstwhile’) plus TOL, a reversal (‘turn of’) of ‘LOT (‘fate’).
27 FROZEN SHOULDER What stops you lifting piece of lamb from cold store? (6,8)
Definition and literal interpretation.
DOWN
1 SCREEN PRINTS Colourful stuff from dodgy transparencies AA sent out (6,6)
An anagram (‘dodgy’) of ‘tr[a]nsp[a]rencies’ minus A A (‘AA sent out’).
2 RADII Direct lines to centre one added to incomplete set? (5)
A charade of RADI[o] (‘set’) minus its last letter (‘incomplete’) plus I (‘one’).
3 BREAK A LEG Traditional words before play interrupt each session (5,1,3)
Definition and literal interpretation.
4 IN STYLE Grandly taking over diocese at end of this month (2,5)
A charade of INST (‘this month’) plus YLE, a reversal (‘over’) of ELY (setters’ favourite ‘diocese’), with ‘taking … at end of’ indicating the order of the particles.
5 GLIMPSE Butcher‘s relaxed into G&S role at last (7)
An envelope (‘into’) of LIMP (‘relaxed’) in G S (‘G&S’) plus E (‘rolE at last’). For the definition, see 26A in yesterday’s Brummie.
6 ROAMS Drifts round, hemmed in by sheep (5)
An envelope (‘hemmed in by’) of O (’round’) in RAMS (‘sheep’).
7 SALAD DAYS Fifties’ musical a beginner put on in States (5,4)
An envelope (‘in’) of ‘a’ plus L (‘beginner’) plus ADD (‘put on’) in SAYS (‘states’).
10 SCENE-STEALER Careless teen surprisingly a favourite with audience (5-7)
An anagram (‘surprisingly’) of ‘careless teen’.
14 PROTECTOR Cromwell‘s bodyguard? (9)
Double definition. Oliver Cromwell’s title as ruler of the British Isles was Lord Protector.
16 TROUSSEAU Taiwan’s top philosopher accumulated household items for union (9)
A charade of T (‘Taiwan’s top’) plus ROUSSEAU (Jean-Jacques, ‘philosopher’).
18 NINEPIN What bowler aims at from square leg? (7)
A charade of NINE (‘square’ of 3) plus PIN (‘leg’).
19 CATARRH Complaint from a bishop during awkward chat (7)
An envelope (‘during’) of ‘a’ plus RR (‘bishop’) in CATH, an anagram (‘awkward’) of ‘chat’.
22 SPITZ When caught, forcibly ejects dog (5)
Sounds like (‘when caught’) SPITS (‘forcibly ejects’)
24 ACTED String in compact edition did its job (5)
A hidden answer (‘string in’) in ‘compACT EDition’.

 

image of grid

59 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28,091 by Nutmeg”

  1. Thanks, Peter and Nutmeg.

    I solved but was unsure how to parse RADI[o] (‘set’) minus its last letter in 2d.

    New for me was ERISKAY (thanks, google.)

  2. I enjoyed this puzzle, coming with the usual number of clever clues. In 6d, I’m not sure that drifting and roaming are really synonymous – roaming I feel is a little more deliberate. Not a serious objection, though. Thanks.

  3. Three first-rate puzzles in a row, a good omen for the future? This one was challenging, evenly clued and great fun.  MY LOI was 5D, and I especially enjoyed 19D and 1A, after lingering over them for a while.  POSTDOC also gave me a laugh near the end, having been one decades ago.

     

  4. Smooth as usual from Nutmeg, not a single ?. Counter COD was neat, although ‘box with digit’ elicited some noir imagery. Saw butcher’s somewhere recently, but still a bit slow to put the limp in gse. Slow, too, to get items for union, d’oh, and to remember the The Protector. Fun though, thanks both.

  7. Initially thought this was going to be super hard. Then papal went in and the p and l opened it up. Not sure i would have got glimpse had butchers not been in yesterday’s offering. Thanks petero for parsing postdoc and radii and nutmeg for yet another classy crossword.

  9. Very enjoyable. I liked 15a EYESTRAIN, 5d GLIMPSE, 16d TROUSSEAU and 19d CATARRH. Can’t tell you how hard I tried to fit variations on SCRABBLE into the first word for 1a SCRUBBING BRUSH – I was convinced the “tiles” part of the clue referred to the board game!

    A wonderful distraction from all the bad news, so much appreciated, Nutmeg. Thanks to you as well PeterO: thinking of everyone in New York City and its buroughs at this difficult time. And thanks to all posters. Several participants this week have indicated how much they value the support and connections this forum and the crossword community provide. I couldn’t agree more!

  10. Eeverything here was very neat and certainly nothing to object to, but little to make me smile. Having said that, I do puzzles partly to keep my brain active, and this one did that; and I did think SCENE STEALER was an excellent anagram.

    Thanks Nutmeg and PeterO.

  11. Very nice as always from Nutmeg. Loved SPIRALLY, CATARRH and POSTDOC in particular. Many thanks to Nutmeg and PeterO.

  12. I found this easier than usual from the excellent Nutmeg. It’s probably because there’s no pub to go to in the evening! Thanks, PeterO.

  13. Thanks Nutmeg and PeterO

    I found this quite hard, especially the NE. Favourite was TROUSSEAU. I hadn’t heard of the dog, so that needed a wordsearch.

    TO SPARE is a bit odd – wouldn’t we usually just say “spare”.

    Julie @9 – I thought I was being clever in trying to work “scrabble” into 1a too! The actual definition is a bit loose, I thought.

  14. I was sure it was going to be a pangram, but gradually the places a “J” or “Q” might go closed in and I had to settle for it being a plain, ordinary and perfectly normal high-quality and fun puzzle from Nutmeg, with the invention, sparkle and wit we’ve come to expect. A lovely combination of bizarrely opaque but fair definitions and totally clear definitions, in plain sight, but hard to see.

    Postdoc threw me for a bit, even having been one for a number of years, as I always wrote “post-doc”.

    There are times when being fooled makes you feel like an idiot, and times when you feel you’ve learned something. This was a case of the latter for sure. Thank you Nutmeg, and thanks PeterO.

  15. Like Nisuj@7 GLIMPSE was made easier thanks to yesterday’s butcher’s reminder. SPIRALLY was another of those “yes it’s a word – but not one you’d ever see except in crosswords” so unlike ginf I wasn’t a fan. I had a careless STIPPLER for 25a for a long time which made 18 and 22 much harder! Did SPITZ remind anyone else of Spit the dog on Tiswas? Classy and concise as always from Nutmeg, and thanks also to PeterO for the blog.

  16. Well, well: two butcher’ses in two days!

    Couldn’t see the radio, so thanks PeterO and thanks to Nutmeg for an elegant puzzle.

    Stay safe from the Miley!

  17. Julie in Oz: Well said, I’d like to add my sentiments to yours, if I may.
    I became an NHS Volunteer yesterday and am waiting for my first assignment.

    Lovely puzzle with only one ? at RADII which I failed to fully parse.

    Stay safe, everyone.

  18. 1ac very a propos; an essential item in the 50s polio epidemic, with our mothers chorusing “Have you scrubbed your nails?”.

  19. Thanks Peter and Nutmeg.

    Peter puts it most aptly – in the Goldilocks zone, with nothing to hold you up unduly, but, equally, nothing trivial.

    Just what I need on a morning when I am trying to find excuses not to get on with the gardening 😉

  20. Just what I always say about Nutmeg’s immaculate puzzles.

    I hope that all setters, bloggers and contributors are keeping safe and enjoying crosswords as a relief during these trying times.

  21. Looking at the finished article again, a few of the clues; SCRUBBING BRUSH, FROZEN SHOULDER, SPIRALLY etc, have that slightly Araucarian only semi-stated definition about them.

  22. Early answers yielded a Z, an X, a K and a couple of Ys – so, like TheZed I thought this was likely to be a pangram. I can’t tell you how often I tried to work a J into answers – especially that pesky island! In the end, wiki put me straight. My faves were EYESTRAIN, GLIMPSE (two butcher’s ‘ooks in two days!) ROAMS and TROUSSEAU (my Yorkshireman dad always called him t’ Rousseau).
    I couldn’t completely parse RIDGE and IN STYLE – so thanks to PeterO for the help and for such a lucid blog; from JinA’s comment, I learn that you’re in NYC: warmest wishes from equally-blighted France!
    Thanks to Nutmeg for another of her beautiful crosswords – and thanks to all the commenters for the extra education and wit and, well, for just being there and making it clear we’re not alone…

  23. {I wonder how many other contributors to this site are unaware (as I was until today) of the death of Gordius (Rev David Moseley) in February – obit in today’s paper}

  24. I made a right meal of some of these but with hindsight, it’s hard to see why. Very slow start building progressively to a sprint finish for the last few. Impressive rather than engaging maybe?

  25. Agree another lovely crossword from Nutmeg. Initially thought it would be hard work filling in only a handful of answers, but had a break and on second go made steady progress.
    Favs were SCRUBBING BRUSH (yes I thought about scrabble but abandoned this early) and NINEPIN.
    I also couldn’t see the radio, so thanks to PeterO for the parsing.
    And I’d also like to echo the warm wishes to all at this time.

  26. @Shirl

    Monday’s Guardian crossword blog by Alan Connor was where I first learned of the death of Gordius. He was a wonderful compiler, in my opinion.

    Thanks to Nutmeg for a lovely crossword today (FROZEN SHOULDER just wins it for me as COD, but it was close) and to PeterO for the blog

  27. I bristled at first at SPIRALLY instead of helically for springlike, but then I thought of watch springs.  Perhaps “as spring may go on” would have been more accurate, but who can quibble with such a satisfying crossword?  Thanks, Nutmeg and PeterO

  29. Shirl I had not heard of Gordius’ death so thanks for sharing!! A great compiler which I remember with affection, may he rest in peace.  I shall check out his obit later!!

    Fine puzzle as we have come to expect from Nutmeg, so a big thank you to her.  And also a big thank you to PeterO for the insightful early blog!

    I held myself up a bit by bunging in broken shoulder which I had to rethink when I could not find a dog ending in K.  Favourites were SCENE STEALER (Eli Wallach for me every time), SALAD DAYS, and BREAK A LEG.  Btw, in Spanish the phrase is ‘mucho mierda’ (much shit) because one could measure the success of a production by the amount of horse droppings outside the theatre, left by the horse drawn vehicles used to bring the audience.

  30. Nice to be able to gently work my way round the grid today, to last one in, S-I-Z. Had never heard of this breed before, but what else could possibly have fitted. Don’t think I’ve ever inserted a(n) LOI word ending in a Z before…

  31. pfr @28 “inst”, “ult” and “prox” used to be standard forms in letters but are probably a good 50-100 years out of date now. Gowers (“Complete Plain Words”) advises against them, on the grounds that the name of the month is quicker to understand and that the expressions are commercialese, which he abhors. I have been known to put them in a formal complaint when I want to sound pompous!

    SPanza @29 thanks for “mucho mierda” – the French also say “merde” for much the same reason. The Germans go a bit further than the Brits with “Hals und Beinbruch”, which is both the leg and the neck!

  32. I always feel strangely satisfied to come here and discover that my solving experiences have been shared by others. Today, like JinA and muffin I was led down the garden path of thinking scrabble for 1a before the light went on, and like TheZed and Wellbeck I was looking for a pangram that never materialized.

    I’m certainly with the majority regarding the quality of the puzzle, so thanks to Nutmeg. Thanks also to PeterO for the blog, as I couldn’t parse IN STYLE and didn’t see FROZEN SHOULDER as an extended definition.

  33. Again, a great crossword from Nutmeg. I was another one scrabbling around for the answer to 1A.

    Like baerchen @26, my COD was FROZEN SHOULDER. I also particularly liked EYESTRAIN and NINEPIN.

    Thanks Nutmeg and PeterO (helping me with the radio set.)

     

  35. TheZed @ 31 and others who may have noticed my ‘deliberate’ mistake.  It is of course mucha mierda!!

  37. Thanks Nutmeg and PeterO.

    FOI was TREASON, LOI – OASIS. It took me a while to parse that one. The repeat of butchers misled me for a while. Didn’t really like the definition of SCRUBBING BRUSH as it can be used on sorts of surfaces not just tiles, but I suppose that was a deliberate misdirection towards SCRABBLE_. We could all enjoy a tipple with ERISKAY, where the SS Politician ran aground with its cargo of whisky – fictionalised in the book and film “Whisky Galore!”

  38. Prior to running aground the SS Politician had sent several distress calls ‘may-day, may-day, we are sinking’. The German coast replied swiftly,’vot are you sinking about?’. Sorry!

  39. Thanks to Nutmeg and PeterO.

    A happy Goldilocks here too with only ERISKAY giving pause for thought (the Outer Hebrides being a potential metaphor for obscurity – no offence).

    “Essential” Stoke = “O” is a stretch for me, but I suppose a stretch is good for a body.  In any event the appearance of OASIS gives the opportunity to point out the coincidental cameo appearance by Bros in column 10. Great crozzie.

  40. Way back in my youth, Eriskay Love Lilt was a much-played tune, though I cannot remember why, or even how it goes.

  42. Essential Stoke stoked me.  I thought it was a hidden answer in stOKE ESsential, and that there was a band I’d never heard of (there are lots of those) called the OKEES, a joke misspelling maybe of “Okies.”  That led to SALAD DAZE for the fifties’ musical, a quite plausible joke misspelling, in fact more plausible than Okees.  Anybody else?

    pfr@28  As well as “inst” for this month, there’s “ult” for last month and “prox” for next month.  I’ve run across them in old British detective stories from maybe the fifties.

    I’d never heard of a FROZEN SHOULDER.

    In the US, “Whisky Galore” was called “Tight Little Island,” which I saw as a child.

  43. Lovely crossword. Shame that “Butcher’s” was used in the same way only 2 days ago. Another editorial oversight.

  44. Thanks for the blog, PeterO.

    I’ve nothing to add to the praise for this lovely puzzle, except huge thanks for it to Nutmeg [especially for the nostalgic reminder of ‘Salad Days’, which I’ve fond memories of taking part in].

    Thanks also to copland smith for the reminder of ‘Whisky Galore’- and try this, Simon S @40.

    And many thanks to all of you, for helping to maintain some sanity in these surreal times. Stay well.

  45. Wellbeck @22

    I’m actually on Long Island – Suffolk County has more than its fair share of cases, but not as bad as NYC.

    NeiH @19

    Crosswords and gardening – satisfying, productive (well, gardening anyway) and socially distancing. What more could one ask for these days?

    Philip @37

    Thanks for the Whisky Galore connection. It is many, many years since I saw the film at the Scala, Walton Street. See, crosswords can be productive as well!

  48. I didn’t think this was as good as Nutmeg usually is. Like Muffin,I thought TO SPARE distinctly odd. It had to be right from the wordplay but—. I thought RIDGE a bit iffy until seeing the parsing in the blog. ERISKAY was new to me but well clued- by which I mean I got it-and I did like FROZEN SHOULDER. Nice to see TROUSSEAU again!
    Thanks Nutmeg.

    P.S. RIP Gordius.

  49. I’ve just looked at TO SPARE again and it actually makes perfect sense. Must have been having a senior moment. Apologies all round.

  50. Nice puzzle. It is a shame the zest was taken out of GLIMPSE because of yesterday’s use of the same definition. Editor on vacation again?
    Auriga @16. Enjoyed “the Miley”. One of yours or is that in general circulation now?

  52. What a nice way to while away time with a curfew starting tomorrow here in Kenya. COD NINEPIN.

  53. TheZed @31 and others – if you’re still around –

    I remember Petula Clark recounting how she was somewhat confused when Charles Aznavour wished her ‘merde!’ before a performance.

    I gather a variation is MALPT – merde à la puissance treize (to the 13th power!)

    Much appreciation as always to Nutmeg and PeterO.

  55. Eileen@44: Thanks for the musical link. Miss Durham had quite a set of pipes and could use them.  “Bheir Mé Ó” is another report of the song, well-known in Ireland and often ululated by coloraturas of various persuasion and capacity.

  56. Like Valentine @ 42, I also had OKEES at 20a. I realised something was wrong as I knew SALAD DAYS very well from my own youth as it was the only LP that one particular friend had. I started with PAINTS in 1d and struggled with the rest of the anagram. Got there a day late as usual.

  58. I’ve only just done this, having fiu6nd an old copy of the paper somewhere. I enjoyed it and also tried to get Scrabble into the first one before seeing the light. Also, I sort of mixed up a Spitz with a Shih Tzu, I think. I thought “forcibly” didn’t necessarily sound right…

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