Guardian Cryptic 28,101 by Vlad

by

I always struggle with Vlad puzzles, and this was no exception.

That’s not because there is anything wrong with the puzzle; it just takes me a little while to get the grey cells working in the morning, and Vlad certainly accelerates that process!

On a first pass, I think I had maybe one across solution and five down solutions in, all in the bottom half of the puzzle, but I worked my way through it, and got there in the end, with the parsing for 14ac taking me a while to capture.

Some of the entries in this puzzle raised a smile, especially 1ac, 12ac, 25ac, 5dn and 13dn.

Thanks, Vlad.

Across
1 LIKE A SHOT President’s in la-la land! Go — and quickly! (4,1,4)
  IKE (nickname of Dwight D Eisenhower, so “president”) in LA (Los Angeles, or “La-la Land”) + SHOT (“go”)
6 LYDIA She‘s suffering daily (5)
  *(daily) [anag:suffering]
9 GAPER Greek primate’s eaten shellfish (5)
  APE (“primate”) eaten by Gr. (Greek) 

A gaper is a burrowing clam.
10 MAINTAINS Insists chief isn’t a criminal (9)
  MAIN (“chief”) + *(isnt a) [anag:criminal]
11 LOW SPIRITS See women planning trips with kids. occasionally — one’s down with them (3,7)
  LO (“see”) + W (women) + *(trips is) where IS is (k)I(d)S occasionally [anag:planning]
12 MEAN Annoyance to the royals? That’s heartless and unkind (4)
  [heartless] ME(gh)AN (Markle), who could be described as an “annoyance to the Royals”
14 CEMENTS Maine bankers invested in US money and bonds (7)
  M(ain)E [bankers] invested in CENTS (“US money”)
15 REEFERS Conserving energy, passes on the wacky baccy (7)
  REFERS (“passes on”) conserving E (energy)
17 RINGS UP Mentions bishop’s missed calls (5,2)
  (b)RINGS UP (“mentions” with B (bishop) missing)
19 HALLOOS Artist carrying can shouts at pack (7)
  (Frans) HALS (Dutch “artist” 1582-1666) carrying LOO (“can”)
20 GLIB Shallow and largely fake — bigly! (4)
  *(bigl) [anag:fake] where BIGL is [largely] BIGL(y)
22 UNEVENTFUL Odd — square in the centre awfully quiet (10)
  UNEVEN (“odd”) + T (-square) + [in the centre] (aw)FUL(ly)
25 VULGARIAN Valuing mostly art? Unlikely — he’s got money but no taste (9)
  *(valuing ar) [anag:unlikely] where AR is [mostly] AR(t)
26 VIVID Very, very angry losing head — that’s clear (5)
  V (very) + (l)IVID (“very angry”, losing head)
27 RIDER Thoroughbred irritated over what it’s carrying (5)
  Hidden [what it’s carrying] backwards [over] in “thoroughbRED IRritated” and semi &lit.
28 SATIRISTS Times empty on day — Murdoch’s writers taking the mick (9)
  T(ime)S [empty] on Sat. (Satur”day”) + IRIS (“Murdoch”, English writer)
Down
1 LEGAL Allowed American tax evader to take stage first (5)
  AL (Capone) (“American tax evader”) to take LEG (“stage”) first
2 KEPT WOMAN Liberal take on MP entertaining with mistress (4,5)
  *(take on mp) [anag:liberal] entertaing W (with)
3 ABRUPTNESS Surprised at bone spurs (nothing cut out) — that’s being rude! (10)
  *(at bne spurs) [anag:surprised] where BNE is B(o)NE with O (nothing) cut out
4 HOMBRES Men getting brown stopping in sun (7)
  Br. (brown) stopping HOME (“in”) + S (sun)
5 TWITTER Laugh about Washington’s leader — what’s he on? (7)
  TITTER (“laugh”) about W(ashington) [‘s leader]

Referring to the current POTUS’s fondness for social media
6 LATE Slow learner gets letter wrong way round (4)
  L (learner) gets <=ETA (Greek “letter”, wrong way round)
7 DRIVE Spin a lot of rubbish (5)
  [a lot of] DRIVE(l) (“rubbish”)
8 ARSONISTS Tricks boy’s acquired — they’re inflammatory! (9)
  ARTS (“tricks”) with SON IS (“boy’s”) acquired
13 WELL I NEVER Enjoying a good relationship? First Lady’s reticent at first — I wasn’t expecting that … (4,1,5)
  WELL IN (“enjoying a good relationship”) + EVE (“first lady”) + R(eticent) [at first]
14 CAREGIVER … mind you, she does say Vlad’s right about Republican at the top (9)
  E.G. (“say”) + I’ve (“Vlad’s”) + R (right) with Ca. (circa, so “about”) + R(Republican) at the top, so Ca.-R-e.g.-I’VE-R
16 ETON FIVES Game is on TV — fee to be arranged (4,5)
  *(is on tv fee) [anag:to be arranged]
18 PUNDITS Experts, quiet ones, impress department (7)
  P (piano in music, so “quiet”) + UNITS (“ones”) impressing D (department)
19 HAVE-NOT Shelter to put up poor person (4-3)
  HAVEN (“shelter”) + <=TO, put up
21 IDLED Moved furtively heading off, but didn’t do anything (5)
  (s)IDLED (“moved furtively” with its heading off)
23 LADES Charges youngsters over ecstasy (5)
  LADS (“youngsters”) over E (ecstasy)
24 FAIR Picked up passenger OK (4)
  Homophone of [picked up] FARE (“passenger”)

*anagram

76 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28,101 by Vlad”

  1. I also find Vlad’s puzzles a tussle, but Yay – today I got there in the end by dint of sheer perseverance. Did some gardening in between bouts and often got a solution after returning from those breaks in the sun. Some of my answers were unparsed (e.g. 12a MEAN – doh!), so I was very grateful to come to the blog. I had to google to confirm my guesses at 9a GAPER and 16d ETON FIVES, and I consulted the online thesaurus by putting in philistine (!) to solve 25a VULGARIAN. I am keen to know whether anyone else tried ABSCESSES for 8d, which fitted some of the crossers at one stage. ARSONISTS was of course a much better answer. TWITTER at 5d (as mentioned by loonapick) was my definite favourite.

    It was a clever puzzle – thanks to Vlad for the setting and loonapick for the unpicking.

    These are strange days indeed – to learn this morning (our time) that your Prime Minister is so ill with COVID was a shock. It is like the whole world has turned on its head. Thinking particularly of all the UK solvers, your loved ones and your country right now, while mindful of so many others struggling here in Australia and all around the world.

  2. Unlike loonapick, cements was foi, the top half fllled first and the rest unfolded steadily and enjoyably. Gaper the bi-valve was a nho, halloo evoked John Peel and all those early school songs, and the ‘awfully quiet square’ evokes most cities currently. My Collins does give charged for laden, but in the present tense the equivalence is a bit hmmm?, and maybe 13d might be better without the ‘you’? Knew about fives the game, but the Eton bit was a solve and look up. Nice speech from Brenda, wonder what she does think about Meghan. Hey ho, good fun, thanks both.

  3. ..oh yes and vulgarians evoked one of my favourite movies, Le Concert (or just Concert in a later distribution). Its back story dates to when Breshnev expelled Jewish musos from the Bolshoi orchestra. Really worth a look.

  4. I had to come here for the parsing of several of these including MEAN which I was glad I hadn’t got as I found it a really unkind clue. 🙁 And why is LATE slow? Many thanks both.

  5. Thanks Vlad and loonapick

    Great fun. I didn’t parse MEAN, HOMBRES (BR for “brown”?) or CAREGIVER, and I didn’t know GAPER, though it was clearly clued.

    Favourites were SATIRISTS for the Murdoch misdirection, TWITTER, and HAVE-NOT.

  6. “I consulted the online thesaurus by putting in philistine (!)”  – me too, Julie!  Gotta cut a corner or two…

  8. A really good puzzle from Vlad, featuring his tortuous cluing as usual. I couldn’t parse several (LIKE A SHOT, PUNDITS, CAREGIVER and HOMBRES), so thanks to loonapick. Favourites were TWITTER and SATIRISTS. Thanks also to JinA@1 for your kind thoughts at this strange time.

  9. Always proud of myself when finishing (and parsing) a Vlad. This time my assumption that there was an obscure artist called Haes led me to bung ‘halooes’ with misplaced confidence. Damn you Vlad, you’ve done me again!

  10. What an excellent puzzle. Tough, demanding but at no point unfair. Like GrantinFreo I found the top half unravelling first though my last two in were in the NE. “lydia” held out on me far too long for such a simple clue – a wonderfully disguised anagram I though. Some lovely words in there – gaper was new to me but so clearly clued and others unfolded like a new-born butterfly as bits went in – “iris” in satirists, “loo” in “hallloos” and “ike” followed by “la” and then “shot” to reveal the whole.

    Had a bit of an advantage with Eton Fives having both played and coached the game! “fives” in general has been a handball sport for as long as people have hit balls against walls. The two main variants in this country (and oddly it is popular in Nigeria!) are Rugby (played in a closed court like squash) and Eton (played in a court with no back wall, a step and a buttress, mimicking the side wall of part of the College chapel).

    Beobachterin @4 I can only really think of “He was a bit late on the shot” in cricket or tennis and meaning a bit slow but it’s not a one-for-one substitution.

    Much fun – thank you Vlad and loonapick.

  11. I enjoyed this and did get all the anwers, which isn’t always the case with Vlad, but I’m another who couldn’t parse MEAN, and LEGAL defeated me too, though it shouldn’t have done.

    muffin@5, br for brown is used in wiring diagrams and the like, and also (which I didn’t know until now) in describing the colour of a horse: in both cases, as an abbreviation distinct from black or blue.

    Thanks loonapick and Vlad.

  12. Thanks for rising to the challenge, loonapick – well worth it, as you say.

    After all the discussion lately re ‘easy’ puzzles, I found this one unravelled at exactly the right pace. I was never completely stuck but each clue needed enough thought to keep the interest going and the result was a most satisfying solve, with some wry smiles along the way. Like JinA, my top favourite was the hilarious TWITTER and I also particularly admired  the link between 13 and 14 dn – I  enjoyed teasing out the construction of CAREGIVER. SATIRISTS @28 ac also made me laugh [as did MEAN, when I saw the parsing – thanks, loonapick!].

    Julie in Australia @1 – many thanks for your last paragraph. It seems flippant to talk of enjoying crosswords on such a morning but, as so many of us have said, they help us to keep going and this site gives us a great sense of shared community in these bewildering times.

    Many thanks to Vlad for helping us to keep smiling.

  13. [1a “President’s in la-la land” paired with the part of the clue 3d “bone spurs” made me smile a lot. Let me explain. I forgot to tell you (but gif@2 reminded my by using “Brenda” for ER in his post) that one of our satirists (!) who writes for an independent paper here called “The Saturday Paper” uses “Bone Spurs” whenever he refers to President Trump. Until this week’s edition we had no idea why. But apparently Trump avoided the draft for the Vietnam War because a podiatrist in Queens once diagnosed that he had bone spurs.]

  14. Oooooooh… 12a really was a mean clue! Ouch! And despite TheZed’s “at no point unfair” @10, I’m really not convinced that LATE=slow.

    A good challenging puzzle, nonetheless. Thank you, loonapick and Vlad.

  15. Julie @1: I spent ages trying to justify abscesses, possibly because I’ve just had one on my back tooth. Loved 13d.

  16. I will admit to using the check button a little, but in the end the only one I couldn’t parse was MEAN, so thanks for that! A wonderfully inventive and entertaining puzzle, and a welcome challenge.

    Thanks to Vlad and loonapick

  17. Yes a proper toughie but most enjoyable.

    Couldn’t parse MEAN (assumed it was one of those me and ER constructions) nor I am ashamed to say LYDIA (thought it must be either a Bible or a mythology story about a woman condemned to suffer for eternity).

    Particularly enjoyed VULGARIAN (great sounding word you almost spit it out) and KEPT WOMAN.

    Thanks to both. I now await today’s HMHB connection.

  19. This was a proper challenge today, but for some reason couldn’t manage the left hand side of the puzzle at all until I’d solved the right half. Then felt that the left hand clues seemed more obvious. Though had dallied over LADES for quite a while. LOI was HOMBRES, just couldn’t see it for ages. Lots to like, though…

  21. A great puzzle. Eileen highlights everything I was going to – apart from managing to parse CAREGIVER which I didn’t. In another puzzle I might have been questioning the convoluted nature of this clue, but in the context of this one it is fine. It’s hard to put my finger on it but the surfaces throughout seemed to flow and connect with each other despite there being no overt theme. Thanks Vlad and loonapick for a stimulating start to the day and also to JinA for her usual thoughtful contribution – more gardening now.

  23. This kept me out of mischief in the wee-small-hours. ETON FIVES and the The Zed have reminded me of a wonderful tardis of a basement at the end of Portugal Place in Cambridge containing courts for squash, two each for Eton and Rugby fives and one for racquets. I fear it is now rubble, thanks to VULGARIAN developers building flats for VULGARIANS. At least the Real Tennis court survives.

    Thanks to Vlad for the stretch and Loonapick for service beyond the call of duty!

  25. BlueCanary (They Might Be Giants?) @17 slim pickings but today I can offer you “Totnes Bickering FAIR” from the CSI:Ambleside album. Well I got there in the end and LOI CAREGIVER was biffed in from the crossers as I’d lost the will to parse by that point. Favs today SATIRISTS and MEGAN

  26. Slow but steady, entertaining solve.

    Some of the clues, like the one for CAREGIVER, were rather convoluted, although the parsing is fine. i liked, among others, HOMBRES, MEAN, SATIRISTS, KEPT WOMAN and PUNDITS (how many started with ‘pros’ at the beginning for experts?) I also toyed with abscesses, but I had solved (and parsed) MEAN, so it was a no-no.

    Thanks Vlad and loonapick.

  27. Happy to have completed a Vlad, who is usually too tough for me. The sharp political commentary that often works its way into his clues are making him one of my favourite setters. Today I relished the half-dozen or so well-aimed barbs at our current President, or as he’s often called here, “Cadet Bone Spurs.” Pleased with myself for unraveling CAREGIVER, but couldn’t parse a few others, including the aforementioned MEAN, so thanks to loonapick for the blog.

  29. Yes, a slow but steady and enjoyable solve. Fav was TWITTER. Didn’t manage to parse CAREGIVER or HOMBRES. I’m with you Daivd Owen re 12ac.
    Thanks to Vlad and to Loonapick

  30. Funny how we all fare differently. LYDIA was a write-in, CEMENT was also one of my first. It had to be CAREGIVER, but I had to come here to find out why! I played Eton fives at school, an obscure game but good fun. LOI was FAIR. Tough puzzle, but enjoyable.

    Thanks to Vlad and to loonapick.

  31. This is how I like them.But, to be honest, it was almost too tough for me.Almost.Many thanks to Loonapick and Vlad.

  32. As Monty Python pointed out in Life of Brian, “we are all different”. Unlike TheZed @10 I found the LYDIA anagram obvious, and unlike Ronald @19 I had acres of white spaces on the right hand side for what seemed like hours after completing the left. Finally seeing that odd=uneven enabled me to get an L for LADES and a D for VIVID, and then ETON FIVES finally fell into place.

    Thanks to Vlad for a good challenge, and to others here who reminded me about the bone spurs.

  34. With a few Trump references , am I reading too much into 6ac with John Prine in intensive care at the moment ? ” Donald & Lydia “is just one of his wonderful songs.

  35. I just don’t get the fuss about 12A. For starters, there’s a question-mark. And even if we read it as a statement, Vlad is saying that such a statement would be heartless and unkind. At any rate, that’s how I interpret the clue.

  36. Phew.  Parsed the lot with the exception of the La-La Land reference for which I had to await the excellent blog.

    A toughie-but-fairie for me with ticks at HAVE-NOT, LIKE-A-SHOT (now!) & CAREGIVER.

    Many thanks both, stay safe, everyone.

  40. Thanks to Vlad and PeterO.

    Yes, a succulent chew which whiled away a nice while with solutions clunking and binging away happily until towards the end.  HOMBRES was last in and an unsatisfactory parse with “S”=”sun” (may I be enlightened pl?) and “BR”=”brown” (and thanks to beaulieu@11 for that clarification). Came here with CAREGIVER, UNEVENTFUL(d’oh) and LEGAL (Al Capone imho needs to go the way of the “lugubrious Dean” – some of you will be able to explain – well past his spell-by date) unparsed, only to find that I had neglected to complete DRIVE and I don’t get the equivalence with “spin”.

    Awaiting that tea-tray.

    Lots and lots to enjoy nonetheless with, among others mentioned in the heretofore, REEFERS and GLIB receiving a suitable emoticon.

    [Btw Gaufrid, in case you missed my saying so I was very grateful for your Arachne link the other day:)]

  41. Thank you Vlad for a super puzzle and loonapick for a very helpful blog.

    Alphalpha @40, “we are going for a drive in the car, “we are going for a spin in the car” ?

  42. Lydia, oh! Lydia, say have you met Lydia?

    Oh! Lydia, the tattooed lady

    She has eyes that folks adore so

    And a torso even more so

    (Grouch Marx, fantastic)

  44. My only failure was HOLLOAS for HALLOS. I first came across HOLLOA in the eighties, is it not a cry over there in England? COD LYDIA for a simple anag which took me ages to unravel.Stay safe all, blasted Corona!

  45. Brilliant puzzle with some sparkling surfaces (e.g. for LIKE A SHOT, TWITTER, the WELL I NEVER/CAREGIVER pair and HAVE-NOT).  Enjoyed the digs at the POTUS.  I can’t remember seeing “planning” as an anagrind before.  It was actually an DNF for me, as I had an unparsed HALLOWS at 19a.  In my defence, the artist was unknown to me (no laughing matter).

    I agree with Anne @35.  Vlad’s specifically saying that the description of Meghan as an annoyance is unfair.

    Lots of chewy clues, which is the way I like it.  Thanks, Vlad and loonapick.

  46. DNF for me which is common with Vlad.  But apart from LATE which I just could not see, I filled the rest in correctly although with lots of question marks about the parsing – MEAN, for instance – so many thanks loonapick.  Many favourites, but I’ll pick-out here LIKE A SHOT, WELL I NEVER, and PUNDITS.  Never heard of HALLOO but what else could it have been.  Sadoldsweat @ 42 you just made my day, great memories of a comic genius!!

  47. Tricky today but got there in the end. Caregiver loi as only thing I could think of so thanks for parsing it. I had a giggle at 12 but perhaps that’s just me. Otherwise a hard but fair solve.

  49. Norman @48 It’s “Vlad’s” so e.g. if you were Vlad and said “Vlad’s set a really good puzzle” you might equally say “I’ve set a really good puzzle”. Or you might be more modest!

  51. I can recall staring at a Vlad puzzle some time in the past, in despair, clueless, impaled. I’m sure I have improved generally; maybe I locate Vlad’s wavelength better now. I know I have benefited from visiting this site regularly (thanks all).

    This was a pleasure from start to finish, on my birthday too, a welcome distraction from lockdown anxieties. I think Eileen summed it up perfectly: it unravelled at exactly the right pace.  From the very first word of the first clue (“President”) Vlad came up Trumps with this: so many overt or covert references to the GLIB orange VULGARIAN.  I’m a Spurs supporter but that doesn’t extend to the “bone spurs” that enabled the draft dodger to avoid service.

    Many favourites today: including IRIS Murdoch in a clue that seemed to reference the repulsive Rupert of that ilk; the possibly controversial ME(gh)AN; TWITTER; and using “American tax evader” (another allusion to the prating President?) to denote AL, instead of the usual gangster or hood.

    Thanks to Vlad and loonapick.

  52. This would have made a great prize puzzle.  I tackled it very slowly, going off to do other things in between attempts, and it very gradually yielded (though a few remained unparsed).  I used to do the prize crosswords in a similar way, often getting some answers on Saturday, more on Sunday, and sometimes finishing over breakfast on Monday.  I think the prizes tend to be easier these days and are over more quickly.

    Anyway this was a very entertaining challenge.  Many thanks Vlad and loonapick.

  53. ‘Caregiver’ parsing. Not my thing. So contorted and fussy. Sorry. Glad everyone else enjoyed it. Stay safe.

  54. Thanks Vlad, for the creation of a captivating time-waster – much of which I currently have to waste. And to loonapick for unscrambling a few parsings. My only quibble was LOI, 14a… Maine BANKERS? Maine is already abbreviated ME, so didn’t know how to incorporate bankers; no room for any number of rivers. The penny finally plunked as to its alternative use here, but I chafe at introduced redundancies for the sake of surface.

  55. I thought this was an excellent puzzle. It was as good as and reminiscent of a puzzle last week on which I remarked what a pleasure it was to solve so many clues by working them out and then confirming the solutions using the definition. That happened with TWITTER (my favourite), REEFERS, LATE, FAIR, IDLED, RINGS UP and others. The other clues weren’t so bad either! I thought the clue to MEAN was fine because of the ‘?’ and what followed it.
    Thanks to Vlad and loonapick.
    [JinA, thank you for your thoughts for us over here, which I wholeheartedly reciprocate. We are managing as best we can to help ourselves and others, and I’m sure you and your compatriots are too. My daughter and her young family over there are coping well, as I saw for myself in a Skype call today.]

  56. For me this was a long, hard, slow – very slow – slog. I got there in the end, with a heap of semi-parsed solutions, so thank you Loonapick for explaining them, though I’m afraid I still don’t know what LADES are. Are we talking about electrical charges here?
    I thought 14d was tortuous – both the clue and the parsing, but I enjoyed HALLOOS, IDLED and REEFERS, plus I learned about gapers, so there’s that, too.
    Thanks to Vlad for the mental workout.

  60. Wellbeck @56, LADES had me confused too (thought it might be a latin word for some sort of tax), it has just occurred to me that it is to do with loading / charging a ship for example!

  62. Thanks loonapick and Vlad.

    A good puzzle, but I prefer my crosswords not to require the sort of knowledge required in 12, or other news of the screws.

  63. Hmmm, can’t say I enjoyed this even though I got all but 3 of the answers; too much that is inexplicable.  I didn’t like GLIB or DRIVE or LADES – way too weak. And what’s “taking the mick” in 28 – I assume this is something British?  I also couldn’t figure out the “bankers” in 14; Maine IS actually designated as ME in the US.

    Oh well…

  65. Hello Cookie and Simon
    Thank you both very much. I knew of laden, not the rest. And me with an English degree, too – oh the shame!

  66. Just a late quickie – don’t know if anyone else has already said this – but there are two solutions to 16d.

    “Five stone” is also a game we read, a Chinese one, and satisfies the anagram as well as “Eton fives”.

    That threw us – like much else.

  67. MartinP
    It’s five stones – I was there too but couldn’t find a reference without the S anywhere

  68. Thanks Loonapick and Vlad. Failed as I had ABSCESSES – AB’s cesses? So decided on an unparsed LESE(Majesty) for 12a.

  69. Jay @63
    In British English (informally), to ‘take the mickey out of’ is ‘to make fun of’, hence to satirise. And ‘take the mickey’ is often shortened to ‘take the mick’.

  70. That was tough for a beginner. It took two days but I got there eventually, though there were a number I couldn’t parse. ‘Caregiver’ and ‘low spirits’ were particularly challenging but so apt. Thank you loonapick for the explanations and Vlad for making me realise I’ve got an awful lot to learn.

  71. Thanks Alan @69.  I checked with Mr. Google and apparently it originates from “Take the Mickey Bliss” as a substitute for “Take a p!$$” that eventually dropped the “Bliss” – although I’m still not sure how it then morphed into “making fun of” (which it also says, is an extension).  Very complicated for us non-Brits!
    It took me a long time to wrap my head around “China plate” translating into “pal” in a clue, but someone explained that “China plate” is Cockney slang for “mate” (and thus for “pal”!!).  You learn something new every day :-).  Thanks again.

     

  72. Jay@71
    You’re welcome – and thanks for that bit of education for me.
    From what you said you no doubt realise that ‘take the piss (out of)’ is also quite a common slang expression over here, meaning ‘mock’ or ‘tease’ (from Chambers).

  73. Piano Man – we found it referred to as “the five stone game” here and there, and assumed that to be Vlad’s take – wrongly.

  74. I’ve just stumbled across the blog for the January 27 puzzle, which also includes WELL I NEVER.
    Who’d’a thunk it?

  76. I’m with the “this was crazy hard and obtuse” mob, but also with the “this was crazy fun” group.
    Did it with my parents over zoom, took us 8 hours.
    Thanks, Vlad. You rock. And thanks for ‘taking the mickey’ out of Trump. Made our day.

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