Guardian 28,116 – Qaos

65 comments on “Guardian 28,116 – Qaos”

1. Worth the price of admission for MOORE alone. Lift & separate + abbreviation with an anagram of Rodin in extraordinary! Cheers all

2. Ooo. First in. I’ve had to wait for this moment since 7:00.
   Sooo smug. I’ve finished my hard copy old school without writing any answers into the grid. Can’t usually do qaos either.

3. Thank you Andrew, for unravelling MOORE which was my only unparsed entry.

   I wondered if IRRESOLUTELY was the wrong part of speech to be synonymous with lacking determination, but my better half offered; “the job was done lacking determination/irresolutely” so I conceded the point.

   Another minor quiblet was the use of the wince-making first serve = s; which is a device at which a setter such as The Don would probably turn his nose up.

   Many thanks, Qaos, stay safe, everyone.

   PS  It hardly needs mentioning again, but completely missed the theme!

4. bodycheetah @1:  Rodin? Wow, lovely spot.

5. All very enjoyable, with a couple that were tricky to parse.

   Thanks to Qaos and Andrew

6. I thought this was a tour de force, though quicker to solve than the average Qaos.  Quite part from all the ARCHBISHOPS (by the way, with TEMPLE you get two for the price of one) so many of the clues and solutions are resonant with Biblical/Prayer Book language:  the moneychangers in the TEMPLE, the POTTER and the clay, the two HOUSES built on the rock and on the sand, FISHERS of men, ERRING and straying like lost sheep, the pARABLEs, the THIEF in the night.

   COD for me 27a for its depiction of life in a VICARAGE (any vicars out there who can confirm if it’s true?)

   Much to enjoy while solving, and much to admire in retrospect, thank you Qaos and Andrew.

7. I was unable to parse the F in FISHERS – very clever!

   My favourite was MOORE.

   I discovered the theme after I completed the puzzle (with help from wikipedia).

   Thanks Qaos and Andrew.

8. Thanks Qaos and Andrew

   I actually wrote RODIN in, thinking “another Grauniad error”; however it made 9a unlikely.

9. Over all too quickly. Perhaps it is something about the way Qaos writes clues but I find in recent puzzles very little misdirection. Sure there are synonyms to find, but the clue usually speaks its instructions very clearly, if that makes sense. Not less enjoyable, but certainly less head-scratching than Qaos of old. “extraordinary” was very clever though – a pity I had the crossers and the answer was obvious by the time I looked at it, so I was denied the pleasure of puzzling over it!

   “hot” is not an &lit – “when it’s this” is only part of the definition, not the wordplay. More an extended definition.

   Many thanks Qaos, and Andrew for the blog with the list of Archbishops. I had plenty of theme words but none of it helped me with the puzzle!

10. Essexboy @6 – combining the clue for “vicarage” with mention of old American slang earlier in the week gives a whole new meaning to “More tea vicar?”…

11. This one absolutely hit the spot.

    It was very satisfying to work out MOORE having concluded from the crossers that that had to be the answer.

    As well as the various 13dns of 14dn and the ecclesiastical solutions in 27ac and 25dn, Qaos managed to get in a number of church-y references in the clues; P(R)AYING, FISHERS (not a word in common use except in the expression “fishers of men”), MAN OF THE CLOTH, THIEF (one of them on either side on Good Friday), (P)ARABLE.

    Even HOUSES is a nod to the Houses of Bishops, Clergy and Laity in the General Synod; and of course Welby and Pope Francis can be seen as 12ac, as opposed to the 15ac of Pope Emeritus Maledict and his counterparts in the CofE… (risking a bit of 8dn there).

    Quite brilliant. Many, many thanks to Qaos as well as to Andrew

12. …and according to wiki there were 2 Temples, one in 1896 and the other in 1942. I vaguely knew Pole (probably from one of Mrs ginf’s Dunnett series) and the recent Williams, but not a theme to warm my cockles. Moreover there were a few gimmehs, like peck ham, Potter, houses (good old Ouse), and the aforementioned P Ole. Otoh, I wasn’t in bright form, thinking upwards dual round De[s] for lauded, d’oh, and momentarily wondering how the M and F were related in 29ac…thick! All fun nonetheless, thanks Q&A.

13. Thanks for the blog, Andrew.

    I’m totally with NeilH @11 – thanks for highlighting the extra bits, Neil.

    Lots of good surfaces: apart from the hilarious picture conjured up by 27, 28 ac, I particularly enjoyed the petticoated cat.

    Many thanks to Qaos – most enjoyable.

14. As always, when I think I’m finally getting on top of things, having fairly sailed through a Qaos, I find it’s adjudged to be an easier one than usual!  Which explains all.  Doesn’t detract from the pleasure in today’s solve.  I do enjoy the vast well of GK that exists amongst posters here.  Whether expounding on chimpanzee art, discussing the flow properties of glass or, today, revealing reservoirs of ecclesiastical knowledge.  It’s either that or we’re all very good at using Wikipedia.  I spotted the theme but am not well enough versed in Cantuarian lore to recognise all the examples Qaos has managed to squeeze in.

    MOORE certainly deserves the COTD status already accorded by others.  VICARAGE raised a smile – TheZed @10: I’d brought the ‘more tea vicar?’ phrase to mind the other day so like your observation from this morning.  Whilst I agree with Andrew that the definition device for CANTERBURY is a little weak, it seems to be used a lot these days and I liked the surface.

    Thanks to Qaos and Andrew

15. Good fun although found the longuns a little dull and do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge of ABs to enjoy the theme.

    Couldn’t parse Moore – very clever together with bodycheetah’s observation. Luckily Torvill was the only skater I knew. I most enjoyed PEWS ASTERN and VICARAGE for their amusing surfaces.

    Took ages to get the wine from half of runningdoglickspittle!

    Thanks for the tussle both.

16. Agree a relatively straightforward solve but I did enjoy the many thematic elements in clues and answers, as NeilH has noted. Was early on looking for field in an answer, thinking of the vicar of wakefield, but archbishop sent me in the right direction.
    COTD MOORE ( and yes i did briefly flirt with Rodin as the answer but could not see the anagrind). I also liked ASTERN for the surface, and, now that i see the parsing, courtesy of your blog Andrew, FISHERS.
    Thanks to Qaos for the fun and Andrew for the blog

17. Thanks Qaos and Andrew. I pray that we are served a Paul on Fridays, for should that not come to pass, the Saturday Prize shall be his.

    I enjoy Mr H’s crosswords and am glad to see him once a week but would prefer more variety in the Prizes.

     

18. So annoyed at not linking 13 of 14 to get the theme (not that it would have helped me much).

19. I was another one who considered Rodin for 4d.  It almost works in a sort of self-reflexive way – an anagram (“extraordinary”) of the inside of “extraordinary” itself!

    Many thanks Qaos and Andrew.

20. Isn’t herring plural on it’s own, like sheep?

21. Howard @20

    It works like “fish” – a fish, some fishes, lots of fish.

22. Thank you very much to Andrew and of course Qaos. I enjoyed this and found the lovely anagrams at 12a LIBERALISING, 15a REARGUARDS, 22a IRRESOLUTELY and 7d PETTICOATS incredibly helpful. The religious bent quite suited me, having been a teacher of Religion Studies in the past (and I loved your allusions, essexboy@6 and the summary from the clues, NeilH@11). “Spotting” the Archbishops – some of whom I knew and some of whom I didn’t – was also a bit of fun. And yes, Eileen@13, I also highlighted the surfaces for 27/28a and wrote – an interesting visual! – on my print-out.

23. Thank goodness for MOORE which, as the only clue I couldn’t parse, was my reason for visiting this page this morning. Without it the theme would have completely passed me by.

    Thanks Qaos and Andrew.

24. 9a could also be considered an ecclesiastical reference in that Torvill implies DEAN.  The theme raised some nostalgic memories as I actually attended the enthronement of Ramsey in 1961.

25. Took a long while for the penny to drop on 29 but other than that a straightforward solve, “herrings astern” brought Eric Cantona’s quote to mind.

    TC @ 2 Shouldn’t that be followed by an obligatory ” Doh! ”

    Thanks to Qaos and Andrew.

26. Cats tiptoeing in petticoats. Lovely.

27. It seems to me that 19 could almost be HIT. Putting two Ss around it could mean ‘goes’. However, that wouldn’t work with 26.

28. A quick but fun solve today. I too got caught out à la Lord Jim above so NW last to complete. Favourite 29. Thanks Andrew and Qaos.

29. Loved Fishers and Vicarage. As I managed to finish perhaps it’s true that themed crosswords tend to be easier?

30. Yes, relatively straightforward for a Qaos, but an entertaining solve.

    I liked the concise PEWS for its surface. Reminds me of some idiots on holiday flights who insist on reclining their seats to crush the person behind. I failed to spot the F IS HERS, nice! I agree with Andrew that ‘in London’ and ‘in Kent’ are not proper definitions – what’s wrong with using ‘that’s’ or some such? And, like William @3, ‘first serve’ for S rankles, although many of the Guardian setters seem to use this device, despite it seeming to be grammatically incorrect.

    Thanks Qaos for the impressive grid filling and Andrew for a good, comprehensive blog.

     

31. Thank you Qaos for an enjoyable puzzle and Andrew for a helpful blog.

    pfr @26, we had a cat once that seemed to have frilly white petticoats, my late husband named her Froufrou

32. I’m feeling very pleased with myself. The first Qaos I’ve managed to complete without any reveals. Thank you, Andrew, for parsing MOORE. I’d never have got there. 27/28 raised a giggle.

33. Totally tuned in to the theme for once, having just finished reading Hilary Mantel’s mighty tome, “The Mirror and the Light”. The POLE family gets plenty of coverage there. Another enjoyable solve today…

34. Thanks to Qaos and Andrew.

    Happy Goldilocks here and even got a sniff of the theme.  A pleasant end to a good week.

    And another weekend swings around.

     

35. I thought FISHERS and MOORE were superb clues, PECKHAM made me grin. I took POTTER to be a rather sweet reference to the Hogwarts hero, for the theme whizzed straight over my head. But then I’m an ecclesiastical dunce, me – the only archbish of Canterbury I know of is Beckett…
    Thanks for untangling the parsing of LAUDED, Andrew: I had “lad” for short boy, and then couldn’t figure out how to derive a twin from the remaining three letters.
    And thanks to Qaos for a classy crossword.

36. Why the meaningless ‘… …’ linker between 27ac & 28ac? ‘… …’ used to have real value, but it seems to have lost that.

    I filled in 4dn before parsing, just because Henry Moore is a sculptor whose name I’m familiar with. Then it became obvious that it was from ‘extra’ plus ‘ordinary’.

    I wonder if Henry Moore was suffering from 9ac when he created ‘Sheep Piece’.

    Otherwise, a very Unfridaylike crossword.

    Does this mean Paul tomorrow?

37. Not exactly much fun.  But I finished so all OK.

    Favourites were MOORE, CAVA (well I live in Spain) and PETTICOAT. another lovely word.

    Many thanks Qaos and Andrew!

38. I did spot the theme for once, but it didn’t help, as my knowledge of archbishops of Canterbury exactly matches that of Wellbeck @35. Using wikipedia to confirm nine of them after completing the grid (missed Laud) provided an extra bit of fun, so thanks to Qaos for the enjoyment. Thanks also to Andrew for the parsing of FISHERS and MOORE (yes, both excellent now that I see them). I wondered about OUSES, so it’s good to learn that there are in fact several of them.

39. Nice crossword, and for once for me for a Qaos, almost a write-in.  Nearly tried ASTI as the wine, of course.

    But ….

    Jayne Torvill is an Ice Dancer, not a Figure Skater – completely different discipline.

40. Smelt the ecclesiastical rat when Laud, who was Dean of my alma mater before he went on to Canterbury and the block, went in. The wizard and Archbishop Kipper were new ones on me.

    Another tour de force from Qaos and thanks to Andrew. Whoever’s in the hot seat tomorrow has some hard acts to follow.

41. Thanks Qaos and Andrew. Some outstanding clues here – MOORE and FISHERS in particular – the latter entered tentatively, confirmed by crossers and the last penny to drop. Like Robi I also ticked PEWS for being so well hidden. Not Qaos at his most devious but still very enjoyable.

42. I didn’t spot the theme (I almost never do) and I’m certainly not going to complain that I finished it fairly easily – with a little bit of help from ‘er indoors of course – but am I alone in finding the clueing a little prosaic? All straightforward and not much wit involved.

43. 27ac reminds me of the Steve Evets character in Rev, with Hollander and Colman.

44. Harpo  @ 42: my feeling exactly!!

45. Kibitzer @39 – I thought the same, but I checked and ice dancing is apparently officially a branch of figure skating. The classification is based on the type of skates that you wear; not what you do with them.

46. Thank you to Qaos and Andrew

    I thought this was a delightful puzzle: 27/28a, and 7dn were laugh out loud.

    Like Kibitzer @39, I at first put in crosswordland’s favourite wine at 2dn, thinking that “off” performed double duty.

    In the early 90s I was involved in negotiating the aviation single market in the EU, which involved deregulation/liberalising. The big European airlines, who until then had enjoyed monopolies on many routes, suddenly realised that this would bring in lots of new carriers which would, indeed, leave them in trouble – and so it proved. So for me an entirely apposite clue.

47. @ Cookie #31:

    Sounds adorable… Certainly more adorable than my entirely black cat who has spent the last hour clawing at the side of my face while I’ve been in a virtual meeting…

48. Much easier to get some of these than to parse them- MOORE and HARDBITTEN- but quite an agreeable puzzle. I didn’t see the theme until after I’d finished so I can’t say it was much help. I only saw a couple of the AB’s so no help at all. 13dn was LOI. I’m not that good at religious chaps!
    Electrics still playing up: perhaps I should try prayer!
    Thanks Qaos.

49. FISHERS and MOORE alone are worth the effort to tackle this crossword. Splitting a word like “extraordinary” in the case of MOORE is a trick I’ve seen in Paul/Mudd puzzles. Thanks Qaos and Andrew — I couldn’t parse LIVER ROT and I never got WAKE.

50. I found this a real mixed bag – lots of clever stuff mixed with clunky. Stiletto 4d then crowbar 26a. Thanks for the interesting whole, though and to blogger.

51. I’ve never heard of MOORE or LIVER ROT so unfortunately the only two answers I had trouble with intersected.  If I sequestered at home much longer with my largish bottles of gin, I will definitely be suffering from the latter.

    I was grateful for the easy end to the week because I haven’t managed to finish a puzzle all week, thanks to my poor adaption to working from home. My job seems to be getting more of my time than I think they may deserve. One would think that with no commute I would have more time for leisure activities.

52. After three tough days, nice to finish the working week on a doable one. Thanks Qaos! (And andrew for the blog also)

    One short for me having not heard of liver rot – I suspected liver something but couldn’t get there from a tricky (for me) cryptic (does upset normally mean reversal in an across clue? I had tried other constructions but missed that possibility.).

53. For once I managed to recognise the theme, recognising williams / archbishop / canterbury. Google showed me how many more i did not know.

    I liked the image of the cat in underwear

    thanks Qaos & Andrew

54. I’m another who wondered about RODIN. I probably would have written it in unparsed, except that _D_ looked very unlikely for the second word of 9ac. I’d never heard of LIVER ROT, but eventually I managed to remember the existence of Torvill. Failed to parse MOORE, but now that I know how it works it’s my favorite clue.

     

55. Stuart @52 Upset can indicate either a reversal or an anagram unless it’s actually a synonym for another word (e.g.sick,mad,hurt) that’s part of the answer.

56. Stuart @52 and Tony @55

    Interesting point about ‘upset’.

    When I see it I automatically think first of an anagram, then if that doesn’t work a reversal, irrespective of whether the clue is across or down.

    Arguably however it makes more sense in a down clue (upset = set up = written in an upwards direction).

    I suppose you could defend the across usage, as in 9a, on the basis that ‘to suffer an upset’ is ‘to suffer a reversal’.

    I am loth to criticise 9a because I think it takes a particular kind of genius to turn Jayne Torvill into liver rot (as I’m sure she would agree!)

57. Essexboy @56 Good explanation of how “upset” can work in across clues whereas “north” and “west” seem more fixed as reversal indicators; “going south,” however, can mean backwards as in the stock market going south lately.

58. TS @57

    I’ve never thought of this before, but if “going south” can mean backwards, then it could actually be used to indicate the same direction as “going north” in a down clue!

    A quick look at the Urban Dictionary (yes, I know it’s not exactly Chambers) reveals “going west” is “Used to describe the feeling when you’re absolutely out of your face on some substance or other. Generally the point in the night where things stop making sense.”

    Similarly, “It all went south from there, just means that everything went wrong from a certain point.”

    Ergo, both west and south could be used as anagram indicators (?? !)

59. Essexboy @58 Adding more grist to the mill — North, South, East, and particulary West can all be surnames so the opportunities for confusion multiply.

60. Whilst ‘going south’ and ‘going backwards’ can both figuratively mean ‘heading for a worse condition’, that doesn’t make ‘going south’ synonymous with literally going backwards (‘backwards’ is fine in a down clue btw, OED has “In the direction from which one has come, towards the place of starting, in the opposite direction from that in which one has advanced”).
    An easier than usual Qaos I agree, the theme helped me get LOI WAKE without going through the alphabet.
    Thans Qaos and Andrew.

61. Does Jayne Torvill qualify as a figure skater? Her Olympic golds were in ice dance rather than figure skating

62. Apologies. I realise now that I’ve dance is an aspect of figure skating

63. Enjoyed it too. Only parsing of fishers eluded me. Thanks qaos and Andrew. Loved petticoats too

64. for once was nearly able to complete. only a couple on SW corner.  never heard of arch as meaning mischievous before.

65. I think arable as ‘productive’ is a stretch. Arable is ploughed land ,usually, for crops. As any farmer will tell you this is not necessarily productive!!

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