Guardian Cryptic 28,301 by Picaroon

by

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28301.

A very enjoyable stroll, with some pleasing misdirections.

ACROSS
1 SOAP OPERA Shoot up, ingesting drink and drug before adult show (4,5)
A charade of SOAPOPER, an envelope (‘ingesting’) of POP (‘drink’) plus E (crossword’s ‘drug’ of choice) in SOAR (‘shoot up’, with the drink and drugs only in the surface); plus (‘before’) A (‘adult’).
6 GRIEF Suffering composer lowering his final note (5)
GRIEG (Edvard, ‘composer’) with the ending G changed to F (‘lowering his final note’).
9 DO ONES LEVEL BEST Try everything Steve Bell’s done, including old works (2,4,5,4)
An anagram (‘works’) of ‘Steve Bells done’ plus (‘including’) O (‘old’). Steve Bell is a political cartoonist for the Guardian.
10 ERIN Explorer’s vacant homeland in poetry (4)
A charade of ER (‘ExploreR‘s vacant’) plus IN (‘home’ – lift and separate).
11 SCAFFOLD Hanging here, a pair of females dress down to go outside (8)
An envelope (‘to go outside’) of ‘a’ plus FF (‘pair of females’) in SCOLD (‘dress down’).
14 TIGHT SPOT Fix hose by grass (5,4)
A charade of TIGHTS (‘hose’) plus POT (‘grass’, marijuana).
15 NITRE Can — it reportedly contains salt (5)
A hidden answer (‘contains’) in ‘caN IT REportedly’, for the nitric salt of potassium.
16 MOPER He’s gloomy about Englishman returning (5)
A reversal (‘returning’) of RE (‘about’) plus POM (‘Englishman’ to an Australian or New Zealander)
18 LIONESSES Fibs about figure’s special element of pride (9)
An envelope (‘about’) of ONE’S (‘figure’s’) plus S (‘special’) in LIES (‘fibs’).
20 LINGUIST Fish by Scottish island, one with many tongues? (8)
A charade of LING (‘fish’) plus UIST (‘Scottish island’ in the Outer Hebrides).
21 JAMB Picked up stick or doorpost (4)
Sounds like (‘picked up’) JAM (‘stick’, verb).
25 MANIC DEPRESSIVE Serviceman spied jumping up and down regularly (5,10)
An anagram (‘jumping’) of ‘serviceman spied’.
26 TWERP Belgians live here, not an idiot (5)
[An]TWERP (‘Belgians live here’) minus AN (‘not an’).
27 TOP DRAWER Best to return bonus put in pocket (3,6)
A reversal (‘to return’) of REWARD (‘bonus’) plus POT (‘put in pocket’, billiards etc).
DOWN
1 SIDLE Creep in small lounge (5)
A charade of S (‘small’) plus IDLE (‘lounge’, as a verb).
2 ADORING Very fond of a social call (7)
A charade of ‘a’ plus DO (‘social’, rather than the usual “party”) plus RING (‘call’ by telephone).
3 OPEN Frank‘s refusal to bring down leader (4)
NOPE (‘refusal’) with the initial N moved to the end (‘to bring down leader’ in a down light).
4 ELLA Spanish translations of ‘the girl‘ (4)
The definite article ‘the’ in ‘Spanish translation’ becomes EL, masculine and LA, feminine.
5 ADVOCATION Bill calling for support (10)
A charade of AD (advertisement, ‘bill’) plus VOCATION (‘calling’). Very neat.
6 GOLDFINGER Spy picture‘s red frames getting on fine (10)
An envelope (‘frames’) of OLD (‘getting on’) plus F (‘fine’) in GINGER (‘red’).
7 ICEBOAT One snake seized by bats etc in vessel (7)
A charade of I (‘one’) plus CEBOAT, an envelope (‘seized by’) of BOA (‘snake’) in CET, an anagram (‘bats’) of ‘etc’.
8 FETIDNESS Decay in iron I cut from neat arrangement (9)
A charade of FE (chemical symbol, ‘iron’) plus TID[i]NESS (‘neat arrangement’ – ‘arrangement’ here not calling for an anagram) minus an I (‘I cut from’).
12 STIRRUP CUP Incite about game on computer and parting drink (7,3)
An envelope (‘about’) of RU (Rugby Union, ‘game’) plus PC (personal ‘computer’) in STIR UP (‘incite’).
13 OPALESCENT With nothing colourless, bouquet’s full of colour (10)
A charade of O (‘nothing’) plus PALE (‘colourless’) plus SCENT (‘bouquet’).
14 TIME LIMIT Moved tile 1mm — it fixed window (4,5)
An anagram (‘moved’) of ’tile 1mm it’, with the ‘1’ giving the letter I.
17 PENANCE Making up for wrong article, change pens (7)
An envelope (‘pens’) of AN (indefinite ‘article’) in PENCE (loose ‘change’).
19 SEA VIEW A spectacle that is captured by rolling waves? (3,4)
An envelope (‘captured by’) of IE (‘that is’) in SEAVW, an anagram (‘rolling’) of ‘waves’, with a extended definition.
22 BLEAR Dim leader of Britain, a tragic figure (5)
A charade of B (‘leader of Britain’) plus LEAR (King, ‘a tragic figure’).
23 WRAP What to do to present western music style (4)
A charade of W (‘western’) plus RAP (‘music style’).
24 USER One with habit that’s a bit flipping presumptuous (4)
A hidden (‘a bit’) reversed (‘flipping’) answer in ‘pRESUmptuous’.

 

image of grid

58 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28,301 by Picaroon”

  1. A stroll, yes, but a longish one here, couple of hours. Some surfaces a bit Wot?, eg 14ac and 8d, but nothing inexplicable. The 6s were both fun and 25ac’s def would be amusing if not so serious. Stirrup cup took a bit of dredging (BBC series etc, never met anyone who hunts!). Enjoyable, thanks P and P.

  2. Liked TWERP, STIRRUP CUP, TIGHT SPOT, OPEN, SOAP OPERA, OPALESCENT (loi)

    Did not parse PENANCE, LIONESSES (got as far as lies around what?)

    New: Steve Bell (thanks, google. I never heard of him before).

    Thanks P and P.

  3. A surprisingly gentle offering from Picaroon although the NE corner held me up a bit. I don’t agree that pale = colourless. Pale means light in colour but not completely lacking colour. Still an enjoyable solve.

  4. Tricky in a couple of places, e.g. GOLDFINGER and ICEBOAT, but a fine puzzle.

    I have to say that 4d ELLA is almost brilliant.  In addition to the presumably intended reading of wordplay+-definition, just as described by PeterO, it is almost the case that the whole thing is another definition, since ella is Spanish for she (the girl) (but is only a single translation).

  6. Certainly a worthy challenge (other than the two stare-you-in-the-face long anagrams) – but for me, not much joy in solving – though maybe it’s unfair to compare it with yesterday’s little gem. Only TWERP raised a smile, TOP DRAWER and ELLA were neat, while MANIC DEPRESSIVE merely reminded me of the up-and-down nature of this week’s offerings. I suppose that at least gives us hope for tomorrow.

  7. 20ac was quite cunning, and NITRE was a nice misdirection (reportedly…). I wish 22d had been BLAIR! But thanks to both!

  8. Not at his fiercest today but Pickers exudes class at all levels of difficulty.
    Loved GRIEF and MANIC DEPRESSIVE

    Thanks

  9. I liked the SEA VIEW with the rolling waves and LINGUIST, because of Uist is a lovely name for an island. TWERP was chuckleworthy and SCAFFOLD had me singing Lily the Pink to myself, so thank you very much, thank you very very very much to Picaroon and PeterO.

  10. [rodshaw @6:  Yesterday’s certainly was a gem – and, if you missed it, it’s worth taking another look at the blog – irony towers’ post @92 reveals yet another of its sparkling facets.]

    However I liked this too, especially TIGHT SPOT and OPALESCENT – once I’d stopped trying to parse IRIDESCENT.

    Thanks Picaroon and Peter

  11. I enjoyed this. Initially came up with DANCE IMPRESSIVE for MANIC DEPRESSIVE, and had to google it just to check. I’m not sure that DO ONE’S LEVEL BEST is quite the same as ‘try everything’; and was a bit surprised by ‘pen’ in the clue and PENANCE as the solution to 17d. But many great clues, and all in all good fun. Many thanks to Picaroon and PeterO.

  12. I should say that Uist is a lovely name for two islands or a group of islands including Benbecula where my dad was stationed during the war. He would have pulled me up on that.

  13. Very enjoyable and more than challenging enough for me. I agree that ELLA was excellent, including the association with the Spanish ‘she’ as pointed out by by Dr. WhatsOn @4. Favourite though was the definition for ERIN which took me some time to spot.

    Thanks to Picaroon and PeterO

  14. Like essexboy, I had IRIDESCENT for a while (also INVOCATION, which is why SOAP OPERA took so long to get). Liked the SEA VIEW clue, also the elements of pride and the SCAFFOLD.

  15. I liked GREIG, GOLDFINGER, TWERP, the cunning LINGUIST (Peri@7), SEA VIEW  and the two clever long anagrams, which turned their faces slowly towards me. Can’t say I’m grateful for the ear worm Penfold@9 but your comment made me chuckle. Ta PeterO & Picaroon.

  17. It’s always annoying when  Nutmeg and Picaroon follow in close succession as they are two of my very favourite compilers and it means that it will be a while before either of them appear again. However, as usual, this was another treat and a very good start to the day for me .

  18. Hard work but enjoyable today – little longer than usual but got there in the end.  COTD TWERP; FOI SIDLE; LOI OPALESCENT.

    Thanks PeterO and Picaroon!

  19. As a lover of coincidence, it was interesting to see a repeat of a relatively recent long anagram (I think that avoids being a spoiler) and, once again, there’s a whiff of something in the air from our setters.  And, as Penfold says, Uist is a lovely name and an island more rarely visited by our setters; a nice change from Skye and Man (I once met the botany master from Eton staying in a fisherman’s hotel on South Uist whilst engaged on a butterfly hunting expedition.  I rather expected Miss Marple or similar to pop out of the wainscoting).

    I found this neither stroll nor slog.  It took two goes with a school run in between and the diversion gave the subconscious time to solve SOAP OPERA though i struggled with the parsing – thanks PeterO.  ICEBOAT was difficult and a nho so I wasn’t sure what I was aiming for.  Several of my favourites have been mentioned in despatches – MANIC DEPRESSIVE, GRIEF, GOLDFINGER, SEA VIEW, SCAFFOLD and the delightful ELLA (Thanks Dr W).  WRAP was delightful and PeterO’s ‘very neat’, ADVOCATION is beautifully simple but COTD, because I missed it for so long when it was staring me in the face, is the cunning NITRE.

    Penfold @9: you are frequently responsible for ear worms but, on this occasion, my musical memories were jogged by TIGHT SPOT which took me straight to Hawkwind’s Secret Agent.

    Thanks Picaroon & Peter O

  20. Per@7 I am sure 7ac is an intentional allusion to Tony B. My heart always sinks when I see “vessel” in a clue, and ICEBOAT seems too specific an instance of a vessel to be defined thus, but apart from that an enjoyable solve in the Goldilocks zone of difficulty. I particularly lied WRAP

  22. Probably more straightforward than Vulcan on Monday, and certainly some relief after a Brummie that was beyond me and a Nutmeg which took me ages. Perhaps that’s why I like Picaroon so much! Though I’m not sure he sparkled as much as he can today.

    I came across STIRRUP CUP in a cryptic just the other day. That undoubtedly helped. Must have been a book of Times puzzles I’m working through.

    [Need to know re Steve Bell for those who don’t see the physical paper: at his best, one of the sharpest of all modern political cartoonists. Has run into trouble for his devotion to Corbyn, but his current ‘If…’ strip, on the power struggle between Corbyn and Starmer, is hilarious. Easy to find via search in the Guardian site.]

  23. Nice gentle solve today, though I wasn’t completely sure whether 4d ought to be ELLA or Elle. TIGHT SPOT made me smile…

  24. As others have said, not Picaroon at his most challenging but as enjoyable as ever.

    I agree UIST is a lovely name for an island or two – my first thought for that clue was polyglot!

    I don’t mind either of Penfold’s earworms – thanks for the smile.

    I think all my favourites have been mentioned, so I don’t need to enumerate them: as usual, too many to list really, anyway.

    Many thanks to Picaroon and PeterO.

    [essexboy @10 has mentioned the late revelation on yesterday’s Nutmeg puzzle, after I’d gone to bed – it’s worth a look.]

     

     

  25. I’ve been struggling this week, but Picaroon is always pleasingly accessible, which is not to say it wasn’t an excellently composed puzzle. I particularly liked GRIEF, TWERP and the almost-&lit SEA VIEW.

    ICEBOAT was an easy get for a Scrabble player. And I filled in BORIS at 22d purely for my own amusement, of course.

  27. Thank goodness. Thought I was losing my touch after Tuesday and wednesday.

    Really enjoyed 14ac but my favourite clue was 19dn for the (undulating?) surface. Thank you Picaroon.

    Didn’t parse 6dn so thank you PeterO; it’s obvious when you put it like that.

  29. I got a bit stuck in the NE corner but the rest went in relatively smoothly.

    MANIC DEPRESSIVE is not really used these days; it’s been replaced by bipolar (not that that matters in a crossword). My ticks went to GRIEF, SCAFFOLD and SEA VIEW.

    Thanks Picaroon and PeterO.

  30. Thanks essexboy @10 for directing me to ironytowers @92 yesterday who spotted the stunning nina. Pure class!

    I enjoyed today’s offering too. I can’t believe how long it took me to see SOAP OPERA. Like Eileen @24 I considered “polyglot”, especially as I had the final T.

    My thanks to Picaroon and PeterO.

  31. [PostMark @19 I assume that you were staying at the fisherman’s hotel as you hadn’t acquired your Electric Tepee by then. Good choice of earworm.

    Thanks to MaidenBartok @21 for the France Gall link. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg with Serge Gainsbourg’s “Poupée de cire, poupée de son”. The English-language version, “A Lonely Singing Doll”, was recorded by Twinkle. She married Graham Rogers, who was a Milk Tray man. The memorable scene of the man jumping from a cliff top into the sea was performed by stuntman Alf Joint who had previously doubled for Sean Connery’s 007 in GOLDFINGER.]

  32. Thanks to Picaroon and to PeterO.

    All I wish to add is my appreciation of an enjoyable solve – more clunks than clicks for a long time but (although I was sharpening my quill to eviscerate anticipated obscurities) it revealed itself slowly and pleasurably.  I needed help to parse GOLDFINGER but it was my LOI and I was just too satisfied to linger.  On reflection I can’t see why it was such a (‘n enjoyable) struggle.

    [Penfold@31: your Milk Tray reference reminds me of the ad they never made – light flickering reveals a stake with faggots ablaze; the punchline is “and all because the lady loves – Black Magic (I got a box of these as a present yesterday which is why it’s on my mind)(lovers of coincidence may forgive on that basis)]

  34. SH@33, how bizarre. I posted Voodoo Chile this morning in my music group on Facebook, the theme being favourite intros!

  36. I was slow to get started on this, with only OPEN on the first pass, though I had an unparsed ERIN, which (second time around) eventually made sense. But gradually things started to make themselves seen through the BLEARiness, though the cunningly hidden NITRE was hard to discern and became my last one in the NE quadrant. As well as ‘reportedly’ not indicating a homophone, we had ‘arrangement’ not being an anagrind, which made FETIDNESS a satisfying solve; LING UIST was clever, and a nice reminder for me of cycling in the “long island“; TWERP was worthy of a grin and in retrospect this was an overall enjoyable solve. I thought the use of ‘pens’ in the clue for PENANCE was either very clever or very clunky.

    I feel like I’ve come across ICEBOAT recently, but I can’t find it in a search of recent puzzles so maybe it was in an Araubetical from the archives. (Pretty sure it’s not a spoiler!)

    Thanks to PeterO for the one parsing I didn’t get – getting on just doesn’t say OLD to me – and to Picaroon for the entertainment.

  37. [AlanC @34. Good choice! His only number 1 in UK when released posthumously on an EP with Hey Joe and All Along the Watchtower.]

  40. [Penfold – Rather late in the day, I’ve just finished today’s Indy and suspect, with your interests and also SOH, you would rather enjoy it.]

  41. Just my 3rd puzzle here so I was surprised and delighted that all was done and dusted within an hour. I enjoyed this as much as Nutmeg’s yesterday to echo
    George Clements @ 13.
    Really liked TIGHT SPOT and TWERP. Thanks to Picaroon and Peter. I look forward to the next outing.

  42. 16a Are Poms only men?

    PeterO, thanks for parsing GOLDFINGER  and PENANCE

    Boffo @26, Eileen @24 and Auriga @30 I started with POLYGLOT too, and it’s actually a better fit than LINGUIST to the definition.  A linguist is a person who studies language and how it works, not necessarily one who speaks a lot of them.

  43. DuncT @ 38

    Your comment reminded me of the scene in the original Bedazzled where Peter Cook, as the Devil, adds an E to the newspaper billboard “Pop stars in sex and drugs drama”.

  44. This was fun, with lots of neat misdirections – but I certainly wouldn’t class it as “a stroll”. I’ve clearly got a long way to go before I reach the competence-levels of other commenters!
    [And, as proof of the jaw-dropping erudition displayed by all you clever souls, I echo the suggestions to go have another peek at yesterday’s FS blog for the Grauniad’s cryptic: IronyTower’s very late comment left me speechless with wonder.]
    GRIEF, TIGHT SPOT and TIME LIMIT were my favourites today – and TWERP made me grin.
    Thanks to PeterO for the blog and Picaroon for the entertainment.

  45. [PostMark @40 Yes, I did enjoy that, once I got the hang of navigating around the Indy puzzle. As you guessed, right up my street. Thanks for the suggestion.]

  46. Valentine @42. A linguist is a person who studies language and how it works, not necessarily one who speaks a lot of them. I would agree with you, but Picaroon has ended the clue with a question mark, which I think absolves any looseness.

  47. Twerp went in first for me and was enough on it’s own to cheer me up. Never seen Opalescent before so had to check it. I still often guess answers from the definitions or crossers then parse them, probably always will, so I appreciate a good, not very straight-forward definition. For example ‘element of pride’, ‘Hanging here’ and ‘up and down regularly’. Think I was able to figure all the parsing out then come here to see if I was right. Really enjoyed this one.

     

    Thanks Picaroon and PeterO

  48. Failed to parse 21A as all the joiners I have known have pronounced this word as JAWM – possibly a regional variation.

  49. Re: LINGUIST – several dictionaries I checked give ability to speak several languages as an alternative definition. [Furthermore, I used to work with linguists, and they/we all knew several languages, not a proof per se but lends credibility.]  So I think we can accept that the clue is fine.

     

  51. [PostMark @40 & Penfold @45 (and Eileen if you’re around). I’ve done that Indy crossword too, and had a couple of minor queries about the wordplay, which no one has answered – they seem to have very few visitors to their part of 225. ‘Saving’ in 6d and ‘annual’ in 19a. Would you mind having a look, as you’ve all completed it? If you get a minute…]

  55. Crossbencher @ 53: Chambers gives the e-spelling with oe as an alternate, with no indication of the former being an Americanism.

  58. [hatter @51 & Eileen @52L ‘fraid I’m a bit late to comment having been watching Masterchef.  I’ve just checked in on t’other blog and Eileen has satisfactorily dealt with the one and the other may well be a moot point.]

    Cookie @56 & 57: I haven’t welcomed you back yet but nice to see you commenting again.  I’ve always used the ‘oe’ spelling for the simple reason I sometimes cook with asafoetida which, of course, has a pretty pungent aroma.

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