Thank you to Anto. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
P.S. Thanks also to Gaufrid for filling in for me last week.
Across
1. Tax guide for one involved in aeronautics research (4,5)
TEST PILOT : TEST(to tax/to put under strain) + PILOT(a guide/one to show the way, such as a harbour pilot).
The first …
6. Plot to snaffle small change, so unlike Long John Silver (5)
BIPED : BED(a plot/an area of ground in your garden, say) containing(to snaffle) [I P](one penny with the Roman numeral substitution and abbreviation for the unit of currency/a small amount of money/small change).
Defn: Descriptive of one who walks on two legs, unlike Long John Silver, the fictional pirate who had only one leg (plus a wooden one).
9. Begin making a move forward to get upgrade (5)
RAISE : ARISE(to begin/to originate) with its “A” moving to the right(move forward, in an across clue).
10. Awareness of life, for example, when one is inside (9)
SENTIENCE : SENTENCE(punishment for an offence meted by a court, which could/for example be life/short for life imprisonment) containing(when … is inside) I(Roman numeral for “one”).
11. Hotel boss going crazy to find mass supplier (5,5)
HIGGS BOSON : Anagram of(… crazy) [H(letter represented by “hotel” in the phonetic alphabet) + BOSS GOING].
Defn: In particle physics, an elementary particle that gives mass/is a … to other sub-atomic particles.
12. Staple item on the early bird menu? (4)
WORM : Cryptic defn: From the adage “The early bird catches the worm”, to eat it, of course.
14. Very little in Catholic teaching initially was read during troubles (4,3)
RIOT ACT : IOTA(a very small amount of something) contained in(in) RC(abbrev. for “Roman Catholic”/Catholic in short) + 1st letter of(… initially) “teaching“.
Answer: Originally, an Act of Parliament in Great Britain introduced during a time of civil disturbance; the phrase “to read the Riot Act”, in common usage, is to give a stern warning or telling off to anyone who causes/is going to cause trouble.
15. One brought in to launch vessel into river (7)
DRAFTEE : RAFT(a flat vessel/craft made of timber or other buoyant material tied together) contained in(to launch … into) DEE(the river in Scotland).
Defn: …/conscripted into military service.
17. Strip where waste left rotting (4,3)
PEEL OFF : PEE(urine/liquid bodily waste) + L(abbrev. for “left”) + OFF(rotting/decaying, said of food).
19. Standards of those who stop things happening (7)
BANNERS : Double defn:? 1st: …/flags, historically, of a monarch, knight or army; and 2nd: A noun derived from the verb, “ban”/to stop things happening + “-ners”.
20. For a short distance, they precede Jodi’s characters (4)
INCH : [I,N,C,H](letters in the alphabet immediately preceding, respectively, “J, O, D, I”/Jodi’s characters).
22. Don’t hold it, because it won’t happen (unless you’re underwater) (4,6)
YOUR BREATH : Cryptic defn: From the phrase “Don’t hold your breath”/to tell someone that they shouldn’t have any hope of something happening, because it won’t happen. On the other hand, you do want to, literally, hold your breath when you’re underwater.
25. Female makes part of her nest in elms (9)
ERNESTINE : Hidden in(part of) “her nest in elms“.
26. Creep sending daughter back just now (5)
TODAY : TOADY(a creep/a brown-nose) with its “D”(abbrev. for “daughter”) moving to the left(sending … back, in an across clue).
27. Divided heads of state patently lacking in trust (5)
SPLIT : 1st letters, respectively, of(heads of) “state patently lacking in trust“.
28. Freeloaders switching how clothes are stored (7-2)
HANGERS-ON : [ON HANGERS](how clothes are stored for frequent use) with its 2 words exchanging places(switching …).
Down
1. Nasty creature appears in this half-light (5)
TORCH : ORC(nasty creature in fantasy literature and games) contained in(appears in) 1st 2 letters of(… half) “this“.
2. Republican abandons unusually strong view — a potential election winner (5,4)
SWING VOTE : “R”(abbrev. for a member of the Republican Party) deleted from(abandons) anagram of(unusually) “strong view“.
3. Paper supplier appears as crowd stop working (5,5)
PRESS BARON : PRESS(to crowd/to pack closely) + BAR(to stop/to prevent from proceeding) + ON(working/functioning, as with machinery, say).
Defn: …/the owner of a major newspaper publishing company or companies.
4. Miss an opportunity to make couture restorative (7) {sic}
LOSE OUT : Reverse clue: OUT deleted from(LOSE …) “couture” =/to make … “cure”(a restorative/that which can restore health).
5. Informed about English National Front showing large increase (7)
TENFOLD : TOLD(informed/advised) containing(about) [ E(abbrev. for “English”) + NF(abbrev. for the National Front) ].
6. Produce from central Umbria and Oviedo (4)
BRIE : Middle letters, respectively, of(central) [ “Umbria” plus(and) “Oviedo“].
7. Socialist has fix on how fight can be ended (5)
PINKO : PIN(to fix something on to something else) placed above(on, in down clue) KO(abbrev. for “knock out”/how a boxing match/fight can be ended, specifically with one fighter down for a count of ten).
Defn: … with left-wing views.
8. Lacking hope, Hamlet abandons boundaries when wearing frock (9)
DREAMLESS : “Hamlet” minus its 1st and last letters(abandons boundaries) contained in(when wearing) DRESS(a frock/woman’s dress).
13. Cleaners, underworked, having coffee outside (10)
LAUNDRETTE : Anagram of(… worked) UNDER contained in(having … outside) LATTE(coffee made with espresso and hot steamed milk).
14. They make good stuff that keeps theatre ventilated (9)
REPAIRERS : REP(short for “repertory”/collectively, theatres having performances by a repertory company) + AIRERS(what you might call stuff/appliances that keep closed spaces ventilated/circulate air).
16. In disarray, hunts made opposing camps (4,3,2)
THEM AND US : Anagram of(In disarray) HUNTS MADE.
18. Simple angle concealing facilities getting erected (7)
FOOLISH : FISH(to angle/to catch fish with a rod and line) containing(concealing) reversal of(… getting erected, in a down clue) LOO(euphemistically “facilities”/toilet).
19. Encourage support for British boom (7)
BURGEON : B(abbrev. for “British”) plus(… for/to attach to) [URGE ON](to encourage/to support someone to continue)
21. Watercourse constructed initially from the bottom (5)
CANAL : 1st letter of(… initially) “constructed” + ANAL(from the bottom/from out of the anus).
23. Composer broadcast towering study (5)
HAYDN : Homophone of(broadcast) [ “high”(towering/above the surroundings) + “den”(study/a secluded room) ].
24. Posh set contains odd characters seeking attention (4)
PSST : 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th letters of(… contains odd characters) “Posh set“.
Defn: Exclamation …
What a week. Two of the toughest puzzles in ages, two almost write-ins, and now this.
Today, quite a decent puzzle in itself, but spoiled for me by the lengthy agonizing over the LOI (4D) and it’s supposedly seven letter answer (‘sic’ indeed). Ironically I would have rated this the best clue, if correctly stated as (4,3).
Defeated by LOSE OUT on the grounds LOSE OUT is what would fit but I could see no reason for enumerating it as one word so eventually pressed Reveal to reveal….LOSE OUT.
That aside, plenty of Anto’s clever antics and quite a broad range from the almost write in YOUR BREATH and WORM to INCH for the parsing of which I needed scchua and RAISE which also defeated me. I had big ticks for BIPED for the definition, the well hidden ERNESTINE (I wonder how many little girls receive that moniker these days), the snort-inducing CANAL and four of the down clues all in a bunch – DREAMLESS, LAUNDRETTE, REPAIRERS and FOOLISH.
Failed on HIGGS BOSON: I was looking for a classical composer so in a different universe.
Thanks Anto and scchua
Also failed on 7D, I suspect that’ll be the biggest complaint today.
Otherwise nice Friday fare.
Thanks Anto and scchua.
HIGGS BOSON clue of the month! HAYDN one of the worst homophones ever. On balance a very enjoyable crossword. Thanks to Anto and to scchua.
There can’t possibly be an anagram of H BOSS GOING… oh wait, yes there can. A particularly discerning clue.
I also liked the wry commentary at 14a.
I wondered if there might be an ERNESTINE with an anniversary TODAY, but if so I couldn’t find her. However I did discover this Ernestine, whose story surely deserves to be better known.
We have an INCH WORM, but pace Danny Kaye, today’s ear/eyeworm has to be LAUNDRETTE.
Thanks Anto and scchua.
Anto’s like a bowl of padron peppers – you’re happily munching through the pleasantly salty snacks and then boom – there’s a super spicy one 🙂
I was another LOSE OUT victim until I remembered it’s the Grauniad
Loved LAUNDRETTE but then I’m a sucker for a lift and separate anagrind
Cheers Anto & sschua
I’ve just given myself a mighty kicking for missing Higgs Boson. Duh!! Otherwise this was a neat puzzle with some satisfying clues. Shame about 4dn but in the end it had to be the 2 word answer. Thanks Anto and sschua.
RHS was easier for me. Filled in the NW corner last.
Liked BIPED, LAUNDRETTE, FOOLISH, REPAIRERS, BURGEON, RIOT ACT, TORCH.
I did not parse 4d LOSE OUT.
Thanks, both.
Nice to see Anto allowed out on a non-easy day. Failed to parse INCH (original and clever) and I wouldn’t have solved LOSE OUT if some kind soul btl on the Guardian hadn’t pointed out the error. Discovered that I’ve been spelling LAUND(E)RETTE wrong, and like essexboy I didn’t think there was an anagram of H BOSS GOING – until there was. Other favourites BIPED, WORM, THEM AND US – and definitely not HAYDN.
I dont pronounce an e in HAYDN
Like PostMark @2 I needed help parsing INCH and RAISE so thanks sschua. Now I know how it works I think INCH might be my favourite clue today. But LOSE OUT, had it been (4,3) would rate as perhaps even better.
Thanks Anto for the fun.
Thanks Anto and scchua
LOSE OUT my LOI too. I spent ages trying to justify the second definition for WORM – it’s a feeble cryptic definition.
Favourite RIOT ACT.
gladys @9 – I think either spelling is valid.
“It would appear, Mr Silver that you have a deficiency in the leg department to the tune of one”
Can’t be grumpy today (it’s the First Night of the Proms and I’m off to Prom it!) despite being awake at 3am and presented with LOSE OUT being 7 rather than 4,3.
FOI was HIGGS BOSON – a very lucky guess – and COTD has to be 21d CANAL, surely?
copmus @10: I’m with you – the ‘DN’ is a very short ‘dun’ rather than a ‘den’ – in-fact, the D is almost completely missing.
[Have a bit of Farewell – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjFeDk6Kr3U – see you all next week!]
Thanks to Anto and scchua!
Great fun, after Vlad’s distinctly vicious offering yesterday.
Favourites HIGGS BOSON, INCH (with a splendid “Aha!” moment when I realised how the clue worked), TORCH (crossword compilers must be eternally grateful to Mr Tolkien), LAUNDRETTES and, yes, LOSE OUT. Yes, the word length was incorrectly stated, but come on, chaps, this is the Grauniad!!
Thanks to Anto and sschua.
[@MB @14 I’m guessing you’re familiar with the baryton which I discovered when playing random HAYDN tunes on Qobuz 🙂 ]
Being sloppy has its rewards. I didn’t even notice the enumeration for 4d so after a bit of a delay, in it went without further thought.
I’ll be n=1 and stick up for the HAYDN homophone. Helps he’s one of my favourite composers I suppose. Best clues though were the ‘so unlike Long John Silver’ (see also copmus @13) and the original INCH.
Thanks to Anto and scchua
Tremendous puzzle! Ticked loads including SENTIENCE, HIGGS BOSON, HANGERS-ON and LAUNDRETTE. Clever cluing, lots to enjoy, but like others I scratched my head over LOSE OUT. Many thanks to Anto and scchua.
As someone who a) cut their teeth on Quiptics last year and b) had a mare of it on Vlad’s puzzle yesterday, I was dreading the prospect of Anto on a Friday. (Aside, I am still unsure if the increasing difficulty throughout the week is a real or imagined phenomenon – I find them all bloody difficult!)
But this was a surprisingly lovely offering. Maybe it was easier than Fridays of the past (and definitely easier than most of Anto’s Quiptics! ), but I had a great time. I enjoyed the Paul-ish 21D as well as the cheeky definition for 6A. 11A was the best PDM for me. Thanks Anto and sschua.
Thanks for the blog , a lot of nice clues but a bit of a Monday feel really. 4D did not bother me , I am used to the numbers being wrong in my paper, twice now this week.
I did meet Peter Higgs once for about 30 seconds and managed to annoy him inadvertently, my claim to fame.
All good fun. BIPED was great with the surface correctly stating that Long John was after bigger treasure than small change.
Can DREAMLESS mean lacking hope? Obviously “dream” can mean “hope” but I thought DREAMLESS just means without dreaming, as in a dreamless sleep. Maybe someone can come up with examples.
Many thanks Anto and scchua.
That ain’t how I say “Haydn”. And a pity 4d wasn’t (4,3). Otherwise very enjoyable.
I thought this was a lovely puzzle, despite 4d. Regarding that, I had a quick glance at the G. comments that were in at the time of my solving and saw some non-spoiler griping about the enumeration, so I was happy to go with LOSE OUT.
I have no problem with TODAY and back meaning to the left since the letters are written left-to-right, but it seems weirdly that the end of the clue is its back so moving back could also be described as moving to the right. I only bring this up because at the time I was without crossers and was puzzling which of TOADY/TODAY was the answer.
Is it a coincidence that the two solutions which require, in the first instance, moving a letter forward (9A) and in the second, sending a letter back (26A) are in symmetrically corresponding positions in the grid? Also, in the same horizontals in the grid (3 and 13 out of 15), the two longer solutions, SENTIENCE and ERNESTINE are anagrams of each other save for the C in the former and the R in the latter, these letters occupying the symmetrically corresponding positions in the two lights.
At that point I will cease to suggest mysterious proceedings where there probably are none and, it being notably windy and rainy outside, and with shopping to do, will get my coat.
Thank you Anto for an enjoyable puzzle and scchua for the illustrated blog.
For 14d I had REP for ‘stuff’ it is a textile fabric.
Roz @20: 30 seconds is a considerable number of lifetimes for a Higgs Boson – too big to type here – so plenty of time for you to inadvertently annoy him on his scale. Maybe he always takes over an hour to complete an Azed? 😀
An enjoyable puzzle. My favourite was HIGGS BOSON – it’s always good to see some science in crosswords. I also put ticks against BIPED and LOSE OUT.
Thanks to Anto and sschua.
[ MrPostMark @26 it really was not my fault, just this once. He was not famous then apart from theoretically so I did not realise it was him at the time. ]
[bodycheetah @16: Ooooh! New one on me! Thanks – more listening to do…]
Anto on top form with varying levels of difficulty as already mentioned by PM @2. I liked RIOT ACT, PEEL OFF and INCH but thought BURGEON was cotd. Thanks scchua for parsing LOSE OUT.
Ta both
Wow that was tough! Not helped by having one eye on the rowing. Thanks scchua & Anto.
BodyCheetah @6
I also enjoy lift and separate clues so loved LAUNDRETTE and I think TORCH comes into that category more-or-less although the hyphen makes it more obvious.
Took me a while but did at least finish unlike yesterday’s which I gave up on.
My favourites have all been mentioned and I did like WORM (made me smile) even if some thought it a write in.
Thanks Anto and scchua
Strange week! Vlad yesterday but surrounded by two Monday style puzzles.
Some fine clues here with HIGGS BOSON nicely disguised. Like others I took too long on LOSE OUT because of the faulty enumeration. Annoying when actually it’s a good clue.
Thanks to Anto and scchua
Dunno, but perhaps I live in a parallel universe. To me in 9, I’m moving the ‘a’ back, and in 26 I’m sending the daughter forward (?) Chambers for forward: ‘1.(also for?wards) towards what is in front. And Chambers for back: 1.To or towards the back. Perhaps I’m just back in the future; maybe someone can gently explain the logic.
I had no real problem with LOSE OUT, once I realised the enumeration was a mistake. I liked HIGGS BOSON, HANGERS-ON and RIOT-ACT.
Thanks Anto and scchua.
Really good puzzle. LOSE OUT was my favourite – I assumed there was an error in the numbers straight away. Thanks Anto and scchua.
Yes, that business with 4d meant that I couldn’t tease out the NW corner even after the TEST PILOT had flown swiftly in at the start. Couldn’t get TORCH either, a bit of a gnarly clue, or therefore HOGGS BISON, a beast I’d never come across before. However, the rest of the puzzle went in very satisfyingly with lots of ticks here and there. Thought with the LOO and PEE components in 18 and 21d that we were having to deal with a Paulism or two…
For PEEL OFF did anyone else think that it was *PEEL = waste left* – as in orange or potato peel being the waste left when eating or preparing the food.
or just me
A funny upside-down week, with Paul on Monday and Anto on Friday.
No complaints about Anto’s cluing, but what a grotty selection of words. YOUR BREATH and ERNESTINE and THEM AND US failed to inspire me. I was convinced there must be a theme, but couldn’t make one out.
CANAL did make me giggle like the overgrown child that I am, though.
A gentle solve with nice variety, and I especially enjoyed INCH – a device new to me.
Spooner’s catflap @24: I really like the idea – raise awareness of Ernestine (Rose?) today.
Fiona Anne @37: that’s how I saw PEEL too!
Thanks to Anto & scchua.
S.catflap@24 I didn’t notice those, but I did observe stopping working and stopping happening, plus supplier twice. But there the supply of duplications seemed to, er, stop.
FionaA@37 I too parsed PEEL that way – but I like scchua’s better!
Lovely puzzle altogether for me, my favourites have all been mentioned. My number one was Long John Siver, and so thanks copmus@13 for the laugh!
Fiona Anne@37 and wynsum@39: see Boffo’s comment @38 and PostMark@2 for why none of those clues can ever be parsed in a non-lavatorial manner: most solvers are sniggering 13 year olds at heart, and setters know it. Well done for trying.
If I had been seekin’ a homophone hidin’ in Haydn, I would not have chosen “Hi den”. But I was brought up in Nottingham, where Haydn Road is pronounced “Hey den”.
A very enjoyable puzzle today, which I nearly completed.
Gladys @42 – I am still aspiring to have the maturity of a 13 year old. Currently struggling to break out of primary school age. 🙂
Boffo @44 & Gladys @42: pleased to say I had a protected childhood and had probably got as far as bum at primary. I wouldn’t have been able to parse CANAL until middle school! 😀
Fiona Anne @37 – Apart from wynsum @ 39 and AllyGally @ 41, no you are not alone – and unlike AllyGally I prefer the orange peel to the wee.
Thanks Anto, that was enjoyable. Favourites were many including BIPED, SENTIENCE (nice surface), INCH (neat mechanism), DREAMLESS, LAUNDRETTE, and CANAL. Failed with TORCH, REPAIRERS, and the very clever FOOLISH. Thanks scchua for the illustrated blog. I appreciate your efforts.
Higgs Boson walks into a church.
The priest says, “Thank God you’re here. We can’t have Mass without you”.
Surely the clue for 19d should be “bloom”, not “boom”. To burgeon is literally to bloom, and only metaphorically to boom.
[Jovis@48
Genuine LOL thank you! That has replaced my previous favourite of;
Two atoms in a bar, one says “I think I’ve lost an electron”, the other asks ” Are you sure?”. The first replies ” Yes. I’m positive”]
Thanks Anto & scchua. I found that hard work today, but got there in the end.
Only useful thing I can add to what has already been said is that “reading the RIOT ACT” doesn’t mean to give a telling off. The phrase comes from the fact that the Riot Act was literally read to unruly crowds by way of an order to disperse. A famous example is depicted in Mike Leigh‘s film about the Peterloo Massacre. In that case, it was a token gesture as a prelude to officially sanctioned slaughter.
Fiona Anne @37 – I wondered about that parsing myself, except that waste is by definition what’s left, so that would be a tautology, and in the end I settled on the same parsing as scchua has given us.
HAYDN and Elvis Costello’s RIOT ACT in one day – what’s not to like?
Jovis @48 – funnily enough, my first guess at 11ac with the H and G shee already in place was HIGH PRIEST, though it obviously didn’t fit with the wordplay.
widdersbel @51: I think I might have volunteered this before when the subject arose but I remember being told that the reading of the Riot Act is a town had, as a consequence, the result that the monarch could not stay there overnight thereafter. But I haven’t seen it confirmed anywhere. It was, apparently, read out in 1910 in the town in which I grew up. Before my time, in case you were wondering.
PostMark @54 – sounds plausible, as one of those unintended consequences things, but more likely apocryphal. Apparently, the last time the act was officially read was 1919, but it wasn’t actually repealed until the 1970s.
At risk of diverting into “general discussion” territory, I think it’s worth mentioning as being rather more than a telling off – the point being the implied threat of extremely serious consequences (when the phrase is used literally, that threat was a death sentence). A fascinating but ignominious part of our history.
Was baffled by LOSEOUT – even Mr. Google asked if I meant CLOSEOUT!
But other than that a great puzzle; thanks Anto. And thanks scchua for the parsing of INCH – that was brilliant, and there’s no way I’d have seen it.
Very entertaining. HIGGS BOSON, RIOT ACT and CANAL were my favourites. I was slightly disappointed with WORM, expecting it to be a DD, breaking Staple/item on …, instead of a CD.
Lovely photo of the Wrights testing the Wright glider. It amazes me to think that Orville, co-inventor of the first ever powered plane, lived until 1948, the year after the first supersonic flight by Chuck Yeager.
Thanks, Anto and scchua
Very enjoyable today after a disaster yesterday.
Physics was not my thing, so H-B was a Google job.
I thought 19a was very good…
Thanks both..
I confess that I came here hoping for a new outbreak of the latte wars, but no such luck.
A very enjoyable puzzle. I failed to parse 20ac (INCH), but now that I see it I like this clue very much. 4dn (LOSE OUT) is also very nice — too bad about the enumeration error.
There are five River Dees in the UK, including two in Scotland, but I always had the one in North Wales down as the best known.
Couple of days late to this but thought it excellent. Shame about the enumeration hiccup (bunged in but didn’t twig the wordplay anyway).
Launderette was pick of many fine clues.
Thanks Anto & scchua
Re 9a and 26a RAISE / TODAY, I’m with Robi@34, so I entered ARISE, and TODAY went in as an unparsed guess.
Re HAYDN, here we go with the homophones again. I had no problem with it, because Haydn and high den sound similar to me, although not exactly the same. Why does homophone have to mean exactly the same, especially when the sound of a homophone is often similar but not the same in different parts of the world?
[ MB and bodycheetah, Haydn is one of my favourite composers also, although I find his baryton trios pretty boring, perhaps because they were written for his patron, who was not a very good musician. ]
Couldn’t parse Lose Out but had to be right. Some very easy clues and some tricky so nice balance. Higgs boson a classic.
Thanks both
Thanks scchua, I am late again but really enjoyed this especially HIGGS BOSON and BIPED, but (as well as that enumeration bafflement) struggled with the two letter-shifters and for a while had a very obscure TRATH in 1D as a result. Ted@59 if it makes you feel any better I did have a little grumble to myself that Latte is not coffee in these parts! Thanks Anto.