Guardian 28,560 / Qaos

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Many apologies for the late post about this puzzle: time completely got away with me this week. I thought this was a fun puzzle from Qaos – a mix of rather easy clues, and ones where I found the parsing very difficult! Update: thanks to Sagittarius for pointing out the theme, which I missed …

The theme was that many of the answers can be prefixed by FIRE, which is very impressive! That gives us:

  • FIRE MARSHAL
  • FIRE-RESISTANT
  • FIREFLIES
  • FIREPLACE
  • FIREWOOD
  • FIRE STATIONS
  • FIREWORKS
  • FIRE HOSE
  • FIRE STORMS
  • FIRE ESCAPE
  • FIREFIGHT
  • FIRE DOORS
  • FIRESIDE

Update I missed a few – thanks to everyone who pointed these out:

  • FIRE BASKETS
  • FIREPROOFING

Qaos himself commented below that there were “20 intended thematic entries”, but that includes some partial ones, like:

  • FIRE [p]ANT
  • FIRE[f]ARM

I suspect that means that we can add:

  • FIRE [wor]SHIPS
  • FIREWATER[y]

… which takes us up to 19 of the 20. Any ideas for the remaining 1?

Across

7. British cooking takes a bit of skill with containers (7)
BASKETS
B = “British” + (TAKES S)* (the extra S is from “a bit of skill”)
Definition: “containers”

8. Officer getting memory back with small 2001 computer? (7)
MARSHAL
RAM = “memory” reversed (“back”) + S = “small” + HAL = “2001 computer” (referring to the computer HAL 9000 in “2001: A Space Odyssey”)
Definition: “Officer”

9. In Madrid, sick after doctor left (4)
AMID
(MA ID)* – the anagram indicator is “sick”, and the anagram fodder is MADRID without DR (“after doctor left”)
Definition: “In”

10. Impervious to nastiest crook stalking queen (9)
RESISTANT
(NASTIEST)* following (“stalking”) R = “queen”. “crook” (as an adjective) is the rather nice anagram indicator
Definition: “Impervious”

12. Will, the writer touring Italy, recalled travels (5)
FLIES
SELF = “Will, the writer” (referring to Will Self) around I = “Italy” all reversed
Definition: “travels”

13. Arrested over kind of tyres (8)
RETREADS
(ARRESTED)*
Definition: “kind of tyres” (apparently a “retread” is a tyre that has been given a new tread)

15. Excited? Silver-plated goblet, two thirds off! (4)
AGOG
AG = “Silver” around (“Silver-plated”) GO[blet] = “goblet, two thirds off”
Definition: “Excited?”

16. Remember to catch fish (5)
PLACE
Sounds like (“to catch”) “plaice” = “fish”
Definition: “Remember” (as in “I can’t quite place him”, as suggested by Anna in the “General Discussion” thread here)

17. Bowl over after over, then departed following wicket (4)
WOOD
OO = “over after over” then D = “departed” all after W = “wicket”
Definition: “Bowl” (Chambers supports the wood being a bowl in lawn green bowling.)

18. Sets of offices (8)
STATIONS
Double definition: “Sets” (as a verb) and “offices”

20. Goes for recipe in pans (5)
WORKS
R = “recipe” in WOKS = “pans”
Definition: “Goes”

21. Sport’s comeback following change passed on (7,2)
SNUFFED IT
FUN’S = “Sport’s” reversed + F = “following” + EDIT = “change”
Definition: “passed on”

22. Polish shoe with stockings (4)
HOSE
(SHOE)*
Definition: “stockings”

24. Base of guerrilla den in Ecuador revealed (7)
ADENINE
Hidden in “[guerill]A DEN IN E[cuador]”
Definition: “Base” – Adenine is one of the four bases of DNA

25. Swinger’s bar? (7)
TRAPEZE
Cryptic definition

Down

1. Cultivate distant surface of Mars (4)
FARM
FAR = “distant” + M[ars] = “surface of Mars”
Definition:

2. Confess to framing model Jodie, being out of control on the runway (8)
SKIDDING
SING = “confess” around KIDD = “model Jodie”
Definition: “being out of control on the runway”

3. Attacks small hill with 1,000 soldiers at the rear (6)
STORMS
S = “small” + TOR = “hill” + M = “1,000” + [soldier]S = “soldiers at the rear”
Definition: “Attacks”

4. Tape 100 like me, endlessly (8)
CASSETTE
C = “100” + AS = “like” + SETT[r] = “me, endlessly”
Definition: “Tape”

5. Break free, when she gets rid of husband over headland (6)
ESCAPE
S[h]E = “she gets rid of husband” reversed (“over”) + CAPE = “headland”
Definition: “Break free”

6. Gasp as bottom removed from trousers in New York (4)
PANT
PANTS = “trousers in New York” with the “bottom removed”
Definition: “Gasp”

11. Journalist completes review as Spurs get beaten (9)
SURPASSED
ED = “Journalist” after (AS SPURS)* (“review” is the anagram indicator)
Definition: “beaten”

12. Battle — scared? 60% run away (5)
FIGHT
FRIGHT[ened] = “scared? 60%”, and then you take R = “run” away
Definition: “Battle”

14. Openings for medics to inhale O2 (5)
DOORS
DRS = “medics” around OO = “O2“
Definition: “Openings”

16. Testing parking shelter (8)
PROOFING
P = “parking” + ROOFING = “shelter”
Definition: “Testing”

17. Adores wife’s gold vessels (8)
WORSHIPS
W = “wife” + OR = “gold” + SHIPS = “vessels”
Definition: “Adores”

19. Former US president loses millions, primarily tax dodger (6)
TRUANT
TRU[m]AN = “former US president loses millions” + T[ax] = “primarily tax”
Definition: “dodger”

20. Stew — raw, yet tasteless (6)
WATERY
(RAW YET)*
Definition: “tasteless”

21. Face snooker revolution (4)
SIDE
I think this is that “side” is a type of spin in snooker, so might be “snooker revolution”. Maybe this one could do with a question mark at the end of the clue if that’s right?
Definition: “Face”

23. Measure of bridge in Venice announced (4)
SIZE
Sounds like “sighs”, referring to The Bridge of Sighs
Definition: “Measure”

38 comments on “Guardian 28,560 / Qaos”

  1. Don’t worry about it being late.
    I just hope that it’s not been caused by someone having an accident or being ill.
    A couple of us did swap a few comments on the General thread.

  3. Just for completeness, I feel someone should point out the Qaos hidden theme – that many answers can be preceded by “Fire”.

  4. Thank you Sagittarius, the theme has been puzzling me all week. On his twitter page, Qaos wrote « Hot off the press » and that would explain the fire…..[I was looking for a printing / media theme, to no avail!]. Thanks to Qaos and to mhl for the blog.

  5. Quite easy for a Prize slot.

    Favourites: AMID, MARSHAL, SURPASSED, SNUFFED IT, FRIGHT.

    New for me: Jodie KIDD for 2d; 17ac bowl = WOOD (in bowling sport).

    I could not parse 21d SIDE = face.

    Thanks, both.

    * I forgot to look out for a theme. Ah, that was well spotted Sagittarius @3

  6. Enjoyed this and managed to finish and parse it on Saturday morning – a first for me (did use some aids).

    Loved ADENINE (at last my degree comes in useful) SKIDDING, MARSHAL, SIZE, AGOG

    Thanks Qaos and mhl

  8. Well done Sagittarius @3. I agree with Michelle @5 that this was an easier Qaos. Poor Tottenham Hotspur getting a kicking again 🙂

    Ta Qaos & mhl

  9. This was more tractable for me than some recent Saturday puzzles, and I had a smooth ride with it except for getting temporarily stuck on SIDE at the end. (That clue perhaps deserved a ‘?’, as mhl pointed out.)

    Most of all, I liked FLIES, AGOG, WOOD, SNUFFED IT, TRAPEZE, PANT and WATERY for their neat, economical clueing. I had a query against 2d SKIDDING, which had ‘confess to’ for ‘sing’, and a similar query against 10a RESISTANT, where again ‘to’ seems to have popped in to make the surface read well.

    Thanks to Qaos and mhl.

  12. … and taken directly from the web-site of the band, FIREFARM, Fusing rebellious sound design and underground rave production with massive riffs and heavy guitars, FireFarm have been rocking UK and international festivals … Not sure they’re quite my scene but they sound like this.

  14. If it seemed a bit easier that’s probably a constraint the theme (which I didn’t spot) imposes. Some very neat surfaces though. Thanx to setter and blogger.

  15. Hi all,

    Many thanks for the comments and to mhl for the detailed blog. There were 20 intended thematic entries including some partial ones (e.g. (f)ARM and (p)ANT), though there’s always a chance for some unintended extras. Sorry to Spurs fans for the prophetic 11 dn …

    I realize some prefer their Saturday Guardian crossword to be more difficult, so if you’re looking for more of a challenge, do try the October Genius (out tomorrow).

    Best wishes,

    Qaos

  17. Hands up if you wasted ages trying to shove the wrong ex-President into 19d? Yes, me too. Didn’t know ADENINE or the model Jodie. A theme that’s fun to spot, but neither a disaster if you don’t nor a sudden collapse when you do.

    Qaos@15: can’t see all 20 even now I know some of them were partial: were FIRESHIPS and FIREWATER two of the partial ones?

  18. Thanks for the blog, being late reminded me how much I enjoy the blogs and also how much we take them for granted . In future I will try to remember to be more grateful for the effort involved.

    Totally missed the theme as usual so thanks everybody for all the suggestions and I must say it is rather clever.

  21. Relatively straightforward and rather neat and of course I, too, missed the theme, but I often do. I remember getting off to a good start with the four letter clues, the exception being SIDE which went in unparsed only towards the end. As others have said, waiting for the blog and then discovering the theme makes you appreciate this site all the more. Thanks to everyone!

  22. Thanks Qaos and mhl. I was alerted to the fact of there being a theme by comments on the Guardian but it still eluded me. Now kicking myself!

  23. The setter being Qaos I looked for the theme and, as is freqently the case, missed it. I seem to be in good company on this occasion. Not that it matters if it’s not needed for solving.
    A satisfying solve with only a couple of quibbles: 18a the “of” is purely for the surface and misdirected me for a while, and 21d (nitpicker alert!) putting side spin on a snooker doesn’t ball doesn’t make it revolve. If you play it with a cue it revolves anyway.
    Thanks to Qaos and mhl

  24. I finished this more quickly than most of the other puzzles this week – and that was including a lot of wasted time after every few clues trying to spot the theme. Found a number of pairwise associations, but otherwise nothing. Still, had a lot of fun with it. Thanks.

  25. … so in a way, this puzzle was typical prize-level hard, if you include the post-completion head-scratching trying to find the theme!

  26. I’m impressed by the number of grid entries forming part of the theme (which I, typically, completely missed), but less impressed with Qaos’ cluing, which I find sloppy, with little or no attention paid to the actual meaning of link words and surplus words added for the sake of the surface, as mentioned by others, above.

    To my mind, solvers ‘get’ the answer (as represented by the definition) ‘from’ wordplay. Many of the clues here seem to reverse that logic.

    I liked “Swinger’s bar”, but I suspected, it has been used before. (Not trying to suggest that Qaos actively plagiarised the earlier clue.)

  27. Bodycheetah@16, as earworms boo! As comedy – three cheers! thanks for that, nearly wet myself laughing.

    TC@26, not sure I agree with your summation. Only three other comments mention surfaces, and only two critically. I shall have to read the clues again but apart from finding SIDE a little dubious, I don’t recall finding them sloppy.

    Re the theme – went through the list again twice to eventually see FIRETRAP, and only then noticed that Michelle spotted that several hours ago!

    Also realised I hadn’t thanked Qaos and mhl. As others have said we should appreciate these efforts more. So thanks both!

  28. Didn’t notice the theme, but saw that 25 September was the birthday of both Jodie Kidd and Will Self.
    Any relevance ?
    heather Khambatta

  29. Bravo Heather @28! Wiki says Will was one day later than Jodie, but that means that between them they cover the weekend of 25/26 Sept, which is when most people would tackle the ‘prize’ – so I think you may well be onto something.

    [Other 25-Sept-ers include Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Will Smith, Mark Hamill, Pedro Almodóvar, and Maria Doyle Kennedy. (Remember her from The Commitments? – as well as more recent work of course) I had a quick look in case any of them made the grid, but I don’t think so.]

    Thanks Qaos and mhl.

  30. Thanks mhl as I got my knickers in a twist reducing frightened to FRIGHT and didn’t understand the definition of WOOD, thanks others for fire examples and Heather Khambatta@28 for that great bit of research, i think Qaos was quite generous in giving us more than just the bare minimum for those clues. I completely forgot to look for a theme until I had filled the grid but when eventually spotted found it useful for confirming a couple of dubious entries (PLACE, SIDE and the aforementioned WOOD). Thanks Qaos, enjoyed AGOG especially but am disappointed that Spurs didn^t get beaten today!

  31. Thanks Qaos — for a different kind of puzzle, even if the ‘FIRE’ theme passed me by I enjoyed many fine clues here. And echo previous comments about the refreshing-ness of TRUMAN not T***P/ and echo too Roz @18 inter alia, it is good to see the blog mhl, grateful for your efforts and the rest of the 15^2 back-room team.

  32. Thanks mhl. put me down as another who completely missed the theme but still enjoyed it. Not too sure that RESISTANT = IMPERVIOUS though. I never did see what WILL was doing in 12a and thought the clue was perfectly OK without it so thanks for the explanation. I didn’t have a problem with SIDE, as I understand it the ball revolves around its vertical axis when the cue strikes it off centre.

  33. Biggles A @ 32

    If something’s water-resistant it’s impervious, surely? And whether one likes it or not, it has bi-directional thesaurus support, so is fair game.

  34. The issue with RESISTANT is surely not with the definition ‘impervious’ but the fact that the definition is written as ‘impervious to’; and there is a similar issue in the clue to SKIDDING, where SING is apparently clued by ‘confess to’).

  35. Blah @27,

    AlanB@34 explains exactly what I meant about surplus words. Sorry I didn’t make myself clearer earlier.

    There was, in fact, a further problem with 10ac, which was that “crook” as an adjective meaning ‘bad’ (and so serving as an anagram indicator) is only used in Australia and NZ (according to Collins, anyway), so was unknown to me. I did realize eventually that an anagram of ‘nastier’ was intended, but I didn’t understand why really until it was explained to me.

  36. Maybe if one can strip wor from worSHIPS for FIRE SHIPS then FIRE truANT is also fair game, even if a duplicate of FIRE pANT. Gets the score to 20.

  37. A clever theme which I missed entirely despite having a whole week to return to the puzzle to try to nut it out. I thought the extra “s” derived from “a bit of skill” in 7a BASKETS was a bit weak and so probably got off on the wrong foot on this one, and my lack of enjoyement was exacerbated when I was unfamiliar with the references to Will Self in 12a FLIES or the model Jodie Kidd in 2d SKIDDING. Again echoing some others, because I didn’t know that definition of WOOD from lawn bowls, I couldn’t fully understand 17a and I didn’t manage to parse several other clues like FIGHT at 12d and SIDE at 21d. When I look back I can see I didn’t tick any of the clues, so it probably wasn’t my finest hour of crossword solving. A pity as I usually enjoy Qaos! Thanks nevertheless to Qaos, mhl and contributors.

  38. Simon S @ 32. No, there is a difference between water-resistant and waterproof. A water-resistant material is so tightly woven that water struggles to get through. … A waterproof material, on the other hand, provides a complete barrier to water and is impervious. I take the point about thesaurus support but that doesn’t necessarily mean the words are synonymous, only that they can be associated.

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