I filled in the NW corner very easily, so though I was in for a quick solve, but the rest to be a lot chewier, with the SW corner holding out longest. A characteristically Trampish clue at 25,9, and good fun all round. Thanks to Tramp.
PS I’ve just seen from Tramp’s Facebook page that this puzzle is a tribute to a colleague of his named Oliver. “The man’s a legend. He reads the Guardian and solves the crossword; I thought I’d write a puzzle for him as a leaving present.”
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | FLYTRAP | Closing plant? Case of farewell, have fun in retirement (7) F[arewel]L + reverse of PARTY (have fun) |
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| 5 | CLOBBER | Wear belt (7) Double definition |
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| 10 | SPAR | Bath Oliver’s last in box (4) SPA (bath) + [Olive]R – Bath Olivers are a type of savoury biscuit |
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| 11 | SHOWPIECES | Oliver’s compositions? Fine examples (10) SHOW (e.g. the musical Oliver!) + PIECES (compositions) |
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| 12 | LABOUR | Work party (6) Double definition |
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| 13 | SHORTAGE | Want to arrange meeting time: hour put in (8) H in SORT (arrange) + AGE (time) |
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| 14 | REMBRANDT | Painting with concerning mark inside mount (9) RE (concerning) + BRAND in MT |
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| 16 | COAST | Like to stay in bed and take it easy (5) AS (like) in COT |
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| 17 | SEIZE | Tip of tape measure going round collar (5) [tap]E in SIZE |
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| 19 | DRESS DOWN | Carpet to cover floor (5,4) DRESS (cover) + DOWN (to knock out, floor) |
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| 23 | BAR CHART | Figure with cake and tea getting biscuit at the back (3,5) BAR (cake, as in soap) + CHAR (tea) + [biscui]T – I guessed PIE CHART at first, and was going to query whether a pie could be a cake |
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| 24 | PAUSES | Secretary regularly takes breaks (6) PA + USES |
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| 26 | MASCARPONE | More unfinished canapés, crackers and cheese (10) Anagram of MOR[e] + CANAPES |
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| 27 | DIET | Go out with model to get food (4) DIE (go out) + T (model, as in the old car) |
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| 28 | SESSION | Over bowled from complex period of play (7) OBSESSION (a complex) less O B |
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| 29 | COMRADE | Friend forced to accept retirement, primarily by firm (7) CO (company, firm) + R[etirement] in MADE (forced) |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 2 | LAPLACE | Upset friend has left: brilliant mathematician (7) Reverse of PAL + L + ACE (brilliant), giving this famous (and indeed brilliant) mathematician| |
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| 3 | TORSO | Tango close to body (5) T + OR SO |
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| 4 | AUSTRIA | Country song about American hotel, essentially (7) US [ho]T[el] in ARIA |
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| 6 | LAPTOP | Line to put into program for computer (6) L + TO in APP |
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| 7 | BRENTFORD | Football team with tendency to cross, winning corner at the end (9) [corne]R in BENT (tendency) + FORD (to cross) |
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| 8 | EMERGES | Comes out of European Union, mostly with backing of idiots (7) E + MERGE[r] (union) + [idiot]S, with a sadly apt surface |
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| 15 | BUZZCOCKS | Punk band raises excitement at the start (9) BUZZ (excitement) + COCKS (raises) |
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| 18 | EMANATE | Cover of Escort: a celebrity back issue (7) Reverse of E[scor]T + A NAME |
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| 20 | SUPREMO | Boss with certain way of working to absorb pressure (7) P in SURE MO (modus operandi) |
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| 21 | WEEKEND | Range of understanding after insignificant day: time to stop work (7) KEN (range of understanding, as in “beyond my ken”) in WEE (small, insignificant) + D |
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| 22 | HAIRDO | Bob’s one hard song to perform (6) H + AIR + DO |
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| 25,9 | UNDER CONSIDERATION | After reshuffle, Nadine Dorries (Con) out, not primarily being dealt with (5,13) Anagram of NADINE DORRIES CON [o]UT. In fact the latest government reshuffle brought Ms Dorries in to the cabinet as Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. O tempora, o mores! |
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I thought this was by far the toughest this week, with the NE holding out longest, so feeling chuffed to have finished this. Too many ticks but my favourite was HAIRDO, with the misdirection to Dylan presumably. REMBRANDT may raise an issue but I think it works OK. LAPALACE wa new but gettable and thanks for parsing OBSESSION, Andrew. If I don’t include the earworm, I’m sure someone else will (or perhaps not) 🙂
https://youtu.be/0Af7ayYIJ9w
Ta Tramp & Andrew
Brilliant. Some wonderfully sneaky definitions. Spent an age trying to force SESSIONS to be expired. Personally I’d classify the BUZZCOCKS as post-punk / new wave but that’s a minor quibble in what was easily the best crossword this week. Did feel a bit like 4 mini ones though
Tough but fair, and a few absolute gems. As Andrew observes, the surface for 8d is sadly apt. I thought MASCARPONE was beautifully constructed, as was UNDER CONSIDERATION (the clue to 25, 9 of course calls to mind the John Cleese line that “it’s the hope I can’t stand”).
Thanks both.
Fairly tough puzzle with a few easy ones thrown in. Was beaten by DIET (had unparsed DATE). Loved REMBRANDT, FLYTRAP and LAPTOP in particular. Many thanks to Tramp and Andrew.
Thanks, Andrew, for the super blog and kind words. I’m en route to meet Oliver in London.
Thanks to Hugh for publishing it and thanks for the comments.
Neil
I am also proud to have finished this, with several I could not parse but they had to be right. My experience was exactly the same as Andrew’s, except for the parsing! LOIs were 18d, 22d and 28a. Why I didn’t get 14a, my COTD, earlier I do not know, but I was truly mislead by the brilliant clue. Thank you Tramp and Andrew for a great start to my weekend!
A question for experts on here. I thought if the setter wants you to get FISH from carp, there is an indicator – perhaps or maybe or possibly etc. In Bob to HAIRDO there is an indicator, in this case ‘apostrophe s one.’
When Tramp wanted us to get SHOW from Oliver there appears to be no indicator, unless the question mark suffices. Please put me right.
Thanks to Andrew. Tramp too for the tough examination.
I thought Rembrandt would have been better with “painter” in the clue rather than “painting”. HAIRDO was favourite.
The Brexit clue was only “sadly apt” if you voted “no” otherwise it was yet another bitter dig.
Good one Tramp and thanks both
One of Tramp’s best, IMHO. My approach is always to start with the first across clue, and if that doesn’t crack immediately (which it didn’t) to attempt the first down clue. So my FOI was LAPLACE – good old Pierre-Simon!
Lots to enjoy here – imaginative constructions with smooth and shiny surfaces. Rather a lot of single letter additions, but wotthehell. 25, 9 is clever, though it pains me to be reminded of that unspeakable person. Favourites were FLYTRAP, COAST and EMERGES, but many others went down well.
Many thanks to Neil and Andrew
Cake=bar
Punches self in ear several times.
Thanks both.
Nice crossword. I revealed FLYTRAP and could have kicked myself as I had all the crossers and assumed FL at the start. That was one of my favourites, along with the Mad Nad clue and REMBRANDT (which to me is fine – “there are several Rembrandts in the National Gallery”).
[tim@8, your moan would have more weight if Brexiters’ response to Remainers was to give convincing examples of how much better things are now, rather than complain about trifling “digs”.]
Thanks Tramp and Andrew.
Phil @7 – I think the question mark suffices in 10A. It indicates that the solution is a possible example of what the clue describes, rather than a precise definition. Oliver is a show, and compositions in it could be pieces in a show. But I don’t think there is a firm convention, (and if there were, a setter would push its boundaries some day – that’s the point of cryptic crosswords).
“with a sadly apt surface”… playing to the remoaners then, Andrew. Oh well, it’s the price of admission to the Guardian crossword.
Thanks, Andrew, for a great blog – like SinCam, I had the same solving experience as you and I’m totally with NeilH @3.
MASCARPONE is lovely and, as well as that and EMERGES, I also ticked 25,9.
Phil @7 and Sagittarius @12 – I think a question mark is regularly used as an indication of a definition by example.
Many thanks, Neil, for a great crossword – made all the better for learning about the lovely tribute. Enjoy your day with Oliver. 🙂
Knew Laplace via his demon, but Buzzcocks only dimly via osmosis, and the football team was a nho but do what it says. Knew at a glance that collar would be to do with grab/arrest, but seize was still loi … dim! Yes, quite chewy, enjoyed [while watching Root and Malan fight back; good on ’em, we don’t want a whitewash]. Thanks both.
If a setter is giving a definition by example, this should be indicated in the clue. A question mark is sufficient for this purpose.
A couple of refererences to parties, or perhaps gatherings, is rather topical.
I never could spell MASCARPONE… sigh.
Too tough for me today so no further comment.
Like Andrew I started well in the NW to my surprise, it being Friday and Tramp. But then I slowed right down and had in the end to reveal a couple and had several unparsed.
Like others HAIRDO was a favourite and made me laugh, as did FLYTRAP.
Liked the long anagram as well as MASCARPONE – though at first it messed up getting the crossing down clues as I initially spelled it incorrectly.
Thanks Tramp and Andrew
Tim C @ 18
me too (our comments crossed)
Thanks to Saggittarius and the indomitable Eileen for their response to my question. @ 7, 12,14. Tim C @ 14 MASCARPONE was difficult for me to spell aswell.
The “hairdo” solution reminds me of the recent “Bob dreads page boy”, with the solution being in the plural. Today’s and yesterday’s crosswords seemed to be much tougher than usual, although I finished both. Still, they kept me out of mischief.
Hard but enjoyable. Another PIE CHART here. Spent a long time trying to justify an even more obscure Fleetwood. I have the same favourites as others.
Gave up on this puzzle. I failed to solve 16ac, 28ac and 22d.
Favourites: FLYTRAP (especially with key word PARTY being very timely LOL) – and I also enjoyed the clue for 26ac: More unfinished canapés, crackers and cheese.
Also liked WEEKEND, COMRADE.
Needed online help to check on GK. New for me: mathematician LAPLACE, BUZZCOCKS punk band, BRENTFORD football team.
Thanks, both.
Oh I can be so stupid. I had worked my way round the grid and was stuck for ages in the SW. After an hour or so I finally realised that 15dn was actually a punk band and one of my favourites. ( Definitely punk bodycheetah@2, they were in the audience at the Sex Pistols legendary Free Trade Hall gig and Spiral Scratch was one of the pioneering punk releases.) Lots to enjoy here especially the Mad Nad anagram. Thanks to Tramp and Andrew.
Tough for me, but a great crossword with lots of super clues.
I don’t know why it took me so long to solve HAIRDO; my brain started with sleigh and couldn’t readjust to the other bobs. My picks were REMBRANDT, COMRADE, COAST, SESSION and EMERGES.
Thanks super Tramp and Andrew.
My favourite was 27a for all the wrong reasons!
I imagined going out with an ultra-thin model who would not want to eat much and thought it was amusing. Or was “go out” and “model” as Andrew has correctly identified it, intended along with my interpretation! I entered DATE and did not even check it until 21d revealed the error. The check then gave me the D and E. From there my jokey parsing of the clue took over.
I could not parse 17d for obvious reasons but with just the B , Beginning was another I entered wrongly!
Not sure if everyone would have thought BRENTFORD would fit the bill as the football club required, though having read Tramp’s comments, perhaps Oliver is a fan. And they ARE playing this evening, but only to be viewed on TV if you are paying premium rates to do so. Their old stadium of Griffin Park was just round the corner from where I briefly worked in the 1960’s. I found the SW corner hardest to shift, and needed Andrew to parse EMANATE, WEEKEND and COMRADE. Nice to see the BUZZCOCKS making an appearance. Perhaps another of Oliver’s pleasures to watch/listen to, but if not, Never Mind…
Simply brilliant! So many disguised definitions and great combination of wit and brevity.
I had big ticks against about half the clues. Top marks for FLYTRAP, REMBRANDT, COAST, COMRADE, EMERGES (brilliant surface and so sadly true), and HAIRDO.
I would be a very happy chap if I were Oliver!
Thanks Tramp and Andrew
Tough, fair and most enjoyable – hope Oliver enjoyed his special crossword as much as I did
Thanks to Tramp and Andrew
I echo the many compliments. This was the hardest of the week for me but it was fair, entertaining and had lots of misdirection. So often, the answers were hiding in plain sight: it just took a while to find them and there were many aha moments for me.
A while ago, someone mentioned the rise of science over literature in cryptic crosswords. In this case, we were treated with a breadth of cultural references: Bob Dylan, punk music, football, cricket, theatre, an old master, maths, food, an adult’s magazine, and a little bit of politics. It ticked the boxes for me. Oliver must be one helluva of a guy to inspire this! More of these please.
Thanks Tramp (and Oliver) and Andrew for helping me to parse, of all things, LAPTOP!
Tough but fair, I thought. Don’t think I’ve heard SUPREMO used since coming to the States 40+ years ago. Wouldn’t have got BRENTFORD if I didn’t follow the PL (they were just promoted). However, didn’t know Dorries, but the anagram was straightforward enough.
Thanks Andrew, I dallied with LOG as well as PIE CHART, until EMANATE emerged from the murk (and even then I had to check the spelling), and thanks for explaining the Oliver connection – if he’s a 15D fan he has presumably found Cryptic Crosswords to be a habit that sticks! Fantastic challenging clues all over the grid generating a lot of satisfaction, thanks Tramp.
I had NADINE DORRIES C OUT N as the anagram. It works either way.
Thanks Tramp & Andrew – that was a great party, I especially liked the cheese.
Nice one, wynsum. 😉
Wynsum. It wasn’t a party and no Ximenean rules were broken.
I did not know the BUZZCOCKS, and cheated on that one to open up the SW, as I was kind of out of time. I agree with the sentiment that the NW was easy, and it got steadily harder from there.
Many great surface readings today. I need to get more in the habit of savoring them; when I read a clue I’m already parsing it as cryptic-speak, not as a sentence, and I forget to go back and read for meaning instead of instructions to build a word. Does anyone else fall into this category?
being sure of the “a” in bar i spent ages trying to make pie fit!
then couldn’t account for the “r” in chart becos usually char is the cleaner,
the drink is cha… not previously aware they were interchangeable..?
JerryG @ 26: Buzzcocks “were in the audience at the Sex Pistols legendary Free Trade Hall gig” – Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley *promoted* both Pistols gigs at the *Lesser* Free Trade Hall (the much smaller venue above the main hall.
Thanks Tramp. Even though I failed at four answers I still count this as a worthwhile exercise due to clues like FLYTRAP, COAST, the rightly praised MASCARPONE, and HAIRDO. Thanks Andrew for the blog.
Mrpenney@39 – yes, very much so, it has to be a spectacularly good surface for me to notice.
I used to struggle with Tramp’s long clues, much prefer his more recent crisper style. This was a joy.
Thanks Tramp and Andrew.
Thanks for the blog, super puzzle and lasted a perfect time for my journey home. I did put in PIE CHART and had to think again after the Downs.
I will start listing favourite clues with FLYTRAP and end with UNDER CONSIDERATION,
A puzzle to rescue yet another rather easy week.
Thank you for the additional info Simon S @41. You are entirely correct. A few years ago I was fortunate enough to see Howard Devoto encore with the original band on the legendary Boredom. Pete S remains sadly missed.
Simon S & JerryG. Pete Shelley was probably on the more ‘sensitive’ side of punk, if there’s such a thing, but no less appealing than the Pistols et al
Thanks Tramp and Andrew. Great stuff. Much enjoyed but a DNF for me – I bunged in an unparsed BRENTWOOD for 7d. D’oh
Fantastic crossword from Tramp who, I think, has become even better than he was in those ‘theme’ days of old.
I parsed the Nadine Dorries clue the same way as Lyssian @35.
It doesn’t happen very often that there are two different parsings, both valid.
That said, the one that doesn’t use ‘Con’ = C is to prefer (although this isn’t a no-no indirect anagram for me).
Like Roz @44 (and Gazz @34, and Andrew) I was held up by entering PIE CHART at 23ac until 18dn told me otherwise.
The SE only unfolded after I changed my initial entry at 27ac, which was DATE which suits ‘Go out with’ and ‘food’ but not the ‘model’ bit of the clue.
Many thanks to Andrew (for the blog) and Tramp (for this masterpiece).
Thanks for the challenge Tramp – it definitely was and I needed a brain reset in the middle.
I fell into the obvious traps mentioned but eventually dug myself out of all but BRENTWOOD – I forgot to go back to it and that football club does exist as I checked. I got BUZZCOCKS from seeing episodes of the TV game show.
When I looked at 10a, my first thought was that Bath was a spa town and I wonder which interpretation is correct. Both fit.
Thanks for the blog Andrew.
Thank you Tramp for finally providing worthy fodder for Ark Lark’s massive intellect. Somebody had to meet the challenge. And thanks too to Andrew for cunningly flushing out the xenophobes among us.
Thanks Tramp and Andrew. Glad to see everyone else found this tough, not just me. Very enjoyable though. Very enjoyable indeed.
Buzzcocks started as a punk band but evolved into a post punk band (or two post punk bands if you count Magazine as well). The song linked to by AlanC @1 is a pure pop masterpiece.
Brilliantly written. My LOI was LAPTOP, where I had trouble reading the correct cryptic construction. Loads of great surfaces. I stupidly Googled BUN CHART to see if it was a thing, which gifted me the obvious answer. So, a DNF.
This was the best puzzle for quite some time, for my money.
Many thanks, Tramp and Andrew.
mrpenney @39. I used to do that a lot, but I’ve got better at stepping back from the fray once in a while now.
The Bees 2 The Hornets 1…good start to the WEEKEND if you’re a BRENTFORD fan…
Grant @15. We do want a whitewash, but we’d prefer the series lasts longer than 15 days.
Thank you so nuch
Neil
Bealieu @ 11 …touchy response to my “moan”. Just a fair comment I thought, but I’m happy as it’s very rarely I make even a vague splash.
No one will see this but I am surprised no one commented that the show’s title is OLIVER!, not OLIVER. That is, technically, there is no show called OLIVER.
Maybe one day we could have a crossword in which OLIVER! and WESTWARD HO! cross.
Sorry … is that my coat over there?
Only came to this one late on Friday so only posting now having visited for parsing of SESSION and EMANATE. Last one in was my favourite – HAIRDO – in what I thought was an excellent crossword. Nice to hear that it was also a tribute to a friend.
Thanks Neil aka Tramp and Andrew for the blog.
I still don’t understand the parsing of TORSO despite the explanation – couldn’t be anything else of course but still head scratching.
OK the penny has dropped – OR SO – as in ‘a mile or so’ i.e. ‘near enough’ or ‘close to’ – doh!
The SW corner was tough, but otherwise this was quite enjoyable. Couldn’t see why a cake was a bar, until I read about the soap. Hadn’t heard of 2d, 7d nor 15d, being on the other side of the planet.