Guardian Cryptic 28,694 by Tramp

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A fun solve – I had a lot of favourites: 12ac, 23ac, 25ac, 1dn, 2dn, 5dn, 13dn, and 16dn. Thanks to Tramp for the puzzle

…there are some references to people recently in the news in the surfaces of 8ac/6dn and in 5dn.

ACROSS
8 LAVATORY
Covering Virginia with sweat, ultimately perverted royal can (8)
anagram/’perverted” of (royal)* going around/”Covering” VA (Virginia, US state abbr.) + [swea]-T
9 ABROAD
Single American woman is out (6)
A=one, “Single” + BROAD=”American woman”
10 PLOT
Story books given to public library, initially (4)
OT (Old Testament, “books”) after P[ublic] L[ibrary]
11 DRAWING PIN
Pulling leg? One might be used to stick on board (7,3)
DRAWING=”Pulling” + PIN=”leg”
12 TIMBRE
Tone in empty bar: call from landlord to stop drinking outside? (6)
B-a-R, with TIME=”call from landlord to stop drinking” going “outside”
14 INCREASE
Grow part of wicket that’s wearing at front (8)
CREASE=”part of wicket” in cricket; with IN=”wearing” (e.g. ‘in a T-shirt’) going at the front
15 TENNERS
Notes from singers on the radio (7)
definition as in banknotes

homophone/”on the radio” of ‘tenors’=”singers”
17 EPISODE
One with speed wrestling around ring in bout (7)
anagram/”wrestling” of (I speed), with I=”One”; going around O=”ring”
20 SWEET PEA
Climber, perhaps one following main course to summit, shortly (5,3)
definition: a climbing plant

SWEET=”one following main course” + PEA[k]=”summit, shortly”
22 BISHOP
AC/DC quiet round piano playing piece (6)
“AC/DC” is slang for BI[sexual], plus SH=shush=”quiet” + O=”round” + P (piano)
23 PARACHUTED
Dropped teacup, hard to get replacement (10)
anagram/”to get replacement” of (teacup, hard)*

re-placement as in placing the letters in a new order
24 CRAM
Cold butter and jam (4)
C (Cold) + RAM=”butter”, an animal that head-butts
25 MUSCLE
Might mark cryptic clues (6)
M (mark, former German currency) + anagram/”cryptic” of (clues)*
26 FLAGPOLE
Peter out with Rod and Jack on this? (8)
in definition, “Jack” means a flag. (“Peter” can also mean a flag, so possibly also part of a definition?)

FLAG=to droop, to dwindle away=”Peter out” + POLE=”Rod”
DOWN
1 NAIL FILE
One goes over handy tips to catch train (4,4)
“handy tips” referring to nails and fingertips

NAIL=”catch” as in ‘nail a criminal’ + FILE=”train” as in a line or sequence of things
2 CAST
Mould in bread, cut end off crust (4)
“Mould” as in a template for e.g. ceramics

CAS[h]=”bread, cut” + end off [crus]T
3 DODDLE
A piece of cake from party to go off without lid (6)
DO=”party” + [a]DDLE=”go off without lid”
4 PYRAMID
Solid may drip when melted (7)
“Solid” as in a three-dimensional shape

anagram/”melted” of (may drip)*
5 DAVIS CUP
Djokovic, gutted about stupid visa, ended tennis competition (5,3)
D[jokovi]C around anagram/”stupid” of (visa)*, plus UP=”ended” as in ‘your time’s up’
6 PROGRESSES
Prince with monsters making advances (10)
PR (Prince) + OGRESSES=”monsters”
7 CARIES
See sign showing decay (6)
C=letter pronounced ‘See’ + ARIES=[star] SIGN
13 BINGE WATCH
Being off guard, catch a lot on the tube from one sitting (5-5)
anagram/”off” of (Being)* + WATCH=”guard”
16 RAP SHEET
Blow cover revealing criminal record (3,5)
RAP=hit=”Blow” + (e.g. bed) SHEET=”cover”
18 DOOLALLY
Make love with partner after what starts off like mad (8)
DO=”Make love with”, plus ALLY=”partner” after starts of O[ff] L[ike]

edited, thanks to Dr. WhatsOn in the comments: DO=”Make” + O=”love”, plus ALLY after L[ike]
19 MASTIFF
Short bloke with hard dog (7)
MA[n]=”Short bloke” + STIFF=”hard”
21 WRAP UP
Wear warm clothes with cuff down? On the contrary (4,2)
W (with) + RAP=hit=”cuff” + UP=”down? On the contrary”
22 BEDPAN
Shallow vessel to move across under bottom (6)
PAN [a camera]=”move across”, after BED=”bottom”
24 CAPE
Point made with carbon copy (4)
C (carbon) + APE=”copy”

50 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28,694 by Tramp”

  1. The best part of this puzzle imo were the topical surfaces, as manehi said, but particularly DAVIS CUP. I did like CRAM because of its simplicity and coherence.

    I had a slightly different parsing of DOOLALLY than our blogger did. I had make=DO, love=O, and starts off like=L.

  2. Very entertaining. My favourites were the lengthy defs of DRAWING PIN, NAIL FILE and BINGE-WATCH and the surface for DAVIS CUP, the latter especially relevant in this part of the world. The subject matter may not have been as appealing, but the variations on a theme LAVATORY and BEDPAN were also v. good.

    I parsed DOOLALLY in the same way as Dr. WhatsOn @1.

    Thanks to manehi and Tramp

  3. There were a couple I wasn’t sure of after solving which isn’t a good sign, but are confirmed in the blog. I also had Varies for 7 down (v=vide=see and to vary is to go up or down i.e. decay) but CARIES fits much better.
    DOOLALLY was a favourite if only because it reminded me of a great word. Also enjoyed FLAGPOLE.

  6. All too quick but most enjoyable. I had pretty much the same faves as manehi with DAVIS CUP on top.

    Ta Tramp & manehi

  7. Sometimes potentially convoluted wordplay to score a topical point can sit uncomfortably in a clue but, for me, LAVATORY and DAVIS CUP were two breathtakingly good clues. I am lost in admiration.

    That’s not to say, there wasn’t a whole bunch of other stuff to like. Some of the surfaces are beautifully done and so misleading – SWEET PEA, BISHOP and PARACHUTED, one after the other, come to mind. FLAG POLE was cunning, PYRAMID lovely and succinct and both the anagram and definition in BINGE WATCH made me smile; ‘being’ to BINGE is so obvious yet so cleverly done. I could have mentioned half a dozen others but I’ll be writing yet another essay …

    Thanks Tramp and manehi

  8. I parsed DOOLALLY as Dr Whatson at 1.
    Furious with myself for not seeing BEDPAN.
    Lovely puzzle. Thanks all

  10. Sort of like Dr Whatson for DOOLALLY but makes more sense to have L = “what starts of like” in my opinion.

  11. Great puzzle with many beautifully succinct clues . Like others thought 8ac and 5dn were outstanding.

  12. I enjoyed the Djokovic reference in DAVIS CUP, but those in PROGRESSES and LAVATORY went right by me, and I can’t say I’m sorry they did. Parsed DOOLALLY as Hovis@10 did. Liked the handy tips, and the definition for BINGE WATCH, even though it defeated me, as did CAST, which just wouldn’t materialise.

    Doesn’t BEDPAN also work as an &lit?

  13. Thanks Tramp and manehi
    Quite quick for a Tramp. I had DOOLALLY as several previous posters. Favourite NAIL FILE.
    Pedants’ corner: a flag is only a jack if flown from a jackstaff, not from a flagpole. People often say “Union Jack” when they should say “Union Flag” (though apparently the Flag Institute, whatever that is, disagrees!)

  15. Also, an early Jonathan Creek explained that panning a camera is just rotating it rather than moving it; moving it would be a “tracking” shot.

  16. Agree gladys@12. BEDPAN very &littish. My fav. And DAVIS CUP a goodie.

    Got that james@9. LAVATORY. Hilarious, but not for VG. There are a few other possible mini themesters.

    Some good clues, but I am so tired of (chess) pieces and books (of the bible).

  17. I don’t usually like wordy clues, but I’m making an exception for NAIL FILE (for the definition) and for BINGE-WATCH for the word play. CRAM is more my thing, so neat. Also liked PARACHUTED (clever anagram) and FLAGPOLE.
    Would have preferred not to encounter BEDPAN and LAVATORY with my morning cuppa. Also getting a little tired of commentary on current affairs. I come here to get away from all that.

    So a bit of a mixed bag for me.

    Thanks Tramp and manehi.

  19. In the clue for flagpole, I remembered that a Blue Peter is also a flag (flown to show that the ship was about to depart).

  20. Very clever with lots to like, though I made rather heavy weather of it. I didn’t help myself by putting BEANPOLE for FLAGPOLE (wrong Jack)

  21. Thought nearly all the clues had a particularly precise defining word or phrase that made them slightly more gettable. It was pretty much – that must be the answer/solution, now get busy with the parsing. That’s how it felt for me this morning, anyway. Especially with a clue such as DOOLALLY..

  22. Supertramp crossword!

    Much to like; I thought LAVATORY and DAVIS CUP had outstanding surfaces to reference current affairs. I loved the peter out for FLAGPOLE, the handy tips for NAILFILE, and the whole stories for SWEET PEA and BINGE-WATCH.

    I thought that this was a masterclass in setting.

    Thanks Tramp and manehi.

  23. Even with crossers, took some minutes to get binge watch … been doing too much of it, brain’s addled. Agree with Crossbar @17 re wordy clues, and exceptions. And yes, beaut puzzle, ta both.

  24. Clever and most enjoyable puzzle with some splendid surfaces. I also parsed DOOLALLY with ‘love’ = O (lovely word, from Deolali tap – camp malarial fever – a relic of the British Raj).

    DAVIS CUP is the best clue I have seen for a long time. The excremental ones were amusing, but my other votes go to the excellent anagram clue for PARACHUTED, and the misleading one for FLAGPOLE (at least for me – anyone else try *PETERROD?)

    Many thanks to Neil and manehi

  25. I also enjoyed this, with DAVIS CUP being my fav for the surface. I had an unparsed NAIL BITE so a DNF, sadly. Thanks to Tramp and Manehi.

  26. Great puzzle, made me laugh over and over again.
    LOI 22d, like others I kicked myself when I finally got it.
    Many thanks to SuperTramp and manehi.

  27. Thanks to Tramp and manehi.

    In 3 down, I parsed the ‘go off’ as (TO)DDLE – as in toddle off. I much prefer manehi’s explanation, though. Is it the convention that ‘without lid’ means only one letter removed. Presumably with two letters removed it would be ‘without lids’?

  28. Gervase @24: – yes! It’s a nice anagram of ‘reported’ which might be something for the future. And ‘rode pert’ and ‘erred pot’, both of which have potential. ‘What Lady Godiva did aroused Peter and Rod?’ (Worse alternatives come to mind 😉 )

  29. Tough puzzle. Did not finish – I failed to solve 12, 17ac and 1,13,18d.
    [I think I am getting worse at solving puzzles lately. Maybe too much on my mind, often can’t focus on puzzles.]

    Thanks, both.

  32. Thanks Tramp, this was a superb crossword all round, but especially the two topical clues as everyone has already mentioned. Based on his recent efforts, Tramp is fast becoming one of my top favourite setters – always a sense of fun, and lots of satisfying PDMs (or maybe an appreciative groan, as with my LOI today “one goes over handy tips”). And thanks for the blog too, manehi.

  33. Gervase@30 and muffin@15 Apparently pan is derived from panorama, so move across seems close enough to me.

  34. Thanks for the blog, manehi. Thanks to others for the kind comments.

    The DAVIS CUP clue fell into place by accident. I committed that entry to the grid with no idea how to clue it. When I sat down to write the clue, I saw the D and thought of Djokovic and then I saw the C. I looked at the remaining letters and saw an anagram of “visa”. One of those serendipitous grid fills. The clue for LAVATORY was pre-conceived when I saw Virginia in an anagram of “royal”.

    I’ve used “make love” for DO+O several times before. I like that.

    I do a bit of photography in my spare time. When shooting a fast-moving object, the photographer “pans” the camera. To my mind, that’s moving the camera across (the scene) to keep pace with the object. Technically, when panning, the photographer rotates around a vertical axis running through the body, but, the point of doing this is so the lens tracks the object. I think it’s a decent clue: Jonathan Creek can think what he likes.

    Neil

  35. Thanks manehi, I had unaccountably plumped for “Dropped” as the somewhat loose anagrind for PARACHUTED with a gripe that an “in” was needed to equate to “get replacement” so you have made sense of that nicely. Muffin@15 I remember that episode and while true re the camera remaining fixed I agree with Tramp that our view certainly moves across the scene so was happy with it. Full of good things again, with DODDLE to add to the many already noted, thanks Tramp.

  37. Great puzzle with top clue for DAVIS CUP – brilliantly done!

    Lots of ticks for many others – solver and bronze to BINGE-WATCH and DOOLALLY

    Thanks Tramp and manehi

  38. Failed on DODDLE, which is not in American English, and not in the store of Br. Eng. that I’d learned either. (We also don’t use the word DOOLALLY over here, but that one I did know.) I couldn’t find the L, though, so thanks for the parsing of that.

    I’m another who tried VARIES instead of CARIES, with the same justification as TimC @3.

    The Djokovic clue was brilliant.

  39. This was lovely, and fell apart in a very pleasing manner. A couple looked like the kind of clues I’d fail at, but yielded nicely with some PDMs. I’m still chuckling at the handy tips.

    I’m absolutely fine with Pan being movement, because it’s impossible to rotate something without it moving (movement being a loose general term rather than a technical one). Also the end result is that the shot moves across the subject matter.

    Feel quite dim that I didn’t parse the “in” of “increase” mind.

    Thanks S & B

  40. Great mix of quick solves and lengthy head scratching.

    I was so far into solver mode that I didn’t even notice the topicality of the Virginia and Djokovic clues. Both were very clever, and although I can see where James @9 is coming from (regarding Virginia Giuffre), I’d have to say the perverted royal comes out of it worse than his young victim, which is as it should be.

    Once all was done I had no queries about any of the parsing, which is unusual when a puzzle is far from a write-in, so many thanks to Tramp for the inventiveness and variety, and manehi thanks for the blog.

  41. @9 James – There’s no mention of Virginia Giuffre in the clue. I thnk you’re looking for way to be offended.

  42. My first stab yielded very little this morning. I think I was mesmerised by the excellent surfaces: I couldn’t see the wood for wood for the trees. But the tube journey home put me on a roll and left one remaining (CARIES – doh!), which I got now.

    The topical references were brilliant, as everyone has said.

    CA@41 – my reading of James@9 is that he rather enjoyed the clue for 8A, which is an allusion to Ms Guiffre’s phantom encounter with the PTSD-induced non-sweating Prince Andrew.

    Thanks Tramp and manehi.

  43. @ Chris Adams 41 – I’m afraid I find this response rather silly. *Of course* VG is mentioned in 8a even if not by surname. You don’t have to go out of your way to find a reference to real-world events. Indeed, the topicality is the very reason so many solvers enjoyed the clue. For what it’s worth the clue wasn’t to my taste either (it’s one thing to lampoon the prince himself, but I’m not sure I like having a rather graphic image featuring VG conjured up for our amusement). It’s fair enough if you enjoyed the clue but please don’t suggest that anyone who didn’t is putting it on.

    Nevertheless I thought this a super puzzle, so thank you to Tramp and manehi for the blog.

  47. Thanks George@41, I didn’t get the sarcasm in James@9’s comment. My own reading, FWIW, is the same as 1961B@40 – ie not a dig at VG but PA. I would surprised if Tramp meant otherwise.

  48. Thanks Tramp. Certainly hit the spot for an evening solve between episodes BINGE- WATCHing a Netflix drama. Rare for me to parse them all so that was an added pleasure.

  49. Coming in a bit late (the next day here) but I just wanted to say that I also really enjoyed this one. I think NAIL FILE at 1d was just such a great clue. 6d PROGRESSES also pleased me, along with several other beauties like the Djokovic clue (5d) already mentioned by several others. I was also held up like Petert@20 by bunging in BEANPOLE instead of FLAGPOLE at 26a until I saw the error of my ways. I was only stuck for the full parses on two, which is pretty good for me. But thanks for those clarifications, manehi, and for a thorough blog. Much appreciated Tramp, and I enjoyed reading some of the backstories to your setting @34.

  50. “Good. Very good” is what I mumbled to myself on completing. Well, I may be of an age…..but it could be the first time I’ve spoken aloud to myself my view of a crossword! (remembering my father, and all those senescent slumberers in country pub nooks through the scratched leather ages, I’m sure others do) I think I was praising the sleight of mind that seems, with Tramp, to effortlessly produce astounding clues – so many are gems. Whether it was a comment on the artfulness or puzzling nature of the work – well that’s another question! Easy solve. But beautiful. Many thanks

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