Guardian28,734 / Vulcan

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Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you have had / are having an enjoyable weekend (and aren’t 11 across 😉 ).

I found this puzzle something of a mixed bag – mostly straightforward clues, with rather more ‘cryptic’ definitions than I’d have liked. Pretty much standard Monday fare, I suppose.

Thanks to Vulcan for the puzzle.

Definitions are underlined in the clues.

 

Across

1 Cleaner sort of music created to be listened to (11)
CHAMBERMAID
CHAMBER (sort of music) + MAID (sounds like – to be listened to – ‘made’ – created)

9 Converting one of blue or green power source (7)
BIOFUEL
An anagram (converting) of I (one) OF BLUE

10 Fencing position needs a brief moment — and energy (7)
SECONDE
SECOND (a brief moment) + E (energy)

11 Too many laid into such a pudding? (4-5)
OVER-EGGED
Cryptic definition, with a play on ‘laid’

12 Satisfying taste of opium a mirage, some found (5)
UMAMI
Hidden in opiUM A MIrage

13 Lecturer caught finally in forbidden instruction (4)
DON’T
DON (lecturer) + [caugh]T

14 A promising entertainment? (6,4)
TALENT SHOW
Cryptic definition …

16 In terms of self-promotion, they are crazy (10)
EGOMANIACS
… and another (barely so)

19 A Russian, I turn Republican (4)
IGOR
I + GO (turn) + R (Republican)

21 Cosmetic lotion printer may need (5)
TONER
A sort of double / cryptic definition

22 In part, suggests more than others spotted (9)
PIMPLIEST
IMPLIES (suggests) in PT (part)

24 Otherwise taking tea round pensioners’ home (7)
CHELSEA
ELSE (otherwise) in CHA (tea)
My favourite clue, I think – it makes a change from Chelsea being a football club; overseas solvers may not be aware of this august body of veterans of the British Army

25 After making a show, they may hand in their notice (7)
CRITICS
Another cryptic definition …

26 Realise one’s mistake, when switched on? (3,3,5)
SEE THE LIGHT
… and yet another

Down

1 Coming across aliens about the cathedral? (5,10)
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
A sort of cryptic definition, alluding to the precinct of a cathedral, known as the Close

2 Entertain a Greek goddess (5)
AMUSE
A MUSE (Greek goddess)

3 Ban logo devised for saucy city (7)
BOLOGNA
An anagram (devised) of BAN LOGO – the sauce being Bolognese, of course: I rather liked this one

4 Dies poor and in regret: what’s left? (7)
RESIDUE
An anagram (poor) of DIES in RUE (regret) – and this is quite nice, too

5 Heard a foreign nobleman’s stories (8)
ACCOUNTS
A COUNT’S (a foreign nobleman’s)

6 NHS worker adapted to intense daylight (6,9)
DENTAL HYGIENIST
A clever anagram (adapted) of INTENSE DAYLIGHT – but I question the definition: these days, by no means all of them work for the NHS

7 A minor thoroughfare in another country (6)
ABROAD
A B ROAD (a minor thoroughfare)

8 Reconsider former England manager and wife (6)
REVIEW
(Don) REVIE (former England football manager) + W (wife)

15 In game, City scores broadcast (8)
LACROSSE
LA (city) + an anagram (broadcast) of SCORES

16 Tempt to enter apprenticeship (6)
ENTICE
Contained in apprENTICEship

17 Prosecute — Vulcan is to be an informer (7)
IMPEACH
I’M (Vulcan is) + PEACH (a new one for me: Chambers gives ‘Aphetic form of appeach’, which means the same as ‘impeach’, so a rather poor clue, I think)

18 Funny mineral found in mountain pass (7)
COMICAL
MICA (mineral) in COL (mountain pass)

20 Have another check-up, using extra time in relaxation (6)
RETEST
ET (extra time) in REST (relaxation)

23 Not standing up for the truth? (5)
LYING
A sort of cryptic definition, I think

40 comments on “Guardian28,734 / Vulcan”

  1. I’m going to blame yesterday’s sunshine and wine for a very sluggish start to today. I really struggled to get on Vulcans wavelength and there were a lot of groans when I realised what a number of solutions were. Thanks to Vulcan and Eileen for the chirpy blog.

  2. Very enjoyable solve on my birthday. Lots of ticks including DENTAL HYGIENIST, ABROAD, OVER-EGGED, CHELSEA and PIMPLIEST. DON (T) REVIE(W) might be a bit obscure for non-footy fans. DNK that meaning of peach, and could not parse CLOSE ENCOUNTERS. Eileen, I have SECONDE as the answer to 10ac?

    Ta Vulcan & Eileen

  4. Thank you Vulcan and Eileen – a fitting gentle workout for chocolate-filled grey cells. Umm.. For 10ac I had seconde …?

  8. Fairly steady solve for me, I liked the DENTAL HYGIENIST anagram. Doesn’t 20D need ET for extra time in rest to get to RETEST?

    Thank you to Vulcan and Eileen.

  9. Thanks, Eileen and Vulcan. I thought this was just right for a Monday – didn’t mind the cryptic definitions at all, though CRITICS was my LOI due to being slow of brain this morning.

    I agree 17d is not entirely satisfactory – I hesitated to write in the solution, thinking PEACH was too close in meaning to IMPEACH for it to possibly be that, and wasted a few moments looking for something more cryptic.

    All good fun though.

  10. Shanne@8, yes, ET for extra time. The abbreviation validated by the regular use in cup football summaries of (say) Norwich 2 Liverpool 1 (aet), after extra time. It’s a pleasure to write down that result, even in fantasy. And now nice to have ET clued that way, rather than as ‘film’ or ‘alien’.

  11. I was slow to get going too, though in retrospect not sure why. SECONDE was far too obvious for me to get it – given I know nothing about fencing. I had even tried SECANDE, but it didn’t return anything on a search. PIMPLIEST, CHELSEA, RESIDUE and COMICAL were all good, and I did dredge up Revie from somewhere – even thinking ‘was he Don’? Thanks, Vulcan and Eileen.

  13. I share your likes including CHELSEA which wasn’t a problem for this expat (famous for the shed, pensioners and the flower show). I also thought that a few cryptic definitions were a bit weak. Favourite was PIMPLIEST.
    Thanks Eileen and Vulcan

  14. A very enjoyable puzzle today. Vulcan is my favourite setter. I like 17D down. Peach means to inform on so I’m peach works for me. And I agree with Shane that ET extra time is needed in 20D

    Thanks Vulcan and Eileen

  15. I found this a bit more of a challenge than the usual Monday puzzle – perhaps because of the unconscionably large number of cryptic definition clues (of which I liked best CRITICS – as for Widdersbel my LOI).

    DENTAL HYGIENIST is a great anagram. Sadly, as Eileen notes, the definition is rather dated. Ticks also for CHELSEA and RESIDUE.

    Describing BIOFUEL as ‘green’ is more metaphorical (its provenance) than actual (its environmental effect) but the clue is sound!

    [Bolognese sauce is known in BOLOGNA simply as ‘ragu’ (and NEVER served with spaghetti, except in restaurants catering principally for tourists!). Mortadella, the best known sausage from Bologna, used to be called in English just ‘bologna’ – the origin of the expression ‘baloney’]

    Thanks to Vulcan and Eileen

  16. A good summary from Eileen. I found it a bit hard to get going.

    In 13, “forbidding instruction” would be a little better as a definition of DON’T in my opinion.

  17. Next time I visit my DENTAL HYGIENIST and gaze upwards with my mouth open at the skylight above our heads I’m going to mumble something about her being no more than an anagram of Intense Daylight. That should cause her pause for thought and to wonder about her latest patient’s mental state as well as his dental one…
    Bottom half of this took much longer to solve that the top this morning. I too liked CHELSEA and also COMICAL…

  18. In 17 down “peach” is public school slang for to sneak or inform on. In the BBC adaptation of “Tom Brown’s Schooldays” from 1971 the odious Cuthbertson promises the equally odious Flashman that he won’t peach on him.

  19. Well that’s better. I failed miserably with the Quiptic, but this went in quite smoothly. My favourite was CHELSEA, mainly because it reminds me of Liza Minelli in Cabaret (my favourite musical) – “I made my mind up back in Chelsea, when I go I’m going like Elsie”. That’s today’s earworm sorted. 🙂

    Many thanks Vulcan and Eileen.

  20. MONKEY@16 I certainly agree. DON’T is NOT “forbidden” – people use it all the time, surely.

    But there are some very nice clues and a mixture of types that I found challenging – so, a good start to the week, thanks to Vulcan, and of course Eileen.

  21. Liked: SEE THE LIGHT, PIMPLIEST.

    New: PEACH = inform on (for 17d); SECONDE (fencing position); Donald George REVIE for 8d.

    Thanks, both.

  22. Well it is a Monday! Usual fare, which gives me plenty of time to devote to the garden!

    Don Revie reference was more than averagely obscure I’m afraid.

    Thanks Vulcan and Eileen

  23. I’ve been busy doing other things in the last hour, so I’m just catching up.

    I had the same doubts about DON’T as Monkey @16 and John @20.

    Ronald @17 – many thanks for that 😉 – and Crossbar @19 – I’ve always loved that couplet, too.

    Ark Lark @22 – you’re absolutely right: Don Revie died in 1989! But not at all obscure for me: I’ve known his name since I was a little girl, as he was in the Leicester City team in the 1947 Cup Final. (It took them until last year to finally win it – against CHELSEA.)

  24. Thanks to Vulcan for a good start to the week. Favourites were CHELSEA, OVER-EGGED & DENTAL HYGIENIST. Join Eileen in wishing everyone a Happy Easter ? and thx for her blog.

  25. I too queried DONT/ DON’T. Could have made the answer DONG with a reference to Edward Lear, perhaps?

  26. I struggled a bit with this; maybe brain fade after an Easter crossword sabbatical.

    Peach in Chambers: peach2 /p?ch/
    transitive verb (Shakespeare)
    To accuse, inform against, betray
    intransitive verb1.(with on) to betray one’s accomplice
    2.To become an informer    .

    I liked PIMPLIEST, ABROAD (no doubt been done before) and the good intense daylight anagram.

    Happy Easter to all and thanks to Eileen and Vulcan.

  29. I wanted to comment that ‘peach on’ = ‘inform on’ and nothing to do with ‘impeach, but I see it’s already been done.
    I enjoyed this, in spite of the wealth of cryptic definitions (and especially 16ac – as you say, Eileen, barely so).
    Thanks both for puzzle and blog.

  30. Strange one today: I got all the way through to 19A before my FOI, then the bottom half all dropped in in a couple of minutes. Back to the top and everything else suddenly made sense. Enjoyable Monday fare, but, for me at least, a case of second half first. Thanks to setter and blogger, as ever.

  31. ‘Peach’ in the sense of grassing on one’s co-criminals is used by Conan Doyle in the Mazarin Stone. ‘Ikey has peached’

  32. Eileen — thanks for the Chelsea Pensioner link, I’d never heard of them. (Never heard of Don Revie either.) The article was a bit marred for me by “What is the criteria for becoming a pensioner?” I haven’t seen that in print before, though heard it spoken often enough.

    Does a muse rate as a goddess? I thought they ranked a bit lower.

    I think I vaguely remember PEACH for “rat on” perhaps from some fictional public-school types. (Never met any real ones.) But I know it only as verb, and the clue seems to require a noun.

    [I’ve learned about “spag bol” from fiction. Over here we just call it meat sauce. Gervase@15 what, if anything, do they serve ragu with in Bologna?]

    I’ve run into the expression “over-egging the pudding,” but what inscrutably British thing does that refer to?

    Thanks to Eileen for the blog and Vulcan for the puzzle.

  34. [Valentine @32: Tagliatelle. It’s usually claimed that this is because the lumpy ragu sticks better to ribbon shaped pasta, which is true. But I think part of the reason is that pasta in the Emilia Romagna region (of which Bologna is the capital) is traditionally egg based and not the flour and water type of Southern Italy, from which spaghetti is made. The flour and egg dough is rolled out thin to produce lasagne, which can be cut into strips to make tagliatelle, or into small pieces which can be wrapped round a filling to make ravioli and similar things. It’s too stiff to be easily extruded into spaghetti].

  35. Valentine @32 – if I’d seen that solecism I wouldn’t have given the link! I’m not surprised I didn’t see it: I had to scroll down an awfully long way to find it. There were nice pictures, though.

    I think I would refer to the Muses as ‘deities’ (but what’s the difference?). I see Wikipedia calls them goddesses – they were daughters of Zeus, after all.

    As for over-egging the pudding, I’ve just found this, which sounds feasible:
    https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/over-egg-the-pudding.html

  36. Valentine @ 32

    “ PEACH … I know it only as verb, and the clue seems to require a noun.”

    It’s “to be an informer”, not just “an informer”.

  37. I agree with Eileen — a mixed bag indeed.

    I wondered about ‘intense daylight’ being ‘adapted to’ having a Dracula reference, what with all those teeth, but I am attributing this to the rather nice grenache I’ve been sampling this lovely spring afternoon. Now to the snooker, where they had a ‘green baize vampire’ as I recall.

  38. Thanks for the pudding link, Eileen, it’s both helpful and entertaining. I remember Yorkshire pudding from Sunday dinners in my childhood, but haven’t seen it in decades.

  39. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who found ‘egomaniacs’ barely cryptic, as well as a few of the other ‘cryptic’ or double definitions. Thanks Eileen for explaining the Chelsea reference, where I had just assumed that Chelsea must have a reputation for a high retiree population.

  40. Needed a little help with this one, but definitely easier than the Quiptic. CHAMBERMAID was my favourite.

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