Guardian 28,801 – Tramp

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A tough challenge from Tramp today which kept me thinking all the way through. Very satisfying to finish – many thanks to Tramp.

 
Across
1 DRAWBACK Hitch and tie other side (8)
DRAW (tie, as in football etc) + BACK (other side)
5 TROPPO Too much work: left to retire (6)
Reverse of OP (work) + PORT (left). Troppo is seen in musical directions such as “allegro ma non troppo”
9 CURTAINS The end of dog exercises, no lead on Rottweiler (8)
CUR (dog) + TRAINS (exercises) less R[ottweiler]. “It’s curtains for you, Bugsy”
10 ENTREE Part of meal: English course’s not first class (6)
E[nglish} + AINTREE (racecourse) less A1
12 ORATE Speak over judge (5)
O[ver] + RATE
13 IRONED OUT Put right in print; did press at first? (6,3)
IRONED (did press) + OUT (in print)
14 CHIMNEY STACK Bum ciggy, ultimately nick matches for smoker? (7,5)
Anagram of [cigg]Y NICK MATCHES
18 PRESENTIMENT Feeling hand over male partners during sex (12)
PRESENT (hand over) + MEN (male partners) in IT. I thought the MEN part might be M + EN, thinking of Bridge, but E and N are opponents, not partners. I see Chambers gives “a husband or male sexual partner” as a definition of “man”.
21 IN ORDER TO So that till’s working at the start (2,5,2)
IN ORDER (working) + TO (till)
23 HELLO That man will love welcome (5)
HE’LL + O (love)
24 UTOPIA More work in university subject with top grade for college (6)
U + TOPIC with C[ollege] replaced by A (top grade). “More work” (i.e. work by [Sir Thomas] More) for Utopia is a bit of a chestnut, but I don’t think I’ve seen this wordplay before
25 FEATHERS Down pop with son drinking last of Coke (8)
[cok]E in FATHER (pop) + S
26 ENMESH Catch up with nurse: hospital tackling chaos, mostly (6)
MES[s] in EN (Enrolled Nurse) + H
27 PSYCH OUT Bully in quiet school determined to bite head of year (5,3)
Y[ear] in P (quiet) SCH + OUT (determined)
Down
1 DOCTOR Change be enough? Bankers to count on the other hand (6)
DO (be enough) + outer letters or “bankers” of CounT + OR (on the other hand)
2 ABROAD American with his woman, perhaps overseas (6)
A + BROAD (American slang for a woman – Chambers flags it as “offensive”)
3 BRAKE SHOE One helps you stop and live around playboy’s house (5,4)
RAKE’S HO in BE (live)
4 CONFIRMATORY Supporting business, one is protected by Conservatives (12)
FIRM (business) + A in CON + TORY (two Conservatives)
6 RINSE Stand up to grab bottom of chain for flush (5)
[chai]N in RISE
7 PERSONAL Private planes not primarily for flying (8)
Anagram of PLANES + [f]OR
8 OVERTAKE Pass with extra study (8)
OVER (extra) + TAKE (study, as in “I’m going to take Spanish next term”)
11 HONEYMOONERS New couple getting away? Someone horny after some swapping (12)
(SOMEONE HORNY)*
15 SYNTHETIC Fake: tiny chest with boobs (9)
(TINY CHEST)*
16 APTITUDE Faculty performing IT update (8)
(IT UPDATE)* – that’s three nice anagrams in a row
17 JEROBOAM Pierce upwards with hole in squash bottle (8)
Reverse of BORE (pierce) + O (hole) in JAM. A jeroboam (named after a biblical king) is a large bottle of champagne etc
19 CLUEDO Cultured occasionally cheat in game (6)
Alternate letters of CuLtUrEd + DO (cheat)
20 CORSET Stays in my place (6)
COR (my!) + SET (to place)
22 DRIBS Small flyer climbs and drops (5)
Reverse of S BIRD

67 comments on “Guardian 28,801 – Tramp”

  2. Beaten by TROPPO which is a vho (vaguely heard of). Missed the wordplay and was looking to delete an L from something. Everything else was very satisfying. PRESENTIMENT was answer first, parse afterwards and it took me far too long to spot the fodder for CHIMNEY STACK. (Was anyone else running through their mental list of volcanoes? Mine is not that long!)

    Favourites include the aforementioned CHIMNEY STACK, CURTAINS, UTOPIA for that original clueing, FEATHERS and those three splendid anagrams in a row – SYNTHETIC (what a surface), APTITUDE and, in the lead where it should be, today’s COTD, HONEYMOONERS – what a spot.

    Thanks Tramp and Andrew

  3. The More work in UTOPIA may be a chestnut Andrew but it went over my head, although I still managed to get the correct answer. Some nice clues and well hidden definitions today. CORSET had a great surface but my winner was HONEYMOONERS for the very apt anagram.

  4. I agree with the chewy assessment, first pass left me with most of the grid blank, but the clues gradually resolved. Some of the anagrams were great – as mentioned above.

    Thanks to Tramp and Andrew

  5. I liked RINSE for the word picture. ” grab bottom” was a humorous extra detail, interesting until I got the parsing right.
    I remember those loos where you had to stand up to pull the chain. They’re still around in some places.

    I was PSYCHed OUT by the misdirection in noun/verb “bully” and adj/verb ”determined” for OUT.
    CHIMNEY STACK favourite for the surface, indicators, fodder, and definition … well, the lot!

  6. I don’t mind not finishing and then seeing the solution parsed ingeniously, but I don’t like clues like 1 down, 21 across and one or two others. They are what I call “meh” clues.

  7. Thanks both. A little thrown in 3d trying to shove in “pad” for house – it nearly worked!

  8. Thanks Tramp and Andrew.

    Fortunately I jumped the right way on 17. REHOBOAM also works, as in you can ram / squash your clothes into a suitcase, say.

  9. Tough challenge but very satisfying. PostMark @2 has pretty much covered my favourites. TROPPO was new but gettable and I loved the simplicity of CORSET.

    Ta Tramp & Andrew

  10. Like Simon @8 I wondered about REHOBOAM, but while O BORE worked, O BOHE didn’t. Have I missed something?
    I thought this was going to be a bad day as I got all the way to 11d without a glimmer of a solution, but then it came together delightfully. HONEYMOONERS and SYNTHETIC were worthy of Paul at his cheekiest, and the crossers led to CHIMNEY STACK and PRESENTIMENT which are also excellently Pauline.
    Some very neat wordplay; particularly liked FEATHERS, PSYCH OUT and BRAKE SHOE.
    I’m sorry NNW @6 found DOCTOR ‘meh’. It was one of my last ones, and I thought the construction of the charade was rather well done. I suppose 21a was the least successful clue, but something’s got to be.
    The day can only go downhill from here. I shall feel uncommonly relieved when/if Root and Bairstow have got past Kohli’s 15d attempts to 27a his opponents.
    Thanks Tramp and Andrew.

  11. I found that very tough and, in several cases, difficult to work out what was the definition.

    Needed help parsing a few, including the very neat CORSET and UTOPIA both of which I did get straight away from the definition.

    I liked FEATHERS, CONFIRMATORY, PRESENTIMENT

    Thanks Tramp and Andrew

  12. Wow – that was tough but really enjoyable, particularly SYNTHETIC, CORSET and APTITUDE. I got a bit stuck on JEROBOAM, thinking of gore rather than bore for ‘pierce’. Many thanks to Tramp for the workout, and to Andrew.

  14. Great puzzle, tricky in parts, with some brilliant surfaces.

    Favourites were the splendid anagrams for CHIMNEY STACK and HONEYMOONERS, and TROPPO and UTOPIA for their surfaces/constructions – but there are many more good clues.

    LOI for me was ENMESH – I was reading the definition as ‘catch up with’, which fooled me.

    Many thanks to Neil and Andrew

  15. Si, difficile ma non troppo, and molto enjoyable. And yes, tho More work has done the rounds, still took all crossers to make Utopia inevitable, and then a minute to wake up. Bit the same for doctor, even tho bankers = , eg, C[oun]T is frequent. And yes, PM @2, loved “with boobs” as anagrind, very inventive, and making a great surface as you say. Lovely puzzle, ta Tramp, and thx Andrew.

  16. … my = cor is another one, been around forever but a clever surface will stil delay the penny …

  17. … not to mention Aintree, one of the few horsey things one has met (Epsom, Redcar and .. er.. ), but that doesn’t spring easily to mind …

  19. TROPPO was interesting for this Aussie. The musical term isn’t the first one that comes to mind.
    Troppo or gone troppo, has the connotation of someone who’s gone to the Northern Territory or Northern Queensland, and gone crazy in the tropics, possibly escaping something in the southern states, and looking for an unfettered life.

    I found that George Harrison recorded a studio album Gone Troppo, at a time he was escaping celebrity life and after the death of John Lennon. He became a recluse. A quote from beatlesbible.com:
    “His other boltholes were a clifftop house on a remote 63-acre site in N?hiku on Maui, Hawaii, and a six-acre tropical sanctuary on Hamilton Island off the coast of Queensland, Australia.”

    Maybe it means both over the top and tropically crazy, but that’s doubtful, there’s not a lot of classical music in the tropics. I like the double entendre though. And Tramp’s clue could have been either.

  20. Almost nothing on first pass, then saved from disaster by CHIMNEY STACK.

    Like others, strong ticks at CORSET & FEATHERS.

    Jolly good at hiding the def, isn’t he?

  23. Aintree stumped me, and “More work” for Utopia was puzzling. Otherwise good fun, with some nice surfaces.

  24. A great puzzle, lots of misleading clues, felt very smug at finishing (although with a little help from hubbie). Really liked UTOPIA, LOI, totally mislead by the wordplay. Ha ha!
    Thanks to Trump and Andrew

  26. Floored by 21 which I blame on Mrs Housely in primary school cca 1967 who drummed into us that ‘til is short for until and till is not; it’s a cash register or something you do with a hoe. She was wrong – till is an acceptable synonym for until – but funny how these things stick.

  27. Thanks Andrew, I finally twigged the “More work” but didn’t see the topic change so that now makes sense, and agree with your overall assessment (I didn’t help myself by taking far too long to see even the more straightforward 12A and 2D).
    I can see both sides of the 1d story: while the surface is hard to fathom, the resulting unravelling of wordplay was eventually very satisfying.
    And despite it not quite fitting the wordplay I am happy to have learned a new big bottle, thanks Simon S!
    Maybe I am biased as there seemed to be a lot of my favourite clue types eg 25a, 20d, 16d, but I thought it was superb, thanks Tramp.

  29. I’m used to “More work” so maybe TOP appearing in the clue was a double bluff.
    Like Simon i dived the right way on JEREBOAM
    I didnt see the film Honeymooners or Psych Out-an early Jack Nicholson
    There may have been a Cluedo film and a Troppo series but it may not stack up for a theme.
    I finished on DOCTOR and CURTAINS which was apt but they were fiendish clues
    Thanks Tramp and Andrew

  30. Thanks for the super blog, Andrew. Thanks to others for the comments.

    1d was supposed to give an impression of one working in a bank counting change on their hand.

    I wrote this in Jan 21. When I test-solved the proof, I, too, thought I’d made a mistake with the “male partners” until I realised it was indicating MEN not M+EN.

    Neil

  32. Found this hard but fair. And also that my completion of it depended for some considerable time on solving the long down clues CONFIRMATORY and HONEYMOONERS. Once those were safely in place the rest fell quite swiftly. Last two in were UTOPIA and DRIBS. Though nothing Drab about today’s challenge. Favourite clue was the unassuming CORSET. Many thanks Tramp and Andrew…

  33. Thanks, Tramp. Very difficult, I feared a DNF but it wound up a satisfying challenge. Noticed BRIDE in the 14th row, thought there might be a Nina given 11, but could not find one.

  34. Definitely above my pay grade today: failed to parse ENTREE, CHIMNEY STACK, PERSONAL or CURTAINS (which I mostly got after guessing CUR TAILS as something to do with ending things and the “ends” of dogs…). Couldn’t see take=study either. But no complaints: splendid clues from Tramp and I did like HONEYMOONERS.

  35. Yes, UTOPIA was cleverly disguised, but I think FEATHERS appealed more due to its surface and simplicity.

    When first driving in the States in the 70’s, OVERTAKE was exclusively a UK term for the driving manoeuvre, and “pass” was used in the US instead. So the first time I saw a roadside sign in the US that said “DO NOT PASS” it registered as “do not go past this sign”, rather than “no overtaking”. Quite a difference. Maybe the usage difference has disappeared now, but that’s how it was in my experience, then.

  36. I think TROPPO in the “too much” sense needs a foreign language indicator. Since I think it never occurs except in music scores, it can’t claim to have become an English word. For the “gone troppo” sense, thanks to paddymelon for a fascinating addition to my vocabulary.

    I don’t think “broad” has been American slang for a woman in any decade I’ve lived in. I think this clue needs some indication of “outdated.”

    Does DRIBS ever appear without its partner “drabs”?

    Shame on me! I completely missed the sainted Thomas in UTOPIA.

    Gervase@14 I’m with you in ENMESH. I don’t know what “up with” is doing in the clue, since the definition is “catch” and the wordplay is made of EN (nurse), MES(s) and H(ospital). I’m pleased with myself, though, for finally earning that a UK nurse is an EN rather than an RN as in the US.

    Gazzh@28 Thanks for making me realize that a Rehoboam is also a bottle. So I looked up bottle sizes — quite a list! I also realized that I didn’t actually know what “jorum” meant outside of this forum except that it was some sort of beer container, so looked that up too.

    Dr. WhatsOn @35 The difference hasn’t disappeared. Pass is what drivers do over here. I only know “overtake” from British fiction.

    I found this very hard. I got almost none of it done last night, had to resort to the check button this morning. Thanks to Tramp and Andrew.

  37. Yes, I had a similar experience the first time I drove in the States, when I was driving round in circles looking for the hotel car park, expecting a “Parking” sign. I must have driven past the sign saying “Park” (which to me of course meant somewhere with trees!) a dozen times before the penny finally dropped…. bloody Americans ?

  38. Really enjoyed this today, but with probably the most unparsed answers I’ve ever had for a crossword I actually solved without having to reveal anything. Needed Andrew’s help here to fully parse 5a, 13a, 14a, 21a, 24a, 1d and 20d! Big thanks to Tramp and Andrew.

  39. Yes, it was a tricky one. I thought the surfaces were rather tortured (Oofyprosser@1): yes, they were mostly framed within a consistent semantic field, but very few flowed smoothly. ‘Put right in print; did press at first?’, ‘Bum ciggy, ultimately nick matches for smoker?’ — these really do sound odd except as cryptic crossword clues.
    But ‘Too much work: left to retire’ was a neat one!

  40. v@36 if you got caught up with something couldn’t you be enmeshed in it? Sounds weird in the present tense but all’s fair in love and cryptics 🙂

    Great crossword btw – I made a lot harder work of this than messrs Bairstow and Root did of their record run chase

  42. Thanks for the blog , a super set of clues today. I think I found this a lot easier than most people, only saying this because perhaps this puzzle suits people who do not “read” the clues , do not give a fig about surfaces and do not worry too much about the definition. Nice to have a puzzle for once where the word play is the priority.
    Bodycheetah @ 40 I do seem to remember that you agreed not to mention cricket.

  43. [For anyone interested, here‘s a picture of some bottles in Menetou Salon (France) last September. Forgot to put anything to show the scale but the smallest is a Jereboam (c. 4 ordinary bottles).
    https://photos.app.goo.gl/PTH3cNuuLLREsnwN7.

    Enjoyed the crossword (and seem at last to be getting on Tramp‘s wavelength). Thanks to Tramp and Andrew.

  44. [Maybe Mathusalem could be clued as “An old man in France shows a lot of bottle”??]

  45. Some tough clues but got there in the end but not without a few instinctive guesses.
    Thanks both

  47. A FOOLISH consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds – there is nothing foolish about eschewing the unmentionable.

  48. Delayed by cricket and tennis, but this was a real treat!

    Great surfaces esp in CORSET, FEATHERS and UTOPIA.

    Tricky in parts but all fair and doable.

    Thanks Tramp and Andrew

  49. Thanks for the hints, Tramp 3, Hoofit 0.
    MORE WORK may be a chestnut to some, not to me, very good.
    Ta both…

  53. Jeez, what a snorter. Really good, and much needed blog visit as well since far too many flew through to the keeper.

    Much unlike, unfortunately, the proceedings at the actual cricket today. But well.

    Thanks, Tramp and Andrew!

  54. HYD @ 50 you need to just look at each word with maximum suspicion . Also be stubborn, a few weeks ago you despaired of ever completing Paul and then you finished the next two.

  55. Thanks Tramp, that was a work out; I needed a word fit to get JEROBOAM and FEATHERS and many others were lucky guesses from partial parsing and the crossings. Top choices were TROPPO, UTOPIA, DOCTOR, and ABROAD. Thanks Andrew for a much needed blog.

  56. [HYD @ 50: As Roz says “be stubborn.” Success will come but it’s not a straight line up. After thinking I was finally on Paul’s wavelength I discarded his latest prize in frustration but I actually caught myself using the word “easy” when describing Monk’s latest in the Indy — I never thought I would see that day.]

  57. I always find Tramp way too difficult, and today was no exception! Had to come here to parse lots of them.

    UTOPIA was very clever

    Not familiar with bankers = outer letters

    DNK: TROPPO, PRESENTIMENT, BRAKE SHOE

    Thanks, Tramp and Andrew

  58. Roz @54 and Tony Santucci @56 – Indeed, just wish I had more time in the day for crosswords and reading, which is actually my first love.

  59. Thanks for the parsing of 7d. I kept seeing an anagram of anagram of pLANES + PRO (for), and found it an unfair clue. This makes more sense!

  60. Very difficult, and I was short of time today with other commitments, which meant I only finished half an hour ago and then got distracted by politics before remembering to come here. I plumped for LUCIFER in the first part of 14a (“nick” also being a name for the devil, and lucifers being matches) before seeing that it couldn’t work. Eventually applied stubbornness to the last few, the final one being DOCTOR, which I appreciated more than someone above did; it seemed well constructed to me. (TROPPO, ENTREE and UTOPIA were others that stood out for this.) Obscure, impenetrable, misleading – yes. But ultimately solvable.

    At least with Tramp when you get the answer you can be sure it’s right. This encourages me in obstinately refusing to give up.

    Thanks to Tramp and Andrew.

  61. Got there in the end but only with a number of inspired guesses at answers followed by the check button. Worthy of a Friday I think.
    Enjoyed seeing the parsing from Andrew, especially DOCTOR, UTOPIA (as a relative beginner it’s a new chestnut for me), and IN ORDER TO. Can anyone help with 27A? I don’t see OUT = determined.
    Many thanks Tramp and Andrew

  62. Bloody marvellous puzzle on so many fronts. A veritable Tramp steamer. Standard signature super surfaces from the smashing scatterling, and some breathtakingly well-orchestrated, original wordplay. Lots of smirk-worthy risqué content for those of us old enough to recall Carry On films. Thanks Tramp! 😀

  63. Paul @ 61

    In current circumstances, how about “Johnson’s opponents within his party are out / determined to replace him”?

  64. JEROBOAM was a jorum for me and it turns out that Chambers defines the former as “A very large drinking bowl, a jorum”. So, a double jorum? 🙂

    I’m inclined to think that was a nod to this forum from Tramp .

    [The bawdy humour reminded me of a recent recommendation (from Roz?) of Cyclops in Private Eye. I’ve never looked at it but did the puzzle for the first time. It makes Paul look anodyne. You have been warned!]

    Thanks Tramp for a tough but fair workout and Andrew for explaining CORSET and DOCTOR.

  65. This was a absolute beauty so many thanks to Tramp, and Andrew for explaining some of the parsing. Loved Utopia despite being familiar with the wordplay, it still takes a moment or two for the proverbial to drop.

  67. pdp@64 I do recommend the Cyclops from time to time, I am told they are set by Brummie, often very political like the recent Vlad and usually very naughty.
    Beermagnet or mc do brilliant blogs and they deserve more support. The next blog will be Monday next week.

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