Guardian Cryptic 28,851 by Fed

by

A slow and steady solve today, with favourites 11ac, 2dn, and 20dn. Thanks to Fed

 

ACROSS
1 DAMAGE
Hurt woman with silver piercing, (6)
DAME=”woman”, with AG (chemical symbol for silver) inside
4 COVER UP
Hide bay rum unfinished before start of prohibition (5,2)
COVE=”bay” + RU-m + P-rohibition
9 FREE-TO-AIR
Anyone can enjoy this ratio? (4-2-3)
in a crossword clue, ‘free to air’ could indicate an anagram/’free’ of (to air)* leading to “ratio”
10 NASTY
Awful vote against boxing disheartened sport (5)
NAY=”vote against”, around/”boxing” S-por-T
11 UNSET
Regularly burnished gemstones, essentially yet to be mounted (5)
regular letters from b-U-r-N-i-S-h-E-d, plus the centre/essence of gems-T-ones
12 DRILL HALL
This writer will lobby doctor to start place for exercises (5,4)
I’LL=”This writer will” + HALL=”lobby”, with DR (doctor) at the start
13 THIMBLE
Article about reconfigured IBM laptop originally offering digital protection (7)
in definition, ‘digit’ as in finger

THE=definite “Article” around: anagram/”reconfigured” of (IBM)* plus L-aptop
15 COLLAR
Counter everything during my arrest (6)
reverse/”Counter” of ALL=”everything”, inside COR=exclamation of surprise=”my”
17 EMBEDS
Space base has small plants (6)
EM=typographical “Space” + BED=”base” + S (small)
19 ANGUISH
Suffering from interminable preoccupation is hard (7)
ANGU + IS + H (hard)

‘hang-up’=”preoccupation”, and “interminable” meaning to get rid of both end letters to get ANGU
22 POLAR BEAR
Directly opposed support for endangered species (5,4)
POLAR=”Directly opposed” + BEAR=”support”
24 TRAIL
Advertise scent (5)
double definition
26 ROTOR
Degenerate men get revolver (5)
ROT=”Degenerate” as a verb + OR (other ranks, soldiers=”men”)
27 MASTER-KEY
One readily admits graduates’ complete failure — making university embarrassed, initially (6-3)
MAS (MasterS of Arts, “graduates) + T-u-RKEY=”complete failure”, swapping u for E (making u-niversity into E-mbarassed)
28 TODDLER
Little child‘s line on, say, Sweeney TV show (7)
L (line) after TODD=”say, Sweeney”, then ER=”TV show”

reference to Sweeney Todd the fictional murderous barber
29 URGEON
Encourage doctor to wipe out source of salmonella (4,2)
s-URGEON=”doctor” minus s-almonella
DOWN
1 DEFAULT
Handy fencing manual occasionally gives a pre-set option (7)
DEFT=”Handy” around/”fencing” occasional letters from m-A-n-U-a-L
2 MEETS
Events made less commercial with French and Saunders’ backing (5)
M-ad-E minus/less ad[vert]=”commercial”, plus ET=”French [for] and”, plus [Saunder]-S
3 GET-AT-ABLE
Successfully book in a restaurant that’s accessible (3-2-4)
GET A TABLE=”Successfully book in a restaurant”
4, 19 CARDIAC ARREST
Medical emergency vehicle to help overturned motor with support (7,6)
CAR=”vehicle” + AID=”help” reversed/”overturned” + CAR=”motor” + REST=”support” as a noun e.g. ‘foot rest’
5 VENAL
Mercenary guerrilla never bottles uprising (5)
hidden/bottled reversed/”uprising” inside guerri-LA NEV-er
6 RASTAFARI
One with faith in artist putting time into expedition (9)
RA (Royal Academician, “artist”), plus T (time) inside SAFARI=”expedition”
7 PAYOLA
Corrupt play a disc for this? (6)
PAYOLA means paying for radio airplay (or e.g. paying streaming services for songs to be featured on playlists / boosted on recommendation algorithms)

anagram/”Corrupt” of (play a O)*, with O=circular letter=”disc”
8, 18 PADDLE STEAMER
Ship‘s padre meets lad at sea (6,7)
anagram/”at sea” of (padre meets lad)*
14 IMMOLATED
Given up — I’m one to leave military body with honour in retirement (9)
definition: ‘given up’ as in ‘offered up’ as a sacrifice

I’M, plus reversal/”in retirement” of DETA-i-L plus OM (Order of Merit, “honour”)

‘detail’=”military body”, minus I=”one”
16 LIGHTYEAR
Fibber describing golf — and somehow they can make a huge distance (5,4)
LIAR=”Fibber” around: G (golf, NATO alphabet) plus anagram/”somehow” of (they)*
18
See 8
19
See 4
20 HALCYON
Vacuous Carry On Henry’s opening is carefree (7)
C-arr-Y + ON; with HAL=short for “Henry” at the beginning / “opening”
21 SPIRIT
Three fifths of Spice Girls’ focus on sex’s inner meaning (6)
three of the five letters from SPI-ce, plus centre/”focus” of gi-R-ls, plus IT=slang for “sex”
23 RURAL
After game, gunners left country (5)
RU (Rugby Union, “game”) + RA (Royal Artillery, “gunners”) + L (left)
25 ANKLE
Joint account’s now key — loan’s expensive, first of all (5)
first letters of A-ccount’s N-ow K-ey L-oan’s E-xpensive

70 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28,851 by Fed”

  1. Most fell into place, but there were quite a few I couldn’t parse till I came here, namely 19a, 27a, 2d, 17a, 25a. I missed the “reverse-crypticism” of FREE-TO-AIR. I was unaware that RA are gunners, but have by now learnt that OR are men. Hadn’t heard of RASTAFARI, apart from a very vague distant memory from another crossword.

  2. Nothing too gnarly from Fed, but needed all crossers to be convinced by immolation. Always thought it was more about the burning than the offering up … silly really as there are no fire- related bits in the word. Hey ho, ta Fed and manehi.

  3. Isn’t payola to do with bribery, hence a double play on ‘corrupt’ … ?
    Oh and I biffed 9ac, missing the freeing of ‘to air’ … dim!

  4. I had much the same thoughts as grant@2. I looked up IMMOLATED and the root is “mola” which means flour, which was sprinkled on the heads of sacrifice victims. Said word is related to English “meal”.

    Nice puzzle, too!

  5. This appeared largely straightforward with a handful of knottier clues that held up completion. Like earlier posters I struggled with the definition in 14dn and couldn’t parse the first 4 letters of 19ac. Thanks Fed and manehi.

  6. Thanks Fed and manehi
    Very pleasant. Favourites were EMBED for the misdirection, MASTER KEY for the definition, and RASTAFARI for the construction.

  7. What muffin said.
    And that I got hung-up on not seeing the (h)ang-u(p) in ANGUISH.
    And didn’t know the MAS in MASTER-KEY. I think it’s been said before that ‘graduate’ clues, when needing a specific one, are a bit too general, or esoteric, depending on the solver’s knowledge of these things.

  8. I’ve now managed to condition myself so that whenever I see “my” in a clue I immediately think COR (15a). There were quite a lot of other standard crossword indicators here: “silver” = AG (1a), “men” = OR (26a), “artist” = RA (6d), “honour” = OM (14d), “Henry” = HAL (20d), “game” = RU and “gunners” = RA (23d).

    Favourite was 12a for the clever use of “lobby”.

    Thanks Fed and manehi.

  9. LJ@8 Yes that was my reaction too. Digits seem to be popular at the moment too. Pretty good overall though with most solved from first principles which makes a nice change

    Ta F&M

  10. I liked DRILL HALL and THIMBLE. Lord Jim@8 You could add “space” = EM to your list, and pace paddymelon “graduates” = MAS (it’s never BSCS). This almost felt like a primer in crossword speak, but I enjoy Fed’s Lego style.

  12. Petert@10 I have to agree; this felt very Monday/Everyman to me (egregious for a Thursday!) and a swift, straightforward solve.
    But what a cracker! Clever meaningful surfaces and delightful, adept clueing. Work of more than one setter? A perfect puzzle to get the newcomer hooked!

    Many thanks both and all

  13. Great puzzle, thanks Fed. Got stuck at the end with IMMOLATED and EMBED but they were my favs. Thanks m for the parsing

  14. I agree entirely with Lord Jim @8 (particularly re ‘my / COR’, which we seem to see every week) – but, like William F P, I do like Fed’s style, which I still find refreshing.

    I enjoyed COVER UP, UNSET, DRILL HALL and URGE ON – for their surfaces, MEETS, CARDIAC ARREST, RASTAFARI, PADDLE STEAMER and HALCYON – for their construction and THIMBLE and MASTER-KEY for the definitions.
    (I share others’ reservations re IMMOLATED, which, as DR. WhatsOn points out, relates to the literal meaning of sacrifice.)

    Many thanks to Fed for an enjoyable puzzle and manehi for a great blog.

  15. Thanks Fed and Manehi. Found this hugely fun and satisfying – as I’ve probably said before, I get on well with Fed’s style, which is very precise, so you just have to follow the instructions to the letter to build the solution. And as Lord Jim observes, there’s lots of standard crosswordese in this one, which is perhaps why I found it easier than is sometimes the case with Fed. Still took far too long to spot COR though – really should be used to that one by now.

    William FP @12 – not more than one setter, unless you count his alter egos Bluth and Django as separate individuals.

  16. This was fun – from a setter who taught himself to set crosswords during lockdown when all his other work dried up (I like his comedy and photography too). Nice steady solve by building the answers for the most part, just needed to parse the FREE-TO-AIR, IMMOLATED and the hang up bit of ANGUISH (which had been sitting with the ISH bit pencilled in from my first pass).

    Thank you to Fed and manehi.

  17. I am always pleased to see a puzzle set by Fed. I like think that I am on Fed’s wavelength – or maybe Fed’s puzzles are generally slightly towards the easier end of the Grauniad spectrum. Whatever, I thought this offering was delightful.

    Thank you, Fed and Manehi

  18. An enjoyable puzzle, at the easier end of The Guardian spectrum. Yes, lots of traditional devices, but that didn’t detract from the fun. Last one in was IMMOLATED, for which I had to go to the dictionary because – like grantinfreo @2 – I had always associated it with burning and flames.

    Thanks to Fed and manehi.

  19. Another fan of Fed’s precise clueing style. I’ve seen the French and Saunders trick before and a quick search of this site, reveals Tramp using it in 2015 and Bluth (thanks Widdersbel @15) in the Indy last year. A very enjoyable solve with FREE TO AIR, RASTAFARI and HALCYON being favourites.

    Ta Fed & manehi

  21. I’ve not always enjoyed Fed’s previous puzzles because of some convoluted, almost meaningless surfaces, but this was a huge improvement – lots of very clever clues. I do wish setters wouldn’t use “it” for sex though – ugh.

  22. Enjoyable solve, which all came together well.

    I liked FREE-TO-AIR because I always appreciate reverse clues, MASTER-KEY for the misleading definition, and MEETS and IMMOLATED for the surfaces.

    Thanks Fed and manehi.

  23. Managed to complete, but several times felt very tangled up in some quite fiddly clueing. Thought UNSET rather clumsy. Last one in URGE ON. Love the way one pronounces RASTAFARI…

  24. I solved the NW corner last.

    I did not parse
    19ac apart from IS H
    2d (great clue!)
    14d apart form IM + rev of OM

    Liked LIGHT YEAR, TODDLER, FREE-TO-AIR.

    Thanks, both.

  28. Very good. I like this writer’s sensible and easily-understood style. It does not preclude a nice wit.

  29. Thoughts, not even quibbles, but doesn’t getatable have three tees, and in 13a wouldn’t the clue be better if the “originally” was dropped as “laptop” provides the L anyway? Great challenging puzzle

  30. Steve69@27, it goes back to Clara Bow , the origonal IT GIRL and probably has previous. We should ask the SWEENY (Todd), the flying squad of the TV title in 28.

  32. Widdersbel@15 – Thank you. I think it felt like more than one person contributed to the setting because it was so well honed!

    Steve69@21 …… I think, in crosswordese at least, IT equates with sex appeal (SA) rather than (just!) sex. Of course, other synonyms (like “the other” as in ‘a bit of the other’) are to be found; who could forget one of Arachne’s many outstanding clues:
    “Unrelenting nymphomaniac (3,5,3,5)”?

  33. Enjoyable enough, but defeated by NHO PAYOLA. Thanks to our blogger for parsing ANGUISH, which I couldn’t see.

  34. Thanks for the blog , some neat clues and a bit of originality in places.
    Overall I think too many clues have an obvious definition or obvious word play, it is nice to have a bit of mystery for both, at least to begin with.

  35. Thanks both,
    I very much enjoy Fed’s surfaces, which seem fresh and original, even if some of the devices are familiar.
    The origin of Halcyon, referring to a mythical sea nesting kingfisher charming the midwinter seas in calmness, always gives me a moment’s pleasant reflection.

  36. Thanks manehi, thanks all.

    Orcwood @29 while some people are fine with laptop = L (or midnight = G, for example) there are also lots of people who object to them. After all, it’s not ‘lap top’ or ‘lap’s top’ or what have you. I don’t mind seeing such things when I’m solving, but I generally avoid using them when I’m setting as so many people think them unfair. While some might have preferred ‘laptop’ nobody would argue that ‘laptop originally’ isn’t fair. (In an across clue, I’m sure some would have been even more trouble by ‘laptop’ alone)

    Grantinfreo @3 that was my intention with PAYOLA, yes. Almost, sort of &lit. I think of it as being from the 50s when corrupt American DJs were prosecuted for taking kickbacks for playing particular records.

  37. Really enjoyed this. I’ve enjoyed all of Fed’s previous crosswords, but this felt a notch above. One of the names I really enjoy seeing pop up when I click the link each morning. Some very clever construction and misdirection, and definitely feels fresh. Thanks S & B.

  38. I enjoyed this a lot, and echo all the comments on liking Fed’s clueing style. I was briefly distracted by the rogue comma at the end of 1 across, looking for some devious deeper meaning – but once I solved the clue I put it down to standard Graun slapdashery.

    Too many favourites to list.

    Thanks Fed and manehi

  39. Rob @38 I have been caught out by stray punctuation before, staring at a full stop etc that was simply a misprint. Sometimes the punctuation does have a deep devious meaning.

  40. Roz @39 – yes, I recall a clue I saw earlier this year with a full stop at the end, and it was part of the definition (“period”). Very clever. That’s why I was overthinking this blimming comma…

  43. [There was a great puzzle on MyCrossword a few months ago where the numeration in brackets at the end of the clue was very often a part of the clue itself, and this was only hinted at in a suitably vague special instruction… head-scratching at first but hugely satisfying once the penny dropped]

  45. A slow and steady solve, like Manehi says. Very satisfying. Thanks Manehi for finding ‘hang-up’ as the interminable preoccupation, and for parsing IMMOLATED and MASTER KEY. I am a bit confused by orcwood@29 writing getatable with two tees and saying that it has three. Am I missing something?

  47. Paul B @42, I once wrote this clue: “Menses in America. (6)”

    Does anyone outside of Crosswordland ever actually refer to sex as “it”? I mean, I guess in a construction like “Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it.” But that’s “do it” as a single unit to mean “have sex,” and an “it” without a “do” seems unlikely to ever mean sex.

    Also, a clue like the one for RURAL requires you to have been doing cryptics (and specifically British ones) for quite a while.

    Like others, I was held up by the odd definition for IMMOLATED, my last one in.

  48. mrpenney @47 – not that I’m particularly trying to defend the practice of IT=sex, I had noted that IT also appears in the euphemistic phrase “at it”, so I guess the connotation is across at least two idioms.

    As an aside, when you try to explain the phrase “have it off” to a non-native English speaker, you soon realise how utterly nonsensical it is…

  49. Quibble on 19A – doesn’t “interminable” strictly mean “without an end”. The Tory leadership election seems interminable but definitely had a start. Clearly not what was meant once the answer was banged in from the crossers (though I needed the blog to identify the shortened word – thanks manehi), but makes it harder to get from the wordplay.

  50. Ooh yes, that’s worthy of debate. Words don’t really have two ends, but a start and an end.

    So mused Ui Imair.

  51. @49 – Hmm. It’s quite easy to argue that anything with both a start an end also has two different ends. English is very flexible like that 🙂

    I tend to give setters the benefit of the doubt as long as it passes the ‘fair / gettable’ test…!

  53. At last, one I could (almost) do. Just had ro reveal 14d, a new word for me.
    Much to like, 7d was a new word, but gettable from the wordplay.
    Ta both.

  54. Thanks manehi for the confirmation of 14d, have enjoyed the discussion above – I probably only know PAYOLA from some US detective novel or other and wondered if it might raise a comment or two, but a very nice clue I thought with its hint of indirectness! Thanks Tyngewick for the note on HALCYON – realised today that I never really knew what it meant, years ago I enjoyed a summer beer called “Halcyon Days”, and was lucky enough to see a brilliant kingfisher zipping down the river the other day, now both brought back to mind. Thanks Fed for another fun puzzle with some very neat constructions.

  55. THIMBLE – A bit late in the day, but I also think Laptop was adequate in defining the L, the lap’s top letter being L, but can see that originally makes it clear, but still unnecessary, but it was still my favourite clue either way. Thanks Fed

  56. Like some others I had no idea what word was behind the ANGU. I’m surprised that the setter thought that ‘laptop’=T would be unfair, but ANGU was obviously OK?

    I got hung up on ‘plants’ being a noun rather than a verb, and didn’t have the flexibility to wrigglr free, so a DNF for me, not to mention failing to parse IMMOLATED. Oops, seem to have mentioned it anyway.

    Thanks to Fed and manehi.

  60. I enjoyed this puzzle, but a DNF for me as I couldn’t see EMBEDS or PAYOLA. Should have got the former, but I hadn’t heard of the latter. I thought the clue for it was borderline indirect, as O for disc wasn’t obvious to me and it is part of the anagram.
    I liked ANGUISH in the end, though I needed the blog to explain ANGU. I think interminable can be thought of as removing both ends. Seems to have sufficient flexibility for crosswordland anyway. Interesting that CARDIAC ARREST used two different indications for CAR in one clue. Would be tempting to try to combine them just as “vehicles” in some way.
    Thanks for the work-out, Fed and manehi

  61. Struggled with this one, but after reading the blog it all makes sense now. I struggle with wordplay that requires several operations – e.g. reversal of an anagram with a letter missing, that sort of thing.

    I do need help with E as an abbreviation for ‘embarrassed’? Can anyone give an example?

    Also ‘described’ to mean surrounded (“fibber described golf…”) – I’ve seen used as a device before but I don’t really get it. I couldn’t get this clue because I was looking for a homophone

  64. RobT@51 – I don’t disagree with either your specific comment or your general one. The setter’s job is to exploit the ambiguity of English to mislead the solver and I was misled by perhaps an over-strict interpretation of “interminable”. But as UI Imair@50 says, the letters in a word do have an order. I could also have said that “interminable” is usually used of temporal rather than spatial endings, and time has (or had?) a definite direction. My excuse for failing on the wordplay anyway.

  65. @60 I too failed on EMBEDS and PAYOLA, phito. Grasping the rest was testing and fun.
    The ‘interminable preoccupation`bit was way beyond me. Thanks S&B.

  67. Haha Eileen re Paul and Tramp behind the bike shed, I had a similar thought. Thought this was on the easy side for a risqué Tramp with the SW holding out longest. My favourites were GASTROPUB, WAREHOUSES, PADDYMELON, NASDAQ and the clever MOUNTEBANKED.

    Ta Tramp & Eileen.

  68. AlanC @67 – you’ve commented on yesterday’s Fed blog post (and accidentally given me a few answers for today’s Tramp…!)

  69. I take issue with 26: the conflation of ‘rotate’ and ‘revolve’, ‘Rotate’ means for an object to spin on one of its own axes. ‘Revolve’ means to follow a circular path around a fixed point, separate from the centre of its orbit. My Year 9 science teacher made sure that I understood this.

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