A great puzzle with a remarkable double anagram.
I don’t suppose that Paul is the first person to spot that HITLER and WOMAN can be combined to make MOTHER-IN-LAW, but this potentially misogynistic arrangement, very fairly clued as “cruel”, can also be combined with AS SEEN to form THE ANSWER IS A LEMON. Wicked, indeed! There was lots to admire in this puzzle, with the clues for SHOPAHOLIC, UP THE DUFF and BEES also attracting ticks on my copy of the paper. Timon and I only needed a reference book to check the spelling of BANDOLEER, and (subsequently) to find out in which opera Susanna appears.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HACKSAW |
Horse observed that has teeth (7)
|
| HACK (horse) SAW (observed). | ||
| 5 | BATSMAN |
Chap keen to stay in Keaton film about slapstick, originally (7)
|
| S(lapstick) in BATMAN (Michael Keaton, not Buster or Diane). | ||
| 9 | TOAST |
No more breakfast (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | MANGETOUT |
Tasty little French thing, is it? Hubby, pack your bags! (9)
|
| MAN GET OUT! | ||
| 11 | EAST LONDON |
Slate rocks on river in South African city (4,6)
|
| *SLATE, ON DON (river). | ||
| 12 | EWER |
Vessel always filled with water, primarily (4)
|
| W(ater) in E’ER (always). Pretty much an & lit clue, I thought. | ||
| 14 | MOTHER IN LAW |
Relative, 4 1 down, cruelly? (6-2-3)
|
| *(WOMAN HITLER). “Cruelly” is the very apposite anagram indicator. | ||
| 18, 19 | THE ANSWER IS A LEMON |
14 seen as wicked? What a ridiculous question! (3,6,2,1,5)
|
| *(MOTHER-IN-LAW SEEN AS). “Wicked” is of course the anagram indicator here. Brewer’s Phrase & Fable explains this term as “nothing doing… a suitable answer to an unreasonable or ridiculous request or question. The expression originated in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. The fruit… was taken to represent a tart response”. | ||
| 21 | ROSE |
Drink got bigger (4)
|
| Just about a double definition, although “higher” might be more accurate than “bigger”. | ||
| 22 | SHOPAHOLIC |
A school and hospital I built to accommodate parking for one ever present on the high street? (10)
|
| *(SCHOOL H(ospital) I P(arking)). Timon got this immediately, while I was busy trying to think of retail chains. | ||
| 25 | UP THE DUFF |
Expecting pudding, he put salad first (2,3,4)
|
| *(HE PUT) DUFF (pudding). IN THE CLUB was our first guess, but we couldn’t parse it. | ||
| 26 | BOMBE |
Sweet mint sauce’s back (5)
|
| BOMB (a lot of money, or a mint) (sauc)E. | ||
| 27 | NAMASTE |
Indian greeting some poets, a mantra recalled (7)
|
| Hidden and reversed in “poets a mantra”. | ||
| 28 | SUSANNA |
Operatic bride, South American girl (7)
|
| S US ANNA. In Mozart’s opera Figaro, Susanna is Figaro’s bride. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HITLER |
Murder king, despatching a murderous leader (6)
|
| HIT (murder) LE(a)R (King less “a”). | ||
| 2 | COARSE |
Vulgar line recited? (6)
|
| Sounds like “course”. | ||
| 3 | SETTLEMENT |
Small town deal (10)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 4 | WOMAN |
She obtained nursing degree (5)
|
| MA (degree) in WON (gained). | ||
| 5 | BANDOLEER |
Belt required when stout, with nothing left to tuck in (9)
|
| AND 0 L(eft) inside BEER (stout). | ||
| 6 | TREE |
Bay, perhaps, where thoroughfare is out of bounds (4)
|
| (s)TREE(t). | ||
| 7 | MOONWALK |
Second working rule drawn up before end of week, reversing move by Jackson? (8)
|
| MO (second) ON (working) LAW (rule, rev) (wee)K. Michael Jackson’s famous dance step is what is being referred to here. | ||
| 8 | NUTBROWN |
Fastener on top, new dark colour (3-5)
|
| NUT (fastener) BROW (top) N(ew). | ||
| 13 | MISS THE BUS |
Wife seen embracing that man in taxicab after vacation, fail to grasp opportunity (4,3,3)
|
| HE in T(axica)B, all inside MISSUS (wife). “vacation” to indicate that letters are being omitted inside a word is now becoming a crossword staple. | ||
| 15 | TOWN HOUSE |
Drag first of hostages inside worthless residence (4,5)
|
| TOW (drag), H(ostage) in NO USE. | ||
| 16 | STAR TURN |
Great performance set in motion to take Ashes trophy (4,4)
|
| START (set in motion) URN (Ashes trophy). | ||
| 17 | NEWS ITEM |
Where one has relocated male article (4,4)
|
| NEW SITE (where one has relocated) M(ale). | ||
| 19 |
See 18
|
|
| 20 | SCLERA |
Eye part clears after treatment (6)
|
| *CLEARS. | ||
| 23 | PUFFS |
Birds dropping in light gusts of wind (5)
|
| PUFF(in)S. | ||
| 24 | BEES |
Hobbit’s central characters, drones perhaps (4)
|
| Plural of the letter B (central to hoBBits). |
Thanks bridgesong. Perhaps not quite as much a challenge as some of Paul’s recent tests but with enough teasers to make it satisfying, smooth surfaces and some admirable feats of anagram. LOI was BOMBE, it had to be that of course but it took a while for bomb = mint to be understood. TOAST lasted out for the same reason. 5d held out for a while too because I knew 14a was correct and hadn’t come across that spelling of bandolier. I needed Google to confirm 27a and 5a.
Well this was a blast. A lot of very clever stuff here, I quite agree with bridgesong’s comments. I think I liked TOAST best, for its simplicity.
I normally hear/use MISS THE BOAT, not BUS. Maybe it’s regional.
Tx all.
I didn’t know NAMASTE. Plenty of chuckles as per bridgesong and thanks to Paul of course.
I’ve never heard the phrase THE ANSWER IS A LEMON but, once I had unravelled the very clever cascading anagrams, what else could it be? NEWS ITEM was also good – I’m sure I have seen a completely different cluing for it recently. Thanks, Paul and bridgesong.
Thanks bridgesong. The anagrams – in 14, 18, 22, 25 and so on – were as deftly devised as usual with Paul but the answers kept popping up. I bogged down a bit with Jackson (Stonewall?) while the bottom right needed a google or two.
NEWS ITEM can also be combined with various phrases (e.g. SHARE LOAN) to make another anagram of THE ANSWER IS A LEMON. I wondered whether Paul had tried to include this in the puzzle.
Not often I get through one of Paul’s offerings unaided, but this was a delight for all the reasons described in the preamble. Only other thought was how I wish we’d all adopted the beautiful “namaste” and accompanying gesture rather than the ugly and awkward fist and/or elbow bumps.
Thanks Paul. It’s not often I breeze through a Paul prize but this seemed on the easy end of the spectrum. The MOTHER-IN-LAW/Hitler woman anagram is actually an old chestnut but it’s still funny I guess. My top choices included BATSMAN, MANGETOUT, WOMAN, MOONWALK, TOWN HOUSE, and PUFFS. I never heard the phrase UP THE DUFF before so I’ve expanded my GK as a result. Thanks bridgesong for the blog.
I still don’t understand THE ANSWER IS A LEMON. I’ve never heard the phrase, and have no idea what it is supposed to mean. “A ridiculous question”? I don’t get it.
Nevertheless, this was one of the most enjoyable Paul’s that I have ever done. Too many ticks to list, but my favourite was the great anagram at 14a MOTHER-IN-LAW. I’m normally a big fan of smooth surfaces (I’m just a superficial person), but today it was the quality of the constructions that won me over.
Thanks Paul for the fun, and bridgesong for the excellent blog.
Really liked 10a MANGETOUT (as did Tony S@8), 25a UP THE DUFF (agreeing with you, bridgesong) and 27a NAMASTE, and it seems I was not alone in relishing cracking the anagram for 14a MOTHER-IN-LAW at 1 and 4d – though I do hope that’s not how my daughter-in-law sees me! Like Biggles A@1, I had a lot of trouble understanding the parse for 26a BOMBE, also my LOI, until I had a discussion with my husband about how “bomb” can mean “mint” when used in the slang sense of both words and we tried them out in some contextualised sentences.
Thanks muchly to Paul for the many lovely moments as I solved this, and to bridgesong for the helpful and well-written blog.
Cellomaniac @ 9: I’ve updated the blog to add an explanation of THE ANSWER IS A LEMON.
I enjoyed this too. Annoyingly DNF as didn’t get TOAST
My favourites included: SHOPAHOLIC (I too started by thinking of retail chains), UP THE DUFF, MOONWALK and MANGETOUT which made me smile.
Thanks Paul and bridgesong
Thanks for the explanation, bridgesong@11. Now whenever someone makes an unreasonable demand of me, I’ll just imagine them as Hitler seen as a woman. (Now there’s a Monty Python sketch just waiting to be made.)
Much enjoyed. Lovely … and not quite so lovely … to hear the old expressions THE ANSWER IS A LEMON and UP THE DUFF. I never really understood the former … had always wondered if it might be fruit-machine related (hoping for a gold bar but getting a lemon). But it was much used in an earlier era where I lived/studented up North.
Many thanks bridgesong for the parsing. BOMBE had escaped me. I was another misled by thoughts of the wrong Jackson and wrong Keaton. Great stuff, Paul!
Thanks for the blog , I think REVERSING is part of the definition for MOONWALK, it is a feature of the dance move. Rule drawn up gives the WAL.
Really liked this , especially UP THE DUFF, my favourite pregnancy saying. I used to have it on a badge.
Nice to see Cellomaniac so early, and maybe I have a convert ?
Thanks bridgesong. I think the opera is ‘The Marriage Of Figaro’. As soon as I saw operatic bride, I assumed it had to, but looked it up to make sure.
Toast was my last one in. Given that I was eating toast for breakfast when I started the crossword, I really should have got it at the first attempt.
Don’t usually finish Paul in one sitting so this was on the easier side. Echo the sentiments above about the clever anagrams. Agree with your UP THE DUFF, Roz. Better than bun in the oven. All very entertaining.
Ta Paul & bridgesong.
I hope anyone who has given real, hard thought to the reality of the holocaust, to the systematic humiliation and murder of millions of Jews, and others not deemed worthy of that world, and who has read Primo Levi’s If this should be a man, is as appalled and offended as I am at being expected to be entertained or amused by this crossword. “Toast”, coming from the word “Hitler”? I’m astonished that this crossword was published. This kind of thoughtlessness isn’t good enough. We have a responsibility to be real witnesses. This has left me feeling deeply anxious and deeply unhappy. Not least because I love this blog page, it’s one of my very few relations with the internet. And I love the usual challenge of the Guardian Prize.
Started this late in the week, and only got EWER and MISS THE BUS on my first pass, but sat wondering which of the possible in-laws would combine with “seen as” to give a reasonable answer to 18. Never having heard of THE ANSWER IS A LEMON I was a bit surprised when that popped out. And the 1,4 answers were also something of a surprise! As people are saying, not as hard as some of Paul’s, but definitely fun. Thanks, Paul and bridgesong.
Blady @ 19
HITLER is history, and good riddance. (I almost wrote that he’s TOAST).
He was undoubtedly a most unpleasant individual and we all know why. But I don’t think that means we can’t use him in a puzzle.
I’m far more upset that Paul equates ROSE with Rosé. Yes, I know we ignore the diacritics in the grid. But to my mind, they are not the same word.
Nonetheless thanks to Paul and to bridgesong
Blady. @19: I think your real objection is to the use of the word Hitler (defined, accurately enough, as a “murderous leader”) in a crossword. The connection with TOAST is obviously not intended to be humorous or disrespectful (there’s no cross-reference in either clue to the other). I don’t agree that we should ban the names of historical figures (who can be expected to form part of a solver’s general knowledge); but I agree that sensitivity needs to be used in their clueing. I don’t think that such sensitivity applies to accidental juxtapositions of the kind seen here.
Blady@19 I have read all Primo Levi, partly for the humanity and history but also it is rare to have an actual scientist writing these sort of books. I do not see any particular connection between Hitler and toast , I am sorry if I am missing something obvious and you are clearly upset.
Care is needed using Hitler in a puzzle but I think the definition here is suitable.
Thanks Bridgesong, especially for expanding on the …LEMON answer after cellomaniac’s request as it had puzzled me too. To add to Anna’s gripe about Rose (for me the only DUFF clue for that and the other iffy defn) I think “stout” in 5d should have a defn by eg indicator, especially as the link words “required when” are confusing (or at least they confused me). But overall I thought it was another very good puzzle (and appreciated the “chap” to indicate the superseded term in 5a) so thanks Paul.
Thanks Paul & bridgesong. I concur with the general comments – this was on the easy side for Paul but still enjoyable, and some nice spots with the anagram – didn’t know the lemon phrase but its meaning is discernible.
I was slightly uncomfortable with the H-word – I think it’s the Australian setter David Astle who frequently comments on Twitter “please don’t put mass murderers in your grids” or words to that effect, and I tend to agree. I also think the allusion to calling your mother in law a WOMAN HITLER is something that was best left behind in the 1970s. I think Paul just about gets away with it here because it’s all done with his usual sense of fun. But it’s only borderline acceptable. I don’t feel as strongly about it as Blady, but sympathise with their view.
Some nice clues. Pinched myself when I realised it was not Buster, which had lodged in my mind.
[Blady@19 – I’m sorry to hear the upset the crossword caused you and gratified at the sensitive (to me) responses to your comment.
I’m puzzled, however, by the cause of the upset. Is it the appearance of HITLER and TOAST in the same puzzle? I can’t see any other link between the two words. Assuming no other link, I wonder if you would you also expect editors/setters to be mindful of any two (or more) words that have no connection in the puzzle but could be randomly combined, producing unpleasant connotations for some solvers?]
Thanks Paul and bridgesong for a fine blog.
Lots to like, both wordplay and definitions.
28a We had Idomeneo in last week’s Prize. What next? Something from Cosi fan Tutte or The Magic Flute?
Thanks to Paul and bridgesong.
A very entertaining puzzle, with a variety of clever, well-pitched clues. I especially liked the two long ‘progresive’ anagrams.
Thanks to Paul and bridgesong.
Thanks to Paul and bridgesong. I remember this, though my experience of MOTHER-IN-LAW was a sweet one.
I certainly remember THE ANSWER’S A LEMON as a common catchphrase in my youth. It was followed by “Suck it and see”. What it meant I’ve no idea!
Great, entertaining setting from Paul as always. SUSANNA, the LEMON and SCLERA required googly confirmation, and speaking of cricket, my favourite clue was BATSMAN for the misdirection around Keaton and his slapstick. ‘Batsman’ has these days been superseded by ‘batter’, to avoid gender specificity. Given the number of women who play and follow the game, I think it’s a positive change.
When ‘Batters’ turned up as a solution recently, it provoked an angry post or two, anti-woke and anti-American (odd in the context of cricket). Including “chap” helps to indicate we aren’t talking about a batswoman in this instance (and “chap keen to stay in” is a brilliant definition). Speaking of offence…
Blady @19 raises a more serious concern regarding the solution HITLER, juxtaposed with TOAST at 1dn and 9ac. I share a little of the concern at including the name of one of humanity’s most evil individuals, but I don’t think Paul has crossed a line here, and I honestly believe that objecting to ‘toast’ in this context is a stretch too far.
I haven’t read Primo Levi but did meet some Concentration Camp survivors when I was growing up, and would never trivialise the Holocaust or its perpetrators. I am currently about 650 pages into “The Kindly Ones” by Jonathan Littell, the fictionalised memoir of an SS officer. It is a chilling masterpiece, with lengthy sections depicting monstrous but normal people discussing the administrative, practical and economic issues around the ghastly, industrialised slaughter they are perpetrating (as they entirely ignore the ethical ones). Highly recommended, with reservations as it’s a difficult read at times, but we should know this stuff.
Thanks to Paul and bridgesong for customary excellence.
Blady @19: I hope my final comment @18 didn’t offend you.
Re the Hitler/toast objection, I won’t claim to know exactly what caused such a reaction or criticise anyone for having it but I believe Paul is Jewish, and presumably didn’t find the juxtaposition painful. I’m of half Jewish parentage myself, with some family connections to the Holocaust, and also don’t see a problem with these clues.
I agree with Roz about the reversing in moonwalk. I can’t say I am a fan of any of the “jocular” expressions describing pregnancy, but I do like a sailor’s duff.
Nice to finish a Paul prize unaided, now for Brendan.
Thanks for the hints
I would say 12 is an extended definition, rather than an & lit, because vessel is not part of the wordplay. Thanks Bridgesong and Paul
Sympathy to Brady. The fact that ‘Hitler’ was used in lighthearted way is, for most people aware of history, somewhere between uncomfortably bad taste and painfully raw trigger. It depends on our personal disposition. I don’t think Brady will be alone in their feelings, and it is helpful (and brave) of them to tell us of the clues’ effect. The fact that ‘Hitler’ combined with ‘toast’ is, I am sure, accidental and I think Paul /the Editor can be exonerated from the charge of insensitivity as the connection that Brady made is not one that they should be expected to spot. That doesn’t invalidate the connection as it was clearly very real to Brady, and caused further hurt. So thanks Brady, and I hope you at least now feel that no hurt was intended. It’s clear that Paul was aware that reference to Hitler was potentially offensive (though not that it was so painful) as he took care over his definition, but made a judgement call. Likewise he hoped that the ‘cruelly’ would mitigate against the offense of combining it with ‘mother-in-law’. It did, for me, if only just. Even though I have lamented gender-bias in the past I probably make more allowance for Paul’s laddish humour than I do for any other setter (he’s just sooo good). Finally, on gender bias, I wonder whether the equation of ‘rose’ with ‘got bigger’ is another case of Paul’s fondness for sexual references, or whether he is a bread-maker.
Thank you for a thoughtful post LauraJ and especially for the surely correct sense of 21a, kicking myself for not spotting that despite having sung “Who will make my rhubarb rise?” far too many times. Duff label removed!
I have a very slightly different objection to Blady’s. I don’t think including Hitler per se is out of bounds (though dubious), but equating “woman hitler” to “mother-in-law” seems extremely antiquated – Les Dawson perhaps?
muffin@38 hence ‘cruelly’.
I also note that Hitler was described as ‘murderous leader’ here, yet described simply as ‘leader’ in the i on Wednesday – and with seemingly less objection.
10ac, MANGETOUT, was very funny and the definition a clever one to go with the surprising charade.
18,19ac THE ANSWER IS A LEMON is a phrase I have vaguely heard without having any idea of its significance. However, I recognised it when I saw it in the fodder and a bit of googling confirmed it as a set response to a stupid question. Choldunk@14, one of the sources I read did suggest that the lemons on a fruit machine were the direct source of the phrase, but that just invites a question as to why the makers of one-armed bandits gave little value to them.
With 21ac, I guessed the answer might be ROSE, but didn’t think I knew of a drink so-called. Googling made me realise the drink referred to was ROSÉ, which I have of course heard of. É is not a separate letter in the French alphabet (as we learnt last week Ñ is in the Spanish), but I wonder if anyone thought it was wrong to equate ROSE and ROSÉ in the two definitions? (I didn’t, even though it threw me at first.) Ah, yes! Reading further, I see Anna@21 is against it.
28ac, I didn’t fill in SUSANNA, even though I was sure it had to be that, because I have no knowledge of whichever opera is referred to (or, indeed, practically any other opera) and Google kept insisting I must mean SUSANNAH and wasn’t very helpful when I insisted on my (Paul’s) version. I have the idea Paul is a big opera fan, but he should bear in mind that things which are well known to him because of his particular interests aren’t necessarily well known to his solvers. I haven’t got time to read the list of characters for every opera written. I suppose ‘Figaro’s bride’ would have been a total giveaway for other opera buffs, but at least I could have confirmed my guess easily enough. (Maybe I should have seen that the wordplay fitted my guess and BIFWP anyway?).
7dn MOONWALK, I agree with Roz@15 about what “reversing” is doing in the clue. [I quite like ‘in the family way’ for ‘expecting’. Amused to think of you in your (Mary Quant?) maternity togs sporting an ‘up the duff’ badge (in class?).]
13dn Like Dr. Whatson@2, I’m more familiar with the idea of boats being metaphorically missed than buses (but buses more than boats irl).
Where has Blady been the last fifty years or so? Calling someone “a right Hitler” or similar to mean that they’re a bit bossy (a common caricature of mothers-in-law, rightly or wrongly) is something I’ve heard all my life. I write as someone who had relatives die at the hands of the Nazis. Of course, I never knew them because they were killed before I was born, so I can’t really say I ‘lost’ them — I never had them. In fact, I owe my existence to Hitler and his terrible regime. Thanks, Hitler, I’m glad you lost.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen “salad” used as an anagram indicator before, but I appreciated it.