Guardian Saturday Prize Crossword 28,979 by Philistine (28 January 2023)

by

My New Year’s resolution must have been to blog more Philistine puzzles, having coincided with his last Saturday Prize one at the cusp of the old/new year…and his first of the new one…

Not that I’m complaining…it was an enjoyable solve with lots of nice touches…and a couple of new (to me) words, in EPISTEMIC and DORIC (as a Scottish dialect, rather than just a classical column).

There were some slightly off-piste clues – 13A with a hidden word in the conjunction of two other clues; 18A with a triple definition; 12A with definitions at both ends; and 7D with its indirectly self-referential &lit-ish anagram – I’ll leave it to others below to determine what sort of clue that really is!

To counter these, there were some relatively quick write-ins – 21A RUM-BA, 22D MAPL-E and 26A RH(O/I)NE all slotted in fairly easily.

6D had a bit of a political punch, and the Ari(ana) Grande anagram for ARRAIGNED was probably the pick of the bunch, although I enjoyed the surface read of 3D INDRI as a ‘primate’ who is a ‘bit of a gin drinker’, as that could have been a double definition of me!

 

 

As always, my thanks to Philistine for a fun solve, and I hope all is clear below…

Across
Clue No Solution Clue (definition underlined)

Logic/parsing
1A PEEKING Looking for Eastern investment in capital once (7)

PE_KING (former name of Beijing, i.e. once capital of China) around (invested into by) E (Eastern)
5A DILEMMA Problem on the phone, call Austen character (7)

homophone, i.e. on the phone – DIAL (call) EMMA (Jane Austen character) could sound like DILEMMA
9A NOMAD Bedouin’s domain, not one to be tampered with (5)

subtractive anagram, i.e. to be tampered with, of DOMA(I)N, not I – one
10A TICK BOXES Form features instant fights (4,5)

TICK (short period of time, an instant) + BOXES (fights)
11A ARRAIGNED Charged with disrupting first half of Ariana Grande performance (9)

anag, i.e. performance and/or disrupting?, of ARI(ANA) (first half) + GRANDE
12A RADON Radioactive element and/or manufactured gas (5)

anag, i.e. manufactured, of AND/OR

[there seem to be two definitions here – at the start and end of the clue!]
13A AD-LIB Off the cuff in 9 6 (2-3)

hidden word in 9 6 – nomAD LIBerated
15A EPISTEMIC Strange times covered by great work of knowledge (9)

EP_IC (great work) around ISTEM (anag, i.e. strange, of TIMES)
18A STAR SIGNS Fish scales and water? (4,5)

Triple definition!? Fish (Pisces), scales (Libra) and water (Aquarius) are all examples of STAR SIGNS
19A DATED Went out, being old (5)

double defn. – to DATE can be to go out with; and to DATE can be to become old, or stale
21A RUMBA Dance and drink with graduate (5)

RUM (drink) + BA (Bachelor of Arts, graduate)
23A BLIND SPOT Window covers dope in out-of-sight location (5,4)

BLIND_S (window covers) + POT (dope)
25A EUPHORBIA Plants start to bloom in joy (9)

EUPHOR_IA (joy) around B (start to Bloom)
26A RHONE Love for one European river or another (5)

swapping O (zero, love) for I (one) in RH(I)NE, a European river, gives RHONE, another!
27A THE SAME (EXCUSES) & 28 Reformed sex cheat to admit Philistine employs repeated pretexts (3,4,7)

THE SA_EXC (anag, i.e. reformed, of SEX CHEAT) around ME (Philistine, our setter!), plus USES (employs)
28A EXCUSES See 27 (7)

see 27A
Down
Clue No Solution Clue (definition underlined)

Logic/parsing
1D PANGAEA Old continent pagan converted by Hare Krishna at last (7)

PANGA (anag, i.e. converted, of PAGAN) + EA (last letters of ‘harE krishnA)
2D ESMERALDA Hugo’s character is damsel in distress about period (9)

ESM_LDA (anag, i.e. in distress, of DAMSEL) around ERA (period)

[Victor Hugo, the HB of ND…]
3D INDRI Primate is a bit of a gin drinker (5)

hidden word in, i.e. a bit of, ‘gIN DRInker’
4D GUTENBERG (BIBLE) & 23 Pioneering book to throw big blue net around queen and country (9,5)

GUTENB_IBLE (anag, i.e. to throw out, of BIG BLUE NET, around ER (Elizabeth Regina, former queen) + GB (Great Britain, country)
5D DICED Gambled in pieces (5)

double defn – to DICE can be to gamble; and to DICE can be to cut something into pieces
6D LIBERATED Blair regularly criticised for what he and Bush allegedly did to Iraq (9)

LI (regular letters of bLaIr) + BERATED (criticised)
7D MIXED (METAPHORS) & 17 Trash poem using them? (5,9)

&lit-sh? ‘trash poem’ is an anagram, or MIXED, of METAPHORS!
8D ARSENIC As organised resistance set letters out (7)

subtractive anagram, i.e. organised, of R(ES)IS(T)ANCE, without the letters of SET
14D BOSSA NOVA Beat supervisor with an egg? More than one! (5,4)

BOSS (supervisor) + A_N + OVA (more than one egg!)
16D INSTIGATE This month I get a flying start (9)

INST (the present month) + I + GATE (anag, i.e. flying, of GET A)
17D METAPHORS See 7 (9)

see 7D
18D SURFEIT Excessive number of waves? Tie up! (7)

SURF (waves) + EIT (tie, up)
20D DITHERS This red revolution is not decisive (7)

anag, i.e. revolution, of THIS RED
22D MAPLE Structure ultimately supporting crooked palm tree (5)

MAPL (anag, i.e. crooked, of PALM) + E (ultimate letter of structurE)
23D BIBLE See 4 (5)

see 4D
24D DORIC Like some columns in a Scottish language (5)

double defn – DORIC can be an architectural term applied to columns; and also DORIC can be a Scottish dialect

58 comments on “Guardian Saturday Prize Crossword 28,979 by Philistine (28 January 2023)”

  1. I found the previous prize puzzle (by Paul) very difficult and solved many clues from the crosses and definition.

    This time I solved most from the wordplay which was much more satisfying.

    Lots of favourites including: THE SAME EXCUSES (FOI), GUTENBERG BIBLE, DILEMMA, AD-LIB (not seen a clue like that before) ESMERALDA, BOSSA NOVA, MIXED METAPHORS

    LOI – STAR SIGNS – sigh

    Not heard of PANGAEA

    Thanks Philistine and mc_rapper67

  2. I knew PANGAEA from geography lessons at school – this may be the first occasion it’s come in handy.

    Maybe a bit generous to describe 18a as a triple definition – it’s pretty much an escapee from the quick crossword, isn’t it? I liked the reverse anagram in MIXED METAPHORS, but like many of these it was quite easy to spot and this was probably my quickest solve so far this year. (Neither a boast nor a criticism.)

    Thanks to Philistine and mc_

  3. Thanks mc_rapper67. A rather more comfortable ride this time but nonetheless enjoyable. Quite a few of the across clues in order went in readily as did the NW corner but others took more thought. I liked MIXED METAPHORS and STAR SIGNS. I wasn’t sure about RHONE or RHINE and still think either could be equally correct.

  4. Guardian cryptic 28,979 by Philistine

    I thought this was an exemplary crossword puzzle, with well-constructed clues using well-chosen words designed to either direct or misdirect the solver.

    I remember first encountering As = ‘arsenic’ in a crossword clue some 10 years ago and have always been ready for a clue beginning with ‘As’ and ending with ‘(7)’. (And there have been a few instances since then.) On this occasion, though, I missed the significance of ‘As’ at first and had to get the answer from the very neat wordplay involving a subtraction.

    I also particularly liked EPISTEMIC, THE SAME EXCUSES, DITHERS, GUTENBERG BIBLE and ARRAIGNED.

    I was interested in reading Fiona Anne’s (@1) contrasting experiences of this and the previous Prize puzzle. My experiences of both were very similar.

    Thanks to Philistine and mc_rapper67.

  5. Me @4
    I meant to say that I had contrasting experiences of this and the previous puzzle – as Fiona Anne had also reported. (I did not mean to say that my two experiences were very similar to each other. Sorry!)

  6. Thanks Philistine for a very enjoyable solve..
    Having failed to get much of start on Paul’s Prize a few weeks ago, it was an enjoyable contrast to write in so many of the answers on a first read through. Thanks to a number of very gettable anagrams this was completed in something of a record time for this plodder.
    So rather less stretching than the normal prize, but a very pleasant hour or so, nevertheless.
    STAR SIGNS and SURFEIT last ones in.

  7. Esmeralda of the HB of ND always evokes Charles Laughton at the top of ND holding her horizontal above his head, yelling Sanctuary in his raspy voice (or were they stunt doubles?). Anyhoo, yes, a pretty breezy number from the Phil. Dial definitely has a schwa more than dil emma, but hey ho, and I liked the boss an eggs. All good fun, thx Phil and rapper.

  8. This was an unusual experience for me. I usually expect a Philistine puzzle to be fairly hard, with words I’ve never heard of but with a number of reasonable anagrams to help me get started, and I usually expect to be able to finish it eventually. This time, I raced through most of it (by my standards), helped by anagrams like RADON and NOMAD, and had it all solved in one session (with a few words I needed to check later to make sure they really were words – INDRI, EUPHORBIA, DORIC in a Scottish context) with just the fishy 18ac left unsolved. 18ac then stayed unsolved over several revisits and probably more time than then rest of the puzzle had taken. I finally only got it through sheer doggedness, working mentally through all the possible words that might fit S-A- S-G-S. I could think of a lot of S-A- words, three of which were fish – scat, shad, scar – but it was only when I finally got to STA- that I realised it must be STAR SIGNS. I think its’ a rather clever clue; is it a three way definition by example with a misleadingly fishy surface? – but it clearly didn’t click with me. Others (eg sheffield hatter @2) obviously found this much easier, but I think Philistine managed to hit my blind spot. Anyway, an enjoyable challenge, in the end. I did like DILEMMA and MIXED METAPHORS and GUTENBERG BIBLE, and if it hadn’t taken me so long, I’d have said it was on the easy side for a Prize puzzle.

    Thanks, Philistine, thanks, mc_rapper67.

  9. I’d heard of epistemology but not its adjective EPISTEMIC (15a) which I only got via the wordplay. Thanks to Philistine for a great puzzle with lots of fun contained therein, and mc_rapper67 for a thorough, thoughtful and interesting blog.
    [My personal favourite clue was 1d: Our friends who live in the Pacific North-West of the US have taken us out to the San Juans on their sailing boat called PANGAEA – there is a fascinating sketch and explanation about the provenance of her name framed in the saloon. Oh, and I did like 5a DILEMMA too (love a good literary reference) though I take on board the quiblet from gif@7 regarding the homophone.]
    Just to say, as I read the preamble and the comments so far today, I was reminded of how much I enjoyed each piece of this challenging but delightful puzzle when I completed it last weekend. Coming to this site to share others’ solving experiences continues to add another dimension to what might otherwise be a very solitary hobby. I am very grateful for the community of 15².

  10. This was definitely more gettable than many Prize puzzles, and was in my Goldilocks Zone so very enjoyable. My favourites matched Alan B@4.

  11. I was able to write in 1d, being aware of the Miles Davis album of the same title. Shades of Serpent (who not that long ago included a Nina reading MILES RUNS THE VOODOO DOWN)!

  12. As others have said, very enjoyable. A geology/philosophy degree made PANGAEA and EPISTEMIC pretty much write ins. Lots of fun. Thanks, Philistine and mc_rapper67.

  15. Thanks Philistine for an excellent prize but I expected as much. My top choices were DILEMMA, TICK BOXES, DATED, MIXED METAPHORS, and BOSSA NOVA. I overthought 18a so I failed with STAR SIGNS. Thanks mc_rapper67 for the blog.

  16. [They certainly foster life, TT. An Israeli mate says the first thing in starting a kibbutz in arid land is dropping off the biggest boulder your truck can carry. Moisture will condense and organisms appear.]

  17. Thank you mc_rapper67. I would say that MIXED METAPHORS is very &littish. Great clue.
    I had difficulty with DILEMMA, not just because there wasn’t the schwa in the so-called ”dial” homophone, as gif commented on @7, but because in my di-alect, I pronounce the first syllable of ”dilemma” with a schwa only.
    DITHERS was amusing, RADON clever, TICK BOXES economical.
    Trying to solve PANGAEA cold without crossers was a fun challenge, so many places to slice it up. Struck by the image of the Hare Krishna conversion of the old continent pagan. (Too many lentils?)

  18. Like others, STAR SIGNS was the last one in. Tecnically, Aquarius is the water CARRIER, but that’s a minor gripe. Thanks to Philistine and Mc_R.

  19. Thanks for the blog , I thought the more obscure words were clued very fairly. MIXED METAPHORS was very neat , a reverse anagram plus & Lit. Both parts for ARSENIC were clever, I Have warned people on here about As and I starting a clue, plus a few others. EUPHOR(B)IA I have seen many times but nice to see it occasionally. Only a slight frown for NOMAD.

  20. The RADON clue is rather clever with its triple . It is also true that radon can be “manufactured” from Uranium salts to use in half-life experiments, one of only two isotopes really useful for this. For followers of Pointless, the other is Protactinium.

  21. Thanks Philistine and mc_rapper67
    I loved MIXED METAPHORS.
    I wonder why he gave “plants” instead of “plant” @25a? It is the name of a genus, so includes many species, but you wouldn’t look admiringly at the garden and say “The Euphorbia have been good this year”; you would say “Euphorbias”.

  22. I recall this as being less tough and more fun than the previous Prize, and I managed to finish it, although a couple of words (INDRI, EUPHORBIA) were new to me and went in via wordplay alone. I liked the ‘hidden in two other clues’ clue. I think STAR SIGN doesn’t really count as a triple definition as they’re all examples of the same definition, so more of a (not very) cryptic clue.

    The clue for ARRAIGNED was a little unfortunate – no doubt wholly innocently – in reminding me of one particular Ariane Grande concert that was disrupted in 2017, by a terrorist attack. I’m not having a go at the setter as these unfortunate coincidences do happen, and one can only hope, rather than expect, a crossword editor or test solver to have spotted it before publication.

    That didn’t spoil my enjoyment of a fine puzzle, thanks both.

  23. I like Philistine, and this was no exception, lots of fun clues and nothing too obscure. I did know PANGAEA, although I had to check how to spell it (A level Biology evolution option), and EPISTEMIC from reading around theology. Also caught out by STAR SIGN for a while, until the light dawned.

    Thank you mc_rapper67 and Philistine.

  24. Crispy@18, re Aquarius. When I finally got there, I assumed ‘water’ referred to the water signs, rather than Aquarius, although it seemed awkward that these are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, so doubling up on Pisces. I gather people born under water signs are supposed to share certain characteristics, but I’m Aries and we don’t believe in all this.

  25. Very enjoyable puzzle.

    Liked BLIND SPOT, ARSENIC, DILEMMA, MIXED METAPHORS.

    New for me: PANGAEA (thanks, google); INDRI; DORIC = a broad or rustic dialect, especially the dialect spoken in the north-east of Scotland; EUPHORBIA plant.

    Thanks, both.

  26. Thanks for the various comments and feedback so far – much appreciated, as usual.

    I’m off to Lun-dun to see the ‘Back to the Future’ musical, so will be off comments until this evening, although I’ll keep a watching brief…as I will be trying to do with the rugby – bad timing!…

    TT at #14 – gneiss one! I’m thinking Rene Des-scharst; John Stuart Mill-stone…your starters for 10!…

  27. Possibly (though not probably!) those who didn’t know Euphorbias as plants might recognise their common name, spurge.

  28. Rob T @22: I had the same thought about ARRAIGNED but don’t think it was that innocent. Another with a BLIND SPOT for STAR SIGNS, which held out all week along with the first part of GUTENBERG BIBLE. Lots of favourites already mentioned and like ginf @7, I think it’s impossible not to think of that iconic scene with Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara.

    Ta Philistine & mc_rapper67.

  30. JinA @ 9

    I agree – I really enjoy reading the blog and other solvers views and experiences of solving puzzles here – and learn a lot.

  32. Logic insisted that it had to be RHONE not Rhine, but self-doubt crept in. Finally I chose the right answer, and unlike yesterday it was right as rain.

  33. I was going to agree with Crispy @ 18 about AQUARIUS being the water carrier and not water. I was going to say that, unlike him, I do not believe this to be just a minor gripe.
    Then I read KeithS @ 24, who tells us that there are a group of signs, all known as the water signs.
    So now I don’t know what to think.
    Mind you, Keith, I’m aries too, and I don’t believe any of it either.
    On the whole I thought the puzzle was quite easy, and far too easy to be a prize. I was quite annoyed about this, as the Sudoku puzzle in the same edition, described itself as ‘expert level’ so I printed it out and it turned out to be one of the easiest I have ever done. So there is clearly a Guardian policy to ‘dumb down.’

  34. Annoyingly, I find that last Saturday’s paper must have been consigned to the recycling bag before Tuesday and so I’ve lost my marginal notes – but I can’t not comment on a puzzle from one of my favourite setters,

    I’m pretty sure that all my observations, including favourite clues, have been covered above and I do remember commenting to myself that this was another example of a puzzle proving that reasonably easy does not necessarily mean less enjoyable.

    Many thanks, as ever, to Philistine for the puzzle and mc_rapper67 for an equally entertaining blog.

  35. [Roz @31: very good. I see our team caused a bit of a bit of confusion for other solvers, after our harmless comments. Priceless. Is Protactinium a made up word as well 🙂 ].

  36. [ AlanC , Protactinium is very genuine, element number 91, just before Uranium . The isotope Pa-234 has a half-life of 72 seconds ( like a KPR manager) , it is perfect for radioactivity experiments ]

  37. Very enjoyable, and definitely on the easier side as I managed to compete it. Was certain of DORIC and MIXED METAPHORS despite missing the reverse anagram in the latter and having never heard of the Scottish dialect. Like others STAR SIGNS was a late one.
    I thought there was a great mix of clue types. Thanks philistine & mc_rapper67.

  38. Having said last week that we always run to the wire on Friday night I felt hoisted on my own petard this week. We finished on Tuesday. What to do for the rest of the week? This was enjoyable but not difficult. The one I really like is STAR SIGNS ‘cos it caught me out. 18D was so obviously torrent and we wasted lots of time hunting for fish etc. When I saw the light it gave me great joy. Thank you.

  39. Relatively straightforward for a Prize Puzzle, but nonetheless very enjoyable.

    I liked BLINDSPOT because I spent too long thinking that ‘covers’ was a container. I also particularly liked LIBERATED with a super surface that says it all.

    Thanks Philistine and mcr.

  40. Muffin@21 I think it is plants so that the clue has “start” rather than “plant startS ” and as you say it is quite valid, I agree about Spurge, I do say this as singular and plural.
    PeterR@38 you could do the Everyman as well from the Observer, the blog is also on here a week later.

  41. Ta Phil and mc. It seems the least cryptic clue took the longest time, for me too. Now I know how to spell PANGEA, ESMERELDA and METAPHORE!

  43. Enjoyable puzzle with a good selection of imaginative constructions. Not the most difficult of Saturday (or indeed Philistine) crosswords, but none the worse for that.

    I’m surprised EUPHORBIA was a DNK for so many, but we’re not all phytophiles, I suppose. It’s one of the largest genera of flowering plants, with around 2000 described species. The European ones are known as spurges, as muffin pointed out, but the best known species is Euphorbia pulcherrima – the poinsettia.

    Thanks to S&B

  44. I got all of it in last week except for STAR SIGNS. A little session with the check button this morning fixed that. I especially liked GUTENBERG BIBLE.

    Thanks Philistine and mc_rapper67.

  45. Thanks, Philistine & MC. I echo Eileen @34 – not difficult but enjoyable. I know why Roz didn’t like the clue for ADLIB but I really enjoyed it. Very cheeky!

  46. Same quiblets as others at 5 and 8a. Also 27, 28a which, while it makes sense, isn’t, I think, an expression in common use. “The same old excuses” would be, as my son suggested to me.
    That said, a Philistine is always a pleasure to solve and thanks too to mc_rapper67.

  47. I think 13a ADLIB was my favourite, too, although I had a lot of likes in this puzzle from one of my top 3 setters.

    It always puzzles me that people aren’t bothered by some disasters (Titanic, Gallipoli, other deadly WW1 and WW2 battles), while others are deemed worthy of editorial censorship (e.g., the 11a Ariana Grande concert reference). I haven’t yet been able to detect a theme that could explain the difference in the trigger effect.

    Keith@24 and Anna@33, I loved your astrological observations.

    Thanks Philistine for the “undialuted” fun, and mc_rapper for the excellent blog.

  48. Coming late and nothing to add to that perceptive blog and erudite, amusing and entertaining comments

    Thanks to Philistine and mc_rapper67.

  49. The Ariane Grande concert is a little close to home for some people , I have a lot of friends in Manchester. I do think the setter has no intention to reference the tragedy here, it is simply an anagram to good to miss and the concert itself was not disrupted. The bombing occured when people were leaving.

  50. Nice puzzle. Enjoyable. Thanks. Left me some time to make a late start in Paul’s puzzle from the previous week, but I am stuck half way at the moment.

  51. Nice one with everything parsed (which is very unusual for me. As a Scottish geologist, 1D and 24D were write-ins. Lots of clues elicited a smile when solved, which is in my opinion a feature of a great crossword.

  52. Am chessing this weekend. First time in 20-odd years but came here because of the ARRAIGNED clue. I found this unacceptable in the Guardian of Manchester heritage. Some things you don’t make light of in either sense. [Titanic was an accident. The bombing wasn’t.] I hope this was a rare oversight by the inestimable Philistine.

    An engaging Prize solve otherwise. My fastest by a margin. Many thanks mcrapper_67.

  53. I don’t think it’s unacceptable, Choldunk. You’re entitled to say you found it upsetting, and I can understand that – I remember being upset by a clue which read “Death by hanging?” [CURTAINS] but I’m pretty sure I didn’t say it was unacceptable.

    If we’re going to criticise the Guardian for using the name of a singer in a crossword clue, just because of a terrorist atrocity after one of her concerts in Manchester, where does it stop?

    As a vegan I find clues involving meat disturbing, but I’m not campaigning to ban clues like that. The attack on the young people leaving the Ariana Grande concert was shocking. Neither setting nor solving the clue which uses some of the letters of her name should imply approval of the terrorism.

  54. Thanks mc_rapper, I am in the pack in terms of difficulty and enjoyment though for the former I was grateful that the more crosswordy elements (eg 3d, 8d, first part of 16d) all sprang to mind very readily, or it could have taken a while longer.
    PeterR@38 I wondered after your comment last week how you would fare with this one and am not surprised at the result, I also sometimes feel that sometimes these are over too soon (cue Enigmatist).
    Didn’t like 26a as I needed that central crosser to be sure of the answer, but i liked STAR SIGNS and I found the range of responses (nearly my last in too, vs some others finding it barely cryptic) interesting – i wonder if Dr Whatson could write something to predict which clues particular solvers would find easy or hard?
    Thanks Philistine.

  55. Choldunk@52, is it because it was in Manchester? If it had happened in Africa or Asia would the clue have been acceptable? I am genuinely curious. Some atrocities involving evil people killing others are glossed over – how many clues about Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, or Ned Kelly have drawn rebuke? – while others are not. Is it because some are political and others are not? Is it only contemporary events that disturb? I don’t know. All I was saying (@47) was that I haven’t detected any consistent rationale for the acceptance of references to some atrocities in crossword clues, and the objection to others.

    In any event, I agree with sheffield hatter@53. It would be a shame if setters were required to avoid references to Ariana Grande because of what happened after that concert. Asking the editor to censor clues that may offend some people (or asking setters to self-censor) is a mug’s game, unless you want the editor to publish a list of words that cannot be used and subjects that cannot be referenced in crossword puzzles.

  56. Sorry to be slow to revisit the page again. I appreciate the responses re the ARRAIGNED clue. Thanks, sheffield hatter @ 53 and cellomaniac @ 55.

    What really got to me was the “Charged with” definition. [The bomb was charged.] The compiler could have chosen “Accused of”. Using the word “charged” seemed unnecessarily provocative or plain careless.

    The Manchester bit in my thinking is not a big deal. I hail from the “other side” though I worked in the city in the late 1970s. My dad was a Mancunian by birth and association. I do rather expect common sense and humour to prevail in the Guardian more than in other newspapers. This clue had neither.

  57. Just to wrap up – and thanks for all the comments, and to anyone who helped with enquiries and quibbles on Saturday when I was ‘off grid’.

    Not a lot to add – Anna at #33 – maybe the Grauniad is not ‘dumbing down’, maybe all this brain-training is up-skilling you?!

    Looks like STAR SIGNS was a bit marmitey…either a brilliant &lit, a definition by example(?), or verging on a non-cryptic GK clue?!

    On ARRAIGNED – I can’t imagine for one minute that Philistine meant to exploit or belittle the Manchester bombing at the Ariana Grande concert. I suspect it was too good a (partial) anagram to miss, and maybe neither Philistine or the Grauniad editor considered the possibility that the surface read might be construed to refer to the events of that night. With any large group of people there will be a range of views and reactions, some of which have been expressed here, but I don’t think we can resolve anything here. If anyone is particularly upset, they could write to the editor, or maybe just choose not to solve P’s puzzles in the future.

  58. 5ac was an excellent homophone and definitely close enogh for me, even if not for grantinfreo@7, and speaking of Miss Austen, this cartoon made me laugh

    18ac STAR SIGNS “Water” is just wrong. That would be Aqua. Aquarius, as others have said, is the water carrier. I don’t agree with SH@2’s verdict though. ‘Fish scales’ obviously makes you think of the wrong sort of scales. I think the clue would have worked better just as ‘Fish scales, for example’, or similar (without the water, anyway).

    19ac DATED: really you need the ‘with’ in ‘went out with’, don’t you?

    22dn made me think of a clue for the Guardian’s cluing comp for TREE which had been running, but by the time I’d got it ready the comp had closed, so I will float it here:

    Perhaps palm card and do a switcheroo at the end

    TREE (perhaps a palm): TREY (card, a three-spot) and do a switcheroo (E for Y) at the end

    Tassie Tim@14: Do rocks think? Not sure, but thinking rocks!

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