Guardian 29,164 – Arachne

by

A delight to see Arachne again, with a “normal” puzzle after a tribute to Nutmeg and a joint effort with her. No major difficulties here, but an abundance of elegant clues. Thanks to Arachne.

(note from admin: for those having difficulty accessing this puzzle, try this link: https://crosswords-static.guim.co.uk/gdn.cryptic.20230901.pdf)
Across
1 PUBESCENT Juvenile boozer skinned her nose (9)
PUB (boozer) + [h]E[r] + SCENT (nose)
6 BUDGE Move bishop, gentle prompt to sacrifice knight (5)
B + NUDGE less N (symbol for Knight in chess notation)
9 DRAMA Initially abashed after tot’s histrionics (5)
DRAM (tot, e.g. of whisky) + A[bashed]
10 MOONSHINE Cobblers flash buttocks with glare (9)
MOON (to flash the buttocks) + SHINE (glare)
11 APPRAISALS Third of examinees surprisingly pass April assessments (10)
[ex]A[minees] + (PASS APRIL)*
12 BETA Star striker in conversation (4)
Homophone of “beater”. Beta is used to denote the second-brightest star in a constellation
14 OVERSEE Supervise model regularly snorting lines (7)
VERSE (lines) in alternate letters of mOdEl
15 SENEGAL Country lass pursuing senator with energy (7)
SEN + E + GAL
17 THE PITS Extremely poor male quietly stuffing birds (3,4)
HE + P (quietly, in music) in TITS
19 MYELOID May well vomit, oddly tired at last of marrow (7)
Odd letters of MaY wElL vOmIt + last letter of tireD, Myeloid means “pertaining to bone marrow”
20 EARN Take home sailors after first eyeing airmen (4)
First letters of Eyeing Airmen + R[oyal] N[avy]
22 CLOSE SHAVE Mislays husband in grotto, almost a disaster (5,5)
LOSES H in CAVE
25 INTENSIVE Close current books, meditative after loss of papa (9)
I (symbol for electric current) + NT (New Testament) + [P]ENSIVE
26 ASIDE Out of the way of hyenas, ideally (5)
Hidden in hyenAS IDEally
27 GROWN Waxed middle of torso to wear frock (5)
[to]R[so] in GOWN
28 GARMENTED Mend great rips in clothes (9)
(MEND GREAT)*
Down
1 PODIA Supports uplifting relief work (5)
Reverse of AID + OP (work)
2 BLASPHEME Curse lamb and sheep, straying together (9)
(LAMB SHEEP)*
3 SEAMANSHIP Close to mine in his sampan, exercised nautical skills (10)
[min]E in (HIS SAMPAN)*
4 EN MASSE In group covered by endless amnesty, travelling north (2,5)
Hidden in reverse of endlESS AMNEsty
5 TOOTLES Potters round and round in races with the French (7)
O O (two “rounds”) in TT (races) + LES (French “the” for a plural noun)
6 BASH Party clobber (4)
Double definition
7 DRIVE Stroke bull briefly (5)
Truncated DRIVEL (bull, rubbish), Stroke/drive as in golf (or, as per comments, more likely cricket)
8 EYEBALLED Stared at setter, downright outspoken (9)
Homophone of “I” (the setter) + “bald” (downright)
13 UNDERSTATE Downplay distress at dentures (10)
(AT DENTURES)*
14 ON THE WING Harry not cutting flying (2,3,4)
NOT* + HEWING
16 GLOBALIST Drop most celebrated advocate of worldwide policy (9)
GLOB (a drop) + A-LIST
18 SOLOING See you welcoming one playing alone (7)
I in SO LONG
19 MASSEUR Regrets American uncle turning up in rubber (7)
Reverse RUES SAM (US uncle), and a masseur is “one who rubs”
21 RETRO Retired doorman doffing cap, recreating the past (5)
Reverse of [P]ORTER
23 EMEND Change date after two consecutive letters (5)
EM + EN (M and N) + D[ate]
24 ANON Many dons to get debanked soon (4)
mANy and dONs without their “banks”

95 comments on “Guardian 29,164 – Arachne”

  2. What a thrill to see Arachne today. Laughed at PUBESCENT, MYELOID, GLOBALIST, EYEBALLED, MASSEUR, RETRO, BLASPHEME (I would too, as anyone would know if you’ve ever had to herd lamb and sheep, straying together).
    Liked the mine and sampan in the nautical skills of SEAMANSHIP.
    In terms of topicality (along with Globalist), ON THE WING Harry not cutting flying takes the cake.

  3. Agree with Andrew’s assessment. On the easy side of Arachne’s setting, but the clues were well constructed. Liked 15 particularly for the surface. A slight niggle about my last one in 12a as the Beta is normally followed by the name of the constellation, is it not? Many thinks to Arachne and Andrew.

  7. Was beaten by BETA and MYELOID. More frustrated at not getting the latter as it was clearly clued.
    Overall a lovely puzzle.
    Thanks to Arachne and Andrew

  8. [Even I@4 messed that up. 🙂
    Shanne@5. Trying to get the link between Ariadne and Arachne, not being a classicist. ]

  9. After a rather unrewarding experience in a puzzle in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning, this one was like a breath of fresh air. Head scratchers were close/intensive, strike/drive, cobblers/moonshine. Still don’t understand ON THE WING. Harry hewing? I welcome MYELOID to my lexicon. And you’d think I’d remember by now that TT are races somewhere in the UK.

    Thanks Arachne & Andrew.

  10. Lovely to see a rare Arachne and very enjoyable it was. About to set off on a long drive so it was nice to complete a relatively straightforward but highly elegant crossword before departing. Thanks A & A.

  12. Wasted time doing Hectence (whilst muttering to myself about it being disappointing for a Friday cryptic). Came here to see if others thought the same only to find that the discussion was about Arachne. Still, 2 crosswords over one cup of coffee isn’t bad. Thanks Arachne and Andrew.

  14. Gloriously succinct and clever cluing; a masterclass in economy and such cunning use of words. An absolute delight. Too many favourites to pick a winner which always feels like a copout – but there’s not a duff clue here imho.

    Thanks Arachne and Andrew

  15. Let joy be unconfined – welcome back, Arachne! 🙂

    I totally endorse PostMark @14.

    Many thanks to Arachne and lucky Andrew.

  17. Classy. Loved the surface and wordplay for MASSEUR and many others. The clues were so well constructed it was hard to go wrong.

    And can we have a day off from quibbles about the missing of in EARN?

    Cheers A&A

  20. Monday level of difficulty, but nicely clued. Favourites MASSEUR, CLOSE SHAVE.
    I thought BETA wasn’t great, unless we’re missing something. As noted by Tomsdad@4 the word wouldn’t be used on its own to mean a star.
    Thanks both.

  21. Beautifully put together by Arachne, as always, possibly the favourite being PUBESCENT – very economically clued but absolutely fair, with an amusing surface. Like Tomsdad @3 I wasn’t entirely happy with BETA, and spent some time trying to make VEGA fit the wordplay. For once, an opportunity missed by Spiderwoman – had she used VEGA and clued it with a homophone of “vaguer”, TD and I would have been happy and the homophone police would have been amusingly annoyed.
    Thanks, A & A.

  22. Same here. 12a, last one. Stared at _E_A, tried VEGA, and eventually gave up.
    Apart from that, top-notch, of course.

  23. A resounding OUI on this
    Arachne is as constant as the Northern Star
    Welcome back and I hope for more to follow.

  24. I’m another to endorse what PostMark said @14. BETA was my last in – like others, I had to reject VEGA first before I saw what the answer had to be.

    Thanks to Arachne and Andrew.

  26. @9 Geoffdownunder

    Just a mad note about the Isle of Man ? home of the TT races. Technically, IOM is not and has never been part of the UK. It is a British Crown Dependency like the Channel Isles. Its laws can be quite different to UK (notably in financial sector).

    And if you ever get the chance to watch TT races then give it a try. Absolutely bonkers. Averaging over 130mph on a public road course.

  28. [Crispy@6. Also the comments on Thursday’s cryptic are still open. Perhaps someone in the Guardian crossword team is taking an early long weekend after having to work last weekend’s holiday? Fatigue or Fordism]

  30. A very pleasant puzzle with some great surfaces – “Mislays husband in grotto, almost a disaster”, “Regrets American uncle turning up in rubber”.

    Bodycheetah @17: good point – nobody complaining about “first eyeing airmen” = EA!

    [Eileen: re Shanne @5 and paddymelon @8, I recall you saying, maybe a few years ago, that if you ever set a crossword it would be under the name of Ariadne. It would be a great name for a setter, with the suggestion of guiding someone through a labyrinth. And the word “clue” of course originally meant a ball of thread…]

    Many thanks Arachne and Andrew.

  32. I did the Hectence online cryptic 1242 which was tough but very enjoyable.

    I hope we can do the Arachne too sometime.

  34. Thanks Arachne and Andrew
    Well, that was irritating. I completed the Hectence and came here to resolve several queries, only to find I had done the wrong puzzle – I had to wait until the paper shop opened before I could attempt this one.
    For the most part I actually found this easier than the Hectence; probably a wavelength thing. It was a DNF, though, as I never got round to rejecting VEGA. LOI THE PITS, which I don’t think is defined very well.
    Nice to see Arachne again, though.

  35. Welcome back Arachne, with your smoothly crafted surfaces…a fairly gentle reintroduction, with my last two in DRIVE (keeping up the cricketing references, and which I couldn’t parse until I realised the bull was drivel) and BETA. Though definitely well above a Beta plus this morning…

  36. This was lovely. Gentle and witty. My favourite would have to be CLOSE SHAVE. Fully agree with Postmark@14. Maybe I missed one but I thought Arachne was going to do two “Nutmegs” without the name. Is this not possibly the second (and last) of those? I was out of circulation for a bit so may have missed it.

  37. The most fun I’ve had in a puzzle in ages. Favourites included PUBESCENT, MASSEUR, MYELOID, TOOTLES (just for the lovely word), and GLOBALIST.

    The Hectence doesn’t seem to be in my app…

    Thanks Arachne & Andrew.

  39. A pleasure from start to finish.
    So good to see Arachne’s name at the top of this one.
    I too loved it all, but lots of ticks for MASSEUR at 19d.
    Thank you to Arachne and Andrew.

  40. Strangely, the surface of CLOSE SHAVE , my favourite clue, made me think of Ariadne. [I, too would have preferred VEGA, but Suzanne is not as clear] Lovely puzzle.

  41. [Geoff Down Under @9… at least the SMH today was a bit more challenging than recent offerings despite the obvious lack of a proper crossword editor]

    BETA what?
    “of” as a hidden indicator in ASIDE?

    I enjoyed PUBESCENT.

  42. Had VEGA for the star. It was clearly going to be a non-rhotic ‘homophone’ and equally clearly I wasn’t going to see what it was.

    Aside from that, this didn’t take much longer than the Hectence which had wandered in from the Quiptic, but was certainly more entertaining.

  43. O frabjous day! Long have we missed the kiss of the Spider Woman. Not Arachne at her trickiest, but beautifully clued with witty surfaces. PostMark @14 expresses my sentiments exactly.

    Many thanks to Arachne and Andrew

  44. That was fun. Like others LOI DRIVE and BETA

    Lots of favourites but I’ll just mention TOOTLES because it made me smile and because for once I remembered the TT races

    Thanks Arachne and Andrew

  46. What a treat to have a puzzle by Arachne today as well as the one by Hectence. Girl power!

    Favourite: CLOSE SHAVE.

    New for me: MYELOID.

    I could not parse 21d apart from RET = retired.

    10ac I could parse it but I am not clear on the connection between MOONSHINE (illicitly distilled or smuggled alcohol) + COBBLERS (an iced drink made with wine or sherry, sugar, and lemon) for the def.

    Thanks, both.

  47. Enjoyed this but didn’t get BETA despite an interest in astronomy and lived in England for years so should have got the homophone.

    Thanks both.

  48. Ignore my question above at 46 – I see now that moonshine and cobblers = foolish talk or nonsense. That’s new for me.

  49. Having minimal knowledge of astronomy I googled “beta star” any got “the second brightest star in a constellation. Sometimes ignorance is bliss 🙂

  51. Very happy that Eileen’s assurance of some while ago, i.e. that Arachne’s longish absence was not forever, borne out. Long may she weave!

  52. I didn’t notice the number but was surprised that Hectence filled the Friday slot … Well, now, or later, I can get my teeth into the Arachne puzzle.

  53. Slow start, sprint finish, with some delightful surfaces along the way. I failed on the NE corner, sadly. Thank you Arachne and Andew.

  54. Lovely.
    As a thoroughly crap crossword solver, it was very satisfying to actually finish.
    I have not seen an Arachne crossword before, but I hope to see another soon.
    Thanks both.

  55. Penny drop of the day for MASSEUR (oh, THAT kind of…) Like others, got hung up on an unparseable VEGA for the star, and failed to sort out the unknown MYELOID. Too many contenders for best surface: a dead heat I think between EARN, BLASPHEME and CLOSE SHAVE. Arachne has been missed and it’s good to see her again.

  56. Another one who has come here after a quick romp through the Hectence puzzle which is listed online as today’s cryptic. The Arachne is also available online as cryptic no. 29164 in case anyone is still looking for it. Will try that this evening.

  57. What a lot of fun and apart from MYELOID, I noticed there were lots of hidden words pertaining to the body, and hopefully not offending anyone there is EYEBALL, EAR, ARMPITS, HIP, LOIN, WING (bone), ASS x2, SHIN, SIDE, END and PUBES.

    Ta Arachne & Andrew.

  58. Yep Ronald @35, stroke more =s drive in cricket than in golf [nwst that ‘more equals’ is a mathematical abomination 🙂 ]

  60. [well, looks like I too will be waiting for the Graun to post this after doing Hectence’s Quiptic 1242 on the web–apologies for crossposting as I skipped most of the comments after #1 to avoid spoilers for Arachne! I did think “this is going very smoothly for a Friday.”]

  62. matt w@60 me too! “I’m absolutely nailing this” I thought, only to pop over here and discover I’d done the wrong one

  63. The difficulty for the homophone in BETA for me was not the non-rhotic aspect, which I’m used to, but the first vowel, which is pronounced “bay” here in the US. Fortunately I had a semantics professor years ago who used the “bee” version, or I would have been entirely flummoxed!

  64. Lovely to have our spider lady back. As mentioned earlier I wonder if this was the last one Nutmeg constructed and which Arachne finished. Anyway a sheer delight. Thanks for the blog

  65. Thanks Arachne for a splendid crossword. I agree with PostMark @14: “Gloriously succinct and clever cluing; a masterclass in economy and such cunning use of words. An absolute delight.” Unlike PostMark, however, I’ll list a few favourites: PUBESCENT, DRAMA, OVERSEE, THE PITS, CLOSE SHAVE, GROWN, ON THE WING, MASSEUR, and EMEND among others. I had Vega before BETA but I couldn’t get a good homophone for striker from either of them. Nonetheless, that did not spoil my joy. Thanks Andrew for the blog.

  66. Great to see Arachne back with a super crossword!

    I loved the surfaces for OVERSEE, ON THE WING and MASSEUR. I also liked the wordplays in MYELOID, CLOSE SHAVE and ANON, and the well-hidden EN MASSE, where I thought ‘endless amnesty’ might have been amnes, doh! I still don’t like ‘first eyeing airmen’ though.

    Thanks Arachne and Andrew.

  67. Thanks for the blog, nice set of clues, the most famous BETA is Rigel in Orion, much brighter than the Alpha, Betelgeuse , for most of the time. They are both variable stars , for a short time in the cycles Rigel is dimmer and this happened when they were assigned.

    There is a correction and clarification in later editions of The Guardian today, puzzles misnamed, this was an Anto and Tuesday was the Arachne.

  69. Roz @67
    Your last paragraph was mischievous, though I do tend to agree that this one has been overpraised. It was good, but Arachne has set better ones.

  71. Another chance for the British to convince Americans that BETA is pronounced even vaguely like beater. Another failure to do so, I’m afraid. Here it’s always like “bait a,” as in “bait a trap.” So is a beta trap a trap that still has a few bugs to fix?

    Otherwise, lots of good clean fun here, with everything smooth as silk.

  72. NeilH@21: I didn’t just try to fit VEGA at 12, I BIFDed it, assuming that there was a striker called Viga, or some such. I now see that there are four “Vega”s, but none of them are strikers, and also you wouldn’t then need the homophone indicator (and the pronunciation probably wouldn’t be a homophone of the the standard UK pronunciation of Vega anyway). There’s also a Veiga, but again not a striker, and also not a homophone.
    Anyway, a nice puzzle, despite the DNA. Many thanks Arachne & Andrew.

  74. I just did the Hectence and thought it too easy though there was an error, I think, in the clue for PRIZE.
    …er not sure who to thank. Can someone in the guardian put Arachne online please?

  78. Elegantly clued but far too many easy ones I thought. No parsings to check.
    Nice combination of lamb and sheep.
    Only quibble would be BETA for star as a bit vague.
    Thanks

  79. [@61: Thanks muffin! I did eventually find it by checking the “cryptic” archive.]

    As everyone has said, very solid and enjoyable puzzle! Count me as another American who pronounces “beta” as “bait a,” so I had to try VEGA before getting it. I had also thought that perhaps “many dons” were CANONS and stripped the C and S from that. Though that probably hasn’t been true for some time.

  80. Thanks, Andrew for the blog, and everyone for kind comments. Just to add that 20ac EARN originally read “after firstly eyeing…”

    25ac was a little nod to my darling dad, who passed away last November at the age of 99. I’d cared for him 24/7 for three years, and am still adrift. RIP WDB.

  81. Thanks both. I’ve been indulging myself in the luxury of going through the Arachne archive so her (welcome) return carries slightly less weight with this fan. It doesn’t need saying that this was up to her consistently high standard. In particular I loved the surface and clever wordplay for OVERSEE but GARMENTED gave me most pause for thought with ‘mend’ posing as anagrind for too long.

    (Sorry for your loss Arachne. Even at so great an age the loss the loss of a parent is a tremendous wrench. You might count yourself lucky to have had his presence in your life for so long. Hope there are better times ahead.)

  82. Dear Sarah (Arachne), So very sorry to hear of the passing of your father late last year, but how beautifully you remembered him in 25a in this puzzle. I actually loved that clue because our granddaughter calls her grandfather “Papa” – and I also thought that it was such a gentle clue – “pensive” is a lovely, evocative word. What a labour of love that INTENSIVE care for your dear father must have been. The gift of your deft crossword setting in memorialising him and your friend Nutmeg must console you just a little, and we your solving community are so lucky that your generosity in setting has given us a privileged insight into your grief. With sympathy and caring thoughts as you try to navigate life without these precious people, JinA

  83. Arachne @80: You are exceptional in caring for your dad 24/7 until he departed when so many others in modern times warehouse their elders and pretend they’re already gone. I will add INTENSIVE to my list of favourites for more than its wonderful wordplay now that I know its backdrop. Thanks again.

  85. Oh, Arachne@80. Thank you for letting us know why we’ve been missing you. 25across, a heartfelt and poignant tribute to your Dad. And thank you for such a wonderful crossword treat for all of us. Your Dad would have been proud.

  86. Arachne @80
    I too would like to thank you for letting us know where you have been and why you have been away. I have appreciated all your contributions to this community, including, of course, those puzzles that you completed for your friend Nutmeg. I echo the sentiments expressed by Julie so well in her message @82 above. I wish you well and hope to see you here again – and again.

  87. Thanks Arachne for your very touching message. It’s such a shame that the error on the Guardian site (still not corrected after more than a day) may have meant that some people will have missed this lovely puzzle.

  88. Thank you Arachne@80. So sorry to hear about your Dad. I do hope you get comfort from knowing that you were able to look after him. I’m sure he must have been so proud of his shining star of the crossword world. Definitely ALPHA, not BETA.

  89. Well well! The Grauniad at its Grauniest yesterday! – I too was fooled into doing the Hectence before I came here, finding it on the easy side. Then realised I’d missed an Arachne – only her second appearance since her long break, I believe! So I’m late doing Arachne but caught up now.

    But I shouldn’t scoff at the quiptics now I know what happened. The Hectence was certainly a fine puzzle and by no means a doddle.

    Back to Arachne, and like others sorry to hear about your loss. Many of us have been there, sadly – and of course the world of crosswords has lost many distinguished names recently :-(. Lovely puzzle, not the most taxing from Arachne. What a lovely tribute clue 25a was – now we know the background! Can’t really pick a favourite, they’re all good – perhaps THE PITS for raising a laugh!

    I did write in VEGA at first for 12a – but couldn’t see any possible homophone. I suppose BETA will serve as term for a star – it’s all down to a certain Mr Bayer who dreamt up the Greek-letter system for listing stars. A bit on the loose side, this def., I think.

    Thanks Arachne – look forward to more – and Andrew.

  90. A lovely puzzle start to finish for me, though I needed Andrew’s help parsing a few, and I got stuck on BETA – my American pronunciation didn’t help. Lots of smiles throughout and I particularly liked the smooth surfaces. Thanks to Andrew and Arachne !

  92. Arachne (Sarah) – I too share Julie’s sentiments. Your father must’ve been a fantastic man – just to have raised a daughter like you says so much about him – wow! You must have made him so proud – and fulfilled…. his death is as wonderful as it is sad; what was close by, yet disappearing, is now part of you and will always be….

    Naturally, I was overjoyed to see you back; the beginning of new chapters? One lives in hope (what other way is worth it …. ?)

    And I was not disappointed by the twinkling brilliance this delightful puzzle – Chopinesque; if only it had been a concerto rather than a minute waltz! As for ticks – an infestation!

    Many thanks, both and all

  93. Arachne @80: I’m on 24/7 duty myself so I am especially grateful for your return, your explanation, and your tender mercies towards your dear old Dad. Truly sorry for your loss. (And much less so, apologies for the editor doing you dirty twice over!)

    The losses have come twice over, as well, a sad season for you and I wish you great joy in those that follow.

    Iroquois @63, mrpenney @71, matt w @79, the only thing saving this Yankee from failing to fill BETA properly was that it was definitionally the best fit for “striker” I saw, so I chalked it up to “those eccentric Brits and their wacky accents.”

  94. Great to see Arachne’s name again. Beautifully clued with great surfaces. Particularly liked the man in the sampan using his skill to avoid a mine.

    A bit surprised to see Arachne clue E, A as “first eyeing airmen”. Surely “eyeing airmen at first” works better, cryptically, with the same surface meaning?

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