When I opened my paper last Saturday morning and saw a new name on the puzzle, my heart fluttered – and then sank a little at the prospect of an unexpected and unknown challenge, since it was my turn to blog.
It took a second or two to spot the foreword: ‘Today’s puzzle is a tribute to Hugh Stephenson, the Guardian’s crosswords editor, who retires today after 27 years. With our thanks and best wishes.’ Then I knew I was in for something rather special and settled down to enjoy what I expected to be a rewarding session or two – and so it turned out.
Fortunately, before I began, I caught Alan Connor’s weekly blog, which offered a useful clarification, that this was a ‘one-off’: Hugo was not a duet, like Bogoff, nor a quartet, like (WE Johns) Biggles – nor a trio, like the remaining three Johns, who produced the moving tribute to Araucaria – but a full orchestra of Guardian setters, contributing to an affectionate and well-deserved tribute to a long-standing boss.
I was expecting to be engaged in a lot of research into Professor Stephenson’s biography but his Wikipedia article was rather sparse. I did glean from there that he was born in India, was head boy at Winchester College, attended New College Oxford University and was President of the Oxford Union, all of which was reflected in the clues. There’s nothing in Wiki about his present situation but I’m guessing that he might live in Brighton, to which there are two references. Many of the answers hint at connections that I have no way of knowing about and I’m hoping that others who are acquainted with Hugh may be willing and able to highlight them. Some of them, of course, may be for Hugh’s eyes only (Alan Connor talks of ‘coded goodbyes and tributes’) and that’s fair enough, since all the clues and answers, as in all good ghost-themed puzzles, stand up in their own right.
We often talk about ‘being on the wavelength’ but here we had no clue as to which wavelength to try to tune into, with such a wide variety of styles. I can detect two or three ‘Pauline’ clues but it becomes increasingly obvious that Paul doesn’t have the monopoly on the risqué ones. I’m not hazarding any serious guesses at the moment but I’m expecting that you’ll come up with some suggestions as to individual setters’ contributions and – who knows? – one or two of them might drop in.
It’s always invidious to choose favourites – and more so than ever today – but I’ll stick my neck out and name (from an even longer list) 9ac OCHRE, 17ac INDIANA, 20ac CINEASTE, 22ac PARTON, 5dn COXSWAIN, 7dn LEAVES, 16dn OBSIDIAN, 18dn NEONATES, 21dn ISOLDE and 22dn PANAMA.
One more bit of information from Professor Stephenson’s Wikipedia entry: his birthdate is just four days after my own – and he became Crossword Editor here in the year that I retired! Huge thanks, Hugh, for such sterling work throughout those years – I always enjoyed reading your monthly Crossword Editor’s Updates – and thanks, of course, to all the contributors: I really enjoyed the puzzle and hope / am sure that you had fun compiling it, too.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
8 It’s behind Brighton Rock partners introducing odd stripe (4,4)
WEST PIER
W E (bridge partners) + an anagram (odd) of STRIPE
9 Roe stripped, see her bouncing around for Hugh, reportedly? (5)
OCHRE
[r]O[e], stripped + C (see) + an anagram (bouncing around) of HER – the actual definition sounds like (reportedly) ‘hue’ = OCHRE
10 Radio device‘s error, dropping station (4)
MIKE
MI[sta]KE (error) minus sta (station – ‘it’s in Chambers’)
11 Lavishly, all over the place, old female entertained in academia (5,2,3)
HALLS OF IVY
An anagram (all over the place) of LAVISHLY round (entertaining) O (old) F (female)
12 In position of authority, crossword supremo ultimately gets to excel (6)
OVERDO
OVER (in position of authority) + final letters (ultimately) of crossworD supremO – I’m really struggling to equate OVERDO with ‘excel’ but (it grieves me to say this) ‘it’s in Chambers’, squeezed in as the very last entry) – surely it should be ‘outdo’?
14 Unlikely case, drier beach (3-5)
SEA-COAST
An anagram (unlikely) of CASE + OAST (drier – of hops)
15 Amid racket cancel Bristol City’s suspension (7)
CLIFTON
LIFT (cancel – in CON (racket) – a reference to Brunel’s famous bridge
17 501 advanced into pub, heading for alcoholic state (7)
INDIANA
DI (501 in Roman numerals) + A (advanced) in INN (pub) + A[lcoholic]
20 Film-maker entices strangely accommodating adult (8)
CINEASTE
An anagram (strangely) of ENTICES round A (adult)
22 Busted singer in country performing following split (6)
PARTON
PART (split) + ON (performing) for this ‘busted’ country singer – nicely misleading definition, suggesting a member of this band
What one might read about in History Today sometimes (3,3,4)
NOW AND THEN
NOW (today) AND THEN (history)
24 In James, a uniquely hairy man (4)
ESAU
Hidden in jamES A Uniquely – a reference to the King James Bible, where the story of Jacob and Esau (a hairy man) appears, in Genesis 27
25 Setter say needing master, and principles laid down (5)
DOGMA
DOG (setter say) + MA (Master of Arts)
26 Have a flashback of free unclothed Johnson (8)
REMEMBER
[f]RE[e] + MEMBER – not in either of my dictionaries but I found several instances online of Johnson as slang for the male member
Down
1 Yours truly, a devil in disguise, very old (8)
MEDIEVAL
ME (yours truly) + an anagram (in disguise) of A DEVIL
2 Gifts editor’s received an indication of the value of good company (4)
FTSE
Hidden in giFTS Editor’s; some people may not like this enumeration but it is (more or less) an acronym, rather than an abbreviation: it took me a while, years ago, of listening half awake to the financial news in Radio 4’s Today’s financial news to realise what ‘footsie’ meant
Commenters here who solve Guardian, Independent and FT puzzles often refer to them as GIFTS and so might like the surface
3 Discovered seaside town’s fine (6)
RIGHTO
[b]RIGHTO[n] (seaside town, ‘discovered’) – it’s a long time since I’ve heard this word
4 Wobbling perhaps, finally offer a parting expression of affection (7)
BRALESS
Final letter of [offe]R + A, from the clue, round (parting) BLESS (expression of affection) – I was amusd to find this word in the dictionaries!
5 Sailor, head of college before Oxford, from Shimla initially, on the wagon (8)
COXSWAIN
C[ollege] + OX (Oxford – I can’t find this abbreviation in the dictionaries but I’m taking it as analogous with OXFAM or OXBRIDGE + S[himla] + WAIN (waggon, as in Constable’s famous picture) – three references to Hugh here: born in India, head boy of Winchester College and went to Oxford University; I don’t know about sailing connections but I think we can guess who provided this clue
6 An elegant chest that is right to cover with transparent silk (10)
CHIFFONIER
CHIFFON (transparent silk) covering, in a down clue, IE (that is) R (right)
7 Go first on Stephenson’s Rocket, say? (6)
LEAVES
LEAVE (go) + first letter of Stephenson – brilliant ‘lift and separate’ of Stephenson’s Rocket
13 Winchester maybe with scope to get used here? (5,5)
RIFLE RANGE
RIFLE (Winchester maybe) + RANGE (scope) – a straightforward charade but a neat reference to Hugh’s education
16 A glass, old boy, is to be raised to Diana shortly (8)
OBSIDIAN
OB (old boy) + a reversal (to be raised) of IS + DIAN[a]
18 Bundles of joy in cheeky couple, wrinkly one on top (8)
NEONATES
An anagram (wrinkly) of ONE + NATES (‘cheeky’ couple)
19 Stage at which, sadly, Hugh’s retirement starts – no chicken! (7)
LEGHORN
LEG (stage) + an anagram (sadly) of first letters (starts) of H[ugh’s] R[etirement] and NO
21 A peddler of ecstasy was I, legendary lover of Ireland (6)
ISOLDE
I SOLD E (I was a peddler of ecstasy) – not the first time I’ve seen this but I loved the lyrical language: one of several names of the Irish lover of Tristan
22 Always centrally located, Hispanic canal’s dramatic – here? (6)
PANAMA
Central letters of hisPAnic caNAl’s draMAtic
24 Pickle, just flip the lid up, girl! (4)
EMMA
[dil]EMMA (pickle) with a reversal (flip) of the first three letters (lid) deleted (up – as in ‘time’s up?) – not absolutely sure on this one
Had to reveal the last two but enjoyed it
Favourites were: OCHRE, INDIANA, ISOLDE, LEAVES
Thanks both / all
Yes, two clues with a nod to BRIGHTON, and two clues where you had to lose three letters, STA and DIL, and struggled to spot both. Favourite was REMEMBER, and LOI was BRALESS, which had the most devious definition!
Thanks for the explanation as to the tribute, otherwise I would have had no idea, hence the two HUGH’s, and I presume that’s why HUGO! HUGH GO!
I had no idea it was a collaboration and I failed to complete the NW corner but be otherwise I really enjoyed this. I thought 7 was brilliant
I had no idea it was a collaboration and I failed to complete the NW corner but otherwise I really enjoyed this. I thought 7 was brilliant
Thanks Eileen for your explanation. I had no idea of the background here, I thought there must be something but it was beyond my ken so I’m glad of your sensitive and informative preamble.
It was hard, that I can say, and once more for me it was that NW corner that was the hardest, FTSE and MIKE, each with only the one crossing letter defied me for a long time. I’d made some other notes of concern but you’ve covered all of them.
Lucky you to get this Eileen. Absolute joy. Could I guess who? No chance. Thanks all.
In EMMA, I took flip as a removal indicator and up as a reversal indicator, so “flip the lid up” = “get rid of LID reversed” from dilEMMA.
I agree with TimC@7, although that was my LOI, and it took me the longest time to figure out the parsing. I was trying very hard to make “ESME” work, to no avail. A solid puzzle and blog.
The on line version had no preamble, but I guessed it was something to do with Hugh’s leaving; confirmed later when I got the paper Guardian.
Thanks Eileen and ??????? Didn’t put BRALESS in- couldn’t quite believe it.
EMMA
Parsed it as Tim C@7 did.
The ‘just’ seems redundant. Or someone will explain that away soon.
PANAMA
Found it interesting!
Centrally located (between the Americas). Hispanic. The canal is dramatic! Always??!!
Thanks Hugo and Eileen! Loved the puzzle. The blog is great as usual!
PANAMA
The ‘always’ is required for the wordplay but I was trying to make the clue work as a CAD (possibly thus intended by the setter).
I figured out it was a Hugh Stephenson tribute while I was solving, but I had no idea of the myriad connections and references, or that so many had contributed. Thank you, Eileen, for the enlightenment. I enjoyed this immensely while solving, and even more so now.
I spent my first eighteen years living in INDIANA, and I still have strong ties to the place, so that one was perforce a favorite. I also quite liked the clue for PANAMA, for reasons Kva has already highlighted. It also brought to mind the classic palindrome “A man, a plan, a canal–Panama.” In which, now that I think about it, the canal is also centrally located-ish.
And regarding my other favorite: are there really people who are unfamiliar with Dolly Parton? If so, you should know that she’s a national treasure over here. Aside from the music and the acting, she is a tireless advocate for childhood literacy, and has donated countless children’s books to libraries. She also helped fund the research that led to the Covid vaccine. And she has the best sense of humor. But mostly the music, of course. Here’s Jolene, my favorite.
Sadly, I didn’t finish the puzzle, since I didn’t understand the clue for EMMA, and I saw no way to pick between her, Erma, and Esme, so I had to come here for the answer and explanation. Thanks also to Eileen for that.
I appreciate the sentiments behind this puzzle, a tribute to the departing editor. It was well-intentioned and clearly a lot of people collaborated to wish Hugh Stephenson well (as Dave Ellison@9 said, there was no preamble to the online version, but the intention of the puzzle became pretty obvious early on.
But I have to disagree with Eileen and other contributors so far. This was one of the most unenjoyable experiences I’ve ever had with a crossword even though it seems to have held lots of appeal for those in the “inner circle”.
I think Benny Hill must have come back from the dead to set the clues for Dolly PARTON at 22a (Dolly deserves respect for her talent as well as her longevity in the music industry and her philanthropy) and BRALESS at 4d. All good fun, eh boyos? Clearly I’ve lost my sense of humour, but I found those clues crude. If we needed any proof of sexism in cryptic crosswordland (as discussed in the New York Times article) this was it.
Thanks mrpenney@12 for your words about Dolly Parton, the details of which were much appreciated.
As Dave E@9 says, no preamble in online version, so pottered happily oblivious through this, but many thanks to Hugh for years of service to our great hobby. As to who set what, ‘d’love to know, haven’t a clue, but well done, and ta Eileen too.
Really sorry you were offended, JinA. Wonder what Dolly would think. I vaguely remember that she herself has joked about her bust.
RIFLE RANGE
Winchester maybe with scope to get used here? (5,5)
Isn’t it a CAD? A Winchester with a scope (telescopic sight/riflescope) could be used at the RIFLE RANGE.
I found this pretty straightforward barring the NW corner. Like Biggles A @5 the last two in were MIKE and FTSE, which I eventually saw and parsed on Friday.
Thank you to all concerned and Eileen for the blog.
I wrote what follows last week. I detected the tribute to HS, but didn’t know of the collaboration until I read Eileen’s very nice blog – but it does explain my first sentence:
I am not familiar with Hugo, and found this to be a bit of a mixed bag.
I really liked the slightly saucy REMEMBER, even though on the way I got tripped up by freeing the wrong word (Boris), to give ORI which went in MEMORIES, in the right ballpark, but wrong.
NEONATES was fun too.
MIKE is a bit curious. A mike is not among the first things you think of in connection with radio (unless you are a broadcaster), nor is radio among the first things you think of with mike, but there is no denying a mike is a radio device.
OCHRE seems to have double wordplay, and no definition.
Eyebrow raised at BLESS = “expression of affection”, both semantically and syntactically.
I didn’t particularly like the repeated meaning of RIFLE in 13d.
Thanks all
I was in a dilemma over EMMA, I saw the lifted lid, but nobody told me to throw it away. I put it in anyway. I remembered the slang term Johnson from a taxi driver explaining how he remembered the knowledge, I’ve never come across it in the wild. I’m talking about the term.
All in all I enjoyed this. I did it online, so had no knowledge of the theme, which would not have helped anyway.
BRALESS reminded me of those Nutmeg/ Ariachne collaborations.
Thanks everyone concerned and Eileen for the blog.
And some of the surfaces … really?
8a “It’s behind Brighton Rock partners introducing odd stripe”
11a “Lavishly, all over the place, old female entertained in academia”
17a “501 advanced into pub, heading for alcoholic state”
… just to name a few …
JinA @13 I quite agree. There was another breast reference not long ago using the ‘hilarious’ Cockney rhyming slang Bristol City. I find it bizarre that the last vestiges of 1970’s sexist humour should be found in The Guardian of all places. I remember when that humour was the norm but I’ve since grown up.
Thanks Eileen for shedding light on this prize — I thought I was dealing with a new setter and I knew nothing beyond that mistaken notion. I mostly enjoyed this with MIKE, SEA-COAST, INDIANA, PARTON, RIFLE RANGE, and ISOLDE being top picks. I missed FTSE, BRALESS, and CLIFTON but that didn’t bother me a bit.
I printed the online version, so missed the foreword, but saw the theme. Thanks for filling in the background, Eileen, now I see why there seemed such a range of clueing involved. I wonder if in more normal circumstances an editor might have raised an eyebrow at some of the seaside postcard aspects, and maybe I shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as I did. But there were some lovely clues there, and I hope Hugh Stevenson liked his retirement present. ‘Stephenson’s Rocket’ was a splendid red herring; I was very slow to think of Rocket as a salad ingredient. I also liked, amongst others, FTSE (mostly for the definition), and ISOLDE. My last three in, and they took some time at the end, were RIGHTO, LEAVES and LEGHORN. I’m trying to forget any mental images that went with REMEMBER. Thanks to the setters, whoever they turn out to be, and, of course, Eileen.
Thanks Eileen and all the compilers. As always logging in here helped with some of our head scratching but stlll don’t get the LIFT explanation in 15a and would never have worked at the answer to 24d on our own. We found it tough but party because doing it online. Now in your timezone JinA visiting relavitves (hence the earlish post for me). Would normaly be at home in UK on GMT poring over the paper edition with scribbles in the margins but that is 11 hours in the future – finding the whole concept of who is doing what when in the world very muddling!
Having recently compiled with others a themed crossword for a friend’s special birthday incoporating diverse source material from a long life I appreciated the fun that must have been and also the resulting lumpiness that results from the need to shoehorn in references. Some lovely clueing but the lumpiness somewhat defeated us and I realised how subconsciously one tunes into a style each week. I did know the equivalence of Johnson for member (from reading a lot of American crime fiction I think) and enjoyed the less thatn subtle hint at our ex-premier – perhaps this was the Paul clue? Not enough experience to spot anyone else. Like JinA didn’t appreciate the clueing for the lovely and talented Dolly. We gave up on most of NW corner (apart from West Pier) so the reveal of 4d was met with a ‘meh’ and ‘why’?
I agree with Julie in Australia@13 that this ”tribute” to Hugh Stephenson had a boys’ club tone in several of the clues. I have no way of knowing if that’s what HS himself fostered and setters were responding to that, or if their anonymity provided the opportunity, or if any of those clues may have been set by a female setter . However, Alan Connor, the current editor, was in the know. When the setter’s identity is known, we solvers can choose to skip those puzzles where we may be likely to find clues which we find personally distasteful This is a timely reminder of some of the points raised in the New York Times article, which JiA referred to, and those of responding posters.
The thing that I found odd when solving this Hugo Prize and realised it was a sendoff to HS, was that the clues didn’t seem to be a tribute to the character, or work as crosswords editor, or other achievements of HS, (except perhaps for HALLS OF IVY), unlike Arachne’s tribute to Nutmeg in Prize 29,123 where the solutions to 1a and 1d were PEERLESS and PASTMASTER.
My favourite clue was LEAVES, and the image of HS rocketing off to enjoy his retirement, hopefully. I did know rocket and some of the other common names for this plant. My parents grew it hydroponically and sold it out of season to restaurants. I just don’t like how often you order a meal which includes salad and all you get is rocket!
Like others, MIKE and FTSE were my last ones in; one I guessed and the other I finally worked out, but I needed a couple of checks to get there. Thanks for explaining MIKE; I could not see that at all.
Sorry my mistake, the article is from “The New Yorker” magazine, not “The New York Times”.
I liked your rocket story, paddymelon@26.
I agree that the crossword clues weren’t like those in the Nutmeg tribute that Arachne devised – overall, it didn’t read as a tribute to Hugh Stephenson or his achievements per se, perhaps because it was a pastiche. I thought 12a’s clue surface did provide a well-meant tribute though: “In position of authority, crossword supremo ultimately gets to excel”.
Good point JiA@29. I missed OVERDO. Well-meant it probably was, as you say in the surface, although I tend to agree with Eileen that outdo might be a better synonym for excel, even if overdo is in Chambers.
paddymelon@30
Agree with the blog and you on OVERDO’s def. Was looking for a sample sentence (OVERDO in the sense of ‘excel’) but couldn’t locate one.
GDU won’t be happy at all with this def. 😀
I have a problem with WEST PIER. I grew up in Hove and went to school in Brighton, and often visited the pier, even once going fishing off the end (caught nothing, of course!). For those who don’t know its sad history, the pier is now a ruin, with little of the structure remaining. It was devastated by fire and storms (probably assisted by a lack of maintenance) and long ago closed to the public.
But it has no connection to Brighton Rock, except that you could probably buy some from the kiosk. The pier that features in Graham Greene’s novel is the Palace Pier. Is there some other reference that I’m missing here?
Being an app user, Eileen’s explanation saved me from writing “I could not get on the setter’s wavelength who seemed an bit all over the place”. I did find it on the difficult side in places but got there after some labour. There were some nice clues and I liked LEAVES, INDIANA and PANAMA best. But I also agree with JiA@22: there were some stinkers too.
Thanks Hugo, Eileen and Hugh Stephenson
Dr. WhatsOn@19
BRALESS
I was thinking ‘BLESS you’, ‘God BLESS’ etc., to justify the clue. Didn’t remember BLESS as a standalone interjection.
I understand that you didn’t like it but I liked the surface and the wordplay a lot. Tastes differ!
Yes JinA, the mini-theme was a bit of a strange choice for a tribute puzzle: “Roe stripped, see her bouncing around for Hugh, reportedly?” – surely a reference to Erika Roe the famous streaker; “Wobbling perhaps” for BRALESS; the reference to Dolly PARTON’s bust; Bristol City in 15a (cf 13a in Fed’s puzzle the day before)… All a bit Benny Hill as you say.
Anyway best wishes to Hugh Stephenson in his retirement and to Alan Connor as his successor, and thanks to Eileen for the blog.
bridgesong@35
WEST PIER
I among many will be watching this space for more enlightenment.
Tramp confirmed that he wrote 22a. Boatman said on X simply that he was 1/28th responsible.
For OVERDO oed.com has ‘…3. a1640 – transitive. To surpass or exceed in performance; to outdo, excel. Now rare.
a1640 – Are you she That overdid all ages, with your honour? – J. Fletcher & P. Massinger, Double Marriage iv. iii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher, Comedies & Tragedies (1647) sig. Eeee4/1
a1658 – One who could overdo all Men in Dissembling. – J. Cleveland, Rustick Rampant in Works (1687) 392
1762 – He..offered to destroy the plate..for he declared that he would not be overdone in kindness. D. Garrick, Letter January (1963) vol. I. 353
1859 – Wrathful that a stranger knight Should do and almost overdo the deeds Of Lancelot. Lord Tennyson, Elaine in Idylls of King 171
1987 – Federal responded to the challenge by honking their 125-grain up to 1,450 fps, while WINCHESTER, not to be overdone, throttled theirs up close to 1,500 honest feet per second. – Handgunner July 9/1
Enjoyed the puzzle and was surprised I got as far as I did. Thanks for the blog and solutions above. The one I still don’t understand is 18 – why are NATES a ‘cheeky’ couple? Sorry if if missed this in the trail above.
Didn’t know the back story to the crossword till now. But as many others have mentioned it did feel a bit discordant and ill-conceived. A few of the multi-word answers seemed strained; halls of ivy was simple from the cluing but not a phrase in real use. The puerile humour seems to be a theme in G crosswords – maybe/hopefully that was a last stand. I was fairly unimpressed by the puzzle last Saturday morning – to find it was a tribute adds to that.
John@39
NEONATES
NATES are buttocks. They are a couple of cheeks.
@john #19
Nates can mean buttocks
There were times when this felt more like the crossword in Private Eye… I couldn’t quite believe PARTON as I put it in late on Friday.
Like others, I was beaten by the NW corner. I had WEST HILL in for the (first) Brighton clue even though I’d had to check on a map to see if such a place exists and couldn’t make sense of any parsing, so really hadn’t done myself any favours.
To further the confusion, I thought “wobbling, possibly” must refer to being LEGLESS & it still seems like a better def…
Many thanks to the setters and Eileen for the guidance.
An unhelpful grid, no sense of an author, all the setters striving to OVERDO each other. They were having fun, but it wasn’t much fun to solve.
They should all read The New Yorker‘s What Turned Crossword Constructing Into a Boys’ Club? A puzzle in need of an editor.
Thanks for the background Eileen. I enjoyed the humour throughout and the ribald clues reminded me of saucy Brighton postcards. Ultimately failed on four including MIKE and FTSE but so what. I have a flat in Hove and I agree with bridgesong’s problem with WEST PIER, which doesn’t make sense to me either. Maybe this amusing clip might quell the outrage a wee bit. I’ve been to Dollywood and it was great fun.
https://fb.watch/qpmgIc0zTa/?.
[Roz, i failed to find the subtle reference to KPR apart from ‘wobbling’]
Ta Hugo and Eileen for the super blog
No problems with the bra-less Miss Roe etc etc clues, as M&S kindly “sponsored” the Guardian web page with a large banner advert for their lingerie.
I thought at first that this was the “AI” reaction to all the L&S commentary, but now I see that they might have been in on the joke.
Thanks to Eileen and the Hugo team – and to Hugh, who presumably approved all the naughtiness.
Oh- Johnson is used, almost as a motif, to refer to that part of the Dude’s anatomy in The Big Lebowski so that was a very familiar usage.
It’s also faintly reminiscent of a recent prime minister.
I think Dolly Parton has a sense of humour and is more robust than you give her credit for.
Eileen, may I suggest that in country also needs underlined as part of the PARTON clue.
I have to agree with several previous comments that a) this was a mess…certainly the whole was not greater than the parts and b) that it was misogynistic. I completed this with my partner and we were disgusted to see Dolly Parton demoted to ‘Busted singer’. Surely the connection between ‘braless’ and ‘wobbly’ is the preserve of little boys giggling behind their hands. I thought
these clues were offensive and denigrated women. We’re not in the slightest prudish and enjoy cluing that might be suggestive or spicy, but not that which reduces women to body parts. I’m grateful to the outgoing crossword editor and sorry that this puzzle is something that might be associated with him.
Johnson – called to mind an ex-prime minister for some reason.
Thank you, Alan @49. I wrote several drafts of this puzzle during the week – I don’t know how the underlining of ‘in country’ escaped the final one last night. Restored now. Incidentally, my tick for PARTON was for the misdirection that I mentioned.
Well, I for one am totally horrified at the mysandrist use of the male member in a crossword in REMEMBER. My Auntie Flo would be equally horrified.
There were some very good clues here (LEAVES was a favourite), but overall this was my least enjoyable Prize crossword this year. I’m another who did not get to see the preamble. I failed to solve MIKE, FTSE and LEGHORN and failed to understand a couple of others. I think I was more on the wavelength(s) of Julie (@13) and paddymelon (@26) than on any setter’s wavelength.
Thanks anyway to those who put this puzzle together for a good purpose, and of course to Eileen for the blog.
I am another one who found it hard. On reflection, partly due to the different setter styles. I finally gave up yesterday at the NW corner (MIKE/FTSE). Regrets now as both clues were well do-able. Brain fog! I was puzzled by a few others (OCHRE, RIGHTO, EMMA, PANAMA) until I read Eileen’s blog. I noted the seaside postcard sauciness, but I don’t get wound up by such things. I was amused at the ‘boys’ club’ references. I had the misfortune to be stranded in the boys’ club that was New College in the early 70’s, driven there by a pushy state school headmaster. Impressed that Hugh kept this job going until age 85. Good to keep busy! So, I’m happy overall with Hugo’s send-off puzzle after all this years of effort, and the backstory.
NEENNAAS across the bottom ??
If you type ‘Hugo, Guardian crossword’ into Google, as I did, it takes you straight to Alan Connor’s blog.
I agree with Julie in Oz@13 – I can’t say that I enjoyed this puzzle. I also agree with her comments on 22ac and 4d as well as Dave F @22 and paddymelon@26. I have never found so-called ‘schoolboy humour’ and/or Benny Hill amusing. Also, the clue for 9ac is … words fail me – unnecessary?
Lower half was easier for me. I gave up – failed to solve 8 (never heard of West Pier),10 (thought of ‘mistake’ but the penny did not drop to get to MIKE),11ac and 2,3,4,7d.
New for me: CLIFTON suspension bridge in Bristol (thanks, google); STA = station (for 10ac).
Favourites: EMMA and REMEMBER but I definitely would not like to see an unclothed Boris Johnson ‘bouncing around’ ala Miss Roe of 9ac, ugh what a horrible thought.
Thanks, Eileen and various setters but I think this experiment in group setting need not be repeated.
[AlanC@49: your post gives an example of a grammatical change which seems to be gaining ever more ground: when did the “needs underlining” construction that I grew up with become “needs underlined”? It’s heard everywhere now, including places like the BBC where you’d expect it to be corrected if it was unacceptable.]
No foreword on the online edition in the app, so had no idea this was a collaboration and wasn’t savvy enough to pick up on the name. However, I found it a pretty steady solve and probably easier than the average prize puzzle.
I raised an eyebrow at the number of breast references but I’m afraid I can’t share the somewhat prissy indignation expressed by some here. Not hilarious, maybe even a bit childish, but in all honesty I cannot imagine that either Ms Parton or Ms Roe would be remotely as disconcerted as their self-appointed protectors seem to be.
Thanks to the myriad setters, and to Eileen for the blog.
me@10 and 11
PANAMA
Always is the second extended play by Australian musician Panama, released in October 2013 (Wiki). This is just a connection between ‘always’ and PANAMA. Not sure it plays any role in the clue.
There is a 2022 movie titled PANAMA (dramatic, I guess).
Centrally located. Hispanic. Canal!
Didn’t much like this and didn’t finish – after I’ve spent what I think of as enough time on a puzzle, I have no qualms about clicking Reveal (had to wait until today, of course, as it’s a ‘Prize’).
There were some very good clues including ISOLDE, PARTON, FTSE, LEGHORN (the latter two of which I revealed but think I’d have got eventually).
I wonder what Macaulay would say about some of the earlier comments – while sympathetic to his sentiment I wouldn’t put it as strongly in relation to the commentators here, but I don’t have a problem with references to dangly/wobbly bits of male or female bodies i.e. I’m with Charles@60.
Thanks for the blog, Eileen, and thanks with reservations to ‘Hugo’.
[gladys @59 – if I may step in on Alan’s behalf, I’ll venture to say that the construction you mention is the one that he grew up with. I lived in Northern Ireland for ten years in the ’60s and it was common parlance there. To be honest, I haven’t noticed a recent proliferation: perhaps I just got used to it.]
laughed a lot at the busted singer
Like others, I found this a bit of a mixed bag. On coming back to the puzzle this morning I found _I_E still blank: I guessed MIKE but still couldn’t parse it.
Some good ones: ISOLDE, LEAVES, OBSIDIAN, MEDIEVAL; DOGMA and OVERDO for surfaces relevant to Hugh’s editorship.
CLIFTON: given the tone of some of the clues, finding that “Bristol City’s suspension” was a bridge not a bra was a good bit of misdirection! I agree that there is rather too much sniggering behind the bike sheds about some of these clues. I wonder if some of the contributors are guessing that they can get away with more than usual as it’s Hugh’s tribute puzzle so he’s less likely to complain?
Lord Jim@35: I missed the Erika Roe reference in OCHRE: I’m sorry you reminded me. As for Dolly Parton; if you have a figure like hers, being (or appearing to be) laid-back about the inevitable jokes is making a virtue of necessity. A very admirable lady.
I think the oo-er missus humour has been dialled down a bit in recent crosswords, which is a relief, but there are clearly a lot of solvers who enjoy it. Where you draw the line between harmless silliness and serious sexism will vary, but I was sorry to see so much of it here.
Eileen@63: I’m sorry if I gave the impression I was criticising Alan’s grammar, especially if it’s a regional variation. It’s just that the variation seems (to me anyway) to be catching on and becoming the norm, which is interesting.
Another who didn’t see the preamble.
It was a mixed bag – inevitably. The several authors do seem to have managed to create a thread of dubious taste.
Has anyone noticed the subtle? reference at 9a to Ms Roe at Twickenham in the eighties?
Thanks Eileen for comprehensive blog
Incredible puzzle, and a fitting send-off for HS. Bravo, setters and departing ed.
The Guardian blog last Saturday said that a dossier had been prepared with details of Hugh’s life that would provide helpful for setters. If it helped with 9a, 15a, 22a, 26a, 4d and 18d, well Ooer, Missus.
24d was my LOI. In addition to mrpenney’s Emma and Esme I had Elma which I could half parse (pick LE reversed). I eventually spotted the elements but I don’t think that flip or up = delete.
Niceclue for DILEMMA.
Like bridgesong@32, KVa@36 and AlanC@45, I had the same problem with 8a: why “Rock”. As with bridgesong@32, I concluded that it was not related to Graham Greene’s novel and I assumed that it might have something to do with buying rock candy at West Pier.
Thanks for the super blog, Eileen.
Lovely to see lots of new names on here. Please do stick around: lots of newcomers don’t.
Thanks Hugo and Eileen. I have no problem with OVERDO=EXCEL, by the way. To me OUTDO implies competition, while EXCEL does not. I suppose OVERDO is trying too hard unsuccessfully, while EXCEL is trying too hard successfully!
Like others I struggled in the NW, not helped by the reference to the WEST PIER being ‘behind Brighton Rock’. I am as flummoxed as bridgesong@35 and others, having been born in Brighton and visited only a few days before this puzzle appeared.
And I would never have got BRALESS in a million years – is it meant to be what we immediately think on seeing ‘wobbling’? Evidently I didn’t – and no, I’m not virtue signalling.
Also failed to get MIKE, though obviously I should have. As someone else commented, it’s not the first thing prompted by ‘radio’; these days, homophone is my first thought on seeing ‘radio’ in a clue.
I SOLD E was my favourite – I always thought Iseult must have been a bit dodgy. 😉 I got HALLS OF IVY quite early on, but I was always doubting it, especially when I couldn’t solve 4d and then couldn’t find it in Chambers, but apparently it’s American.
Thanks to Eileen and everyone else.
Eileen@63 The late Mrs Dr W went to university in Pittsburgh (western Pennsylvania), and used to tell me that constructions like “Those clothes need washed” were common there. For what it’s worth.
I did not see the preamble as it’s still not on the online versions but I previously did what Eileen @57 recommended and found the Alan Connor article, although I had already twigged that it was about Hugh. I thought this was a great tribute to Hugh Stephenson who often got undeserved criticism when perhaps the fault lied elsewhere in the IT department.
Like Drumdin @47, I knew of the Johnson derivation from The Big Lebowski – a not-to-be missed film for its comedy – and I enjoyed the surface of that clue (and wasn’t offended by the mention of a body part 😉 , and also liked the surfaces for OVERDO as a reference to Hugh, Stephenson’s Rocket for LEAVES and the elegant chest in CHIFFONIER. I also liked the PARTON clue for the misdirection; I even looked up Busted singers at the beginning, doh! Other notable clues were the cheeky couple in NEONATES and the peddler of ecstasy as ISOLDE.
Thanks Hugos and Eileen for a thoughtful blog.
I meant to thank FrankieG@38 for the examples of OVERDO. I disagree with Graham@72 that it implies “trying too hard unsuccessfully”: that’s its modern usage. (Luton Town’s Sambi Lokonga missed a couple of games having overdone it against Liverpool.)
Indeed, “one that could OVERDO all men” sounds more like a natural or effortless superiority, though as this quote refers to “dissembling” it’s not something you’d really want to be good at. Yes, Johnson, I’m looking at you boy.
Tramp@71 – lots of readers don’t necessarily post, if I’m anything to go by. I’ve been reading and very occasionally commenting for over a decade, but the comments usually say what I might have said far better than I could.I didn’t see the preamble, but knew that the editor was retiring. I was defeated by leghorn and braless, since I wasn’t expecting any more references to boobs. In fact, given that the crossword was biographical, I started to wonder if the setters were trying to tell us something about Hugh that they know and we don’t, such as, he wobbles? He streaks? He has an obsession with breasts? He has breasts? Pino @69, ooer missus indeed. Alas, maybe just clues that he rejected as too little-boy-ish over the years and that the setters thought were too good to waste. Who knows? A pity that it leaves an impression of what girls at school referred to as a one-track mind. Enough! Best wishes to Hugh for a happy retirement.
I agree this one was a bit of a mess, too many cooks etc. , and I personally found it a bit of a slog with the multiple clueing styles and the nasty grid. Less bothered about the few rather Pauline clues – not offended by a bit of oo-err missus so long as it’s not half of the puzzle. Didn’t Paul once set one where many of the answers were quite innocuous long words which nevertheless have extremely rude shorter words embedded within them ? Thanks to Eileen and to “Hugo”.
Although I solved OVERDO, I had difficulty in making it work, and not only because of the definition ‘excel’. (Collins does not list that meaning for ‘overdo’. I know Chambers has it, and that makes it ok, if only in Crosswordland. Merriam-Webster marks the meaning of ‘excel’ as ‘archaic’. I don’t have the OED or its variants.)
The bigger problem with OVERDO (unless I’ve missed something) is that ‘in position of authority’ is not interchangeable with ‘over’. The phrase ‘in a position of authority over’ is surely what is meant, although of course it has the fatal drawback for an acceptable clue of including the word ‘over’.
That was my least favourite clue!
Yes, KVa @17 – that’s what was intended.
Many thanks, Grecian (Brockwell to Guardian solvers) – and KVa: that piece of knowledge was outside my er, range. 😉
Top ticks for NOW AND THEN, REMEMBER & OCHRE for the unusual indirect definition. If that’s what it was!
Those who didn’t enjoy this can at least take solace in knowing we’re unlikely to see this setter again
Cheers E&H
A bit late to comment today, so not a lot to add. The Guardian app on my smartphone failed to give the name of a setter, so I now know why I found this strangely uneven, with some concise clues but also some odd, rambling surfaces. Favourites as for Eileen.
I wasn’t particularly disturbed by all the oo-err missus, but I understand why others found it distasteful. It isn’t only the boys who produce this sort of thing. Anyone remember Arachne’s wonderful &lit: ‘Inflammation primarily in maternal breasts’ (8)? But amongst this it was amusing to see Bristol City with a different connotation.
gladys @59: needs + past participle is also the standard Scottish construction.
Thanks to Hugh S, the glorious company of setters, and the estimable Eileen
[‘The ceiling needs painted’ is perhaps more logical than ‘The ceiling needs painting’ because ‘painted’ is passive but ‘painting’ is active. The ceiling doesn’t need to paint, it needs to be painted. The standard form is a good example of an ergative construction in English 🙂 ]
Gervase @84: think of the -ing as a gerund, not a participle (so a verb turned into a noun, not an adjective). The ceiling needs wax. The ceiling needs tiles. The ceiling needs painting [the act of painting]. It works!
The other option seems to be short for “the ceiling needs (to be) painted”. I think whichever version you didn’t grow up with is going to sound wrong – which doesn’t mean that it is! I hadn’t realised that the -ed version had a long history of its own.
gladys @59, as others have noted this is a Scots construction. In the US, it is common in a (rural) swath from Pittsburgh west to St. Louis, but unknown elsewhere. I grew up (in central and southern Illinois) saying “the lawn needs mowed” and “the car needs washed”, but my wife finds both abhorrent.
Stephen mccrory @50, hear hear.
Gervase @83: Arachne, one of my favourite clues of all time.
Just wanted to add a quick comment in support of those who objected to the sniggering boys’ club aspect of this puzzle. Risqué is one thing, and I do get the evocation of Brighton postcards, but there’s nothing “prissy” about finding the recurring fixation on breasts to be unnecessary and offensive. Of course not everyone reacts this way, but why is it so difficult for some people to recognize that just because they themselves aren’t offended, that doesn’t necessarily mean it is unreasonable for others to take offense? Can we really not see why some people would be bothered by this — even when several of them have clearly articulated the reasons for their objections?
I don’t know anything about Hugh Stephenson, but one has to wonder whether it is truly a mere accident that his colleagues chose this particular tone in a puzzle intended to honor his legacy. Boys’ club indeed.
I clicked the Accessible Version button. Can anyone explain what it all means ?
Actually I’ve worked it out but who is it for ? All it seems to be is an instruction how to build the grid when there is already a grid provided on the page where the Accessible Version button is.
https://www.theguardian.com/help/insideguardian/2010/feb/12/new-crosswords
‘set the agenda for accessibility with a version suitable for the blind and partially-sighted.’
Enjoyed it overall although didn’t spot the theme so was confused by the change in styles – LEAVES had us going down the wrong path for a while as we had it in as GREENS (GREEN = go, S = first on Stephenson’s, GREENS = Rocket, say?) but eventually got there!