Guardian Cryptic 29,327 by Vulcan

by

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29327.

A very quick solve, with lots of the usual suspects – cryptic definitions, double definitions, ann simple charades. A couple of the cryptic definitions, particularly 11A HISTORIAN, grated for me, in that a cryptic idea, in this case the word ‘past’, was shoehorned into contorted expression; but this was more than made up for by some amusing clues, including another cryptic, 2D BUTTERFLY EFFECT.

ACROSS
1 SABBATH
Day off for witches’ meeting? (7)
Double definition.
5 COP SHOP
Nick catches dance (3,4)
A charade of COPS (‘catches’) plus HOP (‘dance’), for a police station.
9 TOTALITARIANISM
It is a moral Titan that struggles with this tyranny (15)
An anagram (‘that struggles’) of ‘it is a moral Titan’.
10 ADEPT
Competent to join a section of company (5)
A charade of ‘a’ plus DEPT (department, ‘section of company’).
11 HISTORIAN
One’s past caring (9)
Cryptic definition.
12 REFRESHER
Concerned with new student’s course (9)
A charade of RE (‘concerned with’) plus FRESHER (‘new student’).
14 DOGGO
Set out after pet in hiding (5)
A charade of DOG (‘pet’) plus GO (‘set out’).
15 CRYPT
As churchgoer, get down to it (5)
Crypt-ic definition.
16 NEWSPRINT
Unusual race for paper (9)
A charade of NEW (‘unusual’) plus SPRINT (‘race’).
18 OFF SEASON
On land presumably lad’s quiet time (3,6)
A charade of OFF SEA (‘on land, presumably’) plus SON (‘lad’).
21 ALTAR
Several tarts, not all, get to the table (5)
A hidden answer (‘not all’) in ‘severAL TARts’.
22 CREATION SCIENCE
Strange reaction to knowledge, which this isn’t (8,7)
A charade of CREATION, an anagram (‘strange’) of ‘reaction’ plus SCIENCE (‘knowledge’). The definition refers back to ‘knowledge’.
23 SET UPON
Attack arrangement that’s working (3,4)
A charade of SETUP (‘arrangement’) plus ON (‘working’).
24 SHYNESS
Modesty of fling with head (7)
A charade of SHY (‘fling’) plus NESS (‘head’).
DOWN
1 SET FAIR
Mount outdoor entertainment, rain not expected (3,4)
A charade of SET (‘mount’) plus FAIR (‘outdoor entertainment’).
2 BUTTERFLY EFFECT
The huge difference a comma can make? (9,6)
Cryptic definition, comma being a genus of butterfly.
3 ALLOTMENT
There’s growing interest in what the council may offer (9)
Cryptic definition.
4 HITCH
Make fast travel free (5)
Double definition.
5 CORKSCREW
It’s one’s turn to open the wine (9)
Cryptic definition.
6 PLATO
Philosopher‘s occupational therapy: mountain climbing (5)
A reversal (‘climbing’ in a down light) of OT (‘occupational therapy’) plus ALP (‘mountain’).
7 HAILING DISTANCE
How far away is the storm that is within earshot? (7,8)
Definition and literal interpretation.
8 PIMENTO
Just over three people taking to pepper (7)
A charade of PI (‘just over three’) plus MEN (‘people’) plus (‘taking’) ‘to’.
13 HANDS DOWN
Delivers with no trouble at all (5,4)
Double definition.
14 DEPRAVITY
Criminally divert pay — such wickedness (9)
An anagram (‘criminally’) of ‘divert pay’.
15 CHOICES
Picks items from ice-cream van, but not one cold (7)
A subtraction; CHO[c]-ICES (‘items from ice-cream van’) minus one C (‘but not one cold’).
17 THREE RS
Simple learning offered by Mirror? (5,2)
Count ’em: there are THREE Rs in ‘Mirror’.
19 EAT UP
Commonly take the chill off and not leave a scrap (3,2)
A dropped H (‘commonly’ – a change from a Cockney reference) from [h]EAT UP (‘take the chill off’).
20 NOSES
Smells arising from cheeses once (5)
A hidden (‘from’) reversed (‘arising’ in a down light) answer in ‘cheeSES ONce’.

picture of the completed grid

53 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 29,327 by Vulcan”

  1. Presuming there’s something wrong here as there’s no comments. But just in case it’s gone up late, 16 is new and sprint (not print)

  3. Surprisingly hard to get started for me, but things fell into place once I’d got a couple of clues. Thanks, Vulcan and PeterO. Favourite today was BUTTERFLY EFFECT.

  4. Pretty approachable. But I seem to be on a completely different wavelength to Vulcan. I struggled, and still struggle even after reading to blog, to understand some of the clues, particularly the cryptic ones. I did not really have any favourites.

    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO

  5. My, this blog appeared late! I’ve never had such a low number.

    This was a smooth puzzle, got in all but three last night. (Well over that for the Quiiptic.) Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO (who in the US sprang forward an hour yesterday and is now ahead of you transatlantics)..

  7. As enjoyable as ever by Vulcan on a Monday. LOI was THREE RS, and it was a lovely penny-drop moment to complete the puzzle. I knew that I had seen an alternative meaning for ‘comma’ in a crossword not very long ago, but it took quite a few crossers for it to flutter into my head. Also ticks for CHOICES, HANDS DOWN and NEWSPRINT for the ultra-smooth surfaces. Thanks Vulcan and PeterO

  8. Delightful start to the week with the clever BUTTERFLY EFFECT and CRYPT holding out longest. Lots of ticks including favourites, ADEPT, CREATION SCIENCE, PIMENTO, CHOICES and the TRHREE RS. TOTALITARIANISM was a great spot also.

    Ta Vulcan & PeterO.

  9. Not only HISTORIAN but CORKSCREW seemed a bit at odds with the grammar in the clue, but it seems a bit picky to complain too much for a generally entertaining Monday puzzle. Liked the anagram for TOTALITARIANISM.
    Thanks to Vulcan and to PeterO for the blog.

  10. I was on the right wavelength for this one and found it all sailed in – actually marginally faster than the Quiptic. I really liked the BUTTERFLY EFFECT, which needed a few crossers for the penny to drop, but TOTALITARIANISM went in on first read through.

    Thank you to PeterO and Vulcan.

  11. Hope u and yours r ok, Peter.
    Not all that easy, a bit Vulcogenic I thought; pottered happily thru, but took an hour. The fluttering comma is a regular, but still needed crossers to alight. Housemate has a creationist friend, the only one I’ve met. Hey ho, thx both.

  12. Well I liked the amusing definition for HISTORIAN! (Also your “Crypt-ic definition” for CRYPT PeterO 🙂 .)

    For 1a I was thinking that surely a Black SABBATH is a witches’ meeting, SABBATH itself being the Lord’s day. But I see that Chambers includes “a witches’ midnight meeting”.

    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO.

  13. No 11 at 2.30!! I’ll take that.
    This needed 2 sittings after a fast start and then a stall. 17dn was last in, largely because the numeration confused me.
    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO.

  15. Nice puzzle. Thanks Vulcan and thanks PeterO for the decrypting

    3d Can’t understand how growing interest is related to allotment

  17. HISTORIAN
    I read it as One is past-caring.
    ALLOTMENT (I didn’t know this. Some overseas solvers may not have known this before)
    In Britain, an allotment is a small area of land in a town which a person rents to grow plants and vegetables on. There’s growing interest! I guess the land is allotted by the town council.

    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO

  18. I thought the BUTTERFLY EFFECT was rather neat. The first time I came across it was a book of short stories at school a long time ago. I’m sure the book was The Human Animal, but that’s been an oft-used title.

    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO.

  20. Another unusual on-the-day solve for me, and a couple of delights, BUTTERFLY EFFECT being the highlight.

    Andrew Sceats @19: the usual expression is ‘lying doggo’, I believe. (Presumably referring to a gun dog lying flat in long grass, waiting to scare up a game bird.)

  21. Thanks Vulcan and PeterO
    I found this easier than the Quiptic, but considerably more entertaining. I rather liked HISTORIAN too, seeing it like Kva @17.
    Andrew @19
    The usual expression is “lie doggo”.

  22. KVa @17 – not always towns, cities and villages too – a field divided into plots – traditionally 10 poles and quite narrow, although some are let as half plots now. There can be rules that you can only grow fruit and vegetables, but some allow growing flowers, not just companion planting (French marigolds to attract greenfly).

    Allotments are currently fashionable but also under pressure as building plots – where I live is infill building on what was allotments before the buildings went up.

  23. Thought some of the definitions not as sharp as they normally seem with a Monday Vulcan. DEPRAVITY had T.S.Eliot’s cat Macavity in my ear for a while after solving the anagram there…

  24. BUTTERFLY EFFECT – what a terrific clue! Also liked the clues for HISTORIAN and CRYPT.
    Thank you Vulcan and PeterO.

  25. Shanne@22
    ALLOTMENT
    Thanks for the additional (rather more accurate) info.
    (I just read the first def in Collins and the clue (esp the growing interest) made sense to me. That said, the kind of knowledge I can get from people like you will be difficult to get from dictionaries).

  26. That was a fun solve. TOTALITARIANISM was the FOI. SET FAIR was the LOI because I didn’t think of the barometric reference! I liked PIMENTO and CHOICES.

    Although the comma is usually used in crosswordland to refer to the butterfly, I couldn’t help but think of the Irish patriot, (Sir) Roger Casement, who was famously “hanged on a comma”.

    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO

  30. Slow start as I find it difficult to see the cds and dds or decide if my answer is correct. Not ‘hearing distance’ after all.

    I did like the CRYPT-ic one, the surface for CREATION SCIENCE, and the wordplays for CHOICES and ‘EAT UP.

    Thanks Vulcan and PeterO.

  31. grantinfreo @11
    I’m fine; the blog was so late because I normally rely on an email from Google Calendar to remind me a blog is due, and, for whatever reason, I did not get it this time.
    Tomsdad @9
    Agreed, 5D CORKSCREW is another clue that I similarly disliked.
    KVa @17
    I do not see what inserting a hyphen adds to the clue for 11A HISTORIAN. Perhaps I am being too idiom-caring.

  32. Came to a halt after about five answers; second sitting yielded the rest, albeit at a pedestrian pace.

    Thanks PeterO for the blog. I was looking for it at 4.30 GMT this morning, and surprised to see your name there just now. I liked your explanation for CRYPT more than the clue itself.

    Thanks Vulcan, too, for an entertaining puzzle, but don’t become too Rufusian with the number of cryptics.

  33. This was fine. I’m a sucker for a good dd, so my favourites today were two nice examples in HITCH and HANDS DOWN.

  34. Like some solvers, I found a few of the clues just a bit off. Historian, sabbath, and crypt, for example, didn’t quite work for me. Of course, I solved the puzzle anyway, we’re here to solve ‘em all.

  36. An entertaining solve: cop shop, pimento, choices, butterfly effect & doggo were particularly enjoyable – but best of all, and LOI, was three rs.
    Thanks very much, Vulcan and PeterO

  37. I thought this was perhaps a tad more challenging than Vulcan’s normal fare for a Monday. That said, once I got going it fell into place fairly speedily, though I found THREE RS much harder to get to than it should have been. I agree that BUTTERFLY EFFECT was particularly good, as was CREATION SCIENCE (sic) . I can only applaud the way Vulcan crafted that one. With thanks to Vulcan and PeterO.

  38. Too many cryptic definitions for my liking, I’m afraid. Creation Science was very clever! Thanks, Vulcan and PeterO.

  40. Thanks for the blog, pretty good for a Monday , lots of clever wordplay , THREE RS a very neat idea. I think comma needs to retire from butterfly duty , there are numerous other deceptive names to use.
    I agree with the blog that several cryptic definitions were woeful today.
    No chance of my favourite position today.

  41. New for me: DOGGO and I was not sure why it means hiding. Thanks for explaining it, WhiteDevil@20

    Thank you, Vulcan and PeterO.

  43. Socrates himself….

    Thanks both and this beat me nicely. It all started with THREE RS (revealed after two unsuccessful alpha-trawls) and then I just threw in the towel and revealed at will. But a Monday entertainment for all that. HISTORIAN got the hon mensch from me which just goes to show.

    Aristotle Aristotle (thanks Roz….)

  44. Seen recently on a fridge magnet:
    To be is to do – Socrates
    To do is to be – Sartre
    Do be do be do – Sinatra

    The Three S’s?

  46. I got lucky with some of the cryptic definitions and finished the whole thing over dinner. (Only one course.)

    I see what our blogger means about the clue for HISTORIAN grating, and although I see what KVa @17 means about inserting a hyphen, it still seems a bit like dragging the legs of a wooden chair across a quarry-tiled floor.

    On the other hand HAILING DISTANCE was so bad it is actually quite good.

    Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO.

  48. CRYPT , get down to it. I was stuck on KNEEL, and tuffet, hassock, and genuflexorium had too many letters.

    EAT UP. Haven’t seen “commonly” as an indicator before. Interesting multiple plays on ”commonly”. That could be the new all-purpose homophone indicator. No one could argue that somewhere some people have a certain pronunciation. I wouldn’t like to think it means that Cockneys are considered ”common”.

  49. Just a small quibble about the blog, definition for 7d should be within earshot.
    Pdm@48: yes, Cockney, the dialect was considered common, now it is rather uncommon. Pass my coat please.

  53. I might just be out of my depth on this particular puzzle but I feel like this blog entry is missing some much-needed explanations. Might seem so obvious to PeterO that they’re left unsaid but I’m baffled by many of these solutions.

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