Anto's today's Guardian setter.
A straightforward puzzle that would not have been out of place on a Monday. Apart from SUPINE and PRONE being opposites, rather than synonyms, I had no complaints or quibbles, and liked LOO PAPER and DEATH MASK in particular. I'm sure I've seen the clue for DWELL before, but that's OK.
Thanks Anto.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DEBRIEFS |
Removes protection for privates and retrieves mission data (8)
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Double definition, the first slightly cryptic. |
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| 5 | PHYLUM |
Extremely haughty getting put into elite category (6)
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[extremely] H(aught)Y getting put into PLUM ("elite") |
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| 9 | CHANDLER |
Caught dealer supplying 1/6th of friends in New York? (8)
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C (caught, in cricket) + HANDLER ("dealer") Chandler Bing, played by the late Matthew Perry, was one of the six main characters in the sitcom Friends, set in New York. |
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| 10 | STROBE |
Type of light half of street order (6)
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[half of] STR(eet) + OBE ("Order" of the British Empire) |
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| 12 | DWELL |
Live and thrive, having lost nothing (5)
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D(o) WELL ("thrive", having lost O (nothing)) |
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| 13 | DEATHMASK |
Ask the mad criminal for final impression (5,4)
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*(ask the mad) [anag:criminal] |
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| 14 | INCANDESCENT |
Brilliant old American lineage (12)
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INCAN ("old American") + DESCENT ("lineage") |
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| 18 | HARLEYSTREET |
Alternative theatres rely on getting specialist treatment here? (6,6)
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*(theatres rely) [anag:alternative] |
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| 21 | REALITIES |
Concrete is securing link – these are the facts (9)
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REAL ("concrete") + IS securing TIE ("link") |
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| 23 | PAUSE |
Delay yearly exercise … (5)
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P.A. (per annum, so "yearly") + USE ("exercise") |
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| 24 | STATIC |
… still producing interference (6)
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Double definition |
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| 25 | FLOORING |
Almost overwhelm gang? That’s shocking (8)
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[almost] FLOO(d) ("overwhelm") + RING ("gang") |
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| 26 | AGENDA |
Mature reason that stops one revealing programme (6)
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AGE ("mature") + NDA (non-disclosure agreement. so "reason that one stops revealing") |
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| 27 | ADHERENT |
Follower provides commercial gas lease (8)
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AD ("commercial") + He (helium, so "gas") + RENT ("lease") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DECODE |
Unravel mystery of sea creature existing in freshwater river? (6)
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COD ("sea creature") existing in DEE ("freshwater river" in Aberdeenshire) |
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| 2 | BRAZEN |
Arrogant supporter on way to enlightenment (6)
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BRA ("supporter") on ZEN ("way to enlightenment") |
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| 3 | INDOLENCE |
Apathy turning to defiance if son replaces daughter (9)
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INDOLENCE ("apathy") with the D (daughter) replaced by S (son) becomes INSOLENCE ("defiance") |
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| 4 | FREUDIANSLIP |
Spurned, I fail badly; did I mean to say that? (8,4)
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*(spurned i fail) [anag:badly] |
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| 6 | HITCH |
Couple pull up with difficulty? (5)
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Triple definition |
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| 7 | LOOPAPER |
Circuit put on copier – it keeps the end clean (3,5)
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LOOP ("circuit") put on APER ("copier") |
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| 8 | MEERKATS |
Encounters rebel king’s army chiefs inside – they’re watchful creatures (8)
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MEETS ("encounters") with R(ebel) K(ing's) A(rmy) [chiefs, i.e.heads, so first letters] inside |
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| 11 | WALDORFSALAD |
Adds all of raw mixture to make a healthy dish (7,5)
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*(ads all of raw) [anag:mixture] |
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| 15 | SLEEPMODE |
Strips back process, putting it into standby (5,4)
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<=PEELS ("strips", back) + MODE ("process") |
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| 16 | CHARISMA |
Cleaner is master, generating great presence (8)
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CHAR ("cleaner") + IS + MA ("Master" of Arts) |
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| 17 | GREATAPE |
Dull recording broadcast by one of our cousins (5,3)
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Homophone [broadcast] of GREY ("dull") + TAPE ("recording") |
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| 19 | SUPINE |
Prone to prosecute, hiding fix (6)
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SUE ("to prosecute") hiding PIN ("fix") |
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| 20 | HEIGHT |
Elevation moving top to bottom, 12.5% (6)
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HEIGHT ("elevation") moving its top (H) to bottom would become EIGHT-H ("12.5%") |
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| 22 | ILIAD |
Virgil, I admit, contains work from another poet (5)
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Hidden in [contains] "virgIL I ADmit" |
Good fun but a little Mondayish
With all the crossers in place I was convinced that LOO PAPER had to be Leo Sayer
Cheers A&L
Thanks Anto for an enjoyable puzzle!
Thanks loonapick for yet another high-quality blog (as neat as ever)!
Liked DEBRIEFS, FREUDIAN SLIP and GREAT APE.
SUPINE
Tried to check if any of the meanings of SUPINE and prone match. Couldn’t find one.
Someone may have a satisfactory answer.
HITCH
pull up=HITCH up. Ain’t it? Awaiting a gap analysis!
HARLEY STREET looks like a CAD (not an &lit tho).
FREUDIAN SLIP
An extended def?
Thanks Anto and loonapick. Indeed, more straightforward than expected this morning. Regarding rivers, the Dee I’m more familiar with is the one that runs from North Wales into Cheshire. Turns out there are four rivers with that name in the UK and another in Ireland. Wasn’t sure why we needed “freshwater” in the clue: a red herring (apologies) or am I missing something?
Baggins@3
DECODE
DEE
The blog says “freshwater river” in Aberdeenshire
Is this particular DEE more pertinent in the context?
I agree Baggins@3. I think freshwater is not needed, except it contrasts with sea. Are there any salt water rivers? Apart from the estuary parts, of course.
Thanks Anto and loonapick
Oh no, another Friends reference. There was one the other day. Couldn’t parse it either. And the NDA in AGENDA eluded me.
Otherwise hunky dory and enjoyable.
Thank you loonapick.
Liked the triple HITCH, and the mixture of the raw ingredients in WALDORF SALAD.
I thought the wordplay for FLOORING was clever, my take being FLOO(R) RING, a way of collapsing two Rs into one, done by another setter recently if I remember. Could flood and floor both be synonyms of overwhelm?
The fodder for FREUDIAN SLIP Spurned, I fail was just brilliant. And agree with KVa@2, extended def, or whatever you call it.
Thanks Anto and loonapick
Quite quick, but some great clues – I laughed at GREAT APE.
It has become increasingly common to see “lying prone on his back”, unfortunately.
I’d agree, in that picture of Jacob Rees-Mogg in the Houses of Parliament, he was SUPINE, one of the treatments of Covid19 was proning, placing patients on their fronts.
KVa @2, very few theatres in HARLEY STREET, smart Georgian houses, hiding expensive private doctors’ consulting rooms. Surgical treatment happens elsewhere.
Thank you to Anto and loonapick.
I had nothing until 4d so I thought this was going to be tough, as I do them in clue order! Then one by one, tick after tick, each solution fell into place.
This was a delightful offering, but it was all over a bit quickly for me too (and I’m a very slow solver generally speaking). Quite a few smiles – WALDORF SALAD never fails to remind me of the kitchen capers of Basil and Manuel! Top favourite for me was 1a DEBRIEFS.
Thanks to Anto for a clever and entertaining puzzle, and to loonapick for a blog that helped me finalise a couple of parses like the NDA part of 16a AGENDA.
[I laughed out loud at LEO SAYER, Bodycheetah@1!!!]
Shanne@9
HARLEY STREET
Read this on some site:
With lifesaving treatments, diagnoses, and healthcare from leading professionals in every medical specialty under the sun, it’s the go-to place for private cosmetic surgery and dentistry.
And the clue looked more captivating than before.
Thanks for your response and info.
KVa @2 Alan Connor chimed in with the relevant definitions from Chambers in the Guardian discussions.
Thought similar, GDU @6, dnk the recent Friend either; without dismay tho (as I said then, bit of a sucker for some weepy soaps). Also dnk supine was prone the other way up. Always a’larnin’. Great point about the Freudian fodder, pdm @7; I should try not to blunder blindly by those subtle richesses. All good fun, thx Anto and loona.
Thank you Anto & loonapick, that was fun with an almost luminous quality.
Neat anagrams for DEATHMASK & HARLEY STREET, and I liked ILIAD & HITCH
Really enjoyable solve. But over too quickly. Some great short clues which had totally natural surfaces.
Thanks Anto and loonapick
Very smooth and enjoyable this morning. With some very helpful and satisfying long anagrams. The only blot as mentioned being Prone and SUPINE being opposite postures. WALDORF SALAD always reminds me of one of those enduringly hilarious episodes of Fawlty Towers, as Julie@10 has already pointed out…
jia@10. I don’t like capers in my salad, although I found a recipe for one with arugula (rocket). 🙂
I wasn’t aware of the difference between supine and prone, neither being words in common use as far as I’m concerned.
The only clue I disliked was 20d, because it is not clear which end is the definition. Other than that, nice enough with smooth surfaces etc as others have said.
This was fun, an enjoyable challenge.
Favourite: DEBRIEFS, DECODE, LOO PAPER (loi).
New for me: PHYLUM.
Thanks, both.
I’m sorry, but the clues for 3d and 19d are just awful to me.
PRONE or SUPINE? Today’s earworm. The Yardbirds featuring Jimmy Page.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzBwlLRM1QI
Nice one today. Brings back memories of Rufus. So many good ones.Particularly liked GREAT APE. Thank you Anto.
I was almost tricked into thinking DECODE was UNLOCK (unloch). I agree with paddymelon about FREUDIAN SLIP.
Re SUPINE – Thanks RussThree@12 – AlanC said: “Hello all! This is one where Chambers def 2 for the entry is paired with 4 for the definition.”
Chambers ’93 has ‘supine lying on the back; leaning backward, inclined, sloping; negligently inert; indolent; passive’ and
‘prone with the face, ventral surface or palm of the hand downward; prostrate; directed downward; (loosely) lying or laid flat; …’
Did he mean “leaning backward, inclined, sloping” = “(loosely) lying or laid flat”?
They can both mean inclined, but in different senses of the word.
Lots of lovely anagrams today and a very enjoyable (if shortish) solve. I don’t think I have ever watched an episode of Friends, but CHANDLER still managed to be lurking somewhere at the back of my mind. I missed the NDA in AGENDA.
If I hadn’t already had one crosser when I
solved HEIGHT, I’d have chosen EIGHTH, and the INDOLENCE/INSOLENCE pair wasn’t much clearer. Is it just me, or wasn’t it very clear which end was which?
Gladys @25: me too re HEIGHT but, unlike you, I had no crossers down there so was held up for quite a while.
Quickish some but very satisfying. Many thanks, both.
Fun – but over far too quickly!
Thank you Anto and loonapick.
I know I’ve seen INCANDESCENT before, but it still made me smile.
As did Bodycheetah’s line about Leo Sayer: I now have mental images of him scampering happily after loo rolls, just like the Andrex puppy used to…
gladys@25
HEIGHT and INDOLENCE
Agree.
Bit of a drawback never having watched Friends. Pheobe turned up the other day as well.
This kept me occupied whilst waiting for my car to be serviced. No real niggles for me. I agree that 3dn and 20dn had some ambiguity but the crossers provided the correct answer. Yes, prone and supine are opposites but they are both words for lying down so the solution was pretty clear.
Thanks Anto and loonapick.
Did anyone notice that the “Caught” in CHANDLER is essentially redundant (dealers include corn chandlers, ship’s chandlers,…)? I’m guessing that the caught was also a bit of misdirection, suggesting a homophone.
RussThree@12
SUPINE
Thanks. Alan Connor must be right.
CHANDLER
Good spot Blaise@31. Didn’t see it.
Thanks loonapick, I hadn’t appreciated the possible problem with SUPINE but, like Gladys, did have to wait for a crosser to determine which way round 20d would fall (but was happy with INDOLENCE after mulling it over). Agree with Blaise re the chandler. Usual and welcome wit and creativity from Anto eg the NDA, thanks.
I raised an eyebrow at ‘process’=MODE, which I don’t think are really synonyms.
Freudian slip: where you mean one thing and say your mother.
Pleasant pastime.
Great anagrams for DEATH MASK, HARLEY STREET, FREUDIAN SLIP and WALDORF SALAD. ILIAD is clever – Homer was an inspiration for Virgil, so the whole clue is nicely allusive.
Like gladys @25, I was confused by the hysteron proteron clues and first put EIGHTH until the crossers disabused me, and INSOLENCE – which made CHANDLER my LOI. (A chandler is a dealer, so the clue would work without the C, though the surface probably reads better as it is).
Thanks to S&B
Blaise @31: Sorry! You’re quicker to comment…
Great Ape was my favourite
That was a fun and fairly quick one today. I had a lot of favourites from this one LOO PAPER, FREUDIAN SLIP, CHARISMA, INCANDESCENT were a few, but there were so many more. My only quibble, as has already been stated by others, was SUPINE for “prone”. As Roz would say, it merited a Paddington hard stare. Overall, though, it made for a nice start to my Tuesday.
Thanks S&B.
As with JiA@10, I do the clues in order and was looking at a tough day after failing all the across clues on first run! But the down clues went in quickly, and everything fell into place nicely. BRAZEN made me laugh. Thanks Anto and loonapick.
I agree that GREAT APE is a fun clue, without any of the usual rhotic or vocalic pitfalls. However ‘grey tape’ is pronounced with a slight glottal stop between the words…. 🙂
[paddymelon@17 – this time a loud laugh out loud. No “waldorfs” or capers, but I’m so glad you were able to help out in making a WALDORF SALAD using rocket (arugula)!]
Very enjoyable.
Ta Anto & loonapick
A fun solve with some good anagrams, particularly HARLEY STREET and FREUDIAN SLIP.
I also liked the surface for DEBRIEFS and the wordplays for INCANDESCENT, LOO PAPER and AGENDA.
Thanks Anto and loonapick.
Thanks for the blog, best Anto puzzle so far , the Guardian should have two like this every week. Good clues and suitable for newer solvers . ( Should have two hard puzzles a week but that is another story ) .
Anto often has triples and HITCH was a good example , WALDORF SALAD was very neat , PHYLUM was clever and exact. BRAZEN reminded me of enlightened KPR supporters.
PDM@17 , it is celery, apples , walnuts , grapes .
I enjoyed that tremendously. So many favourites, with ILIAD the pick of the bunch.
Thanks Anto and loonapick
I enjoyed that tremendously. So many favourites, with ILIAD the pick of the bunch.
Thanks Anto and loonapick
Roz @44: I could be INCANDESCENT but REALITIES cause me to PAUSE and I find myself in a STATIC state of INDOLENCE, FLOORING me in a SUPINE position into SLEEP MODE. Yes, I also think it was his best so far.
AlanC@47
Impressive!!!
Good fun although very Mondayish. I have never seen Friends but I knew CHANDLER??
AlanC @47 😂
AlanC yet another theme you have found, I was thinking it was only natural for KPR fans to move from being arrogant to a ZEN state .
😂
[ Sorry AlanC it is a very old joke from my students , no cups and lacking support ]
That was an odd bird for me. On a first pass through the across clues I had just three solutions and total bafflement about the rest. And then suddenly I found Anto’s wavelength and finished at a gallop.
Thanks Anto and loonapick.
Thanks Anto, I enjoyed this quite a bit. My top picks were DWELL, INDOLENCE, FREUDIAN SLIP, LOO PAPER, SLEEP MODE, and GREAT APE. I couldn’t parse AGENDA, not knowing NDA by its initialism. I had a question mark next to SUPINE; maybe the definition is ‘prone to’ with ‘to’ meaning ‘turnover’ but that seems a real stretch. Thanks loonapick for the blog.
I had a real sense of deja vu all over again when my FOI today, 6d hitch reminded me somewhat of my FOI yesterday, 4d hitch! I’ll be on the look-out tomorrow.
Sorry but I can’t forgive prone = supine. Misdirection is a fine part of crosswordery, but that is just plain wrong.
Thanks Anto and loonapick
I had the same quibbles as others, especially prone / supine.
Regarding 20dn, I don’t mind if a clue is ambiguous, needing crossers to resolve, but it seems to me that this clue really wants to give EIGHTH rather than HEIGHT. If I squint my eyes just right, I think I can see the syntax that leads to HEIGHT, but the other is far more natural.
But other than these relatively minor issues, I quite enjoyed this puzzle, particularly INCANDESCENT and LOO PAPER.
For some reason, I never wanted to watch the repeats. However, “Celery, apples, walnuts, grapes” remains etched in my memory.
I wrote in HEIGHT without any crossers or hesitation. I would have thought EIGHTH would need to be AN EIGHTH for 12.5%. But I can certainly see the ambiguity now it has been pointed out.
I managed to complete this but guessed CHANDLER without undestanding it. This is the second reference to Friends in recent weeks (I seem to recall a clue with Phoebe…?). I’ve never seen the sitcom but will have to gen up on the characters, at least. Anyway, a fun solve. With thanks to Anto and loonapick.
Quite fun. 3d and 20d are very Antoish. Definition… and, if you do this to the word, it could be this! I propose calling them DAIC clues. Definition and irrelevant comment.
Thanks, A&l
Am I the only person to be troubled by the surface in the Chandler clue? The actor was a drug adict anf he recently died. I do not think I am oversensitive about crossowrd clues e.g. crackers meaning an anagram but for me this crossed a line.
Rebecca@62: where does crackers fit in (?) If it’s an American actor/ actress, I just assume there is a very good chance they have (had) a major probem with drugs and/or alcohol.
What does CAD mean
Some people think words like “crackers” trivialise mental health problems. I do not think we should be so ready to take offence. The problem with the Chandler clue is that it looks as though there is a joke in the surface of the clue, about Matthew Perry. This may very well not have been intended but given the widespread coverage of Perry’s death perhaps this should have been spotted and changed.
Elizabeth@64. I think it’s ‘clue as definition’. For me it becomes theological whether this is an &lit – though the latter perhaps means a closer relation than ‘as’ (have never understood). Maybe KVa@2 can elucidate.
I agree with the editor, that prone and SUPINE both mean lying down (parallel to the ground), so they are sufficiently similar for the purposes of a crossword clue.
George Clements @20, your explanation of why 3d INDOLENCE and 19d SUPINE were dreadful clues was most helpful. Thank you for that illuminating comment. (I liked both clues.)
I agree with Roz (and some others), that this was one of Anto’s best – much wit and fun with words.
Thanks Anto for the fun and loonapick for the parsing help. (I worked in employment law for years, but still didn’t see NDA in 26a AGENDA – funny how you can have a blind spot for something so obvious.)
Polyphone@66 tne classic &Lit was defined by Ximenes a long time ago although he cedits Afrit with the invention. It is quite simple really .
The WHOLE clue gives the definition . The WHOLE clue gives the wordplay . They are quite rare .
Rebecca @65: as you say, Matthew Perry was a drug addict. We shouldn’t treat him more kindly for that just because he was rich and famous. If he’d been otherwise, we’d have sneered at him.
Rebecca@65 I agree concerning crackers , it usually refers to someone a bit eccentric or flamboyant. I think setters need to be careful with certain other words with strong links to mental health.
TragicStar@69 – who is this “we” that sneers at drug addicts. Remember that some of us here are actual Guardian readers.
Thanks to Anto and loonapick.
Lovely puzzle.
14 ac was clued by the late, great Araucaria as “furious about Peruvian ancestry” – one of my favourite clues of all time.
A completed grid after yesterday’s blank.
I never watched Friends but it seems that setters are keen to make reference.
As has been mentioned, WALDORF SALAD could only mean Fawlty Towers…”Sorry, we are just out of Waldorfs at the moment…”…classic.
Some neat anagrams.
Thanks both.
Roz@68 … Thanks … somewhat clearer. Though like a ‘pick and roll’ in basketball, I may never get the niceties. In what ways is Harley Street a CAD but not an &lit?
I would just call it a normal clue, only the first 3 words are wordplay , the last 3 the definition.
At a stretch you could read the whole thing as a definition making it a CAD , but most words make zero contribution to the wordplay.
Bust down reason (9) . Perhaps the most famous &Lit .
I work in medical imaging and prone and supine are completely different beasts and can cause major issues (for e.g. left and right can swap resulting in wrong organ getting operated on, not likely but possible). Just because people say Nimrod to refer to a nit or spell it cardamon, does not mean it is correct. Saying they are both lying down is like equating antelopes and lions saying they are both animals.
Cellomaniac@67: I have to take issue with you taking issue with George Clements@20 taking issue with 3d and 19d. The issue was taken with 3d and 19d, not 3d INDOLENCE and 19d SUPINE which you so carefully spelt out. I was fascinated to know what the issue might be so of course I had to stop what I was doing and go off and check out what 3d and 19d were. Then I had to re-find my place in my reading. No trouble at all, especially in the context of such articulacy.
On a non-sarcastic note, what’s all this to-do with ‘crackers’? I can’t find the word anywhere in the puzzle.
Roz@76 … thanks! I had to google the Bust down reason, didn’t know and it’s brilliant.
Pretty much a write-in, but very enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks, Anto and loonapick.
Late to the party (choir practice) and energised so me and Mrs S finished it off happily.
There is a muscle called “supinator” that turns the palm upwards, and another one called “pronator” that turns the palm downwards… very specific meaning for doctors at any rate.
Here’s a poem that was in our bathroom when I was a child that underlines the importance of “supine” meaning “on your back”…
Bather to the bath proceeding
Here’s a rhyme that craves your reading
Be you one who lies a-dreaming
Supine satisfied and steaming
Or a morning cold tub hero
(Window wide and glass at zero)
Do not fill it out of measure;
Bath’s a business, not a pleasure!
If it be your will to wallow
Pray remember those who follow
Soiled son and dirty daughter
Hate the thought of tepid water.
Every plunger here who plunges
Should not take his choice of sponges;
Swift and certain are the dangers
When a sponge is used by strangers.
Haply Messrs Wills and Player
Help to make ablutions gayer
But do not leave on shelves or chairs
The charred remainders of their wares
Sing, but don’t with too much keenness
Advertise your newfound cleanness.
Nothing is more aggravating.
Sir and Madam your bath is waiting!
GK Chesterton
Friends seems to be almost a part of folk culture so I can’t complain at a DNF as a result of my ignorance of it. Mind you, I might have stood a better chance of guessing if I hadn’t entered INSOLENCE at 3d. It seems a more straightforward application of the wordplay.
As others I felt the same about EIGHTH/HEIGHT @ 20d but fortunately already had the T at the end.
Thanks to Anto and loonapick
Roz @76: thanks for that. Presumably it didn’t cause the same response in 1973, as more recent bra/bust/breast clues.
9a – how does the word “supplying” fit into the clue?
Steffen @84, “supplying” works as a connector between the wordplay and the definition. [Some wordplay manipulation] is supplying [answer matching the definition]. Setters often include a connecting word if it helps the surface but omit it otherwise. Some other examples in this puzzle are “for” in 13a, “producing” in 24a, “That’s” in 25a, “provides” in 27a.
Ty
So we were the only ones to (admit to) putting “prune” for “yearly exercise” at 23a. Wondered how it fitted with “delay”! Why ellipses? Can’t see any link between 23 and 24. Doesn”t even improve the surface much.
This was the first cryptic I could do from beginning to end in a long time. Thanks, Anto. (Appeared in the 22 March Gdn Wkly, which the USPS delivered ten days ago) The paper grid offers no temptations. FOI was 21; LOI was 9, which came literally in the middle of the night.