Guardian Prize 29,416 by Brummie

by

Brummie provides this week’s Prize puzzle.

There were a couple of obscurities (e.g. TANACH and INGE) in this puzzle, and also a film theme, as well as a nina whose significance may be wholly coincidental. The films that I spotted were Chariots (of) Fire, Tom Jones, (The) Deer Hunter, Titanic, Midnight Cowboy, Annie Hall, Rocky, and Rebecca, but there may be others. As it happens, Timon and I completely missed the theme when solving the puzzle, but it became apparent when I came to write the blog. Many thanks to Brummie.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
9 ASHEN
White female featured in article (5)
SHE in AN (indefinite article).
10 LEUCOCYTE
Blood cell cycle out – rebooted with drug (9)
*(CYCLE OUT) E(cstasy – drug).
11 LARCENIST
Lawbreaker demanding tip to store working crane (9)
*CRANE inside LIST (tip, as in tilt). “Demanding” in the clue is just a linking word.
12 SUPER
Policeman’s drink on retirement (5)
SUP (drink) RE (on, rev).
13 GEORDIE
Northerner – I say! – bagging Dior creation (7)
GEE (I say) around *DIOR. Brummie is not shy of using nouns (“creation”) as anagram indicators.
15 REBECCA
Medieval instrument about to be given a novel name (7)
REBEC (medieval instrument) CA (about). It’s the title of the Daphne du Maurier novel, and of the film(s) based on the book.
17 LASSA
No limits to returning serfs’ fever (5)
(v)ASSAL(s) (serfs, rev).
18, 26 TOM JONES
Singer, Jack, appearing in scholarly books (3,5)
JON (Jack) inside TOMES.
20 OLDEN
Cold English houses of the past (5)
Hidden in “cold English”.
22 TITANIC
Bird caught outside one avian centre, which didn’t go down well (7)
TIT(bird) AN (one) (av)I(an) C(aught).
25 DESCALE
US state has scope to perform a dental operation (7)
DE(laware) SCALE (scope).
26
See 18
27 WAIT FOR IT
Don’t jump the gun – hang on pending the computer experts! (4,3,2)
Just a cryptic definition, with IT standing for Information Technology.
30 MACINTOSH
Old PC from celebrated British designer, short of some memory (9)
Charles Rennie Mackintosh was the celebrated Scottish designer; the Apple Macintosh was the old computer. K is short for KB, or kilobytes.
31 ROCKY
Staggering mythical bird at Killarney’s outskirts (5)
ROC (mythical bird) K(illarne)Y.
DOWN
1 HALL
Auditorium bag, not old (4)
H(old)ALL (bag).
2 CHARIOTS
Old vehicles from church, with a bold, colourful display on Sabbath (8)
CH(urch) A RIOT (bold, colourful display) S(abbath).
3 INGE
Dramatist put away? No way! (4)
INGE(st) (put away). William Inge was a 20th century dramatist and screenwriter. I must confess to not having heard of him, although some of the film titles are familiar. His name does not appear in the list of playwrights in Chambers Crossword Dictionary, but is (forrtunately) to be found in Bradford’s Crossword Solvers Dictionary.
4 PLAINEST
IT broadcast with Naples’ most outspoken (8)
*(IT NAPLES).
5 HUNTER
Horse you could tell the time by? (6)
Double definition; a hunter (or half-hunter) is a type of pocket watch.
6 BOSSYBOOTS
Youngster going round ship getting kicks – overbearing type (10)
SS (ship) inside BOY, BOOTS (kicks).
7 MYOPIC
Needing specs to see one’s old photograph (6)
MY (one’s) PIC (old photograph).
8 DEER
Stag do evening eventually starts with Rex (4)
First letters of Do Evening Eventually + R(ex).
13 GILET
Top soldier and officer going round Spain (5)
GI (soldier), E(country code for Spain) inside LT (lieutenant, officer).
14 DIAGNOSING
Sound as a bell, taking in Saigon excursion, being a doctor? (10)
*SAIGON inside DING (sound as a bell). Another noun (“excursion”) as an anagram indicator.
16 ANNIE
Musical sort of basket, open-ended (5)
(p)ANNIE(r).
19 MIDNIGHT
Doctor carries one thing around for a certain time (8)
I (one) inside MD (doctor), *THING.
21 DRAG RACE
Put your foot down (ostentatiously high-heeled?) to take part in this contest (4,4)
A cryptic definition, exploiting the two senses of “drag”.
23 TANACH
Flog a church set of Old Testament books (6)
TAN (flog) A CH(urch). It means the three divisions of the Jewish Old Testament.
24 COWBOY
Bully and lout backing up a dishonest tradesman (6)
COW (bully) YOB (lout, rev).
26 JAMB
Stick with British post (4)
JAM (stick) B(ritish).
28 FIRE
Passion tree with bifurcate tip (4)
FIR (tree) plus the last letter (the tip) of (bifurcat)E.
29 TOYS
Story about disposing of Roger’s trinkets (4)
*STO(r)Y.

48 comments on “Guardian Prize 29,416 by Brummie”

  1. Thanks for the clarification, I had no idea a Hunter was a type of watch. I generally found this one tricky, which is good for the prize, but still no cigar, as quite a few undone. I did notice you left out the O – Old in MYOPIC, I’ve seen this clue pretty much the same in past crosswords.

  2. Possibly worth mentioning that all the films in the theme were winners of the Best Picture oscar.

    I saw “IT IS ON” but couldn’t find a meaning for it.

    Thanks B&B

  3. Thanks bridgesong. Once more the theme eluded me completely but once again I found it enjoyable. Right now I’m kicking myself, I wrestled with HALL and ANNIE but never did see the simple explanations. I had -N-E for 3d and I think I’m right in recalling that a dramatist named KNEE has featured previously but that flirtation didn’t get me anywhere. I didn’t get anywhere with my initial take on 11a either, the letters of ‘crane’ pointed me towards ‘miscreant’.

  5. Biggles @3 Me too regarding CRANE and MISCREANT, also I had the same parsing for TOM JONES as @4 above.

  6. I saw the films while solving and then searched for a link, coming up with Best Picture Oscars as Judge@2 says. I only know HUNTER in the watch sense from listening to A Fruity Melodrama as a kid. And wasn’t the point that a Mac was not a PC but the opposition? Lots of fun, though. Thanks, Brummie and bridgesong.

  7. I saw the theme as all being Best Picture winners in the Oscars.

    I thought TANACH was a variant spelling of Tanakh, which I did know, but I didn’t know INGE.

    I found this quite straightforward.

    Thank you to bridgesong and Brummie.

  8. Another wondering at first how mist could = tip for miscreant in11a. Noticed a few movies, but not their Oscar status [Titanic questionable imo, pretty schmaltzy, but hey ho]. Enjoyable puzzle, cheers B & b.

  9. I can name many more obscurities than birdsong mentioned, and I had the same thought about the Mac as TT@6. I parsed TOM JONES the same way as the blog.

    I needed a few sittings to finish this, and, as always, I missed the theme. I do not have any notes but, aside from the obscure words, I believe it was an enjoyable challenge that I found difficult in places

    Thanks Brummie and birdsong.

  10. Absolutely could not parse HALL, though from def, crossers and relevance to the theme it couldn’t be anything else.

  11. Enjoyed the puzzle and the blog! Thanks Brummie and bridgesong!

    Liked TITANIC, HALL and INGE.
    REBECCA
    Tho the parse in the blog works fine, I tried to utilise the words ‘to be given a’ as well in the wordplay.
    So I parsed it as REBEC+C+A

  12. Another movie was TOYS, although it didn’t win a Best Picture Oscar so may not fit the theme.
    I parsed TOM JONES as did jkb_ing@4.
    Another who didn’t notice the theme while solving but I enjoyed looking for the movies afterwards.
    I only recognised HUNTER as a watch from old episodes of Antiques Roadshow, where such esoteric knowledge is shared. I think it’s an old pocket watch in a case or with a lid, but that may not be accurate.
    I remember really enjoying this puzzle although it took a few sittings. I liked the tricky (for me) clues of HALL, GILET and MIDNIGHT. Also ticks for HUNTER, LARCENIST, MACINTOSH and a big smile for WAIT FOR IT.
    Thanks Brummie and bridgesong

  13. Thanks for the blog, totally missed the theme even though MIDNIGHT COWBOY my second favourite film .The K for MACINTOSH was a nice touch.
    HUNTER a watch with a full metal case , usually silver, you have to open it to see the time , usually worn with a waistcoat and Albert chain. Half-Hunter has a glass circle in the lid of the case so you can see the dial.

  14. Thanks, bridgesong (and Brummie). Can someone clarify how DRAG RACE works, please? I know drag includes cross dressing and also souped up cars, but still don’t get it.
    INGE was certainly obscure for a dramatist. I had to work it out and plough through Wikipedia to locate him. But generally a puzzle at the right level for a Saturday.

  15. Missed the theme but much enjoyed. Great stuff, Brummie.

    INGE and TANACH new to me. Parsed all except HALL (thanks bridgesong). I had the REBEC+C+A and J+ON in TOMES parsings.

    GILET always a comfort. Nice garment; nice word.

  16. Sjshart@ 14 , ignore the brackets to start with, – Put your foot down to take part in this contest – so a car DRAG RACE where you have to speed.
    The brackets refer to dressing up in drag and give an alternative DRAG RACE which is a contest on TV I think.

  17. Thanks, Roz@16. I have now located High Heel Drag Queen Race in Wiki, so (even if none the wiser) I am better informed.

  19. I liked this. Mostly straightforward with a few harder clues to make it interesting. TANACH was a new word for me; I think INGE rang a very faint bell; both were clearly clued. Favourites include DRAG RACE and WAIT FOR IT. COWBOY clue unusual since it asks us to reverse ‘yob’ to get BOY: ‘yob’ is itself derived from ‘boy’ spelt backwards.
    Crispy@18 – several phonetic alphabets, though not the familiar NATO one, use Roger for the letter R, hence ‘Roger’ meaning R(eceived) in radio communications.
    Thanks Brummie and bridgesong.

  22. Crispy@20
    ROGER
    (Azed 2702)
    I’ll do a turn welcomed by king twice, or character representing him (5)
    There was some discussion on Roger=R but after all, it had/has Azed’s stamp of approval!

  24. If you “put your foot down” on an issue, it`s not too far away from “dragging you heels” on it.
    A second away from asking again how HALL works – then the penny landed. A great clue.
    Thanks B&B

  25. My problem with Macintosh wasn’t that I don’t think it’s a Personal Computer, it’s that I find it hard to think of it as an old one! I guess nowadays they’re all Macs rather than Macintoshes. As with others, TANACH and INGE were new to me. And I really should have seen this theme, but I didn’t. Thanks Brummie & bridgesong.

  26. Tough challenge! Failed to solve 3d (never heard of the dramatist INGE) and totally missed seeing a theme. I think I am possibly immune to themes 😉

    Was not sure how to parse 18/26 – got as far as J = jack + ON = appearing in TOMES = scholarly books (same as jkb_ing@4). JON=Jack is new for me. Is that the name Jon/Jonathan = Jack? Or something else?

    I could not parse 21d DRAG RACE and still don’t really understand it.

    Favourite: GILET.

    New for me: LEUCOCYTE; HUNTER = a watch with a hinged cover protecting the glass; LASSA fever; TANACH = the canonical collection of Hebrew scriptures; Scottish architect, designer, and painter Charles Mackintosh (for 30ac).

    Thanks, both.

  27. I almost completed this on the train to Seascale last Sunday, but as I neared my destination I still had 3d incomplete. I reluctantly left my Guardian on the train and set off for my camping holiday in Eskdale. Halfway there I nearly fell off my bike as INGE intruded itself unbidden in my brain, alongside the thought, “of course, it’s INGE(st)”. Still hadn’t heard of the dramatist, but solved the clue. Wasn’t there a Dean Inge that was a crossword staple, or have I misremembered that?

    I don’t have the filled grid, but I definitely finished this one.

    Thanks to Brummie and bridgesong.

  28. So, in addition to all the foreign languages, I now need to know the taxi drivers’ alphabet? Where does it end?

  29. It may be worth mentioning that Inge also won an Oscar for his screenplay of Splendor in The Grass, which may be linked to the theme, and explains why Brummie chose him rather than the usual Dean Inge , as Sheffield hatter mentioned.

    And I omitted to give Timon credit for parsing HALL, which obviously was a tough one, judging by the comments so far.

  33. Crisby@28
    😀

    michelle@26
    DRAG RACE
    Did you read Roz@16?
    Immune to themes? You have company here! 🙂

  34. In my exasperation over HALL I forgot to say how much I enjoyed the rest of this.

    Yes, there certainly was a Dean Inge – the “Gloomy Dean”. In fact that is why I got INGE – I remembered the name, it parsed, and I had to check that the playwright (nho him) was a different person.

    Parsed TOM( J ON ) ES – I don’t know Jon for Jack. Needed to look up TANACH. The theme arrived soon enough to find DEER for HUNTER and HALL for ANNIE.

    I liked the GEORDIE in his Dior dress, CHARIOTS, WAIT FOR IT and HUNTER (presumably so called because the case protected the watch when you took it out hunting).

  35. I found this a slow and steady solve with some nice little surprises along the way. I only registered films as the theme and didn’t go looking for any other commonality. Thanks Judge@2 for finding the Best Picture Oscars theme – well spotted! (You too, TassieTim@6 and Shanne@7) . I was glad to get 13a GEORDIE, a nickname which, along with Brummie, I learned from doing these puzzles. I really liked 22a TITANIC and see others did too, and I gave a big tick for 6d BOSSY BOOTS.
    Thanks to Brummie and bridgesong.

  36. Crispy@28 Roger is in fairly common usage unlike the Nato alphabet, even my students say it , usually with a mock salute as well.

    Jon/John/Jonathan = Jack. In former times John was a very commom name but boys would often be called Jack as a pet name.
    Around 2000 Jack became a common name itself for male babies and is still reasonably popular . I have had many students through whose actual name is Jack .

  37. Thanks Brummie and Bridgesong. DNF for me because I didn’t get HUNTER and I had FURY instead of FIRE for reasons I can’t understand now. Completely missed the theme again!

  38. I no longer have the paper to hand, but I am sure the clue for HALL was indicated a homophone with HAUL.

  40. Phil @38: the clue as printed in the paper is shown above. I can see why you might have thought there was a homophone (“auditorium “) but that doesn’t account for “old”.

  41. Auditorium bag, not old.
    Phil@38: that was a plausible possibility I tried: a bag or haul of goodies as heard in the auditorium. But there was no way of making HALL=not old.

  42. [michelle@26 – Charles Rennie Mackintosh is almost always referred to by his full name, including the ‘Rennie’ – I don’t know why, since in the UK people are mostly referred to using only one forename.]

  43. William INGE, being a short name with as many vowels as consonants, is a staple of American-style crosswords. The plays, as I understand it, are very much of their time and place, so are performed quite a bit more rarely now than they were, say, fifty years ago. But a four-letter playwright in a crossword over here is always, always INGE. (Five letters gives you either Albee or Ibsen, both of whose works have never left the repertory.) Anyway, I saw the clue and immediately thought “Inge! No, wait–this is a British crossword–they won’t have heard of him. No, wait–the wordplay works. It is Inge! People are gonna grumble, I’d bet.”

  44. [Me @43: and yet having said that, the Internet now tells me of various Inge revivals. A 2011 revival of Bus Stop on the West End apparently received this bit of faint praise from The Guardian: “There is something beguiling about this forlorn slice of Americana, which meditates on the distances between towns and the distances between people, like an Edward Hopper painting with dialogue.” [via Wikipedia]

  45. mrpenny @ 43,44, I too was surprised that so many hadn’t heard of William Inge – Bus Stop (Marilyn Monroe), Picnic (Kim Novak), Splendour in the Grass (Natalie Wood). But then, nobody pays attention to the playwright/screenwriter in movies, more’s the pity.

    I wonder if Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Re 30a) would have appreciated being called British. There is an excellent exhibit of his work in the Kelvin Museum in Glasgow – well worth the visit.

    Thanks Brummie for the fun puzzle and bridgesong for the fine blog. (I parsed 15a REBECCA as bridgesong did, but I think KVa’s parsing @ 11 is slightly better.)

  46. I remember enjoying this puzzle, which I found tricky in places. I twigged what kind of theme it had when I got MIDNIGHT COWBOY and DEER HUNTER, but I don’t remember seeing any others, as I am not strong on that subject.

    Thanks to Brummie, bridgesong and other commenters.

  47. 18,26
    I don’t think that JACK = JON, though it = JOHN. I parsed it as J(ack) a common abbreviation on playing cards, + “appearing” = ON as in “on stage”.

  48. Cecily Cardew in The Importance of Being Earnest says that “Jack is a notorious domesticity for John,” but I think the J + ON parsing is better nonetheless.

    I would have spelled LEUCOCYTE with a K in place of the first C. My spelling appears to be the more common one today, but both exist, and the C spelling was more common in the past.

    I’d never heard of LASSA, GILET, or TANACH, but I was able to work them out from the wordplay, fortunately.

Comments are closed.