Guardian Saturday Prize Crossword 29,434 by Picaroon (13 July 2024)

48 comments on “Guardian Saturday Prize Crossword 29,434 by Picaroon (13 July 2024)”

1. Thanks mc_rapper67. It took a little while for 13d to emerge but Lady of Shalott went in pretty well straight away. I too made it a bit more difficult for myself though by ascribing her origin to an onion farm rather than the silent isle. I find there are two versions written ten years apart with quite significant differences, the earlier version has her seeing the waterflower bloom.
   Had to seek help with Ulysses characters but the rest followed steadily enough, I was a bit slow to recognise the significance of the last two letters in ‘downer’ and explain where that occurs so the obvious TYPO was a late entry. I didn’t like lit=drunk much but you need to insert the missing letter.

2. What a tour de force! We started quickly, but it took a while for the penny to drop for 13d. We enjoy the multi-connected crossword, particularly in this offering, with the variations in both grammar and context. Having failed to finish Ulysses, it was pleasing to find that I still remembered Leopold & Molly Bloom.
   Thanks to Picaroon & MCR.

3. This depended heavily on cracking 13d, which took me a while. I had all the requisite pieces for quite some time (along with irrelevant ones, of course) before seeing how they fitted together. Already having TYPO and BAKE helped confirm. Similarly, I never parsed LILY, having worked it out from the LADY and crossers. Once I had the key, though… Thanks, Picaroon and mc_rapper 67.

4. I got 13d almost immediately which helped proceedings significantly.

   I would have done the Polymath in the FT had I wanted this much of a GK test. Picaroon is not my favourite setter and I felt this was not his best offering. I liked TYPO for its surface and BUMS RUSH made me smile. Aside from that, I felt little reward as I was doing the puzzle. So saying, I enjoyed the clues far more than I remember as I read them again in the blog.

   I realise the puzzle was light hearted. Perhaps Picaroon and I have different senses of humour, or perhaps I was not in the right mood as I was doing it.

   Either way, thanks Picaroon and mc_r

5. I enjoyed this. A flash of inspiration gave me Lady of Shalott early on and reading the poem solved 13 down. I then chipped away at the puzzle steadily with the South West corner the last to yield

6. Like Biggles A @ 1 and TassieTim @ 3 took me a while to get BLOOM. I was looking for a word with WT……

   Took me several goes to finish.

   Liked: LILY, EMILE ZOLA, ISLET, KARPOV, BUMS RUSH (FOI), UNDERPANTS

   Thanks Picaroon and mc_rapper67

7. Was lucky to get BLOOM pretty much immediately which made solving this easier. Enjoyed EMILE ZOLA, KARPOV and FLOURISH

8. Stared dumbly at the crossers for 4d, then read the G threads, where someone said to check spelling. Ah, so, not Lady of Onion then! And had forgotten the loaf called bloomer (unheard of in Oz, afaik) so bake was a shrug. Otherwise, no great probs [despite mrs ginf and I, along with the other Dublin walking tour members that day, having to admit to the tour leader to not having got past page 15…]. Fun puzzle, ta Pickers and rapper, now for another coffee and today’s.

9. Another one who made things harder by not spelling the Lady correctly – which meant I didn’t get REPORTER – until I saw the blog. Otherwise all in and parsed.

   Thank you mc_rapper and Picaroon (who I’ve just blogged in the Quick Cryptic)

10. [The earworms for 31a LA MER again, from 12 days ago]

11. Spotting the hidden TYPO as I started on the down clues meant I got BLOOM easily enough, but I was impressed by how flexible a word it turned out to be, what with the blooming bloomers as well as the literary and film references. I got ORLANDO from the Florida resort, but then thought of the Tilda Swinton film of Orlando before I realised this was actually another of these blooms and understood the parsing. And, yes, I went for the onion spelling as well, making REPORTER my LOI when I finally realised my mistake. I favour light-hearted myself and usually enjoy Picaroon’s puzzles. This was no exception. And in the same vein, I enjoyed the blog as well. Thanks both.

12. 9a YOUNG – “gunshot” -> “gun shot” is a Playtex, not a “lift and separate’. See KVa here, 4 days ago.

13. …(or me here, ” ).

14. Oh dear. The homophone police have retired, but we now have the Playtex Police.

    Anyway, I enjoyed the blooming crossword, even if I had to do some research to remind myself of Mr. and Mrs. Bloom’s first names. It took some thought to identify MUBARAK (no, MADISON doesn’t parse…) and KARPOV, and like KeithS@11 I initially thought of ORLANDO the film not the actor. Didn’t parse LINDA.

    Favourites UNDERPANTS, AROSE and the smelly BONOBO.

15. Thanks Picaroon and mc_rapper67
    A very good start – I saw that 13d was crucial so looked at it first and got it immediately (low=moo is quite common in crosswords). Straightforward after that apart from the (unparsed) onion at 11a.
    Favourite the misleading definition for KARPOV.

16. Nah, getting too technical for me, FrankieG. I think Roz coined it, and I reckon gunshot is a l-a-s, aka Playtex.

17. I enjoyed the range of theme solutions that Picaroon achieved and, unlike some, did not find too many challenges with this particular set of GK. However, the cross-references destroyed many of the surfaces and those are normally one of Picaroon’s strong points; ‘Single 13 down appeared‘ is not exactly evocative.

    MC – I suspect you are winding us up with your query in the preamble: you have solved way too many puzzles to be unclear about the acceptability of references to living people in ‘proper cryptics’ (as opposed to … ?). That rule famously applied to the Times though I understand it has recently been relaxed. I’m not a sufficiently regular Times solver to have encountered a living person in the wild yet.

    Thanks Picaroon and MC.

18. Playtex;s bye line was “Lift and Seperate”, so what’s the difference?

19. Having solved LAMER I checked Google for the song whose existence I’d assumed. Never heard of it. Two hours later, watching the Tour de France on ITV4, their musical interlude of the day was…La Mer, by Charles Trenet.

    I didn’t mind the surfeit of GK in this puzzle, and got the two James Joyce characters despite never having opened a single page of the book. (And I only ever use Google after solving the clue.)

    The frequent and unnecessary references to bras when devices like “gun shot” in 9a are used have become tedious.

    Thanks to Picaroon for an enjoyable solve and to mc_ for the excellent blog.

20. A lovely puzzle of Araucarian ingenuity by my favourite compiler with the key word referencing literature, film, flowers, bread, cursing, well-being and underwear, all neatly wrapped up in clever surfaces. Loved the clue for REPORTER. My LOI, LINDA, was also ingenious.
    Challenging, clever, enjoyable and fair. And I think seriously under-rated by many of the comments so far.

21. [To all who have not read Ulysses: do yourself a real favour and give it a go. Don’t worry too much about wanting a “proper story”; just immerse yourself in the sheer beauty of the language, and the story will follow. I first read it in 1972 and then, during COVID, re-read the same copy 50 years on. Still gorgeous.]

22. 1a felt a bit spooky with both “American” and “gunshot” in the clue, though obviously this crossword was compiled well before the shooting attempt on Donald Trump.
    I enjoyed this crossword as the BLOOMs gradually unfolded. 26d,11a LADY OF SHALOTT was my favourite. [Once upon a time I could quote entire verses of that one verbatim and Tennyson’s shorter poems in their entirety. When I was 17 I remember writing an exam essay (from a limited choice) arguing that Alfred, Lord Tennyson was my favourite poet when I really wanted to argue that it was Bob Dylan – but such were the constraints of the Australian English curriculum in 1970! I also once wrote an university essay on 15a LEOPOLD (BLOOM) without having read anything other than the Coles notes on “Ulysses”! At least, to your credit, you read some of it, Marser@2 and grantinfreo@8. And gif: re the unfamiliar bloomer, I’ve only learned that sense of something that is 8d BAKE(d) from Guardian crosswords.]
    An enjoyable puzzle, so I feel a bit narky mentioning my pet hate re “any woman’s name that might fit as the definition” – in this case for 26a. I’d have been more forgiving if LINDA BLOOM was a person of note.
    But that tiny quibble was overridden by a general sense of satisfaction on completing the grid, so a BOUQUET (13a) to both Picaroon and mc_rapper67.

23. [Took too long to type:
    sheffield hatter@19, I identified with you regarding reading “Ulysses”. To my credit, I did struggle through “Finnegans Wake”.
    TassieTim@21, I always thought I’d find time to do stuff like actually reading “Ulysses” once I retired, but I am now finding that there are too many books and too little time. However thanks for your erudite/Molly Melldrum suggestion. It actually would have been about 1972 when I opted out of reading “Ulysses”, despite it being supposedly compulsory in my “Victorian and Modern Literature” unit.]

24. Apologies if this is the wrong place to post this, but I’m confused by today’s Guardian Prize crossword (29,440 by Kite) as when you click on the ‘PDF version’ link, another puzzle entirely (also 29,440 but by Paul) comes up. Can anyone shed some light on this, please?

25. [Jemma Q @24
    I’ve tried, and the same happens. (Not a puzzle I’ve seen, in fact – one from next week?)
    I can’t see why the .pdf is necessary, though – you can solve online or print a version if you wish (the printout is the correct version, as that’s how I did it.)]

26. Tough but enjoyable. I was greatly helped by the theme.

    I did not parse 28d.

    Favourite: YOUNG.

    New for me: PISTIL.

    I don’t know about the convention of not using live people’s names in cryptic crosswords but I know a lot have been used in Guardian puzzles, eg Cher, Tracey Emin, and various living politicians, actors, writers, musicians, singers – in this crossword there was also the U2 singer Bono. I see that PostMark@17 has explained that the blogger might have been joking on this point.

    Thanks, both.

27. muffin@25 Thank you. I ended up screen-shotting it as printing it is far inferior to the pdf version for me and I dislike solving online. Will treat Kite’s as the main event. Been missing Paul in the Prize slot of late, so will take that one a a bonus!

28. [Jemma @27
    I’m surprised that you don’t like the print version. I find it much better than the .pdf, which I only use when the print isn’t available. Out of interest, why do you prefer the .pdf?]

29. TassieTim @21: I agree with your sentiment. I also studied and wrote a thesis on Ulysses at Queens in Belfast and loved the story, despite the confounding streams of consciousness. I would also recommend the 1967 film starring Milo O’Shea as BLOOM. I was another who lazily entered the onion without checking, so REPORTER was my LOI. I agree with PostMark that the blogger was probably commenting with tongue in cheek.

    Ta Picaroon & mc_ (I hope you played better than some of the superstars at Troon yesterday).

30. Doesn’t “odd” lead one to seek the “odd” (as in “not even”) letters in each word?

31. There is also a flowering RUSH and a LADY ROSE as part of the theme.

32. I mean, for the life of me I could find no trace of “baks”, thought it was Afrikaans or something.

33. Ian @30 and 32
    That would have given you BAKSA, I think.
    If you write “blacksea” as one string, you get the odd letters to give BAKE.

34. The solution references “LI (drunk)”
    Surely “LIT” or am I missing something here?

35. Slight TYPO/BLOOMER in PISTIL btw 😉 (ah I see we crossed Ian)

36. It took me a few visits to get started, but eventually I figured out BLOOM. I enjoyed it overall, especially the Ulysses references. I had some of the GK, but other bits had me googling. I didn’t like LIT for drunk.

37. A very satisfying puzzle with so many blooming variations. Thanks to setter and blogger.
    Do not see a problem with LIT for drunk, as in ‘We’re going to get lit up when the lights go up in London’, but perhaps I’m showing my age.
    Agree that a Paul prize is way overdue – finished today’s Kite but did not enjoy it much.

38. MikeB @37
    Your example highlights why it’s a bit of a problem – the usual expression is “lit up” rather than “lit”.

39. Thanks Picaroon and mc_r

    The classic example of lit = drunk is the still extant of a somewhat refreshed BBC commenter on the (?1930s) Royal Navy review at Spithead slurring “The fleet’s all lit up”.

40. Delightful, chewy, misdirecting, mind-bending.
    I loved the all the variations on the BLOOM theme and enjoyed unscrambling the more intricate clueing of LADY OF SHALOTT and LILY.
    LEOPOLD, EMILE ZOLA, FLOURISH and KARPOV were also great clues.
    Thanks for a brilliant puzzle Picaroon and for the excellent blog and grid, mc_rapper

41. muffin@28 I prefer the .pdf as it’s better laid out (although I print it at 120%). If I print direct from the online one, everything is too small and the clues are in a grey – as opposed to black – font, making them more difficult to read.

42. [Thanks Jemma
    The smaller size was one problem I had with the .pdf, but I hadn’t thought of printing at 120%.
    Do you use the “Print” option when you say yoy “print direct”? The black squares in the grid are greyer, but the text is perfectly fine in mine.]

43. Thanks, Picaroon and mc_rapper 67.

    I struggled with 13D until I worked out LEOPOLD when all became clear. I liked all the GK elements.

    Eventually I had one incomplete where I could see LINDA fitted but couldn’t parse it. I’m not overly enamoured of that clue but enjoyed the rest.

44. Like Julia above, I didn’t get BLOOM until I got LEOPOLD. I enjoyed this puzzle a lot more after that, and I admired the way that the theme of BLOOM (and bloomer) was woven into it. My last corner was the top right, where first I hastily pencilled in KOLOBO for the monkey, before having to kick myself, and then just as hastily wrote in PISTIL for the flower part, wondering how PIST could mean ‘drunk’ before realising my error – but leaving my entry in place.

    Thanks to Picaroon and mc_rapper.

45. Surprisingly easy for a Picaroon, especially after the run of cryptics that preceded it. Is there a convention to not use names of living people in crosswords? There seem to be plenty of footballers’ names from time to time. Thanks to Picaroon and mc_rapper.

46. MAC089 @ 45

    The only convention not to use the names of living persons is a rule in the Times (and excludes the monarch).

    Otherwise it’s a free for all.

47. Thanks for all the comments and discussions so far – much appreciated, as usual.

    [AlanC at #29 – I shot 19 over, so might have placed 79th – out of 80 – in the third round of the Open!]

    I have corrected my TYPO ‘LI’ to ‘LIT’ in 5D – my Chambers has ‘lit (up)’ as ‘drunk’, and I have seen it used so many times for it to be an immediate subconscious connection these days.

    Re. the live people debate – I wasn’t deliberately pulling Postmark’s chain, but I was a little LIT up on Friday night as I polished off the blog, and was trying to add a bit of comic effect re. the half ORLANDO. (I’ll get my coat…) I have since checked, and it seems Anatoly KARPOV is also very much still alive. (I didn’t count Bono, as he was only clue fodder, not an entry.)

    Apart from the marmite-y issue of the level of GK in the puzzle, and the musings on the Joycean canon – still on my ‘maybe to do’ list, I’m afraid – I don’t think there was anything else causing too much consternation above.

    Re. the discussions on the provenance and printability of this week’s prize puzzle, this would probably be better suited to the General Discussion page. Also, we don’t have any direct relationship with or influence over the Grauniad, so an e-mail to their crossword editor would probably be a good first port of call.

48. [mc_rapper67: I would take 79th any day].

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