Guardian Cryptic 29,496 by Picaroon

by

Tricky and very enjoyable – my favourites were 11ac, 15ac, 20ac, 1dn, 4dn, and 10dn. Thanks to Picaroon for the puzzle

 

ACROSS
1 SODIUM CHLORIDE
Flavour enhancer that’s stored in tabernacle? (6,8)
definition: chemical compound used as salt in food

NaCl (chemical formula for sodium chloride) is found in [taber]-NA CL-[e]
8 OP ART
Choose frames painter knocked over for 1960s works (2,3)
definition: a 60s visual art style [wiki]

OPT=”Choose” around/”frames”: RA (Royal Academician, “painter”) reversed/”knocked over”
9 REDEFINE
Give a different view of Everton’s no. 1 punching his rival – penalty! (8)
first/”no. 1″ letter of E-[verton] inside/”punching”: RED=”his rival” + FINE=”penalty”

“punching” as in piercing into e.g. as in a hole punch tool

Everton’s football rivals are Liverpool, known as ‘the Reds’
11 LENIENT
Clement Attlee oddly put away nine crackers (7)
anagram/”crackers” of all of (t l e nine)*

t l e taken from [A]-t-[t]-l-[e]-e with its odd letters removed/”put away”
12 THERESA
Maybe May queen returned small, boring articles (7)
definition refers to former UK Prime Minister Theresa May

ER (Elizabeth Regina, “queen”) reversed/”returned” + S (small); both inside/”boring [into]” THE + A = definite + indefinite “articles”
13 INDIA
Country’s popular backing, after a revolution (5)
IN=”popular”; plus AID=”backing” reversed/”after a revolution”
15 SLEEP WITH
Nursing funny person, strips back hospital bed (5,4)
PEELS=”strips” reversed/”back” + H (hospital); around/”Nursing” WIT=”funny person”
17 EFFULGENT
Brilliant partner of blind, extremely unusual fellow (9)
definition: shining, radiant

EFF=”partner of blind” + outer/extreme letters from U-[nusua]-L + GENT=”fellow”

reference to the phrase ‘to eff and blind’ meaning to use expletives
20 PINOT
New books with leading detective – this may be qualified as “noir” (5)
definition: reference to Pinot noir wine grapes (with “noir” distinguishing these e.g. from Pinot grigio grapes)

N (New) + OT (Old Testament, “books”), with PI (Private Investigator, “detective” in front/”leading”
21 NIAGARA
A river over to the left? A river in the Americas (7)
A (from surface) + R (river) + AGAIN=”over”; all reversed/”to the left”
23 URETHRA
It’s used to pass water Arthur Ashe finally ordered (7)
anagram/”ordered” of (Arthur e), with the e from [Ash]-e finally
25 BIG NOISE
Sign Pinocchio’s fibbing about current VIP (3,5)
definition: BIG NOISE means someone who is a well-known name

BIG NOSE=”Sign Pinocchio’s fibbing” around I (symbol for electric “current”)
26 ON TAP
Touching some butter from the east that’s available (2,3)
ON=”Touching”, plus PAT=a small amount of butter=”some butter” reversed/”from the east”
27 UNDERNOURISHED
Criminal case of infraction – hundred euros pinched (14)
anagram/”Criminal” of (i n hundred euros)*, with i n taken from the outer letters/”case” of i-[nfractio]-n
DOWN
1 STOOL PIGEONS
People who sing gospel – it soon rocks! (5,7)
definition: “sing” as in to snitch, to turn informant – STOOL PIGEONS is slang for people who do this

anagram/”rocks” of (gospel it soon)*
2 DRAIN
Quaff drop of Drambuie, and chuck it down (5)
small amount / single letter / “drop” of D-[rambuie], plus RAIN=”chuck it down”
3 UP THE WALL
Winning big, about to cut bananas (2,3,4)
definition: to be [driven] UP THE WALL is to feel mad/angry

UP=”Winning” (e.g. ‘up by two goals’), plus TALL=”big” about HEW=”to cut”
4 CURATES
They have imperfect eggs you reportedly put in boxes (7)
definition: plural of curate in reference to the phrase ‘curate’s egg’ meaning something imperfect

letter U sounds like (reportedly) “you”, in CRATES=”boxes”
5 LADETTE
Coffee cups Debbie emptied – she might get rowdy (7)
LATTE=”Coffee” around/”cups” D-[ebbi]-E emptied of inner letters
6 RIFLE
Perhaps Winchester student gets in everywhere (5)
definition: a Winchester is a type of RIFLE

L (Learner, “student”), inside RIFE=”everywhere”
7 DANDELION
It has a clock dial one fixed in vacant den (9)
definition: “clock” is the name of the downy head of a dandelion

anagram/”fixed” of (dial one)*, in D-[e]-N emptied of inner letters/”vacant”
10 CASH-STRAPPED
Poor US singer way ahead of what Jay-Z did? (4-8)
[Johnny] CASH=”US singer” + ST (street, “way”) + RAPPED=”what Jay-Z did?”, referring to Jay-Z the rapper
14 DEFLATION
After a reshuffle, failed to note cause of unemployment? (9)
definition: deflation in an economy might lead to unemployment

anagram/”After a reshuffle” of (failed to)*; plus N (note)
16 PEPPERONI
Picaroon gets shower working at first, which is perhaps topping (9)
definition: a possible topping for e.g. a pizza

I=this setter=”Picaroon”; with both PEPPER as a verb=”shower” + ON=”working” going “first”
18 EVASION
Ducking and running under one bar swung around (7)
ON=”running”, after/”under”: I=”one” + SAVE=other than, except for=”bar” both reversed/”swung around”
19 TRUDEAU
Kind of cross, hosting unmannerly PM (7)
definition: Justin TRUDEAU the Prime Minister of Canada

TAU=cross in the shape of a ‘T’=”Kind of cross”, around/”hosting” RUDE=”unmannerly”
22 ANNIE
Tomorrow singer from 13 must be introduced to Queen (5)
definition: in the musical Annie [wiki], the title character sings the song ‘Tomorrow’

I (India – answer to 13 across – is used for the letter ‘i’ in the NATO alphabet); inside “Queen” ANNE [wiki]
24 HUTCH
Where to keep bucks, perhaps, for a US detective (5)
double definition: a “buck” can be a male rabbit, perhaps kept in a HUTCH: and reference to the fictional US detectives Starsky & HUTCH [wiki]

78 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 29,496 by Picaroon”

  2. As ever, my one line summary has been stolen by manehi! I thought that HUTCH needed a bit of arcane knowledge; at least it is hardly a current reference. CURATES was my favourite for the imaginative definition. Thanks Picaroon and manehi.

  3. Doh! Failed to spot the NACL in tabernacle, though the answer was obvious with the crossers. Didn’t know the song from Annie, never having seen the musical, but Google confirmed. Otherwise, liked 7 (DANDELION), 23 (URETHRA), 4 (CURATES) and 27 (UNDERNOURISHED) for the misdirection which had me searching for a synonym of criminal. Thanks to manehi and Picaroon.

  5. paul @2, I’m old enough to remember Hutch, and also remember calling the show Starkers and Crutch. The show probably hasn’t worn well over time.

  6. Tim C @5 I too remember that moniker from the playground! And girls playing some kind of ‘eeny meeny miney mo’ game to determine if they were to be partners with Starsky or Hutch.

  7. I didn’t know a dandelion had a clock, and have never heard of “eff and blind”. Couldn’t account for the tabernacle in 1a. And anything that relies on colours of English sporting teams is beyond my ken.

    All else was hunky dory and typically fun for this setter.

  8. Like Tomsdad, I did not spot NACL and assumed there was something talmudic going on for whichI lacked the GK. Doh! Everything else went into place and I certainly recall Starsky & Hutch: possibly my introduction to that strange conundrum in cop shows – why does the detectives’ boss always conclude that they are in the wrong/have transgressed when, every single week, they solve the crime? Oh, and even stranger, how can it be cool to wear a very large cardigan!

    UNDERNOURISHED and STOOL PIGEONS were very nicely done. REDEFINE, PINOT, BIG NOISE, CURATES, LADETTE and ANNIE were my faves today – some lovely misdirection in Picaroon’s definitions today.

    Thanks both

  9. [Haha Postmark @8, my first wife (she still is my first), was a fan of the show and knitted me a replica ‘cardigan’ shortly after us becoming a couple. They were very tonnish at the time.]

  10. Another masterful puzzle from Picaroon. UNDERNOURISHED, PINOT, BIG NOISE, HUTCH amongst my favourites and brought a smile of satisfaction on a damp Tuesday morning. Thank you P and manehi for the blog. Enjoy your Tuesday.

  11. Tricky and enjoyable indeed

    Lots of brilliant clues but I’ll select 4d, 7d and 24d for the podium

    Many thanks to Picaroon and manehi

  12. Thanks manehi. I think Picaroon pitched this one perfectly: good range of GK (Hutch for the oldies; Jay-Z for the kids!), but nothing too obscure, great surfaces, a full gamut of wordplay, and entertaining misdirection. My only gripe might be that it was over too soon.

  13. SODIUM CHLORIDE
    remembered this Methuselah clue:
    Old sailor that barnacle clings to? (4)

    Liked REDEFINE, UNDERNOURISHED and CASH-STRAPPED.
    Thanks Picaroon and manehi.

  14. Well, at least I wasn’t alone in missing NaCl, but then my A-level in Chemistry was a very long time ago…
    UNDERNOURISHED probably the favourite, but one among many superb pieces of wordplay.
    I suppose references to Everton FC and their rivals being “The Reds” are a bit parochial, but legitimate, I think, in what is, after all, a British newspaper. I’m mildly disappointed that by actually managing a draw Everton have deprived us of the possibility of working in a reference to the long-running TV show Pointless.
    A challenging but most enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to Picaroon and manehi.

  15. So much to smile about in today’s puzzle. I loved EFFULGENT for the “partner of blind”, URETHRA, SODIUM CHLORIDE and so many others. I always look forward to Picaroon’s crosswords; this was a chewy and fun one for a Tuesday morning.

    Thanks so much Picaroon and manehi.

  16. Thanks Picaroon and manehi
    This needed quite a lot of GK, all of which I had, except for Annie’s song.
    I missed the NaCl in tabernacle – I assumed that tabernacle was an alternative name for salt cellar!
    Favourites SLEEP WITH, CURATES, and EFFULGENT (a near jorum – only a very vague memory of the word).

  18. Tricky but excellent clues. UP THE WALL was my 2nd LOI as I wrestled not to look for the anagram that clearly wasn’t there. ANNIE was brilliant and LOI.

  19. Yes, George, of course she did! – for all the reasons cited above.

    muffin @16 – I actually googled ‘tabernacle, salt cellar’, which seemed quite promising for a minute or two, until the penny dropped.

  20. Brilliant with all my favourites already mentioned above. So nice to see, for a change, Arthur Ashe used as the fodder for a great anagram. I laughed at your conundrum, PostMark @8. My wife always asks me during cop shows, whether police bosses are really so hostile, and apart from the odd one, I have to say no. NeilH @14 Pointless🙂

    Ta Picaroon & manehi.

  21. Eileen@19, ah, so I wasn’t the only one then!

    Great puzzle, but found it hard. Cheated on a couple and wished I hadn’t. All great clueing with favourites already mentioned.

    Thanks both

  23. That was brilliant fun – I like Picaroon as his clues have the information in the clues and sometimes I just follow the instructions to find the word. I really liked UNDERNOURISHED and STOOL PIGEON.

    Thank you to manehi and Picaroon.

  25. [Meandme @24
    You can incorporate long URLs more neatly by using the “link” button above the box where you enter text. Write your, text, highlight where you want the link, click on “link”, then paste the URL into the box that appears. Like this.]

  26. Well, that was fun. It could only be SODIUM CHLORIDE, but it wasn’t until I was taking my usual morning walk across Bushy Park that the penny dropped. Some very clever clues, but on the gentler side for Picaroon I thought. … I’m old enough to remember Starsky and Hutch, but can see how that might have been a problem for younger solvers. With thanks to both.

  27. I was off school the day they did chemistry so didn’t spot NACL but did find out that priests would keep salt in the TABERNACLE for use in various rites

    FG@4 I was thinking Kid Creole too but also this rather saccharine number from ANNIE

    Ticks for SLEEP WITH, ANNIE & CASH STRAPPED once I realised “tweeted anti-semitic slurs” wouldn’t fit and it had to be RAPPED

    Cheers M&P

  28. bodycheetah@27: I’d only vaguely heard of Jay-Z, but a quick Google displayed “rapper” and the answer fell into place almost immediately. Worth reading the Wiki entry for Jay-Z: not my kind of music, but seems to be a decent man e.g.:” In 2006, Jay-Z appeared with Russell Simmons in a public service announcement denouncing racism and anti-Semitism, sponsored by the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding..”. He’s a Democrat who also supports equal marriage.

  29. Oh wow! Just when I was wondering when we’d see the next crossie, James drops an absolute pearler. So many excellent clues. UP THE WALL, SLEEP WITH and CASH STRAPPED were my favourites.

  30. I did not understand the salt/tabernacle reference in 1ac even after doing a brief google search but finally realised the NaCl is found in taberNACLe.

    New for me: Tomorrow = sung by Annie in the musical; RED = Everton’s rival (I guessed it is a football reference); UP THE WALL = become angry / go bananas.

    Favourite: PINOT (loi).

    Thanks, both.

  33. I liked CURATES and the Everton but that dreaded LATTE! I suppose we are stuck with it but O wont stop complaining
    Thanks JB and manehi

  34. Bodycheetah@32
    Still …
    a good line:
    …once I realised “tweeted anti-semitic slurs” wouldn’t fit and it had to be RAPPED

    UP THE WALL
    drive someone UP THE WALL=drive someone bananas
    UP THE WALL=bananas (both adjectival)=angry
    Is my understanding correct?

  35. Great fun as usual from the Pirate, with ingenious constructions couched in some beautiful surfaces.

    I did spot the hidden NaCl without being distracted by Jewish containers, but only after I realised the first word had to be SODIUM. It is a device that has been used before – KVa @4 gives an example but I’m sure there are others.

    Nice mixture of old (HUTCH) and new (Jay-Z) references. My nominations are LENIENT, PINOT, URETHRA, CASH-STRAPPED and the splendid anagram for UNDERNOURISHED.

    Thanks to S&B

  36. Well, the flavour enhancer Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) wouldn’t fit. I’ll pay SODIUM CHLORIDE, but I don’t think that’s its primary function. Totally missed the NACL, which I did know, but didn’t see as it was so well hidden.
    Great crossie, too many good’uns to mention. With Rats’ choices@29.

  37. Genuinely surprised (and pleased) to have finished without reveals, especially after a night of insomnia. I did make liberal use of the check button though.

    It seemed incredibly tricky at first, but I’m sure my sleep-deprived brain was a major factor aside from the puzzle itself. So it was very satisfying – and unexpected – to eventually work my way through it, though several were unparsed. 1a being a prime example: can’t fault the clueing, but it was beyond my capacities this morning.

    Kudos to the setter for a devious puzzle which I was able to navigate and be amused by, despite not being in the best state to attempt such a thing.

  38. Well, I completed the grid but needed @Manehi for much of the parsing. NHO EFFULGENT and I’ve spent my whole life thinking it was NIAGRA – without the second A.

  39. Gervase@35
    SODIUM CHLORIDE
    Found one more contextual clue from my ‘Interesting Clues’ file:
    Purifying process that might render barnacle bare? (12) by MONK

    Probably, a more interesting clue than the one I cited earlier because of the CAD-like surface.

  40. A chef I knew slightly once told me that if you taste a dish and think that there’s something missing, but aren’t sure what, it’s very likely to be salt, so it is a flavour enhancer.

  41. I felt I rather winged this on the precise definitions. For a brief while I imagined Ebullient rather than EFFULGENT might do for 17ac with several crossers in place. UNDERNOURISHED a tour de force. Many thanks Picaroon and Manehi…

  42. The usual high-quality setting from Picaroon that I felt was somewhat more straightforward than some (I BIFD a few and then parsed).

    I really should have seen NaCl but like Eileen @19 I did Google tabernacle salt cellar and found some examples. Also, Salt Lake City rather distracted me. I ticked a lot of clues: LENIENT, THERESA, SLEEP WITH, UNDERNOURISHED, STOOL PIGEON, UP THE WALL (particularly for the fact that bananas wasn’t an anagrind), DANDELION, and ANNIE.

    Thanks Picaroon and manehi.

  43. Years ago I remember sitting in a (not particularly posh) restaurant next to an obviously French group. When a couple of those on my table began vigorously sprinkling salt on their yet untasted dishes when they arrived, our neighbours could barely contain their amusement/entertainment…

  44. Let me confirm that I have no objections to the British GK required to solve the Guardian crossword. But I feel the need to rebut comments like the one from NeilH@14, “… in what is, after all, a British newspaper.” The Guardian isn’t only a British newspaper – the edition I subscribe to, and pay for, has Australian politics, culture, sports etc., and the Crosswords. I am one of 6.4 million Australian readers, according to The Guardian. I would hate to see that change to Australia-specific crosswords, partly because I haven’t lived there since 1977, but I’d like to see the broadening of the GK component that is already occurring continue.

  45. For me, this was a mixture of frustrating and delightful clues.
    I’m another who spent a while wondering about the connection between salt and tabernacles and, knowing old JZ’s lack of reticence, figured “what Jay-Z did” must refer to some recent outburst or action in particular – so I spent an eternity googling him. Nope, it was just RAPPED. Hey ho.
    I was also underwhelmed by the definition for DEFLATION.
    However, I was charmed by RIFLE, LENIENT, URETHRA and BIG NOISE, giggled at CURATES, and loved the surfaces for UNDERNOURISHED and STOOL PIGEONS.
    So, many thanks to manehi for the explanations, and to Picaroon for the ingenuity and fun

  46. Outstanding, loved all of it with favourites possibly being
    the dazzling EFFULGENT, ‘hospital bed’ and CASH-STRAPPED.
    Thanks Picaroon & manehi

  47. Slap bang in the middle of my Goldilocks zone!

    I rejoice to see The Pirates soubriquet at the top of a crozzie.

    In NIAGARA, I suppose again = over, refers to the American usage of “do it over/ do it again.”

  49. KLRunner@44: I think NeilH@14 meant to say “what is, after all, a Manchester newspaper”.
    Nice crossie, as others have said. Thanks, Picaroon and manehi.

  50. In defense of some of the GK, the song “Tomorrow” is quite well known independently of the musical – I have never seen a single Broadway musical but still know of it.

    And I was about to say that there was a Starsky and Hutch movie “quite recently” but on looking it up it was 2004. Still, a generation later than the 1980s TV show.

  51. [ronald @43
    A pub where I lunch most Saturdays has been following some sort of government directive to reduce the amount of salt in the food they serve (don’t ask me!), so everything they produce needs salt adding before it’s tasty.]

  52. Thanks for the blog , sound enough clues but I do find the praise somewhat overblown. All a bit Sybil Fawlty for my taste , perhaps I prefer setters with a bit more seasoning.

  53. Ricardo @38: You must be conflating NIAGARA with Viagra 🙂 [which, in reference to our exchange yesterday, I observe is now for sale in UK pharmacies as the generic sildenafil]

  54. Only managed about half but some of those were excellent. STOOL PIGEONS stands out. Ran out of time and patience so came here to spare myself any more grief.
    Thanks both.

  57. What an enjoyable puzzle, at just the right level of difficulty for me. I missed the parsing of 1ac, as did many others, apparently.

    I particularly liked 15ac (SLEEP WITH), for the tricky definition. Other favorites include 23ac (URETHRA) and 4dn (CURATES).

    [Every time LATTE shows up in a puzzle, I come here hoping to see a revival of the latte wars. I can’t say why, but it amuses me. So thanks to copster @33! (For what it’s worth, I think it’s clear that the English word “latte” does indeed refer to a coffee drink, and the fact that the Italian word means something different is irrelevant.)]

  58. This was the most perfect puzzle I’ve attempted in ages! Like muffin @16, I assumed TABERNACLE was a term for salt cellar and didn’t pursue it any further. I have previous cryptics to thank for teaching me LADETTE and CURATE’S egg.

  59. I thought SLEEP WITH was excellent, and EFFULGENT is amusing (though I needed the blog for the parsing). I found this solid rather than spectacular, by Picaroon’s luminous standards.

  60. As for “RED” it could be the colour of the rival team but if a anybody punches a rival he’s likely to get a RED card.

    That should be enough to clear any specialist requirement, surely?

  61. Interesting that both Liverpool and Manchester – fairly close to each other – have red/blue football rivalries. Not sure that that signifies!

  62. [muffin @61: So do the Milanese teams, though interspersed with black stripes. Red, blue, white and black, in various combinations, are the commonest colours for football strips – it would be more remarkable if the city teams were both green/purple]

  63. [Gervase @62
    Liverpool/Everton, City/United, and Arsenal/Spurs is about as far as I go into football city rivalries. I remember when I did my mock GCSE Italian oral exam (relatively not all that long ago), the tape went on about something called “Juve”, and I had no idea what it was talking about.
    (Not as bad as in my actual exam, when in the speaking part I referred to “tuono e lampone”, which translates as “thunder and raspberries” – “lightning” should have been “lampo”!)]

  64. A series of great clues, especially liked SLEEP WITH and STOOL PIGEONS. Personally I prefer themed crosswords (hidden or not), or at least some Paul-style clue cross-referencing. When answers share something other than crossers, or create ninas, it adds a dimension that turns a clever grid into a true composition, for me anyway. The difference between a medley and a sonata. But I’ve noticed other solvers don’t like themes or cross-references; I just wonder what the split is on this. Thanks Picaroon and manehi.

  66. When I googled Salt Tabernacle (thinking like others that maybe a salt cellar could be known as a tabernacle ) I got that the Mormon Tabernacle is now known as the Salt Lake Tabernacle. It was close enough to give me salt ie sodium chloride.

  67. Today’s coincidence re 5d LADETTE – I drove my wife to her hairdresser’s this morning. Her name is Debbie, and I had a cup of coffee while I waited. (But we were all very sedate.)

    Favourites were two great anagrams – 23a URETHRA with the different use of Arthur Ashe, and 27a UNDERNOURISHED.

    Thanks Picaroon for the fun, and manehi for the parsing help.

  68. I couldn’t find any reference to eff in connection to blind. Thank you. What would we do without out you folk at fifteensquared. Not sleep I suspect.

  71. Hi Steffen@69, for what’s it’s worth my breakthrough in solving was living with one crossword for days (on a holiday), not looking at blogs (it was before all that), just waiting for answers to come in my head. It did take many days of clues percolating through my brain but every day a few more dropped out. Definitely don’t get freaked out by the “well that a write-in!” tone of this blog, I reckon most of us have been doing them for a lifetime and struggled for that first decade.

  72. Steffen@70: there is an expression “effing and blinding” that means swearing. The ‘eff’ part is a euphemism for the F-word, and ‘blind’ for bloody.

  74. Steffen@70. I’ll give it a go.
    eff and blind are often used together. blind is the ”partner” of eff., in the sense of two associated words, not necessarily people, although that’s the usual sense. eg Tom and Jerry, or fish and chips

    Not sure if you need the dictionary definition as well.
    The phrase eff and blind means to swear, use obscene language, often in anger or frustration.
    EFF = a euphemism of f**k. BLIND is a minced oath, or profanity or blasphemy, coming from May God blind me, as in the phrase cor blimey.

    Example from Collins :He was effing and blinding, and there were kids there!
    Hope that helps.

    [Edit: Slow to type. See also Adrian and Tassie Tim above.]

  75. Short of time and didn’t give it the attention it deserved, got quite a few but revealed a few then twigged some more etc. On finishing I realised I really should have parked it for another day and given it due process, especially as I’ve come to realise this setter is very much to my liking.

    Thanks very much Picaroon and manehi.

  78. Surely everybody knows that dandelions are clocks wound up by the fairies. Enid Blyton had a cracking story about everyone being late for everything because the fairies lost the key

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