Guardian 29,674 – Vulcan

67 comments on “Guardian 29,674 – Vulcan”

1. Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
   Pretty quick, though I took some time to see the CLEVER DECLAW!
   Quite a lot of GK. I bet a lot more people know Thomas the tank engine than know who wrote the books.
   TED for unruly youth is very dated. I can’t see anything cryptic at all in EXIT.

2. I’m not sure that you are right about a hat trick necessarily involving two batsmen scoring ducks. Clearly the first dismissal may involve a batsman who has already scored some runs; if that dismissal is by way of a catch in the outfield, the batsmen may have crossed, in which case the incoming batsman will go to the non-striker’s end, and the partner of the first batsman, who may also have runs to his name, will face the next ball. To be fair to Vulcan, the clue does say “may involve”.

3. Pretty much the ideal Monday puzzle, I would say, it was an enjoyable and beautifully clued crossword, with a couple of more difficult clues (for DECLAW and THE BENDS) which held me up for a while.

   Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew

4. What @1 Muffin said.

   For me, there was one quick glance at Google Maps. I had the other GK covered. Thanks all.

5. Like Muffin@1, I hesitated to enter EXIT until I had the crossers and DECLAW took a while to see, though I think DEC for Christmas has been used several times. The Rev Awdry wasn’t the first children’s writer to come to mind either. The surface for DISNEYLAND made sense. So straightforward, but some inventive cluing. Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew. Hope everyone who is holiday enjoys today.

6. Favourite: HAT TRICK.

   New for me: Fingal’s cave (for 16d); Wilbert AWDRY (for 25ac).

   As a cat lover, seeing the word DECLAW was very unpleasant for me. (20d)

   21ac did not seem very cryptic.

7. Indeed bridgesong@2. In fact, there could be an unusual occurrence where none of the batters scores a duck. First two wickets as you say and then the incoming batter is a returnee, previously retired hurt after scoring. Still my fave clue today though.

8. Bridgestone @2: perhaps the laws have changed since I was an umpire but, in my day, no runs were scored from a catch. The aspect of the runners crossing or not, is simply to determine whether the incoming batsman takes strike or not.

9. Deegee @7 Also, a hat trick can be completed over two overs, with the third batter scoring in the intervening over.

10. The laws have changed. The incoming batsman goes to the end where the previous one was dismissed even if the batsmen crossed before the catch was taken.

11. Agree with ARhymerOinks @3. A good step up for those of us looking to move on from the Quick Cryptic. Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.

12. Judge @9. It can also be completed over three overs, with all three batsmen having scored:

    Bowler dismisses batsman A for 10 runs (say) with the last ball of an over. It’s the 9th wicket of the first innings.

    With the first ball of his next over, he dismisses batsman B for 2 runs. It’s the last wicket of the first innings.

    With his first ball in the second innings, he dismisses batsman C for 25 runs. This still counts as a hat trick.

13. … or, bridgesong @2, the first wicket might fall on the last ball of the over, so the next ball will remove the other in-batter, who also may have scored runs ..
    But, cricket aside, I was s dnf, as I needed try-check to get the c for declaw and finish the SE corner. Enjoyed it all though, ta V and MOH.

14. I thought this was spot on as a “Monday puzzle” – clever, but not too-clever-by-half, and with some neat twists. For example, that superficially 11a and 12a are similar, but it turns out that they use completely different devices.
    I don’t understand the criticism of 10a. A HAT-TRICK may involve a couple of ducks, and that isn’t contradicted by the fact that it also may not do so.
    Surely the cryptic point of 21a is that, particularly in former times, a lot of people did “sign” with a cross, so for them to sign something would be to X it, or in “the auditorium” to EXIT. Yes, it’s not very
    cryptic. But today is Monday.
    Michelle @6 reminds me of long ago when we had just moved house. We had three cats including a large, amiable and extremely thick ginger tom, whose life was basically eating, purring and falling off things. One evening he went missing. The children were fearful for him, as one of the neighbouring cats had a bit of a reputation as a thug.
    Next morning at breakfast time, cat saunters down the path in search of food, with a distinctly John Wayne air of “a cat’s got to do what a cat’s got to do…” Close examination revealed that he had shed one claw. He had evidently encountered Thug Cat and given a good account of himself, partially DECLAWing himself in the process; but Thug Cat never troubled him again.
    Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew.

15. NeilH @14
    Ingenious finding of cryptic component for EXIT!

16. Neil @14 re EXIT..
    brilliant!

17. Knowing that Marcus Radford has written children’s books had me wondering about TRASHY for TAWDRY for a moment. I liked DEGREE.

18. NeilH @14 You are, of course, quite right about the clue for 10a with its cautionary ‘may’, but I don’t think what we have seen here so far is criticism of the clue. Rather, there is a trait endemic in cricket nerdiness that delights to the point of obsession in devising the most complicated and improbable occurrences that could possibly arise in a match. If you were to listen to the occasional ‘Ask the Umpire’ feature on Test Match Special, you would hear this sort of thing in spades.

19. Liked the extended def in the first clue (WOMBAT).
    Also liked NEW ORLEANS.

    IMMOBILE: The second ‘I’m’ seems redundant.
    DECLAW: Is it to be read as LAW at the end of Dec? DEC end was discussed a couple of times earlier, too. Can’t recall what
    was concluded.

    Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.

20. Could we rename the site “22 yards Squared”?

21. 🤡

22. [Re a hat trick without two ducks. Merv Hughes took a hat trick in 1988 against the West Indies, in pretty much the way described by Crispy@12, although Gordon Greenidge – the last wicket of the hat trick – did score a duck. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LY7vUFRURxs ]
    I found the SE corner of this the hardest, though that’s only comparatively speaking. Thanks, Vulcan and Andrew.

23. KVa @19
    Yes, the clue would be better without the second “I’m” – just omit it.

24. When I entered EXIT, I thought perhaps there was some underlying crypticism, and I’m glad to see here that there was.

    Awdry was unknown to me.

    The clue for DEGREE brought the biggest smile.

25. Reminder: This is a crossword site.

    There are better places to discuss the laws of cricket. Including General Discussion on this site.

26. DEGREE was my last one in, after much head scratching with all the crossers in place. Don’t much care for the word DECLAW, and one or two of the six letter answers such as CLEVER and TAWDRY held me up for a while too. In fact I now count that there are 13 of these, exactly half of the total number. Sounds like very nerdish behaviour on my part, but shall resist getting into the HAT TRICK debate. But how did this flanelled foolishness term come to be so called ..?

27. I doubt that a HAT TRICK in football would get the same attention and thanks Admin @25! I like to read everyone’s comments but probably missed good ones because of the noise.
    Well spotted NeilH @14 re EXIT, you saved the day with what I thought was the worst cryptic clue I had ever seen. Very nice puzzle with DECLAW and THE BENDS my favourites. Happy Easter all.

    Ta Vulcan & Andrew.

28. Balfour @18: Exactly. In my day, one had to pass both written and oral papers to qualify as an umpire, and even then, one stood ‘for appraisal’ for a number of matches. I always enjoyed the “nerdiness” as you put it, and I still have my tie!

29. Is EXIT is a simple double definition? 1. A sign indicating way out. 2. Stage direction to leave the auditorium.

30. Meanwhile, those of us not intimately acquainted with the laws of cricket were searching for answers containing “oo”.

31. Surfaces that brought a smile were TOY STORY, SHOW OF HANDS, PARTON, IMMOBILE.
    Fav was WOMBAT, and not just being parochial here. I thought it was clever.
    Liked the reverse anagram in NEW ORLEANS.

    I didn’t have a problem with EXIT. A sign to leave the auditorium could be anything from a fire alarm to the mosh pit getting out of control. It was cryptic for me in thinking what four letter word could that be and a chuckle when I got it. I like Vulcan’s Christmas cracker/gotcha sense of humour.

    Yes, Davey@29. That occurred to me too. The stage direction used to be EXEUNT, but in more recent years the phrase “Exit stage left” (or right) is familiar.

32. An enjoyable puzzle. My favourite was the fierce cat chewing the official document.

    KVa @19: yes IMMOBILE would work without the second “I’m”, but it makes for a better surface, and I think the clue does work with the answer addressing us in the first person — that’s how I saw it anyway. (Any mention of Mobile, Alabama makes me think of Bob Dylan’s “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”.)

    And 18a reminded me of Anto’s brilliant “Theme park reportedly doesn’t go down in Scotland? (10)”.

    Many thanks Vulcan and Andrew.

33. I liked this one and thought it much friendlier than yesterday’s Quick Cryptic. I even dredged Awdry up from some region of my brain. FINGAL was my only failure. I haven’t heard or seen the word ‘git’ since Alf Garnett left our TV screens. ‘Ted’ is pretty dated too. I know nothing about cricket so put in HAT TRICK without a second thought.

34. Re 21a: It’s a double definition: “EXIT” is the sign, and to exit is to leave the auditorium. Yes, and it’s Monday….

35. …and I suppose, re 21ac, those who couldn’t write or sign their own name in the register book when getting married would put a cross there or X it…

36. ronald @35: I believe that quite often, if the bride could not sign her name, the groom would make his mark also even if he could read and write, to keep her company as it were.

37. Further to KVa@19, muffin@23 and Lord Jim@32: as well as improving the surface, I thought the 2nd I’m was a clever piece of misdirection. I spent a minute or two trying to make an anagram out of ‘and I’m not’.
    Good ‘Monday’ fare, thanks Vulcan, and nice blog, thanks Andrew.

38. Admin @25. The discussion of hat trick was raised by a clue in the crossword. If you’re going to start getting picky about what people discuss here, the number of comments will go down drastically (no bad thing?)

39. My ear worm from THE BENDS
    https://open.spotify.com/track/2a1iMaoWQ5MnvLFBDv4qkf?si=qcDTj1yETlGo_CGYpfpZZQ

40. Good start to the week. I liked the reverse clue for NEW ORLEANS, the good anagram and surface for CERTIFICATE, another good surface for PARTON, and the DEC LAW. I didn’t understand the two ducks in HAT TRICK because I just thought that meant taking three wickets at any time (like in football).

    Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.

41. Great Monday stuff but I didn’t have the GK for FINGAL so a DNF.

    Liked: Wombat and Toy Story

    Thanks blogger and setter.

42. I agree with Crispy @ 38. Please, Admin, don’t slap commenters down for discussing matters arising from a clue – they’re often fascinating. A few days back there was an exchange about Particle Physics versus other subjects (involving Roz, naturally) that I found riveting. It mostly sailed over my head, but sent me hunting online for further explanation…
    As for 10A: I started out like Gladys @30, then made a lucky guess.
    Though Neil @14’s take is ingenious, I agree with Muffin @1 about EXIT and TED – and FINGAL wasn’t very cryptic either.
    However, the surfaces to 23A & 19D were delightful.
    Thank you Vulcan and Andrew

43. Thanks for the blog , neat set of clues and seemed just right for a Monday . LIVERY and DEGREE were very good .
    The comments reminded of when student boys would think that student girlies would be impressed by their knowledge of cricket . They were sadly mistaken and it did help me to develop my Paddington stare that I now mainly use for the IT nerds .

44. [ For newer solvers who like a Monday puzzle , the FT is very friendly as well today and I am sure someone on here can put a link or tell you how to find it . ]

45. [re Roz @44, here is a link to today’s FT crossword]

46. [ Thanks Tim , it is just right for people moving on to full cryptics . It is by Mudd who is Paul in the Guardian but a very different style . ]

47. 4d – could somebody please expand on how to understand 60 minutes = one degree?

    12a – where does NEW come from?

48. Hi Steffen @47
    In geometry a degree of arc is divided into 60 minutes; a minute is further divided into 60 seconds (sound familiar?)

    12 is a “reverse” clue. If you take NEW as an anagram indicator, you can get SALERNO from ORLEANS.

49. Thank you muffin @48.

    So for 12a do you just have to pluck that out of thin air, so to speak? It’s not mentioned within the clue that I can see.

    I appreciate the help.

50. Look out for these reverse clues in which part of the solution could be interpreted as an instruction to act on the other part.

51. Steffen @47 To reinforce what muffin has said, by extension of its geometrical use, precise geographical locations are expressed in degrees+minutes+seconds of latitude and longitude, north or south of the equator and east or west of the meridian line. So NEW ORLEANS, for example, is 29°58′34″N 90°4′42″W.

52. @46 Roz. Wow, I would never have guessed that.

53. And 1 minute of latitude is 1 nautical mile ( historically ) so a speed of 60 knots is 1 minute per minute .

54. [ Martin@52 , Paul/Mudd does not tend to show off in the FT . ]

55. Enjoyable and fairly quick solve. Not sure about ‘git’ as synonym for ‘fool’ so wasn’t keen on 28 ac. Favourites NEW ORLEANS and SHOW OF HANDS. Declaw was a new word on me.

56. Hat Trick and its discussion makes more sense now I have looked up its definition: In cricket, a hat-trick occurs when a bowler takes three wickets from three consecutive deliveries. See wikipedia. I thought like Robi@40 it was like the football definition.

    Thanks Vulcan and Andrew

57. Dave @56
    Your link seems to be blocked.
    I’ve been told that the origin of the term hat-trick in sport was that a hat was passed round the spectators for a collection for the player who had achieved it.

58. PaddyMelon @ 31: “exeunt” is the plural of “exit” in Latin, so it is used when several people leave the stage at the same time, rather than just one person leaving

59. Like Lunaa@55, not impressed with git=fool: git has more venom attached, surely. Likewise NAIVE and unpretentious, even though they might co-occur: the former describes experience/history, the latter behaviour. I know, dictionaries/thesauri might support the setter, I’m just expressing my own experience.

60. I might add that “exit” doesn’t mean “leave the auditorium” unless it’s on the EXIT sign. In theater it just means “leave the stage.” (But stick around for your entrance in the next scene.)

61. [gladys @30: Count me among those for whom the cricket pitch is terra incognita. I know HAT TRICK only as a 3-goal outing by an ice hockey player, so I thought the reference might be to the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL. That franchise was founded by the Disney company, adopting the name from their 1992 film The Mighty Ducks. The grid contains other Disney references, at 18A and 14D.]

62. Steffen: I had forgotten that minutes can measure things other than time, and didn’t solve DEGREE.

63. In Canada a hat trick is three goals scored by one player in a hockey game. When it occurs, fans throw their hats onto the ice. I took that meaning and extrapolated it to field hockey (this being a British crossword), thus solving and parsing the clue without any reference to the dreaded cricket. (Coloradan@61, we crossed.)

    My favourite clue was 13 a CERTIFICATE – a good anagram with a surface made even better by NeilH’s delightful story at 14.

    Thanks V&A for the well-calibrated Monday puzzle and blog.

64. I think 16ac is meant to be a lift-and-separate (or whatever we’re calling it now — there seems to have been a terminological revolution a while back, but I didn’t quite follow all the details). “Mendelssohn’s cave” is one definition, and “man” is the other.

    Although I admire NeilH @14’s cleverness regarding 21ac (EXIT), I confess I don’t really believe that it’s what Vulcan meant. I think it’s just a NAACD (a “not at all cryptic definition”).

    Confession of ignorance: Although I know of the existence of Thomas the Tank Engine, I had no idea it was written by someone called Awdry.

65. I’m very late to this discussion, but for me 10a is referring to football, not cricket. A couple of ducks in bingo is 22, which is the number of players on a football field.

66. I found half of this puzzle quite do-able, but frustratingly the general knowledge (mendelhson, cricket, awdry, minutes as movement) meant some disapointing reveals.

    I’ve never come across a reverse clue before either so that was also a weird one!

67. Missed completing the right side

    I thought of HAT TRICK for 10a but couldn’t justify entering it. Like Coloradan@61 and Cellomaniac@63, I know is as scoring three goals in ice hockey, so even if I thought it might apply to soccer (football), I couldn’t imagine how scoring three goals would involve ducks (not scoring any). Nonetheless, I enjoyed the discussion above about various fanciful cricket hat trick scenarios!

    Likewise, I couldn’t enter EXIT because I couldn’t justify “auditorium” in the clue, expecting it to be a soundalike indicator. I don’t buy NeilH’s parsing @14, or “X it”, and if I were to be convinced of Davey’s parsing @29 and Colin H @34, it still doesn’t explain the “auditorium”. I’m afraid it just looks like a poor clue

    I guess I just have to be more willing to enter a solution that seems “obvious” even if I can’t make sense of it

    4a, I think the definition is “this” (not “study”)

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