Guardian Cryptic crossword No 29,712 by Imogen

76 comments on “Guardian Cryptic crossword No 29,712 by Imogen”

1. Agree with manehi that this was quite tricky at times. Took me a while to get started. Thought of POLO quite quickly, but hesitated to enter it as water polo is the water sport and I’ve never heard a polo shirt referred to as just a polo, but the fine GESTURE POLITICS and OBEYED confirmed it. Lots to enjoy, including WAITING FOR GODOT, GOGOL and DADAIST, Thanks to Imogen and manehi

2. A wonderful Imogen puzzle (as always). My favourites were PRIAPIC and WAITING FOR GODOT, typically witty Imogen clues. Many thanks to I & m.

3. IMPAIR I had no idea this is the French word for ODD – bit of a stretch to expect us to know this.

   Apart from that, all parsed.

   Thanks both

4. Found this tricky too, but in a good way. I too didn’t know the French meaning of “impair”, so didn’t fully parse 14. Plenty of nicely amusing surfaces though, such as the sex-obsessed couple being shot. Thanks much to Imogen and manehi for exemplary work.

5. In the main this was a steady, satisfying solve. But it took an age for me to see WITHDRAWING, which in turn eventually unlocked the NW corner. Had to look PRIAPIC up to check that my last one in was in fact correct.

6. Dave@3 and moh@4 – in the game of Roulette, the French terms Pair and Impair are used for bets placed on even and odd numbers respectively.

7. Duolingo hasn’t got me to impair for odd yet, so that’s a new one today. I thought this was fantastic with so many witty clues like PRIAPIC, WAITING FOR GODOT, TAPAS and the groan worthy INCISORS. Someone on the G site has hinted at a theme, but I can’t see it for now. Such a classy puzzle.

   Ta Imogen & manehi.

8. Good challenge.

   I couldn’t fully parse 1ac – the WITH bit.

   Larry@6 – that is how I remembered IMPAIR = odd (as opposed to even number) from playing roulette as a child 🙂 AlanC@7 – I have studied several languages at duolingo including French – they are not big on roulette there 😉

9. I did notice a number of words where the vowels are repeated – GODOT, POLO, GOGOL, DADAIST, TAPAS, ALFALFA and PAGODA but perhaps just coincidence.
   michelle @8: 😊

10. Worth the entrance fee for ‘WAITING FOR GODOT’. Thank you Imogen and manehi

11. For ROWED I parsed ‘one day’ as WE (‘one’, as in the Royal ‘we’) + D for day, but Wednesday makes more sense. Struggled a little with ALISTER – presumably not a double def, as the second would be (1,6), so the def is ‘a name of Scots’, unless it’s an &Lit? Lots to like though, loved WAITING FOR GODOT, TAPAS and PRIAPIC especially.

12. Re. 14a, impair in French simply means ‘odd’ in the sense of weird, strange, so bringing its niche use in roulette to denote an odd number into the parsing just seems to muddy the waters unnecessarily. Meanwhile, for those from parts of the world unadjacent to France, where French is not taught as a second language, and who do not frequent casinos, it may be considered somewhat recherché.

13. Perhaps predictably, another tick for WAITING FOR GODOT from me and, like Redrodney, I struggled a bit with ALISTER. For some reason, the A-list idea of celebs simply does not stick in my mind. TAPAS is very neat, I smiled at INCISORS and was relieved when I finally made sense of CACKLES. GESTURE POLITICS is not a phrase that came readily to mind – it was last one in – and SKUNK felt a tad same-sidey: the weed was named after the creature because it smells strongly.

    Thanks Imogen and manehi

14. Balfour@12. In fact pair and impair translate as even and odd. After over 50 years in France I’ve yet to encounter impair in the sense of strange.

15. Very enjoyable, though I agree with the doubts about SKUNK and POLO. I had SPAWNS for SPARKS for a while.

16. Balfour@12 I don’t think that’s correct. Impair is French for ‘odd’ in the sense of an odd number in any context, not just in roulette

17. We’ve encountered valse impair, for a 5, 8 or 11 time waltz, and also sens impair on level crossings, which apparently describes whether the train comes from Paris, or goes to Paris

18. I did a French degree and in my experience, the primary meanings of “pair” and “impair” are even and odd. Not that I noticed that when the need arose this morning. It was a confident entry, though. I mucked up DECLAIM, initially putting in declare but that was soon sorted.

    I thought this was great fun. The two big columns are excellent, but then so many are. Imogen might be my favourite.

    Top Tip: When spelling FUCHSIA without the aid of crossers, remember that the flower was named after a German botanist called Leonard Fuchs (by a French botanist called Charles Plumier). My front hedge is full of the stuff and the bees love it.

19. Ta I&M. Very well crafted imo.

    I had R + OWE (as in you might be ‘over’ budget or overdrawn at the bank) and D (one day). Looks like a fluke FWIW but ROWED was clearly the argument hinted to in the definition.

    Also jammed ALISTER for thinking there was a Scottish celebrity called Lister I’d just not heard of.

    Thought it was a reach for stage to be a valid shortening of stagecoach, or impair being French one might know; nonetheless enough there not to derail the puzzle.

    And of course if you don’t know Gogol you can google Gogol, and if you can’t do that maybe you can Gogol Google…

20. Agree with others that PRIAPIC was inspired, an arresting surface that also tickled the brain into pair/impair mode. I’m just surprised that Mr Browne (Imogen/Vulcan) didn’t save kindles/SPARKS for a self-referential Vulcan clue. Thank you I&m

21. As someone with A level French, who gets by very well whenever I visit France, so presumably above average in terms of understanding the language, I’ve never heard of ‘impair’. I’ve never played roulette, in common with a significant proportion of the population, so that reference to impair is not within my life experience. All in all, pas un good clue.

22. Entertaining puzzle with WAITING FOR GODOT being my favourite too. I’m not sure I understand the definition for REINSTALL — wouldn’t the problem be fixed by reinstalment? Or can REINSTALL be a noun?

    Tachi @19, “stage” for stagecoach: Oh, the Deadwood stage is a-rollin’ on over the plains…

    Thanks Imogen and manehi.

23. I’ve never played roulette – the house always wins, slow or fast depending on how fixed the wheel is – but I’ve seen it enough in films to know about IMPAIR so I think that’s a reasonable reference, similar to the many cricketing terms that regularly come up. A good crossword, with WAITING FOR GODOT the pick, so thanks Imogen and manehi.

24. Imogen can be tougher than this, but it was tricky enough. I missed the groanworthy “inn sizers” so INCISORS went in unparsed, as did WAITING FOR GODOT (my parsing went no further than WAITING: I like it now I’ve seen it). Other favourites PRIAPIC for a splendid surface, PROVENANCE for the way the surface hints at the kind of history we’re looking for, ALFALFA, the splendid anagram for GESTURE POLITICS.

    The FUCHSIA was named after Herr Fuchs, a German botanist, but like most people I pronounce it few-sha, and therefore have to think twice before spelling it (fuschia? No…)

25. I didn’t have a problem with IMPAIR as I vaguely remembered it by analogy with Spanish ‘impar’, but perhaps it’s a bit niche. I did hesitate on the WITH of 1a, but the crossers convinced me. Otherwise very smooth sailing.

26. I thought I had reasonable French but IMPAIR is not in my vocabulary..
    I think this must be the first time I’ve ever seen ALISTER in a crossword in any spelling.

27. poc@25: with=taking made me stop and think too: I don’t go for the “accompanying” explanation, but someone might go to an art class with (taking) a drawing. Bit of a stretch, I agree.

28. With IMPAIR, I thought of mrpenney and his distaste for French words but then realised, like larry @6, about its use in roulette, so I think it’s fair game. A bit of a struggle, as is usual with Imogen but the light-bulb moments were satisfying. I liked PROVENANCE, where the expert was not a pro, which led me down the garden path at first, the wordplays for DADAIST and GASKET, and WAITING FOR GODOT at the traffic lights.

    BTW, in case anyone doesn’t know: The name “Google” originated from a misspelling of “googol.

    Thanks Imogen and manehi.

29. Interestingly I found this easier going than yesterday, possibly helped by spotting IMPAIRMENT straightaway. I remembered a similar discussion about ‘pair/impair’, roulette et la langue française fairly recently. Having an impairment and spending time in the high rises of les quatiers populaires, I do know the terms. You need them to pick the right lift.

    I was derailed by entering LIGHTS for ‘kindles’ on the assumption that ‘aboard’ could be split to read ‘kindles, deposit (put aside) ‘a’ (from) ‘board ship’ (alights)’. Silly, but not impossible.

    Thanks Imogen and Manehi.

30. Thanks Lord Jim @22, I’ve only ever heard the name of the song Deadwood Stage; I assumed with it being a showtune, it was just about singing and performing on a stage in a bar in Deadwood…

31. @29 Roberto me too for the experience of today vs yesterday.

32. One person’s GK is another’s obscurity. IMPAIR was perfectly familiar to me, although I can understand that some will know it only from roulette, and others not at all. Conversely, many references to flowers, animals, and cricket are obscure to me, but I accept that they are within others’ compass.

    Similarly, today GOGOL and GODOT were within my GK, but KC left me with 18D unparsed.

33. When 1A went in immediately, I thought I was in for an easy morning. When nothing else clicked until 24A, I was disabused of that notion. Fortunately the down clues yielded more crossers, and eventually the grid was filled.

    By coincidence, Specious Glitter is also the name of my 1970s Glam Rock tribute band.

34. Lord Jim@22
    REINSTALL

    An app may require a reinstall if it has been uninstalled or if there’s a problem with the app’s installation.

    Reinstall is also a noun in computerspeak.

35. Being French I had IMPAIRMENT put in after a quick first scan.
    I must be progressing as I completed it in forty minutes. I know not that fast but fast for me.

    I thought it was a very well designed, witty puzzle. You have to admire the setter’s skills.

36. A fun afternoon for me.
    The four longer ones went in first, getting me off to a flyer. 15 my favourite.
    Priapic unknown to me

37. Thanks for the blog , a steady solve but once I put the Downs in the grid was very helpful . A very good set of neat and clever clues .
    WAITING FOR GODOT could have used a full stop instead of the comma and ditched the spot . POLO a bit of a stretch for both definitions , but Chambers93 gives cover .

    [ AlanC@7 , look closely at the diagonals , the theme is great players from KPR . ]

38. Thanks Imogen and manehi
    When, taking the clues in order, THE CRUSADES was FOI I thought I was in for a challenge, but in fact it all went steadily thereafter. I too was puzzled by the WITH in 1a
    Favourites INN SIZERS!
    I don’t think I’ve seen ALISTER as a name – Alistair or variants would be more common?

39. I enjoyed this but I didn’t know IMPAIR which was un peu trop obscur pour mon francais!

40. Thanks KVa @34. It’s not in any of my paper dictionaries as a noun — maybe too recent?

41. @23 brian Yes, same goes for all gambling. The triumph of hope over experience. I would really like to see gambling advertising banned. I’m sure the maths behind it is taught in schools but maybe it should be done at an earlier age, as one of the “facts of life”. The more you play, the more you lose.
    I once saw a production of WAITING FOR GODOT in a big theatre at Stirling University one summer. I was half the audience! To the actors’ credit, the show went on and we all had fun.
    Fun crossword. Favourite PRIAPIC (“taken out and shot” – brilliant)

42. Great crossword and blog, so thanks to both.
    [Roz @37 – I am not seeing anything in the diagonals – could you enlighten this slow witted solver ?]

43. I very much enjoyed this but thought 1 across clue should have been retiring rather than retirement to fit the excellent wordplay better. I also tripped myself up with hose instead of polo so couldn’t see obeyed

    Thank you to maheni and Imogen

44. [Simon @42
    On the whole, you have to take Roz’s “themes” with a large pinch of salt. In particular, any reference to KPR!]

45. Folks might remember (with this reminder, at least) that back in April Imogen clued PAIR as “even in France”. There was a similar discussion then to today’s comments about IMPAIR. It didn’t seem to discourage him, apparently.

46. Great work Dr WHatsOn! You tried to nip it in the bud last time too, to no avail. I vaguely remember some of those comments now – “the number of clues that involve drinking, drugs and gambling”. Special credit to Poc @25 who got to PAIR/IMPAIR from the Spanish on both occasions.

47. Lord Jim@40
    REINSTALL
    Even the reputed online dictionaries don’t show REINSTALL as a noun.

    I have seen the word used as a noun in some formal contexts. That’s not
    proof enough.

    this is the only
    dictionary support I could find.

48. Very pleased to get to this end of this in a couple of sessions today. Very smooth and enjoyable surfaces all over the grid, with PRIAPIC, WAITING FOR GODOT, REINSTALL, and GASKET among my favourites. Many thanks IMOGEN and manehi.

49. [muffin @44. Thank you].

50. [You are welcome Simon @49. Where is Bxl?]

51. muffin @ 50 BXL is the code for the airport we know as Brussels, ie Bruxelles

52. A very satisfying solve. We particularly liked WAITING FOR GODOT. That’s all three crosswords successfully completed on the day so far this week. Mind you, we’re still struggling through last Friday’s Paul. Thanks Imogen and Manehi

53. Thanks SimonS. I assume you aren’t SimoninBxl, so he lives in an airport? Did they make a film about him (with Tom Hanks?)? (There’s a justification for two ?s!)

54. muffin, no, I am not he

55. [On REINSTALL: if words/usages found only in foreign-language dictionaries are legit, why not also those found only in tech-writing lexicons (where nominalization of verbs is common)? And here’s Phi/Pangakupu from a recent Indy blog: “It [vraisemblance] deserves a REBOOT in these days of virtual reality, surely?”]

56. Roz @37. Good spot… Liked that.

57. [Roz @37: minx 🤣]

58. First Imogen I’ve finished without cheating, so delighted to see that others found it tricky. Lots of excellent clues, but Waiting for Godot outstanding.

59. I still think WAITING FOR GODOT could have been more devious and more concise .
    Sitting at the traffic lights . Some drama

    Simon@42 ( you should know the answer to everything ) , Chargehand and AlanC , I can assure you that every great KPR player is there .

60. Late today. I see the objection to French* has already been made on my behalf (Robi @28) so I needn’t repeat it. But I do have an anecdote. A friend in my college theatre group reported that upon the death of Beckett, her local newscaster actually said, “The writer was best known for his play ‘Waiting for the Go Dot’.” Our clue today was basically that.

    *specifically French beyond what a reasonably well-educated monoglot speaker of English might be expected to know. I have no objection to je, oui, le, and words like that.

61. I didn’t find this all that hard for an Imogen, but it kept me well entertained on a flight home from Madrid. Lots to like as others have said. Favourites were the long downs.

62. Thank you, manehi!
    I finished this crossword, but worked out many words from definition and crossers. Sometimes it was rather a guess… The blog helped me figure it out. There were many abbreviations I didn’t know, e.g. CRU, KC, OBE.

    Some of the clues I did parsed made me smile: PRIAPIC, WITHDRAWING.

    Thanks everybody

63. I like the play on foreign words, like “french fish” and “East German” we had recently.
    But I understand those who groan.

64. Much fun.
    [ WITHDRAWING and PRIAPIC take me right back to a school performance of Lysistrata. As fourteen year old boys, we were highly amused by the special clothing “props” utilised. ]

65. Absolutely brutal in terms of difficulty for me.

    6d and 16d were solved.

66. Steffen @65 – if I may say so, you’re sure to find it easier, and more satisfying, as time goes on. As one of our climbing friends says, the only failure is in no longer trying!

67. Roz @37 please elaborate. I’ve looked up KPR in an acronym finder and doubt you refer to Kansas Public Radio or Kentucky Population Research?
    Pleased to finish this one, a rarity for me. Actually I spelt skunk wrong (I thought it was scunk, don’t ask why) so I didn’t really finish it. But great crossword Imogen, as ever. Genius. I wondered whether Becket, Dadaist, Zeus (Sisyphus), Gogol, Gauguin all have absurdist overtones?

68. JohnB@67
    AlanC is a fan of Queens Park Rangers (QPR) Football Club and Roz used to rib him about their lack of success. When the Queen died and was succeeded by the King Roz changed the initials to KPR though the club didn’t. A private joke, shared with the 15sq community.

69. Thanks!

70. [Muffin @53. I usually live in Brussels but am currently 1100 kms further south.]

71. The complaints about French are becoming as repetitive and predictable as the homophone grudges. It’s only a matter of time before Imogen constructs a Spoonerism in French and then we can take him out and burn him at the stake. (Only kidding, Imogen. We love you really. ♥️)

    For what it’s worth, I enjoyed the challenge and completed it 24 hours after everyone because of being on holiday. Normal behaviour will start again soon, ie completing in 24 hours because of brain fade. 😀

72. I don’t think anyone has mentioned how similar the word PROVENANCE is to the French department Provence, with which he is associated through his paintings and his relationship with Van Gogh.

    I wonder if Imogen set out to write a clue based on this but felt it was more like a Vulcan? Or did he just use Gauguin for the letter N because of the similarity?

73. Robi, 28,

    I thought that it was a contraction of “go ogle”

    Cheers all.

74. [ I for one thoroughly enjoy the KPR byplay between Roz and AlanC, and I got Roz’s theme reference very quickly. ]

75. Struggled with this and gave up with half completed. IMPAIR is in my vocabulary, but it didn’t help!

76. I’m now just one month behind. Catching up to the present day little by little!

Comments are closed.