Guardian Prize 29,715 / Matilda

55 comments on “Guardian Prize 29,715 / Matilda”

1. Not seen many puzzles by Matilda

   Favourites: PENELOPE, REPATRIATION, DEIGN, TIGER PRAWN, BUDGERIGAR, GODIVA

   Thanks Matilda and Eileen

2. I had a deja vu moment when solving GREENGAGES but forgot about it until reading through Eileen’s blog, and have now looked it up. It was in this one from Philistine in 2021, a very similar clue. Obviously I’m not suggesting it’s been copied, it’s just two setters getting a similar idea.

   LAID UP is cleverly done – it got my head in a whirl, with that little connecting word ‘in’ performing an important part. Not sure I like ’12G?’ very much – it reminds me of Araucaria’s style a little, but without that “oh, of course” feeling when solving. I think ’12’ as the definition being stuck to ‘G?’ the wordplay seems a bit artificial. Probably being too picky.

   Thanks to Matilda for an enjoyable solve, and Eileen for a thorough blog. (Your comment about the unexpectedly uncomplicated nature of the clue for 12a rang a bell with me!)

3. An Eileen blog two days in a row! What a treat! Thanks to her, and to Matilda for a very satisfying and enjoyable puzzle. I had ticks for 1a PENELOPE, 1,2d PINE NUTS, 6d MIDNIGHT (I thought it was good, sheffield hatter@2, and not too contrived as far as I was concerned), 17d INITIATE AND 20d GODIVA, a couple of which have already been highlighted by Eileen and Fiona@1. Lots of fun, held up only by carelessly putting in EXPATRIATION instead of REPATRIATION for 21a. Soon saw my error once I solved 13d BUDGERIGAR, after which all was well in my world.

4. While I had TIGER PRAWN as the solution, I couldn’t fit the ‘Strict’ part in the parsing, till I thought of Tiger Moms. But I am not yet sure that’s the right way to parse ‘Strict’.

   Loved 6d(12G?)- it was COTD for me with 12a very close behind. Overall, a quick but very enjoyable puzzle.

   Thanks, Matilda and Eileen

5. I like that Prize puzzles aren’t always the most difficult of the week, to give more people opportunities to complete them.

   The mole wasn’t a problem for me after A-level chemistry. Or was it introduced at O-level? Yes. Well, it was whenever I had a memory that worked.

   I understand sh@2’s feelings about “12G?” I think it’s because 12G isn’t a (common) thing in its own right.

   Anyway, liked the puzzle. Tx M&E

6. Liked UNIT, REPATRIATION, SENTIMENTALLY and INITIATE.
   Thanks Matilda and Eileen.

   WordSDrove@4
   TIGER PRAWN
   I find three different expressions for carnivores of tiger types:
   true, strict and obligate. TIGER is a strict carnivore.

   UNIT
   Most people have likely seen ‘mol/mmol’ in their blood test reports.
   mol is mole.

7. Don’t think I’ve actually seen a Barbie, but 4d was evocative: a chap at my alma mater did a PhD on the Barbie phenomenon, then there was the Marty Robbins song, and the Jimmy Buffet crustacean version. All good fun, smooth puzzle, cheers Matilda and Eileen.

8. Perhaps not the intended reference, but I noted that Collins defines a “tiger mother” as a “strict mother” with a citation to the 2011 book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by American author Amy Chua.
   Very nice puzzle, thanks Matilda and Eileen.

9. KVa @ 6, Thank you. A learning.

10. Thanks for the blog , very good set of clues with variety and clever ideas . NUTRIENT has very neat use of fission , REPATRIATION and NULLIFIED flow so smoothly . Only MONETISING was slightly weak , good wordplay though .

    The MOLE is one of the seven base SI units , the reference to carbon-12 has now gone from the definition and the Avogadro Constant has been assigned an EXACT value . It was changed in 2019 .

11. Thanks Matilda and Eileen
    I took longer to see UNIT than I should have – ‘O’ level chemistry, DrWhatson. Otherwise straightforward.
    GinF
    The Barbie film is worth seeing. It’s very funny in places, especially the opening!

12. Really engaging and fun crossword.

    One smile after another with these clues.

    I particularly liked GREENGAGES and NIGHT (12G).

    The bananas in 1/2D were also a neat misdirection, as I assumed I would be looking for an anagram.

13. A nice waltz from Matilda.

    Are there any other significant constants capable of having an exactly (i.e. to a finite number of places) defined value, Roz?

    Thanks all.

14. I had too much time on my hands after finishing this and started looking for a numbers theme (one in monetising and eight in freighters), number synonyms (null in nullified and rien in nutrients) and finally names (Pat, Ben, Ken and Ann) before deciding there was none. Rien. Null.
    An enjoyable solve – thanks both.

15. I did not understand 15ac the mole bit. Thanks for explaining, Eileen.

16. Enjoyable and at a comfortable level of difficulty, with clues like those for GODIVA and SUBCONTINENT that brought out a chuckle. I did like 12G, which started with a ‘huh?’ then ‘what’s that got to do with SUBCONTINENT?’ and ended with an ‘oh, it’s as simple as that!’. Thanks Matilda, thanks Eileen.

17. A nice puzzle which I would have thoroughly enjoyed but for a dreadful own goal.

    Had got GREENGAGES early on: a really neat clue. But I got in a muddle with the intersecting 13D. Somehow I thought it might be an anagram (Anagrind: RARE) of SHIFTGEAR + T (starting TO) and had a grunt of satisfaction when finding that TARGETFISH was indeed a creature. Doh! I needed a bird not a fish.

    Making the blunder in such a prominent place did not go well and it was a long time before I realised I had the wrong first letters in the grid for four across clues.

    The clue to MIDNIGHT was superb. Many thanks, Matilda

18. Six decades have passed since undergrad Chem, Roz @10, but my memory is of mole defined solely in terms of Avogadro’s num (something times 10 to the 23rd ?). But, long ago, as I said, so …

19. I cannot see an explanation for 6D ‘ – ‘Mignight’ – can anybody help me out ?

20. Dr. WhatsOn@5. Yes, “12G” not being a thing probably describes my feelings about that clue. Also that 12 does not define MIDNIGHT, it is either noon or midnight. But that’s what I meant @2 when I said I was being too picky. 🤔😄

21. I have a soft spot for Matilda as her Quiptics were always so good when I was just a beginner. Godiva, GREENGAGES and UNIT were my favourites.

22. David@19 , it is Mid ( centre ) of niGht

23. David @19: Read it as 12 and the letter g. G is the mid(dle) letter of niGht, and 12 can be midnight (or noon as pointed out) – so MIDNIGHT.

    Of course in 24hr clock midnight is 00:00…

24. Grant@18 , yes a mole contains the Avogadro number but this number itself was MEASURED from the properties of carbon-12 . The number is now DEFINED to be an exact value , the new SI way , see below .

    Etu@13 SI units used to be defined from measurement leading to constants that were accurate but still some uncertainty , the new way is to DEFINE the constants exactly and base the units on these . Avogadro’s Number is now exactly 6.02214076 x 10^23 and 1 MOLE contains this number . There are seven defining constants , four more you may have heard of . Planck’s constant h . Elementary charge e . Speed of light c . Boltzmann’s constant k . All given EXACT values .

25. Roz@24: I think the second is also defined as fundamental (in terms of a transition frequency of the caesium atom).

26. Yes Poc nearly , the second is a base unit from a defining constant – the hyperfine transition frequency of caesium now has an exact value 9.192631770 GHz – I left that one because it is a bit obscure .
    Also the candela which I refuse to discuss because it is complete nonsense .

27. Roz@26
    Candela is not complete nonsense; it is a kind of lysimachia of which I have a clump in my garden.

28. Nice puzzle. Quite an easy solve. I just had one issue with the clues which turned out to be my fault. I missed the ‘?’ in 12c, so I was convinced that it must be a place IN India, rather than a description of India. Last clue, so eventually gave up trying to think of a place name and used a word-finder on the crossers to find the solution. I thought that 12G was fine. I have seen that device before.

29. SUBCONTINENT and the PINK CAR NATION, the potential parasite and the tax objector made me smile: Matilda is a witty setter. I remembered that a mole is a unit, though I don’t think I could have said what it’s a unit of, so thanks to various people for the explanation. I also liked the neat clues for GHANA, SET EYES ON and SYCAMORE.

    I’d add IN-IT-I-ATE to the little group of classic clues that bear repeating.

30. A fun solve with some witty clues. I liked the ‘food interchange’ of NUTRIENTS, the chambers involved in protein synthesis for REPATRIATION, the long bananas of PINE NUTS, the poorly seen LAID EYES ON, and Matilda playing tennis for SENTIMENTALLY. I wondered about the ‘strict’ carnivore; it would seem the clue didn’t need strict but here is a definition: Strict Carnivore: An animal that eats almost exclusively meat, with minimal or no intake of plant matter.

    Thanks Matilda and Eileen.

31. Our only problem was 22d – MISO is not a soup per se but an ingredient and, relative beginners that we are, we think that the clue should have indicated that in some way. We are happy to be told otherwise with other examples!

    But all in all a very enjoyable few hours solving it all and despite our grizzles we did use miso as the answer.

    Thanks to Matilda and Eileen

32. Thanks Matilda and Eileen. As a newer solver I agree with Eileen it was quite good to try it; absence of the Check button helps immensely with the discipline. I managed to complete it, albeit aided a lot by various internet tools. Lots of very nice clues, eg PENELOPE, FREIGHTERS (on which I spent ages, thinking of something like “ants”) and the tax objector. A number of entries I NHO, like BUDGERIGAR, GREENGAGES and PINK CARNATION.

33. Wulyum @31 – when I googled ‘miso’, I found lots of recipes for miso soup (using miso paste). Here’s one from a site I use a lot:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/springmisosoup_72270

34. This was a pleasure to solve. I came to a temporary stop in the bottom left corner, but when I studied the clues properly the three long words went in and I completed the puzzle.

    Thanks to Matilda and Eileen, and to all the commenters who made this an interesting blog to read.

35. Eileen, I think the point was that if the clue was ‘soup’, you wouldn’t expect the answer to be TOMATO or LENTIL or CHICKEN. MISO is an ingredient in miso soup, just like lentils in lentil soup. The soup itself is not miso, it’s miso soup. (Personally I don’t think this is more than a minor quibble, using my test, “how much time was I held up”, answer “less than a second )

36. sheffield hatter – I know, I realised that as soon as I’d let the edit time run out. Apologies to Wulyum.
    Not thinking straight – I’m preoccupied watching my team’s tussle at Twickenham.

37. Eileen@33 – of course – I drink a lot of it myself but… in the end miso isn’t soup, just an ingredient or flavour of a particular soup.
    I did ask some expert solver friends if the clue shouldn’t have ended with a ? or some other device – they thought not. But in my ignorance I’m still curious about the wordplay logic here…

38. Wulyum @ 37 – please see me @36.

39. [Eileen @36
    I don’t support either, but I was incensed by the Cole yellow card – it wasn’t even a penalty!]

40. Eileen@36: I’ve just come home from doing my shopping in Twickenham during the short window of opportunity while your team are actually playing.

41. Thanks Matilda and Eileen. Another beneficiary of your gloss of SUBCONTINENT. To account for the possessive in 4, I took the whole phrase “Barbie’s motor world” as a unit — almost a 2nd definition, PINK CAR NATION — designating a distinctive cohort along the lines of Woodstock Nation or Wizarding World. But this may not differ all that much from your reading. Happy No Kings Day all!

42. muffin and gladys
    Hard to bear, as my husband used to say.

43. [muffin @39 Are you serious? But that is not a matter for this site.]

44. [Balfour @43
    I agree that it’s not appropriate here, but Cole was in the air before Russell kicked it – how is he supposed to change direction?]

45. [I’m at Headingley right now, watching some proper rugby.]

46. sheffield hatter@45
    The last (and only) time I watched a rugby match at Headingley Lewis Jones was demonstrating why he was one of the greatest ever players of either code!

47. [Pino, his last game for Leeds was in 1964! I reckon he’d have enjoyed today’s game.]

48. [Congrats, Sir Billy Boston!]

49. A bit late, just just wanted to agree with many blogs expressing thanks for a gentle but most entertaining puzzle. In particular, we enjoyed SUBCONTINENT, REPATRIATION, PINK CARNATION, MIDNIGHT, SENTIMENTALLY and INITIATE.
    Thanks be to M and E.
    This seems most churlish, but Eileen please note typo in line 6 of blog: 20 not 19dn.

50. Marser @49

    Thank you for your observation. To my chagrin, I note that line 4 of the preamble is even more of a dog’s breakfast than you thought.
    It should read:
    ’11ac, 19ac (for which the solution was DOWN!) and 26ac (not 19 – or 20dn)’.
    For the sake of the archive, I will amend it now.

51. I meant ‘Line 6’, of course.

52. More Matilda, please. And thanks, Eileen, for another great blog.

    Re 6d MIDNIGHT, that 12 can be noon or midnight is not a flaw. Gee, I wonder which one it might be?
    And 12G is not nonsensical; it anticipates 7 more generations of wireless technology. That was my favourite among many excellent clues.

53. Cellomaniac

    🙂

54. Thank you, Eileen. All is now well!

55. Cellomaniac@52. I think I’m the only one commenting here who didn’t like 6d “12G”, so I appreciated “gee, which one can it be?” 🙂

    As it was a reverse clue, I solved it backwards. With a couple of crossers, it had to be (MID)NIGHT, a device that’s been used before (thanks John@28). Separating the 12 from the G was then obvious, but it took me ages to see 12 as MIDNIGHT. I only said I didn’t like it much! I never said it was flawed, it’s plainly me that’s flawed.

    I remember the first reverse clue I ever saw (or solved). It was “Nommag” (10).

    Was it Araucaria? It was almost certainly before 15 Squared, but I’m prepared to be contradicted on that – time has been behaving strangely the last 20 years or so. I thought it was so good – funny and original – that it’s stuck with me for the last two/three/four surely not five decades.

    Why did that work for me and not 12G? It’s just a personal thing, I guess. One of them struck a chord and the other one didn’t. One seemed organic and the other artificial. One flowed while the other was strained. Who knows?

    Seven more generations of wireless technology? What’s not to like about that? 🙂

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