It is a Paul Prize Puzzle but, on a quick first inspection, no multi-light clues or cross-referencing…something strange must be afoot…
It took a little while, but I slowly realised that there was something going on – the second definition for 12A WIGGLY as ‘like a toupee’ was Paul-esque and a bit punny…eliciting a slight eyebrow raise. Then FRANK-LY as ‘like Ol’ Blue Eyes’. And so on…
In the end there were seven of them – all punning double definitions, with the ‘proper’ definition first, a hyphen and then the pun-tastic adjectival version, some amusing-ly, some a little stretch-ly and, I am going to hazard a guess, some quite marmite-ly (;+>)
There was plenty of normal stuff going on as well – I enjoyed the ‘funny shaped coronet’ for 23 OCTAHEDRON; the ‘fluid melting a bond’ for 14A LIGAMENT; and the fibre shown by the journo in 24D JUTE (some fibre being shown by some ‘journo’s at the WSJ today?!…).
And quite a few regular double definitions – JOHN, FLEECE and GO TO BLAZES – the latter my LBOI (last but one in). I may be showing my age/cultural desertification, but my first synaptic connection from ‘Green Goddess’ was the lycra-clad aerobics instructor, Diana Moran, on mid-80’s breakfast TV – the cultural grandmother of Joe Wicks, or whatever the modern incarnation is called these days… In my defence, I was living abroad through most of the 70s, and too young to remember the Army’s ‘Green Goddess‘ fire engines being called into action every time Arthur Scargill called the binmen out on strike…
Lastly, I spotted ‘N I N A’ at the start of the third row – a coincidence, or a subtle nudge for anyone who hadn’t spotted it already?…
I will butter my toast without marmite on Saturday morning, having quite enjoyed this – my thanks to Paul for the eyebrow exercise – and wait for the comments below to crystallise opinion.
[No golfing I am afraid, as I am just coming out of the back end of a nasty bout of Covid this week – I know, how retro! Who even tests for it these day?! Well, those with caring responsibilities and asthmatic-ly vulnerabilities. Thank heavens for the NHS, Symbicort and those 8 little Prednisolone tablets once-a-day…]
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution / Entry | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
| 7A | READJUST | Modify scan only (8)
READ (scan) + JUST (only) |
| 9A | GLOBAL | Round pitch circled by demoiselle (6)
G_AL (girl, mademoiselle) around (circling) LOB (pitch, throw upwards) |
| 10A | JOHN | Boy, ladies or gentlemen (4)
double def. – JOHN is a boy’s name; and the JOHN could be the ladies’ or gents’ toilets |
| 11A | GENERATION | Building, one made with granite (10)
anag, i.e. made of ONE with GRANITE |
| 12A | WIGGLY | Not glued on properly – like a toupee? (6)
thematic punning double defn – if something is not stuck on properly, it might be WIGGLY; and is something is like a wig, or toupee, then it might be WIG-GLY! [the first of many!] |
| 14A | LIGAMENT | Fluid melting a bond (8)
anag, i.e. fluid, of A MELTING |
| 15A | LACTOSE | Forget about rule, sweet thing (7)
L_OSE (forget) around ACT (rule, edict) |
| 17A | FRANKLY | In truth – like Ol’ Blue Eyes, say? (7)
thematic punning double defn – FRANKLY can mean ‘in truth’; and if someone is like Frank Sinatra, Ol’ Blue Eyes, they might be FRANK-LY! |
| 20A | STUB NAIL | Short tack with which dawdler secures bath (4,4)
S_NAIL (dawdler) around (securing) TUB (bath) |
| 22A | GOOGLY | Delivery – like a Tech giant? (6)
another thematic punning double defn – a GOOGLY is a bowling delivery style in cricket; and if something is like Google, the tech giant, they might be GOOGL-Y |
| 23A | OCTAHEDRON | Coronet had funny shape (10)
anag, i.e. funny, of CORONET HAD |
| 24A | JAIN | Indian prayer, one written in month (4)
JA_N (January, month) around I (one) |
| 25A | FLEECE | Skin in warm coat (6)
regular double defn! – to FLEECE can be to skin, or swindle someone; and a FLEECE can be a warm coat |
| 26A | TELETHON | Fundraiser, figure touring African country, so withdrawn (8)
TE_N (figure, number) around (touring) LE( |
| Down | ||
| Clue No | Solution / Entry | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
| 1D | SENORITA | Miss head of target, reason I shot (8)
anag, i.e. shot, of T (first letter, or head, of Target) + REASON I |
| 2D | ODIN | War god’s absolute peace? (4)
if there is absolute peace, then there is O (zero) DIN (noise)! |
| 3D | JUNGLY | Thick and lush – like a shrink? (6)
thematic punning double defn – JUNGLY can mean thick and lush, like a jungle; and Carl Jung was a psychoanalyst, or shrink, so someone who is like him might be JUNG-LY |
| 4D | AGAR-AGAR | Jelly a kid served up more than once (4-4)
A + GAR (rag, kid/tease, served up, in a Down clue), more than once = AGAR-AGAR |
| 5D | PORTAMENTO | Slide on trombone perhaps more apt, not surprisingly (10)
anag, i.e. surprisingly, of MORE APT MOT |
| 6D | MAROON | Beach where primate has buried marsupial (6)
MA_N (primate) around (burying) ROO (kangaroo, marsupial) |
| 8D | TANGLY | Confused – like a Chinese dynasty? (6)
yet anotherthematic punning double defn. – TANGLY can mean confused, either mentally – ideas – or physically – wires); and if something is like the Tang dynasty (China, 619-907 AD), it might be TANG-LY |
| 13D | GO TO BLAZES | Eat my shorts, as would green goddess? (2,2,6)
regular double defn. – one of Bart Simpson’s catchphrases is ‘Eat my shorts’, meaning get lost, or GO TO BLAZES; and the Army’s Green Goddess fire engines would usually GO TO BLAZES, either on Army properties, or when filling for striking firemen |
| 16D | SLAVERED | Unpaid worker given wine was drooling (8)
SLAVE (unpaid worker) + RED (wine) |
| 18D | LOLLIPOP | Chill last of frascati and crack open something sweet (8)
LOLL (laze around, chill) + I (last of frascatI) + POP (crack open) |
| 19D | CLARET | Gore arising in Mediterranean island shortly, blood (6)
C_RET( |
| 21D | TICKLY | Irritating – like a parasite? (6)
thematic punning double defn – TICKLY can mean irritating, often of a cough; and if something is like a tick, a kind of parasite, it might be TICK-LY |
| 22D | GANGLY | Lanky – like the mob? (6)
thematic punning double defn (last one!) – GANGLY means lanky, gawky; and if something is like a gang, or mob, it might be GANG-LY |
| 24D | JUTE | Fibre shown by journo under tough editor, originally (4)
original letters of ‘Journo Under Tough Editor’ |
We finished this puzzle quite easily (especially for a Paul prize), but verily it was entertaining with a typically Paul clue at 10, a nod to Bart at 13 and a disproportionately high number of adverbs (of a type)!
Funnily, my first two entries were 3 and 8, suggesting the theme, which we hope sends a message to those who habitually, inappropriately, lazily or unknowingly omit ‘ly’ finally from words, (surely not Guardian readers!)
Our favourites were READJUST, WIGGLY, LIGAMENT, GOOGLY, SENORITA, JUNGLY, TICKLY and lastly, but not leastly CLARET.
Thanks to P and mc.
Thanks mc_rapper67. When I saw Paul was the setter my heart sank a little and I braced myself for an ordeal but this mostly fell into place without too much difficulty. I needed assistance with PORTAMENTO and JAIN and I never did fathom 13d so thanks for that. Missed the nina completely.
I had MINGLY for 8D rather than TANGLY, which did indeed leave me Confused for a while.
Parsed all cordially, like a warm Ribena! Thanks Paul & MC.
Terrible puns – so bad they were enjoyable. Not knowing the theme is one of the hazards of a non-Brit tackling a Guardian puzzle. I have not encountered the green goddess or her strange way of talking, but the puzzle was enjoyable nonetheless
I ticked SEÑORITA, FLEECE, MAROON and SLAVERED. I could not bring myself to tick the puns.
Not knowing the army version of the green goddess, I could not parse GO TO BLAZES.
Thanks Paul and Mc
Wiggly raised a bit of a giggle but then with Frankly it became an “Aha, a theme from Playful Paul”. And a few TsILT as well — the trombone slide thingy, the Army fire engine, and the bit about Bart’s shorts (never a watcher — the voices are so abrasive-sounding!). You’d think old Carl must have produced a crossword jungle or two before, but I don’t remember it. Fun puzzle, ta Paul and Rapper.
The way Paul compiles crosswords with a muddled dusty, endless pile? (8)
… or maybe he’s just doing it
fancy, thus friend? (11)
Actually, Paul, it was I who stupidly took till Wednesday to complete this, mainly owing to LACTOSE, which took that long to solve. Thanks for the challenge. PORTAMENTO is new to me, and the Simpsons reference in 13d needed looking up. But generally at the right level for a Saturday. Thanks for the blog, mc_r.
Really enjoyed this one, a good workout and good fun. Didn’t know Portamento or Jain but got them from the crossers. Jungly made me laugh. Thanks Paul and MC.
I’d done the rest, but I didn’t actually solve JOHN till this morning: with Paul as the setter I should have known it was that! Silly but fun: I had to confirm STUB NAIL and PORTAMENTO with a GOOGLY search, but nothing too difficult. I liked OCTAHEDRON (which I’d thought was OCTO…) and O DIN (which I have, finally, this morning after a week of roofers and scaffolders bashing and clanking about overhead).
The usual guardian americanisms spoil what would have been an amusing puzzle.
Never heard of Bart Simpson.
And I’m still only halfway through yesterday’s puzzle …
Thanks Paul and mc_rapper67
Surely like a wig is WIGGY, and so on – the only one that really works is GOOGLY.
[I thought you were going to say no golf because of thunderstorms! Get well soon.]
I think my first two in were FRANKLY and GOOGLY so for once I saw the theme pretty quickly. A fun crossword, so thanks, Paul. I even knew both the Green Goddess and the Simpsons references. PORTAMENTO took me ages though, as I took ‘slide’ to point to it being an anagram of ‘on trombone’ and it didn’t help that all the crossers worked. I got there in the end, though. Thanks for the blog, mc -hope you feel better soon.
I for one enjoyed the LYs, the OCTAHEDRON and the Indian pray-er, but failed on JOHN of all things, resorting to LOO-N as a gender neutral toilet 😁. The green goddess went unpaired as I’d never heard of it, but I liked the clue.
I thought this was pretty accessible for a Paul. Thanks for the fun ride.
Get well soon, mc
There’s a bit at the end of Mel Brooks’s ‘RobinHood: Men in Tights’ (yes, I know I have great taste in films) where King Richard tells the unfortunate Prince John something on the lines of: “Henceforth, all toilets in this country shall be called ‘Johns'”. I always thought that didn’t work for a film set in England.
Muffin@13 – my thoughts exactly. It’s adverbs v. adjectives, right? I think GOOGLY works because the noun ends with “LE” but I’m not convinced by the rest.
New for me: CLARET = blood.
I failed to solve 15ac and could not fully parse 13d – I mistakenly assumed it must have something to do with Demeter (goddess of agriculture = green goddess) wanting to go to Hell (= go to blazes / eat my shorts) to search for her daughter Persephone… I never heard of the Army’s Green Goddess fire engines!
The LY theme was helpful for a few clues.
It’s hard reviewing crosswords from a week ago. I remember things suddenly accelerated on this one when I found my second *ly and wrote the rest straight in. I also recall finding it quite enjoyable. I wondered how people would get on with that version of green goddess. Quite a straightforward puzzle though. Thanks all.
Good fun with many a chuckle.
Never heard of AGAR AGAR.
I remember footage of Green Goddesses from John Craven’s Newsround during firefighters’ strikes in the late 1970s.
Muffin@13: I had the same thought regarding WIGGLY. Very forced, as is often the case with Paul. Had no idea what a Green Goddess was, but completed the puzzle nonetheless.
Rather like lundnah I had an alternative for 8D which threw me off the scent. SENILE (after the Sen dynasty) seemed to work. Did they all have to be a -ly ?
I generally find Paul’s puzzles entertaining and this was no exception. The -ly words were fun and I don’t care if it’s difficult to justify the syntax – it’s a crossword, not a grammar lesson.
The only new word for me was PORTAMENTO.
Anna@11, I’m not sure which ‘Americanisms’ you object to, but like it or not, JOHN for toilet is common in crosswords these days, and I find it hard to believe anyone in the UK has never heard of Bart Simpson, even if not the catchphrase.
Thanks both.
adrian_g@22 The Sen was a dynasty in medieval India, not China, so that didn’t fit. I also came up with Ming-ly, but that didn’t quite fit with ‘confused’ so I only pencilled it in, and wasn’t that surprised when I had to READJUST it later.
Enjoyable puzzle overall. Got the LY set quite early. Also liked 7ac and 13d. Old enough to remember the green goddesses being called into action, but enjoyed watching The Simpsons with my children. Not keen on JOHN clues which appear from time to time. Was left stuck on MALTOSE or LACTOSE, and chose the wrong one. Don’t like ACT for RULE, but should have spotted the LOSE bit.
Much enjoyed. My favourites were SLAVERED … just a nice word … and ODIN. Such a neat clue. GOOGLY also a nice … twist.
Knew Thor and Odin as Norse gods of war but was ignorant of Asgard. Many years ago I chose my steel bike shed when I discovered that the firm was based in the former trolleybus depot in THORnbury: the last bit of Bradford before Pudsey intervenes to keep Leeds & Bradford apart. My childhood dentist was there. Hats off to Asgard for choosing such an apt company name.
From memory, Paul’s thrown a few of these ly constructions into previous crosswords and decided to go for it bigly in this one.
Great fun.
Thanks both.
Never heard of those fire engines. To me, Green Goddess is a salad dressing.
I don’t play the trombone, but a PORTAMENTO is also a term in singing, so that was gettable.
Thanks to Paul and rapper.
Muffin@13, Forest Fan@27
Paul occasionally uses the sort of device that technically doesn’t work but if you can swallow that, albeit through gritted teeth, the end result is witty.
Re PORTAMENTO, though it’s easily done on trombone, a trombonist friend says he’s never seen it in a trombone part. Jazz players might use it but wouldn’t call it that. Among instrumentalists it’s used by string players, but much less than it was. Perhaps Cellomaniac can add more.
A jazz trombone player is more likely to use a glissando.
Is the clarinet slide at the beginning of Rhapsody in blue a portamento?
No, it’s a glissando.
Zoot @33
I was going by this (and other similar hits).
Muffin@34 Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music: Portamento – (with voice or bowed instrument.) Carrying on the tone from note to note without gaps,hence very legato and momentarily sounding the pitches between any two indicated by the notation.
Glissando: (piano) drawing the finger up or down a series of adjacent notes. (Bowed instruments) Passing from one note to another in much the same way and with the same effect – with the difference that the pitches passed through, instead of representing the tones of a scale are infinite in number.
You pays your money…
It’s important to remember that the term is only used in the context of vocal and string music.
Zoot @35
Most of the hits on Rhapsody in Blue described the clarinet as a glissando, but, if there is a distinction, it seems to me to match the portamento description better. But how is it possible on a keyed woodwind?
It isn’t. The gliss on R in B is done with the embouchure and sliding the fingers over the holes.
Thanks for all the comments so far – and the well wishes – I am feeling much better, thanks, and have been monitoring things from my sick bed (well, the sofa, in front of rugby and golf all day with a bottle of Benylin and a pack of Strepsils…)
In line with a couple of commenters, my LOI was LACTOSE and it took a while to get…
I thought there would be more grumbles about the punning -LY clues, but maybe the grumblers are keeping their powder dry, or have been conditioned to expect such non-Ximenaean(?) laxity from Paul?… I may have mixed my adverbs with my adjectives in the Covid fug, but as Beaulieu says at #23…’it is a crossword, not a grammar lesson‘…
Forest Fan at #27 – I did try to work ‘big-ly’ in to the blog, but failed to make it work – and I don’t really like the word as it reminds me of Ronald T Dump, who I think either coined it or has cornered the market in it recently…
I wasn’t too upset by (or have become inured to) the Americanisms – as someone mentioned the Simpsons are pretty ingrained into at least a couple of generations of Brits by now…my only quibble was whether women would refer to the ladies’ boudoir as ‘the john’ – I’ve only ever thought of it in the gents’ stand-up urinal sense, but in this day and age of equality, anything goes…
I’ll leave Zoot and Muffin to riff into the sunset like a couple of hep jazz cats…!
Glad to hear that you are coming out of the Covid fug, mc_rapper. I’ve been hit twice this year by Covid-like viruses. Very debilitating. Crosswords were a salvation.
I didn’t really notice the syntax issue and thought this was quite fun. I don’t really understand building=GENERATION, perhaps someone can give me an example.
I liked the GOOGLY delivery and the good anagram for SENORITA.
Thanks Paul and mc_rapper67; I wish you a speedy recovery.
Thanks, Robi at #40, and johnjb at #39 – sorry to hear you have been hit too. And, yes – I have burned through a much higher number of crosswords this week than usual! Thank goodness there is an almost limitless supply out there…
Wiggly is a perfectly good word, but doesn’t have the meaning given. Being generous, perhaps the presence of googly could indicate a little spin is needed?
Green Goddess as fire engine is a little obscure. Even to the British they are very time specific, or perhaps army veterans would know. I’m sure they were brough out again briefly in a later decade than the 70s, maybe the 90s, but can’t remember details.