Harpo is today's inquisitor in the Guardian.
One for the general knowledge buffs today. You need to know about geography, history, Bond villains, natural science, Scottish crime fiction, 19th century physics, etc to complete this puzzle today. Fine by me, as I like a bit of general knowledge in a puzzle, but some may find references to GELADA and LARGO obscure, especially when they cross as they do in the top left-hand corener of this puzzle. My LOI was NINE, a clever hidden, but my favourite was GUARDIAN ANGEL for its surface.
Thanks, Harpo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GELADA |
Baboon juvenile male breaks a great deal of equipment (6)
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LAD ("juvenile male") breaks [a great deal of] GEA(r) A gelada is a maned East African baboon. |
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| 4 | DAGGER |
Mark learned about limiting inane gaming (6)
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<=READ ("learned", about) limiting [inane] G(amin)G |
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| 9 | LAIR |
Abandoning front, dash in retreat (4)
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[abandoning front] (f)LAIR ("dash") |
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| 10 | LAUNDERING |
Washing articles abroad in middle of night (10)
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LA, UN + DER ("articles abroad" (French and German)) + IN + [middle of] (ni)G(ht) |
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| 11 | PUT OFF |
Gust around summit almost causes delay (3,3)
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PUFF ("gust") around TO(p) ("summit", almost) |
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| 12 | RHODESIA |
Raised extravagantly, bored by house in British colony once (8)
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*(raised) [anag:extravagantly] bored by Ho. (house) Rhodesia is the former name of Zimbabwe. |
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| 13 | NEURALGIA |
Disheartened indifferent US soldier with a nervous disorder (9)
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[disheartened] NEU(t)RAL [indifferent] + GI ("US soldier") with A |
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| 15 | NINE |
Square opening, partly round (4)
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Hidden backwards in [partly round] "opENINg" |
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| 16 | ARID |
Help to keep Rudolph’s nose dry (4)
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AID ("help") to keep R(udolph) ['s nose] |
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| 17 | UNALIGNED |
University somehow gained odd bits of land without any agreement? (9)
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U (university) + *(gained ln) [anag:somehow] where LN is [odd bits of] L(a)N(d) |
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| 21 | GUNGA DIN |
Bard finally enters piece to improve Kipling poem (5,3)
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(bar)D [finally] enters GUN ("piece") + GAIN ("improve") |
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| 22 | TRIAGE |
Sorting out gear – it’s daft (6)
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*(gear it) [anag:daft] |
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| 24 | FRAUDULENT |
Dishonest foreign wife with depression about guilt, off and on (10)
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FRAU (German for wife, so "foreign wife") with DENT ("depression") about (g)U(i)L(t) [off and on] |
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| 25 | DEAN |
Minister eschewing care of college fellow (4)
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DEA(co)N ("minister") eschewing c/o (care of) |
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| 26 | AGENDA |
Programme objective penned by Eastern commander (6)
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END ("objective") penned by AGA ("Eastern commander") |
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| 27 | RELAID |
Again deposited half of reference papers (6)
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[half of] RELA(tion) ("reference") + ID (identity "papers") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GRANULE |
Fine particle in sample lunar geologists picked up (7)
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Hidden backwards in [in…picked up] "samplE LUNAR Geologists" |
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| 2 | LARGO |
Mostly generous old Bond villain (5)
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[mostly] LARG(e) ("generous") + O (old) Emilio Largo was the baddie in the Bond book and movie Thunderball. |
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| 3 | DOLEFUL |
Blue duo fell out (7)
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*(duo fell) [anag:out] |
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| 5 | AND HOW |
Certainly, ‘name’ boards first-class Arab sailing vessel (3,3)
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N (name) boards A ("first-class") + DHOW ("Arab sailing vessel") |
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| 6 | GARDENING |
Age-old British pastime is good, getting tougher without husband (9)
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G (good) + (h)ARDENING ("getting tougher", without H (husband)) |
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| 7 | RANKINE |
Scottish crime novelist joins European physicist (7)
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(Ian) RANKIN ("Scottish crime novelist") joins E (European) Ian Rankin is the creator of Scottish detective John Rebus, while Rankine most likely refers to WJM Rankine, a 19th century Scottish mathematician and physicist. |
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| 8 | GUARDIAN ANGEL |
Vigilante huntress stops violent gang rule (8,5)
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DIANA ("huntress", a Roman god) stops *(gang rule) [anag:violent] |
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| 14 | RAIN GAUGE |
Repeatedly aiming at the sides, urine damaged volume-measuring apparatus (4,5)
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*(ag ag urine) [anag:damaged] where AG AG is [repeatedly] A(imin)G [at the sides] |
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| 16 | AQUARIA |
Tanks in a former Arabic union checked by, at the very least, Qatar, Iraq and Afghanistan (7)
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A + UAR (United Arab Republic) checked by [at the very least] Q(atar), I(raq) and A(fghanistan) The United Arab Republic was a brief political union between Egpyt and Syria that lasted about three years. |
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| 18 | LET IT BE |
Title changed on cover of boogie-woogie song (3,2,2)
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*(title) [anag:changed] on [cover of] B(oogie-woogi)E |
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| 19 | ENGLAND |
Edgbaston extremely happy to host new national team (7)
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E(dgbasto)N [extremely] + GLAD ("happy") to host N (new) |
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| 20 | EDMUND |
One of two kings died charging English hill, not getting over (6)
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D (died) charging E (English) + M(o)UND ("hill", not getting O (over, in cricket)) |
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| 23 | INDIA |
Country where diva hosts Victor? (5)
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DIA hosting V (Victor, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) would become DIVA so the V is IN DIA |
thanks LP and H! My LOI was also NINE and actually didn’t see the rev hidden until you pointed it out. I wasn’t familiar with RANKINE – only RANKIN which just goes to show where my reading interests lie. Mostly.
Likewise, Ilan Caron@1: I needed to Google RANKINE to check that he existed, the Bond villain was another unknown and I didn’t remember the UAR. Couldn’t parse INDIA either, having spent ages trying to think of countries with a V in the middle, and I still don’t understand how “inane gaming” means “first and last letters”.
Favourites GUARDIAN ANGEL, TRIAGE, LAUNDERING, ENGLAND.
Thanks Harpo and loonapick.
Gladys@2 – inane means empty, so empty G(amin)G?
Thanks loonapick: I only knew the “silly” meaning of inane.
I bet this was a good crossword, and thanks to Harpo and Loonapick.
No complaints, I got most of it.
Dnk Rankine, but did know gelada and largo.
But somehow I just wasn’t in the groove today and couldn’t really raise any enthusiasm for it. Probably December blues, or age, or something.