Apologies for the delayed blog, I’m currently travelling and couldn’t fit this in earlier. Many thanks to Vulcan for the puzzle.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HALF BROTHERS |
They share a parent: could this be hers? (4,8)
|
| taking HALF of [BROT]-HERS gives the letters of “hers” i.e. this [HALF of BROTHERS] could be ‘hers’ | ||
| 8 | RAVENNA |
Bird from Tower starts to navigate across Italian city (7)
|
| RAVEN=”Bird”: “from Tower” refers to ravens being associated with the Tower of London; plus starting letters to N-[avigate] A-[cross] | ||
| 9 | ALADDIN |
A youth died during pantomime (7)
|
| A (from surface) + LAD=”youth” + D (abbreviation for “died”) + IN=”during” | ||
| 11 | CHAMOIS |
Antelope, second one caught in short pursuit (7)
|
| MO (a moment, a “second” of time) plus I=”one”; all caught inside CHAS-[e]=”short pursuit” | ||
| 12 | ATHEISM |
His team suffering lack of belief (7)
|
| anagram/”suffering” of (His team)* | ||
| 13 | THORN |
Sharp point ripped across end of cloth (5)
|
| TORN=”ripped” around end of [clot]-H | ||
| 14 | ATLANTEAN |
Antenatal exercises for doomed islander (9)
|
| definition: someone from the doomed island of Atlantis
anagram/”exercises” of (Antenatal)* |
||
| 16 | ESCAPE KEY |
Hurried departure vital for one often depressed on board (6,3)
|
| definition: a key on a key board that might often be pressed/depressed when typing
ESCAPE=”Hurried departure” + KEY=”vital” |
||
| 19 | COPAL |
Resin is firm, partly also liquid at first (5)
|
| definition: a type of tree resin
CO (company, “firm”); plus “first” letters of P-[artly] A-[lso] L-[iquid] |
||
| 21 | HOMINID |
Scuttle round car to see one of our family (7)
|
| definition refers to hominids as the family Hominidae which includes humans
HOD (a coal “Scuttle”) around MINI=a type of “car” model |
||
| 23 | EARNEST |
Serious listener: where to find songbird? (7)
|
| EAR=”listener” + NEST=”where to find songbird” | ||
| 24 | PAISLEY |
Bob or Ian’s brightly-coloured fabric (7)
|
| references to Bob Paisley the football manager [wiki] and Ian Paisley the politician [wiki] | ||
| 25 | DIVISOR |
When this goes in there is nothing left over (7)
|
| definition: a number that divides into another number leaving zero remainder
e.g. 2 is a divisor of 12, so when 2 goes into 12 six times there is nothing left over |
||
| 26 | DRIVING RANGE |
Where to practise swinging, a worry perhaps in an EV (7,5)
|
| definition refers to practice with golf swings
Electric Vehicles may be associated with a worry about their DRIVING RANGE i.e. how far they can travel on a charge |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HAVE A GO |
Take one’s turn to tackle robber (4,1,2)
|
| second definition / wordplay: a ‘have-a-go’ hero might tackle a robber, to ‘have a go’ can mean to tackle a criminal as a member of the public | ||
| 2 | LINCOLN |
President Green is in the city (7)
|
| triple definition: Abraham Lincoln the American president; Lincoln green the colour; Lincoln the city | ||
| 3 | BEANSTALK |
Some coffee and chat in the plant (9)
|
| BEANS=”Some coffee” + TALK=”chat” | ||
| 4 | OSAKA |
Map makers also named oriental city (5)
|
| OS (Ordnance Survey, “Map makers”) plus AKA (also known as; “also named”) | ||
| 5 | HEATHEN |
To warm up chicken is barbarian (7)
|
| HEAT=”To warm up” + HEN=”chicken” | ||
| 6 | REDLINE |
One not to be crossed declaimed out loud a bit of verse (3,4)
|
| sounds like (“out loud”): ‘read’=”declaimed” a LINE i.e. a bit of a poem/”verse” | ||
| 7 | CRACK THE WHIP |
Watch her pick nuts and demand more effort (5,3,4)
|
| anagram/”nuts” of (Watch her pick)* | ||
| 10 | NOMENCLATURE |
Terminology unclear to men needing translation (12)
|
| anagram/”needing translation” of (unclear to men)* | ||
| 15 | LAY READER |
Service provider reclined with textbook (3,6)
|
| definition: someone who can lead worship (provide a church service) in the Church of England
LAY=”reclined” + READER=”textbook” |
||
| 17 | COMFIER |
More relaxing, shifting from ice (7)
|
| anagram/”shifting” of (from ice)* | ||
| 18 | PAN-SLAV |
Severely criticises ladies perhaps, including many East Europeans (3-4)
|
| PANS=”Severely criticises” + LAV (lavatory e.g. the “ladies” toilet) | ||
| 19 | CARAVAN |
Two vehicles boxing in a trailer (7)
|
| CAR and VAN=”Two vehicles” around (“boxing in”) A (“a” from the surface) | ||
| 20 | PRESSIE |
Cupboard that is a gift (7)
|
| PRESS can mean a type of “Cupboard”; plus IE=i.e. (id est, “that is”) | ||
| 22 | DOYEN |
Senior figure to make money abroad (5)
|
| DO=”make” + YEN=Japanese currency=”money abroad” |
Vulcan in top form today. Great Monday puzzle. All went in fairly readily, although I couldn’t parse 1d HAVE A GO, so thank you Manehi
Favourites 2d LINCOLN (welcome to our city president Green), 5d HEATHEN (chicken should be served cold), 7d CRACK THE WHIP (harvest those nuts faster)
1a HALF BROTHERS clever wordplay that eluded me until just before commenting, then the penny dropped
2d LINCOLN I parsed as L (Green = money = Pound) IN (in) COLN (city)
Looks like I tackled this just at the right time for the blog!
Faves were HALF BROTHERS (especially because of the gender misdirection implicit in “hers”) and ESCAPE KEY. I couldn’t parse the second half of HAVE A GO and now I see manehi’s solution I think the clue needs a question mark at the least, and possibly a dash between the two parts. The puzzle was otherwise standard fare I think.
Thanks both
Thanks Vulcan and manehi
I was surprised to see CHAMOIS defined as “antelope” – I thought they were closer to goats and sheep.
I hadn’t heard of PAN-SLAV, but it was easy enough to work out.
I thought the clue for HOMINID was great!
Thank you, Vulcan, it was a real pleasure! I particularly liked HEATHEN, DOYEN, DRIVING RANGE and ESCAPE KEY. CHAMOIS and COPAL were jorums. Needed explanations on some parsings – thanks manehi for the blog!
Superior Monday fare, very smoothly clued. Favourites OSAKA, HEATHEN and NOMENCLATURE.
(And there’s no need for an apology for lateness from the volunteer blogger, ever.)
I finished this in record time – not that I ever time my solves, but I found a lot of the clues very accessible – probably shorter than Roz’s alleged daily train journey! The only ones to hold me up were BEANSTALK and ESCAPE KEY, from not immediately seeing ‘some coffee’ and ‘board’. I thought the ‘cryptic’ definition of DIVISOR was actually very good.
Thanks to Vulcan and Manehi (well done to your pigeon for flying home with the blog so quickly).
24a is surprisingly topical with St Mirren, the football team from Paisley, beating Celtic in the Scottish League Cup final yesterday.
Thanks to Vulcan and manehi
Thank you, manehi, for the parsing of HALF BROTHERS – that was a real facepalm moment. I got it right, but couldn’t figure out how. I think the likelihood of me figuring out difficult parsing is inversely proportional to the time I spend staring at the clue! Didn’t have a problem with HAVE A GO and, like muffin@3, hadn’t heard of PAN-SLAV, but the clue was clear.
Really liked ESCAPE KEY and OSAKA.
Thanks to manehi for putting in the overtime, and Vulcan for the puzzle.
I wonder how many solvers, especially from overseas, will know the two PAISLEYs?
Muffin@3. Chambers: ‘a goat-like antelope’!
Ah – I hadn’t seen the subtlety in HALF BROTHERS. Thanks for that and the other good stuff in the blog, manehi.
All went in very smoothly until the last two clues, where I had to call on Mrs TheSheep to help with PAISLEY, whereupon DOYEN became clear.
Ian Paisley I have heard of, of course, but not Bob, and I think of Paisley patterns more by the shapes than as being colourful. That said, our daughter lives in what was a weaver’s cottage in a village only a few miles from Paisley, so I should have got it unaided!
Nho COPAL, but clued clearly. CRACK THE WHIP and DRIVING RANGE I’ll vote for joint CotD.
Thanks to Vulcan for a pleasant start to the week.
SH @10
Wiki says “goat-antelope”!
muffin @9 I do. I wonder how many will associate HAVE A GO with Wilfred Pickles. ‘Are you courtin’?’
Quite chewy.
I could not parse the ‘tackle robber’ bit of 1d.
New for me: I was brought up in the Anglican Church but I never heard of LAY READER before; RAVEN = bird from tower (of London) with clipped wings so that it cannot leave (and kingdom will fall!); DIVISOR = a number that divides into another without a remainder; COPAL; PAN=SLAV; Bob PAISLEY (for 24ac).
muffin@9
Overseas solver here. I knew of Ian Paisley but not Bob.
Best Vulcan in a long time, straightforward but beautifully crafted. HAVE A GO was very topical after the horrendous attack in Oz. HALF BROTHERS was my favourite and I liked PAISLEY, DRIVING RANGE, BEANSTALK, CRACK THE WHIP and NOMENCLATURE.
Ta Vulcan & manehi.
Thank you so much for your late blog Manehi. I NEVER thought I would be in the first 15 bloggers to report a successful completion of a Guardian cryptic. And I probably never will again.
And thank you Vulcan for a really accessible puzzle with plenty of wit and enough of a challenge.
Zoot13. I don’t know about Wilfrid Pickles, but when I was writing HAVE A GO in the grid, I was thinking about the man in Sydney yesterday who tackled the shooter at the Chanukah party and took his gun off him. That was having a go big time. (As also mentioned by Alan@15 while I was typing.)
michelle@14, likewise — Ian, not Bob
Nice puzzle.
I was thinking, is robber necessary, doesn’t HAVE A GO just mean tackle, but there is a pesky “at” missing, so the robber neatly solves the problem.
Another who didn’t remember Bob.
Various@various about the Paisleys. I’m a Brit, but with no interest in football at all. I think it stems from one of my first games afternoons at primary school, where within minutes of starting, I got the ball straight in my face. Sodden heavy leather, too.
So Bob P was as obscure to me as, say, some minor Patagonian poet.
SH@17. Agreed. A very brave man. My post referred to the other meaning of the phrase. I wondered if anyone did remember the show.
I wasn’t impressed with 1 Across and 1 Down
I have heard of an awful lot of stuff in 75 years, but never COPAL. Hey-ho: enter and shrug. t was an odd grid though, with sixteen 7-letter solutions out of a total of twenty-eight. I suppose I must have seen it before, but it particularly registered with me today.
Neill97 @22 – I think site protocol expects you to say why.
Neill@22. I’d be interested to hear what you disliked about those two clues. That’s how conversations can start. 😁
(Thanks, Balfour@23 for agreeing with me.)
I’ve come across COPAL as copal oil can be used as in thinner in oil paint, instead of linseed or other oils.
Balfour @23. Yet site protocol doesn’t expect, say, Lechien @8 to say why they really liked ESCAPE KEY and OSAKA? Seems unfair
Another who had heard of Ian but not Bob.
Re OSAKA: here in the US, we’ve learned to banish “oriental” from our vocabulary; it’s one of those terms with the potential to offend (certainly when applied to persons; you may or may not be on safer ground when applying it to a place, as here). But here in the US, we’ve had a larger East Asian population for a longer time, so the news may not have reached British ears. At the very least, it’s Eurocentric; to get from Chicago to Osaka, I’d fly west, after all. Anyway, why not “Asian city”?
Balfour@23: it’s not a grid I remember seeing before, but I thought it was quite a nice one, especially for a puzzle at the easier end of the week. Very few un-pinned first letters, no isolated mini-puzzles in the corners (four sections, yes, but they are well linked-in); and a rather pleasing little roundabout in the middle, to which much else is connected.
Crispy @26 Maybe there is what you might call a presumption of satisfaction, so that personal ‘likes’ can be shared without controversy or detailed explanation. However, Site Policy does state that ” any criticism of a puzzle or clue must be valid, constructive and presented in a polite manner. The reason for any dissatisfaction should be clearly indicated.”
Balfour – as SheffieldHatter says, by saying that if LeChien had said why they didn’t like those clues it could have opened discussion. The same applies to somebody simply saying they liked a clue. It might also provide enlightenment to LeChien and myself as to what others see in a clue that we don’t.
Balfour@29. Indeed. “Presumption of satisfaction.”
If someone says they like a clue, they may elaborate, but generally speaking it doesn’t bother me if they do or don’t, and it’s nearly always don’t. But if it’s one that I particularly disliked, then a conversation can start, with reasons given on both sides.
Similarly, some people will say a clue was hard but fair. I sometimes say I didn’t think there was very much that was fair about it, and give my reasons. Conversation! Otherwise we’re all giving an opinion that is never listened to, and no one is ever enlightened.
Edit: Thanks for joining in, Crispy!
1d is curious. I looked up “have-a-go” as a noun thinking it might mean robber, but no dice. The second part seems vague to say the least.
Enjoyed the rest. HALF BROTHERS, ATLANTEAN and ATHEISM were my favorites for their smooth surfaces.
Thanks, V&m
I liked 1 across, because at first glance it could have been HALF SIBLINGS, but then seeing ‘hers’ prompted me to think about possible word play, and it’s one of those penny drop moments, when you realise that half of the word BROTHERS is in fact HERS!
For 1 down I already had the O at the end of the light, and the V in third place in the four letter word, while the enumeration 4,1,2 and yesterday’s events at Bondi Beach made the answer pretty obvious to me, for one. But the two definitions were smoothly written and, in my opinion, unambiguous. (Phitonelly@32. I can remember tabloid headlines saying things like HAVE A GO HERO.)
What’s not to like? (Over to Neill97!)
I enjoyed Vulcan getting back to the accessible CD heavy style that my upward Guardian Cryptic curve was built on. It’s good to see others appreciated it.
I liked ATLANTEAN for its neatness, DRIVING RANGE even though it was obvious and OSAKA despite potential issues. I didn’t like my phone trying to enforce the misspelling of “its” at every opportunity.
Thanks Vulcan and manehi
Sheffield Hatter – It’s bugged me for a long time that there a lot of “I thought that was wonderful” comments that don’t say why. I’d like to know what I’m missing sometimes
[Eileen and I were comparing notes on RAVENNA quite recently. Worth a visit if you are anywhere near – sumptuous “Dark Ages” (so-called) mosaics in several of the churches, and San Vitale was the inspiration for Charlemagne’s chapel at Aachen.]
I think it’s more important (and polite) to explain why you didn’t like a clue than why you liked it.
Muffin – Why? People come here to get clarification and enlightenment. Simply saying “I thought 1 down was good” is no better than saying “I thought 1 down was bad”
[Actually, having found the puzzle, it was Balfour and me praising Ravenna; Eileen was agreeing about the Villa d’Este.]
Crispy @37
If I thought x was a good clue, I would hope that others would also see its good points (though I haven’t seen any agreement on HOMINID here!). However there are lots more reasons why a clue could be considered bad than there are good, I think.
Muffins @39. So help those who thought x was bad, by explaining why you thought it wasn’t. As Sheffield Hatter said – that’s how conversations start.
Muffin @36, and Sheffield Hatter (various): ok, I’ll take the bait.
I didn’t like 20D – PRESSIE.
I’ve heard of a Linen Press Cupboard and I am (now) aware cupboards are sometimes called Presses in Ireland, but there’s no mention of Ireland in the clue and anyway, I’ve always known the word for gift as ‘prezzie’.
Probably because the S in present sounds like a Z.
To me, at least.
Which I appreciate puts this in the “this homophone doesn’t work because I roll my Rs” category.
Anyway. You wanted a reason for disliking a clue.
As for the rest: having got ALADDIN and BEANSTALK in rapid succession, I was convinced a Panto theme was happening – and kept looking out for other examples.
Oh no I didn’t. Oh yes I did.
Wellbeck @41. Oh dear, I seem to have poked a stick at a hornet’s nest about liking/disliking clues. I don’t anticipate Neill97 reappearing – i suspect he was a ‘swooper’ – my own term for someone who arrives, contributes a negative post and then disappears again. But apropos 20d, yes, if I were writing that I would use double-z rather than double-s. I can’t say that was enough to provoke active dislike, just c’est la vie. It takes more than that to get me riled in a world where Trump’s comments on Rob Reiner’s death are possible.
COPAL, PRESSIE and DIVISOR held me up at the very end in the SE corner. PRESSIE one of my least favourite words, but I do like the way the word NOMENCLATURE rolls off the tongue. Vulcan dreamed up rather a nice clue for that one, too…
Ah Balfour, getting away from the anger and disgust that that disgraceful comment about Rob Reiner provoked, is one of the reasons I turn to crosswords. In the world of crosswords, people get irked by an iffy synonym, or a sloppily-phrased clue, or an editorial oversight.
There’s no genuine evil, no needless murders, no callous gloating at a tragedy.
It’s way way more civilised than the real world.
DuncT #7 No doubt someone will be able to tell us if ST MIRREN has ever been an answer in the Guardian Cryptic.
Wellbeing #41 Press is also a good Scottish word for cupboard.
Wellbeck @41: Chambers online gives both PRESSIE and prezzie as informal for a gift. And “press” for a cupboard is not just Irish. When I worked in the Civil Service (in England) the metal cupboards in our offices were always called presses.
And regarding Crispy’s more general point, usually the blog will have explained how a clue works, so in liking it the commenter is just agreeing, and saying that it amused or entertained them (though if there are additional reasons for liking, those can be interesting). Whereas if you don’t like a clue, isn’t it reasonable to say why you think it doesn’t work? (As well as being required by Site Policy as Balfour says @29.)
[jellyroll@45 – does your name suggest you’re a blues fan from Greenock?]
Zoot@21: you asked whether anyone remembers the radio show ‘Have A Go’ and nobody seems to have responded. Yes, I remember it – Wilfred Pickles ‘with Mabel [his wife] at the table’. It ran from 1946 (before my time) to 1967 and at its peak was reckoned to have an audience of 20 million.
Zoot@21,Hector@48
As the show finished in 1967 I reckon anyone who remembers it must be at least in their mid-sixties. So just about everyone here then?
Thanks to Vulcan for a well-crafted puzzle; they don’t have to be hard to be enjoyable.
[Pino@49 et al. : The earliest radio shows I remember are The Clitheroe Kid and The Navy Lark. That would have been while I was still at primary school, I think, so pre 1967. I don’t remember hearing the Wilfred Pickles show, though.]
Thanks Wellbeck@44 for describing a very good reason for leaving politics out of crosswords. And for getting angry about bad synonyms instead. 😁
I’ve enjoyed today’s conversation.
24 reminded me of the very old joke that involved Jesus healing the man who was sick of Paisley.
Going to wade in here with my own 2 cents on liking/disliking explanations.
I would hazard the site policy is based on trying to keep a pleasant tone to the conversations. Constructive criticism does this but pure criticism arguably does not. If we agree an expression of dislike without explanation is not constructive then it’s likely not seen as pleasant. Conversely, while not providing insight, an expression of liking without explanation surely does maintain the desired tone.
If I bought a doughnut and enjoyed it, I wouldn’t, necessarily, go back to the baker and tell him or her (or them) why.
If I bought a doughnut and didn’t enjoy it, I’d be more inclined to tell people what i thought of it.
Is that a fair analogy?
Wellbeck#44. Well said.
Things clicked into place with lots solved – a new experience for me. The clues I tend to dislike are where I’m found wanting and my vocabulary gets expanded with either a new definition (Press) or a new word (Atlantean). On the contrary, I seem to like clues I solve, especially with a groan upon realisation. Thanks all & Vulcan.
Admin @54. And that’s not fair on the baker, is it? Shouldn’t you let him know that he bakes really good doughnuts, because, say, they’re light and airy, or they’ve got a really tasty jam in the middle?
Also, I’m a bit of an ignoramus as to why a clue is seen as good? Yes, the blog explains things, but doesn’t necessarily say why it’s a good clue. I’d like to be enlightened!
I’m with you Crispy#57. Thank you for prompting this discussion. I do try, and I’ll try even better in future.. (My other bugbear is do we know the baker is a ”he”? Where is Arachne?)
Paddymelon @58 – mea culpa!
🙂
I’m commenting as a complete novice at cryptics, but I didn’t like CHAMOIS. Because….. I had MOI but couldn’t fit it into CHASE because of the surplus E. Now I realise it must be acceptable in cryptics to do away with inconvenient letters when necessary. Really enjoyed the rest though, and reading this blog. Thanks.
Tim @62 – In case you come back, by saying “short pursuit” the setter is saying take a synonym of pursuit (CHASE) and shorten it, giving CHAS
Admin @54 Crispy @57 PM@58. I’d certainly tell the baker on my next visit that I’d enjoyed it. A lesson I learned after a dispiriting gig when noone was listening to us ( we were just the warm-up for the disco) and a young man said how much he’d enjoyed listening. His principle was praise when it’s due, criticism second. All the more important these days when one sees so many signs warning against abuse of staff.
Apropos the comments about the radio show Have a go this was in the days of the Home Service and Light Programme.Apart from Pickles and Barney another bit of future fame was that the piano was played by Violet Carson later to be the scourge of Corrie . She was a highly talented lady. I remember the programme very clearly but then I am in my eighties.
Zoot @64: but would you feel the need to explain to the baker why you’d enjoyed it? I would think not, normally. But this is what Crispy wants us to do.
Lord Jim – do you know what? I no longer care. I’ll simply plough through all the pointless “I really loved / hated this” to try and find comments that help me
A late contribution to the discussion above: I would also suggest that all happy comments are alike and the unhappy ones are unhappy each in its own way 😉 I mean that if people like a clue chances are that they like it for the same reason, hence no explanation needed for others who also liked it, whereas those who didn’t like it probably wouldn’t care anyway why someone else did. But if someone didn’t like it others would be interested why, whether they agree with the criticism or not.
In my opinion, in a cryptic crossword, as long as the clue’s cryptic, that is, it doesn’t straightforwardly ask for a synonym for a given word or expression, or paraphrase it, then the setter’s free to use whatever devices they like. If I happen to find some less flattering than others, then I take that as most likely indicating a personal matter on my part.
Bit more Australiana perhaps?! We had ‘op-shop’ with Alia the other day, now ‘pressie’ We can look forward to postie, barbie, tradie, surfie et al coming up? 🙂
Lloyd, 70:
I’d put “pressie” in the same class as “holibobs”. That is, a UK coinage, rather than an import, perhaps a case of parallel evolution.
I take it that your ex-compatriots have been spared “totes amazeballs”?
As someone said earlier, surely it’s always pronounced “prezzie” rather than “pressie”?
DuncT #47 I’m a blues and jazz fan but I have never been to Greenock. I have been to Paisley once.
Etu 71 – I guess parallel evolution! I thought it was another of the Aussie soap influences I’ve watched creep in over the years – like the routine usage these days of ‘no worries’. Muffin 72 – yes, but it’s spelt with the ‘s’ like … er … Aussie. 🙂
Lord Jim@66 Yes, if it would be constructive.
Crispy @63. Many thanks. I was thinking that a chase was a short pursuit, rather than a hunt, which might be longer. I missed an obvious pointer there.