scchua, the schedule blogger for today’s puzzle is unavailable, so I am substituting. Whenever I stand in for a Guardian blogger, I am always a bit nervous about which setter I am going to be faced with. Today, my nerves increased a bit when I saw the setter was Paul.
However, for me, the puzzle wasn’t quite as tough as some of Paul’s that I have solved in the past.
There are plenty of Paul’s trademark clue surfaces, definitions and wordplay in today’s puzzle which require a bit of lateral thinking to unravel. That’s part of the fun of solving a Paul crossword though.
I have struggled a bit with one of the definitions for COPPER and have plumped for describing COPPER as a coin that has [is a keeper of] a head and a tail. There may well be a better description of the wordplay.
For me, the entry into the puzzle was in the lower half with a gradual climb up the grid before finishing on CLEAR OUT at 1 down.
I’m not sure that Casanova could be described as a GIGOLO [23 down] in current terminology, as a GIGOLO is paid for his services. I think Casanova was simply someone who indulged in amorous adventures without expecting payment.
Paul likes to include up-to-date terminology in his clues and grids. Words like monster, eww, and plonker didn’t have some of the meanings they have today when I was a lad. Crosswords keep you young at heart.
The bottom row of unchecked letters spells out FORM OF A, but I think that is a coincidence ,as I can’t see anything else that suggests a longer message in the grid.
| . | |
| Across | |
| 8/9 | Series of worsening events of course at the Winter Olympics? (8,5)
SLIPPERY SLOPE (course of action that will lead to disaster or failure; a series of worsening events) SLIPPERY SLOPE ([descriptive of] a course at the Winter Olympics, such as the downhill skiing or slalom course) double definition SLIPPERY SLOPE |
| 10/5 | Knitting pattern, if real, is embroidered! (4,4)
FAIR ISLE (a type of design used in knitwear, named from an island that is administratively part of Shetland) Anagram of (is embroidered) IF REAL IS FAIR ISLE* |
| 11 | Folly, given comparatively close shave before race? (10)
BALDERDASH (rubbish; nonsense; folly) BALDER (comparatively descriptive of a closer shave of the head) + DASH (move hastily; run) BALDER DASH |
| 12 | Owner of head and tail in pig, if vulgar (6)
COPPER (pig is a slang [vulgar] term for a policeman) a COPPER is a coin that has a head and a tail [owner of head and tail] – double definition COPPER |
| 14 | Given outstanding, outstanding! (8)
BESTOWED (given) BEST (outstanding) + OWED (amount of money outstanding in a debt) BEST OWED |
| 16 | Argument’s beginning with auteur Paul in a row (2,1,4)
AT A TIME (in a row; in an unbroken sequence – as in ‘She took the steps three ‘at a time’ or took the steps ‘three in a row’) A (first letter of [beginning]) + TATI (reference Jacques TATI [1907 – 1982], French mime, filmmaker, actor and screenwriter. An auteur is a film director) + ME (Paul, the crossword setter) A T A TI ME |
| 18 | Take on other role that’s put in agreement (4-3)
PLAY-ACT (pretend or make-believe; take on another role) LAY (put) contained in (in) PACT (agreement) P (LAY) ACT |
| 21 | Threatening conditions in Malta, it being stormy behind you (8)
ULTIMATA (final or peremptory demands; threatening conditions) U (text speak for ‘you’) + an anagram of (being stormy) MALTA IT – I think ‘in’ is just a link word to improve the surface of the clue, as there is no containment in the wordplay. U LTIMATA* |
| 23 |
Genial at first, half of relations cranky (6) GRUMPY (bad-tempered; cranky) G (first letter of [at first] Genial) + RUMPY (half of the phrase RUMPY–PUMPY [sexual intercourse; relations]) G RUMPY |
| 24 | Monster with rubber legs? (10)
STAGGERING (huge; I think ‘monster’ is a slang or street term for something that is amazing, outstanding, mega, huge etc …) STAGGERING (moving or reeling about with what seems like rubber legs) double definition STAGGERING |
| 26 | Newspaper after proof losing heart, eww! (4)
PFFT (exclamation, similar to eww, where both terms express contempt, disgust or distaste) PF (letters remaining in ProoF after the central letters roo are removed [losing heart]) + FT (Financial Times, a newspaper) PF FT |
| 27 | What water did at 0C, 0F wrong? (5)
FROZE (what water did at 0°, the freezing point of water in the Celsius or centigrade scale) Anagram of (wrong) F and ZERO (0) FROZE* |
| 28 | Free soul, one misbehaving and ending in prison (8)
UNLOOSEN (let free) Anagram of (misbehaving) SOUL ONE + N UNLOOSE* N |
| Down | |
| 1 | Remove muscle pierced by spike (5,3)
CLEAR OUT (remove) (CLOUT (power; muscle) containing (pierced by) EAR (spike [EAR of corn]) CL (EAR) OUT |
| 2 | Box blows up (4)
SPAR (to box, or make the actions of boxing) RAPS (blows) reversed (up; down entry) SPAR< |
| 3 | Fellow plonker (6)
MEMBER (person who belongs to a society, club etc; a fellow is a MEMBER of a society) MEMBER (penis; plonker is also vulgar slang for the penis) double definition MEMBER |
| 4 | A book tucked inside silly novel student references (7)
SYLLABI (series of lectures; student references) (A + B [book]) contained in (tucked inside) an anagram of (novel) SILLY SYLL (A B) I* |
| 5 | See 10 Across (4)
[SLIPPERY] SLOPE |
| 6 | Healthy way to go! (4,3,3)
GOOD FOR YOU (descriptive of something that the speaker thinks is healthy) GOOD FOR YOU (well done!; ‘way to go’ is an American informal expression of praise or encouragement, similar to ‘well done’) double definition GOOD FOR YOU |
| 7 | Elusive monster surfacing in lake is sensed (6)
NESSIE (affectionate term for the elusive monster said by some to live in Loch Ness, Scotland) NESSIE (reversed [surfacing; coming up; down entry] hidden word in [in] lakE IS SENsed) NESSIE< |
| 13 | Where two kids might meet, love can end in schmaltz, consumed by sentimentality (7,3)
PETTING ZOO (A zoo, or a part of a larger zoo, where children may hold and stroke and sometimes feed small or young animals. Young goats [kids] are often found in PETTING ZOOs, so might meet there) PET (a term similar to ‘love’ to refer to a person who is a favourite) + TIN (can) + (Z [last letter of {end in} schmaltZ] contained in [consumed by] GOO [sentimental language or sentimentality]) PET TIN G (Z) OO |
| 15 | Warmer note (3)
SOL (sun; a warmer) SOL (note of the tonic sol-fa) double definition SOL |
| 17 | Old bird in watery trench shaking tail (3)
MOA (a gigantic extinct [old] bird) MOAt (deep trench round a castle or fortified place, sometimes filled with water) excluding the final letter (shaking tail) T MOA |
| 19 | Taste drink (3,2,3)
CUP OF TEA (a drink) CUP OF TEA (a phrase descriptive of something that is to my taste, as in that’s my CUP OF TEA) double definition CUP OF TEA |
| 20 | nth saying: ‘Let me think!’ (7)
MAXIMUM ([to the] nth [degree]) MAXIM (a saying) + UM (expression or hesitation indicating that I am thinking) MAXIM UM |
| 22 | Excused, Marquis de Lafayette, par example? (3,3)
LET OFF (excused) LE TOFF (Marquis de Lafayette [nobleman {TOFF}] might be described in Franglais as LE TOFF) LE T OFF |
| 23 | Casanova in old vehicle, roof off VW (6)
GIGOLO (a young man living at the expense of an older woman, especially one to whom he gives sexual favours in return; lover; Casanova) GIG (an old carriage [vehicle]),+ pOLO (reference a VW Polo car) excluding the first letter P (roof off) GIG OLO |
| 25 | Vessel someone with a needle hasn’t opened (4)
EWER (large jug or pitcher; vessel) sEWER (someone with a needle) excluding the first letter S (hasn’t opened) EWER |
| 26 | Paid fellow, academic (4)
PROF (PROFessor; academic) PRO (PROfessional [someone who is paid]) + F (fellow) PRO F |
Thanks Paul for a crossword I could solve (rare for me with him), and duncanshiell for the blog, which clarified some parsings that I was not 100% on. I read the possible Nina as “For Mofa”, wondering who Mofa might be, I doubt anything Paul does in a crossword is not deliberate!
A Paul and an Imogen finished in the same week. That’s a first for me.
Thanks duncan. Excellent summary. I agree about COPPER, STAGGERING and that this puzzle is not one of Paul’s toughest. I liked CUP OF TEA(taste), PFFT and SLIPPERY SLOPE. Thanks Paul.
The Big Balderdash is what one of our journos calls our 20-over cricket series (I think it got its real name, Big Bash League, in the same way the origin of the universe got its 🙂 ).
I totally forgot about copper coins, and wondered, too, about gigolo, so a shrug or two but quite a fun Paul, so tas to him and duncan.
FAIR ISLE, BESTOWED and SYLLABI were my favourites in an approachable Paul. I struggled with COPPER: not only did I not see the first def but, whilst the police force does not always cover itself in glory and individuals occasionally let it down, I do not like the ‘pig’ definition and am disappointed to encounter it here.
Thanks both
Thanks for the great explanations, duncan. I missed the policeman aspect of pig. Though I saw Tati, I did not know the meaning of auteur.
I am not convinced to the nth degree means maximum; extremely isn’t necessarily a maximum.
I thought perhaps two kids meant a child and a young goat.
Thanks Paul for some great clues, GRUMPY amongst them
A Paul finished well below par time for this setter even with confidently writing in downhill as the first word of 1a.
Parsed COPPER as the blogger did but needed all the checking letters.
GIGOLO last one in with the double G just not letting me get the VW Golf out of my head even if in hindsight we it was clear we were decapitating it.
Liked LET OFF, COPPER and PETTING ZOO
Thanks Paul and Duncan for stepping in.
According to an AI in google,
Rumpy pumpy” is jocular British slang for sexual intercourse, originating in the late 1960s from the reduplication of “rump” (buttocks), with potential influence from characters like Rambling Syd Rumpo on BBC radio. It’s a playful, informal term that implies a “rump” and the “pumping” action, not meant for romantic settings”
My faves: CUP OF TEA, BESTOWED, BALDERDASH, CLEAR OUT and PROF.
COPPER: The ‘pig’ bit should have been avoided.
Thanks Paul and duncan.
Thank you for stepping in Duncan. Clear explanations. Like many others, I struggled to parse copper!
That was quite fun, and, unlike the last outing, not a plethora of new words. Although UNLOOSENING was new to me. I groaned at ‘rumpy pumpy’, but, hey-ho, it’s Paul. KVa@8 I agree that it is a term that one should avoid using, but I’m ok with it’s use in fiction, puzzles etc. with a clear indication that it is a vulgar term and therefore not for general use. Or did I misunderstand your comment? Thanks Paul and Duncan.
I usually skip Paul’s puzzles but I enjoyed this one.
I couldn’t parse 27ac.
Favourites: BALDERDASH, CUP OF TEA, ULTIMATA, BESTOWED.
New for me: plonker = penis.
I agree with Duncan re copper = coin and policeman, and also re Casanova/gigolo.
Not as hard as some recent Paul puzzles, with some great clues – my favourites included BESTOWED for its conciseness, and PETTING ZOO which was not at all concise; I don’t normally like wordy clues but this one turned out to be satisfyingly straightforward – just follow the instructions as given.
I don’t share the doubts about pig=COPPER; it seems to me that “if vulgar” shows Paul is acknowledging the term is unpleasant, but it is used (maybe not so much nowadays?) so IMO it’s OK here. (I see paul@10 was quicker than me.)
Thanks Paul and duncanshiell.
Got a bit chewy in the NW (last part to fall) but, as always with Paul, clues which apparently are utterly incomprehensible finally click, often with a smile. “Bestowed” was the pick of the bunch for me.
I’ve got to say that I am not a fan of the plural “syllabi” – the word is not originally a second declension Latin noun so the fake Latin plural (like “octopi”) is a classic example of Pope’s maxim that “A little learning is a dangerous thing, drink deep or taste not the Pierian spring”. I know dictionaries give it as a valid plural, but that is because they reflect usage. I’m just saying I don’t like the word! I am still convinced that schools changed from syllabuses to “specifications” in exams because no-one could agree on the correct plural…
Thanks Paul and Duncanshiell for the clear and comprehensive blog.
Pleased with myself for finishing this one; I often give up on Paul. I could parse most but was bemused by a few so thanks duncanshiell for providing such clear and helpful explanations.