Pavo appears to be a new setter of Guardian crosswords. Chambers tells me that Pavo is the peacock genus and is also the name of a southern constellation
I’m tending to Pavo as a peacock, as a peacock is a vertebrate. I counted ten other vertebrates in the grid (WOMBAT, LION, HARE, FLEDGLING, FLYING FISH, CALF, LONG-TAILED TIT, DALMATIAN, ORIOLES and DOLPHIN). On the other hand, Pavo may be a setter from the Southern Hemisphere.
I got off to a good start in the NW corner of the grid, but slowed down after that, finishing with FINAGLED at 21 across.
I liked the clue surface and anagram for LONG-TAILED TIT. No doubt Dr Dolittle talked to the birds as well as the animals.
For me, there were other good surfaces as well, such as the clues for MADE UP, GANYMEDE, TRADESMAN, WINE BAR and DALMATIAN.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Aussie native won, overthrowing leader in fight (6)
WOMBAT (Australian burrowing marsupial; Aussie native) W (won) + cOMBAT (fight) excluding the first letter (overthrowing leader) C W OMBAT There is an interesting post on the Guardian site that says WATTLE would also fit the clue. WATTLE [any of various Australian acacias] is native to Australia and would parse as W + bATTLE (fight) excluding (overthrowing leader) B. Of course, the letters T and L wouldn’t fit with the down entries MOSES and ALLUDES. |
| 4 | Very happy due to change in plan (4,2)
MADE UP (informal term meaning ‘highly delighted’; very happy) Anagram of (to change) DUE contained in (in) MAP (plan) MA (DE U*) P |
| 9 | Individuals in population estimates (4)
ONES (individuals) ONES (hidden word in [in] populatiON EStimates) ONES |
| 10 | Greatest part played in his role as one coming out (5,5)
LION’S SHARE (the whole or greatest part) Anagram of (played) iN HIS ROLE AS excluding (coming out) I (Roman numeral for one) LION‘S SHARE* |
| 11 | Humiliated and embarrassed after husband leaves (6)
ABASED (humiliated) ABAShED (embarrassed) excluding (after … leaves) H (husband) ABASED |
| 12 | Moon’s gravity may need to be adjusted (8)
GANYMEDE (largest moon of Jupiter) G (gravity) + an anagram of (to be adjusted0 MAY NEED G ANYMEDE* |
| 13 | Engineer and master mechanic? (9)
TRADESMAN (a mechanic is an example of a TRADESMAN [skilled worker]) Anagram of (engineer) AND MASTER TRADESMAN* |
| 15 | Poke with end of sharp stick (4)
PROD (poke) P (last letter of [end of] sharP) + ROD (slender stick) P ROD |
| 16 | Just over 50 in US city (4)
ONLY (just) O (over) + (L [Roman numeral for 50] contained in [in] NY [New York, US city) O N (L) Y |
| 17 | Baby bird ran away at last clutching fish (9)
FLEDGLING (young or baby bird) FLED (ran away) + G (final letter of [at last] clutchinG) + LING (a fish of the cod family) FLED G LING |
| 21 | Cheated Harry involved in submitted lawsuit (8)
FINAGLED (obtained by guile or swindling; cheated) NAG (annoy continuously; harry) contained in (in) FILED (brought before a court; submitted a lawsuit) FI (NAG) LED |
| 22 | Hide from source of loud beastly sound that is piercing (3,3)
LIE LOW (hide [from]) I.E. (id est; that is) contained in (piercing) (L [first letter of {source of} Loud] + LOW [sound made by a cow; beastly sound]) L (IE) LOW |
| 24 | Aloof second-in-command departs, relaxing aboard marine glider (6,4)
FLYING FISH (a FISH that can leap out of the water and glide in the air for a short time on its long pectoral fins, as if FLYING; marine glider) LYING (relaxing) contained in (aboard) (oFFISH [aloof] excluding [departs] O [second letter {second in} of cOmmand]) F (LYING) FISH |
| 25 | It’s below the knee – a little lower (4)
CALF (thick fleshy part at the back of the leg below the knee) CALF (young cow; little lower) double definition CALF |
| 26 | Soprano, working with a tenor and alto, produces music (6)
SONATA (an instrumental composition; [piece of] music) S (soprano) + ON (working) + A + T (tenor) + A (alto) S ON A T A |
| 27 | Cryptic clues about new family members (6)
UNCLES (family members) Anagram of (cryptic) CLUES containing (about) N (new) U (N) CLES* |
| Down | |
| 1 | Order brew in a drinking establishment (4,3)
WINE BAR (drinking establishment) Anagram of (order) BREW IN A WINE BAR* |
| 2 | Biblical figure some condemned at foot of cross (5)
MOSES (Biblical figure appearing in the Old Testament Books from Exodus to Deuteronomy) Anagram of (condemned) SOME + S (last letter of [foot of] crosS) MOSE* S |
| 3 | Suggests tall dudes remove their hats (7)
ALLUDES (suggest) tALL excluding the first letter (removing hat) T + dUDES excluding the first letter (removing hat) D – giving TALL DUDES removing hats ALL UDES |
| 5 | Missing worker infected by animal disease (6)
ABSENT (missing) ANT (worker) containing (infected by) BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy; animal disease, often referred to as ‘mad cow disease’) A (BSE) NT |
| 6 | Passing border in record time heading left (9)
EPHEMERAL (short-lived; fleeting; passing) HEM (border) contained in (in) (EP [Extended Play record] + ERA [time period] + L [first letter of {heading} L]) EP (HEM) ERA L Could also be parsed as EP (HEM) ERA in front of [heading] L |
| 7 | Advertisement boards trimmed and put on display (7)
PARADED (put on display) AD (ADvertisement) contained in (boards) PARED (trimmed) PAR (AD) ED |
| 8 | Doctor Dolittle with giant bird (4-6,3)
LONG-TAILED TIT (a bird) Anagram of (doctor) DOLITTLE and (with) GIANT LONG-TAILED TIT* |
| 14 | Boy turned right, fleeing alien, and spotted one with four legs (9)
DALMATIAN (large, short-haired breed of dog, white with dark spots; spotted one with four legs) LAD (boy) reversed (turned) + MArTIAN (alien) excluding (fleeing) R (right) DAL MATIAN |
| 16 | Nothing upsets snuggling love birds (7)
ORIOLES (golden-yellow birds) O (character representing zero or nothing) + (RILES [upsets] containing [snuggling] O [character representing zero [love score in tennis]) O RI (O) LES |
| 18 | Tramp reflecting on unfinished clue for ‘swimmer’ (7)
DOLPHIN (any of a group of small toothed whales belonging to the family Delphinidae; swimmer) PLOD (walk heavily; tramp) reversed (reflecting) + HINt (clue) excluding the final letter (unfinished) T DOLP< HIN |
| 19 | Pasta with American beans (7)
NOODLES (string or ribbon-shaped strip of pasta) NOODLES (North American terms for heads; beans is also an informal term for heads, so NOODLES can be described as ‘American beans’) double definition NOODLES |
| 20 | Small lake in view (6)
SLIGHT (small) L (lake) contained in (in) SIGHT (a view) S (L) IGHT |
| 23 | Top 40 on the radio (5)
EXCEL (be superior to; top) EXCEL (sounds like [on the radio] XL [Roman numerals for 40) EXCEL |
A great experience from this new setter. My only head scratches were “very happy” for “made up” and “offish” for “aloof”. Otherwise nothing too taxing.
Absolutely whizzed through this one which felt more Mondayish than Monday’s. Probably helped by what felt like a lot of anagrams. All cleanly clued, though, so no complaints. No particular faves – the Doctor Dolittle combo was a nice spot and, yes, appropriate to the theme.
Thanks both
Great debut so welcome to Pavo. Perfect early weekday fare for me, mostly steady away but one or two holding me up slightly longer at the finish. Liked CALF (cotd), ALLUDES, TRADESMAN, LONG-TAILED TIT and DALMATIAN.
Thanks Pavo and Duncan
Like GDU, I also don’t get very happy about the made- up clue at 4a, but I was pleased to figure out the stand-offish clue at 24a.
I also share his appreciation for this new setter. I especially liked the theatrical clue at 10a LION’S SHARE, the bird-talking doctor at 8d LONG-TAILED TIT, and the unflappable lovers at 16d ORIOLES. And there were many other interesting stories told in the excellent surfaces throughout this puzzle. I look forward to more from Pavo.
And thanks, duncanshiell, for the clear and comprehensive blog.
I’ve spent more time on my last two in (FINAGLED and ORIOLES – both jorums) than on the rest of the puzzle, which was enjoyable if easy, with some great surfaces. Thanks Pavo (&welcome) and duncanshiell!
I enjoyed this. Thanks to Pavo for an easy but fun puzzle. As PostMark @2 says it felt like a Monday puzzle.
I was slowed up by thinking there were two e’s in fledgling. Loi ONLY when the misdirection fooled me AND I wrote in OSLO then had a rethink.
Favourite DALMATIAN.
Thanks also to duncanshiell for the excellent blog.
Felt very smooth and certainly not like a new setter though most of the definitions or synonyms led me straight in the right direction, which is either luck, a “wavelength thing” or a sign that the setter has yet to get her/his really devious socks on yet…
Last couple in were “flying fish” (offish…hmm…”stand-offish” is familiar) and “finagled” as, fortunately, all the creatures were familiar.
My only niggle is that “g” does not equal “gravity”. “g” can be the “acceleration due to gravity” and “G” can be the “gravitational constant” (both are in Chambers) but neither of those is “gravity” which is a phenomenon. At best it could be “gravitational” as in “G-force” (gravitational force equivalent). Other setters have made this same error, so it’s understandable but my inner pedant had to come out and comment.
Many thanks Duncan for the supremely clear blog and Pavo – welcome and thank you.
If were going with vertebrates, then Tradesman, Moses, and Uncles could also be included.
Like the crossword, thanks Pavo and Duncanshiell – I like the way the clues are explained. Very clear.
I failed to solve 4ac.
Favourite: DALMATIAN.
Yes, found this fairly straightforward until I got to the interconnecting ORIOLES, ONLY and FINAGLED. Which last one, a nho before for me, strictly qualified me for dnf. Thought 23 down EXCELlent, though this device may have been used before. I wouldn’t know. Loved the LONG TAILED TIT, though haven’t seen one in my small back garden for a while…