Another brilliant puzzle from Brendan, where (no spoiler alert needed, I think) almost every clue contains a reference to doubling of some kind…
… two exceptions being those for 13a and 8d, where the answer begins with DOUBLE, followed by [a]CROSS and DOWN. Very nice indeed – thanks to Brendan.
| Across | ||||||||
| 5 | TAHITI | That island repeatedly disturbed this island (6) Anagram of THAT + twice I[sland] |
||||||
| 6 | DEALER | Person distributing shares is fraudster if doubly so (6) A fraudster is a double dealer |
||||||
| 9 | COLORADO | Shade in US area, with same again for state (8) COLOR (US spelling of colour, shade) + A[rea] + DO (ditto, the same again) |
||||||
| 10 | PAWPAW | More than once, clumsily handle fruit (6) PAW (handle clumsily) twice |
||||||
| 11 | POOH | Bear what is ridicule if repeated (4) Winnie the Pooh, and to ridicule is to pooh-pooh |
||||||
| 12 | SUBSECTION | Replacement notices changed as one result of twice dividing (10) SUB (substitute, replacement) + NOTICES* |
||||||
| 13 | DOUBLE-CROSS | Cheat producing score in old notation (6-5) A score is 20, which is XX (two crosses) in Roman numerals, an “old notation” |
||||||
| 18 | BADEN BADEN | Initially beat a retreat, then once more in German town (5-5) B[eat] A DEN (retreat), twice |
||||||
| 21 | GROW | Good argument for double, for example (4) G + ROW – doubling in size would be an example of growing |
||||||
| 22 | BETRAY | Reveal 13 (6) Double definition |
||||||
| 23 | WITTIEST | With it in audition, one most like to make others double up (8) W[ith] + IT + I (one) in TEST (audition) |
||||||
| 24 | SAUNAS | Continent reflected about multinational group in hot spots (6) UN (international group) in SA (South America) and its “reflection” |
||||||
| 25 | RINGER | Doppelgänger translated from writer in German (6) Hidden in writeR IN GERman |
||||||
| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | CHOO-CHOO | Train – train endlessly, train endlessly (4-4) SCHOOL without its “ends”, twice |
||||||
| 2 | STRAPS | Secures in carriage, sandwiched between twin sons (6) TRAP (a horse-drawn carriage) in two S[on]s |
||||||
| 3 | REAPPEAR | Once more show up a rep being doubly wrong (8) Two different anagrams of A REP |
||||||
| 4 | BLEW IT | Lost opportunity in double withdrawal (4,2) Hidden in douBLE WIThdrawal |
||||||
| 5 | TOO-TOO | Moreover, encored excessively (3-3) TOO (moreover) twice; “excessively” as in Hamlet’s “O, that this too too solid flesh would melt,” though that doesn’t use a hyphen |
||||||
| 7 | REASON | Indication of ‘again’ verbally supported by a boy, and why (6) RE (as a prefix, an indication of “again”) + A SON |
||||||
| 8 | DOUBLED DOWN | Reaffirmed commitment, thus made pillow much softer (7,4) If you double the amount of down in a pillow then it would be softer |
||||||
| 14 | BOB DYLAN | Nobel Laureate who lyrically discouraged doublethink (3,5) A reference to the 1962 Bob Dylan song “Don’t think twice, it’s all right”, which was the B side of “Blowin’ in the Wind” |
||||||
| 15 | SIGNINGS | New members of team reorganised Sing Sing (8) (SING SING)* |
||||||
| 16 | PAPERS | Guardian etc. added section about double (6) APER (a copier, double) is PS (postscript, added section) |
||||||
| 17 | MOUSER | Second person on computer is chasing kitty (6) MO (moment, second) + USER (person on computer), giving a cat that chases mice |
||||||
| 19 | EARFUL | Reprimand making one sad or scared, losing head – it’s even worse in stereo? (6) A headless TEARFUL or FEARFUL – not sure about the “worse in stereo” bit |
||||||
| 20 | NITWIT | Silly ass – it follows direction repeatedly (6) N (direction) + IT + W (another direction) + IT |
||||||
Thanks Brendan and Andrew
Yes, very clever, but also rather tedious – much more fun to set than solve, I think.
I did like MOUSER.
I wondered if the in stereo in 19dn might be a homophone indicator and earful might become awful. It’s a stretch!
Yes, lots of fun. Couldn’t parse PAPERS, but a bit of a tour de force. Many thanks to B & A.
Enjoyable puzzle. Great blog.
Thanks Brendan and Andrew.
REASON
‘verbally’ because ‘re’ basically modifies a verb?
EARFUL
Does ‘stereo’ indicate twice of EARFUL (whimsically)?
Like muffin@1, I was left indifferent towards this, despite the cleverness. Perhaps it was too soon after the last Brendan pan-theme, but whereas the trees one didn’t interfere greatly with the clueing in that prize puzzle, here I felt the puzzle suffered to the point that I found parts of it tedious and forced.
That said, DOUBLE-CROSS was excellent and I’m kicking myself for failing to parse it, and I also didn’t twig the DOUBLE-CROSS / DOUBLED DOWN relevance to crosswording, which in hindsight was probably the neatest part of it all.
I assume the reference in EARFUL is that two earfuls simultaneously would be stereo. I don’t see what “verbally” is doing in REASON.
Cheers to Brendan for the effort, and to Andrew for the blog.
Couldn’t miss the theme, which helped with the solving, making it perhaps a bit too easy.
I did have the thought that DOUBLED DOWN in a pillow wouldn’t make it softer if it was already stuffed full.
Favourites COLORADO, MOUSER.
Thanks Andrew and Brendan.
For Goodness’ sake … I can understand the setters who choose not to read the blogs. Were I Brendan, how disappointing I would find comment #1. Could you not have waited a bit, muffin, so at least the snipe would have appeared a little further down the page? I could not disagree with you more. A masterclass in pretty much every aspect of the setter’s art – from grid selection, to choice and positioning of solutions, to the brilliant cluing. And it would have taken a long time to make all that fit together so, no, not a question of easier/more fun for the setter. Chapeau to Brendan; an absolute tour de force.
Thanks to both
Brendan sometimes reminds me of a precocious student who rather than just write the set essay, completes it in pig Latin, backwards
Individually there were some good clues here but as a whole the pudding felt somewhat over-egged
I’ll leave others to marvel at his brilliance
Cheers A&B
I’ve heard the phrase ‘double earful’ to mean a severe scolding, such as the manager of a football team might deliver to an underperforming team during the half-time interval.
I thought it was brilliant too – and really enjoyable seeing how many ways Brendan had included the theme in the clues and solutions.
I read EARFUL as AP @5 – getting an earful in both ears would be doubly bad. (and when/if the comment above appears, it was on hold for approval when I typed this>)
Thank you to Brendan and Andrew
Even though it was pretty obvious what was going on with the doubling up effect it took me a while to get on Brendan’s wavelength. Such that I was tending to (successfully each time) guess what the solution might me, but puzzled by the exact clueing, hitting the Reveal button. Certainly with CHOO CHOO and TOO TOO. And at one point, with DOUBLE CROSS in place and Y already in at the tail end of 22ac I impetuously dashed in Twenty there. As in XX representing the Roman numerals. However, having said all that, great ingenuity as ever from this wonderful setter, with Andrew explaining everything so concisely…
A third of the way through I started to feel the theme was becoming a bit forced/joyless but was won back over by the quality and variety of the remainder of the clues and finished thinking it was a lovely puzzle. Thanks.
I’m with you @ Postmark #7.
I don’t want to carp, but I also felt that this puzzle was a bit too clever for its own good. A tour de force but some contrived clues. I enjoyed the solve so won’t complain.
I failed to parse WITTIEST and DOUBLE CROSS but they were obvious answers. I had a smile over BOB DYLAN and the song reference. Favourite DOUBLED DOWN. Incidentally I recently discovered that this widely used phrase comes from the casino game Blackjack.
I can add nothing to Postmark’s comment @7, apart from the usual thanks to Brendan and to Andrew (I’m glad it was you blogging.)
We’re in the ” thoroughly enjoyed it” group, marvelling at the ingenuity therein.
Thanks Brendan! Always happy to see your name at the top of a puzzle
I’ll add myself to the ‘this was brilliant’ camp.
I’m amazed Brendan has copped so much flak. This was one of the most fun crosswords ever, IMO
I really enjoyed this – not only the way Brendan slipped a theme into every clue but also the way he managed self-referential across and down clues which crossed in the centre, doubling the cleverness. I much prefer this kind of theme to, say, finding the names of works by a Bolivian poet or three thousand different meanings of the word “book”. It’s like a fugue or a cannon – the composer sets themselves a limitation and then works around and outside that to surprise and delight. That’s just me though – clearly others didn’t enjoy as much.
Thank you Andrew and Brendan.
Brilliant puzzle, so playful and witty – fully agree with Postmark@7 et al. Many thanks to Brendan, and to Andrew for the blog, I needed help with parsing 16 down.
“Brilliant” was my thinking too. Boy, do I love a Brendan!
The double-(a)cross and double-down went over my head and was the cherry on top. So thank you Andrew for highlighting that and thank you Brendan for yet another wonderful puzzle! (Or is that yapelzzu? 😉 )
Brendan’s ingenuity never fails to amaze me. Every puzzle is a work of art.
My thanks to him and to Andrew.
Interesting theme of doublings but I found this quite tricky to solve and it was hard or impossible to parse all my answers.
Favourites: BOB DYLAN (don’t think twice); DEALER.
I could not parse 13ac, 1d, 5d, 16d, 17d as well as 9ac DO = same again.
I enjoyed this, very clever and witty but unfortunately finished in record time. That’s certainly not a complaint!
I was in the negative camp on themes the other day, but I thought this was fine because there was some point to it for the solver, not just the setter. I enjoyed it.
One of the solutions almost appeared at the weekend, which helped me spot it more quickly today (I trust that’s oblique enough not to be a spoiler).
It was all about the theme, though, so I don’t have any particular favourite clues.
Thanks Brendan and Andrew
Interesting point, KVa @4, I can’t think of a re- that is followed by not a verb … hmm re-infusion …
Brilliant puzzle! Loved it. Thanks Brendan! Also to Andrew for parsing ‘double-cross’.
… reinvestment … oh well 🙂
I posted a simple ‘brilliant’ on the G thread last night and that’s all that was needed. Fully with PM @7. With Brian we are blessed, no reference to the loud thespian intended.
Ta Brendan & Andrew.
Coming in late, I know, but I could have stood on a chair and cheered loudly, PostMark@7, when I read your indignant riposte. Perhaps some people have such unhappy lives that they can only take pleasure in being the one who always grumbles – every single, blessed day – thus (they hope) demonstrating how far superior they are to all the sad saps who enjoy displays of master wit and ingenuity? Can’t think why these disconsolate types keep on bothering with crosswords. For me and probably the vast majority of solvers, the daily Guardian crossword gives me a surge of life-enhancing pleasure and an opportunity to marvel at the brilliant setters. Thank you Brendan, for what you do so consummately.
…and when BOB DYLAN appeared in the grid, wonderfully cleverly clued, I did think back to when I bought his vinyl double album Blonde on Blonde in the Sixties. Perhaps one of the very first double albums. And I played it over and over again….
For me, the pleasure of crosswords lies not only in the process of solving, but also in the appreciation of the ingenuity of the setter and enjoyment of the intricacy of the English language, so I am always happy to see Brendan’s name. Should the editor have put the last two puzzles further apart? Maybe. Are some solutions, like choo-choo and Baden Baden, gettable from the theme rather than the word play? Perhaps, but all that is made up for by the delight in the puzzle as a whole.
grantinfreo@26
REASON
Verbs or verbal nouns…should we say?
Otherwise, there should be some other explanation for ‘verbally’.
EARFUL
me@4 contd…
I meant to say the same thing as what AP@5 said. Probably, I didn’t
word my comment well.
‘Stereo’ fits in the DOUBLE theme as well. There’s a DOUBLE in the
WP-1 (tearful or fearful). DOUBLE WP with each clueing something DOUBLE.
I think this is one of the better themed crosswords I’ve seen in a while; sure we were whacked over the head with the theme repeatedly but to sustain it through every clue with a decent quality deserves a good amount of credit.
Compared with some of the in-jokes and overwrought ideas you sometimes get in themed cryptics, I’m surprised this one has drawn the criticism it has. May just be the first comment setting the tone of discussion though…
Thank you Brendan and Andrew!
Well said Postmark@7 and TerriBlislow@30! Most commentators seem to appreciate the brilliance of Brendan’s craft, but if you don’t, there’s always the Telegraph!
Another one agreeing with PostMark @7. An ingenious puzzle, as always with Brendan. And a puzzle with a theme (even one not so comprehensive and brilliant as this) is more fun than a puzzle without it, ceteris paribus.
I messed up PAPERS – couldn’t parse them and instead opted for CARERS, which also meet the definition and which I wouldn’t parse, either, but vaguely thought of “about double” CA and RE :(. Kicking myself – it wasn’t TOO-TOO difficult. The rest wasn’t, either, and much fun. Thanks Brendan and Andrew!
PM@7 From what I know of Mr Gleeson I can’t imagine he’ll lose much sleep over what muffin, myself or anyone else here thinks of his crossword. I’d like to think this is a forum where people can feel free, subject to the site guidelines, to express their opinions without being castigated by other users. TB@30 I’m sure, if you put your mind to it, you could find a way to disagree with people without insulting them or impugning their motives?
14d is a work of genius, containing a work of genius.
An earful in stereo would be two earfuls, twice as bad.
bodycheetah @37: I’m sure the Irish actor won’t lose any sleep whatsoever!
I’m with PostMark@7, Auriga@22, TerriBlislow@30, and many others.
Brendan is a fine setter. I enjoyed this crossword tremendously – especially the clues for DOUBLE-CROSS and BOB DYLAN.
Thanks as well to Andrew for the blog. I needed your help with the parsing of WITTIEST (I was fooled by the word “audition”) and CHOO-CHOO (I rarely remember that “endlessly” can mean both ends).
Very clever and enjoyable as always from Brendan. Great theme, brilliantly carried out, particularly the two DOUBLE answers crossing across the middle.
(bodycheetah @37: I’m not sure if “Mr Gleeson” is a joke, but if not you’ve got the wrong Brendan 🙂 )
Many thanks Brendan and Andrew.
I usually agree with Muffin, but in this case I beg to differ. That said, I think PM@7 is rather over the top.
Failed to parse PAPERS and didn’t see REASON at all. The grid led me to expect a Nina, but that would have been a lot to ask.
Th8s was fun. What more could I ask for?
Thanks to Brendan and Andrew
No complaints at all
I became hooked on Brendan from when I solved his remarkable crossword in which the letter ‘e’ was not used in any answer or indeed in any clue (to my shame, I didn’t notice whilst solving but alerted to the fact on this site). Since then, I marvel at the range of tricks and devices he uses. Today’s was another fun puzzle – not overly easy but ingenious and entertaining. It certainly started the day off well for me. Thanks Brendan for the enjoyment and thanks Andrew for filling in one or two parsings for me.
Just to be a bit picky, should 23a read “one most likely to” rather than “one most like to”?
Joining the chorus of approval here – I thought it was a lovely, witty crossword.
Clyde@40 I vaguely recall an intense debate here some time ago over whether “endlessly” could refer to both the start and the finish, possibly because the word “end” does doubly-duty in English. I doubt anybody would object to “he cut both ends off the loaf”, perhaps because there is no inherent directionality to a loaf. Similarly both ends of a stick, a street, etc.
It becomes a bit stickier, IMO, for things that do have a directionality and therefore one might distinguish the start and the end (finish), such as a race, a word, or a debate.
Some puzzles have a theme in the clues, some have a theme in the answers. Few manage to have a theme in both. OK it was the same theme – appropriate as we are on the subject of doubling – but expecting two independent themes would be asking too much. Has anyone ever achieved such a feat? I’m sure some here with long memories might be able to say
Many thanks to Brenda and Andrew
I enjoyed this very much but I think muffin @1 is entitled to offer his take on the crossword without being overly criticised. Brendan is always ingenious and I liked COLORADO with its shade, visited again. I also liked BADEN-BADEN with its beat in retreat, the well-hidden RINGER, and the computer user chasing kitty.
Thanks Brendan and Andrew.
after failing to see how RENEWED VOWS could possibly fit, I managed to have “SETTLED DOWN” figuring that you can make a pillow softer by fluffing it until I was disabused by the check button for 12ac. Minor note that in 25ac I think “translated” is part of the definition.
Thanks Brendan and Andrew!
I’d never heard of “Don’t Think Twice, it’s All Right” and assumed “discouraged doublethink” referred to Pennebaker’s film, “Dont (sic) Look Back”. Andrew’s parsing makes more sense. The “B-side” song is a bit obscure (to me anyway) but no complaints. A great crossword.
A question. Paddy Melon (also present here) on the Guardian site seems to suggest there is a theme in all of the solutions as well as a ghost theme. Is there a theme in addition to the “doubling” or have I misunderstood Paddy’s comment in the Guardian?
As a quiptic and Monday solver I loved this. Repetition got me into it and I found the puzzle increasingly accessible as I worked on. Thank you.
Another virtuoso themer from Brendan, managed with a lot of interest, variety, and humour, though 19d EARFUL is a bit of a stretch. Didn’t take long (two clues) for the theme to become apparent, which helped with the solve. SW took longest, with EARFUL loi
Favourite was 5a TAHITI (“That island…this island”)
16d PAPERS I parsed as “added section” = PRS (i.e., section with ads/pr) around APE (“double”/copy)
Couldn’t parse 14d BOB DYLAN. Do you know how many songs he’s written?? It took me three hours to look through the whole list, and I was none the wiser! Thanks for finding the right one Andrew!
Puzzle No. 29,950 — a milestone on the way to 30,000. Very exciting!
I started off intrigued. It soon became tedious, and then downright annoying. Too too, Choo choo, paw paw. Please!!!! I liked Baden Baden.
As PM@7 and others have said this was great. Right up to Brendan’s high standard. By the way Brendan is Brian Greer who is domiciled over the pond! Glad of the blog as some parsing tricky.
I loved this. Hear hear! 🙂
Postmark@7 Hear hear!
Ac@39 I’m sure you’re right. Am trying to think of some comic justification for the brain fart but nothing germane springs to mind 🙂
In the two years I’ve been attempting cryptics, I have found some puzzles tediously clever-clever. But this one is not that – to maintain a theme so consistently throughout the crossword while avoiding obscurity and tortuous clues is quite remarkable. I did eventually finish it without reveals though with a good deal of guessing. I was grateful for Andrew’s clear blog as some of the parsing passed me by. I see it all now.
Intrigu-Ed@54…sometimes you sound a bit like the “grumpy” judge Craig Revel Horwood on Strictly Come Dancing. But each to his own opinions…
Thanks for the blog , MOUSER was neat and I liked the precise COLOR for COLORADO , overall this is not for me , I simply do not like themes in the clues . It is not a criticism just my own personal taste . When everyone is moaning about Enigmatist I will be singing .
Perhaps this was published today to remind us of the cock-up last Tuesday .
Agree with Wolf@45 for likeLY .
Goodness, it’s all a bit handbags at dawn 😅. A few people have said they found it forced/tedious in places (an opinion which I personally maintain despite others finding it wonderful). Nothing more. No attack on the author or criticism of his artistry. No grumpiness from sad life-less people. Just straightforward opinions from people who enjoy the art of crosswords but weren’t blown away by this particular one.
It does seem a bit like “favourite artist syndrome” – don’t you dare say anything that isn’t gushing about my favourite insert national treasure here – because I don’t recall such fervent defence of certain other setters who meet with insults (as opposed to simple “not my cup of tea” comments like here).
I don’t know how old Brendan is but if we assume he’s not, say, twelve, then I think we can assume this politics and maths researcher/educator (as per his bio) can perfectly handle the fact that a few people didn’t find it his finest work (interestingly, people who greatly enjoyed his other puzzle last week; each to their own) and that he won’t mind if those people commented early instead of waiting until some praise has been laden like some kind of 90s-style “shit sandwich” management protocol.
There were also one or two really quite rude counter-comments, that frankly ought far more to be a cause for concern.
Back to the puzzle, thanks to Mig@53 for explaining PAPERS; I suspected it would something very like that, but I imagine PRs is a North American thing so I could be confident of my parsing.
I loved this! Fun and creative all the way through. I speeded through it and had a rare experience of solving before the blog was up, so I had to wait till this morning (US time:)) to get Andrew’s help with some of the parsings. Thanks Andrew and Brendan!
me@62
* couldn’t be confident of my parsing
It seems so recent that I was singing the praises of Brendan’s last effort, and here he is, in double quick time, doing it again.
I see a few commenters above have found it tedious or over-egged; to each their own, but I loved this. Fun, inventive, fair, ingenious and far from fiendish or obscure, with the added pleasure of seeing how much theme Brendan can squeeze in, all set around the DOUBLE aCROSS/DOUBLE(D)DOWN in the middle. Bravo Brendan!
I enjoyed just about every clue, but top favourites (with double tick) were COLOR-A-DO for “shade in the US”, the “score in old notation” for XX or DOUBLE CROSS, and the “doublethink” allusion to BOB DYLAN’s “Don’t think twice”, which is right up there in my top hundred or so favourite Dylan songs (I’m a bit of a fan).
Thank you thank you to B&A.
That was fun. Thanks Brendan and Andrew.
Loved the linking of 13 and 22a.
Good to see Mr Z make an appearance too.
A nice 2 pint solve in one of my S-u-A locals🍻
This one divided the audience! Personally, I’m very happy with likes and dislikes being fully expressed – I find it fascinating what sort of thing is popular or unpopular, and I much prefer that fifteensquared welcomes positive and negative comments.
Interestingly, I was one of those who had both responses. At first I thought it would be fun, then decided it was tedious, only to end up loving it because it was all so clever. Of course, loving it was helped by very nearly completing it (I failed to parse PAPERS).
A Stateside vote for brilliant. Lovely to see Bob Dylan in a perfect t clue for the theme.
I’m definitely with PostMark#7 and paddymelon#13 and #18. Nothing but admiration for the clueing and the theme, masterfully done, as ever.
Wolf @45 and Roz @61: “like to” is a rather archaic or dialect way of saying “likely to”, as in Romeo and Juliet: “My grave is like to be my wedding bed”. I’m not sure why Brendan used it rather than the more obvious “likely to”. Maybe to go with the theme, suggesting a double? (Unless it’s a typo!)
It could just be a misprint , like is on the end of a line in the paper .
A great crossword, a true double dose of fun. Only BOB DYLAN unparsed but I didn’t know the song even after having it spelt out in the blog. Thankfully, the crossers and the knowledge he had received the prize got me through.
Liked RINGER. MOUSER and last one in GROW.
Thanks Brendan and Andrew
Fabulous crossword. Really special. Thanks Brendan and Andrew!
I really enjoyed that, and have Dylan as my earworm of the day.
Johnny Cash cover, Newport, 1964. Takes a genius to know a genius. Thanks Andrew and bravo Brendan. Keep those conceptual, Oulipian-flavored themes coming.
There’s a difference between “I have nothing but admiration” and “Nothing but admiration is allowed here”. Brendan’s undoubted brilliance isn’t much to my taste: like Roz, I prefer clues not to have to be subordinate to the tyranny of a theme. That is a personal preference and no reflection on Brendan’s skill: he does what he does extremely well and most people love it. But I would be sorry if nobody was allowed to say otherwise without getting jumped on and insulted.
Yes, another fine puzzle but I agree with Petert that the timing so soon after Brendan’s last one is not a great idea. It’s like eating the most fabulous chocolate cake every other day. I also have no problem with people expressing their less than glowing personal opinions as long as they’re not rude.
Brendan is a master at these themed puzzles but he’s also simply a great cluesmith, so I’d very much like to see an unthemed one sometime.
Glad to get to the end of this, which I enjoyed in some parts and not in others. Something of a surprise to see this normally polite and tolerant discussion group descending into some unnecessarily aggressive contention. Thanks Brendan for the work out, and Andrew for parsing where I couldn’t: CHOO CHOO and do=ditto.
Very well put Gladys@76 .
Found it – for those who liked this you might be able to find Brendan 21st August 2023 , will not spoil things but you will soon see what I mean .
I will not repeat what is written in my crossword diary .
We loved this, particularly the intersecting DOUBLED DOWN/DOUBLE-CROSS. Thanks Brendan and Andrew
Did muffin#1 and PostMark#7 conspire to generate such a reaction from so many regular commenters?
As one who has Brendan as one of my troika of favourite setters, I would only say to PostMark, “not to worry, if Brian does read these comments he will know that the vast majority of us absolutely loved this puzzle”. And that includes Andrew, whose blog presaged most of the comments.
I’m in the “ingenious and I enjoyed it” camp, though maybe one or two more of the XXX-XXX answers would have felt rather too many. At least we didn’t have BERI-BERI, which would have been unpleasant.
LOI was BOB DYLAN, to my embarrassment only after scanning the list of Nobel Laureates in literature: a full-on facepalm moment. Even then, I needed Andrew to explain why; thank you!
Thanks Brendan for a good morning’s and then evening’s entertainment.
Thanks both and all – great entertainment. Poor Brendan has been put to a lot of toil and trouble.
I thought the clue for BOB DYLAN was about as easy as it comes. I used to have a volume of his early lyrics on the windowsill of the downstairs toilet – as a backup for other PAPERS – with a post-it affixed saying ‘Don’t think twice, it’s alright’… That Dylan was awarded the Nobel prize for literature was entirely appropriate; he would certainly never have won a prize for singing or guitar-playing.
(Lights fuse and stands back….)
Thought this was great, a setter currently at the top of his game. COLORADO was also my favourite, alongside the DOUBLE CROSS/DOWN bit.
DTS @82,
On the other hand, Piri Piri would have been rather tasty 😉.
Roz@79 is referring to Guardian 29,154.
Oh what a super crossword Brendan, thank you so much! Both Mister Caroline and my good self were completely entranced and only disappointed that TWENTY was not in fact the answer to 22 across as we eventually had to concede.
I know what people mean about clue- themed crosswords often being more fun for the setter than the doer, but this was so so far from that – such a delightful work of art – very best to all.
I sometimes enjoy Brendan & sometimes find him a bit meh. But I absolutely loved this. The dazzling array of variations on the theme reminded me of Bach. If I may be permitted a Pseuds’ Corner moment.
I sometimes enjoy Brendan & sometimes find him a bit meh. But I absolutely loved this. The dazzling array of variations on the theme reminded me of Bach. If I may be permitted a Pseuds’ Corner moment.
Does nobody remember seeing all this sort of thing before including the exact same DOUBLE CROSS and DOUBLED DOWN in the same place ?
Roz @90, I don’t, my life goes by in a blur, but I probably said exactly the same thing then. 😂
Roz@90: Yes, it seemed to ring a (double) bell with me too, and I wondered if it was another doubled publication – but then none of the other clues seemed at all familiar, so I shrugged and moved on. I’m surprised at how many don’t know/remember Don’t Think Twice… but then, I have always been a Dylan tragic. Great fun – thanks Brendan and Andrew.
Old folkie here, so BOB DYLAN was one of the first clues I got. Ditto DOUBLE CROSS, which I thought was a fun clue. I couldn’t parse CHOO-CHOO, but couldn’t see what else it might be. Thanks Brendan and Andrew.
I’m still slogging in the foothills of cryptics. I can do Everyman and (usually) Monday, thereafter it’s a bit of a lottery so I was pleased to have the theme as a helping hand today and managed to finish it.
I don’t complain when I hit a more difficult crossword- I get a few more clues each time I try and come here to learn, so I get a bit peeved when I see comments criticising a crossword as too easy.
What I most dislike however is when the tone of the discussion turns nasty. There’s enough of that everywhere else. Opening this chat is often like dropping into a dialogue written by Oscar Wilde, the disagreements and discussions witty and polite and I’d be sorry if that stopped. As Michael Caine might have said “It’s only a bloody crossword!”
Roz @90 I do remember it and thought of it while solving. It was the crossing clues in the middle I remembered. That and the fuss afterwards. “Take one” might have been the first puzzle I did where the theme was so erm, assertive? It’s all very hazy though and wasn’t enough to make me go searching. I’m pleased to have been reminded.
Wow Roz# 90. No I didn’t, not even the whole crossword Guardian 29,154 (thanks Alphalpha # 86.)
: -) JuliusCaesar #91 Many of us here were there then on the 15 sq blog of that puzzle!
Hopefully Brendan’s having a quiet chuckle at some of our comments which is why he hasn’t dropped in yet, as he often does.
Roz @90: well remembered, but surely there’s an irony in that he’s now done it twice. It seems my sparse comment in the previous blog was ‘Sparkling’, and I still think this was brilliant.
To quote Daffy Duck, “i’ve said it once and I’ll say it again” – wonderful wonderful!
We loved this puzzle – we were repeatedly wowed by the ingenuity in the clues.
I think that Don’t think twice is one of Dylan’s best songs. Sadly, he sometimes murdered it in live performances. Hard Rain is another of his gems, and if you like it then try the recent version that the Bulletin of Concerned Scientists promote. And then there’s Blind Willie Mctell, only found on bootlegs but spellbinding.
The new version of Hard Rain is by he Kronos Quartet backing singer Allison Russell. It sends shivers down my spine.
[Chickpea @ 101
Blind Willie McTell was released officially on the first Bootleg Series release in 1991.
There’s another version on the Springtime In New York box set that came out a few years ago]
I didn’t discover the Guardian puzzles until after 2023, so I had no chance of spotting the joke myself, but AlanC@99 (via Roz’s recollection of the puzzle blogged here) hits the nail on the head: the fact that that Brendan’s used the repetition theme twice is genious!
Thanks Ace@47. Sorry I couldn’t reply earlier.
I’d say to Brendan, as much as I loved this, don’t think twice (or thrice) of doing this again. 🙂
We’re awake now, and some have re-awakened. On the other hand, I may not remember next time if doing cryptic crosswords hasn’t succeeded in staving off dementia. Fortunately I can still remember Bob Dylan’s lyrics, but unfortunately also his voice.
And Í’d like to add to comments above and say to muffin #1 that I respect your contributions and didn’t find this one offensive.
I believe from muffin’s previous comments that he isn’t particularly fond of themes, or maybe “overworked” ones, neither is Roz, and nor am I, usually, but I did like this, as I share Brendan’s love of language, which is what underpinned this theme.
My support of Postmark’s comment #7 was the second part, his view of today’s puzzle.
I acknowledge that Postmark is also a setter and may have some understandable sensitivities.
I’m concerned that muffin hasn’t reappeared today as he usually does throughout the comments.
Please come back muffin. You’ve been here since I started, and you’d be missed.
[ Alphalpha#83, I couldn’t agree more. Dylan wrote some songs that were nice when sung by someone else. He didn’t write Nobel Prize poetry. Even if you decided to give the award to a songwriter, I can think of three from his era who would be more deserving: Leonard Cohen (a real poet), Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. But they didn’t have active lobbyists working on their behalf.
As for his “singing”, I like to imagine someone organizing a “Three Tenors” concert featuring Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Tom Waits. ]
Martin@97 it depends how you search , I was pretty sure it was August 2023 so one minute to check my crossword diary , I wrote – best not to comment on this one , the blog will be in raptures .
PDM@108 , I just really like clues , that is why I try to cold-solve them in order without using the grid and a theme in the clues spoils it for me . Many people like them and variety is good so I just shrug and move on . I am sure Muffin will be back , perhaps he had a busy day so commented early . Once I was going the Blue Dot Festival so I commented early on a Friday , got lots of criticism but did not see it until the Monday .
Cellomaniac@109 , some songs need to be sung by the person who wrote them . The only genuine Nobel Prize is for Physics so other awards do not matter .
paddymelon @108
Many thanks for that.
Yeay muffin! Hope you have a good day! (And I can go to bed looking forward to seeing you again on the morrow.)
Double the fun! I loved it! Thanks to Brendan and Andrew.
Blog still puffin’ away so I’ll say thumbs up to Cellomaniac@109, but Waits chooses to sound like that: the others have no choice.
I was too busy to finish this yesterday, so did it over a late breakfast this morning. Even then I didn’t parse four or five, as the answer in each case was clear from wordplay and crossers.
I’ve read all the comments, which were also eye-opening. It was good to see some tolerance – on both sides – reintroduced eventually. The previous double themed one that Roz remembered also had well over 100 comments – no, I haven’t gone back and re-read them!
I remember one of my aunts or cousins had a BOB DYLAN hits EP (the cruciverbalist’s favourite record!) in 1964, so I was very, very familiar with Don’t Think Twice…
Thanks to setter and blogger as always.
For me, a theme always enhances a crossword – the great Araucaria was a brilliant exponent, and I remember the first time I spotted one of his themes and the answers fell magically into place. Nowadays Brendan is my favourite setter, and this puzzle is him at his ingenious best.
Waddaya mean Alphalpha #114 ? Saw Leonard Cohen live at (his age) 84. His voice was superb. Maybe his years in a monastery helped. I’d like to hear him throat singing with the Gyuto monks.
Brilliant. I’ve only managed anything beyond the allegedly easier puzzles on Saturday and Sunday a couple of times, so I’m delighted to have finished it albeit in double the time and two days late. Which is sort of on theme I suppose
I struggled with the clues and marvelled at their ingenuity and enjoyability. For me enjoyment and success don’t seem to go hand-in-hand!
Thanks both!
I reason is ‘verbally’ because when we reason, we use words. Though not when we complete non-verbal reasoning tests!