It’s Paul in the Thursday slot…
… and back to his more familiar form, after his Cornish Delight last week.
I think there’s actually more than the usual quota of tortuous constructions, quirky surfaces and audacious soundalikes – or perhaps it’s just me, after my enforced two-month absence. I’m certainly (even) more rusty than I thought I was and I need help in a couple of places. My thanks in advance – please try to resist posting a comment simply to repeat others’ suggestions. 😉
Thanks to Paul for the puzzle.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 That’s all on Feds busting politician (3,2,5)
END OF STORY
An anagram (busting) of ON FEDS + TORY (politician)
6 Swinging both ways in the guise of intolerance (4)
BIAS
BI (swinging both ways) + AS (in the guise of)
9 Seriously funny minute where head blown off in which Groucho’s prop backfires? (10)
TRAGICOMIC
[a]TOMIC (minute, minus it’s initial letter – head) round a reversal (backfires) of CIGAR (Groucho Marx’s prop)
10 Equerry’s rump plastered in red sauce (4)
MAYO
[equerr]Y in MAO (red)
12 Fly, say, in starter of soup etc, dining we found funny? (6,6)
WINGED INSECT
An anagram (found funny) of S[oup] ETC DINING WE
15 Pompous, more than is usual at an airport, did you say? (9)
HIFALUTIN
This must mean, I think, how some people might say ‘High for Luton’ – really? – it’s a lovely word, anyway
17 Hitch where consumption disturbed by whiff (5)
THUMB
HUM (whiff) in TB (tuberculosis – consumption) – reference to thumbing a lift, hitch-hiking
18 III wrong? Alternatively, I or II divided by the number (5)
ETHER
An anagram (wrong) of III – THREE – I can’t quite see the wordplay: either… or (alternatively) divided by THE?
It seems a long time since we saw this old chestnut
Please see comments 2 and 3
19 Colour in image on rock for sign (9)
PREDICTOR
RED (colour) in PIC (colour) + TOR (rock)
20 Some Sandinista, get role in a dictatorship after revolution – would I? (6,6)
DANIEL ORTEGA
A clever hidden reversal (after revolution) in SandinistA GET ROLE IN A Dictatorship
24 Member of the orchestra I understand, violin player picked up? (4)
OBOE
Sounds like (picked up) ‘Oh’ (I understand) + bow (violin player)
25 Queasy one, relative gulping oxygen is in a state (10)
ILLINOISAN
ILL (queasy) + I (one) + NAN (relative) round O (oxygen) IS
26 Spot channel on the radio? (4)
MOTE
Sounds like (on the radio) moat (channel)
27 Victorian author set to field question left after fumbles overheard? (3,7)
MRS GASKELL
GEL (set) round ASK (question) + L (left) after MRS (misses – fumbles overheard?)
Down
1 Food waste at several stores (4)
EATS
Contained in wastE AT Several
2 Flat flatfish: that’s about right (4)
DRAB
DAB (flatfish) round R (right)
3 Delicate creatures tomorrow and for another week, according to one’s horoscope? (12)
FRITILLARIES
FRI[day] (tomorrow) + TILL ARIES (until March 21, typically, according to one’s horoscope)
4 17 21 brief, 17 21 to 21? (5)
THONG
I’m sorry, I can’t see this one at all – over to you
5 People staying at home, and stumbling, hopeful steps taken before a fall? (4,5)
RAIN DANCE
RACE (people) round (staying, in the sense of stopping) IN (at home) + an anagram (stumbling) of AND
7 Short, and a quite misshapen nose, ultimately (10)
INADEQUATE
An anagram (misshapen) of AND A QUITE + [nos]E
8 Unctuous windbag, potential killer? (6-4)
SMOOTH-BORE
SMOOTH (unctuous) + BORE (windbag)
11 Show agony and sign the forms (8,4)
ANYTHING GOES
An anagram (forms) of AGONY and SIGN THE
13 Heart palpitating over wife in bedroom, tickler of infant’s bottom? (10)
THREADWORM
An anagram (palpitating) of HEART + W (wife) in DORM (bedroom)
14 Back stabbed by company in African country – warmer in Asia? (6,4)
AFGHAN COAT
AFT (back) round CO (company) in GHANA (African country)
16 A packet with something sticky, work on sweetie that’s wrapped up (3,6)
TOP DOLLAR
TAR (something sticky) round OP (work) + DOLL (sweetie)
21 Aversion to heights is never good where always at the summit? (5)
THING
Initial letters (at the summit, in a down clue) of To Heights Is Never Good
22 Sky, might you have said? Oddly it’s blue! (4)
ISLE
Odd letters of ItS bLuE, for the Isle of Skye
23 Particular Turner turned up? (4)
ANAL
A reversal (turned up, in a down clue) of LANA (Turner)
That was torturous – was only able to get a handful before having to admit defeat. Even for Paul I just could not get on the same wavelength today.
Thanks for the explanations Eileen, even after revealing I wasn’t able to parse most of these.
ETHER: Is the I or II referring to ER which is then containing THE?
Thanks Paul and Eileen.
ETHER
I think I or II refers to ER I or ER II.
ER divided by THE
DANIEL ORTEGA worth the admission money on his own, I thought. Yes, much tortuous trickery as Eileen says. Weren’t AFGHAN COAT’s the thing once, though they became very smelly when they got damp.
Eventually defeated by this, but enjoyed it as far as I got…
Thanks, PM and KVa – that sounds about right.
I wondered whether it was EITHER one or two, divided by I. so the one is dropped. But I feel the sound of straws slipping between fingers… KVas answer is much better!
4d Thumb-thing brief, thumb-thing to thing – a lispy version of something brief, something to sing
For 4d: substitute the answers for 17 & 21 and you get: “Thumbthing brief, thumb thing to thing” – which is how someone with a lisp might say “something brief (i.e. a THONG), something to sing (a SONG, lisped!)”.
4 I had Thumb thing to thing is a thong? Said with a lisp – or lithp if you prefer.
I came here to get 4d wordplay. Not sure whether to be pleased it also puzzled an expert!
Comment #11
THONG, I think is THUMB-THING to THING, i.e. a SONG is SOMETHING to SING, but with Paul, perhaps, poking fun at people with a lisp
Thanks Adam, cryptor and Major – I saw the lispy thing but couldn’t see an indicator!
Thanks Paul and Eileen
Baffled by 4d too, and not impressed by the explanation! Several others went in unparsed too. Favourite ANAL.
Interesting that 3d means that this puzzle could only be published today. I wonder if that was by prior agreement with the editor!
4d is clearly a lisped version of ‘something to sing’, as others have noted but, as Eileen says, there’s no clear indicator for such. I didn’t think (or sink) it was a problem, personally, given that ‘brief’ gives a nod to underwear, hence THONG.
Completed the grid but totally stumped by 4d parsing. And, having read the explanations above, for which many thanks, I’m not surprised I was confuddled.
Again. Thanks to Eileen and posters above.
Excellent puzzle, really enjoyed this one. Paul one of my favourite compilers. I find 4d fun, but I seem to be on my own.
Well that was a toughie.
I got there in the end and enjoyed the surface to ANYTHING GOES – and ANAL made me chuckle
But for the most part it was a gritted-teeth struggle, with a host of ‘guess first, try to parse later’ (plus an annoying pause for research about the Sandinistas) and whilst I eventually succeeded in disentangling AFGHAN COAT, RAIN DANCE, END OF STORY and MRS GASKELL many of the other “tortuous constructions” remained semi-parsed or wholly impenetrable.
So a warm and heartfelt virtual hug for Eileen for all the explanations.
(I could list the clues that really annoyed me, but then I’ll just get attacked by the Paul-fans.) Best if I simply go back to giving Paul a miss…
No fun at all for me today. I wrangled a couple of clues to get MRS GASKELL and THREADWORM then gave up. Some of this might as well have been in another language for all the sense I could make of it.
That was slow, fiddly and difficult, but also a lot of fun: a proper Paul. The thing-thong in 4 made me laugh, as did HIGHFALUTIN. I can’t quite sort out ETHER: it’s a “number” which is an anagram of THREE (III) or EITHER minus I, but I can’t quite make all the bits fit.
Paul seems to be working his way through the inhabitants of various US states: ILLINOISAN is the latest.
Eileen: you haven’t parsed DRAB which is DAB(flatfish) about R(ight).
Another brilliant display of trickery, if somewhat tortuous at times. Like ronald @4, I thought DANIEL ORTEGA was a wonderful spot although I don’t understand ‘would I?’ at the end of the clue. I also enjoyed TRAGICOMIC, HIFALUTIN, ETHER, MRS GASKELL and FRITILLARIES. After THREADWORM, I was hoping EATS wasn’t going to be another form of food waste.
Ta Paul & Eileen.
AlanC @21
I think the “would I?” is alluding to some regarding Ortega as a dictator. See here.
Thank you, gladys @20 – sorted now. (I hope no one was held up too long by that one. 😉 )
I can’t understand why some don’t like Paul’s stuff. He is by far the most inventive of the G compilers, and brings a touch of fun to every puzzle. 18a and 20a are impressive, but the prize must go to the genius and hilarious 4d. Bravo Paul, and thanks Eileen.
I’m definitely in the “that was brilliant” camp. So witty, particularly THUMB THING THONG. Very hard work but worth the struggle. Many thanks to Paul and Eileen.
Oofyprosser@24 – I couldn’t agree more.
Thanks muffin @22: I think it’s saying something like ‘would I, DANIEL ORTEGA, get a role in a dictatorship?’
FRITILLARIES was good, but would have been even better if it had been used a year ago. Last year, the Friday was on the 14th, so a week later would have been exactly the start of the star sign Aries.
As KVa says, as well as three*, ether is ‘the’ inside either Eliz I or II. A fun Paul, ta. Lovely to see you back on deck Eileen.
Generally, I’m no fan of this setter, finding his convoluted surfaces too much of a struggle to enjoy, but I rather enjoyed this offering. Had to wait until the last minute to see the THUMB-THING gag, which had me smiling out loud.
BIAS was my loi and, for once, was ok with the airport homophone.
Many thanks, both.
Amused by the THUMB THING (perhaps referring to “Something” by George Harrison), but the clue doesn’t appear to have a definition. You have to imagine that lisping is involved.
I dread the appearance of “sound-alikes” in Paul’s puzzles, but most of them were fine with the exception of HIFALUTIN which simply doesn’t work, for the usual rhotic reasons.
Not sure how people like this setter. He tries to be too clever with his convoluted clues and his clues usually does not make good surface reading. Give me a Brendan any day over Paul!!
Another vote in favour of this puzzle and of Paul in general. Favourites include HIGHFALUTIN (even though I do pronounce Rs), THONG, ETHER, the concise DRAB and many others.
Thanks Paul and Eileen.
Comment #34
This thread is developing into a rather tedious repeat of Monday’s ‘discussion’. It’s made very clear here, practically every day, that solvers / commenters have different favourites. it would be very DRAB if that were not the case.
Could we please confine comments to the current puzzle?
poc@31 One definition in 4d, as elucidated by Adam @7 and cryptor @8, is a lisped version of ‘something brief’ – a thong here being a female undergarment of minimal dimensions sometimes worn by young women. Certainly my elder daughter went through a thong phase in her teens, something which, as the person in charge of laundry in the family, I could not fail to notice. A supplementary definition is provided by a lisped version of ‘something to sing’ – i.e, a song.
I thought the last few Paul offerings weren’t too bad, but have to agree with others that this one seemed particularly torturous and unenjoyable. Too many overly complicated surfaces (e.g. the whole I or II thing in 18 across strikes me as needlessly confusing and adds nothing to the clue) and there are quite a few questionable synonyms imo: Bias/Intolerance and Short/Inadequate seem very loose to me, and I really do not understand how Aversion means Thing at all, unless I’m missing something.
Just so I don’t come across as a completely negative nancy, I will say that I liked 4d a lot, that’s the sort of playful cleverness I can get behind.
Very funny and inventive! And great fun to solve. DANIEL ORTEGA was just brilliant.
Thanks Paul and Eileen
Welcome back, Eileen.
Agree, ArkLark, totally apt clue for the Mugabe syndrome, i.e. liberator-turned-autocrat.
Weirdly, I found this comparatively easy for a Paul. Sometimes he seems to rejoice in the indecipherable complexities of his clues. However, ‘I or II’ meaning ‘ER’ is the sort of construction that does make me ask, “What normal person could get that directly rather than guessing the answer and working backwards?”