Guardian Cryptic 27,392 by Crucible

by

Some lovely clues – my favourites were 29ac, 9dn and 15dn. Thanks Crucible.

There is a theme around heraldry: the COLLEGE OF ARMS; CREST, SUPPORTER, SHIELD[s] and DEXTER describe parts of a coat of arms; a CHEVRON is a ‘V’ shape, a PALE is a vertical stripe; and several other solutions e.g. PEACOCK might appear on a coat of arms.

Also notable were a pair of ‘triple’ clues each with two sets of wordplay as well as a definition.

Across
1 PEACOCK Butterfly gives a firm penetrating nip (7)
=a type of butterfly [wiki]
A plus CO[mpany]=”firm”; inside PECK=”nip”
5 MARSHAL Shepherd spoils Prince Harry (7)
MARS=”spoils” plus HAL=”Prince Harry”
10 PALE Familiar eastern soft drink lacking colour (4)
double wordplay: PAL=”Familiar” plus E[astern]; P[iano]=”soft” plus ALE=”drink”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglais_iohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aglais_io
11 EGO-TRIPPED European earned rent, having boosted self-image (3-7)
E[uropean] plus GOT=”earned” plus RIPPED=”rent”
12 DEXTER Inventor of Morse put off by cuts (6)
=Colin DEXTER, author of the Inspector Morse novels [wiki]
DETER, with X=”by”* cutting in
*X=”by” in multiplication or when describing dimensions of an object, as in ‘2×4’ = ‘two-by-four’
13 LONDONER City dweller, recluse entertains prof (8)
LONER=”recluse” around DON=”prof”
14 PERSONAGE Somebody English ousts American in cleric’s place (9)
E[nglish] replaces A[merican] in PaRSONAGE=”cleric’s place”
16 STUDS Film companies getting rid of ten hunks (5)
=attractive men
STUDIOS=”Film companies” getting rid of IO=10=”ten”
17 TWICE Double starts to take wonder drug (5)
starting letters of T[ake] and W[onder], plus ICE=crystal meth=”drug”
19 SORCERESS Witch or goddess on board (9)
OR plus CERES=Roman “goddess” in S[team]S[hip] or “on board”
23 CAMELLIA Desert ship, having trouble withdrawing plant (8)
CAMEL=”Desert ship”, plus AIL=”trouble” reversed/”withdrawing”
24 RABBIT Novice player‘s rare and rather absorbing book (6)
R[are] plus A BIT=”rather” around B[ook]
26 NOBLEWOMAN Lady‘s about to retire wasted old staff (10)
ON=”about” reversed/”to retire”, plus BLEW=”wasted” plus O[ld] plus MAN=”staff”
27 DULY As expected, judge left for Germany at start of month (4)
JULY=”month” with J[udge] leaving for D[eutschland]=”Germany”
28 ESQUIRE Groom queries polite title (7)
(queries)*
29 ATHEIST He can’t believe that he is taking part in this (7)
Hidden in [th]AT HE IS T[aking]
Down
2 ETAGERE Somewhere to display ornaments before barrier goes up (7)
ERE=”before” plus GATE=”barrier”, all reversed/”goes up”
3 CREST In Paris, it’s protecting royal crown (5)
C’EST=”it’s” in French or “In Paris”, around R[oyal]
4 CHEVRON College bird defending Victor’s 25 (7)
=25dn, BADGE
C[ollege] plus HERON=”bird” around V[ictor]
6 ARRANT Utter a bombastic speech about Republican (6)
=extreme, total
A RANT=”a bombastic speech” around R[epublican]
7 SUPPORTER Stay to drink beer left in first-class (9)
=a prop that holds something up
double wordplay: SUP PORTER=”drink beer”; also PORT=”left” in SUPER=”first-class”
8 AXE-HEAD A 19 goes up each day in old chopper (3-4)
A, plus HEX=witch=19ac, SORCERESS reversed/”goes up”; plus EA[ch]; plus D[ay]
9 COLLEGE OF ARMS Some call for rocks round, say, place to get one’s bearings (7,2,4)
cryptic definition: ‘bearings’ can mean coats of arms
(Some call for)* around E.G.=”say”
15 SACRE BLEU Tours curse small area beside Belle Vue regularly (5,4)
=a French curse, as might be used in the French city of Tours
S[mall] plus ACRE=”arear” plus regular letters from B[e]L[l]E [v]U[e]
18 WEAPONS Guardian staff apparently love new style Arsenal (7)
WE=”Guardian staff” plus AP[parently] plus O=”love” plus N[ew] S[tyle]
‘New Style’ refers to the use of the Gregorian calendar instead of the ‘Old Style’ Julian calendar
20 CORONET 26 has one county singer sent up (7)
=a 26ac NOBLEWOMAN might have one
CO[unty] plus TENOR=”singer” reversed/”sent up”
21 SHIELDS Large duke suddenly starts confining guards (7)
L[arge] D[uke]; confined in SHIES=recoils or shrinks from something alarming=”suddenly starts”
22 FLOWER Fine cow could be Daisy (6)
F[ine] plus LOWER=”cow”, an animal that makes a lowing sound
25 BADGE Mark‘s invited around midnight (5)
BADE=”invited” around the middle of [ni]G[ht]

26 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,392 by Crucible”

  1. Thanks Crucible and manehi

    I found this hard – I was staring at the 27a/21d crossers for ages – and not particularly enjoyable. Several clues were “top down” only – NOBLEWOMAN and SHIELDS for example. In contrast I liked the clue for ETAGERE, as I remembered there was a “thing” but couldn’t remember what it was called; however I was able to build this up from the bottom. ATHEIST was another favourite. I didn’t parse AXE HEAD or DULY.

  2. Thanks both.
    Despite having avidly watched “Breaking Bad”, ICE = drug was new to me. Amazing what you learn in Crosswordland.

  3. Its about time ICE was used as drug in crossword land.But is R=RARE established?

    I did like SACRE BLEU but not my favourite puzzle this week- I do love the variety of the setters though.

    Thought Screw, PICAROON AND KNUT great (and good old Phi too).

    HNY all.

  4. I had trouble in the SE corner too but got there once I’d realised 27A was not a month.

    I liked the triple definitions too.

    Happy New Year, everyone.

  5. Failed at the last hurdle with DULY, I was overthinking it. For some reason, some of the blog entries are getting lines cut off before the end (26a, 8d, 18d). Not seen this happen before.

  6. Enjoyed this very much. Add marshal to the list of things heraldic, a title given to certain heralds at the college of arms.

  7. Thanks, manehi.

    I agree with your favourites yet again – and FLOWER made me smile.

    Add AXE-HEAD, too – and Xjpotter just beat me to it with MARSHAL. In fact, the Earl MARSHAL is Head of the COLLEGE OF ARMS.  I think ESQUIRE, NOBLEWOMAN and PERSONAGE could be included in the theme, too.

    Most enjoyable puzzle. – many thanks to Crucible. For fans like me, there’s another Duggie Anderson puzzle here in the FT – which I enjoyed even more.

  8. Now,that WAS difficult in places…and I don’t know whether it is because the cricket is being shown from Australia at the moment, but “put off by cuts” had me imagining that it was possibly a (very obscure to non-cricket lovers) reference to the England cricketer “Lord Ted” Dexter and his penchant for off cutting the ball..

  9. Thanks to Crucible and manehi. For once I did get the theme though did not spot some of the relevant items. I took a while catching onto “Tours curse” as definition and even longer to piece out AXE-HEAD (my LOI) – and Ap for “apparently” was new to me, but I managed to parse everything (rare for me). Lots of fun.

     

  10. I also found this quite hard towards the end, but managed to complete with the help of my daughter, who guessed SHIELDS. Favourites were the double-clued PALE and SUPPORTER, also CAMELLIA and FLOWER. Many thanks to Crucible and manehi.

  11. Copmus @3. Some googling gave me r for rare as a librarian’s abbreviation for rare books.
    This puzzle took two of us quite a time, but it was satisfying when it yielded at last. (We couldn’t parse noblewoman, so thanks to Manehi for putting us out of our misery.) And to Crucible for a lovely puzzle.

  12. Thanks to Crucible and manehi. Another I nearly gave up on but gradually it unfolded. For me almost a puzzle of four bits, top right first, then bottom right, then bottom left with top left the last bit with etagere and pale last ones in. That said a few not fully parsed so thanks again to manehi for the clarification. Look forward to what tomorrow has to offer, no Paul so far this week therefore maybe?

  13. Woo-hoo, I got the theme. That doesn’t happen often. COLLEGE OF ARMS was the giveaway – it was nearly of ARTS but the penny dropped.

    Ronald @8, I remember Ted DEXTER all too well. Sublime cricketer; not sure about the rest of him.

    NOBLEWOMAN was from crossers only, by trial and error, but given the theme, I should have got there earlier.

  14. Phew! I’ve caught up with crosswords at last after the fiendish Maskarade has been put to bed.
    This was a mixed bag for me. Some were straightforward enough – PARSONAGE,FLOWER and SORCERESS but others I stared at for far too long including PALE, which in retrospect should have been one of the easiest. I could kick myself for not getting the theme given DEXTER which should have given it away.
    Not as pleasant as Screw yesterday but Ok.
    Thanks. Crucible.

  17. Want a great way to spend some time. Thanks to both crucible and manehi.

    But I disagree. Both 10a and 7d are triple definitions, not double. Brilliant both of them.

    Of course I missed the theme, which is hardly unusual, so 9d took far longer to get than it should. I knew it was a college but of what was my problem. Lots of little smiles when pennies dropped and I loved 15d.

  18. Thanks Crucible and manehi.

     

    I got the theme quite early on, and it helped confirm some answers. I think STUDS and SACRE (Falcon) could also be added.

    [Well done Peter @14; I am still struggling with my last our in the Prize]

     

  20. I limped through this one, enjoying parts of it when I solved some individual clues, but taking far too long over three sessions which disappointed me. However it was a clever puzzle, which some enlightening parsings from manehi helped me to appreciate. I only spotted a couple of the heraldic theme words and vaguely thought it was all to do with aristocratic families etc rather than heraldry (9d COLLEGE OF ARMS being unfamiliar and only solved from the anagram fodder and crossers).

    Nevertheless, thanks to Crucible and manehi, and all commentators for an interesting discussion.

    So feeling a bit sorry for myself today vis a vis crosswords, as I spent too much time last night and this morning (Australian time) on the Crucible and didn’t ever get back to the Maskarade Prize – defeated before I ever really began on that one, with only two entries on my first pass, and just too busy to give over the time to try again.

    But I will save it and avoid reading the blog until I have given it another shot after the hoohah of New Year is over.

    Sorry for my late post, but as I won’t be on today’s Prize forum, I just wanted to wish The Guardian solving community a very happy year ahead in 2018. Thank you all for the fun and games over the past year.

  21. Another DNF for me – if I have to go to bed with empty lights, I call it a DNF.  Two short.  No way could I have lighted on ETAGERE even with three crossers (all E’s) in place!  And the other – as you’ll probably have figured out, was PALE.  I suppose the two alternative wordplays in the same clue threw me off-balance.  But no complaints!

    The wordplay for DEXTER was excellent but I spoilt it rather by looking up the name of Inspector Morse’s creator – so I cheated there!  Even more embarrassing seeing as Colin Dexter was one of many celebrities who passed away in the past year. 🙁  I ought to have remembered.

    Quibbles?  I thought HEX (= “spell”) was the thing a SORCERESS ‘puts on’ you, rather than the Sorceress herself.  Perhaps I’ve been reading too much Harry Potter!  Oh well!  And the other was ATHEIST.  Being one myself, there’s plenty of things I can believe in.  Just not in you-know-what!  But I’ll let that pass too.

    Thanks to Crucible for a real challenge, and manehi.

  22. Just a quick apology for not commenting much this week. It’s not that I haven’t been enjoying the puzzles, more that my usual routines have been a bit disrupted over Christmas.

    Thanks to manehi and Crucible and an early Happy New Year to all…

  23. I had noticed your absence and was missing your comments, beery h. I hope everything is okay. Best wishes from Australia for 2018.

  24. As this is the last Guardian blog of 2017, I’d like to say how much I have enjoyed what setters, bloggers and commenters alike have contributed over the year.  I’m looking forward to more of the same in 2018.

    The setters and bloggers have done a great job for thousands of happy grid-fillers like me, and I’m grateful to them all.

    (An end-of-year teaser: what are the group terms for setters and bloggers?  It has to be a compilation of setters, but what about bloggers?)

    A Happy 2018 to all.

     

  25. Alan B @ 24

    A solution of bloggers? Or, by extension and more cruciverbal, an emulsion of bloggers?

    Happy and rewarding 2018 to one and all…

  26. [Alan B – An exposition of bloggers; a kindness of bloggers or my preferred option (a nonexistent word) – an exquisition of bloggers ?!…..]

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