Guardian Cryptic 27,486 by Pasquale

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27486.

An easy one from the Don, which came across to me as an exercise in envelopes. Straightforward, but satisfying. And the puzzle even has a Nina!

Across
1 HI TECH Using sophisticated kit, there’s snag about energy (2-4)
An envelope (‘about’) of E (‘energy’) in HITCH (‘snag’).
4 PROPER Suitable publicity precedes short musical entertainment (6)
A charade of PR (public relations, ‘publicity’) plus OPER[a] (‘musical entertainment’) minus its last letter (‘short’).
9 PREP Homework pages — school subject to be absorbed (4)
An envelope (‘to be absorbed’, for a four-letter answer!) of RE (religious education, ‘school subject’) in PP (‘pages’).
10 MOONSTRUCK Makes audacious gesture in front of vehicle, being insane (10)
A charade of MOONS (‘makes audacious gesture’ of a particular kind) plus TRUCK (‘vehicle’).
11 FIDDLE Heart shown with initial change of sex — tricky operation (6)
MIDDLE (‘heart’) with the M swapped for F (‘with initial change of sex’).
12 MEALIEST Most floury food is situated to be eaten (8)
An envelope (‘to be eaten’) of LIES (‘is situated’) in MEAT (‘food’).
13 ERUDITELY Like an academic discourteous about computers etc? See about that (9)
An envelope (‘about that’) of RUDE (‘discourteous’) plus IT (‘about computers etc.’) in ELY (diocese, ‘see’).
15 NINA Lady, not totally square, wanting bit of adventure (4)
A charade of NIN[e] (‘square’ of three) minus its last letter (‘not totally’) plus (‘wanting’ – ambiguous, of course) A (‘bit of Adventure’).
16 BASH President not acceptable to top people, strangling a party (4)
An envelope (‘strangling’) of ‘a’ in B[u]SH (‘president’, take your choice) non-U (‘not acceptable to top people’).
17 ASTRONOMY A second attempt to describe unusual moon in science (9)
An envelope (‘to describe’) of ONOM, an anagram (‘unusual’) of ‘moon’ in ‘a’ plus S (‘second’) plus TRY (‘attempt’).
21 CLARINET Home with red exterior? Blow me! (8)
An envelope (‘with … exterior’) of IN (‘home’) in CLARET (‘red’; this evening, a Figeac ’79), with an allusive definition.
22 SAMOSA Bit of food — bit eaten by Christian soldiers repeatedly (6)
An envelope (‘eaten by’) of MO (‘bit’ – “Wait a bit”) in SA SA (Salvation Army, twice, ‘ Christian soldiers repeatedly’).
24 BARBIE DOLL Liberal bod upset by this sexist toy? (6,4)
An anagram (‘upset’) of ‘liberal bod’.
25 RYES Grasses grow upwards, as you might say (4)
Sounds like (‘as you might say’) RISE (‘grow upwards’).
26 STRING Good person with halo maybe in train (6)
A charade of ST (saint, ‘good person’) plus RING (‘halo, maybe’). ‘Train’ as a sequence.
27 METHOD Order complied with, note having been sent back (6)
A charade of MET (‘complied with’) plus HOD, a reversal (‘having been sent back’) of DOH (a deer, a female deer, note’ of the sol-fa).
Down
1 HARRIER Dog in item of luggage, hot rather than cold (7)
CARRIER (‘item of luggage’) with the C changed to H (‘hot rather than cold’). No, Pierre, no bird link this time.
2 TOPED Editor-in-chief drank excessively (5)
TOP ED (‘editor-in-chief’).
3 COMMENT Firm Madame leading heritage organisation evokes criticism? (7)
A charade of CO (‘firm’) plus MME (standard French abbreviation, ‘Madame’) plus NT (Nationa Trust, ‘heritage organisation’).
5 RASCAL Caught by cameras, callous rogue (6)
A hidden answer (‘caught by’) in ‘cameRAS CALlous’.
6 PERDITION Row’s beginning to interrupt quiet book? Damnation! (9)
An envelope (‘to interrupt’) of R (‘Row’s beginning’) in P (‘quiet’) plus EDITION (‘book’).
7 RICKSHA Vehicle is a heap — pity that can’t take me (7)
A charade of RICK (‘heap’) plus SHA[me] (‘pity’) minus the ME (‘that can’t take me’).
8 NORMALISATION Soldiers of African country imprisoned in country? That’s becoming standard (13)
An envelope (‘imprisoned in’) of OR (other ranks, ‘soldiers’) plus MALI’S (‘of African country’) in NATION (‘country’). ‘Becoming’ as a gerund.
14 DESCRIBER Writer interrupting the German reporter (9)
An envelope (‘interrupting’) of SCRIBE (‘writer’) in DER (‘the German’).
16 BALLADS Songs terribly sad after dance (7)
A charade of BALL (‘dance’) plus ADS, an anagram (‘terribly’) of ‘sad’.
18 RESOLVE About to settle or break up? (7)
A charade of RE (‘about’) plus SOLVE (‘settle’).
19 MISLEAD Fool is left drowned in drink (7)
An envelope (‘drowned in’) of ‘is’ plus L (‘left’) in MEAD (‘drink’).
20 INTERN Trainee as part of a performing act in the auditorium (6)
Sounds like (‘in the auditorium’) IN TURN (‘part of a performing act’).
23 MIRTH Cut up? Hard to show gaiety (5)
A charade of MIRT, a reversal (‘up’ in a down light) of TRIM (‘cut’) plus H (‘hard’).
completed grid

49 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,486 by Pasquale”

  1. Thanks PeterO and Pasquale.

    I parsed 15a exactly the same way as you did…wondered if there was anything else to it..like you say, the puzzle literally has a NINA!

    Liked SAMOSA, MOONSTRUCK and RICKSHA

  3. I enjoyed solving 13a ERUDITELY and 17a ASTRONOMY, as well as 12a MOONSTRUCK, as already mentioned by ilippu@1. I needed help to parse 22a SAMOSA – I guessed it, but now I think it’s a great clue.
    Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO.
    [I much preferred your idea for clueing 15a NINA, copmus@2, as I found “A” for adventure a bit weak (if that’s all there was to it). Have just resurrected our old turntable and dusted off the vinyls from storage, so will be putting on Nina Simone’s album “To Love Somebody” in honour of your suggestion!]

  4. Julie @3 sponge and distilled water does wonders for  vinyls-sounds like an old wive’s tail but its only going to cost 3d so its worth a try.It was Nicj=k at Audiophile in melbourne who demonstrated it.Great bloke.

    Erm I’ll stick to solving I think.Neat puzzle from the Donster.

  5. I found this a lot easier than the usual Pasquales, but got stuck at the end on RICKSHA (didn’t know the alternative spelling) and NINA. Liked BARBIE DOLL and PERDITION. Thanks to P & P.

  8. Phil Wood @7: The Chambers definition: ‘vt to separate into components… to analyse, to break up…’

    and cf Hamlet’s soliloquy, O that this too too solid flesh would melt – Thaw and resolve itself into a dew…

     

  10. Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO. Doh a DNF for me. For some reason I carelessly put middle in for 11a and reed for 25a without giving either much thought. Still it was an enjoyable challenge though I did think some of the definitions were a bit tenuous (though maybe just me). I did like perdition and moonstruck. Thanks again to Pasquale and PeterO.

  11. I enjoyed this and, whilst I did not find it straightforward (a comment on my solving abilities, not on PeterO’s preamble), I agree it was less difficult than some of the Don’s other offerings. Many thanks to Pasquale for a very entertaining puzzle!

    Unlike some people I thought that 15a was fine (and was actually an early entry for me). I agree with others about the likes but, being a retired academic, I would add 13a to the list. I too had a blank moment with “Resolve” in 18d and so many thanks to queenbarrow@8 for the very helpful addition to PeterO’s excellent blog.

    [copmus@2 and JinA@3: I too thought of Nina Simone at 15a (and very much liked the alternative clue copmus – nice one!). I rediscovered Nina Simone recently when watching the excellent NZ film “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” as her “Sinnerman” was used as part of the soundtrack.]

  12. ERUDITELY is a double envelope IT in RUDE, the combination in good old ELY.

    Pleasant puzzle, a others have said.  I liked BARBIE DOLL.  Thanks, Pasquale and PeterO.

     

  13. Oops, I managed to convince myself “list” meant “square” (as in square up?) and put LISA. Everything else was all right. The SE was the last corner to go and only collapsed after I got enough hmm-it-might-be-this-es that happened to overlap each other correctly. Thanks Pasquale.

    Why does “in the auditorium” mean “in turn”?

  14. As others have said, on the easy side for the Don, with none of his trademark obscurities. Maybe he mislaid his unabridged dictionary?

    My only complaint is that, faced with _I_A and expected to choose one of the dozens of women’s names that fit, we’re kind of in need of a more specific clue. I considered Dina, as “square” can mean “meal,” but DIN is almost dine, not dinner, so that one didn’t quite work.

    Separately and unrelatedly, yesterday I wrote the following clue, of which I’m immensely proud:

    Stormy Daniels: Callgirl’s first three trysts (10)

  17. NINA was last in, so I didn’t waste much time looking for one. Definitely one of the Don’s easier ones, but none the worse for that.

    Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO

  19. I spent far too long looking for Pasquale’s trademark obscure words, notably at last in METHOD. But he did catch me out once – I dashed in an unparsed DIVA where NINA should be. Silly, silly me!

  21. Thanks Pasquale and PeterO

    Yes, a very easy Pasquale excpet for the DNF with NINA. Lots to like – ASTRONOMY and BARBIE DOLL favourites.

  24. And, hmm. I’m not convinced by “in turn” meaning “as part of a performing act” either, but I can understand it retrospectively, I think.

  25. I lost my way in the SE corner I’m afraid. The rest of the territory was enjoyable though. Got normalisation but didn’t know OR.

  27. With eight clues remaining I found myself with four mini-crosswords – two unsolved clues in each isolated corner. But all quite doable, except for my LOI which was (the unparsed and incorrect) DIVA.

  28. Yes, I had DIVA too. For once managed to resist using the reveal button. Many thanks Pasquale and PeterO. George Clements@26: What’s the answer, please?

  31. Martin @ 28
    Sorry, not much of a clue really: the answer is ‘Trump’s denial’. Provoke isn’t a very good anagrind, and ‘Strumpet Daniels set out bewildered Present’s rejection’ (5’1,6) might be a fairer clue. Even then, Trump rather stands out from Strumpet doesn’t it.

  32. Except for 15a and 16a, I thought this was a good, skilfully constructed crossword to follow two other good crosswords this week. Of the three, this was the least tricky, but none the worse for that, and I liked MOONSTRUCK, ERUDITELY, RISE and METHOD particularly.
    Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO.

  33. I have just noticed in the ‘Corrections and clarifications’ column in today’s paper: ‘Monday’s cryptic crossword had the clue: ‘Uplifting piece of text set to music for annual exhibition. It was meant to end: “annual examination”.’ I have just checked and there is now a correction on the online puzzle under ‘Special Instructions’ !

  35. Martin@28 again.
    I really shouldn’t, but try:
    ‘It’s senseless, but strumpets, e.g. Daniels, surprisingly achieve Presidential ambition’ (6,4,4)

  37. I was another surprised to find myself moving with such pace through a Pasquale puzzle – but I did come to a grinding halt with RICKSHA – which is clear enough from the wordplay once I got over my refusal to believe it could be spelt like this – and NINA which I gave up on with DIVA being as close as I got. Copmus@2’s clue is far superior. So another dnf – it’s becoming a habit. I don’t think MISLEAD has been mentioned yet. I liked it because that’s just what it did – mislead me into thinking I was looking for a noun.
    Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO.

  38. Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO. I had the same experience as Whiteking@37 – I at first rejected the alternative spelling of RICKSHA and made a series of guesses to finally get NINA.

  39. WhiteKing @37
    I don’t mind DNFs! I didn’t like 15a or 16a much (especially the phrases ‘bit of adventure’ and ‘not acceptable to top people’); so I bunged in NINA and BUSH. It was just luck that NINA was correct. (I wanted it to be AIDA, because I saw that opera in Prague exactly a week ago – wonderful, if you like that sort of thing.)

  40. A puzzle with a Nina and no Nina – is this a first?

    I didn’t complete Boatman’s puzzle in time to comment yesterday, but I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable ones in a long time; I had a dozen or more ticks. The Don today was almost as good. Favourites were ERUDITELY, CLARINET, MOONSTRUCK and BARBIE DOLL. LOI was NINA – I thought the clue was fine, but copmus’ clue was brilliant.

    Thanks Pasquale and PeterO.

  41. Re 16a, interesting to note the death of First Lady Barbara Bush, wife (and mother) to the President/s in the clue for 16a coincided with the publication of Pasquale’s puzzle.

  42. A pleasant surprise being able to complete one by this setter. Thank you Pasquale.

    Certainly not ‘ridiculously easy’ though.

     

  43. All bad about half a doz for me, I must be getting ok. I rejected rickshaw as too long, I need to think more about alternate spellings! I didn’t get Nina either, glad not just me. I was wondering if there was a convention that ‘bit of’ usually meant a particular part of the word (adventure is a 9 letter word, which letter or letters do I take?) but it sounds not?

    Otherwise plenty to enjoy in there, thanks Pasquale and PeterO

  46. 15a I too didn’t like nine = square. Of the many options available I opted for AIDA with stAID = not totally square because I quite liked it but I was pretty sure that it wasn’t what the setted had in mind.
    Thanks at this lat hour to Pasquale and PeterO

  48. AlanB@39 – thanks for that perspective. Thinking about it I never used to mind dnfs until I started contributing here! I’ve never seen myself as competitive – but maybe I am. I think my acceptance of it also varies with the nature of the clues I didn’t get. If it’s one I could have got but was outwitted by the setter then there’s a pleasure in seeing the answer; if it’s one I still don’t think I’d have got having seen the answer then there’s resignation and maybe some learning; and if it’s like today’s NINA where I didn’t rate the clue or solution it’s neither here nor there.
    JinA@41 – maybe there are always coincidences and they only become so when we notice and name them?

  49. WhiteKing@48
    Well said. I get almost as much pleasure from being outwitted by a clever clue as I do from conquering an attempt to outwit me. Also, when I stop enjoying a crossword (as happened one day last week) I just put it down with no regrets. As you know, I didn’t rate NINA either, and my attitude was the same as yours – it’s behind me now, and knowing Pasquale as one who takes care over his clues I look forward to his next appearance.

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