Guardian Cryptic 27,562 by Vulcan

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27562.

I seem to be in sync with Vulcan’s Monday slot, as I have blogged four of his previous six offerings. He seems to be continuing with the persona of the New Rufus (more DDs than CDs this time), but I found this one with much more of the positive features of that mantle. Apart from the crash-landing at 15D, there are some excellent simple clues – 3D TOXIN is my favourite, as a new take on the envelope. So, Vulcan, keep up the good work.

Across
1 FACTORY Show partially deaf actor your works (7)
A hidden answer (‘show partially’) in ‘deaF ACTOR Your’.
5 HAMMOCK The seabed (7)
Cryptic definition.
10 FLAX Linen eventually loose on female (4)
A charade of F (‘female’) plus LAX (‘loose’). Flax is the plant the fibres of which are made into linen (the fibres themselves are also called flax).
11 FAIRGROUND Play area just cut up (10)
A charade of FAIR (‘just’) plus GROUND (‘cut up’ – ground makes me think of friction or crushing, rather than cutting, but, in the US at least, ground beef – mince – is cut up, albeit finely).
12 EVENTS They happen to be special occasions (6)
Double definition.
13 DISASTER Tried desperately to involve special troops in emergency (8)
An envelope (‘to involve’) of SAS (Special Air Service, ‘special troops’) in DITER, an anagram (‘desperately’) of ‘tried’.
14 CRACKDOWN Police campaign reduced drug usage? (9)
CRACK DOWN (‘reduced drug usage?’).
16 GIRTH Right to change horse’s strap (5)
An anagram (‘to change’) of ‘right’.
17 SCRAP Fight  a little bit (5)
Double definition.
19 THE CREEPS Spectre: he may give feeling of horror (3,6)
An anagram (‘may give’) of ‘spectre he’.
23 HIGH CAMP Extravagant behaviour in Everest base? (4,4)
Double definition.
24 I’LL SAY Indisposed, for example? Absolutely! (3,3)
A charade of ILL (‘indisposed’) plus SAY (‘for example’). More fodder for the “apostrophes shouldnt be ignored” crowd.
26 REGARDLESS Anyway, like the blind? (10)
Double definition.
27 CAPE It covers shoulders and head (4)
Double definition.
28 ANODYNE Annoyed about being bland (7)
An anagram (‘about’) of ‘annoyed’.
29 ENGLAND Glen rocks with Scottish neighbour (7)
A charade of ENGL, an anagram (‘rocks’) of ‘glen’ plus AND (‘with’).
Down
2 ALL OVER Report of rupture with a Latin boyfriend? (3,4)
A charade of ‘a’ plus L (‘Latin’) plus LOVER (‘boyfriend’). The definition is questionable, but perhaps works better when extended.
3 TOXIN Poison from canned meat? (5)
An indirect envelope: the answer is OX in TIN (‘canned meat’).
4 REFUSED Did not allow judge to be taken advantage of (7)
A charade of REF (referee, ‘judge’) plus USED (‘taken advantage of’).
6 AUGUST Impressive  time of year (6)
Double definition.
7 MOONSHINE Low number keeping quiet in soft light (9)
An envelope (‘keeping’) of SH (‘quiet’) in MOO (‘low’) plus NINE (‘number’).
8 CONSENT Agree to have criminal transported (7)
A charade of CON (‘criminal’) plus SENT (‘transported’).
9 WINDOW-SHOPPER I may not buy operating system “Kangaroo”, for one (6-7)
A charade of WINDOWS (‘operating system’) plus HOPPER (‘kangaroo, for one’).
15 CRASH-LAND Come down to earth with more than a bump (5-4)
Definition.
18 CHIME IN Make a striking interruption (5,2)
Cryptic definition.
20 CRIMSON Bright red and blue round the edges (7)
An envelope (’round’) of RIMS (‘the edges’) in CON (Conservative, ‘blue’).
21 PLAYPEN Unserious writer is barred for children (7)
A charade of PLAY (‘unserious’) plus PEN (‘writer’). The “definition” is more a description, and cryptic at that.
22 GARDEN Terrible danger in plot (6)
An anagram (‘terrible’) of ‘danger’.
25 LOCAL Drink here as an anaesthetic (5)
And there I was, ready to give you a learned dissertation on the Lethe River in Greek mythology, and it comes out as another double definition.
completed grid

25 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 27,562 by Vulcan”

  1. Very enjoyable puzzle. My favourites were 26a and 3d.

    I failed to solve 17a, 18d and 24a – very clever!

    Thanks Peter and Vulcan

  2. Plenty to like here in this enjoyable Monday puzzle. I ticked 19a THE CREEPS, 23a HIGH CAMP, 9d WINDOW-SHOPPER (for the “Kangaroo” chestnut), 18d CHIME IN, 21d PLAYPEN and 25d LOCAL. I was not sure whether there was a hint of a low sugar content in the last of those, as in Lo-Cal.
    As you predicted, PeterO, I am one of those who was not 100% happy with 24a ILL SAY – my personal jury is still out on the apostrophe indicator question.
    Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO.
    [How cold is it where you are, Michelle@1? Chilly nights on the Sunny Coast!]

  3. Thanks Vulcan and PeterO

    I enjoyed this, with TOXIN and WINDOW-SHOPPER favourites. I didn’t spot CON= “conservatives”, so “blue”.

  4. Thank you to Vulcan and PeterO.  As Julie says, an enjoyable Monday puzzle.  My favourites were TOXIN and THE CREEPS (sounds like a punk band).

    I wondered if 2d was a nod to the World Cup – “They think it’s ALL OVER…”

  5. Yes, an excellent puzzle. Like Lord Jim@4, I wondered whether there was a nod to the World Cup. It’s all over for England, who crash-landed as usual. Were their dreams merely moonshine? Many thanks to V & P.

  7. Lord Jim @4: if 2d is a World Cup reference, might not 28/29 across also be?

    Thanks Vulcan for a mild Monday workout, and to PeterO for the blog.

  8. Just spotted LOEW in the second line, the name (also spelt Löw) of Germany’s trainer, but this is surely just a coincidence??

  9. Thanks PeterO.

    Had to keep checking the name to make sure this was not Rufus.  Clues such as EVENTS & HAMMOCK could scarcely be more Rufusian.

    Wasn’t too sure what ‘report’ was doing in the ALL OVER clue.  Kept looking for a homophone.

    Other than that very minor quibble, I thought this was a good start to the week with ticks at ILL SAY, ENGLAND, and the excellent anagram at ANODYNE.

    On the other hand, all this footie obsession gives me 19a.

    Nice week, all.

  12. compus@10: Sailors used to sleep in hammocks, so it’s a bed at sea.

    I hate CDs unsupported by another way to be sure you get the correct answer.

  13. I very much enjoyed this – a gentle reintroduction to Guardian cryptics after a week of overindulgence on holiday. Just what I needed! TOXIN also my favourite (appropriately for me), although I thought there was a great missed opportunity to make the HOPPER in 9d a reference to seminal computer scientist Grace Hopper, which would’ve fitted beautifully in the charade with WINDOWS as the operating system.

    Copmus @ 10: 5a was LOI for me and I rationalised it as hammocks were beds used in ships, but after a lot of head-scratching.

  14. “Crimson=bright red?” Not sure about that. Always think of it as a shade of purple myself. “Dark red” perhaps. Liked the Windows Kangaroos. Caused a slight stirring of mirth over here. A twinge of pleasure perhaps.

  15. Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO. An enjoyable start to the week, which I thought was not too difficult, but also not too easy, with CDs and DDs requiring some thought (and in a couple of cases some lateral thinking). I liked I’ll say (not that worried about the apostrophe), and the aforementioned toxin and window shoppers. Thanks again to Vulcan and PeterO.

  16. Thanks @above for hammock explanations. I believe it has been doing the rounds for a while but it could be clued better, using the HAM and MOCK in some form or other would be a good start.

    But I liked 9 in this one.

  17. TOXIN ANODYNE THE CREEPS and WINDOW SHOPPER topped my list too as did HAMMOCK and CRASHLAND for the dubious clue list.
    Not a lot more to add other than my thanks to Vulcan and PeterO.

  18. Thank you Vulcan and PeterO.

    HAMMOCK was my last in, and made me laugh, they really do help combat seasickness, especially if they can be hung from one point so as to compensate for both the pitching and rolling of the ship – there was a ship where the whole officers’ wardroom was gimballed to make it possible to gather for pre-dinner drinks even in a gale.

     

  19. Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO. An enjoyable Monday outing. HAMMOCK was my LOI and I took a while with TOXIN (but liked it when I caught on).

  20. I used to enjoy Rufus,as I’ve said so often, but I can’t say I liked this very much. Easy enough to be sure, but not especially satisfying. I can’t see anything much wrong with the clues here -although I might have quibbled about 24 ac – so perhaps it’s just me!
    Thanks Vulcan.

  21. I had crash=come down and land = earth, as well as the whole clue as full definition for 15d. So a form of DD?

  23. Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO.

    Enjoyable with HAMMOCK a slightly annoying favourite and I appreciate Hornbeam@21’s attempt to rescue CRASH-LAND which just about works.

    I also wondered, with Lord Jim@4 and Bullhassocks@7, about a world cup reference but drew back at the possibility that Vulcan was showing true colours at 17/19. Too harsh surely….

     

  24. Hormbeam @21

    It seems to me that you are stating the clue twice, and calling it a double definition.

  25. I suspect that both Hornbeam @21 and PeterO @24 are right: Vulcan intended it as a double definition (or perhaps a simple charade + a definition), but the two halves are pretty much the same, so it’s a weak clue.

    There’s plenty to like in the rest of the puzzle, though. It’s too much to ask that every clue be a gem.

     

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