Guardian 27,738 / Imogen

68 comments on “Guardian 27,738 / Imogen”

1. Thanks both,

   I found this a bit quirky in cluing, but relatively straightforward despite some neat misdirections.

2. Thanks Eileen. I still don’t quite get the parsing for 2 though – how does dogma become g?

3. Alison@2  G is the ‘essential’ or middle letter of doGma

4. I too was expected Imogen to put up more of a challenge but I did enjoy the solve, especially when I spotted the four corners

   Thanks to both Imogen and Eileen

5. PRUSSIC & RIG VEDA were new to me but perfectly gettable from the clues. I had a question mark against ALIBI having eventually parsed it the same as Eileen (originally I was trying to get A LAY BY to work). Maybe it’s a regional thing, but I’ve always referred to “alley” as a walkway rather than a road.

   Thanks to Imogen and Eileen

6. Thanks for the blog.

   Gave up on the last couple of clues in the SE, retrospectively for no good reason.

   16 d has one too many “c”s if it’s BALTI + anagram of case and c? I took the def as “cold sea” but unenthusiastically.

7. New for me was RAL in 5a.

   I could not parse the “Geordieland” clue 13a but guessed that the answer was NEARS even though I did not know why or how.

   Thanks Eileen and Imogen

8. andysmith@6 I thought it was BALTIC and an anagram of CASE and the definition was cold sea, probably with a little more enthusiasm than you had

9. I just realise that I was thinking of this definition of stock for “neckwear” (and actually thought it was quite amusing to be described as neckwear):

   7 (the stocks) [treated as singular or plural] historical an instrument of punishment consisting of an adjustable wooden structure with holes for securing a person’s feet and hands, in which criminals were locked and exposed to public ridicule or assault.

10. crypticsue@8 – 18 deg c in Kalingrad in August apparently … English channel is way colder than that usually.

11. andysmith @6 and crypticsue@8 – of course you’re right; the extra c crept in between solve and blog. I’ll fix it now.

12. andy@11 apparently ‘baltic’ is now used to describe any weather anywhere that is extremely cold

13. I didn’t particularly enjoy this but I can’t put my finger on why other than that it felt “bitty”. I couldn’t figure out the “RAL” but of 17a until MrsW pointed out it was a hidden word!, didn’t parse ALIBI (alley isn’t a road to me either Niltac), and like michelle@9 I thought of punishment stocks – eventually. I did like ASPIC for its neatness and ROLLMOP for its inventive construction.
    Thanks to Imogen for the puzzle and to Eileen for her blog and intro which as always finds the best in them and often helps redress my grumpiness.

14. Crypticsue @3, thanks, I wasn’t familiar with that convention.  Good to learn something new.

15. Hi niltac @5 and Whiteking @13 – I agree with you about the definition of ‘alley’. That was my last clue to parse and, as I indicated in the blog, I still wasn’t sure. Chambers [I now see] gives ‘a narrow lane, a back lane’.

16. Thanks Imogen and Eileen

    When I saw that today’s was Imogen I almost didn’t bother, but I’m glad I did, as I enjoyed it much more than his usually. BALTIC SEA was favourite. I didn’t parse ALIBI.

    17a was quite a good clue for INVERTEBRATE, but I couldn’t fit it in, no matter how small I wrote! What is the “lacking a lot of” doing?

    I would say “lighten up” rather than “light up” for the second definition in 9a.

17. Thank you, Eileen.

    The lesser known RIG VEDA was made doubly difficult by entering NESTS for NEARS at 13a.  Nests are certainly homes and I parsed it as N E(A)ST (Geordieland mostly) + S (small).

    Cracking stuff everywhere with favourites at ASPIC, AITCH,  FAIRS FAIR & (now I see it) NEARS.

    Missed the 4 corners (of course) but it didn’t affect an enjoyable puzzle.

    Nice week, all.

18. muffin @16

    ‘lacking a lot’ indicates that not all the words are part of the ‘hidden’ and ‘of’ is part of the definition. [I’m going out now until late afternoon.]

19. muffin@ 16: I guess it’s the instruction to take part of popular bet reverend

20. Aplogies Eileen, crossing.

21. But muffin, smokers don’t lighten up.

22. Thanks Eileen and William. So “lacking a lot” is essentially a “hidden” indicator, then?

23. grantinfreo

    That’s why I said “lighten up” rather than “light up” for the second definition in 9a.

24. Quite a few I couldn’t parse including ALIBI, OPEN HOUSE and the RAL bit of CENTRAL. Also missed ‘summary’ as an adjective, rather than noun, in 21d.

    The reversed hidden and misleading wordplay for VERTEBRAL were excellent but my favourite was the surface for BOMBAST.

    Thanks to Imogen and Eileen

25. Thanks to Eileen and Imogen

    There are few things I’m not sure about:

    9a IMPROVES ONES MOOD for me gives LIGHTEN UP (as with Muffin @16)

    If the clue would work as simply – HAVE A FAG TO IMPROVE

    12a Along with many others I struggle to see ALLEY = ROAD, and even if it does I have not heard anyone say “aleebi”. But of course one person’s homophone is another’s “pardon”.

    I toyed with LEY = ancient track, and A equating to A LA (of/in the manner of), but again I’d say most would pronounce LEY as LAY

    19a Some setters use hyphenated words as if they were one word, some as two (Italicus in today’s Independent), or perhaps either way as it suits.

    Or is this an example of a “lift and separate”

    18d I know what the setter is getting at but I don’t think the wordplay gives it.

    WAY TO GET POM SOME SEAFOOD, yes, but I can’t see the order of words in the clue giving it.

    Plenty to like though

     

     

     

26. grantinfreo @21

    I do, every time I light up.

27. Thanks to Imogen and Eileen. Generally I found this a pleasant enough solve with some great clues. It unpacked more readily than usual for Imogen, but it was by no means a write in. Last in for me was the SE corner with Slovene last one (spent some time toying between Slovene and Slovese). I think my favourites were rollmop and debugging and thanks again to Imogen and Eileen.

28. @27 I was trying to fit “Suomese” in meaning Finnish.

     

29. I agree with muffin’s point about light & lighten.  The answer yields readily enough but the clue doesn’t quite work for me.  I don’t think I’d ever encourage someone to light up when I mean them to lighten up.

30. Dansar@25  18d is a type of clue that turns up on a regular basis – you have to do what the solution says and ROLL [the] MOP to get POM

31. PetHay @27:  Your comment reminded me – DEBUGGING got a tick from me too, mainly for the excellent surface.

32. Definitely some nice clues, but also some sloppiness, or maybe I’m just being overly nit-picky today, although the first has already been pointed out;
    9a. One half of the clue gives LIGHT UP, the other LIGHTEN UP.
    13a. NEARS is synonymous to “homes in on/to”. Missing the second particle.
    18a. What’s the role of “his”, except for surface ecology?
    5d. Why does “employing” mean “around”? We’ve seen this elsewhere, but imo it’s very imprecise. However, he gets a pass if he intended the &lit. I say this because you can alternatively parse this one as a standard definition+indication, so we’ll maybe never know. Come to think of it, even the &lit. reading isn’t correct, because the “wood” doesn’t participate in the wordplay.
    Thanks all.

33. This was a lovely puzzle. Thanks Imogen!

    A very minor point but possibly the ‘NE’ in 13a is more specifically the postcode for Newcastle, rather than the whole of the North-East of England, not all of which is ‘Geordieland’.

34. Unusually straightforward for Imogen, but all very enjoyable.

    Thanks to Imogen and Eileen

35. Tim @33 – the rest of Geordieland is surely still in the North East. the postcode never occurred to me…

36. Newcastle is, of course, WEST of London!

37. I’m fine with all that rhotic/nonrhotic stuff, but ALIBI a homophone too far.  Does anybody say “alley-by” for the word?

    15a DEBUGGING is more repairing faults than criticizing, I should think, although I suppose you can’t repair them until you find them.

    Odd that “E’er” is poetic now.  It started life as a contraction, like “can’t” or “wouldn’t”.  Obsolete contractions become poetic because poets who wouldn’t use them in conversation use them in verse.

    muffin @16  I hammered on INVERTEBRATE too, and it wouldn’t go into my puzzle either.  I agree with you about “lighten up.”

38. Please can someone put this amateur out of his misery and explain the connection between Barman and Rossini

39. David @38

    “Barman” in crosswords often means “composer”, as he/she writes in musical bars

40. David @38  sorry about any bruises you may sustain when you realise that Rossini was a man who wrote music in ‘bars’

41. David @38

    Watch out for “scorer” too….

42. No problem for me with LIGHT UP in 9a – an improvement in mood from bored to excited, as compared with the improvement from dour to content in LIGHTEN UP.

43. crypticsue @30

    I know the type of clue you mean but my point is

    Imprecision at set?  (8,5)

44. Thanks to Imogen and Eileen. Tough going for me – and the term NEARS defeated me.

45. Quite liked this. I expect this setter to be tricky but this puzzle,and,to be fair his last few, have been pretty straightforward. I didn’t notice the corner connections until Eileen pointed them out. I had no problem with ALIBI-and,yes,I do say Alley by. I did like FAIRS FAIR which,along with FETES were my LOI.
    Thanks Imogen.

46. Thanks Imogen and Eileen

    A fun puzzle, for me.

    Dansar @25 / Valentine @ 37: I’ve never heard anyone say ‘allee’ for alley. I’ve only ever heard ‘alli’ (short i).

    Re 9, Chambers definition 3 of LIGHT UP: “To make or become light, bright, happy, etc”. Seems fair enough to me.

47. Much later (in the wee hours enjoying the cool after 38-degree day!): Well said Van Winkle@42: you’ve nailed the ‘light up’ point. [PS Rip VW was a favourite story as a child; not sure why now, something about bowling balls sounding like thunder…]

48. I often find Imogen mixes precise with imprecise clueing in a way that’s slightly unfair, e.g. 21 (precise) vs 12 (imprecise – “going to” is just along for the ride and makes it hard to justify “road” being part of the homophone). 18 is another example – “way to get Pom some seafood” would be fairer, IMHO.
    I did like CURRENT and BALTIC SEA.
    Thanks all the same, Imogen and thanks, Eileen, particularly for the ALIBI parse.

49. Simon S @46 

    The allee/alli debate is of course a regional thing and, since it’s been some time since I was in Barnsley, I  don’t claim any specialist knowledge.

    I still can’t see  9a though. Perhaps it is the use of the word MOOD – Tottenham beating Arsenal really did LIGHT UP my day/ help LIGHTEN UP my mood.

50. Really enjoyed this one … I’m hoping Tim @33 explain is right as 2 days running (as a north easterner) I’ve found myself saying ‘Tyneside / Geordie land is not synonymous with thr North East, there’s a lot more to it than Newcastle ‘! You can get into a lot of bother in County Durham calling locals Geordies !

51. I thought ALIBI in 12a was A1 (road) around (going to close) LIB (say, as in libretto)

52. dogfish @51

    I too tried to work A1 in, but I think LIB for “say” is too much of a stretch.

53. Sorry, for a beginner, what has Rossini got to do with barman

54. See 39 and 40

55. Ah yes, thanks

56. In 13a, isn’t “in” doing double duty?As part of the definition & as insertion indicator.

57. Dansar @ 49

    cf Robert Palmer 1974 album “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley”

    And is that Barns-lee or Barns-li ?? 😉

58. Muck @ 56

    No, because in fact it’s a charade: NE + AR(e) + S

    hth

59. Agree with others on the faults. Debugging is the act of fixing and whilst someone’s face might have lit up their mood would have surely lightened. Hmmm

60. Hi Muck @56

    My slip in the blog – it’s a charade, not an insertion: NE + AR[e] + S – another casualty of the gap between solving, in the early hours, and writing the blog, when I woke up later. 😉

     

     

61. Sorry,  Simon S,  for the cross – I’d only just cone in.

62. No problem, Eileen. it happens 😉

63. Eric

    In the IT industry “debugging” isn’t necessarily the act of fixing.

    For very difficult problems it is often the task of some expert such as I was/am to identify the problem in some complex piece of coding. I would describe this as debugging.

    Once I have identified the error the team responsible for producing the code have the responsibility for changing the code to fix the bug. Several more teams will usually then be involved to implement the fix and release it into the production environment in a timely and non-destructive way.

    I cost far too much to be employed to do the actual time consuming fixing and release. 🙂

64. A fun puzzle today that I found challenging in places.  I struggled in the SW corner a bit, before the mists parted and I saw ROLLMOP, because without the “P” crosser I kept seeing “emigres” at 27ac, event though I knew it was not correct.  I’m with the (minority, it seems) view expressed by other commenters above, that LIGHT UP for definition #2 was fine.  Favorites for me included VERTEBRAL, STEGOSAUR, RIG VEDA and BALTIC SEA.  Eileen, you reference some connection between or among the corners of the puzzle, and other commenters say they saw it also, but nobody explains what it is!  Please put me out of my misery, ha ha!

    Many thanks to Imogen and Eileen and the other commenters.

65. Please can someone explain why Barman is Rossini

66. Seb Jackson @ 65 – please see comments 39, 40, 53 and 54. My apologies, if you’re new, for not having explained it again. It does crop up a lot, so it’s worth filing away. [And note comment 41, too.]

67. Very late, I’m afraid, but I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this puzzle by Imogen despite noticing at the outset that it lacked (so I thought) the four long solutions that he always incorporates in his crosswords. Naturally, I was delighted to discover, about three-quarters of the way through, that he hadn’t really let me down! Very neat.
    I have had no time to read the blog yet but will do so very soon. Thanks anyway to both Imogen and Eileen.

68. Three ‘different’ people asking why Rossini is a “barman” – and the last two both missing earlier explanations. Hmm… smells more trollish than coincidental…!
    I thought this was a super puzzle; ticked ASPIC and BALTIC SEA (enjoyed the reference to “baltic” in its latterday use a synonym for “cold”).
    I like the term “Janus word” which I’ve always used rather than contranym (or even autoantonym!) as it’s nicely descriptive.
    Many thanks to Imogen for a fun solve and thanks to Eileen for her hard work.

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