One of those crosswords where there are too many great clues to pick out any particular favourites! We found it of moderate difficulty for a prize, solving it in one session. Many thanks to Paul for a great puzzle and entertaining solve.
Across
9. Something to do with a turkey claiming ’e’s least like a chicken? (9)
PLUCKIEST
PLUCK IT = “Something to do with a turkey” around ES = “’e’s”
Definition: “least like a chicken?”
10. Captivated by beachwear, thoroughly dirty sod? (5)
EARTH
Hidden in “[beachw]EAR TH[oroughly]”
Definition: “dirty sod?” (sod referring to turf, or ground)
11. Trump, in a sad bully (7)
RUFFIAN
RUFF = “Trump” (to “ruff” a trick is to trump it in bridge) + (IN A)*
Definition: “bully”
12. List of workers in survey about Scottish town (7)
PAYROLL
POLL = “survey” around AYR = “Scottish town”
Definition: “List of workers”
13. Thin metal block (4)
FOIL
Double definition: “Thin metal” and “block” (as in “to foil someone’s plans”)
14. Dummy for Fraserburgh ends in promotion of Scottish city? (10)
DUNDERHEAD
[fo]R [fraserburg]H = “for Fraserburg ends” in DUNDEE AD = “promotion of Scottish city?”
Definition: “Dummy”
16. Man United (7)
HUSBAND
Cryptic definition
17. Mark as dealt with in audition for author (7)
CHEKHOV
CHEKHOV sounds like “check off”, which means “Mark as dealt with” – “in audition” in the homophone indicator
Definition: “author”
19. Good news after delivery in Scottish town (10)
MOTHERWELL
MOTHER WELL would be “Good news after delivery” (of a baby)
Definition: “Scottish town”
22. A group of soldiers, verily (4)
AMEN
A + MEN = “group of soldiers”
Definition: “verily” (you might say, “Amen!” / “Verily!” after someone says something to indicate that you agree strongly)
24. Secured by locks on animal, put away marine creature (7)
MANATEE
ATE = “put away” in MANE = “locks on animal”
Definition: “marine creature”
25. Indicators nearly all expendable (7)
NEEDLES
NEEDLES[s] = “nearly all expendable”
Definition: “Indicators”
26. Girl I sigh about (5)
NOOMI NAOMI
I MOON = “I sigh” reversed As everyone has pointed out, this should have been “I MOAN = ‘I sigh’ reversed” for NAOMI (although in my defence, I think mooning over someone in the sense of unrequited love is much more like sighing than moaning!)
Definition: “Girl” – the most famous Noomi is Noomi Rapace
27. Hormone is found in large quantity in heart (9)
CORTISONE
IS in TON = “large quantity” in CORE = “heart”
Definition: “Hormone”
Down
1. Snap taken after vacation: mum’s photo free to edit (4-2-3-6)
SPUR OF THE MOMENT
(TN MUM’S PHOTO FREE)* – the TN is from T[ake]N = “taken after vacation”, and the anagram indicator is “to edit”
Definition: “Snap” as in “it was a snap decision” / “it was a spur of the moment decision”
2. Some potatoes under wet ground lifted in Scottish town (8)
DUMFRIES
FRIES = “Some potatoes” after (“under”) MUD = “wet ground” reversed (“lifted”) – the assembly of both parts only works because this is a down clue
Definition: “Scottish town””
3. Breaking surface, last of three geese flying (5)
SKEIN
[thre]E = “last of three” in SKIN = “surface”
Definition: “geese flying”
4. Spooner’s chicken that’s hungry, possibly, for vegetarian food (4,4)
BEAN CURD
A spoonerism of “keen bird” (“chicken that’s hungry, possibly”)
Definition: “vegetarian food”
5. Casanova nursing constant rash (6)
STUPID
STUD = “Casanova” around PI = “constant”
Definition: “rash”
6. American novel on delivery (3,6)
NEW YORKER
NEW = “novel” + YORKER = “delivery” (in cricket, a yorker is a ball that’s lands at the batman’s feet)
Definition: “American”
7. Poet Tennyson’s babbler in recital? (6)
BROOKE
BROOK = “Tennyson’s babbler” (referring to his poem, “The Brook”)
Definition: “Poet”, referring to Rupert Brooke
8. She’s a manicurist, you might say, cutting end of finger in Hitchcock film (3,4,8)
THE LADY VANISHES
THE LADY VARNISHES = “She’s a manicurist, you might say” without [finge]R = “end of finger”
Definition: Hitchcock film
15. Very slight inconvenience circumnavigating Scottish city (5-4)
PAPER-THIN
PAIN = “inconvenience” around PERTH = “Scottish city”
Definition: “Very slight”
17. A duck turned over in Indian dish, heart removed for cooking (8)
CULINARY
A + NIL = “duck” reversed in CU[r]RY + “Indian dish, heart removed”
Definition: “for cooking”
20. Length of fibrous tissue, end of cord going into joint (6)
TENDON
[cor]D = “end of cord” in TENON = “joint”
Definition: “Length of fibrous tissue”
21. No-good gag read out (6)
WRETCH
Sounds like (“read out”) “retch” (“gag”)
Definition: “No-good” – I’m struggling to make this work – isn’t “wretch” a noun and “no-good” an adjectival phrase”? Thanks to sjshart for pointing out that Chambers also has a noun definition for “no-good”: “A bad, worthless person”. (In the app version of Chambers I have, “no-good” is under “no” and “no good” is under “good”, and there’s a bug where clicking on the “no-good” entry takes you to the entry for “good”, annoyingly.)
23, 18. Speeding driver in Scottish isle and town (5,8)
LEWIS HAMILTON
LEWIS = “Scottish isle” + HAMILTON = “[Scottish] town”
Definition: Speeding driver
Thanks Mhl. Enjoyed this. But I had NAOMI for 26a, with MOAN as the sigh. Both answers seem valid.
NAOMI (I MOAN) is equally valid for 26a and a more common name.
26a is NAOMI.
Thanks to Paul and mhl. I filled in the right side fairly quickly but took until Friday to get the remainder. Things finally fell into place once I got MOTHERWELL, then MANATEE and SPUR OF THE MOMENT, and with all the crossers I spotted SKEIN (new to me), my LOI. WRETCH makes sense to me if “no-good” is read as a noun (a no-gooder).
Yep, another imoaN here. Skein is a lovely word, reminded me of the folk song… Have you seen the wild geese flyin’, Ranzo (Jansch?.. Renbourn?). Anyway, my margin notes say “took a bit of work”, and “slow, esp for a chestnut!” next to “needles[s]”, and “cricket non-lovers beware!” next to New Yorker. The race driver was a dnk (brrm brms? rather watch grass grow…each to their own!), so having got _e_i_ Hamilton, I cheated for Lewis, then kicked myself. Fun though, thanks Paul and Mhl.
Perhaps it’s my lack of class, but wouldn’t NOOMI be ‘Girl I reveal bottom to – rejected!’
I’m another one who prefers NAOMI and MOAN, which I think must have been Paul’s intention. Isn’t there a theme of sorts about Scottish places dotted around the crossword?
My margin notes say: liked the Scottish towns theme; the old four (almost) separate quadrants grid = difficult – less crossers.
Another NAOMI for 26a here. Was the turkey reference in 1a PLUCKIEST a special one for our US friends in the week of Thanksgiving? Favourite was definitely 8d THE LADY VANISHES. 6d BROOKE and 15d PAPER-THIN also received ticks of approval.
I actually knew LEWIS HAMILTON – yay! – the island, the town and the driver!!! Meanwhile that meaning of the lovely word SKEIN 3d was new to me so thank goodness for the wordplay especially with the “k” in place. I also read “no -good” as a noun for 21d WRETCH, acd@4.
Very much to my taste, so thanks to Paul and mhl.
Now the answer is available on The Guardian website, it’s clear NAOMI was intended. But as Noomi Rapace was the Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, she seems to have succeeded in the discussion on this puzzle.
Regarding NO-GOOD, Chambers gives it as an adjective first, but then recognises it as a noun, ‘a bad, worthless person’. So WRETCH is close enough.
Thanks, mhl. As Tomsdad@7 says, you did not identify the Scottish theme, but I guess it was too obvious to mention.
I was pleased to see it was a Paul this week but was a bit disappointed to get the grid filled in fairly quickly.
A few niggles:
Mother well – well yes, I suppose this is good in itself, but if I was told this, I’m not sure if I would be worried that perhaps the baby wasn’t?
Is rash the same as stupid – hmm, I suppose their meanings overlap.
I think that 8dn is weak. Va(r)nishes with no noun after it is just not enough to indicate a manicurist – even if I am right in assuming that the reference is to someone who varnishes nails.
Nonetheless there was plenty to like. Favourite clues were RUFFIAN, DUNDERHEAD, PAPER THIN, LEWIS HAMILTON. I particularly liked the misdirection of ‘speeding driver’ with its implications of an illegality. Similarly the use of ‘snap’ in 1dn which is a noun in the clue but defines the solution as an adjective.
I can’t see any problem with WRETCH.
I realised that 15dn included Perth fairly quickly, as I have a friend who has just moved there and it was at the forefront of my thoughts. The ‘pain’ element should have been obvious but no, I got the obsession it was SUPER THIN and spent ages trying to find a ‘suin’ on the internet. The penny did drop eventually.
And yes, I also had NAOMI.
Thanks to Paul and to mhl.
Oxford definition of NO-GOOD includes ‘worthless or contemptible person’ as a noun, so OK.
I found this on the easier side for a Paul prize. LOI was HUSBAND, after convincing myself that Man must somehow be the Island. The correct witty answer mightily impressed and amused the non-cruciverbile friend I was with.
Many thanks to Paul and mhl.
Another imoaN here and LOI of. HUSBAND which seems a quietly impressive clue. I liked DUNDERHEAD best – the Scottish city is well hidden and the term ‘dunderhead’ sounds Scottish (or at least sounds plausible in the Scottish accent in my head ).
Thanks Paul for the invigorating challenge, mhl for explaining it all so well, and to all the learned contributors on this blog.
Never heard of Noomi- NAOMI for me. (not that I likes sigh for moan-or moon )
Don’t often comment here, but I think this is the first time I’ve managed to compete a Paul Saturday puzzle (and possibly any Paul puzzle). Usually get stuck with less than half done.
NAOMI here, by the way. Isn’t “I moan” backwards quite a common indication in crosswords?
JinA@7 said it for me – although I did know that meaning of SKEIN. Everything worked for me so thanks to Paul and mhl.
Just checked my online puzzle and Naomi is correct
OK, everyone, I don’t know why I didn’t see NAOMI – I’ve corrected it now!
Thanks sjshart for pointing out the noun sense of “no-good” – I’ve corrected that and mentioned the tedious reason why I missed that in the post.
26 Shigi is also a girls name.
DUNDERHEAD took me a while, and I spent too long trying to force an anagram out of “mum’s photo free to’”until the N from NAOMI ruled that out (and although I enjoyed the movies, NOOMI never occurred to me). I liked HUSBAND, amongst a number of other enjoyable clues. Thanks for the tour of Scotland, Paul, and thanks too to mhl.
And another NAOMI here. Quite difficult but I thought this was Paul on form. THE LADY VANISHES, NEW YORKER and MOTHERWELL were my faves!
Thanks Paul.
I enjoyed this one although usually a need to know Scottish place names frightens me.
Lewis Hamilton was my LOI. Ironic, because he’s a son of Stevenage, my own home town (although he made himself very unpopular here once when, in referring to his humble origins, he fleetingly described the town as a “slum”). Fascinated to learn that Julie in Aus claims to know him. I wonder how?
Tony@21 another Aussie here very familiar with Lewis Hamilton, one of the easier clues I thought.
Formula One has a long tradition in Australia with races held here and some famous Australian leading drivers. You take it in by osmosis even if you don’t follow the sport.
I initially baulked at doing this crossword on seeing the Scottish references, but found it was pretty accessible. Many of the Scottish place names were copied downunder by earlier immigrants when naming ‘new’ towns).
COD MOTHERWELL
[Paddymelon, thanks for your comment. Do you know what? I’m so stupid — I thought JinA was saying she knew him personally! (I think perhaps because of my own feeling of proximity: shared hometown — I don’t know him personally myself). Anyway, of course everybody knows him. Isn’t he no.1 in F1, a worldwide high-profile sport? (I’m not a follower.) I understand he is a driving genius. Never occured to me before that both his names are Scottish. Happily, I found all the other Scottish names except Fraserburgh (which didn’t matter) were familiar to me, too. What a relief! Must be even harder if you live on the other wide of the world from Scotland.]
Great blogging from mhl. I am with you on this being a bit more accessible than a typical Paul. I put it down to my improved solving techniques. I still thoroughly enjoyed the clueing: thanks to both.
As did many fellow solvers, I enjoyed the Scottish theme in many of the clues and agree on the Approval ratings for HUSBAND, DUNDERHEAD and MOTHERWELL! Keep ‘em coming.