Guardian Cryptic 28,012 by Nutmeg

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An entertaining puzzle as usual from Nutmeg, but where’s the Christmas puzzle this year?

I didn’t expect to have to write a blog this morning as I was expecting the traditional prize crossword, but it would appear there isn’t one this year, so instead we were treated to the next best thing – a Nutmeg offering.

I enjoyed this puzzle which was challenging without being overly difficult, the difficulty being in explaining the parsing of a few of the answers, which I hope I have managed to do to everyone’s satisfaction.

As this is my last blog before Christmas, I’ll take this opportunity to thank all commenters, lurkers, setters and bloggers and wish everyone a Happy Christmas.  (It’s not my last blog of the year, as I still have the FT on Thursday – just as well I’m TT, don’t fancy blogging with a hangover!).

Thanks, Nutmeg.

Across
1 ABSURD Preposterous seamen tried for East Enders’ audition (6)
  ABs (able-bodied “seamen”) + homophone of ‘EARD (“tried” i.e heard in a Cockney (East End) accent), indicated by audition
4 PRAISED Commended installation of lift in Palladium (7)
  Installation of RAISE (“lift”) in Pd (chemical symbol for Palladium)
9 PARACHUTE We may hear soldier bring down retardant from plane (9)
  Homophone of [we may hear] PARA SHOOT (“soldier” + “bring down”)

 A parachute would act as a retardant, i.e. it would slow you down, if you jumped from a plane.
10 PIXIE Very good team ultimately invincible, being out of this world (5)
  PI (“very good”) + XI (eleven, so “team” as in “first XI” in cricket or football) + [ultimately] (invincibl)E
11 RIPEN Mature writer on Christian discipline? (5)
  PEN (“writer”) on R.I. (religious instruction, so “Christian discipline”)
12 HANDCUFFS 4 inch boxes for bracelets (9)
  HAND (“4 inch”) + CUFFS (“boxes”)
13 LORRIES Problems unloading weight on large trucks (7)
  (w)ORRIES (“problems” unloading W (weight)) on L (large)
15 GODDAM Noted midday excursionist returns, confounded (6)
  <=MAD DOG (“midday excursionist”) returns

As in “mad dogs and Englishment go out in the midday sun”
17 STATIC Retreating pets must keep it motionless (6)
  [retreating] <=(CATS (“pets”) must keep IT)
19 DUODENA Guts shown by couple turning and smothering last of fire (7)
  DUO (“couple”) + [turning] <=AND smothering [last of] (fir)E
22 EDITH PIAF Singer with no regrets, if paid the rent? (5,4)
  *(if paid the) [anag: rent]

Edith Piaf famously sang “Je ne regrette rien”, which translates as “I have no regrets”.
24 SIGHT Spectacle‘s modest, 50 having withdrawn (5)
  S(l)IGHT (“modest”, L (50) having withdrawn)
26 ELVER Swimmer using river always stopped by lake (5)
  EVER (“alwayd”) stopped by L (lake)
27 DELICIOUS Among clues I do dreadfully, one is to be savoured (9)
  I among *(clues i do) [anag:dreadfully]
28 DARKEST Most dirty knees regularly scrubbed in spring (7)
  K(n)E(e)S [regularly scrubbed] in DART (“spring”)
29 FLEECE Rob‘s cut and run before church (6)
  FLEE (“cut and run”) before CE (“Church” of England)
Down
1 APPAREL Alarm when engineers put in anything worn (7)
  APPAL (“alarm”) when R.E. (Royal “Engineers”) put in
2 SYRUP Take tea, perhaps, without your sweetener (5)
  SUP (“take tea, perhaps”) without YR (your)
3 RECONVICT Give more time to sextet in free concert? (9)
  VI (“sextet”) in *(concert) [anag: free]
4 PFENNIG Coin once found in north-east France pocketed by doctor from south (7)
  <=(IN N.E. (north-east) F (France) pocketed by G.P. (“doctor”)) from south
5 ASPIC Nutmeg, for one, having bottom pinched by a setter at lunch? (5)
  SPIC(e) (“nutmeg, for one”, having bottom (i.e. last letter) pinched (i.e taken away) by A

Aspic is a savoury jelly, so it sets and could be eated at lunch (therefore it could be defined as a “a setter at lunch”)
6 SAXIFRAGE Master receiving kiss when artist finds flower (9)
  SAGE (“master”) receiving X (kiss) + IF (“when”) + R.A. (“artist”)
7 DRESSY Three cardinals with boring clothing? Far from it (6)
  ESS (“three cardinals” ie. east, south, south) with DRY (“boring”) clothing
8 SUCH AS Like posh children occupying seats, every other one being taken (4,2)
  U (“posh”) + CH (children) occupying S(e)A(t)S [every other one being taken, i.e. removed]
14 RETRIEVER Irreverent drunk docking tail of deacon’s dog (9)
  *(irreveret) [anag: drunk] being “irreverent” with tail of (deaco)N docked
16 DROPSICAL Afflicted in Paris — cold, shivering (9)
  *(paris cold) [anag:shivering]
18 CHINDIT WWII veteran‘s language curbed by court (7)
  HINDI (“language”) curbed by Ct. (court)

Chindits were special units of British and Indian soldiers who fought in Burma in the Second World War.
19 DEFTLY Face punched by officer, rising skilfully (6)
  DEFY (“face”) punched by <=Lt. (lieutenant, so “officer”) rising
20 ARTISTE Performer playing sitar with extremely trite accompaniment (7)
  *(sitar) [anag: playing] with [extremely] T(rit)E
21 LEGEND Superstar on boundary (6)
  LEG (“on” side in cricket) + END (“boundary”)
23 HORDE Pack lunch or deliver sandwiches (5)
  Hidden in “luncH OR DEliver” (indicated by sandwiches)
25 GOOSE Waterfowl, say, including small ducks on the rise (5)
  <=(E.G. (“say”) including S (small) + OO (two “ducks”)) on the rise

*anagram

33 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28,012 by Nutmeg”

  2. Another real treat from Nutmeg; her puzzles are just so consistently satisfying and enjoyable.

    Among all the super clues, I especially liked 5d: a bit of silliness, but it conjured up a very comical image.

    Festive good wishes to everyone.

  3. Yep a tasty little morsel from the spice lady. Loved the retardant and the non-world being. Familiar with duodenum since childhood due to me dad’s ulcer therein, but still needed crossers to get it, loi. Dart for spring a bit hmmm, but excusable, and “You can do the cw if/when you’ve done your Xmas prep” (tick) works ok-ish in saxifrage. Nho chindit but it was my first guess. High quality so far in this special week, thanks both and best wishes all.

  4. Thanks Nutmeg and loonapick.

    A lovely puzzle to start the day before tackling those last preparations for Christmas. Although a dnf for me as I failed to get 3D RECONVICT – stupid I know. Also needed loonapick’s help in parsing 7d DRESSY – another one to make me feel ashamed of myself.

    Lots of lovely answers but favourite by far was 15a GODDAM.

    Happy Christmas everyone and may 2020 be good for you.

  5. Thanks Nutmeg and loonapick

    Very nice. Favourites were EDITH PIAF and RECONVICT (apart from FOI ABSURD, the NW was blank until the end!)

    “Using river” was a bit odd in 26a. It’s true, but it doesn’t contribute to the clue.

    [loonapick – there was a large Maskarade puzzle last Saturday. I really don’t recommend it, though.]

  6. Almost a write-in, eg NW, but saved by a handful of delicious clues (eg 4D, 15A) so non, je ne regrette rien. Had not heard of the great 18D in many decades, so this was nostalgia, also.  LOI was 21D, as I worked more or less clockwise.

  7. What a sublime puzzle. Lots of favourites which have been mentioned with ASPIC getting my double tick for the misdirection of the whole clue – how can Nutmeg and setter not refer to her or a dog? This is how. PARACHUTE was a close second for the definition. Thanks to Nutmeg and loonapick for the blog (there’s a minor typo in 5d – eaten not “eated” although it’s probably been emended by now.

  8. A Christmas cracker! A most enjoyable solve – thanks Nutmeg and Loonapick. My favourites: Pfennig and Parachute. Now l have to get on with all the boring stuff . . .

  9. I wondered if, after getting 25 dn on the first pass, there might be a seasonal theme. Not to worry, there was plenty more to enjoy! Like WhiteKing @7 I admired the use of “nutmeg” and “setter” in the clue, but nary a hint of the first person or a dog in the answer…

    Many thanks and Merry Christmas to Nutmeg, loonapick and fellow lurkers.

    [muffin @5 – the Maskarade on Saturday was long and tedious, but I was surprised at how I felt obliged to keep going… will perhaps say more when the blog is published….)

  10. Muffin @ 5 My thoughts match yours exactly with the exception of 1a being my LOI.

    The expected engaging excellence from Nutmeg so thanks to her and loonapick and a very Merry Christmas to all.

  13. yes a fine puzzle. liked especially RECONVICT, ASPIC, HANDCUFFS and PARACHUTE.
    Thanks to Nutmeg and to Loonapick..
    Merry Christmas to all.

  15. This was a real struggle for me, but I got there, then spent a while trying to tease out several unparsed clues, so more enjoyable in retrospect than in the heat of battle. My favourites have all been mentioned. I’m surprised that no one has commented on the fact that ‘para’ for soldier comes directly from PARACHUTE, a flaw in the eyes of many solvers although not so much in mine.

    I parsed FLEECE as a double definition (rob, cut) plus wordplay (run before church).

    Thanks to Nutmeg and loonapick.

  17. [I remember that Araucaria and the delight it brought. Long enough has passed that I don’t remember the anagram. Well it is 37 years. I’m wondering what madeleine moments are in store. Thanks Eileen for the link.]
    I thought yesterday’s was superb. This one was just as fine.

  19. Lloydus @18

    Very common in crosswords. It’s short for “pious”.

    Thanks for the link, Eileen. Dear old Araucaria!

  20. Great puzzle from Nutmeg -15 a real Christmas Cracker.

    Incidentally, am I the only person to have thoroughly enjoyed Maskarades’s  Saturday puzzle?

    It’s come in for a lot of criticism, but surely the pleasure comes from the small whoop of delight the solver

    gives after constructing some incredibly unlikely sounding hamlet from the wordplay, googling it, and then finding that

    – Yes – it actually does exist! I found it utterly absorbing, but then each to his own, I suppose.

    Merry Christmas everyone!

     

  21. Nice tight puzzle.  I learnt something new today in CHINDIT.

    muffin @5  I suppose the “using river” part of 26 is a reference to the particular behaviour of elvers swimming upriver during this phase of their lives.  It struck me as odd at the time too, until I checked Wiki.

    Thanks, loonapick and Nutmeg.

    Thanks also, Eileen, for the pointer to the Araucaria treat.  Will print it off along with the Xmas special for my break away from the PC over the holiday.

    Speaking of which, Happy Christmas, bloggers, setters and solvers everywhere!

  22. phitonelly @21

    Yes, “using river” is factually correct, at least in part, but the clue doesn’t really need it.

  25. Bit of a disappointment after Brendan yesterday but I suppose it was ok. I found that most of the answers were easy to get but a bit tricky to parse. ASPIC was a guess and so were a couple more.
    I’m a bit of a Bah Humbugger so it’s probably my mood.
    Anyway, all the best to Nutmeg and everybody else!

  26. Thanks for the cross-reference to the 57 letter Araucaria clue, Eileen. Can someone provide the answer, please?

  29. GOOSE, DRESSY and APPAREL were early solves for me, so I thought this was going to be a seasonal theme – but then HANDCUFFS, EDITH PIAF, RECONVICT and CHINDIT all fell into place in rapid succession, and I began to have doubts…. My faves were the dog and cats (coincidentally it’s been raining both all day) and LORRIES made me grin. Thanks to Nutmeg for a pleasant distraction from the really grotty weather, and to Loonapick for the ever-welcome help with parsing (I had no idea PI could mean “good”). Happy xmas to all FSers!

  30. A lovely puzzle. Francesca has solved my three month internet drought just in time for my enforced Christmas isolation. So this was perfect after the bars shut up shop for the duration.

    Thank you Nutmeg and Loonapick, and a Merry Christmas to all.

    A bag full of nuts, a bottle of wine, carols from King’s and an ARAUCARIA PUZZLE. The perfect Christmas Eve; a thousand thanks Eileen.

  31. I don’t think its been mentioned loonapick, but just to say I think in 5d the ‘a’ is mistakenly underlined.

    Thanks and seasons greetings.

     

  32. It took me a while to get into Nutmeg’s style, but once there everything fell into place in about half an hour. But such fun on the way! Thank you – much better than some elaborate confection which assumes we all have more time on our hands than usual. At Christmas? And thank you Loonapick for clarifying a few things. Much fun, much enjoyed despite its relative brevity.

  33. I’m glad Roy Blake enjoyed the Maskarade marathon. I thought it was totally tedious, designed to demonstrate the ingenuity of the compiler rather than to test the intelligence of the solver. No, I didn’t want to spend my Christmas leafing through the index of the road atlas, for yet another obscure anser to a simple clue.

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