Guardian 28,065 – Nutmeg

by

[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here

The rather strange grid, combined with four long multi-light answers, leads to an unusually small number of across clues Good fun as always from Nutmeg, though, so thanks to her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
Across
4,6. COLOUR SERGEANT Flag-carrying soldier resolved to clear surgeon (6,8)
(TO CLEAR SURGEON)*
9,10. MONKEY BUSINESS Illicit affairs of spymaster running major industry (6,8)
M (spymaster, in the James Bond stories) + ON (running) KEY BUSINESS
11. LOSE THE PLOT Rant and rave, as sacked gardener might? (4,3,4)
Double definition
15. THOUGHT Grim time that husband’s taken into consideration (7)
H in TOUGH + T
17. CURSIVE Four breaking oath joined up (7)
IV in CURSE (oath)
18. SPRING CLEAN Fresh source of water first for annual purification? (6,5)
SPRING (source of water) + CLEAN (fresh)
22,23. CRIMINAL RECORD Preposterous list often added to with conviction? (8,6)
CRIMINAL (preposterous) + RECORD (list)
24,25. MERCHANT SEAMEN Long-haul workers from Manchester somehow getting the last word (8,6)
MANCHESTER* + AMEN (last word in a prayer)
Down
1. LUCENT Bright rising copper’s temporarily given housing (6)
Reverse of CU in (housed by) LENT (temporarily given)
2. REPUBLICAN Local runner joining army unit is no monarchist (10)
RE (army unit) + PUBLICAN (one running a local)
3. AGLITTER A good outcome to queen’s labour? Brilliant! (8)
A G + LITTER (this queen is a female cat, and her labour is in giving birth)
4. COMPLETE Struggle across line to finish (8)
L in COMPETE
5. LONG SHOT Outsider is dying, feverish (4,4)
LONGS (is dying [for something]) + HOT
7. AXES Plotters regularly use such weapons (4)
Double defiition, with two different pronunciations: the plurals of axis (as used by one plotting a graph) and axe (weapon)
8. TOSS Only the odd contrary characters suss out pitch (4)
Reverse of alternate letters of SuSs OuT
12. ENTERTAINS Name adopted by setter in a novel proves amusing (10)
N in (SETTER IN A)*
13. LIFE FORM Naturalist may study this 22 23 at end of a sentence (4,4)
LIFE (prison sentence) + FORM (criminal record)
14. REINED IN Checked what monarch did, abandoning grand home (6,2)
REIGNED less G + IN (home)
16. GASLIGHT Greenery, at first a modest innovation in late Georgian streets (8)
G[reenery] + A SLIGHT
19. CREWED Pronounced ‘basic’, as ship will be before sailing (6)
Homophone of “crude” (basic)
20. SCUM Riff-raff making unpleasant film (4)
Double definition
21. LIAR Storyteller‘s rung up (4)
Reverse of RAIL (e.g. a rung of a laader, which is a short rail)

48 comments on “Guardian 28,065 – Nutmeg”

  2. Yep neat clues as ever thanks Nutmeg. Brief eyebrow flicker at clean for fresh, and moreso for criminal as preposterous, though my old Collins gives monstrous among synonyms of the latter, so I spose you can get there indirectly. Colour Sergeant evoked memories as the late Mrs ginf loved the CS in her favourite movie, Zulu. Pleasure to solve, thanks both.

  4. Smooth, like whipped cream. Rather than scan through for a few easy starters I stared at the anagram in 4,6 until I could pick it out. A few down clues followed and I was immediately on Nutmeg’s wavelength. Some lovely cryptic definitions. I had “clewed” for 19dn (my LOI) for a while, it being a sailing term, but could not make anything of the homophone until a search deeper in the alphabet revealed the truth.

    Thanks Nutmeg, and Andrew – indeed an odd grid with the double entries making it a quick solve.

  5. Thanks for the blog, Andrew.

    Well said, George@1!

    I often comment on how I admire setters who take the time and care to make multi-light answers run consecutively, rather than scatter them randomly over the grid. [Seeing ‘See …’ strewn all over the place makes me slightly grumpy before I even start the puzzle!] This puzzle is a masterclass in elegant and meticulous setting. Super clues throughout  – top favourites MERCHANT SEAMEN AGLITTER  and GASLIGHT.

    Many thanks, as ever Nutmeg.

  7. Very enjoyable puzzle to solve. My favourites were LOSE THE PLOT, AGLITTER.

    I could not parse 13d FORM because I did not know of FORM being a criminal record. I also took a while thinking about where CLEAN came from in 18a because the wording of the clue sort of seemed to be back to front to me. That was perhaps my least favourite clue today.

    Thanks, Nutmeg and Andrew.

  8. A masterclass in elegant and meticulous setting as Eileen says. I’ll add REINED IN to the list of favourites although there isn’t a dodgy clue in sight. AGLITTER indeed. Thanks to Nutmeg and Andrew.

  11. Stared at LIFE FORM for quite some time before I finally put it in, LOI. LUCENT another clue to take a while, not exactly a lightbulb moment there. Nutmeg always 12 down, however…

  12. Good crossword; I needed a few of the Downs to get started.

    I thought of LIFE term for 13D, but of course it didn’t parse. I particularly liked AGLITTER and REINED IN.

    Thanks Nutmeg for the fun and Andrew for a comprehensive blog.

  13. Struggled to justify prosperous = CRIMINAL for some time but otherwise a lovely puzzle.

    The Georgian gaslight thing reminded me of the extraordinary story of the first gas traffic light in London…

    Many thanks, both, nice week, all.

  17. Very enjoyable.  Favourite was 3d AGLITTER.

    However re 11a, I thought to LOSE THE PLOT was to become confused and irrational (as in “he’s completely lost the plot”) rather than to rant and rave?

    Thanks Nutmeg and Andrew.

  19. Next to nothing went in on the first pass, but the crossing C in 4, 6 suggested COLOUR and gave me enough of a toehold to begin unlocking the rest. Masterful indeed, following an equally masterful Quiptic by Hectence this week. My favourites have all been mentioned, so I’ll just add my thanks to Nutmeg and Andrew.

  21. Nutmeg aglitter!

    Thanks very much to Nutmeg for a very enjoyable puzzle with some great a-ha! moments for me.
    4,6a COLOUR SERGEANT was the only unfamiliar, but perfectly gettable from the anagram and crossers. I also appreciated greatly 17a CURSIVE, 22,23a CRIMINAL RECORD, 24,25a MERCHANT SEAMEN (as many have mentioned previously) and 19d CREWED (also already touched on in previous).
    Except for “PUB”= “local”, I couldn’t parse 2d REPUBLICAN fully – thought the “army unit” was Royal Navy – couldn’t for the life of me see what “runner” was about – didn’t even think of PUBLICAN – der!-  so thanks to Andrew for the clarification of that one, as well as for the thorough blog.

  22. Wonderful crossword as has already been said many times here.  Would any others agree it was rather easier than the standard Nutmeg fare.  I could offer many as favourites, but MONKEY BUSINESS and SCUM stand out for me.  But above all is there a smoother setter of surfaces than Myristica fragrans? Thanks to Andrew for the crystal clear blog!!

  23. Some sublime clueing today and I can only add my voice to the praise already lavished.  MONKEY BUSINESS, CRIMINAL RECORD, LIFE FORM, LUCENT and GASLIGHT were favourites.

    I wasn’t upset by the two equivalences that have been raised as dubious: a ‘clean’ shirt and a ‘fresh’ shirt are much the same and if ‘preposterous’ seems ‘criminal’ that rather proves the point!

    Thanks to Nutmeg and Andrew as always

  24. Lovely Nutmeg as usual, and thanks Andrew for the help I needed with some of the parsing, particularly REPUBLICAN.

    18a SPRING CLEAN = purification?  One’s a verb and one’s a noun.  It’s not the wordplay but the definition I have trouble with.

  28. I have nothing much to add, except that it’s nice to see the word GASLIGHT without any reference to its verb sense.

  30. Took me a while to get started but it all went in eventually. Not much to add to what others have said. I liked AGLITTER and REINED IN.
    Thanks Nutmeg.

  31. Mr. Penny: if you mean gaslight in the sense of  to attempt to manipulate psychologically, I got the impression this was an intentional allusion.

  33. MinG @29, me too! Maybe if the clue had been “Return main weapons?”, I’d have got there sooner!

    Took me way too long to get started today, but once I’d solved a couple it was silky smooth. I just love nutmeg’s work. AGLITTER, REIGNED IN, GASLIGHT, superb!

  34. An exemplary crossword puzzle – not just the individual clues but the overall pitch of the puzzle, which I found quite tough.
    Like TheZed, I really wanted to get started with 4/6 across, so I stuck at it until it yielded. With more and more crossers the better it got. I think I counted at least 20 favourite clues.
    Thanks Nutmeg and Andrew.

  35. Following a comment by IlPrincipe who certainly got it before me, I twigged to the theme.
    REPUBLICAN, LIAR, COMPLETE SCUM, GASLIGHT, CRIMINAL, MONKEY BUSINESS, TOSS(ER) and possibly a few others related but less fun.

  38. Thanks to Dr. Whatson for pointing out the theme which I missed – I thought there might have been one when I read il principe’s comment regarding GASLIGHT. Seeing those linked words made me admire Nutmeg’s superb setting even more. Well done to the Dr. and others who saw the theme.
    Speaking of themes, as someone who has been saving the Prize puzzle to do as a special treat when my week becomes less busy, I am very disappointed to have read comments about a theme by MinG and Scutter above (sorry I don’t have comment numbers as I am on my mobile device). I thought it was part of our protocol on this site not to mention a “live” Prize puzzle up until the publication of its solution?

  39. JinA @38, the comments above did not actually refer to a theme, but to a device that is spelled out in the special instructions. Nevertheless, I hope that there was nothing sufficiently specific to constitute a spoiler for you.

  40. Apologies to Julie @38. I’m somewhat new here and I wasn’t aware of any such protocol. Thankfully I gave no specific spoiler. It won’t happen again.

  41. DaveinNCarolina @ 39

    A device that runs through 15 clues constitutes a theme, surely? Or is there another term for such a thing?

    NB Not talking about Saturday’s Prize, talking conceptually.

  42. Simon S, I suppose you are right regarding the terminology. The point I was trying to make, probably not well, was that the device/theme is clearly flagged in the special instructions, and solvers are not expected to discover its existence on their own.

  44. Sadly the second sentence of the comment @33 meant that I worked out the “device”, as I had read the preamble at the top of the puzzle when I printed it off, though I had not started on the solve.

    However of course your apology is accepted, Scutter: it is always great to welcome new members to our online community and when I began so many people helped to explain things to me along the way for which I was very grateful. And I am still learning!

  45. Agree with Julie (in A) on two counts. The “publican” bit had me for a brief moment, wondering why “ican” equated to runner; a river I’d not met before?!
    And, more importantly, will people NOT discuss other puzzles – especially extant prize ones.

    I found this most enjoyable, particularly GASLIGHT – which I ticked!

    Many thanks, both and all.

  46. Hmm…perfectly reasonable crossword, if a tad on the clunky side for my taste.

    Didn’t know one could be HEARSED but it’s there in Chambers.

    Nicely concealed I’ve in GIVER.

    Dr Whatson @1:  Notwithstanding William P F’s plea @45, I’m intrigued to know what you thought the theme might have been in yesterday’s Nutmeg.

    Nice week, all.

  47. William @46 – was your comment intended to be ironic? This the Nutmeg and you are in a world where tomorrow’s puzzle does not yet exist.

  48. Pleased that I persisted and had another go at finishing this one, two days later. I had most of the top half missing after the first go, and could not see my way forward, but then today COLOUR SERGEANT clicked and then the rest followed pretty quickly. A Nutmeg is worth savouring! And now it’s done, I can read the comments about the theme…

Comments are closed.