Guardian 28,134 / Paul

95 comments on “Guardian 28,134 / Paul”

1. Thanks Paul and Eileen

   A lot of “guess the answer, then parse” clues (or not parse, in the case of WORMHOLE). I was held up by having ANTLION first @11 – a perfectly valid answer, though ANAGRAM is better. (I expect you all know what you get if you enter “anagram” into Google; try it if you don’t.)

   Favourites were CHAPERONE and THEFT.

   I though the “Fine” wasn’t needed in 17d.

2. I heartily recommend the wikipedia article about scratch-and-sniff.

3. DAS KAPITAL was a real head-scratcher, holding out til last as I researched Jamaican baking traditions and currencies and then the penny dropped.  Particularly tricky as there are variant spellings of both ‘dal’ and ‘pita’.  CHAPERONE was cute and lots of ticks for THEFT – though I do have a sneaking feeling I’ve encountered this construction for this solution before.  ANAGRAM and MOVED TO TEARS used the same device cleverly and both RAINDROP and CRABMEAT made me smile.  COTD is a toss up between NOTHING, which has a lovely misdirection and the ever-popular PARAKEET (well, twice in a month) which seems to be the closest to smut today.

   The appearance of ‘antelope’, of course, got my antennae working and I think I’d have struggled more with WORMHOLE, were it not for the definition which – sorry Eileen – was a bit of a giveaway.  I couldn’t parse CUMBRIA – thanks Eileen – and grumbled a little about ASIA MINOR not strictly being a country – until Siam jumped out at me and I saluted the &littishness of the clue.

   Another super offering, Paul, for which many thanks.  And Eileen of course.

4. Thank you, Eileen, enjoyed this.

   Plenty of invention with (yet another) clever clue for ANAGRAM.

   Was moved to look up Grimalkin to learn that is stems from the opening scene of Macbeth when one of the three witches planning to meet with Macbeth announces, “I come, Graymalkin.”  The witch is responding to the summons of her familiar, or guardian spirit, which is embodied in the form of a cat.  Shakespeare’s “graymalkin” literally means “gray cat.”  The “gray” is of course the color; the “malkin” was a nickname for Matilda or Maud.  The word came to be used in dialect as a general name for a cat and also a hag.

   LOI was the “composition of red” DAS KAPITAL.  Took way too long to seperate red and lentils.

   Many thanks, Mr Halpern, nice weekend, all.

5. All very entertaining – I would have liked to solve this one on paper but at the moment that is only an option on non-working days, so the Saturday Guardian is valued – hope we see Picaroon or Philistine tomorrow.

   I think a couple went in unparsed or not completely parsed, but I couldn’t make a note of them.

   This is now the third time Paul has used his 10a joke though:

   Paul 26876: A pink organ moving towards the rear (3)
   Paul 26091: Pink organ inelastic, if man excited (9,5)

   Thanks to Paul and Eileen

6. A very enjoyable challenge from Paul.  Favourites were 14a SOCK IT TO ME, and 19a DAS KAPITAL with the brilliantly misdirecting surface.  (I was helped with the former by the fact that I’ve been listening a lot to the anniversary editions of the White Album and Abbey Road, and in the studio chat George can distinctly be heard saying “Sock it to me”.  George Harrison, that is – I don’t think it’s something George Martin would have said!)

   In 15d I wondered if ASIA MINOR was a bit too big to be called a peninsula, but I see it is described as such in Wikipedia.  Could South America be described as a peninsula?

   Many thanks Paul and Eileen.

7. I associate “sock it to me” with Judy Carne on Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-in.

8. muffin @1 I’ve never entered ‘anagram’ into Google until now: very amusing.  Agree with you about ‘fine’: it is finer in texture, I guess, than most other seafood.  It’s not particularly superior.  The clue wouldn’t have suffered without it.

   beery hiker @5 Thanks for the reference to prior clueing.  My vague feelings of familiarity are explained.

9. Plenty of clues for THEFT along the same lines too:

   Gemini 22088: The newspaper’s job (5)
   Gordius 22628: Paper peculatio (5)
   Araucaria 23837: Pinching pink paper (5)
   Boatman 25051: Newspaper for a safe job in the City? (5)
   Pasquale 25480: A rival paper behind the crime? (5)
   Chifonie 26480: Newspaper has article on robbery (5)
   Paul 26639: Illegal practice that’s much studied in the City (5)

10. THEFT and ANAGRAM were cute, the latter especially so given the topic of the Guardian’s crossword blog this week.

    Like many others, was defeated by DAS KAPITAL. Really clever wordplay.

    I’m not convinced by dropping in wanton asterisks. It doesn’t really make sense most of the time, and strays a bit too close to a Ted Rogers 3-2-1 level of nonsense.

11. This was tough! It would been good as a Prize puzzle. Or maybe I am getting dumber during this covid-19 crisis because I am feeling so much stress. Reading books makes me feel better, but crosswords are a real struggle lately 🙁

    My favourites were chaperone, moved to tears, it takes all sorts, TV set.

    New for me were the fact that the FT is pink – I always thought that it looks pale orange! Also new were grimalkin = cat, and the phrase ‘scratch and sniff’.

    I could not parse 11a (that ‘an insect’ is an anagram of ‘instance’), 19a ( the SKA/PITA bits), and 15d.

    Thanks, Paul and Eileen.

12. Beery @5:  Good spot, I remember the second one (anag) but not the first.

13. Filtering a spreadsheet to search for pink organ is probably safer than Googling it…

14. Sunny morning, free to walk for hours and a Paul puzzle full of humour and clever wordplay. Hurrah. No doubt the new kids on the block will drop by later to complain about lax definitions etc but couldn’t give a monkey’s.

    Favourites were MOVED TO TEARS ANAGRAM (as per Mark@3) and DAS KAPITAL with a nod to CREW (which sounds like a broad Norfolk homophone) New to me was the cat (thanks for that William@4).

    Thanks to P+E.

    To brighten up the morning even further here’s a lovely bit of ska from Jazz Jamaica playing My Boy Lollipop

    JJ MyBoy Lollipop

     

15. Michelle @11:  Know what you mean, girl, these are trying times.  Just keep focused on the fact that we’re (slowly) winning the battle and things will be back to normal one day.

    Love to you from all your fellow cruciverbalists.

16. I enjoyed this. NW corner last to fall with ANAGRAM LOI, with a chuckle when the penny dropped. Thanks Muffin, I’ve never googled it. Also liked CHAPERONE and DAS KAPITAL.
    ThAnks to Paul for the fun and Eileen for the blog.

17. I put the red with the lentils to make dal, leaving composition as the def, but Eileen has it right (you can make dhal with green ones too). Great puzzle, a bit of work but not too onerous. Artiste (foi), the antelope, the self-flagellation and ingest were gimmes which helped, and the long ‘uns were pretty easy, tho I needed the ‘f’ to complete the sniff product. The subtraction in 9 was neat, as were the internal anagrams in 11 and 25,3. I remembered Goldie Hawne (sp?) as being in that Laugh In role, but it was 50 yrs ago! So, as for yesterday, some pleasant scratching of cranium but no teeth ground. Oh yes and parsed ‘drink less gin as ‘no G’, incorrect, noggin minus gin is the go. All fun, thanks Paul–your boundless generativity befits that of the language–and thanks as ever Eileen.

18. I thought this was Paul on absolutely top form and snickered happily on getting several.   I think DAS KAPITAL might go down as one of the clues of the year.  And, because it is topical I enjoyed SPACED OUT.  As I am not one with any database of previous clues I also enjoyed and smiled at THEFT, and probably will next time it comes up: well getting old has some advantages.  So thank you Paul and many thanks Eileen for, as ever, a very complete blog and for helping me fully understand both ANAGRAM and WORMHOLE.

    muffin I am with you on SOCK IT TO ME although I would never have remembered the woman’s name: well getting old has some disadvantages as well!!  Did you have to look it up?

19. Michelle – I felt a bit like that; it will pass. I find crosswords, and level of enjoyment, are often a gauge of how I feel. And can be a great diversion from cares and worry….

    I loved this Paul. Apart from a couple of chestnuts (THEFT and CREW) there was so much fun and originality here. What a super week we’ve had with TRAMP, IMOGEN, VLAD and PAUL – the best since we were locked up?!

    Many thanks, both and all.

20. Like SPanza@18 I thought this was Paul on top form (but when isn’t he?). Struggled with DAS KAPITAL (LOI); loved many including that and SOCK IT TO ME, MOVED TO TEARS and ANAGRAM. Many thanks to Paul and Eileen.

21. Michelle I am with William in wishing you all the best and praying for you to keep positive.  These are trying times and for an old pensioner living in relative calm in southern Spain it is OK, but if you are younger and perhaps living in a metropolis I can imagine your angst.  But as William says it will all be gone one day soon and the joy of your books and crosswords will still be with you!!

22. Spanza @18

    Sorry – I just remembered her. Goldie Hawn had a much more successful post Laugh-in career, though.

23. Great puzzle with more innovative clues from Paul – thank you. Despite being a much reprised clue (thanks beery) THEFT was among my favourites – along with ANAGRAM, SOCK IT TO ME, NOTHING, SPACED OUT, S&S and INGEST. Loi was WORMHOLE which along with DAS KAPITAL I needed the blog to see the full parsing. Thanks Eileen.

24. Yes indeed muffin!  Cactus Flower with Water Matthau, is one of the great comedy films of all time IMHO, and Goldie rightly won an Oscar doe her performance!!

25. Another innovative and entertaining offering from Paul and a nice crisp blog from Eileen as usual. Thanks to both.

    LOI was THEFT, even though I’ve seen it before. The A in 15 prompted me to split SKA and the red composition jumped out. COTD.

26. Oops ‘for’ her ………

27. I remember SOCK IT TO ME being an oft used phrase in that late ’60’s comedy series Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In…and as so often with Paul’s puzzles and me, I sometimes struggle to find his wavelength at first. Then after a reviving cuppa I’ll come back and suddenly I’m on it. Just two clues solved on first sweep, then whoosh, and it all fell neatly into place. And a Paul crossword would not be complete without mention of a pecker, and the obligatory antelope…

28. Whew! That took a long while to untangle. I found the SW particularly hard but it was a marvellous moment when I finally saw my LOI, 19a DAS KAPITAL (cf. William@4, drofle@20 and others who struggled). Glad the latter seemed to be one others found difficult. It was a really good clue I thought. Favourites were the afore-mentioned 14a SOCK IT TO ME (great Beatles story, Lord Jim@6), 1d SCRATCH AND SNIFF and 8d IT TAKES ALL SORTS. I was just a little heartened by the fact that I remembered what “grimalkin” meant because of the witches in “Macbeth” so that I had the fodder for CRABMEAT at 17a, proving that I am not losing the plot altogether (yet!).

    Thanks for the tussle, Paul, for the blog, Eileen, and the cross-references, beery hiker@5 and 9. The solution “it takes all sorts” struck me today as very applicable to our multi-talented crosswording community – as I read each comment whenever I come to 15², I am struck by the way in which we are all different. As I read each of your forum names, I ponder with some concern on how you each one of you are coping with the challenges besetting us individually and collectively, wherever you are in the world. Especially today I send my thoughts to you, michelle@11. I always enjoy your posts for their refreshing honesty and I do hope that the crosswords and the support of the folk on this blog can help you to keep your spirits up in these anxious times.

29. Thank you Paul and Eileen for a delightfully witty puzzle. Like others I was scratching my head over Jamaican bread – or possibly money at the end.

    I remembered wormholes from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=23&v=dsYMa44m69g&feature=emb_logo

30. Thanks Eileen, and Paul. Many of the above-mentioned clues of THEFT involving the FT, might subliminally reference one of the few Financial Times and crossword-related jokes, namely “What’s pink and hard in the morning?  – the Financial Times crossword.”

31. Ha ha Bullhassocks @30 reminds me of the rhubarb joke!!

32. 20d. How does put = sat ?

33. phil elston @32 I wondered about that and came up with “he was put/sat in the corner”

34. phil elston @ 32

    I put/sat the cup on its saucer.

35. Much as others have said – Paul on top form. I was mightily relieved when DAS KAPITAL revealed itself as my last in but there were plenty of other tough clues along the way which gave a similar feeling of satisfaction as they slowly yielded.

    Thanks to Eileen and Paul

36. D’uh. Tx Simon S

37. All went in without a hitch except for THEFT, which I never would have gotten from the wordplay and wondered about even after revealing it. (I saw the newspaper reference but couldn’t understand ‘pink’ – as in left-leaning? I gather from the comments here that it is actually pink in color.) Otherwise a sparkling puzzle. I was going to list a few clues that stood out for their cleverness, but there are too many to choose from.

    Thanks to Paul for the fun and to Eileen for the parsing of several, including the much-mentioned DAS KAPITAL.

38. William FP @19 Couldn’t agree with you more about this week’s stellar line up.  And I was one who really enjoyed the Anto on Monday – though there were divided opinions – so it’s been a Full House for me.  Let’s hope tomorrow’s Prize delivers a Grand Slam.

39. Great puzzle as always from Mr H. No doubt expecting hordes of trippers to Brighton beach! Thought this would have done for a prize it’s that good.

40. Mark @38 – by my reckoning the three most likely setters for tomorrow are Puck, Picaroon and Philistine, so the odds are good.

41. I was reminded of Stephen Fry on QI quipping something like “what’s hard and pink in the morning” and the answer was the FT crossword.

    SKA is not offbeat to me but i am a huge Toots fan.Good clue.

    Good puzzle and lovely blog from Eileen.Thanks all.

42. copmus @41

    I haven’t heard much Ska, but isn’t it syncopated – i.e. off the beat?

43. [thank you William, William F P, SPanza, Julie – I will try to be more cheerful]

44. Like Michelle I have been struggling a little this week. Let’s hope for an uplift in spirits with the weekend. I nearly made a total mess by writing what appeared an obvious MERRY GO ROUND at 25,3, and I started to write IT TAKES ALL KINDS at 8d but luckily checked the anagram fodder. (I’d been misled by the Aimee Mann song of that title.) I missed out on WORMHOLE (brain not flexible enough for sound=whole) and PARAKEET (this came up recently with two Rs, so I quickly rejected it without looking at the wordplay). Things can only get better.

45. copmus @41 I think Paul was probably referring to the structure of the music ie “Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat”

46. Sorry muffin @42 we crossed. This was a DNF for me with ANAGRAM & DAS KAPITAL my undoing. And possibly last night’s Grenache consumption. The rest of it I found more of a dance than a battle and none the worse for that. A fantastic week and a glorious morning on Hampstead Heath 🙂

47. (No need to apologise, bodycheetah. You explained it better than I did, anyway!)

48. By coincidence, a parakeet flew past my window as I began this crossword. (Alexandra Park, S Manchester) The puzzle was a most enjoyable slow solve that used up a chunk of the morning, to stop me continuing work on the flat. Thanks, Paul. Parakeets, btw, are not particularly small birds, but it wouldn’t be a Paulword without something like a “small pecker”.

49. A busy day for me today, so I was doing this in the interstices, gradually but reasonably steadily. Then I was left with just one: pretty certain the fist word was DAS, but then there were all those vowels with not a consonant to help. I gave up in the end, which was a pity, as DAS CAPITAL had occured to me. More effort on a potential parse might have got me there. Mind you, I would never spell dahl without its H. WORMHOLE was another where I should learn to really work at the parsing. I had the word from the definition very early, but since I couldn’t see any bit of the parsing, put it on hold. When the crossers started to fall into place, I looked more carefully, and then it hit me that it was right. I really enjoyed ANAGRAM (but, muffin, I use Duck Duck Go, not the superintrusive tracker G search engine, so I don’t know what you see), CHAPERONE and SPACED OUT. Thanks, Eileen and Paul.

50. I’m glad I had my walk before tackling this; it helps to clear the head.

    I managed to parse everything except CUMBRIA, which I thought just referred to an alliance with York, doh!

    Paul on top form; I particularly liked CHAPERONE, DAS KAPITAL, NOTHING and RAINDROP.

    Thanks Paul and Eileen.

51. sheffield hatter @44 You’re right about the recent PARAKEET having two r’s.  (I feel Paul could make something of that!)  I hadn’t realised how recently it appeared.  I think, with the Prize blog to be published within the next 24 hours, we’re unlikely to be accused of spoilerism!  Again, this strange world of coincidence.  Like the recent ‘priapic’, it’s not that exotic a word but sufficiently standout that repeat appearances prompt comment.

52. Thank you for explaining all this Eileen – i missed some or all parsing on quite a few. In particular I had no idea of the parsing of NOTHING which was a lucky guess based on the definition. Nor that CREW is past p of CROW (i always assumed CROWED). And nice to learn what a Grimalkin is!

    Blue Canary @13 – while I can’t recall any particular definitions to grumble about today, perhaps I should claim that IN JEST and INGEST sound completely different in my local dialect?

    Despite being fond of birds and bird clues, PARAKEET was my last one in today, just couldn’t see it. Copland Smith @48 I am amazed that they are now seen that far north – when I lived in london I think they had only just started to spread out from the south (starting at Esher RFC apocryphally) and over successive winters could be seen at rugby clubs further round the S and then N circular.

    I think MOVED TO TEARS is my favourite as I like the reverse anagram idea and this one is a little neater than 11a in my opinion. Thanks Paul, lots of fun.

53. I felt an ELK coming on at 5d, especially when I only had the K.  I’m sure he’s doing it deliberately.

    I too thought DAS KAPITAL was brilliant (and I never thought I’d find myself writing that sentence!)

    As for SOCK IT TO ME, my mind went immediately to Aretha Franklin.

    R.E.S.P.E.C.T. to Paul and Eileen

54. Having struggled with yesterday’s puzzle until this morning, I really enjoyed this one. Some wonderful clues eg the first 3 Acrosses. I didn’t know SKA or grimalkin and I’d forgotten what WORMHOLE could be but still filled it all in. Thanks Eileen and Paul.

55. “Paul here” Thanks so much to everyone – I’m glad this was enjoyed so much! I’m running Zoom calls during lockdown and maybe beyond – on the dates when I’m published. It’s a chance for me to meet you, and for you to answer any questions you may have about my puzzles. It’s also to further grow our brilliant crossword community.

    Do sign up for further details on other events and Zoom meetings at johnhalpern.co.uk and you’ll get sent a link to join me tonight.

    I look forward to seeing you later.

    John Halpern aka Paul

     

56. Really enjoyable puzzle.

    beery hiker @9 Impressive recall. Straight question: do you have a database of clues?

57. edthecat @56 – not a proper database, just a big spreadsheet of the clues (over 180000 in total) since the online archive started in mid-1999. I wrote a program a few years ago which downloads the files and extracts the clues and solutions, and have done quite a lot of manual editing and correction, so I only download the ones that are new since I last ran the program. I can’t make the whole thing public because that could infringe copyright.

58. beery@ 57 love your work!

59. Thanks Paul – looking forward to my secoond Zoom call this evening.

    Mark @51 – I liked your use of the word standout …

60. Thanks Marienkaefer!

    Paul

61. Thanks Marienkafer.  And I used it even before Paul popped in!  (I had a little fun with it when it arose two days ago)

62. Ah – I remember it arising now …

63. Tripped at the post by Das Kapital – failing to separate red from lentils. Convinced the first word was DOS and the second a Spanish plural… Many thanks both.

64. I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to anyone here that Paul tops the all-time organ usage charts 🙂 A special mention to a setter called Plodge for using organ 3 times in just 16 crosswords

65. So, Mark@51, the creation of your comment was not an accidental erection?
    Many thanks Paul and Eileen – great stuff.

66. A brilliant crossword at the end of an exceptional week – leaves us with great hopes for the (non) Prize tomorrow! Loved all the clever misdirections. My own favourites were CHAPERONE and DAS KAPITAL.

    I was congratulating myself on coming to Eileen’s blog with only two un-parsed, NOTHING and WORMHOLE, or so I thought… ANAGRAM proved to be a cleverer clue than I’d worked out, as I thought the anagram was of MARGANA, which I googled to discover is a type of moth, or insect. Strictly speaking this is a reversal rather than an anagram, so I should have guessed I was barking up the wrong tree.

    Thanks so much Paul and Eileen for a very enjoyable morning.

67. Mike C @ 65

    When I read your comment, a clerihew of a few years back swam into my head.

    Mrs Mary Whitehouse

    Espied a lighthouse

    It did not escape her detection

    That erection

68. I found this one to fairly easy going for a ‘Paul’, but certainly an entertaining one, with some excellent clues. Once I’d got 4dn & 5dn I knew I’d be OK. 14ac reminded me of watching replays of ‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In’. 1dn made me laugh, just because of the clue itself, both as a complete definition & as a visual thought, which is how I solved it.

    Both 10ac & 19ac in the same grid is a nice juxtaposition, though both took a bit of figuring out. But the definition of 10ac is, in my opinion, perfectly representative.

    The clue for 17ac is excellent, as are those for 26ac & 9ac.

    I enjoyed this one.

69. An absolute joy to end the work-from-home week with – loved 19 especially. 23 held me up as I didn’t think of TV as a 2-letter word, but that may be my old-fashionedness (?) showing through, and (1.1.3) would have made it a bit too easy. Thanks Paul.

70. Mike C @65 & Marienkaefer @67 And your contribution brings to mind a business whose yard was adjacent to the railway station at Moreton in Marsh. I believe they ran outdoor markets. Spook Erections. Unforgettable.

71. [I used regularly to pass a garage called “Elephant Repair Centre”. It was at the Elephant and Castle in South London, though….]

72. 10a reminds me of a very immature… What’s pink and hard in the morning?

73. This was great. Paul on top form and not too difficult. Worth it for the excellent DAS KAPITAL. I’m probably one of the few on here who’s read this- well,the first two volumes anyway.
    Liked 8dn. Ska is really a Jamaican version of New Orleans RnB and there’s loads of it about. I remember first encountering it in London when I was about seventeen,mostly on the old Bluebeat label.
    Best puzzle of the week for me.
    Thanks Paul

74. Ian Cameron @72 – see comments  30 and 41.

75. Sheffield hatter @44 and Mark @51 both note the recent appearance of ‘parrakeet’ with 2 rs. Just wanted to say I’ve got 2 as in my daal and 2 ts in my pitta.

76. Feliks @75 Me too. Pitta most certainly has two t’s in my lexicon. Daal, I’ve seen spelled with an h as well.

77. Yes, Mark, and the H can be in either place!

    I cook (and eat) a lot of curry, and “dal” is the commonest spelling I’ve seen.

78. Hard but satisfying.

    (Not a reference to the FT joke)

    Thanks.

79. Feliks @75 and Mark @76 – I’m with you on both counts, so checked before writing the blog. Chambers has ‘DAL, DAAL, DAHL, DHAL’ and, for ‘PITA, ‘see ‘pitta”.

80. DAS KAPITAL alone would make this a great puzzle but there was also CHAPTER ONE, FARGO, and INGEST among many others to amplify the fun. Missed ANAGRAM and PARAKEET, couldn’t parse BRESCIA. Thanks Paul for yet another top-notch crossword and Eileen for the blog.

81. About time I spoke up here… Please all of you accept my gratitude and good wishes (Bloggers and commenters alike) for this welcome oasis in our troubled times. I picked up the Guardian habit from my father many years ago – he had a particular liking for Bunthorne – and I am still an old-fashioned ‘paper solver’, indeed my daily walk to the newsagent is now (post-retirement) one of the highlights of my day. I’ve been ‘lurking’ here for a year or two now but thought I’d come out! Sincere thanks to you all!

82. Roughyed @81 Welcome. Your first posting should certainly be acknowledged. And, unlike a maiden speech, not with silence! I look forward to your future contributions!

83. roughyed @81 – Congratulations on your outing! Welcome – you sound like one of us. Please keep commenting. [I still remember my trepidation on first clicking ‘Post comment’.]

84. Wonderful to read the hints and appreciate Paul’s brilliant. Suffice to day that paul crosswords are beyond me, seemingly because I can never seem to get a start.

85. HoofltYouDonkey @84. Paul sets crosswords under the alias “Mudd” in the Financial Times. I find these to be a bit easier (but no less clever) than the ones he sets as Paul. It might be a good way to learn his style. The FT puzzles on line are free by the way.

86. As yesterday, I’m late with this one and regret I have no time to read the comments, but I’ll just say I thoroughly enjoyed this, especially CHAPERONE and IT TAKES ALL SORTS that got me started.  What a neat and clever way to use an asterisk!  THere were many very good clues.

    Thanks Paul, and Eileen for the blog and explanations, a few of which I definitely needed.

87. Thanks to both for the entertainment. Um, Eileen shouldn’t 12a be … “In a reversal of A SERB”, not just SERB?  You seem to have lost the A.

88. This was a corker by Paul. We are very blessed to have this unique setter. COD DAS KAPITAL.

89. Thanks to Paul and Eileen.

    All been said.

    But here crosswords have rightly been identified as a source of succour (Oh no you don’t thou autocorrect!) in these strange times.  It’s either the virus or us and our crosswords: the main thing is not to let it get one down.

    roughyed @81; enjoy and I hope that sam earlier in the week wasn’t given the miss muffet treatment.

     

90. [Eileen: If I may be allowed to make so bold and purely in the interest of completion, you might want to address the “A” in BRESCIA.  I apologise – I can’t help seeing these things.][Sometimes when they’re not there as you know too well.]

91. [Darkness! I crossed with Mystogre@87]

92. Thanks Tony @85 appreciate the comment, I am from the DT so I enjoy Paul under his alter ego ‘Dada’, they are much easier!!

93. HoofIt @92 I remember you from the Big Dave forum.  With a moniker like that, who could forget???  Nice to see you here.  Keep persevering: it was someone on BD who recommended that I give the Guardian a serious go.  I’d been put off by the experience of watching my father struggle with Arucaria.  Some cracking setters and the blog here is great fun.

94. Myystogre @87 and Alphalpha @90 – thank you both for your courteous nudges: of course you’re right. For the sake of the archive, I’ve amended it now.

     

     

95. Eileen @62 Over here we bake cakes in cake pans.   I don’t know what we store them in — I’ve never heard of a cake tin.

    HoofitYouDonkey@67 and OddOtter@73  I understood the parsing, I was just sprinkling in some ornithonymics.

    Eileen @76 — great fun on the cake pan/tin website.  But why is the muffin tin called a mini sandwich tin?

    OddOtter @77 I think these days “cider” means unfiltered apple juice, usually most available in the fall after the main apple harvest, and “apple juice” means the pallid filtered stuff.

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