The week starts with Rufus. Exactly what you might expect with a large number of cryptic definitions.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | EJECTS: (r)EJECTS with R right away |
| 5 | SHOWCASE: double definition |
| 9 | ABOVE ALL: anagram of A LOVABLE |
| 10 | THATCH: THAT CH (church) |
| 11 | PALM: double definition |
| 12 | EMPLOYMENT: double definition |
| 13 | VIENNA: ANNE (reversed, retires) after VI (6) |
| 14 | RESTRAIN: RAIN (shower) after REST (all the others) |
| 16 | OFFENDER: END (last) in OFFER (bid) |
| 18 | ROCOCO: OR (reversed, gold) + CO CO (two firms, companies) |
| 20 | OCCUPATION: double definition |
| 22 | TIME: IT (reversed) + ME |
| 23 | SINBAD: SIN (error) + BAD (poor) |
| 24 | UNDERWAY: anagram of NUDE WARY |
| 25 | ANTELOPE: anagram of OPEN LATE |
| 26 | SPEEDY: SPEY (river) around (traps) ED (journalist) |
| Down | |
| 2 | JOB SATISFACTION: cryptic definition |
| 3 | CAVEMAN: cryptic definition |
| 4 | STAGEHAND: cryptic definition |
| 5 | SELF-PORTRAITURE: cryptic definition |
| 6 | OUTDO: an outside party, a barbecue OUT DO |
| 7 | CRAMMER: cryptic definition |
| 8 | SECOND IN COMMAND: SECOND (didn’t last long) + IN COMMAND (in charge) |
| 15 | SERENADES: cryptic definition |
| 17 | EQUABLE: anagram of BE EQUAL |
| 19 | COTERIE: COT (resting place) above ERIE (lake) |
| 21 | AUDIO: anagram of OUIDA |
Thanks for the blog. I got there in the end but I didn’t understand how a palm was a victory sign? Mind you, I put audio in but didn’t see it was an anagram!
Dawn – according to Wiki, the palm branch was a symbol of triumph and victory in pre-Christian times…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_branch_(symbol)
Thanks Simon,
I was thinking of the more modern victory v sign. Always good to start the week by learning something new.
Slightly harder than the norm for Rufus I thought.
I particularly liked 6dn which somehow reminded me of that wonderful Taupi clue ‘No Can Do” (6,5).
Struggled to get the last few in this one, still not sure I get 4d or 7d
Matt – in the way of these things, I got the answer first and then spent some time trying to validate it… ended up with ‘convey’ as in carry and ‘properties’ as in theatre stage sets hence ‘stagehand’. Similar process with 7d but without a conclusion! I don’t really understanding the significance of ‘secondary’ unless it’s just a reference to another teacher who specialises in cramming?
I was thinking along those lines, 4d makes a bit more sense like that, and I forgot to ask why a custom officers demand is a showcase?
Shouldn’t it be “customs” (plural) in 5a?
Matt, a customs officer might demand that you SHOW (your suit)CASE.
Clink! That’s the sound of the penny dropping. Thanks 🙂
Re 7d, to cram can mean to teach or learn hastily and intensively for an exam. A CRAMMER can be a teacher employed for that purpose, who presumably wouldn’t be your main teacher, hence a secondary one.
Sorry, didn’t read the end of Simon G’s comment @6, so I have more or less just repeated it.
14 – last weeks everyman (3304) had 3d “Check all others before shower”
5ac eluded me after entering “grammar” for 7dn (“A secondary teacher”). Other than it being wrong for the puzzle, I’d venture that it’s not a bad answer, and as valid as “crammer”.
Agree with Tom_I that 5ac should have been “customs” not “custom”. That misdirected me for a while, before I decided it was probably a typo.
Good puzzle – as Ian stated, more challenging than the usual Rufus. The longer clues were pitched about right.
Agree ‘crammer’ was a bit woolly, though. I’d heard of ‘cramming’ at the last minute for exams, but not of a teacher employed for that purpose.
Good puzzle. Thank you for the blog, diagacht.
Am I being overly picky to suggest that 6dn should have used ‘better’ instead of ‘best’? If you outdo someone or something you better them or it, surely?
Richard. – I suppose ‘best’ could be a verb in the sense of beating someone in a contest ? Still don’t like it much – to say a barbecue is an ‘out’ do grates somewhat.
I though 1d was outrageous – I know you expect easy clues from Rufus, but really!
And is 12a really a dd ? Sort of one-and-a-half definitions.. (But then it is Rufus)
On the other hand, credit where it’s due, 5d was very neat and I liked 8d too.
thank you for the blog diagacht.
this was an enjoyable crossword. at first i thought it was going to be far too easy, but was soon brought down to size! quite a few made me grin – not a bad way to start the week. i wasn’t too sure about 24a until i had all the checking clues, as the definition isn’t too clear – or i am missing something?
have never heard of crammer as a teacher, which isn’t surprising – long time since i was at school! but i seem to have heard the word used in conjunction with a college. anybody help me out on this?
For 24a, I decided modelling was the anagram indicator and “making a move” the definition.
Best clue I reckoned was 6d… at least properly cryptic and mildly amusing too.
Didn’t like 7D at all.
I felt that too Jimbo, but could not be bothered to say!! Thankyou. Quite tawdry today.
thanks neil h.
that’s how i was looking at it, but now you have made me think a bit more i sort of get it.
sorry – i meant NealH, of course!
Knocked off all apart from 7down in about ten mins flat.
Still don’t really get 7down. “Crammer” was our best guess, as it was the only word that fit related in any way to teaching, but…. nope, I’m a bit baffled.
This was a fantastic crossword. I did not need any reference, or doubt answers I’d
placed in the grid, a most comfortable level for sitting on the beach in Rio- with
no dictionaries needed – most enjoyable.
Nice one Rufus – A pleasure to solve!
Not up to Rufus’s usual standard, I thought. 5ac. is nonsensical. I’ve never been asked to show my case in Customs. Open case, maybe; which could lead to a clue the answer to which might be “open and shut case”
Yeah, another voice to add to the feeling that some of the cds were less than wonderful. 2,4,5,6 for me, but got there eventually.
Very enjoyable crossword
Ref 7d: my version of Roget’s Thesaurus lists ‘crammer’ as a teacher.
I thought this was far too simple and unworthy of the Guardian: EJECTS: (r)EJECTS with R right away
and this is rather nonsensical, i agree: SHOWCASE: double definition
i also disliked crammer
Yes, MartinB, r(EJECTS) is particularly dreadful, even for Rufus. At least they limit him to Monday, so you can always buy The Independent instead