Guardian Cryptic 28631 Picaroon

by

Thank you to Picaroon. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1. Going on record, account penned by non-drinkers is woolly stuff (6)

ALPACA : [ LP(abbrev. for “long playing record” of music recorded and played) placed before(Going on …, …) AC(abbrev. for “account”, one you have with your bank, say) ] contained in(penned by) AA(abbrev. for “Alcoholics Anonymous”, support group for ex-drinkers becoming non-drinkers).

From this: rawpixel to this:    (the wool, not the mammal, of course).

5. Allocating roles to defend line protecting the king (8)

CASTLING : CASTING(allocating roles to actors and actresses, in a play or movie) containing(to defend) L(abbrev. for “line”).

Defn: In chess, a move …

9. With musical backing, orator shows clipped style (8)

STACCATO : Reversal of(… backing) CATS(a musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber) placed before(With …, …) CATO(the Younger, a noted Roman orator).

Defn: A style of performing music with each note separated from the others, similar to clipped speech with short, sharp vowel sounds and clear pronunciation.

10. Friends given the most common component of breeze block (6)

OPPOSE : OPPOS(slang for “friends”) + E(the most common component/letter in the word “breeze”).

11. President dismissing Republican to get refreshment (4)

CHAI : “chair”(president/person heading a committee, board or organisation) minus(dismissing) “R”(abbrev. for a member of the Republican party).

Defn: …, viz. drink made from tea leaves, milk, sugar and sometimes spices.

12. Cryptically, it is a busy commercial area (4,6)

CITY CENTRE : A reverse clue (Cryptically): Middle letters of(CENTRE) CITY gives( … is) IT.

13. Asian sultanate, British-administered, that is to the west (6)

BRUNEI : B(abbrev. for “British”) -RUN(-administered) + reversal of(… to the west, in an across clue) IE(abbrev. for “id est”/that is).

14. Person who gets paid cash advance (8)

PROPOUND : PRO(short for “professional”/a person who gets paid for, playing sports, say) + POUND(cash in the UK).

Defn: …/put forward an idea or theory for consideration.

16. Drink a six-pack? Then I will get drunk! (8)

ABSINTHE : ABS(six-pack/a set of visibly well-developed abs/abdominal muscles) + anagram of(… will get drunk) THEN I.

The green fairy: 

19. Case of regressive fascist is for shrink (6)

REDUCE : 1st and last letters of(Case of) “regressive” + DUCE(nickname for the fascist, Mussolini).

21. Remarkable bottom shown by male pants squeezing tight till it hurts (3-4,3)

ALL-TIME LOW : Anagram of(… pants/slang for “rubbish”) MALE containing(squeezing) anagram of(tight) TILL + OW!(expressing “it hurts!”). A graphic surface.

23. Dated girl obliged to get picked up (4)

MAID : Homophone of(… to get picked up) “made”(obliged to/compelled to).

Defn: Dated/old girl/woman, specifically an unmarried old woman/spinster.

24. A pungent flavouring out of large fungus (6)

AGARIC : A + “garlic”(pungent flavouring/the bulbs of the plant related to the onion used in cooking) minus(out of) “l”(abbrev. for “large”).

25. Welsh town‘s parliamentarian returning penniless (8)

PEMBROKE : Reversal of(… returning) MEP(abbrev. for “Member of the European Parliament”/parliamentarian) + BROKE(penniless/having run out of money).

26. Check report of sport glasses (8)

STEMWARE : STEM(to check/to stop or restrict flow) + homophone of(report of) “wear”(to sport/to display).

Each one is stemmed: 

27. Taking down and out to get £1,000 (6)

NOTING : [NOT IN](out) plus(to get) G(abbrev. for “grand”/£1000).

Defn: …/recording in writing.

Down

2. European with present trouble grasping English divine command (3,5,2,5)

LET THERE BE LIGHT : LETT(a native of Latvia) plus(with) HERE!(exclamation that one is present during roll-call) + BLIGHT(trouble/something that spoils or damages) containing(grasping) E(abbrev. for “English”).

Defn:  … made by God in the Book of Genesis, in the Bible.

3. Instance of flogging for all to see in hostilities (7)

AUCTION : U(symbol for the Universal Certificate classifying films in cinemas and on TV as suitable for all to see) contained in(in) ACTION(hostilities/combat).

4. Radical classical sextet ignored by a record collector (9)

ANARCHIST : “an archivist”(a record collector) minus(ignored by …) “VI”(Roman/classical symbol for a group of six members/sextet).

5. What shows middle is plump, having trim clothing? (4,3)

CROP TOP : OPT(to plump for/to choose in favour of one out of many alternatives) contained in(having … clothing) CROP(to trim/to cut off irregular or unwanted parts).

Defn: …/one’s waist and stomach.

… and sometimes showing shoulders too: 

6. Job, say, pertains to ice houses (5)

STOIC : Hidden in(… houses) “pertains to ice“.

Defn: A person who endures suffering without complaining, an example of which/say, is Job, the Biblical character.

7. It’s a battle getting piano into small shed (7)

LEPANTO : P(abbrev. for “piano”, musical direction to play softly) contained in(into) LEAN-TO(a small shed attached to a wall of a larger building).

Defn: … in 1571 between the navies of Catholic Spain and Italy and the Ottoman Empire.

8. Getting on well and clearly brave about it (2,6,7)

NO SPRING CHICKEN : SPRING(a well/a source) contained in(and … about it) [NO CHICKEN](clearly brave/definitely not cowardly).

Defn: … in age.

15. A group rowing in a newsroom broadcast (9)

OARSWOMEN : Anagram of(… broadcast) A NEWSROOM.

17. Acting head of institute plugs buzzword? (7)

INTERIM : 1st letter of(head of) “institute” contained in(plugs) [IN TERM](what one might call a buzzword; in/popular word/term).

Defn: …/temporarily doing.

18. Block out tabs containing content of YouTube (7)

ECLIPSE : E,E(tabs/short for tablets containing the drug, Ecstasy) containing(containing) CLIPS(of videos which form the content of the You Tube app).

20. Biden, for one, raising flag, getting black mark (7)

DEMERIT : DEM(abbrev. for “Democrat”, a member of the Democratic Party, an example of which/for one, is President Biden) + reversal of(raising, in a down clue) TIRE(to flag/to weaken).

22. No leaving construction sets in sacred site (5)

MECCA : “No” deleted from(leaving) “Meccano”(the trademark name of the model construction set).

57 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 28631 Picaroon”

  2. I found this one a bit of a struggle. Maybe I wasn’t firing on all synapses or just preoccupied with the Speccie special. I didn’t know LEPANTO. Favourite was STOIC for the misdirection of the definition.

  4. A similar experience to George @1. A bit worrying at first – a dozen that didn’t ring any bells before CITY CENTRE came to my rescue.

    So much to like but particular smiles – of recognition, relief or humour – came with CROP TOP for the use of plump, AUCTION for the brilliant definition, AGARIC for the device and CASTLING for the combination of surface and construction. LET THERE BE LIGHT was nicely put together. LEPANTO had be wondering whether ‘lean to’ is another of Roz’s advanced scientific terms to go with shed and outhouse?

    Thanks Picaroon and scchua

  5. Splendid puzzle with lots of piratical definitions and charade elements to mislead.

    I agree with Frank @4 about the highlights, but I would add PROPOUND, ABSINTHE and ALL-TIME LOW for their constructions and brilliant surfaces (plump = OPT is clever, but it’s a pity that CROP appears in both the charade and the solution).

    LEPANTO was familiar from both the Chesterton poem and the stop on the Rome metro (stressed on the first syllable, strangely).

    Many thanks to S&B

  6. Agree with George @1 – this was wonderful from start to finish, many smiles, too many great clues to pick a favourite. And thanks for the blog too, scchua!

  7. Yes, a great puzzle! Never heard of STEMWARE which was my LOI. Lots of fun, including NO SPRING CHICKEN and ALL-TIME LOW. Many thanks to Picaroon and scchua.

  8. Wonderful stuff – I only new CATO from the Pink Panther movies so that, along with LEPANTO was one of several TILTs – all eminently gettable from the wordplay

    OPPOSE was my COTD

  9. [Gervase @5: ABSINTHE always brings to mind a quote from the late Willy Rushton who appeared on the celeb comedy circuit back in the politically incorrect days. It IS non-PC but, if some slack can be cut, also very witty. Asked what substance was used by some women to turn their hair extremely blonde, he answered “Absinthe: as in absinthe makes the tart go blonder”.

    The other gem I recall him contributing was “Who was responsible for bringing ice cream to Europe from the Middle East? Well, it was either Lyons of Judea or Walls of Jericho”]

  10. Really enjoyed this one, despite falling for the job/Job misdirection. Also always forget the Universal = “for all to see” abbreviation. Got there in the end, though not fully parsed. Liked the OARSWOMEN anagram.

    Thanks to Picaroon, and to scchua. I always enjoy your illustrations, the alpacas in particular today. 😀

  12. [PostMark @9: Thanks for the Rushtonian punning. The commoner parody is ‘ABSINTHE makes the tart grow fonder’ – referencing the disinhibitory effects of ethanol]

  13. Well said, George @1!

    I ticked the clues as I went through and found I had fifteen, for various reasons (construction, definition, surface) – often all three. Obviously too many to list but many of them have been mentioned already and I won’t repeat them.

    Like Gervase, I knew LEPANTO from the poem, which I learned in school. if you don’t know it, it’s a delight to read / hear read aloud.

    I haven’t heard OPPO since my father died.

    Huge thanks to Picaroon, for a brilliant start to the day and to lucky scchua, as crypticsue would say, for the blog.

  14. A very nice puzzle. LEPANTO was great with a lovely surface.

    Surely for MAID the clue is suggesting not the “old maid” meaning, but simply the dated term for a girl. The SOED’s first entry is:

    “A girl; a young (unmarried) woman. Now only arch. or playful.”

    Many thanks Picaroon and scchua.

  15. Overall nice, but I do have a few quibbles. Alpaca=woolly stuff seems poor, oppos is surely opponents or opposites and doesn’t feel right for friends, Mussolini’s nickname was “Il Duce”, not just “Duce”, “is” is superfluous in 12ac. For balance, I did like many e.g. the two long down clues.

  17. ravenrider @15: the ‘oppo’ debate does surface occasionally. In the sense of “opposite number”, it can mean “my equivalent”. It has the feel of military slang about it – if you are, say the radio operator on a vessel then your oppos are the other radio operators – with whom you have a bond/friendship. I’m sure others can come up with better but hope that helps for now.

  18. Yes, very good. I agree with Lord Jim @14 on the MAID. Also with George @1 – enough said. Thanks, Picaroon and scchua.

  19. George@1 said it all, really. But I might just add that I thought the CITY CENTRE clue was just so neat and that God’s command, my FOI, was perhaps too much of a write-in from the (3,5,2,5)…. and it provided a load of letters in the grid straightaway.

  20. Re Oppos, Chambers 2014 has it under Opposite as ….

    opposite number n (inf; short form oppo) someone who has a corresponding place in another organization, set, etc, one’s counterpart; a person who is allotted to one as partner, opponent, etc.; one’s cohabiting or marriage partner; one’s mate.

  26. ravenrider @15: I agree with others that ‘oppo’ is a widely used slang term for ‘friend’, odd though it seems. And I disagree that the ‘is’ is superfluous in 12ac. Without it, the surface would be ungrammatical, and for the wordplay it is a perfectly logically equivalent to ‘=‘.

  28. A perfect crossword for me. Beautiful constructions and lovely misdirects.

    Failed to parse CROP TOP, very neat.

    What an odd word CASTLING is? Looks like a little cast.

    Many thanks to my favourite pirate.

  29. Loved this! Thanks to Picaroon and Scchua. No quibbles from me, I echo George @1 and others since including William @28.

  30. Thought this was a wonderful and rewarding challenge. Really struggled at first to make an impression until the fiat lux/light bulb moment with 2d suddenly allowed me in, and the dimness vanished. Last two in the cleverly hidden STOIC and OPPOSE. One or two I hadn’t properly parsed, so thanks to Scchua and the habitually gloriously illustrated explanations. A real treat this morning…

  31. Took a long time to get going with this – only MAID (yes, an old fashioned word, not an old person) for quite a long while, but they were all worth waiting for. Once I found some non drinkers who weren’t TT, and stopped looking for named POTUSes for CHAI, things got moving. Favourites Job and the OARSWOMEN.

    [Someone btl on the Guardian (not me) remarked that LEPANTO is clearly a French Christmas entertainment…]

  32. [Eileen @13: I too encountered the poem LEPANTO at school but I’m afraid I don’t share your fondness for it. It’s famous for its alliteration, but the metaphor is often strained to make a pleasant sound. The metre is jaunty, but I find it clunky, and it breaks awkwardly in places. And the whole work is saturated with Chesterton’s tiresome Catholic apologetics, with as many digs at Protestants as at the Moslem Ottomans. Not a very balanced approach to early modern history!]

  33. On second thoughts, I am going to nominate a favourite: LEPANTO – because it’s still making me laugh a few hours after solving it. It’s like the plot of a Laurel & Hardy film encapsulated in eight words.

    ravenrider @15 – ALPACA is also defined as the cloth made from alpaca wool, so “woolly stuff” is a perfectly good definition (stuff=fabric). I can’t agree with your other quibbles either, for reasons already given by others.

  36. Apart from this crossword finishing off my morning, I agree with everything George said @1

    Thanks to Picaroon and scchua

  37. Oppo originates in British Army slang (wiktionary.org)
    A fellow soldier or partner, especially in the “buddy-buddy system” or in back-to-back tasks: “Make sure your oppo doesn’t get left behind!”; from opposite number.
    The idea being that you looked after each other, covered them and ensured that were got out when in trouble. Very common among ex war military in 1950s and 1960s
    Thanks to Picaroon and scchua

  38. Enjoyable puzzle. My favourites were LET THERE BE LIGHT, NO SPRING CHICKEN, NOTING (loi)

    New for me: AGARIC (well-clued), OPPO = friend (for 10ac).
    Luckily, I knew of Pembroke in Wales because of corgi dogs.

    Thanks, both.

  39. Thank you scchua for properly parsing CROP TOP (I had the simpler CROP = trim and TOP = clothing with “is plump” as part of the definition, fine in my case but not fair on your illustrative example), and again well said George Clements@1.
    Thanks all for the reminders of why OPPO is fine, I dimly remembered previous debate but no detail. Did remember the battle and U(niversal) though.
    I spent ages running through old presidents of various places to no avail and was a victim of my own sexist nature in spotting that Oarsman would fit the top and tail of 15D but never considering the female equivalent until the brilliant ALL-TIME LOW emerged. Thanks Picaroon.

  40. The only short-named musical I could think of for a long time was “Hair,” but I finally thought of CATS and all was well.

    Great fun as everybody has said. Did the left half last night and the right this morning, didn’t need the check button once.

  41. Yes, brilliant. Paul and Picaroon are by some way my favourite two setters so the last 2 days have been a treat. Sorry though Paul, this was the better of the two this time!

    Loved ABSINTHE with its almost &lit surface, and semi-defeated by LOI STEMWARE, which needed a guess at STEM and a trawl of Chambers, and even then it took a few minutes for the penny to drop. Sure sign of a great clue, which rounded off a great crossword.

  43. Maybe one day I’ll like this setter. Today was not that day. It could be that my brain is frazzled with programming puzzles and arcane algorithms.

    21A (“… male pants…” ) made me smile. Good to see STOIC appear (Seneca is essential reading for our current times).

    I’m happy so many people enjoyed this crossword.

    Thanks P&S.

  44. A quality puzzle – not easy, and rewarding to finish. LEPANTO and CASTLING were two of my first few clues to solve, but I thought they were particularly neat.
    Thanks Picaroon and scchua.

  45. Picaroon in top form — he seems to get better and better with each crossword. In addition to 2d and 8d I ticked STACCATO, CITY CENTRE, ABSINTHE, REDUCE, ALL-TIME LOW (great surface), STEMWARE (I was drinking a glass of wine when I solved that clue), and DEMERIT. Thanks scchua for the beautifully illustrated blog and helping me understand OPPOSE and MECCA.

  46. Another agreement for George@1; started very slow but chipped away at it with some liberal use of the check button, and they all turned out fair in the end. Lots of ones I’d like to tick (or “check” as we’d say), especially LEPANTO, CASTLING for the definition, STACCATO, ALL-TIME LOW, and INTERIM. I know Lepanto from the Lepanto Opening in the board game Diplomacy, where Italy tries to get Austria on board with an attack on Turkey. Well, I sort of know it, I spent a while thinking “What was that opening called again?” and had to back-parse “lean-to” once I remembered.

    My stumbling blocks as an American were “oppos,” and it took me a while to remember that the synonym for G-rated is “U” and not “E” (think that’s Australian). I did remember Meccano instead of Erector sets eventually. However, my ancient philosophy friends are grumpy about defining Job as a Stoic; even in the colloquial sense of stoic he complains quite a bit!

    Thanks Picaroon and sschua.

  47. Thanks for the blog , super puzzle for my late journey home. ALL-TIME LOW is so good I forgive the use of pants for the anagram, ANARCHIST is a close second.
    MrPostMark@4 you are just being silly, it is barn, outhouse and shed , with stable next to be adopted.

  49. [Many thanks Roz @48 – I’ve left a reply on yesterday’s Paul blog, and also a link to the puzzle in question, which is well worth a look. As Alphalpha says, you’re a wonder!]

  50. I’m a bit late to add much to the discussion today; I’ll just say I thoroughly agree with all the praise.

    Thanks also Gervase @5 for pointing out the counter-intuitive stress on the first syllable of Lèpanto in Italian. I understand the town (after which the gulf, then the battle, was named) was called Ναύπακτος in Ancient Greece (‘boatyard’ – emphasis likewise on first syllable). Modern Greek has restored the old name, though it’s now pronounced Nàfpaktos.

    In between the name seems to have been spelt, and pronounced, in all sorts of ways, but it was the Venetian version Lepanto which took hold in the West.

    On the battle itself, apparently it was “the last major engagement in the Western world to be fought almost entirely between rowing vessels… which were the direct descendants of ancient trireme warships”.

    Many thanks Picaroon and scchua.

  51. Loved OARSWOMEN – first clue I’ve seen where inherent sexism is used to confuse the solver (shamefully I fell for it initially, thinking “group rowing must be oarsmen but it doesn’t fit..”). Reminded me of the puzzle about the surgeon who doesn’t want to operate because “The patient’s my son!” – yet the surgeon isn’t the patient’s father…

  54. Pretty slow for me from start to finish. I had never heard of OPPO for ‘friend’, so given that it was the vast majority of the construction, 10a was my LOI.

  55. Got stuck on Cato & Duce, along with the usual Britishisms (10a, 25a, 3d) but otherwise mostly plain sailing. Some unusual anagrinds in 21a, methinks.

  56. I didn’t parse CROP TOP or ALL TIME LOW and struggled to see the latter even after reading the blog explanation! Couldn’t that have been simpler?
    Thanks both.

  57. A bit of fibre nerdiness from me..alpaca fibre isn’t woolly stuff. It is classed as hair fibre and the shorn coat is referred to as blanket. Alpaca hairs are hollow, have almost no elasticity and no lanolin unlike wool fibres. Wool is the correct term for sheep fibre.

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