The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/28758.
A very enjoyable offering from Matilda, which I thought perhaps a notch above the difficulty level of many a Monday puzzle – but others may disagree. What do you feel?
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | LIVERPOOL F C |
Pelvic floor exercises for footballers (9,1,1)
|
| An anagram (‘exercises’) of ‘pelvic floor’. A remarkable anagram find to start. | ||
| 9 | INFARCT |
Heart attack may be actually about right (7)
|
| An envelope (‘about’) of R (‘right’) in IN FACT (‘actually’). An infarct is tissue that has died from a shortage of oxygen, for example heart tissue in a myocardial infarction – that is, a heart attack. | ||
| 10 | KINDLES |
Excites readers? (7)
|
| Double definition, the second being a reference to Amazon’s line of e-readers. | ||
| 11 | ART DEALER |
Free trader is stocking Goya, Chagall and Cezanne at last (3,6)
|
| An envelope (‘is stocking’) of ALE (‘GoyA, ChagalL and CezannE at last’) in ARTDER, an anagram (‘free’) of ‘trader’, with an &lit definition. | ||
| 12 | LABEL |
Left murder victim’s identification tag (5)
|
| A charade of L (‘left’) plus ABEL (first ‘murder victim’, Genesis). | ||
| 13 | DART |
Move swiftly into the westbound autostrada (4)
|
| A hidden (‘into’) reversed (‘westbound’) answer in ‘autosTRADa’. | ||
| 14 | ISLE OF DOGS |
Old fogies wandering around south London neighbourhood (4,2,4)
|
| An envelope (‘around’) of S (‘south’) in ILEOFDOGS, an anagram (‘wandering’) of ‘old fogies’. | ||
| 16 | PLAYED FAIR |
Didn’t cheat, having toyed with blonde (6,4)
|
| Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 19 | EDAM |
Cheese is available in limited amounts (4)
|
| A hidden (‘is available in’) in ‘limitED AMounts’. | ||
| 21 | RHEUM |
Leaving nursing home, sign on form for discharge (5)
|
| An anagram (‘form’) of ‘nursing home’ minus (‘leaving’) the letters of ‘sign on’ | ||
| 22 | TEA GARDEN |
Where to have a cuppa? With commander in rented building (3,6)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of AGA (Turkish ‘commander’) in TERDEN, an anagram (‘building’) of ‘rented’. | ||
| 24 | SHINDIG |
Celebration that might follow discovery of a dinosaur’s femur? (7)
|
| Definition and punning interpretation (SHIN DIG; after finding the femur, the archaeologists would search for the shin bones – tibia and fibula). | ||
| 25 | WARHEAD |
W is for weapon (7)
|
| The HEAD of WAR. | ||
| 26 | GOLDEN RULES |
Try underground in trade, reversing basic principles (6,5)
|
| A charade of GO (‘try’) plus LDENRULES, an envelope (‘in’) of DENRU, an anagram (”ground’) of ‘under’- in LLES, ‘reversing’ SELL (‘trade’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | LIFE-THREATENING |
Finish last, beset by flat tire and engine failure, potentially fatal (4-11)
|
| An envelope (‘beset by’) of H (‘finisH last’) in LIFETREATENING, an anagram (‘failure’) of ‘flat tire’ plus ‘engine’. | ||
| 2 | VERVE |
Passion of Dior ultimately found within vintage Vogue covers (5)
|
| An envelope (‘found within’) of R (‘DioR ultimately’) in V E V E (‘VintagE VoguE covers’). | ||
| 3 | RATTLES |
Conductor’s toys (7)
|
| A reference to Sir Simon Rattle, currently director of the London Symphony Orchestra. | ||
| 4 | OAK TREE |
It’s mighty fine to go round a street endlessly (3,4)
|
| A charade of OAK, an envelope (‘to go round’) of ‘a’ in OK (‘fine’); plus TREE (‘sTREEt endlessly’). | ||
| 5 | LONG LIFE |
To begin with, lack of energy overwhelms wild fling’s durability (4,4)
|
| An envelope of NGLIF, an anagram (‘wild’) of ‘fling’ in LOE (‘to begin with, Lack Of Energy’). | ||
| 6 | COLD-BLOODEDNESS |
Monitor feature that’s needed for premeditated murder (4-11)
|
| Double definition (kind of) the first referring to a monitor lizard. | ||
| 7 | WIZARD |
Harry’s one drawback, capturing the heart of citizens (6)
|
| An envelope (‘capturing’) of IZ (‘the heart of citIZens’) in WARD (‘DRAWback’), with reference to Harry Potter. | ||
| 8 | PSALMS |
Finally note charity’s songs of praise (6)
|
| A charade of PS (post scriptum, ‘finally note’) plus ALMS (‘charity’). | ||
| 15 | NEW MODEL |
Latest version making me old? (3,5)
|
| Wordplay in the answer: An anagram (NEW) of MODEL is ‘me old’. | ||
| 16 | PHRASE |
Expression wears thin when spoken (6)
|
| Sounds like (‘when spoken’) FRAYS (‘wears thin’). | ||
| 17 | FATIGUE |
Lethargy shown by overweight Miguel taking clothes off (7)
|
| A charade of FAT (‘overweight’) plus IGUE (‘MIGUEl taking clothes off’). | ||
| 18 | IRAQ WAR |
Intelligence about artist giving rise to natural conflict (4,3)
|
| A charade of IRAQ, an envelope (‘about’) of RA (‘artist’) in IQ (‘intelligence’); plus WAR, a reversal (‘giving rise’ in a down light) of RAW (‘natural’). | ||
| 20 | MONODY |
Lament getting temperamental around November (6)
|
| An envelope (‘around’) of N (radio code, ‘November’) in MOODY (‘temperamental’). | ||
| 23 | AURAL |
A range that can be heard (5)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plus URAL (mountain ‘range’). |
I agree, a bit harder than a usual Monday, with complicated parsing for a few, eg GOLDEN RULES. Some very good clues too, my picks being the ‘Pelvic floor exercises’ anagram (the mind of a cryptic crossword setter works in strange ways) at 1a, the surface for PLAYED FAIR and the SHIN DIG.
One very slight point, but I think the def for 9a could be extended to include ‘may be’ as a ‘Heart attack’ is just one example of an INFARCT as you point out.
Thanks to Matilda and PeterO
Is a monody a solo threnody? Alms are proving beneficial; they came after re the other day and PS today. Not sure about heart attack and may be … it’s a maybe. All part of the fun, ta PnM.
PS loved the Liverpool FC boys doing their pilates!
I’d found Matilda’s quite easy in the past, but not today. Too many obscurities for this little black duck. Perhaps I’m just not on the right wavelength.
PeterO summed this up for me.
I was a little surprised how gettable WIZARD was since it’s 2 steps (or maybe 1 1/2 steps) from HARRY – but not as difficult as an indirect anagram might be.
Also loved LIVERPOOL FC.
Thanks Matilda for a most satisfying crossword. I had many favourites — INFARCT, ART DEALER, GOLDEN RULES, OAK TREE, COLD-BLOODEDNESS (it’s not often I tick a DD as noteworthy), WIZARD, NEW MODEL, and FATIGUE. I found this to be fun from start to finish. Thanks PeterO for the blog.
PeterO 25 W is the “head” of Warhead: I think the blog did not say it quite right.
The top half was a write-in for me, but I found the bottom half very hard-going. But no complaints, a great puzzle with some very ingenious clues to start the week.
Thanks Matilda and PeterO
@HoustonTony It’s a reverse clue. Warhead gives W, i.e. the head (first letter) of war.
Lots to enjoy here. Faves were LIVERPOOL F C, ISLE OF DOGS (lovely image), SHINDIG and NEW MODEL. Thanks for explaining the Monitor bit of COLD-BLOODEDNESS (obvious now). MONODY was a TILT.
Ta Matilda & PeterO.
A mixture of delight (especially the much mentioned LIVERPOOL FC, but also INFARCT, PLAYED FAIR, SHINDIG, WIZARD, VERVE, FATIGUE. I couldn’t parse GOLDEN RULES or RHEUM (LOI). Having LIFE LONG at first for 5d made 10a and 14a near impossible until the penny (or the check button) dropped. It is impossible to tell which order is right until the crossers are in, but as I put the wrong order in confidently, I couldn’t get the crossers! Thanks, Matilda and PeterO.
I’d agree slightly tougher that the normal Monday, but fun nevertheless. The first anagram is brilliant and will make me childishly snigger when I hear LIVERPOOL FC mentioned for a while. Lots of PDM moments as twisting the letters yet another way caused the answer to resolve. I didn’t parse RHEUM, forgot to go back and puzzle it out after solving.
Unless PeterO has updated the blog, I thought “The HEAD of WAR” is perfectly fine. The weapon is WARHEAD, giving W. The clue is also part of: A is for ABACUS, B is for BULL, …, W is for WEAPON, …
Thanks Matilda and PeterO
Spot on PeterO. Like AndyH@8, I completed the top quickly but had to dig deeper for the bottom half. Especially liked the anagrams today which were very clever. Thanks M and P
That was enjoyable, and I thought it hit the mark just right, being “traditional Monday fare” but not too easy.
Particular favourites LIVERPOOL F C (like Shanne @12, I shall have a quiet snigger when meeting Liverpool-supporting friends), ISLE OF DOGS (brilliant surface), PLAYED FAIR, SHINDIG, LIFE THREATENING, FATIGUE.
Thanks both.
Liked SHINDIG, WIZARD, ISLE OF DOGS, GOLDEN RULES, NEW MODEL.
New: INFARCT.
Thanks, both.
A splendid crossword from Matilda. Yes a little more difficult for a Monday but all the better for it. Solved 1a first and that put a big smile on my face and told me I was in for a good time. Then 2d, absolutely brilliant. And so it went on. Lovely start to Monday. Thanks all
20D. A new word to me!
A nice easy start to the week. I originally had Brie as a play on brief (limited amounts) but then saw the inclusion and realised it was EDAM. I hope no one thinks PHRASE and Frays are pronounced differently!!!
The clever anagram of LIVERPOOL FC was the FOI and there was lots to like including the “monitor” deception in COLD BLOODEDNESS, the nice &lit of ART DEALER, the smile that SHINDIG brought, the reverse clue of WARHEAD and the good construction of GOLDEN RULES.
Let me join the chorus of praise for this puzzle, especially for the LIVERPOOL FC anagram. I had several other ticks too, SHINDIGS and EDAM among them.
Thanks to PeterO and, even more, to Matilda.
Found the bottom right a bit tricky but got there in the end. Took a while to realise that monitor was the lizard. Not sure if I’ve heard of MONODY before, but worked it out from the parsing, then thought it rang a bell. Could not parse RHEUM, so thank you PeterO. Without this blog I would have been very frustrated.
A delight from brilliant start to finish – a splendid way to begin the day.
NeilH’s list of favourites most closely matches my own, so there is no real point in repeating them.
Thanks to Matilda for a super puzzle and PeterO for the blog.
I got on OK with this until the last three in the SE corner. Finally got MONODY, although I had never heard of it, which helped me get my last two.
Favourites included: SHINDIG (made me smile), VERVE, PHRASE, IRAQ WAR, COLD-BLOODEDNESS
Thanks Matilda and PeterO
Was 1a just a coincidence after their Cup win on Saturday?
Yes, a delightful start to the week with some super clues.
Some great anagram/part anagram finds: LIVERPOOL FC, ART DEALER and TEA GARDEN. I liked the mighty OAK TREE, the NEW MODEL and COLD BLOODEDNESS for the use of monitor. I couldn’t parse RHEUM, where I think technically it would have been better with an additional anagrind in front of nursing home, but a good subtraction find anyway.
Thanks Matilda and PeterO.
Yes, yes and yes. Jolly good fun, quite Mondayish with straightforward clues for e.g. ISLE OF DOGS, LABEL, AURAL or FATIGUE but a few knottier wordplays like those for NEW MODEL and GOLDEN RULES.
I also really liked 1a, my FOI too. The surfaces for this puzzle were excellent, I thought.
Great fun, thank you Matilda and PeterO.
Good to see LIVERPOOL FC RULES OaK having mostly PLAYED FAIR and with VERVE.
Loved the ‘old fogies’.
Was there a possible WAR motif with battle FATIGUE, IRAQ, the NEW MODEL Army, the Royal OAK TREE and 1d & 6d?
Thanks PeterO and Matilda. I don’t pay much attention to solving times but the Guardian app records them by default. Matilda’s last outing in the Quiptic slot was one of my fastest ever completions. This one took rather longer!
Very good all round. A very satisfying puzzle to solve. And as a LIVERPOOL FC-supporting former resident of the ISLE OF DOGS, I especially enjoyed those two clues.
A very enjoyable puzzle. LIVERPOOL FC was indeed good fun (and the enumeration helped!)
The view is sometimes expressed on here that the definition in a clue must be substitutable for the answer. I don’t think that’s always so, and sometimes the definition can be more descriptive. 4d OAK TREE was a good example of this (definition “It’s mighty”) and was an excellent clue.
Many thanks Matilda and PeterO.
Thanks Matilda and PeterO. Great stuff. Some of the wordplay was tricky, so I was glad the definitions were mostly straightforward.
Top was OK, bottom not, but no complaints. Good fun, some parsing to check.
Thanks both.
Couldn’t parse ART DEALER, TEA GARDEN, LIFE-THREATENING or RHEUM (which always reminds me of Inspector Clouseau). Missed the lizard connection in MONITOR.
I’d heard of MONODY but didn’t know the death connection. I knew or inferred the solo meaning.
I enjoyed everybody’s favorites too. Thanks, Matilda and PeterO.
A lovely solve. Like Eileen, my faves were those identified by NeilH@ 15. A great start to Monday. Is that why the Cryptics are quite gentle for many people’s least favourite day? Always wondered. I am sure someone will know…. Many thanks to Matilda and Peter O
As a relative newbie I was surprised to find this easier than today’s Quiptic. Maybe some days you’re just on the right wavelength. I got down to the two last words on pure brainpower and had a little thesaural help for the finish, which is probably my best showing in a cryptic so far. I didn’t quite parse everything, and a couple of new-to-me words went in through sheer trial and error (MONODY and INFARCT, I’m looking at you)
Thanks both!
Very enjoyable – thanks Matilida. Although the answers flew in at normal Monday speed, I failed to parse quite a few – TEA GARDEN, RHEUM AND GOLDEN RULES. AURAL was my favourite. INFARCT is an incomplete definition as others have pointed out, but I have only ever heard infarction in relation to heart attack so I didn’t mind. Thank PeterO for the excellent blog.
@32 Valentine — yes, that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the word RHEUM too…!
A nice step-up in level for a Monday, with just a few trickier parsings.
Liked GOLDEN RULES and OAK TREE
RHEUM was a devilish parse!
Thanks Matilda and PeterO
Thanks PeterO as I had parsing failures for 21 and 22A. Had to check MONODY as new, but was plausible. I got off to a flyer with the fine 1A and the two long down clues but the last few held out rather longer – precisely the opposite of the Quiptic. Lots of fun elsewhere as noted above, as usual, thanks Matilda.
Thanks for the blog, everything has been said.
For fans of ALBERICH there is a repeat of one of his early puzzles in the FT today.
Enjoyable puzzle. I thought 2 was a superlative surface. Many good guesses by me followed by parsing. 6 monitor lizard reference seems a stretch. Got answer but needed this site for explanation.
Very enjoyable, thanks Matilda. Couldn’t parse RHEUM, but I am now off to cook some (it’s also the botanical name for rhubarb.)
Wow, gladys, good tie in to rhubarb! We also were stumped by the parsing of RHEUM. We admired much of this, with a hiccup of hesitation at the unfamiliar plural in GOLDEN RULES.
Love this site, such an education! Sightly surprised nobody has commented on the American spelling (flat tire) in 1D.
Also, at first I was a touch surprised that War was used twice, in 18D and 25A, but then I realised that this was a deliberate proximity, as the W is indeed the head of War in the Iraq War solution. Clever…
Thoroughly enjoyable. I’m grateful to the blogger for the help in parsing RHEUM as that had been annoying me!
Agree with all the praise; my favourite was WIZARD.
wynsum @27: thanks for the WAR theme suggestion, I was thinking along similar lines.
The other thought I had, after getting 1ac – there are two LIFEs (and quite a bit of death) in this puzzle – possible reference to the quote attributed to Bill Shankly? (legendary LIVERPOOL FC manager, for our overseas friends) –
“Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.”
I went searching for Klopp, but couldn’t find him unless he’s very well hidden. Likewise ‘You’ll never walk alone’ (although there is INFARCT, following which you might need one of Gerry’s pacemakers).
Btw that one was a gift for German-speakers, who often use ‘Herzinfarkt’ where we would say ‘heart attack’, even when it’s not medically precise.
[Valentine @32 / Rob T @36 – ditto re RHEUM and Clouseau. The other word that always makes my mind wander in that direction is the wind known in Switzerland as the ‘Föhn’.
“I am from the tele-föhn company. There is something the matter with your föhn…” 🙂 ]
Thanks Matilda and PeterO.
Great to hear the Shankly quote again essexboy. There’s also football RATTLES which I suspect a few on here cherished as a wide-eyed youngster.
….and Salah was referred to in 2018 as the WIZARD in the Blizzard when he destroyed the team that shall not be mentioned, Sheffield Hatter, if you step in.
[AlanC @47. Ha ha! I don’t mind mention of the team you hinted at, as long as there is a zero next to their name, which there most certainly is in this instance.]
🙂
I struggled with parsing GOLDEN RULES and confess when I got the IZ of 7d my first try was LIZARD and a slight shock at an Icke diversion, before correctly parsing LIZARD.
Favourites were LIVERPOOL FC and SHINDIG. Thanks Matilda and PeterO
Thanks Tom Keller for pointing out the spelling of tire – a big hint that there was an anagram here…
[as a onetime Hatters fan, my commiserations to @48 Sheffield Hatter over the loss to Huddersfield Town]
[Thanks Andrew. 🙁 ]
Not the easiest Monday, but thoroughly enjoyable. SHINDIG and RHEUM especially repaid the effort.
Overall, a near-perfect example of a straightforward puzzle by one of the two or three best Guardian setters, IMO. Thank you, Matilda and PeterO.
Thought RHEUM was too contrived but guessable. Should AGA have some eastern indicator?
Thanks both
What an enjoyable puzzle! I agree with those who think it’s a bit more difficult than a typical Monday, but none the worse for that.
I share the general swoon over the beautiful anagram in 1ac. I also particularly liked 25ac for its conciseness and 6dn for the deceptive “monitor”.
Like Robi @25, I would have preferred an additional anagrind in 21ac: I can’t quite get the grammar to work out as it is. And I agree that there’s a definition problem with 9ac. It’s not just the lack of an indication of a definition by example; the definition isn’t correct in any case. An infarct and a heart attack may go together, but the attack and the infarct are not the same thing.