Guardian Prize Puzzle 29,063 / Paul

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I found this a tough puzzle – lots of lovely clues, though. Thanks, Paul!

There was a mini theme of the words “handy”, “randy”, “dandy”, “candy” in the clues, which needed to be read as Letter AND Letter

Across

1. Sleep with dandy in car on the way back (4,3)
DROP OFF
FOP = “dandy” in FORD = “car” all reversed (“on the way back”)
Definition: “Sleep”

5. Van finally removed from house on street, space reserved (7)
STORAGE
[va]N = “Van finally” removed from ORANGE = “house” on ST = “street”
Definition: “space reserved”

10. Rotation of valved devices in row (4)
SPAT
TAPS = “valved devices” reversed
Definition: “row”

11. With these, washers’ heads in coverings of plastic spattered? (6,4)
SHOWER CAPS
I suspect an error here – I can’t see where the O comes from in the anagram fodder – I think the fodder is WASHERS P[lastic]C, with “spattered” as the anagram indicator Thanks to KVa for explaining – it’s (WASHERS COP)*, with the COP from C[overings] O[f] P[lastic] – a lovely &lit!
Definition: “With these” in the context of the whole clue

12. Doctor who transformed state in setter, briefly (6)
JEKYLL
KY (Kentucky) = “state” in JELL[y] = “setter, briefly”
Definition: “Doctor who transformed”

13. Put in peril, give peace a chance? (8)
ENDANGER
If you END ANGER, that might be giving peace a chance
Definition: “put in peril”

14. Function with metrical swinging of wood chopper, did you say? (9)
LOGARITHM
Sounds like “logger rhythm” or “metrical swinging of wood chopper”
Definition: “Function”

16. Inebriated worker randy? (5)
BEERY
BEE = “worker” + R and Y = “randy?”
Definition: “Inebriated”

17. Moderate taking a badger by the ear? (5)
ABATE
A + BATE sounds like “bait” or “badger” (Chambers gives one verb definition of “bait” as “To persecute, to harass”)
Definition: “Moderate”

19. Wind and frost unfortunately resulted in winter pile-up? (9)
SNOWDRIFT
(WIND FROST)*
Definition: “winter pile-up?”

23. Distort the winning beauty of modern art? (8)
MISSTATE
MISS TATE might be a beauty pageant winner
Definition: “Distort”

24. A blind partner’s exploit in rave (6)
EFFUSE
EFF is the partner of “blind” as in “to eff and blind” + USE = “exploit”
Definition: “rave”

26. Evidence of damage, problem with electrical connection? (4,6)
SCAR TISSUE
SCART ISSUE might be a problem with electrical connections – SCART is a (now dated) standard for connecting audio-visual equipment
Definition: “Evidence of damage”

27. Green piece of lasagna I found (4)
NAIF
Hidden in “[lasag]NA I F[ound]”
Definition: “Green”

28. Man ripe for development in geologic period (7)
PERMIAN
(MAN RIPE)*
Definition: “geologic period”

29. Toy with a hog that’s furious in sweaty exercise (3,4)
HOT YOGA
(TOY A HOG)*
Definition: “sweaty exercise”

Down

2. All the other instruments I rope in to play (7)
RIPIENO
(I ROPE IN)*
Definition: “All the other instruments” in musical notation

3. Brief: mine handy? (5)
PITHY
PIT = “mine” + H and Y = “handy?”
Definition: “Brief”

4. Spur cut around American pasta (7)
FUSILLI
FILLI[p] = “Spur cut” around US = “American”
Definition: “pasta”

6. Posh, cute dandy? (6)
TWEEDY
TWEE = “cute” + D and Y = “dandy?”
Definition: “Posh”

7. Storyteller, creator uninvolved? (9)
RACONTEUR
(CREATOR UN)* – the anagram indicator is “involved”
Definition: “Storyteller”

8. Time off from study, stuff inspiring a playboy on vacation (3,4)
GAP YEAR
GEAR = “stuff” around A P[laybo]Y = “playboy on vacation”
Definition: “Time off from study”

9. Ace — another card, perhaps? (9,4)
SOMETHING ELSE
“another card, perhaps?” is an example of SOMETHING ELSE
Definition: “Ace” – as in “wow, that’s something else!”

15. Injected substance ruins meat that’s processed (9)
ANTISERUM
(RUINS META)*
Definition: “Injected substance”

18. Cheese sandwiches first of all on order, choose ham roll (7)
BRIOCHE
BRIE = “Cheese” around O[rder] C[hoose] H[am] = “first of all on order, choose ham”
Definition: “roll”

20. Going to that place, put on number for the audience? (7)
WHERETO
“put on number” sounds like WEAR TWO
Definition: “Going to that place” (?)

21. Eggs having gone up in smoke, Shrove Tuesday over, evidently? (7)
FASTING
NITS = “eggs” reversed in FAG = “smoke”
Definition: “Shrove Tuesday over, evidently?”

22. Plate with lamb or chicken, perhaps, served up? (6)
LAMINA
ANIMAL = “lamb or chicken, perhaps” reversed
Definition: “Plate”

25. Crave cool candy? (5)
FANCY
FAN = “cool” + C and Y = “candy?”
Definition: FAN

47 comments on “Guardian Prize Puzzle 29,063 / Paul”

  1. Got FANCY early on from description and crosses and spotted the device which I was pleased with as I hadn’t in previous puzzles. Then got PITHY and started wondering if there were others – TWEEDY and BEERY soon followed.

    Liked JEKYLL (great surface) ENDANGER, SCAR TISSUE, BRIOCHE

    Thanks Paul and mhl

  4. Thank you mhl. Scart was a newie for me.
    Liked FASTING and LAMINA for good use of ”up” in the surface of a down clue, although 2 in a row might be a bit much.
    CANDY short and sweet.
    Blind partner and lamina doing the rounds again, but sometimes recognising recycled clues is a bit of fun in itself.

  5. Thanks to Paul for last week’s Prize Puzzle which I only just completed this morning Aussie time. Lots of good clues here I thought. 9d SOMETHING ELSE was fun; other favourites were 12a JEKYLL (cf Fiona Anne@1) and 14a LOGARITHM, both of which I got a bit late in the piece. In fact, I managed to do almost all the bottom half of the puzzle before I got much in the top half. I think 19a SNOWDRIFT helped as I cracked it early. I also liked that device used with 16a BEERY (a favourite contributor to this site), 3d PITHY, 6d TWEEDY and 25d FANCY. Thanks to mhl for the blog.

  6. Thanks mhl. I found this hard too, a number went in readily enough but the rest took a lot more work. PITHY was my entry to the mini theme and that helped a bit but the SE corner, for no good reason that I can now see held out for a long time. LOI was SHOWER CAPS, I knew it had to be the answer but like you had difficulty in identifying the anagram fodder.

  7. I gave up on this after solving only a few clues last Saturday but I have enjoyed the blog. Oh dear, it’s Paul again today…

  8. Thanks for the blog, really good puzzle, I seem to have circled a lot of clues. SHOWER CAPS a very nice and intricate &Lit , LOGARITHM typically brilliant Paul, EFFUSE I like the blind partner, RACONTEUR is a neat Playtex.
    ABATE is clever , using badger as a homophone for BATE , and mistreatment of badgers ( with dogs ) is known as badger-baitng .

  9. michelle @7 …and every bit as difficult as last week.
    I came back to this on Sunday after completing about half and suddenly it started to come together, took another visit to finish though. I did not notice the x=word-y device until I got BEERY and I had already pencilled in FANCY. Good puzzle and thanks for the blog.

  10. Real challenge this, which I realise was a DNF as I’d bunged in an unparsed misshape instead of MISSTATE.

    I spotted the four and clues, which helped, but I was solving this midweek.

    michelle @6, today’s Paul prize I’ve found more tractable, as in I’ve finished it, although I’d like to parse a few.

    Thank you to Paul and mhl.

  11. A hard starter, a pleasant main course, but a very difficult dessert to polish off. LOI something else!

  12. I wouldn’t call the (letter)and(y) thing a theme. I just thought it was quite clever clueing, but a bit overdone.
    An enjoyable puzzle, though, on the whole.
    Thanks Paul and mhl.

  13. Thanks mhl for clearing up a few things for me. Thanks to Paul for the puzzle.
    Just in case people haven’t looked yet, there does seem to be a bug if you do today’s from the Grauniad website. What should be 3 down, 13 across, 21 across only takes you to 3 and 21. Also, in the grid, 21 looks like it has a bar before the last letter – ignore it.

  14. Embarrassed that LOGARITHM was my LOI – I thought for far too long it must start with ‘cos’ and had no idea what the rest of the clue was about. So this finished on a bit of a groan. It also took me a while to realise all these x-and-y words (apart from the ‘dandy’ exception at 1a) were a theme based on a repeated device. But I usually enjoy a Paul puzzle and I enjoyed this. I couldn’t see how FASTING worked, but I liked the transforming doctor who wasn’t Who, the effer and blinder, and a number of others – even the punning rhythmic logger. Thanks, Paul, and thanks, mhl – and I’m glad to see better solvers than I also had trouble parsing SHOWER CAPS.

  15. A typically testing and enjoyable Prize from Paul with a host of witty and clever clues. I especially liked RACONTEUR, EFFUSE and the handy, randy, candy etc clues. Parsing was a major problem but SHOWER CAPS, with some crosser assistance, could be guessed from the clever surface, . Likewise STORAGE, the penny only dropping on the House of Orange once the letters went in. GAP YEAR went in without my understanding the logic of the playboy on vacation. LOI was SOMETHING ELSE, another guess.which seemed to me to involve the weakest clue, a pity since it was the spine of the puzzle.
    Thanks to Paul, and to mhl and KVa for the necessary illumination.

  16. Anna@12. I agree with you – it’s not a theme, it’s a motif: “a dominant or recurring idea in an artistic work”. Though I’m not sure that four instances in 28 clues is really overdoing it. 🙂

    KeithS@14. I’m even more embarrassed that I couldn’t get LOGARITHM at all! I was stuck on other functions like COS and COTAN and couldn’t reset sufficiently to see the whole picture and the homophone.

    Favourite was EFFUSE, which came to me suddenly when I woke up in the middle of the night. I immediately turned over and went back to sleep, so it’s a miracle that I remembered it in the morning.

    Thanks to Paul for an enjoyably challenging solve, and to mhl for the usual excellent blog (I couldn’t parse SHOWER CAPS either. 🙂 ).

  18. A more enjoyable Paul solve without having to dot around the grid with multiple entries.

    I liked the not-d-and-y dandy in DROP OFF with a good surface, the BEERY r-and-y and the d-and-y in TWEEDY. I was another puzzled by MISS HAPE, doh!

    Thanks Paul and mhl.

  19. Possibly a lucky wavelength thing but I found that (slightly) easier going than most Paul Prizes. The letter-and-Y motif helped. Some fabulous clues including ENDANGER, MISSTATE and SCAR TISSUE. As ever a few were unparsed and I had to reveal LAMINA but will attempt to remember that in future.

    Thanks both!

  20. Bit of fun, bit of a slog too. Nho the SCART acronym, and had to guess ripieno via pieno=full (dunno if it is via that; Anna, eb and pdm no doubt would). The rhythmic logger gets the GoD. Ta Paul and mhl.

  21. Paul is probably my favourite setter: prolific plus consistently challenging, entertaining and inventive.
    This was a cracker, with the clever *AND* device, and about a dozen clues ticked as being extra fun.

    JEKYLL was my favourite for “setter” turning out to be jelly as opposed to the more commonly seen Paul or sun.

    PERMIAN and RIPIENO were new but fair once crossers found.

    Thanks to Paul and mhl.

  22. I much prefer this kind of Paul puzzle to the kind with a lot of cross-references, hinging on a gateway clue you may or may not get readily.

    Grant@20 you’re right about RIPIENO. It’s also related to the Spanish relleno, as in chilis rellenos (stuffed chilis).

  23. Opened this up today, expecting just to click on the “Check all” button, but realised I hadn’t filled in 14a last Saturday.
    Stared at it for 10 minutes. Still couldn’t see it. Went away and did today’s prize.
    Came back and stared at it some more. Like KeithS@14 and sheffield hatter@16 thought “Function” must be COS or COTAN or DO or GO…
    Then – clang – LOGGER RHYTHM, so that’s my loi and cod. Not embarrassing at all.
    SOMETHING ELSE also reminded me of the Eddie Cochran song.
    And RIP Syndicat des Constructeurs d’Appareils Radiorecepteurs et Televiseurs
    Why was anything so big and clunky ever designed?

  24. Thanks Paul and mhl. Who knew SNOWDRIFT is an anagram of WIND and FROST? Or is that something more seasoned solvers are already familiar with?

  25. Another enjoyable puzzle from Paul. Among others I liked 14a (sometimes it’s an advantage to have a limited GK so you don’t get side-tracked), 23a (though “beauty” isn’t how I would describe the misses on the walls at Tate Modern) and 21d (the Lenten fast beginning on Ash Wednesday, the day after Shrove Tuesday). I agree with those who thought 9d was weak and @21d I can’t think of sentence where WHERETO and “going to that place” could be substituted.
    Thanks to Paul and mhl.

  26. After I finished this, I tried to think of a use of the featured device that didn’t involve a Y. The first thing I came up with was, “Imitate Brando with a guitar (5)”, which led me down a Wikipedia rabbithole learning the history of resonator guitars. (Probably not a familiar instrument over there–it’s most common in country music and acoustic blues, neither of which is exactly big in Britain.)

  29. mrpenney@26: Nice one – it is a fascinating instrument with an interesting history (and great fun to play) but as you say hasn’t made much of an impact on the eastern side of the North Atlantic.

    As to the puzzle, all has been said; this got lots of ticks from me with FASTING getting the best clue award and EFFUSE getting the blog award (effing and blinding – must remember that).

    Thanks both.

  30. Mrpenney@26, country and acoustic blues both have a big following over here, although not everyone is necessarily likely to recognise the ‘Dobro’ brand name. Given that you thought even the music it’s used to produce is obscure over here, wouldn’t it have been polite to spell out the name? (Maybe the National brand of resonator guitar would be better known here, as referred to in the Paul Simon song Graceland (YouTube): “The Mississippi Delta was shining like a National guitar…”.)

  31. [Also brought to wide attention in the UK by the cover photo of the Dire Straits album Brothers in Arms, showing Mark Knopfler’s 1937 14-fret National Style “O” Resonator.]

  33. Mrpenney, yes, apologies, you’re probably right, since you do mention “resonator guitars”, thus allowing the ignorant a way to find the brand name. Not a bad clue, actually, although [def] with [wordplay] is far preferable to [wordplay] with [def], imo.

    Maybe “Resonator guitar to imitate Brando”, would fix both problems?

  34. Excellent crossword, as I would expect from Paul. True to form, I started this only today, so that I would remember my thinking when I came to look at this blog. Thanks to both setter and blogger.

  35. [Tony@33. I found mrpenny’s clue apt, amusing and eminently solvable. Both of your responses have been condescending and borderline rude. Do you tell other setters in which order you prefer the definition and wordplay? ]

  36. I missed trying this last week as in holiday but just had a go and struggled with several. SHOWERCAPS and SOMETHING ELSE to name a couple. Didn’t even notice the AND in handy dandy etc.
    Good luck for second leg S Hatter

  37. Seriously Paul just does not do it for me. There are several clues here that just had me shaking my head. I see Paul has back to back prize puzzles 🙁 I was hoping for a Picaroon.

  38. Tony@33 – wordplay + derinition is far superior , it means you can solve the clue without even needing the defintion and you do not have to read the whole thing . See 5 , 24 , 28 , 29 AC etc .

  40. mrpenney@26 Just last night I went to a concert where somebody played dobro in a few of the songs.

    And belated thanks to Paul and mhl. The blog didn’t appear yesterday until I was off on the first of my take-up-the-whole-day activities, so I didn’t read it until this morning.

  41. [SH@35, afaik, mrpenney isn’t “a setter” as such (although that’s possible), but I certainly do remark on stylistic matters relating to the clues of setters whose puzzles are blogged here, in my comments. One such matter which I have often commented on is links which I (and others) consider unidirectional, as in the example.

    Roz@38, I think those of us who are not aiming to be speed-solvers enjoy reading and savoring the whole clue. If your whole objective is to ‘get through’ a puzzle as fast as possible, then a clue of the form you describe is helpful. Also, you can get through a novel much faster if you skip over the descriptive bits and concentrate only on the details that contribute to the plot.]

  42. Tony@41 a novel is for reading , a crossowrd puzzle is for solving , the clue is in the name .
    If I want to read bad Daily Express headlines I can see them every day when I buy my newspaper .

  43. Tony @41 and Roz @42
    This is an ongoing discussion, which I have held off for a long time in being involved in (Oops – Churchill would turn in his grave!) and I can’t see ever being resolved, because it’s about a fundamental difference in the approach to setting / solving crosswords – and, as far as I can see, it doesn’t really matter, since all preferences are catered for here.
    There are setters who string together random words in clever wordplay to arrive at a satisfying solution for many and others who take time to construct meaningful, often witty, sentences, which those of us in less of a hurry can enjoy savouring.
    Horses for courses, chacun à son goût, vive la différence – let’s be thankful!

  44. Had better say how much I enjoyed this puzzle … which I did. The *ANDY devices definitely appealed to me. TWEEDY and EFFUSE were my favourites

    I only buy a hardcopy paper now and again. Had happened to find an unused first class SAE in the drawer from 30 years ago. So I thought, why not get out the Uhu anf try entering for once? Guess who got lucky!

    Thanks, Paul

  45. [Roz, of course we will never agree about this, but your comment reminded me that I once set (what I regard as) a rather a nice puzzle on Big Dave under the rubric ‘The Clue is in the Clue’. It’s at http://crypticcrosswords.net/puzzles/rookie-corner/rookie-corner-252/ Maybe you could get one of your people to print it off for you? No detailed comments about it, please, although if you do it, do feel free to say whether or not you enjoyed it.]

  46. [Tony @45 I do not have “people” , the faculty has an IT office that I generally avoid, however genuine thanks for this link , I will brave the office but it will have to be tomorrow , I will take Paddington with his new label . ]

  47. [Roz, I warn you there is one clue I very much wish I’d written differently, following feedback from, in particular, a resident of the northern US, who made me realize how very limited my own GK was in a certain area. It’s not one of the themers, though and I don’t think it will spoil the puzzle for you.]

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