Guardian Cryptic 29,192 by Pasquale

by

The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29192.

Harder than yesterday’s Arachne, but another excellent puzzle, with the Don’s own style.

ACROSS
1 BLOODSHOT
Like inflamed viewer‘s false statement about reptile (9)
BLOOD’S HOT (‘false statement about reptile’: “most reptiles today are cold-blooded“).
6 CODA
A medical practitioner returning with additional notes (4)
A reversal (‘returning’) of DOC (‘medical practitioner’) plus ‘a’. The definition refers to a musical composition.
8 GERANIUM
Plant providing semiconducting material — mass turned out (8)
A subtraction: GER[m]ANIUM (‘semiconducting material’) minus the interior M (‘mass turned out’).
9 IMPISH
This writer’s nonsense is naughty (6)
A charade of I’M (‘this writer’s’) plus PISH (tush, ‘nonsense’).
10 CAVITY
Elusive cat mum lost in pit (6)
A subtraction: [ma]CAVITY (‘elusive cat’ in Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot) minus MA (‘mum lost’).

Macavity’s not there!
11 TIENTSIN
Tennis — it is played in Chinese city (8)
An anagram (‘is played’) of ‘tennis it’. Tientsin, or Tianjin is on the Bohai Sea, an arm of the Yellow Sea (as a link to yesterday’s Arachne)
12 PREYED
Appealed audibly to the Lord, as profited from in an exploitative manner (6)
Sounds like (‘audibly’) PRAYED (‘appealed … to the Lord’).
15 RUDENESS
Endures horrible son showing incivility (8)
A charade of RUDENES, an anagram (‘horrible’) of ‘endures’; plus S (‘son’).
16 CONFUSED
Trick female employed, making one puzzled (8)
A charade of CON (‘trick’) plus F (‘female’) plus USED (’employed’).
19 RAFFLE
Flyers did what they do, endless game of chance (6)
A charade of RAF (Royal Air Force, ‘flyers’) plus FLE[w] (‘did what they do’) minus the last letter (‘endless’).
21 OBSOLETE
Let oboes play like serpents? (8)
An anagram (‘play’) of ‘let oboes’. A serpent is an old wind instrument ( but not an ancestor of the oboe).
22 PLUMBS
Fruit reported — heavy hanging masses (6)
Sounds like (reported’) PLUMS (‘fruit’).
24 PUNTED
Travelled over water, getting kicked (6)
Double definition.
25 FADDIEST
Most fastidious theologian that is participating in Lent? (8)
An envelope (‘participating in’) of DD (Divinitatis Doctor, Doctor of Divinity, ‘theologian’) plus I.E. (‘that is’) in FAST (‘Lent’). The definition strikes me as questionable, although faddy as picky about food is somewhere close.
26 ADAR
Group of actors back for a month (4)
A reversal (‘back’) of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, ‘group of actors’). ADAR is a month in the Jewish calendar.
27 RUSHLIGHT
Hasten to land, with a little help in the dark (9)
A charade of RUSH (‘hasten’) plus LIGHT (‘land’, verb).
DOWN
1 BREDA
Girl brought up overlooking area in Dutch city (5)
Two definitions, one at either end, with wordplay in the middle: a charade of BRED (‘brought up’) plus (‘overlooking’ in a down light) A (‘area’).
2 OPACITY
Work with a business community — there’s a lack of transparency (7)
A charade of OP (‘work’) plus ‘a’ plus CITY (‘business community’ – particularly London).
3 DAISY
Flower is squashed in time (5)
An envelope (‘squashed in’) of ‘is’ in DAY (‘time’).
4 HAMSTER
Rodent seen in Nottingham’s terrible (7)
A hidden answer (‘seen in’) in ‘NottingHAMS TERrible’.
5 TAIL-ENDER
Somehow isn’t leader, last in marches to depart? (4-5)
An anagram (‘somehow’) of ‘i[s]nt leader’ minus the S (‘last in marcheS to depart’), with an &lit definition.
6 CAPSTAN
Nautical item is on top of vessel, not bottom (7)
A charade of CAPS (‘is on top of’) plus TAN[k] (‘vessel’) minus the last letter (‘not bottom’, in a down light).
7 DISMISSAL
Is girl taken in by naughty lad getting the boot? (9)
An envelope (‘taken in by’) of ‘is’ plus MISS (‘girl’) in DAL, an anagram (‘naughty’) of ‘lad’. I have included ‘getting’ in the definition, as a gerund, but it could be just a link word, with ‘the boot’ as definition.
13 ROOTBOUND
England batter sure to be restricted and unable to blossom? (9)
A charade of ROOT (Joe, ‘England batter’) plus BOUND (‘sure’). The definition refers to a pot plant.
14 DESCENDER
Bit of a letter, final bit in rambling screed (9)
An envelope (‘in’) of END (‘final bit’) in DESCER, an anagram (‘rambling’) of ‘screed’.
17 FLOATER
Vagrant having minimum of food subsequently eating egg (7)
An envelope (‘eating’) of O (‘egg’) in F (‘minimum of Food’) plus LATER (‘subsequently’).
18 DREYFUS
Falsely accused prisoner — uncontrollable fury dies when one is released (7)
An anagram (‘uncontrollable’) of ‘fury d[i]es’ minus the I (‘when one is released’). L’Affaire Dreyfus was a French miscarriage of justice as a result of which Alfred Dreyfus served nearly five years on Devil’s Island, being eventually pardoned and then exonerated. The ‘fury’ was stoked by Émile Zola’s letter J’accuse…!, so the clue has an extended definition.
20 FLUKING
Top viral infection expert achieving through chance (7)
FLU KING (‘top viral infection expert’).
22 PEDAL
Lever journalist into China? (5)
An envelope (‘into’) of ED (‘journalist’) in PAL (‘china’). Two crossword clichés for the price of one.
23 BESET
Surrounded foe finally in defeat (5)
An envelope (‘in’) of E (‘foE finally’) in BEST (‘defeat’, verb).

picture of the completed grid

75 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 29,192 by Pasquale”

  1. Unlike our blogger, I thought it on a par with yesterday’s Arachne, difficulty-wise. I did have a little trouble with the spelling of TIENTSIN, but with all crossers in place it was the only permutation of the remaining letters that sounded remotely Chinese.

    I do think a few extra question-marks could have been sprinkled in. FLU KING is not a real thing, so that clue deserves one, and FADDIEST=most fastidious deserves several, imo.

    Thanks P&P

  2. Thank you Peter O for your excellent blog, and especially for the OBSOLETE instruments. I thought it was just referring to the word serpents being archaic for snakes. (Shoulda looked them up.)

    Liked TAIL-ENDER and DREYFUS for the whole clue. RAFFLE and FLUKING made me laugh.
    Tackled BLOODSHOT first. Spent way too long on something like RED-EYED with LIE, but REDBELLIED, a black snake very common in Oz, wouldn’t fit. Then with crossers got it, and the def right, but couldn’t parse it with BS (false statement). Finally, the scales dropped from my eyes! So simple, and so funny.

  4. I tried FLEMING for FLUKING, so I didn’t quite complete.

    Two unknown cities to me, so had to guess/work out both.

    Certainly tougher than yesterday’s for me

    Thanks Pasquale and PeterO

  5. Private Eye used to call ER “Brenda”, so not knowing that Breda was a name, I thought it should have read “Nameless girl…”. Oh well.

  6. My lists of “Never heard of” and “Huh?” down the side of the page were definitely longer than they were with Arachne’s yesterday.

    As a retired music educator I’m ashamed to admit that I never knew a serpent was an old musical instrument. Never heard of ADAR, DREYFUS, FADDIEST, PISH & TIENTSIN (which, with a population of around nine million by Chinese standards probably only counts as a hamlet!). Hadn’t heard of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, or at least if I had, I didn’t recognise its acronym. I couldn’t work out why”girl” is in the clue for 1d. If it’s a girl’s name I’ve never come across it. I thought city/business community was a bit loose.

    My favourite clue was BLOODSHOT. When I finally twigged (after going down several rabbit holes) it elicited a big smile.

    Thanks Pasquale & PeterO.

  7. Spent far too long convinced that Fauci (Top viral infection expert …) had to fit into 20D.
    Thanks to Pasquale and Peter0.

  8. Apteryx@7 I briefly considered Sabin and Salk, then something beginning with V for FLUKING. Great misdirection. Laughed out loud at how I’d been sent down those rabbit holes only to find an even funnier answer.

  9. I’m another one who didn’t know that BREDA was a girl’s name, so couldn’t account for ‘girl’ in the clue for 1d, but you live and learn. Liked 20d FLUKING when I finally saw it and 8a GERANIUM after I’d spent too long trying to think of an 8-lettered semiconductor. Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO.

  10. It was the same with me for BREDA, causing head-scratching about the parsing. In 6d I thought TAN was a reduction of “tanker” or “tankard”, which seem more likely vessels than “tank”. Does “not bottom” have to mean deleting only the final letter?

  11. A handful of dnks in freo town, the girl’s name, the instrument, the Jewish month and TS’s poem, although the last now rings a faint bell. And, having recently heard him interviewed, I too first thought Fauci re 20d as did Apteryx @7; flue king hell! So a fair bit of shrugging amidst the fun, ta PnP.

  13. Adar, Dreyfus and Serpent were new to me so I parsed without understanding so thank you for the insights. Never seen ‘fluking’ before.

  16. [By coincidence I was talking to someone on Sunday who – many years ago – was involved in the manufacture of germanium diodes. Seems very strange now that it was considered rather than silicon]

  17. Ticks for RAFFLE, FLUKING, and ROOTBOUND

    The phrase “over-egging the pudding” sprung to mind for BREDA

    Cheers P&P

  18. Interesting comnent Shirl @16, Germanium and Silicon are naturally occurring semiconductors, adjacent on the same column of the periodic table. Germanium is the better semiconductor and used in fibre optics and places where a better semiconductor is needed. We’re using silicon as widely as we are because of its abundance, so relative cheapness.

    I found this a quicker solve than yesterday’s but I sat down and solved it early, unlike yesterdat, I also only had to look up TSIENTSIN, but I’ve attended things in the RADA theatre, remembered DREYFUS, thought of SERPENTs and SACKBUTS of Hardy’s church bands…

    Thank you to PeterO and Pasquale.

  19. Failed to fully parse BREDA due to the girl problem mentioned by others, and needed Google for the Chinese city and the cat.

    Otherwise, a pleasant solve due to The Don’s impeccable cluing.

    Many thanks, both.

  20. Completely failed to parse the brilliant BLOODSHOT and deplorably unfamiliar with the months of the Jewish calendar. Otherwise, a very pleasant way to while away an hour or so at about 4 am.
    Many thanks to both.

  22. Definitely tougher than yesterday but not impenetrable. I’m surprised others haven’t heard of BREDA, an anglicised version of the Irish Brid/Bridget. Conversely, hadn’t heard of ADAR, TIENTSIN, RUSHLIGHT and the OBSOLETE serpent. I liked RAFFLE, FLUKING, TAIL-ENDER and DREYFUS.

    Ta Pasquale & PeterO for the excellent blog.

  23. [Swarbrules @14. I remember from your moniker your kind of music. Maybe you’ve seen or heard an original serpent?
    Not so obsolescent. Google threw up to me a video clip from not that long ago of an Australian electronic music group, The Avalanches, NHO, which apparently did well in the UK, Europe and USA with 3 serpents. The track is Frontier Psychiatrists which is really crazy, but you only see the serpents with the full band on opening, and a couple of brief moments throughout. Hardly an earworm.

    Have been having all sorts of fun learning about serpents and listening to different ones..]

  24. Hmmm. Mostly enjoyable, but IMO 21A and 26A are stretching the definition of general knowledge, to put it kindly. For 21 across in particular there are many other ways to define the word.

    NHO rootbound, but I assume it is well-known to the horticulturally inclined.

  26. Without being too much of a spoiler, I seem to be BESET by the HAMSTER today. Liked this, even though I found it a mixed bag. Couldn’t parse BLOODSHOT or GERANIUM, thought CAVITY excellent. Struggled to complete the SE corner, with the cleverly disguised RUSHLIGHT the main stumbling block. PEDAL made me smile, don’t really know why, Pal as China I suppose, an oft used Cryptic favourite…

  27. Re 1d, BREDA. I got the answer by a different parsing, probably an incorrect one. I saw the name as Brenda and thought overlooking an area meant missing out the north area ie N, arriving at the Dutch town, BREDA. Your parsing, PeterO makes more sense of brought up.

  28. I’m with PeterO in that I found this harder than yesterday’s Arachne, which just seemed to flow for me. I’m with those who didn’t know that BREDA is a girl’s name, though I was pretty sure of the answer e.g. the Treaty of Breda 1667. I had not heard of ADAR. I did think of Rada, but wasn’t sure if I was on the right lines. I liked OBSOLETE (I know the serpent isn’t completely obsolete, but that is perhaps a bit picky: pace Swarbrules@14!) , BLOODSHOT and GERANIUM. WIth thanks to Pasquale and PeterO.

  29. I did manage to remember BREDA, the serpent and GERmANIUM, but didn’t like FADDIEST at all. The definition is really not good. Couldn’t parse BLOODSHOT and dnf because of PUNTED (obvious now of course).

  30. I did not parse 1ac, 8ac & 10ac apart from the defintions, 21ac apart from it being an anagram of let oboes).

    Re 1d I suspected the two definitions although I’m not sure I saw that device before. Also did not know the girl’s name Breda – I was thinking of a character in The Last Kingdom TV series but I see now that her name is spelt as Brida so I was wrong on that score.

    New for me: ADAR.

    Favourite: RAFFLE.

    Thanks, both.

  32. Somewhat predictably, I was beaten by BREDA which ended up being shoved in but not properly understood; I’m not a huge fan of two definitions at either end of a clue tbh. I’m not sure two are necessary and the potential to confuse is considerable. Particularly if those two definitions are, to this little-Englander, at least, both unknown. TAIL-ENDER, RUSHLIGHT, CAVITY and BLOODSHOT were my favourites today. I wonder why Pasquale chose to clue PREYED rather than ‘prayed’? It’s led to a very peculiar surface.

    Thanks Pasquale and PeterO

  33. Tough to get going but then it eased piece by piece, just like a good puzzle should. Quite a few oblique references to cricket along the way so when I got DAISY I was looking for “cutter” (to no avail).

    BLOODSHOT was great.

    Thanks Pasquale and PeterO

  34. I couldn’t help popping in to say what a wonderful example of a true &lit is TAIL-ENDER (a great exemplar for those who are sometimes confused)

    Lovely puzzle from the Don – I’m beginning to enjoy him more; he feels a little lightened these days (not devoid of the trademark selcouth vocabulary but not overwhelmed by it)

    Many thanks

  35. I’m with PostMark @32. It’s as if Pasquale had two options for the grid, prayed and preyed, and had only quick-crossword clues to each. The differing letter wasn’t a crosser, so gave one of the quick clues and made it cryptic by saying actually it’s the other one.
    If an internet trawl byFrankieG@31 can find a whole 4 instances of a 5-letter “name”, it’s not common enough to be regarded as a “name” for the general solver to know.
    I did like 1a when I had to come here to get the parsing.
    After doing crosswords for more than 30 years now, reading the clue for 16a led instantly to the components (con, f, used) without a beat. This sort of thing usually takes a second or two, or an hour. I don’t know if I should be encouraged or disheartened!
    [Eileen – what was that phrase for a word you have never heard of, but it just has to be because that’s how the clue tells you to construct it? I seem to remember you being teased that you invented the term despite you being quite clear you didn’t!]
    Thanks to Pasquale and PeterO

  36. Like revbob Iwas a Brenda dropping the N. I don’t think BRED past tense of breed means to bring up, rather to be concieved. I don’t have any dictionaries starting with C, but my Consise OED agrees with me. I don’t suppose anyone else does.

  37. I’ve been to Breda but never met anyone called that
    I would have clued “Nameless girl found in location in Brabant”
    or “dodgy bread in city in pays bas”
    It seemed a bit cluttered as it was
    But otherwise a fine puzzle.

  40. Thanks for the blog, difficult to imagine a crossword that is not harder than yesterday. I thought BLOODSHOT was a neat idea and I liked CAVITY, TAIL-ENDER is very clever, good use of notes in CODA.
    For DISMISSAL the LAD is just reversed , still technically an anagram but a bit clumsy.

  41. Agree with Shanne @18, Germanium better than silicon but much rarer so kept for specialist uses. It is a bit like titanium and steel.

    AlanC@22 your post is midway between the current score of 33-11 , your Number 1 yesterday has been added.

  42. Neither poems or musicals register with me so I could have stared at -a-i-y and not seen cavity. Thanks both.

  43. Add me to the pile of people who was confused by BREDA. I had to look up a list of Dutch cities to get there. It also gives me another chance to gripe about one of my pet peeves: the use of “girl” to mean “any of the hundreds of names traditionally given to women.” Not specific at all, there. And it’s especially bad here, where the name is pretty obscure, and where it isn’t strictly necessary to the clue.

    I’m not in the pile who hadn’t heard of ADAR, though. It’s the month that contains Purim, if I recall correctly, as well as the month that’s repeated in years when a leap month is required.

  44. Like others I was so sure Fauci was the top viral infection expert that I entered it temporarily, then got PLUMBS and FADDIEST through the crossers. So you could say I fluked FLUKING …

  46. Enjoyed this, not least for the long list of words/things I have learned today – Macavity, serpent, Adar, rushlight and like apparently everyone else, Breda as a girl’s name.
    I’m normally terrible with flower names but daisy and geranium are common enough that even I’ve heard of them!
    Paddymelon@23, surprised you don’t think Frontier Psychiatrist is an earworm, as a 90s teen it definitely is for me!
    Thanks Pasquale and PeterO

  47. nicbach @36
    Without going to a dictionary (with or without a C), perhaps the expression “born and bred” might be familiar to you.

  48. While it’s obvious that people called BREDA do exist, you don’t exactly meet them every day, so it’s a good thing that Pasquale let us have the Dutch city as an alternative clue.

    I liked BLOODSHOT, after staring at it for a while and trying to fit reptiles into false statements: nice bit of misdirection. I had trouble deciding which way round PREYED/PRAYED worked and didn’t know ADAR. Sorry, Pasquale, but some pot plants flower better when ROOTBOUND – and I never remember sportsmen’s names anyway.

  50. The most unpleasant and dissatisfying Guardian offer I’ve yet encountered.
    (It’s not you, Pasquale: it’s me… )

  51. gladys @48
    I also wondered whether to question the definition of 13D ROOTBOUND, but realised that ‘blossom’ can mean flourish as well as flower.

  52. Another Goldilocks! Thanks both and I agree that Pasquale seems less ferocious than heretofore.

    BREDA is such a common name in Ireland among those in the 55+ age bracket. Anyone who knows an Irish mammy may well know a Breda. It derives (cf AlanC@22) from Brigid/Bridget along with Brid and Biddy but may now be obsolescent (tvm Swarbrules@14). (I’m reminded that Frances when it was popular as a girl’s name led to many 19th century Fannies – still popular in France.)

    monkeypuzzler@35: That would be a ‘jorum’ – a coinage attributable to mariankeifer (but I(think I)’ve misspelt that moniker).

  53. Swarbrules @14 if we’re being picky, “obsolete” can mean antiquated which would seem to cover the serpent?

  54. A generally good crossword with some fine clues.

    The TTM was deafening for BLOODS HOT after I stared at it for far too long. I liked the top of vessel, not bottom for CAPSTAN. FADDIEST is a somewhat ugly word. The Don could have used fanciest and penal or some such as other options.

    Thanks Pasquale and PeterO.

  59. Enjoyed today’s crossword but I found the clue for 27 rather odd. Land for me suggests alight rather than light and with in the clue as written seems superfluous. Wouldn’t
    Hasten to land, without a little help in the dark
    have been better?

  61. Thanks, PeterO, for explaining the answers I entered from definition only and unparsed: BLOODSHOT, CAVITY and BREDA.

    I taught for 25 years in a girls’ school and 4 years in a mixed school, have watched countless TV programmes, but I’ve never come across anyone named Breda.

    I was held up by having entered AGISE instead of DAISY.

    Thanks for the mental exercise, Pasquale.

  62. Bodycheetah@53: I think you are right. I’d never really focused on it before, but things that are out of date or no longer in general use are obsolete, and things that are fading from general use and soon to become obsolete are obsolescent. So on that basis I think the serpent is certainly obsolete. I once had a David Munroe recording that I’m sure featured one; but now lost in time.

  64. martin @59
    To light is to dismount (ask a horse how he feels when you get off his back), and a- is a prefix (asleep, a-hunting we will go). In this sense, light and alight are thus close cousins, with the former rather antique, except perhaps in the metaphorical use such as “I couldn’t light on a better idea”.

  65. For BREDA I was standing on my head trying to figure out how to derive it from Debra. Those who tried to derive it from Brenda are much brighter than I.

    I hope for the sake of those named Breda that they don’t pronounce it like the Dutch pronounce the city (Bray-DAH).

  67. I very much enjoyed this, and found it a little easier than yesterday’s delight.

    OBSOLETE was lovely (perhaps because I saw it almost instantly, a rare occurrence!). I have sung in St Mary’s Whitby accompanied by a serpent, among other instruments.

    Other highlights included the amusing CAVITY, DREYFUS and GERANIUM. Only BREDA really disappointed, as I’m not keen on two definitions where there is also wordplay.

  69. I hadn’t heard of anyone called BREDA despite spending a lot of time in Ireland. Odd that. A search reveals Breda Smyth is chief medical officer in Eire.
    I also forgot serpent was an old instrument.
    Had DASHLIGHT for a minute.
    Thanks both

  72. For those wondering why it might be expected that we should know the old name of a smallish Chinese city – histories of Japan’s involvement in WW2 often deal with the Tientsin incident which marked a serious deterioration of Anglo Japanese relations and could be argued marked beginning of period of change of political stance which ended in Japan joining WW2

  73. Finished my 18 holes and then potted this one. Surprised about the fulsome praise considering the discontent over Breda.

  74. Wasted a lot of time and brain cells thinking that 9 was PROUST = STUPOR (nonsense) being naughty (anagram). That would have been a bad clue… but not as bad as FADDIEST. :-b

    I’m always amused at the variety in who is familiar with what. TIENTSIN was first-in. OBSOLETE and RUSHLIGHT were among the easiest, but I was never going to get BREDA or ROOTBOUND or CAVITY (though I guessed it).

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