I seemed not to be on Paul’s wavelength today, finding this quite hard. Perhaps others had a different experience, and it was fun to work out. Thanks to Paul.
There’s an obvious theme of things that are BIG IN JAPAN, with the TEA CEREMONY, SUMO, SHINKANSEN, ANIME and NINJA, with SAKE, MANGA and NINTENDO making appearances in wordplay.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | COPIOUS | Trader, righteous liberal (7) CO (company, a “trader”) + PIOUS |
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| 5 | FORSAKE | Leave, in order to get drink (7) FOR + SAKE (Japanese drink) |
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| 9 | ALONG | Unknown number in a wood, together (5) N in A LOG |
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| 10 | MANGANESE | Element in the language of comics? (9) MANGA is a genre of Japanese comics; its language might be MANGA-NESE |
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| 11 | BIG IN JAPAN | Reject imbued with spirit, certainly foreign secretary only popular abroad? (3,2,5) GIN (spirit) + JA (German or “foreign” yes, certainly) + PA (secretary) in BIN (to reject) |
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| 12 | OSLO | Capital o’ vakia or venia? (4) O + SLO, which can precede vakia and venia in country names |
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| 14 | TEA CEREMONY | Create brews and make money in genteel tradition (3,8) CREATE* + MONEY* |
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| 18 | EXASPERATES | Old pet’s ears given a spraying to get ticks off (11) EX (old) + (PETS EARS A)* |
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| 21 | SUMO | Not-half enormous wobbles, it’s very 11 across (4) Anagram of [enor]MOUS |
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| 22 | SHINKANSEN | Speeding bullet finds leg bone, Anne’s knee initially shattered (10) SHIN + anagram of ANNE’S K[nee] – it’s the Japanese “Bullet Train” |
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| 25 | CAMERAMEN | Shooters spilled noodle bowl, and out ___ ? (9) If the noodles were spilled, then “out CAME RAMEN” |
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| 26 | ANIME | Drawn features, some Trojan, I’m exhausted! (5) Hidden in trojAN I’M Exhausted |
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| 27 | STANNIC | Tinny isn’t kicked about with can (7) (ISNT CAN) – “tinny” as in “related to tin” |
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| 28 | ALERTED | Drink wine in which tannin originally flagged (7) ALE (a drink) + T[annin] in RED (wine) |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | CRABBY | Cross first of roads passed round by driver (6) R[oads] in CABBY |
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| 2 | PLOUGH | Mention hospital with nothing in till (6) O in PLUG (to mention a book, film etc with a view to selling it) + H[ospital] |
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| 3 | ORGAN STOPS | Selection of player, hearts for example trumps (5,5) ORGANS (e.g. hearts) + TOPS |
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| 4 | SAMBA | Something for the ballroom – s’ neither red nor green by the sound of it? (5) Homophone of “ s’ amber” (as in traffic ligh colours) |
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| 5 | FUNDAMENT | Money available I agree, time for booty … (9) FUND + AMEN (I agree) + T; “booty” as in someone’s bottom |
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| 6 | REAR | … that in raise (4) Double definition, referring to the previous answer for the first |
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| 7 | AVERSION | Dislike a transcript (8) A VERSION, with “dislike” as a noun |
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| 8 | EYE TO EYE | Say ‘aye’ too, I agree, seeing this? (3,2,3) Homophone of “eye too I”, and probably an &lit |
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| 13 | DE-ESCALATE | Cool river beyond which a castle built (2-8) DEE (river) + (A CASTLE)* |
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| 15 | ABRAHAMIC | Druze say with Aramaic: case of both needing translation (9) Anagram of ARAMAIC + B[ot]H |
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| 16 | BED SOCKS | Bottom smacks warming couple at night? (3,5) BED (bottom) + SOCKS (hits, smacks); bed socks come in pairs or couples |
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| 17 | MAMMA MIA | Musical for crying out loud! (5,3) Double definition |
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| 19 | ASSIST | Godzilla’s sister bites back (6) Hidden in godzillA’S SISTer |
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| 20 | INTEND | Mean gamers out of bounds? (6) NINTENDO (Japanese makers of game consoles) less its outer letters |
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| 23 | NINJA | Covert operator in unit measuring energy aboard old Spanish ship (5) J (Joule, SI unit of energy) in NINA, one of the ships in Columbus’s fleet |
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| 24 | GRAN | Relation in Ulysses somewhat lacking? (4) A truncated [Ulysses S] GRANT, US president 1869 –1877 |
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thanks P and A! I too found this quite hard… this has probably been mentioned countless times already, but I really struggle with the pretty surreal absurd surface (non)-meanings of Paul’s clues and today was no exception perhaps even “worse” than usual.
I abandoned yesterday’s by Jack, and regretfully did so again today. Perhaps tomorrow’s will be doable.
Ugh
I laughed at SUMO with its “not half enormous wobbles”. I needed the blog to parse CAMERAMEN. Those and others like MANGANESE and SAMBA confirm my suspicion that Paul is the Pommy equivalent of David Astle, although Paul’s surfaces are much better.
Crikey. That’s two tough puzzles in two days. At least I got through this with just the one reveal – FUNDAMENT – which, this being Paul, should have come as no surprise. That enabled REAR and FORSAKE to finish the grid. A nicely incorporated theme though I do agree with ilan caron about some of the surfaces. And slightly strange to repeat the trick in OSLO and SAMBA.
Like Tim C, I enjoyed SUMO along with MANGANESE, EXASPERATES, SHINKASEN, CAMERAMEN, DE-ESCALATE and, COTD, BED SOCKS.
Thanks Paul and Andrew
Very tough – as usual I am not on the setter’s wavelength. After solving only 4 on first pass, I was very tempted to walk away. RHS was easier for me.
25ac – I was unsure about the ‘bowl, and out ___ ? ‘ Thanks for explaining it.
I found this tough to get into, as is often the case with Paul, but it all came together, albeit without parsing GRAN or INTEND, irritatingly, as I’d realised I needed to be looking for links to Japan. Godzilla is another nod that way for ASSIST.
It was a lot quicker than yesterday’s Jack.
Thank you to Paul and Andrew.
After getting everything else, I was defeated by little GRAN (couldn’t find the right Ulysses: James Joyce? Odyssey? Mamma mia!) But this was lots of fun, from the BED SOCKS and the MANGA-NESE comic to ‘s amber (ouch!) and OSLO- vakia/venia. Though I missed the out-CAME-RAMEN joke.
Luckily I had sussed the BIG IN JAPAN (unparsed) theme by the time I got to SHINKANSEN which I had to look up.
Thanks Paul and Andrew
Must’ve absorbed manga by osmosis, know absy ba about it, tho anime I do remember hearing, prob on an art show. Similarly, looked at shinkansen thinking what the … then remembered the bullet train [we’ve been talking about building one for years, but … ]. Stannic for tinny reminds me of the old kid’s joke What’s brown and sticky? A stick. Time to get me coat, thanks both.
Several faves. Mentioning a few:
Out CAME RAMEN. Excellent.
OSLO: Pauli-an exclusion principle applied!
MANGANESE: Seen it before. Was a fave the first time around.
EYE TO EYE: I took the def as ‘agree seeing this‘ (WP+CD. Also, an extended def? A variety of &lit, maybe).
Thanks Paul. The blog is superb. Thanks Andrew!
Yes I found this one very tricky. However I did appreciate the Japanese theme as it unfolded. Aside from the themed clues, several of which were very clever, a favourite (as for some others above) had to be 16d BED SOCKS.
The phrase BIG IN JAPAN (11a) rang a bell – is it also a Tom Waits song? Thanks a lot to Paul and Andrew.
[BTW, I tend to agree with your David Astle parallel, Tim C@4.]
G 28393 Pan
Element of Japanese comics? (9)
MAMMA MIA
Is the def referring to the interjection MAMMA MIA or something more?
Crying out loud? Does it define it well? I am missing something. Help.
Very tough, I can see I’m not alone here. I got SUMO before BiJ. In fact, I’m not sure I would have managed the other way around, the anagram and the foreign bit clicked, providing you’re not Japanese. I didn’t see the theme, of course, so I was looking at FOR?ALE for a while, wondering which to abandon. Then I got REAR so FORSAKE, last but one. I had to go back to GRAN, which was suddenly obvious, even if the parsing wasn’t.
Thanks both, I never felt like giving up, I just knew there were some terrible jokes waiting for me still.
Kva @12: Yes, I think MAMMA MIA as an interjection is a perfect substitute if you’re Italian.
Paul made me work for it this morning. Great fun!
“Out CAME RAMEN” was very clever, but I had to wait for Andrew to point it out.
Thanks to both.
I just love Paul’s puzzles and that was no exception. Also like the Japanese theme which I spotted (hard not to). And even used in Shinkansen which I guess I knew from reading Bullet Train (kotoro isaka book from which film made)
Thanks Paul and Andrew
Thanks Paul and Andrew
Like drawing teeth – no fun at all. Lots I could comment on, but I’ll restrict myself to one puzzling me – why does “gamers” give NINTENDO?
I found this difficult and had to cheat a bit. But MANGANESE was fun and I don’t remember seeing it before. I agree with KVa @10 that “agree seeing this” should be underlined as the definition for EYE TO EYE. And SUMO was a great extended definition!
BIG IN JAPAN seems to have been the name of several songs as well as a band, but for the origin of the phrase see this.
Thanks Paul and Andrew.
My link doesn’t seem to have worked. It was supposed to be to the Wikipedia article for Big in Japan (phrase).
BIG IN JAPAN – ‘!rish musical group The Nolans, who were virtually unknown in North America, sold over 12 million records in Japan, outselling The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Adele, and Ed Sheeran combined. They also became the first international act to have all of their releases hit No. 1 in the country, as well as the first to hit No. 1 on both the Japanese domestic and international charts.’
The opposite – ‘small in japan’ – applies to AC/DC, Adele, and the XBox.
Lord Jim@18,19 – your link lost its colon, that happens when if gets appended to the “https://” in the link box.
Strangely enough, I was on Paul’s funky wavelength today after yesterday’s torturous journey. I agree with KVa @10, re EYE TO EYE. The theme came early, so BIG IN JAPAN was a write-in and helped solve FORSAKE, NINJA and NINTENDO. I thought CAMERAMEN and FUNDAMENT were hilarious and even laughed at the awful SAMBA. I did think OSLO was dreadful though.
Ta Paul & Andrew.
muffin@17. I’m with you about NINTENDO. How does the game equate with the gamers?
Lord Jim@18. Your link didn’t work for me. Intrigued.
And where is the indicator for SLO preceding VAKIA or VENIA?
Very difficult for me and I think some of the definitions are unfair. How can “exasperates” mean “ticks off”. My first thought was “reprimands”. Enjoyed “bedsocks” though!
Just for you Julie in Australia @11… Big In Japan
Worth it for CAMERAMEN!
Andrew, RAMEN could also be added to your extensive list.
Thanks so much for your comments, all.
I’ve been asked to post a link to all should you wish to get access to Zooms at which I discuss Paul puzzles. It’s a lovely, friendly and kind-hearted community. do come along. You can come once, every time, or whenever suits. I tend to run them twice a month.
Here’s a link to subscribe. https://www.johnhalpern.co.uk/ Hope to see you soon. Take care all.
John aka Paul
Thank you Paul and Andrew. Really liked Paul’s venture into ghost theme territory. Pushing the envelope as ever: maybe OSLO rips it a bit, but CAMERAMEN (best of all) INTEND, SUMO, STANNIC, SHINKANSEN, MANGANESE I thought were superb. Paul will have a Zoom meeting tomorrow – I think access can be gained via the John Halpern site. To reply to Muffin and paddymelon: can’t ‘gamers’ be construed reasonably in our bizarre modern syntactic world as creators of games, not just those who play them? Opening the flood-gates, I know: waiting now for FORD to be defined as ‘carers’ and ROYAL WORCESTER as ‘muggers’.
Thanks Paul & Andrew. I abandoned Jack’s puzzle yesterday, but I enjoyed today’s more. CAMERAMEN was brilliant and SUMO made me smile. OSLO was the FOI and FORSAKE was my LOI.
I agree with Komorník@27 about NINTENDO, but you could call ROYAL WORCESTER a potter – as in a maker or purveyor of pots. So NINTENDO could be gamers in that same vein?
I found this difficult, but fared better than yesterday, couldn’t get 24d, couldn’t parse FUNDAMENT or CAMERAMEN. Knew the phrase “Big in Japan” only due to Alphaville and Tom Waits…
Thanks Paul And Andrew
Fun quantum spin on Ozlo, KVa @10
Tricky but (eventually) doable. Like gladys@8 I struggled to fine the right Ulysses and just bunged in GRAN as the only thing that fitted. Got the theme early on for a change thanks to ANIME and CAMERAMEN – nice one. Didn’t know the bullet train, but always good to learn something new even if I won’t remember it for long. Thank you Paul and Andrew.
Well this was a first for me. After yesterday’s bruising encounter with Jack, I didn’t get beyond the first round with Paul – not a single clue solved on first pass, so raised the white flag, or rather, threw in the towel. Well done those who managed the full twelve championship rounds…
CAMERAMEN and MANGANESE raised a smile but SHINKANSEN defeated me. After failing yesterday and today, tomorrow may not be worth starting!
Not very Paulish. Perhaps that’s why it was more of a slog today. Some very nice bits though, especially the Japanese stuff, the spilled bowl in particular. Thanks both.
This was difficult…but I did enjoy it, and I did complete it, unlike yesterday’s torture. The theme helped–I didn’t get BIG IN JAPAN until I had already noticed that there were more Japanese items than normal, so that one was put it in then parse.
Paul’s penchant for bad jokes is sort of a trademark. I liked the out came ramen one, and it’s just not a Paul puzzle without a groaner built around a non-rhotic homophone (SAMBA this time). Don’t worry–I’m not complaining about that.
and Big in Japan is a great and funny song by Tom Wait. I had to look up the Japanese name for their bullrt train, but otherwise (unlike many) really enjoyed this.
Difficult to get a foot-hold, but became steadily more approachable.
I thought BIG IN JAPAN and CAMERAMEN were top clues.
Thanks Paul and Andrew
I needed quite a lot of help (cheating?) to complete this but found it very amusing. My one quibble is EXASPERATES for “ticks off”. I thought it meant scolds, unless it’s a politer form of to hack (or worse) someone off?
The first thing that came to mind on reading 25ac was the phrase “spill one’s seed“, I’m somewhat reluctant to admit, leading to a very different interpretation of CAMERAMEN.
25a CAMERAMEN – We seldom see the ” ___ ” schtick in a clue. Here’s a previous occurrence, also by Paul:
“Actress was less inclined to sketch Robin and Maurice Gibb, but ___ ? (4,9)”
OMG, a fun Paul! Theme definitely helped and somehow BIG IN JAPAN was my FOI.
お二人ともありがとう
Hard work but not as bad as yesterdays. Thanks.
Like Morten commenting @5 on yesterday’s puzzle, I use the Guardian Puzzles app, which seems to be broken for the past 48 hours. Very frustrating!
KateE@38, I took it as in “I’m ticked off” or “that really ticks me off” meaning it annoys, irritates or exasperates me.
FrankieG@40 – brilliant clue, I hadn’t seen that one before, but it’s trademark Paul.
Got there in the end, but far too many bonkers surfaces for this to be an enjoyable experience. Shame, because there were some nice clues here.
I agree with others re the Nintendo/gamers equivalence. Just don’t see it.
Not wild about CO = trader, way too loose for my taste.
CAME RAMEN was neat but I missed it.
Many thanks, both.
me@12 contd…
MANGANESE
I think Paul’s clue is better than Pan’s I cited.
pdm@22
OSLO (INTEND explained satisfactorily already. Yes?)
I think PAUL is the indicator!!!
(On a serious note, the surface asks you to look for country names & for once it
doesn’t mislead us)
Of course, there could always be a better explanation.
Kva@12 I agree with nichbach@14 regarding the function of MAMMA MIA, also I took it to be a misdirection to Evita?
Like AlanC @21 I didn’t find this particularly difficult. The Japanese theme revealed itself early on and helped a lot.
Is Paul getting more slapdash, or is he just playfully pushing at the bounds of acceptability? Admittedly it’s difficult to maintain high standards with such a prodigious output (though Rufus managed it splendidly). There are some great clues here, but some real clunkers, and the surfaces range from the sublime to the bizarre.
However, he never fails to raise a lot of smiles as well as groans (which is more than many other setters do) and how can this chemist not enjoy a puzzle containing both MANGANESE and STANNIC?
Thanks to JH and Andrew
I get the feeling that the clue for TEA CEREMONY has something of the &lit (or at least, the extended def.) about it: certainly it involves ‘creating a brew’ and I’ve no doubt that anyone going to Japan to indulge in same will probably find it empties their purse of a lot of Yen – hence ‘make money’ from the viewpoint of the provider…
Regarding the theme, I didn’t know that BIG IN JAPAN was a set phrase – but I tried googling it and see that it’s the name of a band and also a song title. My huge gap in GK didn’t help me there! But I got it from the obvious theme and also the wordplay.
Have to have a dig at OSLO I’m afraid – OK it’s a clever bit of wordplay and makes a change from the hackneyed “heart of Czechoslovakia” sort of thing – but what on earth is the surface supposed to be?
Couldn’t quite parse CAMERAMEN, though I spotted the RAMEN part of it – another theme word. Wordplay perhaps just too clever for me! Using a dash for missing words – isn’t that reminiscent of old Times puzzles? Not seen very often in the Graun…
I think BEDSOCKS is my favourite. Mrs L complains that I often get into bed with cold feet, and gently hints I should wear them. But I resist that temptation. It’s just not my ‘thing’…
Thanks to Paul and Andrew.
[And of course there’s a Nina – “¡Santa María, qué Pinta lleva la Niña!”]
Excellent as is to be expected from Paul.
Thanks for parsing of GRAN.
@Geoff @2 I also got practically nowhere yesterday, and I see we are not alone. And I am *never* on Paul’s wavelength, but managed to slog through.
Am I alone one unsatisfied with “version” as a synonym for “transcript”? (And yes, I’m sure it’s in Chambers.)
So far only Andrew has mentioned Columbus. I had no idea of Niña being one of his boats. Did anyone? J for joule was the easy bit!
I wonder whether Paul recently read a novel or two by Eric Van Lustbader
A tough puzzle but we stuck it out, and feel much better for it. I also learned quite a bit from the Japanese theme. Thanks to Paul and Andrew.
GinF @53
I actually tried an unparsed PINTA to start with!
GinF@53 – yes, I always remember them as Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria – so that bit came first. I initially missed the J for joule and tried to insert E for energy instead. I checked the OED to see if there was a “NINEA” (there isn’t) before the penny dropped.
A game of two halves. Struggled along until I got the Japan connection, and then the rest flew in (with little parsing on my part I’m afraid to say) as they should have given my long-term Japan connections. Most of my favourites are cited above, but I also like EYE TO EYE although I can see why others might not. Thanks Paul and Andrew.
Filled in largely from crossers and definitions. Looked at 25a. CAMERAMEN for ages trying to make sense of it and finally came here for an explanation and still can’t stop laughing. So thanks to Andrew for the blog and filling in the blanks of my understanding, and to Paul for the laugh!
Another excellent Paul, for which thanks. Tough like yesterday but so much more fun. Missed the theme, no surprise there, so Shinkansen was my LOI. I didn’t parse 25ac but love Andrew’s explanation.
With a railway background it was great to see the superb Japanese bullet train mentioned. Found it very tough but laughed out loud at eye to eye. Following on from “deserve” equals two French eggs and “whale meat again” for seafood heaven knows what Mr H will think of next!
Watt no egregious homophones? We wuz robbed. Just watched House of Ninjas on Netflix which helped somewhat
Top ticks for CAMERAMEN, BIG IN JAPAN & MANGANESE
Cheers P&A
On the other hand, thought pretty straightforward for a Paul. Didn’t know booty at 5d.
Bodycheetah @62
You mean apart from amber/amba?
ginf@53 Most American schoolchildren learn that Columbus’s ships were the Nina (sorry, I can’t do the tilde) the Pinta and the Santa Maria. I shouldn’t think the transatlantics or transpacifics would know that.
Thanks Paul and Andrew.
Valentine@65: I wouldn’t have known the names of Columbus’s ships except for one thing. As a fan of Arthur C Clarke’s books and having read through the entire Rama series* (more than once), I recall that the three spaceships featured in the third book of the series are given the same three names.
If it hadn’t been for that snippet of otherwise irrelevant GK, I guess I’d have been stumped like some of the others. To me, ‘niña’ is merely the Spanish for ‘little girl’.
*Yes I know, books 2, 3 and 4 were written in collaboration with Gentry Lee.
I really enjoyed the theme, and especially liked cameramen. I do take issue with nintendo meaning gamers though. I used to work in the games industry (and still develop in my spare time), and I’d definitely separate the industry from the players (and not just because the term “gamers” holds some toxic connotations (google Gamergate for more info). I do call myself a gamer, but only because I play them, not because I make them.
For 23d, I got it in my head that “in unit measuring energy” gave INJ, so was left looking for an old Spanish ship called the “Na”.
Otherwise great fun.
Thanks to Paul and Andrew
Thanks for the blog, quite tricky but it did last exactly the right time .
People still moaning about yesterday , last year we did not have one single hard Guardian crossword on my scale and I tried not to moan about easy puzzles day after day after day.
I hope the Guardian returns to the stated policy of two hard puzzles every week.
Great crossword! Enjoyed everything
Thanks Paul and Andrew
Enjoyed this, as I usually do with Paul’s clueing. SW was my stumbling block until remembering MAMMA MIA the musical. Got BIG IN JAPAN via SUMO.
The surface for OSLO worked for me as I went for BRNO before the crossers ruled it out. I’ve always thought it was Cabbie rather than Cabby.
I felt Nintendo for gamers as in game makers is fine. This construction is much like AA for drivers, which has been used before.
Great fun! Thanks, P & A
South East corner defeated me and I didn’t enjoy it.
phitonelly @71 – Nintendo as gamers is more like “chef” compared to “diner” or “musician” to “listener”, which would never happen. One creates the content, the other consumes it. You do not have to be a gamer to make games. It’s one of those things that me being close to the subject make it more jarring perhaps, and I’m usually fairly loose on things like this, but making games is not the same as playing them, any more than being a brewer makes you a drinker.
miseableoldhack @3
I am bemused at the second day of owlish comment: to wit, two… 🙂 I wonder what tomorrow will bring?
Thanks Paul and Andrew
MarkN @73,
I know what you mean, but it didn’t jar with me in same way. It seemed a typical crosswordland synonym.
I came. I saw. Paul conquered.
Thanks to setter and blogger
I can’t recall ever being quite so flummoxed by a puzzle. Quite a coincidence to have this one on the day that the baseball superstar Ohtani made unflattering news.
Dr. WhatsOn @40: Thanks for the laugh! And thanks for everyone else for making me feel less stupid. I thought this was REALLY hard but there was a lot I liked. I did notice ANIME and MANGA early on but I did this puzzle as (very little) time permitted throughout the day so later on, I forgot to look for thematic clues which probably would have helped a lot.
I’m a bit late to the party, but can anyone explain why UNKNOWN is needed in 9 across?
Found it typically Paulesque – hard but fun.
(Many years ago, pre rock’n’roll, on what was the ‘wireless’, I remember there a was a song with the names of Columbus’s ships as part of the chorus. They lodged in my memory then and have waited 70 odd years to be of any use at all.)
Antonknee @80, the clue would work without it, but in Collins one definition for “n” is “an indefinite number (of)”. I guess Paul preferred that meaning for the surface over the other possible choices (number, nail, name, nano-, national, nephew, net, neuter, neutron, new, nominative, noon, north, northern, note, noun, number).
I now also know that a nail is a unit of length equal to two and a quarter inches, so that’s sure to come in handy.
Cyborg@82 thanks for going to so much effort, I did sort of wonder if that was the case, but good to have confirmation. It was just annoying, as I was thinking it would have to be a Y, Z or X for ages, as an Unknown Number, which like everything else made it more difficult.
And yes lets keep a look out for nail!
At 10 Across, although I couldn’t quite see it through, I thought it must be the PALLADIUM!