The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29686.
I felt that this was a little lacklustre for a Vulcan, with some good clues, but not the best crop of cryptic and double definitions (I thought 13D IMPREGNATE the best of the bunch). Still, there was some amusement to be had, and a gentle start to the week.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | WATCH CHAIN |
Old Albert has to pay attention to tea at home (5,5)
|
| A charade of WATCH (‘pay attention’) plus CHA (‘tea’) plus IN (‘at home’). | ||
| 6 | BULL |
Dangerous animal? Nonsense (4)
|
| Double definition, the second being an abbreviation. | ||
| 9 | DISORDERLY |
Unruly, following drunk in court? (10)
|
| A reference to the offence “drunk and disorderly”. | ||
| 10 | SONG |
Going for this number is cheap (4)
|
| A reference to the expression “going for a song”. | ||
| 12 | ESCAPOLOGIST |
Perhaps Houdini’s key defender (12)
|
| A charade of ESC (‘key’ on a computer keyboard) plus APOLOGIST (‘defender’). | ||
| 15 | MAUSOLEUM |
Usual memo for altering impressive tomb (9)
|
| An anagram (‘for altering’) of ‘usual memo’. | ||
| 17 | BONNE |
French maid’s trimmed hat (5)
|
| A subtraction: BONNE[t] (‘hat’) minus its last letter (‘trimmed’). | ||
| 18 | REBEL |
One rising and beginning to break into dance (5)
|
| An envelope (‘into’) of B (‘beginning to Break’) in REEL (‘dance’). | ||
| 19 | CONFESSOR |
For example, Edward likely to plead guilty? (9)
|
| Double definition, the first being a reference to Edward the Confessor, the eleventh century Anglo-Saxon king. | ||
| 20 | GRATEFUL DEAD |
Band having plenty of coal? Exactly (8,4)
|
| A charade of GRATE-FUL (‘plenty of coal’) plus DEAD (‘exactly’) | ||
| 24 | ASTI |
Up and about shortly for wine (4)
|
| A subtraction: ASTI[r] (‘up and about’) minus its last letter (‘shortly’). There are other wines – but I do not expect many clues for Egri Bikavér or Kröver Nacktarsch. | ||
| 25 | STOCK-STILL |
Without moving fills drawer with money (5-5)
|
| STOCKS TILL (‘fills drawer with money’). | ||
| 26 | EURO |
The capital of Italy? (4)
|
| Slightly cryptic definition, with just a choice of Rome, Roma or an out-of-date lira. | ||
| 27 | PROTESTANT |
Demonstrate against worker perhaps, one typically with strong work ethic (10)
|
| A charade of PROTEST (‘demonstrate against’) plus ANT (‘worker’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | WEDS |
Takes a partner a day, in brief (4)
|
| A less common abbreviation (‘in brief’) of Wednesday (‘a day’).. | ||
| 2 | TESS |
Hardy woman’s tresses regularly combed out (4)
|
| Alternate letters (‘regularly combed out’) of ‘TrEsSeS‘, for the principal character in Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman. | ||
| 3 | HARD SHOULDER |
Strip, but not for running (4,8)
|
| A cryptic definition, for the breakdown lane of a major road. | ||
| 4 | HYENA |
In hard currency area one may be laughing (5)
|
| A charade of H (‘hard’) plus YEN (Japanese ‘currency’) plus A (‘area’), for the spotted, or laughing, hyena. | ||
| 5 | ISLE OF MAN |
Douglas is here, but implicitly not his wife? (4,2,3)
|
| I hardly think any explanation is due beyond pointing out, for those who might not know, that Douglas is the capital city of the island. | ||
| 7 | UTOPIANIST |
Kick out keyboard player, one expecting perfection (10)
|
| A charade of UTO, an anagram (‘kick’) of ‘out’, plus PIANIST (‘keyboard player’). | ||
| 8 | LIGHT YEARS |
A very long way, suffering in grisly heat (5,5)
|
| An anagram (‘suffering’) of ‘grisly heat’. | ||
| 11 | DOUBLE BASSES |
Instruments, and twice as many singers (6,6)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 13 | IMPREGNATE |
Start a new life as a man (10)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 14 | DUMB WAITER |
One silently expectant that gives dinner a bit of a lift? (4,6)
|
| Definition and literal interpretation; a DUMB WAITER is a small lift to take food from a downstirs kitchen to an upstairs dining room. | ||
| 16 | ENCOUNTER |
Come across blokes heading off to the bar (9)
|
| A charade of [m]EN (‘blokes’) minus its first letter (‘heading off’); plus COUNTER (‘bar’). | ||
| 21 | DUCAT |
Gold coin: train to clip top and bottom (5)
|
| A subtraction: [e]DUCAT[e] (‘train’) minus its outer letters (‘to clip top and bottom’). | ||
| 22 | PISA |
Italian city’s irrational appeal (4)
|
| A charade of PI (‘irrational’ 3.1415926535….) plus SA (sex ‘appeal’). | ||
| 23 | SLOT |
Tree-dweller just too long for narrow opening (4)
|
| A subtraction: SLOT[h] (‘tree-dweller’) minus its lst letter (‘just too long for’). |
Liked SONG, GRATEFUL DEAD, STOCK-STILL, IMPREGNATE and ENCOUNTER.
Thanks Vulcan and PeterO.
I didn’t know that Douglas is the capital of the Isle of Man, but suspected such, thanks to a good clue. A few I didn’t get, including IMPREGNATE, which elicited a smile when I came here. Albert watch chains were new to me. Didn’t think much of the clue for HARD SHOULDER.
I’m sure the Dead must’ve been clued as
grate ful[l] of coal before but it raised a smile. Impregnate gets a nod for amusement as well as topicality. Thanks V and P.
I don’t agree that the puzzle was particularly lacklustre, given the brief to make the Monday puzzle easier than the usual standard. Agree with KVa@1 about the favourites. PISA took a while to parse and 26 couldn’t possibly be Rome. Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO
IMPREGNATE is amusing; I took DOUBLE BASSES to be a charade of twice as many + singers rather than a double def; I’m not a fan of CONFESSOR, a noun, being defined as ‘likely to plead guilty’, an adjective but that’s probably a personal view.
BONNE was a Jorum for me. I know Vulcan is looked on a easier but I find his cryptic definitions at times to be deceptive and very enjoyable.
Big fan of Vulcan on Monday. IMPREGNATE my toppie. Thanks.
Thanks Vulcan and PeterO
Some odd definitions – HARD SHOULDER and PROTESTANT especially. BONNE was a jorum. EURO was a poor clue as a choice can only be made once the crossers are in.
The GRATEFUL DEAD were a band from the 60s, though they did stay active until 1995, Wiki tells me – that’s still 30 years ago!
Favourite ESCAPOLOGIST.
Came here for parsing of PISA which I wasn’t seeing, with the adjective irrational being used to indicate the noun pi, though I’m not complaining about it. I’m a bit less enthusiastic than others about IMPREGNATE and was looking for an element of wordplay that isn’t there. Smiled at the pair of similar clues at 9 and 10 across, and thought ENCOUNTER very good.
What do you mean by jorum?
Thanks PeterO, failed to see the irrational pi but plenty to enjoy.
Stupidly, blundered in with LIRA instead of EURO and was all set for a moan about the absence of ‘old’ when IMPREGNATE came to the rescue.
I have a lot of respect for this setter. Turning out accessible and enjoyable puzzles week on week is no small achievement. Bravo.
Lizzie @10, see Frequently Asked Questions (number 7)
Lizzie @10
See FAQs on this site.
ESCAPOLOGIST made me smile. Tried to find an anagram of “life as a man” until the penny dropped.
I thought this was far from lacklustre and a cut above the usual Vulcan fare. Of course there were a few write-ins like WEDS, BULL and EURO but they were more than compensated for by DISORDERLY, ESCAPOLOGIST, GRATEFUL DEAD, STOCK STILL, UTOPIANIST, IMPREGNATE, DUMB WAITER and ENCOUNTER. I really enjoyed this one.
Ta Vulcan & PeterO.
A DNF as an incorrect STAND-STILL blocked DUCAT. Enjoyed the rest of it. IMPREGNATE and ESCAPOLOGIST bought a chuckle. Didn’t parse ASTI (thanks blogger) but it just had to be the crossword setter’s favourite tipple.
Thanks Vulcan and PeterO
I thought it was good. I liked UTOPIANIST, IMPREGNATE and LIGHT YEARS. In mathematics “irrational” is also a noun, so no problem there. I don’t mind needing crossers to solve a clue because that’s how crosswords work. Despite DOUGLAS being the easiest clue in months, I found enough resistance here to make for satisfying bank holiday outing. Thanks Vulcan and Peter.
I personally didn’t find this a Monday stroll in the park. There seemed to be quite a few long words to fit into the grid, if that doesn’t sound too simplistic a comment. Took me an inordinately (there we are then) long time to see DISORDERLY even with all the crossers in place. Wasn’t entirely sure about the merits of IMPREGNATE, and couldn’t parse PISA at the very end. Nice to be reminded about Old Albert too. Was patting the head of an elderly dog by the name of Albert yesterday. Enjoyed the challenge…
Tomsdad@4 – I agree that this wasn’t a particularly lacklustre puzzle and felt the criticism a little harsh. Vulcan is doing a great job of following in the footsteps of the late lamented Rufus in the Monday slot and proving time and again that a moderately easy puzzle doesn’t have to be dull and can be an enjoyable solve. I also loved IMPREGNATE but for me COTD was my LOI (and an LOL into the bargain) GRATEFUL DEAD.
After finally completing Paul’s weekend prize crossword, this felt like a paddle in the shallows. Filled in ASTI and LIMA quite confidently without fully parsing. I would vote, “Perhaps Houdini…” for ESCAPOLOGIST as my contender for the easiest clue for a while. GRATEFUL DEAD was my favourite.
Thanks for a restful start to the week.
Except that LIMA doesn’t appear in the completed grid😄
5d is the third ISLE OF MAN clue we’ve had in quick succession. There was Everyman’s ‘Is Douglas on a peninsula … ?’ on April 20th and then Soup’s ‘Man is one (except according to Donne)’ last Friday. What can account for this sudden trio of MANs? It does, however, make each successive one easier to spot and to parse.
I thought this was great fun, one of Vulcan’s better ones.
I confidently put in EURO for Italy’s capital as the QM would indicate it couldn’t be Rome or Roma (which in any case would have been a QCW clue), and as others have pointed out, lira would have needed an ‘old’. I liked GRATEFUL DEAD with their coal, STOCK-STILL for the money in the drawer (not an artist this time), HARD SHOULDER for the surface, DUMB WAITER for the ‘silently expectant’, and ESCAPOLOGIST for the key defender. I also DNK BONNE.
Thanks Vulcan for the entertainment and PeterO for a non-lacklustre blog.
Lacklustre? Not in the Ginger Tom household, with many a smile and a belly laughs once the penny dropped for impregnate.
Although easy, in the most part, I very much admire the great surfaces of so many of these clues. Very polished.
So thanks, again, Vulcan, and PeterO for providing clear explanations
Escapologist was my favourite today. Thanks PeterO and Vulcan.
BONNE also a jorum for me. IMPREGNATE was easy but mildly amusing.
Fun fact about BULL: according to some etymologists, that was the original form of the expression, possibly from Old French bole, “deception, trick, scheming, intrigue”. Almost immediately upon arriving in English it was extended to “bullshit”, adopting the English meaning of “bull” and losing the attachment to the French “bole”.
This is a rare example of a dysphemism in English, i.e. a word becoming cruder and more offensive over time.
I liked this offering from Vulcan. Ticks for 20a GRATEFUL DEAD, 2d TESS, 5d ISLE OF MAN and 14d DUMB WAITER.
Thanks to Vulcan and PeterO.
Thanks for the blog , although I disagree today I do like the bloggers giving their own honest opinion of the puzzle and we all react differently . I thought this was really good and perfect for Monday . Very neat wordplay for UTOPIANIST and PISA .
A LIGHT YEAR is not very far at all really .
Balfour@22 perhaps a nod to the symbol of the island but probably just coincidence .
I didn’t think this was lacklustre either, very enjoyable though I missed a few parsings (PISA, GRATEFUL DEAD) and was held up in the NE corner for a while.
I agree with Tomsdad @4.
[Roz @29… “A LIGHT YEAR is not very far at all really”…. it is if you’re walking 🙂 ]
Filled in 3d as HARD STANDING at first – struck me as an equally valid solution. Someone will no doubt point out why it’s not!
[ Tim@32 I try to take a less anthropocentric view of things , the observable universe has a radius around 45 billion light years . ]
I’m another who thought this was great and certainly not lacklustre. There were a few easy ones as is right for a Monday, but others had me scratching my head for a while. Favourites were IMPREGNATE, an excellent cryptic definition, and GRATEFUL DEAD which raised a huge grin when the penny dropped.
Obviously GRATEFUL DEAD was my favourite 🙂
Simple enough for me to finish properly parsing the clues – except a couple.
Jacob@27: dysphemism is my new word for the day. Thanks!
Funner fact, “bullshit” has entered the philosophical lexicon with Harry Frankfurt’s book of that name. You have truth, lies and the new category, bullshit.
Thanks Vulcan and PeterO
I think this may be the hardest Vulcan I’ve ever done. I had a good many left unfilled when I went to sleep last night, which is very rare for a Sunday night for me.
I hadn’t heard of Douglas on the IOM, thought he was a person. For the twice as many singers, I had “double chorus.”
My favorite use of DEAD in this sense is from “Educating Rita,” in which a newbie to Academe and RP taking an Open University course talks about her new fascination with someone at the university — “Everything about her is dead unpretentious.”
One day leafing through a book on folklore I saw “Grateful Dead” as a chapter heading. Huhh??? So I had a look, and found that it’s a motif in folktales in which the hero meets a dead person condemned to walk the earth because he couldn’t pay for a funeral. The hero pays for it and the dead person can rest, but comes back later in some different form (perhaps an animal) to help the hero.
Thanks, Vulcan and PeterO.
I thought capital of Italy could have been iota, though it did seem far fetched. Wrong culture, wrong time. I totally failed to think of the correct type of capital.
I had seen that ‘capital of …’ trick before, so I did not seriously consider any solution other than EURO, but as the EURO is the ‘capital’ of 19 other countries in Europe, Italy seemed rather random. Perhaps Vulcan chose it to tempt the unwary into entering LIRA, even though it is as long ago as 1999 that Italy ditched it. I find it hard to imagine that V thought that any solvers would be tempted by Rome.
Very typical Vulcan, in other words a well judged Monday puzzle. Liked STOCK-STILL.
Aoxomoxoa @36 mine too
I know these things have an extended life in crosswords, but when did anyone last use the term ‘sex appeal’, let alone its abbreviation?
Whens the last time anybody used hip for fashionable/in?
I use hip and groovy with my students to be defiantly old-fashioned , I can’t say swinging anymore .
Valentine @ 38
That’s the very place they took their name from.
Balfour @40
I would regard the crossword use of ‘capital’ for currency as so well-worn that I briefly comsidered the possibility of a double bluff – but of course the unchecked ambiguity ROME/ROMA might be reason enough to steer clear from that. Anyway, I was not impressed by 26A EURO, and that is a part of the reason I thought this crossword not to be among Vulcan’s best.
Just going to join with those who did not think this a lackluster puzzle.. a nice mix of Monday quickies and a few headscratchers.
GRATEFUL DEAD was obv my favourite too!
Top left corner defeated me ( never heard of 7d or 10ac) but managed the rest so a good result for me.
26ac reminded me of a joke during the 2008 financial crisis. “What’s the capital of Iceland?
About 75p!”
Also 20ac a childhood chestnut:
What does this mean:
if B . putting :
If grate be full stop putting coal on.
Lots of fun
I meant PISA not LIMA. Don’t know where that came from.
To be pedantic Pi is transcendental which could be considered a subset of the irrationals though not usually
I studied French in school many years ago, so I knew BONNE, but I wondered whether it was in the category of foreign words familiar enough to be used in an English-language puzzle. If an equally common German word were used in a puzzle, for instance, I think I’d be mildly irked.
I didn’t know about Albert watch chains, but now I do.
I quite liked IMPREGNATE, with my enthusiasm only slightly dampened by the fact that JK Rowling and her TERF friends would like it too.
Googly@53 why not usually? Every transcendental is necessarily irrational
Took too long to get 19 across as I live in the village where Edward the Confessor was born, but I loved the whole puzzle. Great fun and up to Vulcan’s usual fun standard.
@Ted 54. In respect of BONNE, me too, from La Valse Des Toréadors by Jean Anouilh which I studied for French A Level in 1987.
Sorry for the long delay in this response, but this puzzle was one I missed first time around and printed off to do on holiday in Montenegro. It was marked by me as a Monday puzzle and as such I expected it to be easy-ish, which it wasn’t.
Today I also learned the term JORUM. Thank you.
For EURO, I considered also ROME (but not seriously), LIRA, POPE, DUCE, DOGE before the penny (as it were) dropped.
LOI and favourite was IMPREGNATE.
Thanks Vulcan – definitely not lacklustre. Testing but fair is how I would describe it.
Vulcan puzzles don’t seem to be as easy as I expect. Missed three — BONNE, REBEL, and HARD SHOULDER, and carelessly put SLIT at 23d
A bit of a shortage of humour today?