Sorry this is late – rush job to cover this morning
Certain things about this crossword that reminded me I was solving a Paul as I completed it last week. I volunteered to put this together as I remembered having solved, all parsed, barring the one I’ve guessed at as I blogged (and said). Sorry, this is hurled together, so no doubt there will be corrections.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ROUGH DIAMOND |
Brute with good heart mentioning trump card (5,7)
|
| ROUGH (soundalike of “ruff” – to trump in bridge) + CARD (diamond – as in a card suit) – according to the BRB, a ROUGH DIAMOND is “a person, possibly of great worth, but of rough appearance and unpolished manners” The soundalike indicator is “mentioning”. | ||
| 8 | ANDIRON |
Supporter of wood – other golf club too? (7)
|
| charade of AND (too) IRON (golf club) – other golf club because a wood is also a golf club – and the whole referring to this wood support in a fireplace – the sort of word I knew but had to double check was what I thought it might be | ||
| 9 | TALLIED |
First of teams in league scored (7)
|
| Charade of T (first of Teams) + ALLIED (in league) | ||
| 11 | RACECAR |
Monopoly token that’s unchanged when withdrawn? (7)
|
| palindrome (unchanged when withdrawn) – and the only Monopoly token that could be a palindrome is the racing car, expressed as RACECAR (and this was my first in) | ||
| 12 | OVIFORM |
Old pro in spirit resembling Humpty Dumpty? (7)
|
| O (old) + FOR (pro) inserted into VIM (spirit) to give O VI FOR M | ||
| 13 | FILET |
Cut twentieth collection of data? (5)
|
| T is the 20th letter of the alphabet, so the 20th collection of data is FILE T
adding in later – FILET is in my edition of Chambers, marked as (Fr), but as a cut of beef, followed by filet mignon, but from playing American word games, I know FILET is the American spelling of FILLET, see Collins |
||
| 14 | FORTY-FIVE |
Over fifty spins – fewer rpm on this? (5-4)
|
| anagram (spins) of (OVER FIFTY)* and this is a flashback to record players with the speed for a single of 45rpm, comparing to a LP (long playing) record which had a speed of 33rpm. | ||
| 16 | RESOURCED |
Provided financial support, or rescued when broke (9)
|
| anagram (when broke) of (OR RESCUED)* | ||
| 19 | TIMES |
Half twenty at the outset recalled – as X? (5)
|
| reversal (recalled) of SEMI (half) + T (Twenty at the outset) < | ||
| 21 | CALORIE |
Measure of food in starter of cheese, or filling in a pork pie (7)
|
| C (starter of Cheese) + OR (from the clue) inserted into A LIE (pork pie) to give C A L OR IE – and the pork pie/lie equivalence is Cockney Rhyming Slang originally and gives us porky or porkies for lies. | ||
| 23 | CHENNAI |
Asian painter I observed east of cold Asian city (7)
|
| This is made up of: C (cold) + HENNA (Asian painter, the hand dye) + I – the east of Cold tells the solver to put the C at the front of the rest of the construction | ||
| 24 | SEASIDE |
Holiday destination earmarked, where temperature dropped? (7)
|
| deletion of T (temperature dropped) from SEt ASIDE (earmarked) | ||
| 25 | IDIOTIC |
Concerning hearing given to old dictator, ludicrous (7)
|
| OTIC (concerning hearing) + IDI (Amin – old dictator) – and I suspect the “given to” is an ordering instruction – so IDI OTIC | ||
| 26 | DALE CARNEGIE |
Complex realigned given input of retired expert, self-help guru (4,8)
|
| anagram (complex) of (REALIGNED)* to give DAL RNEGIE around (given input) of ECA (ACE < – retired expert) for the author of “How to Make Friends and Influence People” – more here | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | RADICAL |
Excellent comprehensive (7)
|
| double definition – there is dictionary justification – RADICAL is defined as cool, excellent colloquially and thorough/fundamental | ||
| 2 | UTRECHT |
European city caught in the rain, those umbrellas initially going up (7)
|
| C (caught) inserted into (in) THE (from the clue) + R T U (Rain Those Umbrellas initially) < all reversed (going up) | ||
| 3 | HONORIFIC |
One right to avoid ghastly outlines on title (9)
|
| HORrIFIC (ghastly – minus one R – one right to aviod) around (outlines) ON (from the clue) | ||
| 4 | INTRO |
First of notes in playing of trio – could it be? (5)
|
| the wordplay is N (first of Notes) inserted into (in) anagram of (TRIO)* (playing) – and the whole clue refers to an INTRO – so I’m shrugging at the underlining of the definition, because I don’t think it’s quite a CD/&lit. | ||
| 5 | MOLLIFY |
Soften temper and turn into a Hood’s girl? (7)
|
| This is a whimisical second definition a MOLL (a Hood’s girl) is a gangster’s girlfriend – so whimisically someone who becomes a MOLL, mollifies. | ||
| 6 | NAIROBI |
African city near line worker, we hear? (7)
|
| soundalike (we hear) of “nigh” (near) + “row bee” (line worker) – I hope, I’m always useless at Paul’s soundalikes, not helped by having enough rhoticity in my idiolect to make them challenging. | ||
| 7 | PAIR OF BRACES |
Supporters – four? (4,2,6)
|
| two is a BRACE, so four is a PAIR (two times) OF BRACES | ||
| 10 | DIMMER SWITCH |
Enlightening device in linguistics finally grasped by woman failing spelling test? (6,6)
|
| a woman failing a spelling test is a DIMMER WITCH – the S comes from linguisticS finally, the insertion indication is “grasped” | ||
| 15 | REDACTION |
Change leftist procedure (9)
|
| charade of RED (leftish) + ACTION (procedure) | ||
| 17 | SULTANA |
Tennis organisation in hole after elevating one that’s unseeded (7)
|
| insertion of LTA (tennis organisation) in SUNA (hole – ANUS < after elevating) | ||
| 18 | UPRAISE |
One transported by a super new lift (7)
|
| anagram (new) of (A SUPER) + insertion of I (one transported) | ||
| 19 | TEEMING |
Young sheep stuffed by British artist, full (7)
|
| insertion of EMIN (British artist) into TEG (young sheep) – Tracey Emin is one of the British artists who turns up in crosswords regularly. A TEG is a sheep in its second year, Chambers says it’s obsolete and perhaps Scottish | ||
| 20 | MANATEE |
Sea creature was a part of someone’s diet, ending on plate (7)
|
| charade of MAN ATE (part of someone’s diet) + E (ending on platE) | ||
| 22 | ENEMA |
Ultimate word on efficiency originally drawn up – system clearer? (5)
|
| reversal of (drawn up – in a down clue) of AMEN (ultimate word – the last word in a prayer) + E (Efficiency originally) + the on gives the word order – correcting later: speeding through, I had NAME first – I was just so pleased to writing up the last clue. |
Number 1 at last .
Thanks, a few I couldn’t parse (NAIROBI, CALORIE). Laughed out loud at SULTANA. I parsed ENEMA as AMEN as the ultimate word.
You’re right TwoLeftHands @2 – I knew I’d get something wrong – corrected (in my defence, I started writing blogs at 6am, so 5 hours later, I’m a bit blogged out)
Thanks for covering the blog , this a good proper crossword with many neat clues . DIMMER SWITCH had clever use of spelling , even the soundalikes were pretty reasonable .
INTRO – I would say the definition is IT , but just an unusual clue that does not fit the normal pattern . First of notes in playing of trio – would be better .
I mostly thought it was a great crossword, but it left me with two clues I found frustrating.
In the end it had to be radical as a double definition but no matter how I tried I couldn’t twist the meanings in my head to make them fit.
I guessed filet early on but couldn’t believe that was a real word either. It just looks to me like a pretentious way to spell fillet.
Ravenrider @5 – FILET is in Chambers as (Fr) cut of beef (and a form of embroidery), but my Chambers is old (1998, 2003 reprint), and I also know it as the American spelling because it turns up in lots of American puzzles.
Many thanks for stepping into the breach and for explaining a few answers where I had question marks. I thought that MOLLIFY was very characteristic of Paul, but I do have doubts about the soundness of the clue to IDIOTIC. Otic means relaxing to the ear, not necessarily to do with hearing.
A calorie is not a measure of food. It is a measure of energy
MOLLIFY made me smile. I enjoy this sort of wordplay (I’ve always liked to think that to ratify something is to make it ratty). I thought of it as a transitive verb (to turn someone into a moll) but it works either way. I also really liked the DIMMER WITCH and the “spelling” test.
Many thanks Paul and Shanne.
Fairly typical Paul crossword. I liked the wood AND IRON, the palindromic RACECAR, the pork pie filling of CALORIE, the four PAIR OF BRACES, and the SULTANA with a hole.
Thanks Paul and Shanne.
Thanks Paul and Shanne
I think of MOLLIFY as an Uxbridge English Dictionary type clue. (Though on checking I find it defines it as “turns into a mole”.)
Roz @1 Top Of The Pops!
and yes Lord Jim @9 Spelling as in a witches spell, makes more sense.
Thanks to Paul I’m not sure I can enjoy a sultana ever again!
Instead of MANATEE, I initially constructed “Menetue” (ET (creature) on Menu plus E) and found that there was a bath resort with such a name in Chile – alas, not a sea. Then I found the sea cow… The previous couple of Paul’s Prize puzzles were scatology-free (in addition to being much fun), that’s why I used to attempt his Prize though not his regular ones. I may think twice going forward (not a criticism, – to each his own). Other than that, I liked the puzzle, especially the references to long-forgotten past such as FORTY-FIVE and DALE CARNEGIE (I could probably add PAIR OF BRACES, – been long since I saw anyone wearing them, – though I guess some still do). Thanks Paul and Shanne
I had trouble matching the two meanings of RADICAL, though I see Shanne has found them. Many thanks for covering the Prize blog.
The PAIR OF BRACES and the AND IRON were fun, but I couldn’t sort out the sound-alike in NAIROBI, and I was surprised to find FILET in English. I suspect it found its way in from French via the menus of upmarket restaurants, and has now come down in the world to being the Filet-o-Fish at MacDonalds.
Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond in Carry On Up The Khyber helped with the parsing of 1a: as a non bridge player I’ve never been too sure what “ruff” means in that context. Crosswordland, of course, assumes that we all play bridge and know all the terminology.
Thanks Paul.
[I’ve been trying to remember where I came across the word “moll” very recently, and it was in “Anselm Gets His Chance” by P G Wodehouse. Anselm Mulliner, who is a curate, is reflecting despondently on the character of his fiancée:
Myrtle, it seemed to him, appeared to have no notion whatsoever of the distinction between right and wrong. And while this would not have mattered, of course, had he been a gunman and she his prospective moll, it made a great deal of difference to one who hoped later on to become a vicar and, in such event, would want his wife to look after the parish funds.]
I generally keep part of the Prize back for Sunday, when the Quiptic does not detain me for long, so I found myself at 4.00 am with everything solved except the final across clue, which I stared at balefully, because the fame of Mr CARNEGIE had entirely failed to reach Balfour Towers. This was a disappointment, because, like Autolycus in The Winter’s Tale, I am a lifelong ‘snapper-up of unconsidered trifles’ for later use in crosswords, quizzes and conversations. However, the ‘retired expert’ had to be ECA, and I just fiddled with the letters of ‘realigned’ until the result looked as if it might be a person. Ho-hum: I shall know you again, CARNEGIE, if there is a next time.
[Meanwhile, I note that other bloggers stood in for Eileen in two recent weekday cryptics, one earlier this week and one last, and now Shanne has cover-blogged this Prize that fell in between those dates. I also do not think I have seen her in recent commenting threads. If she is incapacitated for some reason, I wish her a speedy and full recovery.]
[Balfour @16
I’me fairly sure I’ve seen comments from Eileen in the last couple of days.]
[Me @17
Sorry, that;s wrong. I’ve checked back and the last Guardian post I’ve found from Eileen was on Jan 7th. I hope she’s OK.]
Thoroughly enjoyable puzzle and blog. Thanks both. A 45 would have more spins than an LP, so need to compare to a 78.
J99@19 – I took the comparison to be against the 50 spins in the clue.
Thanks all
Particularly enjoyed this puzzle–thanks Paul and Shanne!
J99@19 – probably – I did say there would be mistakes! You’re right – I do vaguely remember having a lever to switch between 33, 45 and 78 rpm to play different records.
[muffin @17, 18 – Balfour @16 – Eileen planned to be unavailable, there was an email out to bloggers asking for cover, a few weeks ago, I was full of some evil bug and didn’t volunteer at the time. I can’t find it now to check what cover was requested, but I suspect this one was missed. She’s commented on the MHL obituary thread in the last few days.]