The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29969.
I am always happy to see Paul as the setter for my blog.
After first in 1D CHOO-CHOO (which has come up in crosswords a couple of times recently), I hit on 10A FOOL, without ever realising it was the key clue, with references which include an impresive array of Shakespearean characters, from the professional jesters, to the true dullards, to the Shakespearean fools, clever bumpkins who use their wits to good effect. The Shakesperaeans are highlighted in motley colours in the grid. Halfway through solving, it was noticeable that my grid contained a scatter-shot of answers; but it all came out in the end, in a way which, for me, Paul generally manages to make particularly satisfying.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | SHOOTOUT |
Leave pitch for final battle (8)
|
| OK: a charade of SHOO (‘leave’ as imperative) plus TOUT (‘pitch’). | ||
| 9, 14 | APRIL THE FIRST |
When filthier traps set? (5,3,5)
|
| An anagram (‘set’) of ‘filthier traps’, with an extended definition with reference to the thematic 10A FOOL) | ||
| 10 | FOOL |
Bottom, for example, sweet (4)
|
| Double definition: the character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a fruit dessert. | ||
| 11 | IN TRAINING |
Moderation ultimately cutting it, wet acquiring skills (2,8)
|
| A charade of INT, an envelope (‘cutting’) of N (‘moderatioN ultimately’) in ‘it’; plus RAINING (‘wet’). | ||
| 12 | SHTICK |
Cane has whipped hard in routine (6)
|
| An envelope (‘has whipped’) of H (‘hard’) in STICK (‘cane’). The comedic reference might be seen as tangentially thematic. | ||
| 14 |
See 9
|
|
| 15 | COSTARD |
Hoax has taken in famous 10 (7)
|
| An envelope (‘has taken in’) of STAR (‘famous’) in COD (‘hoax’, verb), for the character in Love’s Labour Lost. | ||
| 17 | CATHODE |
Rat traps however ending in pipe where current flows (7)
|
| A charade of CATHOD, an envelope (‘traps’) of THO’ (‘however’) in CAD (‘rat’); plus E (‘ending in pipE‘). | ||
| 20 | SPRAY GUN |
Aerosol device possibly empty, gas having run out (5-3)
|
| An anagram (‘out’) of PY (‘PossiblY empty’) plus ‘gas’ plus ‘run’. | ||
| 22 | INDIGO |
One of seven bands that’s popular enjoy love (6)
|
| A charade of IN (‘popular’) plus DIG (‘enjoy’) plus O (‘love’), for one of the traditional seven colours of the rainbow. | ||
| 23 | TOUCHSTONE |
10 bit something hard (10)
|
| A charade of TOUCH (little ‘bit’) plus STONE (‘something hard’), for the character in As You Like It. | ||
| 24 |
See 2 Down
|
|
| 25 | FESTE |
Interminable rot for 10 (5)
|
| A subtraction: FESTE[r] (‘rot’) minus its last letter (‘interminable’), for the jester in Twelfth Night. | ||
| 26 | EMISSARY |
Agent exhausted having killed leader and rescued girl (8)
|
| An envelope (‘rescued’?) of MISS (‘girl’) in [w]EARY (‘exhausted’) minus its first letter (‘having killed leader’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CHOO-CHOO |
Soften tobacco, say, doubly loudly – for puffer? (4-4)
|
| Sounds like (‘loudly’) CHEW (‘soften tobacco, say’) repeated (‘doubly’). | ||
| 2, 24 | BOWL OVER |
Astound Cockney Casanova? (4,4)
|
| A charade of BOW (‘Cockney’, of someone born within the sound of Bow Bells) plus LOVER (‘Casanova’). | ||
| 3 | YORICK |
10, barely sick, housebound? (6)
|
| An envelope (-‘bound’) of IC (‘barely sICk’) in YORK (royal ‘house’-), for the jester who appears as a skull in Hamlet. | ||
| 4 | STATUTE |
Rule with old king in new seat (7)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of TUT (Tutankhamun, ‘old king’) in STAE, an anagram (‘new’) of ‘seat’. | ||
| 5 | HABANERA |
A taboo embraced by goddess in aria (8)
|
| An envelope (’embraced by’) of ‘a’ plus BAN (‘taboo’) in HERA (‘goddess’), for the famous aria in Carmen (L’amour est un oiseau rebelle). |
||
| 6 | BRANDISHED |
Design I dropped flourished (10)
|
| A charade of BRAND (‘design’) plus ‘I’ plus SHED (‘dropped’). | ||
| 7 | PLANKS |
10s in wood? (6)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 13 | IN THAT CASE |
The satanic works, atheist can too then! (2,4,4)
|
| An anagram (‘works’) of ‘the satanic’, and also (‘too’) of ‘atheist can’. | ||
| 16 | REGISTER |
Record for example in brief, bar lifted? (8)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of E.G. (‘for example’) in [bar]RISTER (‘brief’) minus BAR (‘bar lifted’). | ||
| 18 | DOGBERRY |
Stalk with fruit 10 (8)
|
| A charade of DOG (‘stalk’, verb) plus BERRY (‘fruit’) for the foolish constable in Much Ado about Nothing. | ||
| 19 | SNOOKER |
10’s game (7)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 21 | PROOFS |
Page and covers – those to check? (6)
|
| A charade of P (‘page’) plus ROOFS (‘covers’). | ||
| 22 | IRENIC |
Wrath appealing? Not quite for pacifist (6)
|
| A charade of IRE (‘wrath’) plus NIC[e] (‘appealing’) ,imus its last letter (‘not quite’). The definition is an adjective. | ||
| 24 | OAST |
Top off, beach drier (4)
|
| A subtraction: [c]OAST (‘beach’) minus its first letter (‘top off’). |
April fools day, the first of April, today. Hoax in there too.
Quite accessible and enjoyable. Took me too long to find fool.
Thanks Paul and PeterO
I usually find Paul’s puzzles too hard, and this was no exception. Thanks PeterO for the blog which confirmed that I would never have finished it. Still, it’s good to have some hard ones for the experts.
Btw imus for minus in 22d.
Always a bit weary of crosswords on April the First but thankfully no silly tricks with this one.
Not much laughing as very little went in but slowly managed to fill in all the squares on this one. Whilst not having Mastermind of Shakespeare most the characters are somewhere in the periphery of my memory. Good luck to anyone who has forgotten this knowledge since their school days.
Enjoyed the APRIL THE FIRST anagram.
Thanks Paul and PeterO
Puzzle was made easier for me by the theme.
New for me: IRENIC, SNOOKER = a fool’s game.
I couldn’t parse 16d.
Lots of brute force required to complete this for me; despite the early theme spot my Shakespearean knowledge is sadly lacking. As a result I found it sadly unsatisfying, although undoubtedly clever like all Paul contributions.
Michelle @4 19d isn’t saying snooker is a fool’s game, it’s a double definition: ‘snooker’ is both a synonym for ‘fool’ and a game.
Thanks to Paul and PererO.
michelle@4
SNOOKER
I think it’s a double def as the blog says.
To snooker=to fool
And SNOOKER is a game.
Enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks Paul.
Great blog. Thanks PeterO.
After first in APRIL THE FIRST, I was looking for FOOL and there it was at 10. I enjoyed this immensely and getting the theme meant I was looking for TOUCHSTONE, as I studied As You Like It at O Level. The Police Review magazine used to have the Dogberry Column which highlighted funny anecdotes and baffling incidents experienced by officers. My favourites were EMISSARY, BRANDISHED and REGISTER.
Peter,
Ta Paul & PeterO.
Peter, I’m interested in why you started the parsing of SHOOTOUT with OK? The O.K. Corral gunfight maybe?
I’m sure we had Shakespearean fools as a theme recently. I’m no scholar of the bard but I remembered the Wiki page. I hope the learning sticks this time.
This was a good challenge. I liked the when and the then. I was Google-assisted for the fools but relatively pure elsewhere and all parsed.
Thanks Paul and PeterO.
I would suggest that 10a’s FOOL is a triple definition – the Fool in King Lear never has a name, but is addressed as Fool (“O Fool, I shall go mad!”); lovely clue. PLANKS came as a slightly nasty surprise, as by that time I was convinced they were all Shakespearean, but was more wary of being fooled again by SNOOKER.
I enjoyed this one a lot (not always the case with Paul, sadly). Line DaveE, I took a while to find FOOL – FESTE was my way in. Favourites: SPRAY GUN, IRENIC, EMISSARY – good constructions AND surfaces, for once 😉 – and the Cockney Casanova (where I spent a while trying to drop an aitch from something)
But where is Trinculo?
Thanks to Paul and PeterO
Sarah @10: I like your suggestion.
Took ages getting [c]oast, though I know someone who lives in a converted oast, pretty groovy pad too. Loi was costard, had to cheat by alpha for the c before the word surfaced. LLL not a play I know, and cod for hoax doesn’t ring loud. Great puzzle for the day though, well done Paul, and thanks Peter.
Comment #14
AlanC@8: I guess you are right about the OK corral. I went wildly wrong with this one: I got the answer but parsed it wrongly. I decided it was an Americanism to do with being out from some sport, googled and was gratified to find a “shoot out” meaning that suited my theory. Apparently comes from when a Baseball umpire signals to a player s/he is out by aiming a finger at their head, miming a pistol shot. Was so pleased I temporarily turned off my crossword head and moved on. Was braced for an April Fool puzzle and getting FOOL fairly easily helped with all the others. I did enjoy the thick PLANKS btw.
Comment #16
Anyone else put in PROBES at 21d?
I didn’t Shirl, but on the page and covers front, that stands up pretty well.
Yes Shirl, that was my first entry until FESTE put me right – it certainly fits.
gif @13: In LLL, COSTARD makes a dig at old pedants with inflated vocabularies, such as many of us here: ‘O! They have lived long on the alms-basket of words’.
Always a pleasure to solve a Paul puzzle. Once the theme was established it was a game of remembering the characters and seeing where they fitted.
Couldn’t parse REGISTER so needed the blog for that!
Thanks Paul and PeterO