Guardian 25,940 / Rufus

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A pretty typical Rufus puzzle for a sunny [!] Bank Holiday morning – lovely surfaces throughout, a fair sprinkling of anagrams and cryptic [some not so cryptic] definitions, some clever clues, like 24ac and 6 and 11 dn, a few double definitions – and one ambiguous clue, 17ac. Many thanks, Rufus – enjoy the day, everyone!

Across

7 In high spirits, using once socially accepted form of banter
EXUBERANT
EX [once] + U [socially acceptable] + anagram [form of] of BANTER

8 Where to keep one’s hose readily available
ON TAP
Double definition

9 Terry does badly in this craft
DESTROYER
Anagram [badly] of TERRY DOES

10 An author’s sources
WELLS
Double definition, referring to writer H.G. Wells

12 Extraordinary deed is opposed to current trends
EDDIES
Anagram [extraordinary] of DEED IS
eddy: ‘a current running back aganst the main stream’

13 Denial in the form of no eating
NEGATION
Anagram [in the form of] of NO EATING

14 In which a performer has to take a bow
ARCHERY
Cryptic definition

17 When to tuck in?
BEDTIME
I initially entered ‘teatime’, thinking it wasn’t  very cryptic, then used the ‘check’ button and found it was a bit more so – a pity about the ambiguity, though

20 A measure of a pickpocket’s credit
DIPSTICK
DIP’S [pickpocket’s] + TICK [credit]

22 Report some soldiers delayed
RELATE
RE [Royal Engineers – some soldiers] + LATE [delayed]

24 Sort of snake in the grass
SNEAK
Anagram [sort of] of SNAKE
One of the best Rufus clues I’ve seen for a long time, I think

25 A good man to torment for the latest news
STOP PRESS
ST [good man] + OPPRESS [torment]

26 Main meal without a starter? It won’t please this man
INNER
[d]INNER – reference to the facetious definition  ‘inner man’ = stomach or appetite

27 Elitist minority
CHOSEN FEW
A not very cryptic definition

Down

1 Outmatch former top tennis player, say
EXCEED
EX [former] + CEED [sounds like {say} ‘seed’ – top tennis player]

2 Slightly well off? That’s absurd
A BIT RICH
Double definition

3 New wars or old weapons
ARROWS
Anagram [new] of WARS OR

4 Fail to draw positive conclusions from Dante’s work
INFERNO
INFER [draw conclusions] + NO [not positive]
This would be a misleading clue in a puzzle in the FT, where Dante is Rufus’ pseudonym

5 Possibly fly in group
INSECT
IN SECT [group]

6 Where everybody goes in to sweep around the floor
BALLROOM
ALL [everybody] in BROOM [sweep]
I was rather surprised to find that ‘broom’ is also a verb – it makes a great surface.

11 He’s a monster — and so regressive!
OGRE
Reversal [regressive] of ERGO [so]

15 Ruling concerning double gin cocktails
REIGNING
RE concerning + anagram [cocktails] of GIN GIN [double gin]

16 Defeat in game at home
RUIN
RU [Rugby Union – game] + IN [at home]

8 Learnt to become easy-going
TOLERANT
Anagram  [become] of LEARNT TO

19 Sailing boat seen in seaway in extremis — it’s rough
SKETCHY
KETCH [sailing boat] in SY [first and last letters – ‘extremis’ – of SeawaY]

21 Let off for free day
SPARED
SPARE [free] + D [day]

22 About to sit and take it easy
REPOSE
RE [about] + POSE [sit]

23 States change — so do these
TASTES
Anagram [change] of STATES

19 comments on “Guardian 25,940 / Rufus”

  1. I loved this puzzle and I thought it was perfect for a Monday morning. I raced through most of it until I slowed down a bit in the SW corner.

    I marked 13 clues as my favourites but will now mention just a few that I liked: 7a, 1d, 20a, 21d, 24a and especially REIGNING & INNER.

    I could not parse 11d.

    Thanks for the blog, Eileen. Can you please explain more about the parsing of 24a. I thought the definition was ‘snake in the grass’ (= SNEAK) with the wordplay being a sort/anagram of ‘snake’. Now I see that the definition is ‘grass’?

  2. Couldn’t explain SPARED, so thanks, Eileen.

    I found this was quite enjoyable today, and easy – most of it done within 10′. 24a (I agree a fine clue) and 21d were the last in, taking me to 18.

    No sun here today (NE Fife)

  4. Thanks, Eileen.

    Michelle, in (vaguely) criminal slang to grass on someone is to “tell on them”, usually to the police. To sneak is the same but more of a school-age term with the “grassee” being a teacher.

  6. Hi Michelle

    You may not be familiar with the ‘police informer’ definition of ‘grass’, which is what makes the clue so clever, because a snake in the grass is also a snrak, as you say.

    [I hesitate to call clues &lit but i think Dave’s right here.]

  8. If grass were the definition, I would downgrade the clue, as then “in the” is unnecessary.

  9. NeilW & Eileen above, thanks for the explanations. I did not know this meaning for ‘grass’. I was already impressed with the clue in the way that I had parsed it, now it is even better.

  10. Thanks Eileen and Rufus
    I gave up on SPARED – too many words fitted! I was also delayed by confidently writing in SELECT FEW rather than CHOSEN FEW – of course the crossers demonstrated my error.
    I thought BEDTIME was quite good – “teatime” not having occurred to me. I also liked DIPSTICK and REIGNING.

  11. Enjoyable Monday crossword, thanks Rufus.

    Thanks Eileen; strangely enough, I thought that SNEAK had rather an obvious clue as the anagram was so easy – good surface, though. I assume 6d is an &lit, although I’ll wait for the experts to comment.

    I also started with TEATIME, [comma 😉 ] although I don’t really think it is ambiguous because BEDTIME fits the clue much better.

  12. Thanks Eileen and Rufus

    A more enjoyable puzzle today from Rufus which, to my mind, seemed a little closer in style to other Guardian setters whilst keeping his trademark crisp clues – particularly liked SNEAK, INFERNO, INSECT, BALLROOM and SPARED.

    Last in was INNER having to look up the inner man = appetite meaning. Like muffin, I had no qualms with BEDTIME without giving thought to TEATIME – it just seemed more Rufusian to be the former.

  14. Thanks to Eileen for the blog. You explained SPARED which I had written in without understanding why it was the right answer.

    I was particularly pleased by 11: its form was {element 1} {element 2} {reversal indicator} so it was clear which bit had to be reversed. I have complained in the past about clues in the form {el1} {rev} {el2} where you need crossing letters to decide which is the desired answer.

  15. One of my favourite Rufuses for some time. Too often I find myself stuck on a particularly obscure cd or similar, but not today. Quite a few clues I rather liked, including 17a, 24a, 19d.

    Three archery-related solutions in ARCHERY, INNER and ARROWS. A few more and we might have had a theme, which I can’t recall in Rufus.

  17. I always like to have some easy Monday knockers, but perhaps I have misinterpreted something here.

  19. This was, IMHO, the best Rufus in some time. The clues had a theme of “easy”, which I found hilarious. I ticked off 12, 8, and 11 as excellent.

    Filled in the top without having to look at a single clue twice, which I think is perfect for a Monday. Wrestled briefly with the SE as I happily filled it in. The SW was wonderfully devious.

    Four puzzles for the price of one – two easy, one moderate, and one a delightfully Guardianishly bit tricky.

    Excellent work for a Monday, Rufus. Loved the blog, Eileen. And perhaps for once we could also thank Hugh, the editor? Even though he spells his name funny.

    Now to do my sums…

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