Guardian Cryptic 26058 Nutmeg

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A crossword to ease one into the Saturday Prize Puzzle (and back into Crosswordland for me) from a setter who usually sets the Quiptic.  Thanks to Nutmeg.  (There are quite a number of proper names in the clues and answers, but I can’t relate them to any theme.)  Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle. Please enclose any comments on them in double brackets. Thank you.]]

Across

1 Illicitly take a companion on river (5)

POACH : A + CH(post-nominal letters for a recipient of the Order of the Companions of Honour) placed after(on, in an across clue) PO(the longest Italian river).

4 Cool suit — evidence of celebrity status? (3,5)

FAN CLUBS : FAN(to cool) + CLUBS(a suit in a deck of playing cards).

8 Dilapidated dockland garage with intriguing air (5-3-6)

CLOAK-AND-DAGGER : Anagram of(Dilapidated) DOCKLAND GARAGE.

10 Old councillors‘ last word about backing Socialist line (8)

ALDERMEN : AMEN(the last word in prayer) containing(about) reversal of(backing) { RED(a colour indicating persons or things Socialist) + L(abbrev. for “line”) }.

Answer: Senior members of a local council, elected by the other council members, in England, Wales and Ireland before the position was abolished in 1974

11 Eight gallons almost drained, little left (6)

BUSHEL : “bushed”(drained of energy) minus its last letter(almost) + L(abbrev.;little for “left”).

Answer: A measure of dry and liquid volume equal to 8 gallons in the British Imperial System.

12 Self-centred stoic, eg perversely holds it back (9)

EGOTISTIC : Anagram of(perversely) STOIC, EG containing(holds) reversal of(back) IT.

15 Sediment deposited around West Sussex town (5)

LEWES : LEES(the sediment deposited during fermentation) containing(around) W(abbrev. for “west”).

Answer: A town in East, rather than West, Sussex.

17 Polar explorer‘s troubled, so going back outside (5)

OATES : ATE(troubled psychologically, eg. by uncertainty) contained in(… outside) reversal of(going back) SO.

Answer: Captain Lawrence, self-sacrificing Antarctic explorer.

18 Ancient chief shut up, having become tedious (9)

PENDRAGON : PEN(to shut up, eg. livestock in an enclosure) plus(having) DRAG ON(to become tedious).

Answer: From the Welsh “head or chief dragon”, the name of several traditional kings of the Britons, most famous of which was Arthur, he with the Round Table of knights.

19 Brood in centre of tree, conifer (6)

REPINE : The 2 innermost letters of(centre of) “tree” + PINE(a conifer).

Answer: To be discontented or low in spirits.

21 Leading publicity about one paramedic’s task (5,3)

FIRST AID : FIRST(leading) + AD(short for “advertisement”;publicity) containing(about) I(Roman numeral for “one”).

24 Wren at sea, say, one designing ships (5,9)

NAVAL ARCHITECT : ARCHITECT(an example;say of which was Christopher Wren, famous for St. Paul’s Cathedral and other London buildings) placed after NAVAL(adjective for being at sea). And of course, a Wren was a member of the British Women’s Royal Naval Service.

25 In final stage Nutmeg (female) caught up (8)

ENMESHED : END(the final stage) containing(In …) { ME(the self-referencing pronoun for the crossword setter) + SHE(the female pronoun) }.

26 Makes simpler terms for tenants, using no Latin (5)

EASES : “leases”(the terms and conditions between tenants and landlords) minus(using no) “L”(abbrev. for Latin).

Down

1 Cook’s speciality involved great soup and endless cake (7,5)

PACKAGE TOURS : Anagram of(involved) [GREAT SOUP plus(and) “cake” minus its last letter(endless) ].

Answer: The product that Thomas Cook, the travel agency, specialises in.

2 Short vessel carrying merchandise (brick) (1,4,4)

A GOOD SORT : “aorta”(a major blood vessel) minus its last letter(Short) containing(carrying) GOODS(merchandise).

Defn: and Answer: A helpful and trustworthy person.

3 Walker greeting bishop leaving the pavement edge (5)

HIKER : HI!(an informal greeting) + “kerb”(the edge of between a pavement and a roadway) minus (… leaving) “b”(abbrev. for “bishop” in chess).

4 One type of police search means the end for Pinkie, perhaps (9)

FINGERTIP : Double Defn: 1st: A thorough search by police at a crime scene, often literally; and 2nd The end of a finger, the little one being called a pinkie, from the Dutch. The surface is a reference to the main character, the criminal Pinkie Brown in Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock.

5 Bare elbow lacking a touch of glamour (4)

NUDE : “nudge”(to push or poke gently with the elbow) minus(lacking) the first letter of(a touch of) “glamour”.

6 Cricket side, one attracting trickster (3-6)

LEG-PULLER : LEG(the side of the cricket field to the left of a right-handed batsman, facing the bowler) + PULLER(one that attracts, eg. members of the opposite sex).

7 Wood — famous conductor taking morning off (5)

BEECH : “Beecham”(Thomas, famous English conductor) minus(taking … off) “am”(abbrev. for “ante meridiem”;before noon).

9 100 unlucky in love? It’s too late to enquire after them (7,5)

CLOSING DATES : C(Roman numeral for 100) + LOSING DATES(what you might be doing, when you’re unlucky in love).

Answer: The “them” in the defn.

13 Hint Tunisian criminal gave at last (9)

INSINUATE : Anagram of(criminal) TUNISIAN + the last letter of(at last) “gave”.

14 Cable serving under Tory and finally brought round (9)

CONVINCED : { VINCE(surname Cable, currently UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills) placed below(serving under, in a down clue) CON(abbrev. for a Tory;a Conservative) } + the last letter of(finally) “and”. And, though a Lib Dem, one could say he is serving under a Tory, which the PM is.

16 Those responsible for changing locks in the theatre? (3-6)

WIG-MAKERS : Cryptic defn: Those who make hairpieces, for changing the appearance of people’s locks of hair, eg. in the theatre.

20 Man on board eating right kind of seafood (5)

PRAWN : PAWN(a man on a chessboard) containing(eating) R(abbrev. for “right”).

22 French boy’s looking up meaning of “gunk” (5)

SLIME : Reversal of(looking up, in a down clue) EMIL(a male name – though I think that the French version is “Emile”?)‘S.

23 Cocky Republican ignored party (4)

BASH : “brash”(cocky;impudent) minus(… ignored) “R”(abbrev. for one from the Republican political party). Nice surface of a brash Republican not toeing the party line.

Answer:  A celebration by having a party.

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49 comments on “Guardian Cryptic 26058 Nutmeg”

  1. Thanks Scchua and Nutmeg

    A pleasant puzzle and a relatively quick solve. Some unlikely anagrams (e.g.8a, 1d) and a nice ‘charade’ in 18a amused me.

  2. I was happy that I could parse all of my answers. I liked 14d, 3d, 1d, 1a, 2d (last in) and my favourite was 18a PENDRAGON.

    New words for me were REPINE, LEWES, explorer Lawrence OATES.

    Thanks Nutmeg and scchua.

  3. Thanks scchua and Nutmeg
    I really enjoyed this one – nearly all the clues were delightful; special mention for CONVINCED.
    A couple I thought weren’t quite up to the same standard. SLIME wasn’t very tightly clued. “Short vessel” for AORT(a) is the sort of word play that can only be reasonably parsed “backwards” – i.e. having got the answer before.
    These were very minor detractions from a very enjoyable puzzle.

    [[No idea about the pictures, though the second one isn’t displaying on my computer.]]

  4. [[Is the third picture Rachel Roberts and Richard Harris from “This sporting life”? Can’t link it with anything, though.]]

  5. Thanks Nutmeg and scchua. An odd week for me. Having been soundly humbled by Tuesday’s offering, I’ve found each subsequent puzzle easier than the last! As always, one must acknowledge that estimates of degree of difficulty are functions of subjectivity, and I’m certainly not complaining. It’s been a most enjoyable week, so once again thanks to all, posters as well as setters and bloggers.

  6. Thanks all
    I hae never been acquainted with a quiptic so Nutmeg is a welcome newcomer.
    My last in was 9 d.
    I liked 14d and 15ac.
    Overall a passable puzzle and as someone has said a good wind-up to a good week.

  7. Thank you scchua (please check why the second pic isn’t showing).

    Welcome Nutmeg and (if it is) congratulations on your first cryptic. Perhaps I’ve missed one, though.

    Nice smooth clueing, perhaps at the easier end of the scale but nonetheless enjoyable for that.

    Special mention to NAVAL ARCHITECT which I enjoyed.

    [[First pic I think is Stevie Wonder in Muscle Beach Party
    2nd not shown
    3rd agree with Muffin @4
    4th is Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates (John, not Titus)
    5th looks like incendiary bombs during WWII
    6th would seem to be a light under a bushel
    So I’m afraid I can’t link 1, 3 & 5 to the puzzle.]]

  8. A new setter to me too and quite delightful. No flashy tricks, and pretty much every clue spot on. A GOOD SORT (though Muffin @3 has a point) and ENMESHED my favourites. I’d be happy to see more from him/her; maybe ENMESHED is a clue.

  10. Thanks to scchua for the blog. Nutmeg is new to me as well.
    You showed me why I had the right answer for 21 which I had quite failed to parse 🙁

    [[Is that Elizabeth Taylor in pic 1?]]
    [[Pic 2 is not showing on my computer]]

  11. [[Storey wrote This Sporting Life and also features in today’s crossword… the Quick, though, not the Cryptic…]]

  12. Nice to see Nutmeg graduating from the Quiptic. Very enjoyable and some really excellent surfaces.

    Thanks scchua; nice to see you back with your pictures.

    I particularly enjoyed OATES, FINGER TIP and especially A GOOD SORT.

    [[The incendiary device could be a LEWES bomb. Not sure about the connection with This Sporting Life – could it be the guy is A GOOD SORT?
    #2 isn’t showing but by courtesy of my computer you can see it here.
    Pamplona bulls, scantily dressed women etc]]

  15. I personally found 24a kind of weak – cluing NAVAL ARCHITECT as “[Famous architect] at sea” is barely cryptic at all. I loved 17a, however – “troubled” = “ate” is a new one for me, but the surface was perfect.

  16. [[Well, I found this in The Daily Mail: ‘ Thomas Cook bans promotion of Pamplona bull run following pressure from PETA.’ Any good??]]

  17. [[I did right click on the little blob in pic2 and selected Show Picture. Hey presto! 🙂
    I still do not see how it links to the crossword]]

  19. [[I have looked again. There are now two pictures where the empty space for pic2 used to be. The others have been shuffled along]]

  20. [[Richard Harris (in pic 3, as has been observed), of course played King Arthur in Camelot. At a loss as to the rest, though.]]

  21. [[muffin, William, matt, chas, CynicCure, Robi, Ian SW3: Pic1 Stevie Wonder/FINGERTIPs; Pic2 Pamplona Bull Run/Thomas Cook’s PACKAGE TOURS; Pic3 Richard Harris/Arthur PENDRAGON in Camelot; Pic4 Daryl Hall/Hall and OATES; Pic5 Incendiary explosions/LEWES bomb; and Pic6 The idiom “Hide one’s light under a BUSHEL”. Well done, all! (The original pic2 showed all right on my PC, but not iPad. Anyway, I’ve substituted it with a bigger version of the same picture, which shows on both my PC and iPad.)]]

  22. Thanks, scchua.

    I’ve been away for a week, so this is my first puzzle for seven days (having missed what seems to have been a good set). I’m not a Quiptic solver, either, so Nutmeg is also new to me.

    Not difficult, but enjoyable and well clued (though one or two were a little too transparent), with some unexpected anagrams and very good surfaces. I particularly liked 11a, 26a, 1d, 7d, 14d.

    A welcome addition to the main puzzle setters circle.

  25. Schroduck @15

    24 has not just any famous architect. That’s the point. It’s ‘one designing ships’ that’s “hardly cryptic at all”.
    ‘Wren at sea?’ would have been better, very good even.

  26. A surface element not mentioned in the blog is in 7D: the conductor Sir Henry Wood, in whose honour the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts are named.

  27. Thanks Nutmeg,as usual a most enjoyable Crossword.Please excose my pointing out the remark in 23 Down .-One “Toes the Line” when complying with the Rules & One Tows the line” if one is fishing from a moving boat.Sorry to be pedantic–blame my Old Schoolmaster.

  28. Some were a bit ‘Quiptic ‘ in this, too easy for the proper puzzle. It was quite good though, but here is a blog abpout the pictures mnostly, not about the clies.

  29. I think everyone is right: this is Nutmeg’s first Cryptic, though she has been a regular Quiptic setter for some time. In fact comments on the Quiptic blogs have often said that her puzzles there wouldn’t be out of place in the Cryptic slot.

    Most enjoyable puzzle. My favourites today were the &littish OATES and the clever anagram for CLOAK AND DAGGER.

    Brava, Nutmeg and thanks to scchua for the blog.

  30. Ruaridh@27, of course you’re right – and I can’t even blame it on my old English language teacher! Consider the blog amended.

    Rowland@28: I’m not sure how to take your last comment. Is it that I haven’t given enough coverage to the puzzle/clues and/or commenters are somehow prevented from making as many and as varied comments as they wish, on the puzzle/clues? Or …..?

  31. First time here love the Guardian crossword and hope to post often!

    Never solved a Nutmeg crossword before but enjoyed it, first in 4a, loved 9d, 10a and loads more!

  32. Just wanted to add my thanks to setters and bloggers for a great week of crosswords. Looking forward to next week’s offerings.

  33. I have been doing Quiptics for a while so I knew Nutmeg. While this was a fun puzzle to solve it didn’t seem too different in style or difficulty to her Quiptic puzzles.

    CLOSING DATES was my LOI and raised a smile.

  34. I found this a snug, satisfying even if quick solve. Favourite: 2d.

    Thanks setter, blogger and posters (can’t see the pics well on this HH)

  35. Not too bad but I found it slightly boring for a Friday, Friday should be fireworks day, and we didn’t really get any here. On the plus side, seemed more measured than the last two. But then, they DID have some fireworks. What’s to do, I don’t know. Times was a pig today as well.

  36. Bootsie, Yesterday’s Times took me longer than today’s. But we don’t usually speak of the Times here.
    (I shouldn’t have mentioned time either.) T4TT’s for that.

  39. Lovely to have a new setter and I enjoyed this. It surely can’t be an accident that there are at least 10 trees in the grid – oak, alder, bush, pine, fir, larch, date, lime, beech and ash.

  42. Thursday’s was a gem, rhotician. But are you serious about the ban on Times chat? I’m aware of ‘T4TT’ of course, but they talk about Guardians and Indys whenever the fancy takes ’em, and it doesn’t impinge. Are there some rules here I don’t know about?

  43. See Site Policy. It depends how admin draws the line. My impression is that, anyway, specific reference to other than Guardian puzzles
    is not the done thing. Nice expression expression that. Off-topic though.

  44. Can’t see that as a problem Betty.

    Guardian threads here have suffered on occasion from non-crossword discussions. However, I did suspect for a while that some insane IDs, exploiting an inherent flaw in the site policy, had progressed to devise a method in which going on forever about trifling points, or making ludicrous suggestions as to what subsidiary indications really mean, given enough pretzel logic, would stay onside. Honestly some people are SO vicious.

    As a demonstration, let me say that

    Liverpool 0 Southampton 1

    is off-topic, but interesting, amusing, and valuable. I commend it to the house.

  45. I didn’t know that. Surprising certainly.

    Why did I repeat “expression” @43? And not notice? These are not even rhetorical questions.

  46. Yesterday, my PinC said she enjoyed this crossword but she also found it rather straightforward.
    I agreed with her, at the same time appreciating the setter’s cleanliness of cluing.

    A day later, Anne (@39) unraveled what was perhaps the crux of this crossword to Nutmeg.
    Just like many many others apparently (because no comments other than from Rhotician and Paul B), we didn’t spot this Brendan-like theme either.
    A day later!

    Bravo, Nutmeg!

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