Guardian Cryptic N° 26,133 by Tramp

by

The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26133.

At first glance, the puzzle seemed decidedly weird, with improbable names scattered through the clues.Eventually the penny dropped – they are all characters in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate factory, and I came to realize that the puzzle is tour de force in the way this theme permeates the majority of clues. I found it quite a tough solve, and as it is now getting rather late, I have hurried more than usual over writing up the blog,  so I hope that I have done justice to it. Bravo Tramp.

Across
9. The first prize, it’s mad (5)
IRATE A charade of I (‘the first’) plus RATE (‘prize’).
10. Chocolate bar shortened by company sweet discoverer (5,4)
MARCO POLO A charade of MAR[s] (‘chocolate bar shortened’) plus CO (‘company’) plus POLO (‘sweet’).
11. Veruca Salt’s second to upset one discharging (9)
EVACUATOR An anagram (‘upset’) pf ‘Veruca’ plus A (‘sAlt’s second’) plus ‘to’.
12. Sweet chap’s beginning to hand out bags (5)
DOLCE An envelope (‘bags’) of C (‘Chap’s beginning’) in DOLE (‘hand out’).
13. Queen to copy her speech rejected draft (7)
PREPARE A reversal (‘rejected’) of ER (‘Queen’) plus APE (‘copy’) plus RP (received pronunciation, ‘her speech’).
15. Bullfighters ruptured, got up, finishing early (7)
TOREROS A charade of TORE (‘ruptured’) plus ROS[e] (‘got up, finishing early’).
17. Film on Charlie’s prized possession (5)
ASSET A charade of ASS (‘charlie’) plus ET (‘film’).
18. So chapter is over (3)
SIC A reversal (‘over’) of C (‘chapter’) plus ‘is’.
20. Animal in river? (5)
HIPPO I suppose because the full name, hippopotamus, means river horse. Missed this one – see Muffywotd @1.
22. Fudge leads to young Augustus Gloop saying sorry (7)
APOLOGY An anagram (‘fudge’) of YA (‘leads to Young Augustus’) plus ‘Gloop’.
25. Mostly with Charlie in European city (7)
ANTWERP A charade of AN[d] (‘with’) ‘mostly’, plus TWERP (‘charlie’).
26. Got it in mouth back to front! (5)
BINGO IN GOB (‘in mouth’) with its last letter moved to the start (‘back to front’).
27. Those that follow notice chosen child in playground yard (9)
POSTERITY A charade of POSTER (‘notice’) plus IT (‘chosen child in playground’) plus Y (‘yard’).
30. Doctor’s transport contracts head for delay (9)
TARDINESS A charade of TARDI[s] (‘Doctors transport’, the Doctor being Who) cut short (‘contracts’) plus NESS (‘head’).
31,1. Bar and Mike Teavee’s wrapper go around 11? (5,4)
BREAK TIME An anagram (‘go around’) of ‘bar’ plus ‘Mike’ plus TE (‘TeaveE‘s wrapper’). ’11’ – or perhaps ‘around 11’ – is the time of day, and nothing to do with the clue of that number.
…
Down
1. See 31
– See 31
2. First person to be professional driver, after car sweets (8)
CARAMELS A charade of ‘car’ plus AM (‘first person to be’) plus ELS (Ernie, ‘professional driver’ on golf courses)
3. Second half of some freak’s short list (4)
MENU A charade of ME (‘second half of soME‘) plus NU[t] (‘freak’s short’).
4. Conceals kinky sex with rest (8)
SMOTHERS A charade of SM (‘kinky sex’) plus OTHERS (‘rest’).
5. Doctor right about fungal disease (3,3)
DRY ROT A charade of DR (‘doctor’) plus YROT, a reversal (‘about’) of TORY (‘right’).
6. Essentially, it’s not about odd man — Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s musical song (3,4,3)
TOO DARN HOT Middle letters (‘essentially’) of ‘iTs nOt abOut oDd mAn chaRlie aNd tHe chocOlate facTory’. The song is by Cole Porter, from the musical Kiss me Kate.
7. Rewriting Roald Dahl’s final piece for money (6)
DOLLAR An anagram (‘rewriting’) of ‘Roald plus L (‘DahL‘s final piece’).
8,26. Spoiled Violet Beauregarde’s hollow sign of affection (4,4)
LOVE BITE An anagram (‘spoiled’) of ‘Violet’ plus BE (‘BeauregardE‘s hollow’).
13. Place a 10-point tile on a square (5)
PLAZA A charade of PL (‘place’) plus ‘a’ plus Z (’10-point tile’ in Scrabble) plus ‘a’.
14. Like great food, no starter’s great (10)
ASTRONOMIC A subtraction [g]ASTRONOMIC (‘like great food’) minus its first letter (‘no starter’).
16. So work interrupted by Charlie Bucket (5)
SCOOP An envelope (‘interrupted by’) of C (‘Charlie’) in ‘so’ plus OP (‘work’).
19. Most blue, Charlie’s in bed (8)
COARSEST An envelope (‘in’) of ARSE (‘Charlie’) ARSE’S (‘Charlies’s’) in COT (‘bed’). Thanks to Liz @6 for the correction. As I said, it was getting late.
21. Quiet about sex, if turning up as Mr and Mrs? (8)
PREFIXES A charade of P (‘quiet’) plus RE (‘about’) plus FIXES, a reversal (‘turning up’) of ‘sex if’.
23. They hold winner, hiding in large packaging (6)
OWNERS An envelope (‘in … packaging’) of WNER (‘w[in]ner hiding in’) in OS (‘large’).
24. Endlessly spoke Willy Wonka’s last parts, actor recalled (6)
YAPPED A charade of YA (‘WillY WonkAs last parts’) plus PPED, a reversal (‘recalled’) of DEPP (Johnny, ‘actor’ who played Willy Wonka in Tim Burton’s film version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
26. See 8
– See 8
28. English books section declines (4)
EBBS A charade of E (‘English’) plus BB (‘books’) plus S (‘section’).
29. Peasant’s left out of frame featuring Buckets? (4)
YOKE A subtraction: YOKE[l] (‘peasant’) without the L (‘left out’).

52 comments on “Guardian Cryptic N° 26,133 by Tramp”

  1. Thanks PeterO and Tramp,

    This was very good fun and did not give in that quickly. PREFIXES and CARAMELS were favourites.

    Re HIPPO: HIP = in + PO = river

  2. Something of a curate’s egg with many very fine clues (OWNERS was the pick of the bunch to me, with BREAK TIME a close runner-up) balanced by some fairly ordianry ones, such as CARAMELS, with its repetition of word in clue and answer, and IRATE, POSTERITY and EBBS, with the somewhat tiresome device of the somewhat arbitrary single letter.

  3. Very enjoyable solve. No help from the theme for me even though a lot of answers came from the defs. That left some very crunchy wordplays to resolve.

    Eg 6d very nice – guessed the song was nothing to to with Charlie etc but still misdirected by “odd” for a good while. SE last to complete 27a very good there too – and many others.

    Thanks to Tramp and PO.

  4. Completed but failed to parse 6d. For a puzzle themed on sweets, this left a nasty taste in the mouth for me.

  5. Thanks, PeterO, for the blog.

    A scrumptious confection of a puzzle from Tramp, with all his hallmarks – super surfaces, witty and ingenious [and varied] cluing and, perhaps most of all, his ability to exploit a theme to the full while keeping the puzzle completely accessible to those who know little or nothing about it.

    As usual, too many ticks to list them all but particularly sweet was 20ac [remember when some complained about the length of Tramp’s clues? – see also 18ac]. And the repeated use of ‘Charlie’ in the clues made me laugh.

    Many thanks, Tramp, for this box of delights – a lovely pre-Christmas present.

  6. Thanks for the blog PeterO.

    re 19dn I think it’s the plural ‘arses’ = ‘Charlie’s’ in ‘cot’, otherwise there’s a missing ‘s’.

    I found this quite tough and didn’t manage to parse all the clues, although I did finish. My son adored Dahl so I saw where Tramp was going with the theme, which he handled brilliantly, I think.

    For a while, I thought this might be a pangram, which helped me get ANTWERP. But considering what else was going on that really would be pushing it!

    Thanks,Tramp.

  7. Many thanks PeterO for the blog and the kind words. Muffyword @1 is correct regarding HIP+PO.

    I wrote this puzzle last month and asked for it to be moved up the order because I believe there’s a CatCF stage show out at present. Our daughters like the original CatCF Gene Wilder film and the later Tim Burton version starring Johnny Depp. On reflection, I’m pleased with the puzzle although the CAR in CARAMELS is probably a bit of a giveaway and I don’t like the ‘of’ in 29 (it’s not a valid link word in this context and so is padding, which I don’t like).

    Thanks for the comments, folks. I hope to see some of you on Sat at the crossword do.

  8. I agree that this was on the tough side for a Tramp puzzle, and I needed aids for my LOI, TOO DARN HOT. I could have kicked myself when I saw how it was parsed in the blog because I thought of the middle letters of iT’s nOt for the start of the answer but I didn’t follow the idea through to the following words in the clue. An enjoyable puzzle nonetheless.

  9. Thanks Tramp for a tricky puzzle and for dropping by.

    Thanks PeterO; I thought DOLCE had something to do with the D&G handbags and was going to complain that it was his second, not first name. 🙁 I had no hope of parsing TOO DARN HOT – very clever setting to use CatCF in the clue.

    I liked ANTWERP for its silliness and BINGO for misleading. Many others were very clever.

  11. Thanks PeterO and Tramp
    I found this particularly difficult, failing to parse several and failing completely on CARAMELS and PREPARE. LOVE BITE was my favourite.
    I was thrown a bit by “Charlie” meaning both “ass” and “arse” in the same crossword – could we have expected consistency here?

  12. Thanks to PeterO for the blog and to Tramp for another fine puzzle.

    I found this fairly tough, though each time I’d given up I’d get another couple to get me going today. It took an age to spot the device at 6d, despite thinking early on that essentially probably meant middle letter(s). Particular favourites were BINGO and HIPPO and the various uses of Charlie.

    muffin @11 – one person’s inconsistency is another’s variety. I’d erroneously entered CRASSEST at 19d (not fully parsed obviously) and given Tramp a slight tut for repetition of ASS (humble apologies to Tramp for that). I was much happier with ARSE for the variety: Charlie has stood for C, ASS, ARSE and TWERP at least today.

  14. I think it stands to Tramp’s credit as a fair cluer that I was able to finish this puzzle without any knowledge of the theme, or even that there was one!

  15. I thought 15a was a great example of how good clueing can help the solver learn a new (for them) word without resorting to the cheat button. Thanks, Tramp.

  16. Thanks, PeterO

    Very cleverly worked puzzle from Tramp, which I found partly easy and partly very tricky.

    I put YARNED in for 24d to start with (‘actor’ = Bruce DERN, although I failed to see that the letters were not in the right order!) which stymied the SE corner until I was forced to re-evaluate it.

    Ingenious though the C&TCF themed clues are (especially 6d, my last entry), my favourites were the succinct HIPPO and BINGO.

  17. The Crossword maybe cleverly compiled but completely unsolvable if one is unfamiliar with the theme. I strongly dislike these contorted self-indulgent puzzles.

  18. Mike @ 17

    Hmm, not sure about that. I know diddly about Roald Dahl and his books but fair and clever cluing generally leads you to the answers. Each to his/her own but I don’t see them as self-indulgent.

  21. Mike@16: sorry you feel that way.

    I’ve quickly looked at the clues and I think that being familiar with the films and knowing Johnny Depp played Willy Wonka might make 24 a bit easier, but this knowledge is not necessary for solving the clue, as Depp is a fairly famous Hollywood actor. Which particular clues do you think require knowledge of the subject in order to solve them?

  22. Agree with muffin and Aoxomoxoa (19 & 18). It’s one of those cases where no knowledge of the theme is needed at all. The only arguable connection between answers and theme is Johnny Depp as part of the wordplay in 24d, but I didn’t even notice that at the time. Mike Norris (17) presumably didn’t do the crossword, or even read the blog he’s commented on! Extraordinary.

  23. I was just sharpening my own pen to retort, but Aoxomoxoa, muffin, Herb and Tramp himself have beaten me to it. Mike, congratulations on producing one of the more idiotically troll-ish posts of the year. If you’re going to criticise a puzzle because it is not to your taste then fair enough, but it’s probably best not to show that you have barely given it a second glance before venting your spleen.

  24. Hi Mike Norris @17

    I don’t immediately recognise your name, so welcome to the site if you’re new – and please forgive me if I’m wrong.

    We’re pretty used to sweeping statements here but I find ‘completely unsolvable if one is unfamiliar with the theme’ really puzzling, in view of previous comments.

    I make no secret of the fact that I love Tramp’s puzzles and have been fortunate enough to be familiar with most of his themes, including his first splendid ‘Fawlty Towers’ puzzle, which I was fortunate enough to blog – but not all of them, including another which it was down to me to blog, based on ‘Mad Men’, of which I knew absolutely nothing but was still able to solve and, eventually, blog, without too much difficulty – and enjoy in the process!

    If one is familiar with the theme of the day, the pleasure of the puzzle is always immeasurably enhanced, as it was for me, like liz, today, with memories of my children’s childhood. That supplies considerable icing on the cake – or, as today, a few extra chocoates in the box.

  25. As so often, I have been competently forestalled by other commenters.

    I’d like to echo every word of Mitz’s comment.

  27. Even being familiar with the theme, I found this really tough and in fact had to give up because I’d run out of time. But I wouldn’t call it self-indulgent. Just too hard for this solver.

    Thanks to Peter and Tramp.

  28. I’d like to echo comments above. excellent puzzle from Tramp as ever and tahnks to PeterO for the blog.

    I knew nothing at all about the theme bar the title, found it difficult and had to check a lot, but got there in the end, with several doh! moments along the way and when I read the blog.

    And I don’t understand the comment @17 at all – I don’t see a single clue that *needed* knowledge of CatCF.

  30. I was held up by writing-in CAMEL, the Cornish river for 20a.

    In fact, Tramp, CARAMEL was my COD, but there were so many excellent ones it’s silly to choose.

    Jolly good.

    Many thanks all.

  31. CARAMELS, even.

    Paul W: We didn’t use “it” either where I grew up. You were “on” in games of tag etc.

  33. Paul @ 29

    To amplify Tramp @ 32, in old playground games such as ‘tag’, the choice of the chaser was by reciting a rhyme/sequence such as “eeny meeny miny mo…” while pointing a finger per word at each participant in turn, and concluding “…you are IT”, which supposedly randomly determined the outsider.

    hth

  34. Simom S: you’ve brought so much back.

    We kids went through the rhyme, ending with O-U-T spells OUT and that kid was safe: on and on it went until “it” was left (and the caller of course).

    Pretty horrid, actually…

  36. Hi Eileen:

    In the outskirts of Nottingham where I grew up we called it “Dobby” from the verb “to dob” (touch the pursued) pronounced “dobbeh”. Not my favourite pastime.

  38. I think it was called tiggy at our school and there was a variant called skilly in which those caught had to line up against a wall but if someone who hadn’t yet been caught managed to touch the wall and say “skilly” then all those by the wall were set free. If you managed to follow that you probably went to school on Wigan about 30 years ago. Great days.

  40. An enjoyable puzzle from Tramp as usual.

    However I seem to be in a parallel universe from most of the posters on here.

    As far as I can see this is a puzzle with a “theme” that isn’t a theme.

    Although a lot of the clues contain references to Roald Dahl and his book Charlie & The etc…. none of the answers actually have anything to do with this. (excluding Depp who however is still an actor despite his appearance in the film of this name!)

    No knowledge of the book or the films is required to solve this puzzle.

    So surely this is a non-themed puzzle with “themed clues”.

    To be perverse my First One In was TOO DARN HOT. I also guessed at this stage that the answers would probably have nothing to do with the book. This didn’t make it any easier though.

    Thanks to PeterO and Tramp

  42. Brendan but not @ 40

    What rule says the theme has to be in the solutions not the clues? Surely that’s up to the setter?

    And this puzzle does seem to have given many people a great deal of pleasure. Join this universe! It’s not perfect but it has its moments…

  43. Sorry: hope I didn’t damp down the trawl for variants on “tag”!

    I suppose you could describe the puzzle as “theme-surfaced” to presume to answer my own question. I’ve a feeling that’s been done though.

  44. At 8.27 I tried to post a comment on this puzzle. I was informed repeatedly that 2+1=3 is incorrect. I’m very annoyed.

    I wanted to say, in detail, why I usually find Tramp’s execution of this style of themed cluing unsatisfactory. But that today he has done the thing impeccably. I also wanted to say that the unthemed clues were very good, as his often are, both as a whole and in the cryptic detail.

    I’ll leave it here by singling out the master theme clue 6d, and HIPPO, often set but never better clued.

  45. BNTO @40

    “However I seem to be in a parallel universe from most of the posters on here.”

    I vowed not to respond to any more of your provocative comments, even / especially when they invaded, late on, my inbox re my Rufus blogs but I can’t resist this one.

    For once, I agree with you. 😉

  46. I’ve found the sum sometimes refuses to be solved too, rhotician.

    Clearing the browser cache on my BlackBerry might have helped the next attempt or it could have been chance.

    On the subject, I do appreciate the HH-friendly version of this page.

    Many thanks.

  47. I must admit I find it a bit of a cheap thrill with the clues here made to look themed when they’re not. I suppose it’s because I just can’t dig or see the art in doing it that way, which is down to me of course. Also it seems that a lot of this has been done with single letter bits of one sort or another, which is pretty easy I would guess.

    Hell, it’s an opinion, there if you want it.

  48. Simon S @42

    “What rule says the theme has to be in the solutions not the clues?”

    Absolutely none. I was merely referring to the posters who seemed to be complaining about the “theme” being a hindrance to their solving.

    By the way I think you’ll see that I did admit to enjoying the puzzle!

    Eileen, thank for the backhanded compliment. I suspect we shall happily remain in our different universes.

    And what is this about “provocative” posts from me? Heaven forfend. 😉

  49. Thanks Tramp and PeterO

    Found this a cracking puzzle that took a fair effort to finally get out – solved in two halves for me – with the right side first and eventually the left which I found much harder for some reason. Theme passed me by, but in no way hindered me – more a nod of appreciation to the setter for accomplishing it!

    Guess it’s lucky we weren’t taken down the road of the charlie etymology 🙂

  50. bootikins@47

    You are right, it is easy to write a couple of clues for any words you like using some thematic material. The thing I find difficult is doing this for around twenty words and fitting them in a Guardian grid trying to make sure I don’t:

    pick a grid that is one that will upset the punters (eg one with five-letter lights which only have two checking cells);
    use more than, say, seven anagrams;
    use more than one hidden;
    use more than one “regularly”;
    make every clue too hard — I must try to give the punters a few “ways into the puzzle”;
    choose words that I’ve clued recently;
    include in the grid too many arcane words;
    try to include too many plurals;
    etc

    I spent three nights trying to get the phrase “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” into a clue. If you get some spare time over the festive period, give it a go.

    Incidentally, I have around twenty puzzles for possible future publication in the Guardian and I estimate that fifteen of them are ghost-themed (or “theme-surfaced” as MartinP calls it) like this one.

    Thanks for the comments everyone and, if I don’t see you beforehand, have a great Christmas.

    Neil

  51. Oh Tramp dear fellow –

    Do, please, ignore any negative comments.

    My verdict (if of any worth to you) is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!

    How better to end a day than to curl up with an exquisitely constructed puzzle – not too easy but eminently solvable.

    All Hail Vagrancy! (and erring unerringly)

    Thanks and respect.

  52. If it’s not too late: Amen to WilliamFP @ 51, and thank you Tramp for a delightful, funny puzzle. And I speak as one who has never seen the Charlie films/plays, but has an inkling of the names – about as much as I might of a randomly picked Bronte tale. The fact that I did not know about Veruca Salt, Teavee or Violet Beauregarde did not get in the way at all.

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