Guardian 26,141 – Brendan

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Most very straightforward clueing from Brendan today, which is perhaps welcome in post-Christmas period…

…but as we know there’s always a theme in a Brendan puzzle, and it wasn’t obvious this time, at least to me. I finally realised that the middle row was pointing me to WRITERS IN VERSE, and a number of the answers are also the names of poets. In a nice extra touch they are arranged in symmetrical pairs. I’ve added links to the poets I spotted in the answers below, but it’s quite possible that I’ve missed some.

For those that haven’t seen it yet, there was an article on Brian Greer recently in a magazine based in Portland Oregon, where he lives. It includes a link to a “hybrid puzzle”, which I haven’t tried yet.

 
Across
8. REPORTER Press employee to have a half of real ale (8)
RE[al] + PORTER – a reporter is an employee of the press
9. HOMER Striking achievement of American flier returning to base (5)
Double definition – a home run in baseball (made by a striker) and a homing pigeon
10. TATE Gallery in New York, for example, unopened (4)
[s]TATE
11. FEDERALIST Constitution’s supporter supplied ruler with an agenda, for example (10)
FED (supplied) + ER (the Queen – a ruler) + A LIST
12. THOMAS Seeker of proof getting nothing in maths wrong (6)
O in MATHS* – reference to Doubting Thomas
14. EVERYONE Part of chore very onerous for people, without exception (8)
Hidden in chorE VERY ONErous
15. WRITERS Wordsmiths assembled work, in theory, so oddly (7)
Odd letters of WoRk In ThEoRy So
17. INVERSE One with shattered nerves? Just the opposite (7)
I + NERVES*
20. UNDERSEA Endures being torpedoed by a submarine (8)
ENDURES* + A
22. MOTION Proposal to bring it back in satellite (6)
IT reversed in MOON
23. WASHINGTON State capital (10)
Double definition – west coast state of the US and federal capital
24. HUNT Quest, the conclusions of which you can reject (4)
Last letters of whicH yoU caN rejecT
25. BURNS British vessels in Scottish waters (5)
B + URNS
26. AUTHORED Note added to novel Thoreau wrote (8)
THOREAU* + D
Down
1. METAPHOR Rhetorical device encountered once before in speech (8)
MET (encountered) + homophone of “afore” – obsolete word, hence the “once”
2. POPE Religious leader as father figure, ultimately (4)
POP + [figur]E
3. STAFFS Lots of teachers in part of England cut (6)
Double definition – school teachers and abbreviation of Staffordshire
4. BRIDGES Links good, when embraced by some forming unions (7)
G in BRIDES
5. THIRTEEN Strange rite in earlier time a number regarded as ominous (8)
RITE* in THEN
6. EMPLOYMENT Part of problem — ploy men typically use (10)
Hidden in problEM PLOT MEN Typically
7. PRISON Parties regularly selected, happening in place with bars (6)
Odd letters of PaRtIeS + ON (happening)
13. MATTERHORN Steep mountain presenting dire threat in early part of day (10)
THREAT* in MORN
16. RASHNESS Lack of care skin problem on head required (8)
RASH (skin problem) + NESS (head)
18. SPOONFED Hoaxed over name, given stuff to swallow uncritically (8)
N in SPOOFED
19. MARTIAL False alarm — it is related to war (7)
(ALARM IT)*
21. NEARBY Hearing organ bishop in US city installed in neighbourhood (6)
EAR + B in NY
22. MINUTE Record time (6)
Double definition – “record” as in “take the minutes”
24. HOOD Outlaw or gangster? It depends on the initial case (4)
Robin Hood (with an upper-case H) is an outlaw; a hood (lower-case) is a gangster

24 comments on “Guardian 26,141 – Brendan”

  1. Greetings to all from Calcutta and best wishes for 2014

    In case anyone does the puzzle in Portland Monthly, let me confess it is a reworked version of one in the Indenpendent from some time ago.

  5. Very enjoyable as to be expected from Brendan (that one)!

    Not only did it have all his ‘trademark’ clue types but I even spotted the theme!

    Thanks to him and Andrew.

  6. Thanks, Andrew, for the usual great blog, and especially today for the link. “Christopher Plummer in the depths of a laundry emergency”, indeed!

    As usual, I agree with crypticsue – I enjoyed this hugely. The only trouble was it was over too soon.

    So I had a go at the puzzle in the link and found it quite disconcerting, firstly, because the down clues were first, which took a ridiculous amount of time to get used to, and secondly, not knowing which clues were cryptic, which made it more of a challenge, but I did manage to finish it. Recommended, for the novelty.

    A double lot of thanks, then, to Brendan – and more for paying one of your rare visits!

  7. Thanks Brendan and Andrew
    Very easy, and a bit weak in places, I thought. The two long “hiddens” were very obvious (though clever), NEARBY was clued rather clunkingly, and WASHINGTON was barely cryptic.

  8. Done during an unnecessarily slow train journey from York to Leeds. Missed the theme alas, which would have helped speed up HOMER instead of the US spelling HUMOR I tried to convince myself of. Son (who has interest in the classical) sitting adjacent helped me see error of my ways.

    SPOONFED last in, not getting ‘over’ for ‘including’ until I saw Andrew’s excellent blog.

  9. Thanks all
    As a non-celebrant how long does this post Christmas last?In otherwords when do we get a decent puzzle again.
    Last in ‘spoonfed’ but only that is where I finished.

  10. I found the puzzle pretty straightforward, but missed the theme (typically) – unforgivable for an Eng. Lit. wallah.
    While there was some repetitiveness in the type of clues, I thought this would be an excellent puzzle to do with someone learning the conventions of cryptic crosswords.

  11. Possibly the fastest I have ever completed a Guardian puzzle. Like others, SPOONFED was my LOI. Particularly liked 17a, as “Just the opposite” had me initially looking for synonyms of brave, steadfast, etc.

    I missed the theme. But here’s another possible thematic answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ned_Washington (What’s a lyricist if not a poet whose verse is put to music?)

    Thanks, Brendan & Andrew.

  12. Thanks to Brendan and Andrew. Enjoyed this puzzle even though it was over too soon.

    Thanks also for the link to the Portland magazine article; great tie, Brendan!

    Cheers…

  13. As others have said, an enjoyable if relatively short solve. Despite seeing the theme WRITERS was my LOI, possibly because the inclusion of the seemingly superfluous “assembled” in the clue put me on the wrong track for a while.

  14. On top of the pleasure I had completing the puzzle, it is an additional pleasure to learn that I now live about 20 miles from its setter! Small world. Thanks to Brendan, and to Andrew for the blog and the illuminating link. Happy new year, all.

  16. A pleasant enough solve but far too easy.

    I agree with RCW as this “Christmas” period is becoming rather tedious. Every day appears to be a Monday!

    The last few “Brendans” have been on the easy side. Is this by choice or is it by request of the Guardian. I seem to remember my namesakes puzzles being a lot more of a challenge!

    Funnily enough I was reading about Brendan/Brian in Paul/John’s book today. However it would appear that Brendan is in Calcutta and not Oregon. Perhaps visiting Gridman 😉

    Thanks to Andrew and Brendan

  17. Just got ‘spoonfed’, so I can finally log on to see if there was more complexity to the theme than writers inverse which I spotted. Seems not.

    Happy new year to all from West Cork.

  21. Yes, nmsindy at #20. It’s the Cork bit that sort of explains B(nto)’s style.

    His seasonal wish does not have a comma. I take this omission to be inadvertent rather than deliberate.

  22. Rhotician @21

    “Yes, nmsindy at #20. It’s the Cork bit that sort of explains B(nto)’s style.”

    I have never mentioned Cork in any of my posts.

    Just for your reference I am nothing to do do with the poster who called himself Brendan(not Brendan) who appears to be from Cork. ( I am English by the way)

    P.S. How would you explain my “style”?

  23. Wouldn’t let me do the sum. Starting again. Making it shorter.

    Apologies B(nto).
    Stupid of me to assume B(nB) was you.
    Not much better assuming you to be Irish. Even though B(to) is known to be.
    Interesting that you’re English.
    Better say no more on the matter of “style”.

  24. Thanks for the reply R.

    Apparently I’m a Brendan due to my mother holidaying in Dublin prior to her marriage. Here she met a chap, called Brendan Swan, with whom she seemed to “get on”. (I haven’t pursued the interrogation any further 😉 )

    I would describe my style as classic “English grumpy old man”. Which is apposite I believe because that is what I am! Please feel free to chastise me if I become too grumpy!

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