For some reason I found this harder going than usual for a Rufus, with the bottom half causing the most trouble. The grid doesn’t help: with no answers longer than nine letters it’s more or less split into four separate parts, and there are lots of words with less than 50% checking. Apart from all that, it’s the traditional Rufus fare – thanks to the setter.
| Across | ||||||||
| 7. | TABLE SALT | It adds zest to meals for sailor on board (5,4) TABLE (board) + SALT (sailor) |
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| 8. | AFORE | A word of warning to golfers in the past (5) A + FORE -the warning shouted by golfers |
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| 9. | UNHEARD OF | Found her a problem — totally obscure (7-2) (FOUND HER A)* |
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| 10. | DIVER | Going down, he may be saved by the bell (5) Cryptic definition, referring to a diving bell. I initially had BOXER here, which works just about as well as a more literal interpretation of the clue |
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| 12. | SNEEZY | One of seven suffering from cold? (6) Double definition: Sneezy is one of the Seven Dwarves |
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| 13. | ESTIMATE | Reckon I’m splitting what’s left (8) I’M in ESTATE (what’s left, in a will) |
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| 14. | HAMSTER | The arms go round the cheeky little pet! (7) (THE ARMS)* – “cheeky” because of the hamster’s habit of storing food in its cheek pouches |
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| 17. | BRISTLE | See red hair? (7) Double definition |
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| 20. | FLAMINGO | Passionate love bird (8) FLAMING + O |
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| 22. | PANELS | Groups of people changing planes (6) PLANES* |
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| 24. | HORDE | By the sound of it, gather a crowd (5) Homophone of “hoard”. I caused myself some trouble by putting AMASS here, though in that case “by the sound of it” would be redundant |
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| 25. | VERTEBRAE | They are articulate in personal columns (9) Cryptic definition – the vertebrae articulate in the spinal column |
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| 26. | STORK | Baby bird? (5) Cryptic definition, referring to the myth of storks delivering babies |
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| 27. | ANECDOTAL | Remembering various stories can lead to novel (9) (CAN LEAD TO)* |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1. | CANNON | Clergyman taking a point to heart may be fired (6) N in CANON |
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| 2. | SLEEPERS | Retired train-bearers? (8) Definition + hint – sleepers have retired for the night |
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| 3. | OSPREY | Bird circles its quarry (6) OS (circles) + PREY |
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| 4. | FLYOVER | Carriage upside down on road crossing (7) FLY (a type of horse-drawn carriage) + OVER (upside-down) |
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| 5. | AFFIRM | State in a loud and resolute way (6) A + F + FIRM |
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| 6. | ORIENTAL | Eastern trail one meandered (8) (TRAIL ONE)* |
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| 11. | STIR | Move with a little spooning (4) Double definition |
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| 15. | ALL-SORTS | What it takes to make the world of confectionery? (3-5) “It takes all sorts to make a world” |
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| 16. | ERNE | The main type of eagle (4) The Erne is also known as the Sea Eagle; main = sea |
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| 18. | SONGBOOK | Suitable work for a lay reader? (8) Cryptic defintion, a lay being a poem or song |
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| 19. | SOMEONE | Not a particular person (7) A (not very) cryptic definition |
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| 21. | MODERN | Way fleet is brought up to date? (6) MODE + RN |
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| 22. | PUTSCH | Revolt when school place is switched (6) SCH + PUT (place), with these two parts switched |
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| 23. | LLAMAS | A small variety of beasts of burden (6) (A SMALL)* |
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Many thanks, Andrew.
This grid does my head in. It’s just four puzzles in one, and when there are so many cds and dds, it’s really frustrating. I’ve probably said that before.
I liked a lot of the clues today, especially HAMSTER and VERTEBRAE.
[Sneezy is indeed one of the Sneezy Dwarves, but I’m sure you meant to say Seven Dwarves …]
Thank you to Rufus too.
Thanks Rufus and Andrew
I found the top half easier than the bottom half, and I agree that it seemed like doing 4 small puzzles. I also started off by putting in AMASS and only changed it when I got stuck in that corner.
My favourites were 12a, 2d, 4d, 20a, 15d, 26a, 21d, 22d.
Many thanks Andrew & Rufus
I made this more difficult than it was by at first entering ALL-SPICE @ 15d.
Also, I struggled with the South East Corner for longer than I had wished.
No complaints though it was very enjoyable and VERTEBRAE was my favourite.
Thanks, K’s D, typo corrected (he said, Bashfully).
I was another AMASS-er which held me up a bit, but all in all not a bad start to the week. It was more challenging than the usual Monday fare. Liked 25ac and 14ac especially.
Thx
Thanks Rufus and Andrew
I held myself up in the SW by entering HEARD for 24, on the basis that herding things together gathers them, and a crowd can also be called a herd…that did make 21 (especially) more tricky than somewhat.
I liked 3, 17, & 25 very much
Hi Kathryn’s Dad!
Apologies for the grid. I tend to work months ahead in case of holidays, illness etc and I have avoided such grids in more recent submissions.
Incidentally, you would be quite correct in using DWARFS, all my dictionaries give it as an acceptable alternative to DWARVES.
Hope you are well!
Best wishes!
Like others, I found this trickier than most Rufus puzzles. As usual from this setter, some very good clues and some definitions that I thought were rather loose.
I also found the Quiptic a little more challenging than usual.
ERNE is a river and a lough, not a sea as far as I know, so clueing it as ‘main’ is a bit of a stretch.
Thanks Andrew and Rufus (for puzzle and for popping in)
A quite demanding but very enjoyable puzzle. Like some others, I briefly fell for ‘amass’. I particularly liked ‘songbook’, ‘vertebrae’, ‘all-sorts’ and ‘putsch’.
Hi poc
Erne is a ‘sea eagle’ too.
Thank you for dropping in Rufus. Glad to hear that this grid is being gracefully retired.
Indeed, our village panto a few years ago was SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. But we changed the names, and included MARDY and GROPEY. You can imagine the latter’s relationship with the heroine …
I always find Rufus tough. For me this was harder than Saturday’s prize. Had chick for 26 ac which didn’t help. In 21d I don’t think ‘brought’ can be part of the definition. It would then have to be ‘modernised’. I think brought just indicates that the definition follows: ‘up to date’.
Only quibble from me is that “brought up to date” to me suggests MODERNISED rather than MODERN.
Thanks Rufus & Andrew. I’m glad that this grid is being gracefully retired.
I got a bit stuck in the SE corner. However, VERTEBRAE had a super clue and I also particularly enjoyed SLEEPERS.
Bit of a VERTEBRA(t)E theme here with ERNE, DIVER, FLAMINGO, STORK, OSPREY, HAMSTER, LLAMAS (& SNEEZY 😉 )
Count me as another who found this a little trickier than some of Rufus’s other puzzles, and I’m delighted to read that he’s decided to retire this particular grid. I also found the top half (other than FLYOVER, which took a while) easier than the bottom half, and I finished with BRISTLE after the VERTEBRAE/SONGBOOK crossers.
Poc@9 – the clue for 16dn is a CD, not a DD.
Thanks both.
Nice of Rufus to pop in, and good riddance to the grid – I’m with K’s Dad on that one.
This is a curious setter, he comes up with some clues to which the answers almost write themselves in (SNEEZY, TABLE SALT etc) and one starts to question whether one has missed something, and then some clues which are really elegant like SONGBOOK.
Not a complaint, you understand, it just makes Rufus tricky. With others like Shed, Tramp, Crucible, Puck etc, one knows that everything is going to be tricksy and one knows to keep the guard up at all times; with Rufus, watch out, and don’t let the guard drop or else wallop, you’re stuck in a puzzle one thought was going to be a breeze!
Nice week, everyone.
Defeated me – I convinced myself that a “lay” person might be inexperienced enough to consult a HANDBOOK and then I was never going to get 17A from there.
Agree that this was a bit tricky for a Rufus, so in some ways more enjoyable. Last in was SONGBOOK – BRISTLE and VERTEBRAE also took a while. Thanks to Andrew and Rufus.
I found this a little easier than usual. I’m not boasting – I don’t usually finish the ones later in the week. It just shows how peoples’ minds work differently. I thought that 19d was a good clue, but needed a question mark – a person who is ‘someone’ is a particular person.
John
I’m at one with everybody I think. Hated the grid at first sight, delighted to hear Rufus’s promise. Swept through the top half, sluggish on the bottom.
The crossing SONGBOOK and VERTEBRAE were last in. I tried architectural columns first, not that I know many, before trying leg and arm bones (columns, sort of) before trying the most obvious anatomical possibility.
I found this slow going but it did continue to yield. Thought VERTEBRAE was beautifully clued. In 18d Lay reader has church connotations (someone who reads the lessons) and they may well use a SONGBOOK though I started with the more appropriate but incorrect hymnbook
How many levels of indirection are allowed with regard to what bears what? For example in that old myth (also adopted for Discworld) about the world being a disc supported by four elephants which are in turn supported by a giant turtle, can the turtle be viewed as bearing the world when it is the elephants which do that directly? The analogy here being that it is rails which bear trains and sleepers which bear rails.
I have no wish to discuss the clue, I’m just curious about something I hadn’t really thought about before solving the clue.
Nice Tom Swifty @ 4, Andrew and thanks for the blog. Thanks too, Rufus.
Usual Rufus fare although slightly enhanced by the SE corner with it’s lovely VERTEBRAE and SONGBOOK which held me up for a while.
The SE corner also had the dodgiest clue in the puzzle with 27A. Although the anagrind and fodder were obvious and “various stories” gave the answer I’m not sure what the “Rembembering” is doing.
How does “Remembering various stories” = “anecdotal”?
Thanks to Andrew and Rufus
Brendan@25: an anecdotal style , in a speech or narrative, would be one which revolves around remembering various stories.
Thanks all
I was planning to start this comment with “am I alone” but clearly I am not since Andrew’s opinion coincides with mine. The Monday puzzle no longer causesa sinking feeling but actully provides some challenge and some interest. A wise adjustment by the editor.
Today I saw that quite a few solvers, many well-known to me (and Rufus himself) loathed the grid.
I must say that this grid, apparently very unfriendly, didn’t stand in the way at all.
Less than 50% unchecked? I fear, I cannot be bothered.
But I know, in the world of affectionados, I stand alone.
For me, it’s all about the quality of clueing and if that’s all right 2/5 checking doesn’t make any difference compared to 3/5.
Today the clueing was indeed all right.
I think the anagram of 9ac was perhaps one of the best.
Thank you Andrew (and Rufus, and RCW for a really sensible comment!).
MartinD @26
Thanks Martin, I see that but it’s very loose. Can you come up with a reasonable sentence where the words “remembering various stories” can be seamlessly replaced with “anecdotal”?
RCW @27
I agree and suspect that the growing outcry on here about the standard of the “Monday” puzzle must be to some extent responsible.
“Power to the whingers” 😉
Tupu and Andy B: Thanks, I knew ERNE was a sea eagle (it’s a common answer in US puzzles which I used to do a lot).
He’ll probably never see this, but I really appreciate Rufus’ comment about the grid (and stopping by for a visit!). As I was stuck in the SE, I had very little help from other answers. Otherwise a lot of fun in other parts.
Thanks Rufus and Andrew
Found this on the longer side to solve for this setter – mostly because of the types of clues going into this grid, I think.
Struggled with DIVER the most (either it or miner could quite easily have fitted) and still can’t really see how the diving bell (assuming we are talking of the vessel used to launch an underwater dive) actually ‘saves’ the diver. Anyway, I opted the right way as it seems.
VERTEBRAE was last in … and was the standout.
I find Rufus easier than the other setters. I usually struggle with a puzzle and come here to find people calling it easy. So I am a little surprised the seasoned ones consider Rufus to be tough. I got 14 clues in the first scan. Modern is the only clue I could not explain myself.
How does 15d work? How does ALL-SORTS relate to confectionery!
The stumped USA guy!
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquorice_allsorts for Bill @ 35