A welcome return appearance from Shed. I was lucky enough to blog his last puzzle, a couple of months ago, and said then that we don’t see enough of him.
There’s lots of clever and witty cluing here, covering a wide range of vocabulary, including Latin phrases, nonsense verse and urban slang, raising many smiles and a couple of laugh out loud moments. Many thanks to Shed for all the fun.
Across
1 Result of evacuation from warship evacuated and jacketed (6)
COWPAT
An amusing clue to start us off: we have to ‘evacuate’ W[arshi]P and ‘jacket’ it by putting it inside COAT: I loved the definition!
4 Navigator’s bit of kit to turn brown within 31 days (6)
OCTANT
TAN [turn brown] in OCT[ober] [31 days]
9 Turmeric mostly spilled between food store and toilet as result of overconsumption (8,7)
DELIRIUM TREMENS
Between DELI [food store] and MEN’S [toilet] we have an anagram [spilled] of TURMERI[c]
10 Ordinary soldier to serve as commander in Biblical land (6)
GILEAD
GI [ordinary soldier] + LEAD [serve as commander]
11 Food parcel causing bulge in the nether regions? (8)
LUNCHBOX
Double / cryptic definition: I looked in the online Urban Dictionary first but then found it’s in Chambers: I thought I remembered this in a Paul puzzle [as it so easily could have been] – but it was Tyrus: ‘Start off missing a penalty area tackle’
12 Scotch queen protected from displaying facial hair (8)
WHISKERY
ER [queen] in WHISKY [Scotch]
14 Rake keeping back pound coin (6)
ROUBLE
ROUÉ [rake] round a reversal [back] of LB [pound]
15 Shostakovich and Elgar sheltering one of their ilk (6)
HANDEL
Hidden in ShostakovitcH AND ELgar
18 Obstacle in path of form of speculation (8)
ROULETTE
LET [obstacle – as in ‘let or hindrance’] in ROUTE [ path]
21 Four jabs administered through the looking-glass? Great! (8)
FRABJOUS
Anagram [administered] of FOUR JABS
From Lewis Carroll’s ‘Jabberwocky’, in ‘Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There’:
‘O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!”
He chortled in his joy.’
Nonsense verse is not my favourite form of ‘poetry’ but I thought this was a very clever clue.
22 Satirist‘s turned vehicle into gardening tool (6)
HORACE
Reversal [turned] of CAR [vehicle] in HOE [gardening tool] – more my cup of tea!
24 Nudity evens out autism twice after necessary adjustments? (7,8)
MUTATIS MUTANDIS
Odd letters of NuDiTy plus a well-spotted anagram [after necessary adjustments] of AUTISM twice
25 Proceed unsteadily with introduction to dark stranger (6)
DODDER
D[ark] + ODDER [stranger]
26 Slope put on ice (6)
SHELVE
Double definition
Down
1 Dubious heirs to Switzerland’s treasure (7)
CHERISH
CH [Switzerland] + an anagram [dubious] of HEIRS
2 Moan, if drink’s drunk hot (5)
WHINE
WINE [drink] round H [hot]
3 Operatic heroine‘s number to finish up (7)
ARIADNE
ARIA [number] + reversal [up] of END [finish]
Ariadne was the heroine who helped Theseus negotiate the Labyrinth and thus slay the Minotaur, only to be deserted by him on the island of Naxos, where she became the heroine of Richard Strauss’s opera, ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’.
5 Investigator of death trap concealing nothing (7)
CORONER
CORNER [trap] round O [nothing]
6 A parasite receiving paper hat, originally from charitable institution (9)
ALMSHOUSE
A LOUSE [a parasite] round MS [paper] + H[at]
7 One old racist party piercing Labour’s protective wrapping (7)
TINFOIL
I [one] + N[ational] F[ront] [old racist party] in TOIL [labour]
8 Badly wanting a maypole to hire (6)
EMPLOY
Anagram [badly] of M[a]YPOLE [wanting ‘a’]
13 Took part, keeping pig in cupboard (9)
SIDEBOARD
SIDED [took part] round BOAR [pig]
16 About to embrace girls, touching bottom (7)
AGROUND
AROUND [about] round G [girls?]
I can’t find any authority for G = girls: might it have been used over a school entrance?
17 Revolutionary carrying round eagle’s head, like a big cat (7)
LEONINE
LENIN [revolutionary] round [carrying] O [round] + E[agle]
18 Pick up birds raised to follow soldiers (6}
RESUME
Reversal [raised] of EMUS [birds] following RE [soldiers]
19 Hun running amok craving divorce? (7)
UNHITCH
Anagram [running amok] of HUN + ITCH [craving]
20 Cream, mostly, and fan thereof, turning touchy (7)
TACTILE
Reversal [turning] of ELIT[e] [cream mostly] and CAT [possible fan of Cream?] Or, much more likely – see Poc @ 11 – four-legged cats like cream!
23 Nearly, nearly suffering disorder of internal organ (5}
RENAL
Anagram [suffering] of NEARL[y]
Thanks Eileen and Shed. I couldn’t parse whiskery – seems obvious now! I was sure 11ac was CODPIECE for ages, which held me up!
Thanks Shed and Eileen.
I really enjoyed this, though I needed the blog to explain TACTILE. Particular favourites were LUNCHBOX (I seem to remember that “Linford Christie’s lunchbox” had to be explained to a judge in a trial), CHERISH. and CORONER.
I was held up a bit by entering ABYSSAL for 16d – it sort of works.
I’m not sure if 8d quite works though – I can’t read the “wanting a” as removing the A from “maypole”; removing it from “badly” makes more sense (though doesn’t get anywhere, of course).
[[See “Later career and relationship with the press” here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linford_Christie ]]
Thanks Shed and Eileen, a most enjoyable puzzle and blog
Lunchbox was a common word when my children went to school, though I see the OECD gives it as two words. (Perhaps it is more an American term.)
I have to agree with muffin that 8d is a bit weak, even if it just about works grammatically. Apart from this quibble, I thought this was excellent fare, with the very first clue my particular favourite.
With all that Latin, I was reminded of dear Bunthorne, for me still the king of setters.
Thanks Eileen and Shed.
11 dawned when I remembered the phrase in The Full Monty: ‘the lunchbox has landed’.
On checking muffin@3, came across this quaint entry in Roger’s Profanisaurus.
King Arthur describing the French army : “Fear not the French, for their knights are without heart, and their king without wisdom. But keep thine backs as to the wall, for amongst their number thou shalt find more than a few lunchbox lancers, I can tell you”.
Probably more to do with throwing a rock.
When I posted this, the meaning had not occurred to me. Started to wonder why it was profane. It will be clear to most I am sure.
I defy anyone to have more than the slightest quibble with this fine puzzle fron Shed. Every clue enjoyed thoroughly. I had no problems with any of them. And a good blog too. An excellent start to a day which went rapidly downhill afterwards.
Thanks both.
Been had again, thought it was a serious publication !
In 20d I suspect the reference is to cats liking cream, rather than Cream, though I suppose it works both ways.
Thanks Poc @11, yes I was thinking ‘cat’ as a fan of Cream was out by a decade or two in its usage. That was going to be my only gripe. I’m in the Shed fan club too, and it’s good to see him back.
Thanks, Poc. I missed the obvious explanation and wasn’t happy with my definition.
I heartily agree with almw3 @9, except that my day has not gone downhill (yet!).
I too agree with almw3 @9, except I am feeling a bit sick and don’t want my lunch. Not Shed’s fault.
In 8dn I would have ‘badly’ as adjectival, as in ‘he was taken badly’, although I suppose you could argue that notwithstanding the construction is less than ideal.
Great puzzle though, very enjoyable.
Lovely puzzle, loads of excellent clues. My favourites were FRABJOUS, DELIRIUM TREMENS and COWPAT. Many thanks to Shed and Eileen.
Thanks Shed and Eileen
It seems like a while since we last saw Shed – and this was an excellent return. Just a whole bunch of interesting clues – both devices and surfaces. None better than 20d, where you have two possible surface readings and yet the devices are quite distinct – ELITE (cream as quality) and CAT (fan of jazz) – very clever!
Hadn’t heard of the slang version of LUNCHBOX.
Last one in was FRABJOUS – which was yet another fine surface and clue – had to google the word to confirm the part of ‘Through the Looking Glass’ that it was from.
Love Shed. Some Paulisms too. Checking the usage of ‘mutatis mutandis’ lead me interestingly to the novel Gilead (10 ) by Marilynne Robinson, cited for usage.
Yes, I agree with all of the positive comments, though I found it quite tricky in places, particularly in the top half, but in retrospect it all makes perfect sense, despite my almost non-existent Latin. Last in was ARIADNE after GILEAD – have to admit my ignorance of the Strauss opera, so I needed all of the crossers. Liked ROUBLE, LUNCHBOX and DELIRIUM TREMENS.
Thanks to Shed and Eileen,
Thanks Eileen. As you said, we don’t get to see enough of Shed. Loved 1ac which caused me to chuckle!
Thanks Eileen and Shed – got them all today except LUNCHBOX, did not know the vernacular meaning. 1ac held me up for a while because I insisted on COWPAT, despite the lack of parsing… Particularly enjoyed the two Latin phrases!
Thanks Shed and Eileen
I thought this very enjoyable even though it was a struggle in places. I got the division wrong on 24 across which really held me up and while I knew 20dn was TACTILE,it took me ages to parse it. More like this.
My enjoyment we enhanced by listening to Jazz on Three’s tribute to the late Kenny Wheeler. RIP
I was curious at first as to why the month in 4 was October, rather than any of the others with 31 days – it seemed a little imprecise for Shed. Then I considered today’s date – within 31 days would be (excluding today as already started), ‘in Oct[ober]’. Am I stretching the clue further than necessary, or were others, including Eileen, way ahead of me?
I thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle and I echo the sentiment that we don’t see enough of Shed. I had the most trouble in the bottom half where it took me a while to see FRABJOUS, AGROUND and MUTATIS MUTANDIS, after which RESUME was my LOI. I thought that 8dn was the only slightly iffy clue, although I have come across similar cluing in previous Guardian puzzles so it is fair to assume that it forms part of the Guardian’s house style.
I enjoyed this too, the bottom half going in first.
{“Frabjous” appeared on Celebrity Pointless at the weekend (the contestant had to supply words of more than six letters from Jabberwocky); unfortunately the contestant recalled it as “fraptious”, almost a homonym, the difference being very slight, and I thought he was unlucky (if not unfairly treated) not to win with this, as it was a pointless answer.]
It is a while since we saw Shed – and Brendan; are we not due one from him?
Over the past year or so, we have had Brendan at least once a month until the last one, when the gap was two months; and we have not had one since for about three months now.
I’m surprised at the lack of reaction to 13d. Having the definition contain 5/9 of the answer just seems slack to me. It actually held me off writing in the answer because I refused to believe that such an accomplished setter would be so sloppy.
Great puzzle – thanks Shed and Eileen.
Agree with engineerb about 13d. I passed over “sideboard” many times for the same reason; this was reinforced by the fact that I’d entered “dither” instead of “”dodder” for 25a (it just about works). Eventually it all fell into place.