Guardian 26,788 / Paul

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Maybe our crossword ability is atrophying due to lack of practice, but we found this one really tough! (Normally we romp through Paul’s puzzles.) Anyway, this was a puzzle of the usual very high standard from Mr Halpern.

Across

8. Good, if one is a saint (8)
BONIFACE
BON = “Good” + IF + ACE = “one”
Definition: “saint”, referring to Saint Boniface

9. Nanny doubly immersed in cookbook, did you say? (2,4)
AU PAIR
AU PAIR sounds like “O pair” and there are a pair of Os twice in “cookbook”
Definition: “Nanny”

10. Scorer a little flabbergasted (4)
BERG
Hidden in “[flab]BERG[asted]”
Definition: “Scorer”, referring to the composer Alban Berg

11. Complain about superior line taken by Conservative in competitive association (6,4)
BRIDGE CLUB
BLUB = “Complain” around RIDGE = “superior line” + C = “Conservative”
Definition: “competitive association”

12. Bird caught by end of bill (6)
LINNET
IN NET = “caught” beside [bil]L = “end of bill”
Definition: “Bird”

14. Bread done, more dough for the better? (8)
ROLLOVER
ROLL = “Bread” + OVER = “done”
Definition: “more dough for the better?”, better meaning “one who bets”, presumably on a lottery, which might have a rollover prize

15. Killer instinct’s back in Asian commander (7)
SHOTGUN
[instinc]T = “instinct’s back” in SHOGUN = “Asian commander”
Definition: “Killer”

17. Cover very exposed lesion for starters in open wound (7)
ENVELOP
V[ery] E[exposed] L[esion] in (OPEN)*
Definition: “Cover”

20. Last of the jam with remarkably outstanding coffee (8)
ESPRESSO
[th]E = “Last of the” followed by PRESS in SO = “remarkably”
Definition: “coffee”

22. Bird with chicken’s head, chicken (6)
CRAVEN
RAVEN = “Bird” beside C[hicken] = “chicken’s head”
Definition: “chicken” (as in “cowardly”)

23. At sea, triple-pace vessel (3,7)
TEA CLIPPER
(TRIPLE PLACE)*
Definition: “vessel”

24,2. Success with organ encapsulated by member for Labour? (4,4)
LEFT WING
WIN = “Success” beside FT (the Financial Times) = “organ” in LEG = “member”
Definition: “Labour?”

25. Ornament journalist found in stream (6)
BEDECK
ED = “journalist” in BECK = “stream”
Definition: “Ornament”

26. Judges nailing down contracts (8)
TREATIES
TRIES = “Judges” around EAT = “down” (would you “down” a sandwich, as you would down a drink? I’m not sure about “nailing” to indicate inclusion either, so maybe I’ve read this wrong)
Definition: “contracts”

Down

1,18. In disgust, leave town to thieves out to steal money (4,4,4,4)
VOTE WITH ONES FEET
(TOWN TO THIEVES)* around FEE = “money”
Definition: “In disgust, leave”

3. Good reach for opening move (6)
GAMBIT
G = “Good” + AMBIT = “reach”
Definition: “opening move”

4. Depravity in plain mischief (7)
DEVILRY
EVIL = “Depravity” in DRY = “plain”
Definition: “mischief”

5. Flag bearing African, not an anteater (8)
PANGOLIN
PIN = “Flag” (in golf) around ANGOL[an] = “African not an”
Definition: “anteater”

6. Aesop caper rewritten as sci-fi story (5,5)
SPACE OPERA
(AESOP CAPER)*
Definition: “sci-fi story”

7. Paul’s salamander said to be microscopic (6)
MINUTE
MINUTE sounds like “my newt” = “Paul’s salamander”
Definition: “microscopic”

13. Bird, singularly doubly cuckoo? (10)
NUTCRACKER
“nuts” and “crackers” (the plurals) might mean “cuckoo”
Definition: “Bird”

16. Flying bats move (2,6)
UP STICKS
UP = “Flying” + BATS = “sticks” – I can’t think of a sport where “bat” or “stick” are used interchangeably, but maybe I’m missing something?
Definition: “move”

19. Appear to claim prize money — sweet! (7)
COMPOTE
COME = “Appear” around POT = “prize money”
Definition: “sweet”

21. Reportedly, a route north for the country (6)
SWEDEN
SWEDE = “a root”, which sounds like “a route” followed by N = “north”
Definition: “the country”

22. Tilt dangerously always, when placed upside down in container (6)
CAREEN
E’ER = “always” reversed in CAN
Definition: “Tilt dangerously”

24. Behind roofing slab, roof missing (4)
LATE
[s]LATE = “roofing slab” without the first letter (“roof missing”)
Definition: “Behind”

17 comments on “Guardian 26,788 / Paul”

  1. As usual an enjoyable workout from Mr Prolific. Some lovely stuff here. I particularly liked MINUTE, BONIFACE and VOTE WITH ONES FEET.
    Thanks Paul.

  2. Thanks manehi, esp. for explaining 9A: though I had it early, even afterwards no amount of staring at the right answer helped. Some shiny surfaces here including the 4,4,4,4 which was my last in. Generally smooth sailing though, With PANGOLIN recalled from two puzzles in 2014. We had Paul’s FT organ (24,2) just two days ago. Enjoyed this one a lot.

  4. Thanks to mhl and Paul for the blog and puzzle.
    An excellent puzzle.

    One of the pleasures of these puzzles comes when searching the web to verify or otherwise learn more about answers.
    In my case today, it started with a link to St. Boniface, and led through several hours of early European history, centered on the life of Charles Martel.

  5. Thanks for the help with parsing 16, mhl! In baseball, “stick” is often used as a synonym for “bat,” so that part was no problem for me, but the phrase “up sticks” is completely new to me–so being American has its pluses and minuses for this clue!

  6. Thanks to Paul and mhl. I did manage to finish this puzzle, but it took me all week so that only on Friday evening did I finally got my last two, BONIFACE and SHOTGUN. Some of the solutions came early (TEA CLIPPER, GAMBIT, DEVILRY, PANGOLIN, MINUTE, LATE, CAREEN) but I also had some wrong answers (e.g., flycatcher instead of NUTCRACKER) that slowed me down. I got AU PAIR without parsing it, did not know UP STICKS as a phrase, and took a long time catching on to VOTE WITH ONES FEET. For me, a big challenge but perseverance did pay off.

  7. Glad to see I wasn’t the only one to be glad you get a week for a prize puzzle! I was really quite chuffed to finish that. I’m another who couldn’t parse AU PAIR completely (I really have trouble with homonyms), so thanks for pointing out that ‘cookbook’ has two ‘o’s, mhl (D’oh!, as Homer would say – but enough about last week…). And thanks to Paul for another entertaining, time-consuming exercise.

  8. A nice puzzle from Paul. I found the cluing fairly difficult in some cases so this took two sittings.

    All clues were fair though except perhaps for 11A where I found “competitive association” a bit loose for a definition of “bridge club”. Not even a question mark!

    I can already hear the complaints about 8A. “No foreign word indication” or the like. Well “bon” is in the SOED so I think it’s fair enough.

    LOI was 21D. I couldn’t see why this should be SWEDEN although it obviously was. Finally I saw the “reported” route/root. Doh!!!! What a dummy!

    Still lots of fun though.

    Thanks to mhl and Paul

  10. Thanks Paul for a great puzzle, it took me a while to almost finish.

    I failed to get VOTE WITH ONES FEET, but realise now that I have heard the phrase in the past, and I could not understand the definition for ROLL OVER. Thanks mhl.

  11. Thanks Paul and mhl.

    Took me ages to parse AU PAIR but when I did I went out to buy a new teatray.

    I think ‘nailing’ is fine as an inclusion indicator: after all TRIES is stopping EAT going anywhere!

  12. Thinking further about VOTE WITH ONES FEET, I remember from medical school in London, over 50 years ago, that whenever the lecturer said something the students agreed with, they would stamp their feet in appreciation, is this a public school thing? This “meaning” is quite the opposite to that attributed to Lenin.

  13. By the time I got halfway through the across clues with no answers, I thought I was going to struggle with this one, then was encouraged when quite a few went in easily. I soon slowed right down again, though. I did get all the answers eventually, but I’m another who needed mhl’s help with the parsing of AU PAIR. I was uncertain as to whether “bats” are really equivalent to STICKS, but decided they are close enough.

    Thanks, Paul and mhl.

  14. Thanks Paul and mhl

    Didn’t find this as hard as some – for a change. Got a lot of the down clues in the top half early on which helped.

    Lots of clever stuff here, especially the two ‘doubly clues’ – AU PAIR (which I had to come back at the end to fully parse) and NUTCRACKER.

    Had no problem with nailing at 26 – in the context of it meaning catch , as in ‘the cops nailed the suspected criminal’ – in fact, thought this another of the very good clues. A bit in the US camp with UP STICKS – was OK with bat=stick, but didn’t know the Brit/Aust term for moving house.

    Finished in the SW corner with ESPRESSO, BEDECK and SWEDEN (which brought a big ‘aha’ when the root vegetable penny dropped) the last few in. A fitting prize puzzle !!

  15. I found this tough too – couldn’t finish it on first sitting and had a mental block over VOTE WITH ONES FEET. On coming back to it a couple of days later the last few fell pretty quickly. Entertaining as ever.

    Thanks to Paul and mhl

  17. Thanks Paul and mhl.

    Creative as ever from this setter.

    I couldn’t parse AU PAIR or BRIDGE CLUB so really appreciate your help.

    Thanks again.

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