A bit of a toughie from Paul today, with some quite devious wordplay. Those not familiar with cricketing terminology might have extra difficulty.
Fortunately I got 22a early on, and liked the different ways it was used in other clues. For contrast with the way OUT there were also a few uses of IN (and OUT also occurs in a couple of clues without reference to 22a). Thanks to Paul.
| Across | ||||||||
| 8. | KNOCKOUT | Stunner dismissed after 17 (8) KNOCK (a batsman’s innings) + OUT (dismissed) |
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| 9. | STOUT | Courageous 22 across (5) ST (street, way) + OUT |
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| 10,. | STAR | Big performance opening pot (4,4) START + URN |
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| 11. | LHASA ASPSOS | Dogs help us past bears, a wearing circuit (5,5) HAS (bears) A in LAP (circuit) + SOS (help us) |
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| 12. | MILORD | Clement secures gold for the title (6) OR in MILD |
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| 14. | GUSSETED | Government leader took advantage of accommodating group, allowing freedom of movement (8) G + SET in USED |
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| 15. | REVENGE | Press the accelerator (in/out) — that’s sweet! (7) REV ENGINE less IN – “revenge is sweet” |
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| 17. | INNINGS | Spell “pot” without the first letter (7) [W]INNINGS |
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| 20. | ETHERNET | 10 and 3 out for local network (8) An anagram of TEN + THREE |
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| 22. | WAY-OUT | Weber’s first, A minor (unfinished) — it’s avant-garde (3-3) W + A + YOUT[H] |
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| 23. | WELCOME MAT | Surface injury restricting butterfly circling close to home — one trampled on outside the door (7,3) [hom]E in COMMA (butterfly), in WELT |
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| 24. | TAME | Gentle hint, a member assumes (4) Hidden in hinT A MEmber |
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| 25. | DATED | Saw out (5) Double definition – “out” as in “unfashionable” |
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| 26. | EMIGRANT | Wild tiger and man, one on the 22 across (8) (TIGER MAN)* |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1. | ON STRIKE | Leg hit, out! (2,6) ON (leg side in cricket) + STRIKE (hit) |
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| 2. | ACER | Tree Cheshire cat partially climbs (4) Hidden in reverse of cheshiRE CAt. Acer is the Maple genus |
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| 3. | BOWLED | 22 across, bird resting? (6) This is an OWL “in BED”, and to be bowled is a way [to be] out in cricket |
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| 4. | AT LARGE | Sailor gathering bottom of sail in time, so free (2,5) [sai]L in TAR in AGE |
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| 5. | ASSASSIN | One taking someone out, seeing Wally and Charlie in (8) ASS + ASS + IN, using two slang names for a fool |
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| 6. | COMPLEXITY | Elaboration 22 across, follow brackets (10) EXIT in (“bracketed by”) COMPLY |
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| 7. | AT HOME | In articles about poems, odd bits missed (2,4) Even letters of [p]O[e]M[s] in A + THE – the first of two answers defined as “in” |
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| 13. | OVEREXCITE | King into vice, toe-curling — thrill too much? (10) REX in (VICE TOE)* |
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| 16. | GANYMEDE | Moon, eg named for orbiting around Mercury in the end (8) [mercur]Y in (EG NAMED)* – Ganymede is the largest moon of Jupiter |
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| 18. | GOURMAND | Valet stuffs fruit for epicure (8) MAN (valet) in GOURD |
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| 19. | STUMPED | Uncertain which way to turn for 22 across (7) Double definition – another way to be out in cricket |
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| 21. | TRENDY | Intend to keep right before end of motorway … (6) R in TEND + [motorwa]Y, with lift-and-separate to get IN as the definition |
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| 22. | WITH-IT | … as comedian shunted (4-2) WIT + HIT, using the ellipsis to “borrow” the definition from the previous answer |
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Thanks Paul and Andrew
I found this difficult, especially the NE, where I eventually cheated LHASA APSOS (and still didn’t know which part of the clue was the definition!)
23 I took “one trampled on” to be (a) “wet”, so didn’t see how “surface injury” gave the missing L.
Favourite was the very clever TRENDY.
Excellent puzzle from Paul. I loved the varied uses of the connections between clues – very clever. I too had to resort to the ‘reveal’ button on 11a despite having all the crossing letters. Thanks for the blog
Andrew. you have an extra S in the answer to 11a.
muffin@1. The definition is just dogs. I must admit that owning one of this breed did rather help me.
Thanks to S & B.
Epic fail for me although I do love the quirky Paul as a setter.
Missed too many to enumerate but 11a LHASA APSOS was too hard for me and not helped by missing crossers from 3D BOWLED and 5d ASSASSINS. Also SW just too tough – Paul had his sweet 15a REVENGE … And the rest was woeful even though I had 23a WELCOME MAT quite early.
I saw the cricket theme but even this breakthrough didn’t really help with the solve.
Nevertheless, thanks to Paul for his clever setting, and to Andrew for the eventual enlightenment.
Thanks Andrew and Paul. IMHO this fine piece of work belongs in the Saturday slot.
A great Prize Puzzle ahead of its time (if only by 24 hours!).
My favourites were WAY-OUT (FOI), REVENGE, INNINGS & TRENDY.
New words for me were LHASA APSOS & COMMA butterfly.
I needed help to parse 20a.
Thanks Paul and Andrew.
This was Paul at the top of his game-well-worked theme, misleading wordplay, wit, elegance and no smut whatsoever. Difficult but when finished (or blogged as here) it all seemed quite logical.
Just realised how dismal my post sounds, but did enjoy getting out most of NE and SW….
There was a time not so long ago where even if I only got a few answers in, I felt good.
So even to get about three-quarters of a puzzle out is some sort of achievement. It’s all relative.
Excellent puzzle from Paul, not as difficult as he can be, but hard enough,
I too had to struggle longest with the NE corner, but by the time the PDM came for 5d (good trick in using “Wally and Charlie” to produce the repeated ASS and “in” to represent IN!) it gave me L-A-A for the first word in 11a, which could hardly be anything else but LHASA, and the P was enough to give 6d.
One picky definitional point on 18d: a GOURMAND is a glutton, not an “epicure” – that would be a gourmet.
Thanks to Paul and Andrew.
Thanks Paul and Andrew
MRG @ 9: it’s one of those tricky ones. Chambers eThesaurus gives both GOURMET and GOURMAND as synonyms for EPICURE, but EPICURE only as a synonym for GOURMET, not GOURMAND.
LHASA APSOS defeated me – never heard of them, and wasn’t able to deduce it from the wordplay despite having all the crossers. I think the explanation is missing the significance of past, which justifies moving SOS to the end. Plenty to enjoy, particularly for those of us getting distracted by Young Jonny Bairstow. Ticked STOUT, REVENGE, COMPLEXITY and TRENDY.
Thanks to Paul and Andrew
Thanks to Paul and Andrew. I did manage to get through this puzzle though with difficulty. I got WAY OUT early on, but my limited knowledge of cricket slowed me down with STUMPED and KNOCKOUT (I thought of the latter in terms of boxing), though I did get INNINGS and “bowl in bed” for BOWLED. I needed help parsing REVENGE (“revenge is sweet” was clear to me), and last in were DATED and TRENDY. Lots of clever and enjoyable clues.
In the blog for 10ac TURN is missing.
I liked the various uses of the gateway clue and the other ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ thrown in for good measure. ASSASSIN, COMPLEXITY and the ‘hidden’ def for TRENDY were my favourites. COMMA for ‘butterfly’ new for me too.
Thanks to Paul and Andrew
Tickled pink that I solved this. LHASA APSOS were among the first dog breeds I learned of–had a childhood friend with one, so I knew the breed long before I knew how to spell it! Anyway, that clue was almost a BIFD for me–took quite a while to parse, even after the answer was in.
How the Sam Hill do I know enough about cricket to solve this? I’m mystified.
Thank you, Andrew.
I have a soft spot for Mr Halpern as his puzzles were my entry into the world of cryptics about a century ago, but I have to say that some of his surfaces these days read rather clumsily to say the least.
“Elaboration {way out} follow brackets” and “Dogs help us past bears a wearing circuit” and “Surface injury restricting butterfly circling close to home – one trampled on outside the door” make very little sense to my way of thinking.
There is plenty of good stuff, too, but I find I get a bit cranky trying to unravel clues with such a poor surface.
Hey-ho, perhaps he (or I) just had an off day.
Nice weekend, all.
The NE corner took me longer than the rest of the puzzle put together, and coming here it seems I’m not alone. Indeed I own up to consulting Wikipaedia’s list of dogs beginning with L to get LHASA APSOS – it’s annoying though, I’d figured out the SOS but no other combination of letters seemed to make any sense. It’s been quite fun to do this alongside the regular fall of wickets at Headingley …
William @15
Perhaps you didn’t have an off day – unless I did as well!
I always look forward to Paul’s puzzles, but I thought this was a bit too clever by half, with little humour (something Paul is usually good at) to compensate.
Most of the clues were superb, including some that stumped (19D!) me for a while, but some I found too contrived. Unfortunately, I’ve never heard of LHASA APSOS (which I guess is a plural) and couldn’t make it up from the wordplay. I thought the SW corner had to be finished off with TRENDY and DATED and came here to confirm them.
I think I’ve been spoilt by Picaroon, Arachne and Nutmeg this week.
Thanks to Paul (I still look forward to your next one!) and Andrew.
Bloody impossible
Defeated at the end by Lhasa apso- but did the rest , but lots of effort needed. Loads of lovely clues. Slow with “treñdy” which we loved. Thanks Paul and Andrew.1
Most difficult Paul I’ve attempted. I know nothing about cricket and this meant a lot of guesswork. I agree that the NE was the hardest. I stumbled upon LHASA APSOS by chance which did help a bit but BOWLED was my LOI. I did chuckle at GUSSETED which was more the Paul I know and love,but I think this was a puzzle to be admired rather than enjoyed.
Thanks anyway Paul.
Enjoyed this – NE corner was a struggle as for others – annoyed with myself for having to search for words to fit 17A especially given theme – was so nearly there for 11A from wordplay (LOI) – figured “dogs” was definition – had SOS and LAP with an A in it – just didn’t get bears = has – I think I may have come across word(s) before – APSOS was ringing bells but couldn’t put it all togather – hey ho 🙂 FOI MILORD…
NE V hard with the dogs…which I see are still misspelt in the blog? 😉
Some clunky clues, unlike Paul,but much to enjoy…even if I didn’t finish it.
I agree with #18 Izzythedram
And I agree with El Ingles @ 23. We resorted to a lot of cheating.
We usually enjoy a Paul but too many too contrived here.
Thanks both.
I very much enjoyed this despite being beaten by the horrible hound. All the more enjoyable because the today’s prize was so easy and I hadn’t had time to tackle this yesterday.
A bowler’s spell in cricket is not the same as a team’s or a batsman’s innings. Or have I missed something?
My first time to post on this blog, but I really wanted to say how much I enjoyed this puzzle. I usually manage to complete, and this one unravelled with just enough difficulty to make it interesting. The clueing was so clever and raised many a smile, especially as I was listening to TMS at the same time.
Thank you Paul and Andrew.
I enjoyed this. It was too tough for me to finish in my tired state last night, but the remaining clues (mostly in the SW and NE) went it fairly smoothly this afternoon. I don’t watch cricket but I have absorbed most of the common terms by now. Favourites include GUSSETED, BOWLED, COMPLEXITY, AT HOME, GANYMEDE and TRENDY.
Thanks, Paul and Andrew.
Phil @26
As far as the cricketing terms go you are clearly right. I’m sure Paul just used ‘spell’ to mean an arbitrary length of time, in this case referring to the elapsed time of a batsman’s or a team’s INNINGS. Not the clearest possible inidcation, perhaps, nor is ‘pot’ (a word that can mean many things) the clearest indication for ‘winnings’, but the clue works in my opinion.
Alan Browne @ 29. I took spell to mean a spell in prison, as in doing a spell in Broadmoor. Possibly?
Thanks Paul and Andrew
Completed this one on Friday evening but only just checked it tonight. It was a toughie, the first of three JH puzzles that I did across the weekend period and it was by far the hardest. Got off to a reasonable start in the NW corner with ON STRIKE and STAR going in quite quickly but it slowed down after that.
Got WAY OUT quite early on and thought that it was extraordinarily well used throughout the grid. In fact, the range of clue devices used in the puzzle was one of the highlights – I particularly liked the misdirection with the numerals in ETHERNET and the lift and separate required with TRENDY.
Finished in the NE corner with the clever ASSASSIN, the unusual GUSSETED (as an adverb) and INNINGS the last.
Just started printing off some of the old Guardian puzzles from 2003 and will be interested to see how his style back then compares to now. Really not sure how I intend to fit these into the time poor windows that I have for puzzles currently.
Thanks Paul and Andrew.
Fantastic! Tough! Great fun!
GUSSETED (what a lovely word) made me giggle, REVENGE was a really wow clue. STUMPED ( could nearly be Stimied) and TRENDY both brilliant.