Relatively easy, but beautifully clued from Paul. I particularly liked 1ac, 11ac, 21ac, 27ac and 15dn.
Across
1 Delivery man at the door (7)
BOUNCER
=”Delivery” in cricket; =”man at the door”
5 Demonic spirit in political opponents, one detailed (7)
INCUBUS
=”Demonic spirit”. IN plus CUB[a] and US
9 Old component for modern works (2,3)
OP ART
=”modern works”. O[ld] plus PART=”component”.
10 Second question for old newspaper (4,5)
BACK ISSUE
=”old newspaper”. BACK=”Second” plus ISSUE=”question”
11 Add an embarrassing mid-life performance? (3,7)
DAD DANCING
=”an embarrassing mid-life performance”. “Add” is an anagram of <dad>, or in crossword terms, DAD DANCING
12 Fifty boards to stick down (4)
GLUM
=”down”. L=”Fifty” “boards” i.e. enters GUM=”to stick”
14 Putting off green, child has us beaten (12)
RESCHEDULING
=”Putting off”. (green child us)*
18 A pop sensation, no two ways about it! (3,9)
ONE DIRECTION
=”A pop sensation”; and cryptically, =”no two ways” implies ONE DIRECTION
21 One joining the bank (4)
TIER
=”One joining” i.e. someone who ties; =”bank”
22 Where atheists might look to steal love, as mischievous (2,2,2,4)
UP TO NO GOOD
=”mischievous”. Atheists might look UP TO NO GOD, stealing O=”love”.
25 Crooked letters in long title misplaced (3-6)
ILL-GOTTEN
=”Crooked”. (in long title)*
26 Start due, no middle though (5)
DEBUT
=”Start”. D[u]E plus BUT=”though”
27 Beast who’s thuggish or evil in silverback? (7)
GORILLA
=”Beast who’s thuggish”. OR plus ILL=”evil”, both inside rev(AG)=”silver/back”
28 Left back, mean (7)
PORTEND
=”mean”. PORT=”Left” plus END=”back”.
Down
1 Flaming, as red (6)
BLOODY
=”Flaming”; =”as red”
2 Headless cockroach, say, with a place in Africa (6)
UGANDA
=”place in Africa”. [b]UG=”Headless cockroach, say”, plus A
3 Fare traditionally served as ticket held in kind of poetic justice, ultimately (7,3)
COTTAGE PIE
=”Fare traditionally served”. TAG=”ticket”, inside (poetic)* plus [justic]E
4 Something to restore, because it’s an old instrument (5)
REBEC
a medieval instrument. Hidden in “to restoRE BECause”
5 Performing as one (2,7)
IN CONCERT
=”Performing”; =”as one”
6 See 19
7 Rocky, as in sea (8)
BASALTIC
=”Rocky”. AS inside BALTIC=”sea”
8 Wise to buttonhole crew for long-gone train times (5,3)
STEAM AGE
=”long-gone train times”. SAGE=”wise” around TEAM=”crew”
13 Letters in an anagram are so not working! (3,2,5)
OUT OF ORDER
=”Letters in an anagram are so”; =”not working”
15 Needlewoman sees Manx cat biting Manx cat biting cat’s tail (9)
CLEOPATRA
Cleopatra’s Needles in Paris, London and New York. A Manx cat is tail-less – so CA[t]=”Manx cat”, around LEOPAR[d]=”Manx cat”, which is itself around [ca]T.
16 Quiet thus, vacuum won’t start (8)
SOOTHING
=”Quiet”. SO=”thus”, plus [n]OTHING=”vacuum won’t start”
17 Eating heartily, scoff as setter, perhaps? (8)
JEWELLER
=”setter, perhaps” – setting is the attachment of gemstones to jewellery. JEER=”scoff”, around WELL=”heartily”.
19,6 Facial feature two inches out? (6,4)
DOUBLE CHIN
=”Facial feature”. DOUBLE plus (inch)*, so “two inches out”
20 Probing of Milibands by computers, censored (6)
EDITED
=”censored”. ED and ED =”Milibands”, around IT=”computers”
23 Confess that was painful joke (not written down) (3,2)
OWN UP
=”Confess”. OW=”that was painful”, plus rev(PUN)=”joke (not written down)”
24 Sweet ass (4)
FOOL
=”Sweet” as in the dessert; =”ass”
Thanks, manehi. Not one of Paul’s hardest, as you say, but some really inventive clueing. I liked UP TO NO GOOD, DOUBLE CHIN and DAD DANCING in particular. Also liked the subtlety in 27ac, since a ‘silverback’ is of course a variety of gorilla, known for its silvery coat.
Excellent puzzle, thanks to Paul. (And for those that haven’t seen it yet, on the Guardian crossword page there’s an article by Alan Connor featuring Paul giving a really interesting and thoughtful talk on cryptics to 4,000 people in the Royal Albert Hall.)
Another Paul puzzle I mostly enjoyed. I particularly enjoyed 1 and 12a and 15 and 17d. Not so impressed with 1, 5 and 20d: the first two rather too obvious and the third repeating Ed for Milibands.
Thanks, manehi.
I agree that it’s not Paul at his hardest but there are some super clues: DAD DANCING, UP TO NO GOOD, OUT OF ORDER, DOUBLE CHIN, CLEOPATRA [I’ve seen the ‘needlewoman’ before but this was a lovely construction] – and, sorry, George, I rather liked ED ED for Milibands!
Yes, [thanks, K’s D] do have a look at / listen to Paul’s article / talk. He really is very engaging – and look at that tie!
Many thanks for all of it, Paul.
Thanks manehi. I liked the way the answers jumped out playfully and unexpectedly, like a kids’ garden game, and often. Favorites were DANCING DAD and JEWELLER. Thanks Paul.
Thanks, manehi.
Splendid crossword from Paul, with some wonderful clues. Not one, but two reverse clues: 11a and 19,6; that was bound to endear me to the puzzle.
Other favourites were BOUNCER, GLUM and CLEOPATRA. I think George Clements is being a bit churlish about IN CONCERT – not difficult, to be sure, but a beautifully succinct clue with a seamless surface.
I arrived in Verona in May to find that 18a were playing in the Arena and the city was full of ragazzine wearing appropriate merchandise. A pop sensation, indeed, I’m afraid.
Hello Eileen and Gervase
My quibble about 20d is that Ed is only one Miliband appearing twice. I also feel that using Miliband or Leader to clue ‘Ed’ is becoming rather hackneyed. (I have thought of a very Pauline clue for ‘edited’ using Miliband’s Shadow Cabinet colleague for the ‘Ed’s but that is probably best kept to myself).
I did not wish to be churlish, Gervase, it’s just the way ‘in concert’ struck me as I solved the puzzle. You are quite right, of course, it is a very concise and skilful clue.
Thanks, manehi. I agree that this was one of Paul’s easier puzzles, but it was such good fun and so entertaining! DOUBLE CHIN solved itself in the back of my head and from then on it things continued to fall into place nicely. DAD DANCING was my favourite — lovely clue 🙂 I thought the puzzle had a lovely light touch.
DAD DANCING. Something even bootikins can dig.
superb – puzzle of the day by a long way. It would take me too long to list all my favourite clues
Thanks to Paul and Manehi.
If (like me) you are having trouble finding the talk by Paul, try http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2013/nov/04/crossword-blog-paul-hall-guardian-setter, or youtube at http://youtu.be/IA7Zz8W_Loc
Thanks to Paul & manehi.
I see that DAD DANCING is a ‘new word’ added to the Oxford Dictionaries in August 2013.
I particularly liked the Silverback and the JEWELLER. Disappointed to see ONE DIRECTION given a plug. ðŸ™
Thanks Paul and manehi
I had no idea about the “political opponents” in 5ac, and, having seen who they were, I’m not surprised I had difficulty – very far from obvious!
I found the SW rather difficult, so this took me much longer than usual.
Wot, no theme? Completed and enjoyed this one with a few giggles along the way due to the clever clues. Particularly liked GORILLA and UP TO NO GOOD. On the subject of One Direction et al: If a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one to hear it, is that the perfect place for a One D. concert?
Can one direction actually play a concert or just play a synthesised sound and mime and dance on stage? 🙂 possibly my fastest ever guardian solve. Liked silver back for the clever self referential.
Thanks all
I did not find this as easy as many of you. Like muffin this was due entirely to the SW corner (esp,16d &17d,21ac).
Favourites were 11ac, 15 d.
I agree that this was relatively easy for a Paul but a very enjoyable solve nonetheless.
DAD DANCING in particular was excellent, and the clue for JEWELLER was both very good and my LOI.
Quite a few beauties here I thought.
I got stuck in the SW. Eventually got TIER but had to look at “all possible” list to pick out JEWELLER as LOI.
Paul’s becoming one of my favourite stters.
Thanks one and all.
Another fine Paul puzzle.
I didn’t find it particularly easy like some on here. I was also held up in the SW corner. It took me ages to see jeweller although I’d long decided that “heartily” must be “well”.
Anyway an enjoyable solve for me with no complaints.
Thanks to manehi and Paul
This is in no way a complaint, just a remark as to preference, but there are two devices, which I think should be used sparingly (as Paul did here): “detailed” indicating (sometimes) that a part only of a word is used (because, depending on the length of the word, it can mean almost anything); and ellipsis, linking two clues. I don’t mind if there’s a substantive reason for doing it, but when it’s only to hide the fact that each clue is not a complete linguistic structure, I think it’s a bit of a charmless time-waster.