Those who like Rufus’s puzzles will like this one, with its witty double and cryptic definitions and silky-smooth surfaces – and those who don’t probably won’t! Many thanks, Rufus, for lightening up a very dull morning!
Across
1 See jazz group going round Asian capital (7)
COLOMBO
COMBO [jazz group] round LO [see]
5 Very involved psychological state (7)
COMPLEX
Double definition
10 Elizabeth, a superior lady deserted by a sailor (4)
BESS
[ab]BESS [Mother Superior] minus ab [sailor]
11 A chief constable’s ultimate deterrent? (3,2,5)
USE OF FORCE
Double / cryptic definition
12 Describing Jill when cut off by Edward? (6)
JILTED
JIL[l] + TED
13 Production of Lear? Don’t believe it! (8)
NONSENSE
Reference to the nonsense verse of Edward Lear, rather than the Shakespearean tragedy – did anyone else look for an anagram of LEAR DONT?
14 Wild-eyed satyr of very recent history (9)
YESTERDAY
Anagram [wild] of EYED SATYR
16 The end is nigh! (5)
CLOSE
Double definition
17 Some found nervously lying in a cunning way (5)
SLYLY
Hidden in nervouSLY LYing
19 Type of joint that may be found worldwide (9)
UNIVERSAL
Double definition
23 Language master demands Latin, initially and using it in translation! (8)
LINGUIST
L [Latin initially] + anagram [in translation] of USING IT
24 Hidden firm backing religious system (6)
OCCULT
Reversal [backing] of CO [firm] + CULT [religious system]
26 Collar or another part of the shirt? (10)
BUTTONHOLE
Double definition
27 Spot for parking inside, yes? Possibly (4)
ESPY
P [parking] inside anagram [possibly] of YES
28 It comes last, locked in reverse (7)
DESSERT
Reversal of TRESSED [‘locked’]
29 A living wage? (7)
STIPEND
Cryptic definition – the payment received by the clergy from their benefice [living]
Down
2 Former head of English entered punctually (3-4)
ONE-TIME
E [head of English] in ON TIME [punctually]
3 Ready to start acting from the beginning (5)
ONSET
ON SET [ready to start acting]
4 Slip in a pound raised subject to control (7)
BLUNDER
Reversal [raised] of LB [a pound] + UNDER [subject to control]
6 Insult by leaving a tip (6)
OFFEND
OFF [leaving] + END [tip]
7 Jack’s screwdriver? (9)
PROPELLER
Cryptic definition – and a second nautical reference, as we often get from Rufus
8 Cuts taxes (7)
EXCISES
Double definition – like 16ac, this clue is not exactly new but they’re worthy of a 9dn, for newer solvers who may not have seen them before
9 New life for an incinerator that’s recycled (13)
REINCARNATION
Clever anagram of AN INCINERATOR
15 It’s not for nothing you pass through them (4,5)
TOLL GATES
Cryptic definition
18 The Parisian is on river for relaxation (7)
LEISURE
LE [the Parisian] + IS + URE, the Wensleydale river
20 Wild flower absorbs nitrogen (7)
VIOLENT
VIOLET [flower] round N [nitrogen]
21 Explain about what keeps a wheel on (4-3)
AXLE-PIN
Anagram [about] of EXPLAIN
22 Meal inside the German hotel (6)
DINNER
INN [hotel] in DER [the German]
25 Penny each, perhaps? (5)
CHEAP
Anagram [perhaps] of P [penny] + EACH – a nice &lit to end with
Thanks Eileen and Rufus
First-class Rufus, I thought, and not particularly easy either – the NE was very slow to fall into place (I did find a number of anagrams of “lear dont”, but none of them made sense!)
Lots of really pleasing clues. Favourites were STIPEND, DESSERT, PROPELLER and VIOLENT.
Thanks, Eileen. As you say, if you like Rufus you’ll like this. I liked in particular the intersecting COLOMBO and ONSET. DESSERT was clever, but it took me ages to see it because of the less than 50% crossing letters pattern.
Pleasing stuff – thank you to the setter.
Thanks to Rufus for a confidence-boosting work-out after a dispiriting slog to solve the Prize (which I only completed by cheating).
Thanks Eileen for the blog. I was indeed not familiar with 16ac or 8d. My favourite today was 26ac as I went through all the parts of a shirt that I could think of before finally getting to BUTTONHOLE.
Thanks Eileen and Rufus
As George says, a soothing balm after the bruising frustrations of the weekend toughie, part of which still lies ahead.
Thanks, Eileen.
Managed this one without too much difficulty (unlike some Rufuses!). Last in was DESSERT (K’s D, q.v.). Favourite was CLOSE: Rufus is particularly skilled at using well-known phrases or sayings as clever crossword clues.
A fairly gentle start to the week. I found the NE corner the hardest. For a while I had ..MANIA pencilled in at 5. Nice bit of misdirection at 13 – like muffin@1, I tried anagrams of ‘lear dont’ before the penny dropped. Thanks, Rufus and Eileen.
I also found the NE corner the most challenging, and I still don’t fully understand the clue for ‘propeller’. I generally enjoy Rufus puzzles, and I did this one too, but I did not think it one of his best.
George Clements @7
Separate “screwdriver” into “screw” and “driver”. A sailor’s “screw” is a boat’s “propeller” (not strictly the same, but close enough for a crossword), and a “driver” could be a “propeller” more generally.
Generally good Rufus; like some of the others I got a bit stuck on the NE corner.
Thanks Eileen; I was another seeker of LEAR DON’T anagrams – to no avail!
I liked the Jack’s screwdriver (I looked in vain for a technical word for a jack handle š ) and the lovely anagram for REINCARNATION.
Thanks all
A welcome Monday with a little more edge to it particularly (as mentioned above) the NE corner.
I thought 29acwas barely cryptic but otherwise fine.
I also found the NE the trickiest to solve. NONSENSE was my LOI, and yes, I had also been looking for an anagram of “Lear Don’t” until the checkers made it impossible.
George, tupu agreed re prize puzzle. I have had the unique experience of starting it on Saturday, completing Azed on Sunday, returning to the prize today and still not completed it!
Thanks to Eileen for the blog.
I am another (LEAR DONT)*
On 10a I tried all sorts of superior lady like duchess, countess, princess etc. but it took me an age to find the correct lady š
Looks like quite a few of us stared uselessly at LEAR DON’T.
Ya’d all guess who it was going to be if someone was going to be different, so I shan’t dissappoint, I struggled with the NW corner!
I like Rufus, and I like this. Thanks to Eileen and Robi for the parsing of PROPELLER, my COD was STIPEND. Nice start to the week. LOI was COLUMBO – that NW corner again!
Thanks Saran, but I think it was muffy @8 who parsed PROPELLER.
#muffin @8
Many thanks for your response. Honestly, I had looked at the clue in the way you describe, but it seemed pretty weak to me and I felt there must be something more to it that I had missed. As I said before, I enjoy Rufus puzzles and it seems to me that he often provides clues that are somewhat ‘iffy’ but do allow you to get the answer. For example, the clue for ‘dessert’ lacks a proper definition, but the combination of wordplay and checked letters makes the answer readily attainable.
George @ 17
I really loved the playfulness of DESSERTS – “locked” = “tressed” indeed! I agree that sometimes Rufus is much too loose, but this crossword I thought was generally very entertaining, with a lot of humorous touches.
Thanks all: most has been said, but it was the SE where I ground to a halt. This happens quite often, and once done I wonder why.
Well I actually found this less “Rufusian” than normal. There appeared to be fewer DDs and CDs than normal and no clues with more than one answer!
Quite pleasant but still too easy. (Started at 7:35 and still had time to empty the washing machine, get a beer and see to the dog before watching Uni Challenge with the puzzle done)
I cant see how 11A can be a DD? Definitely a Rufus CD but how a DD? What am I missing?
Thanks to Eileen and Rufus.
I thought we weren;t allowed to talk about the Prize until next Saturday? (But it wasn’t that hard surely. Whoooops š )
Brendan @ 20
11a was one of my last ones in, and the least satisfactory in the puzzle, I thought, but it is (just) a DD – a Chief Constable has “use of (police) force”, and “use of force” is the ultimate (?) deterrent?
Thanks Muffin.
You’re saying the “A chief constable has” is a definition for “use of force” !!?? If this is true then it is also the definition for about a million other things. (i.e. anything else a chief constable might have!) Plus the grammar is wrong. (but it is Rufus)
I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. I’ll stick with the slightly dodgy CD.
Hi muffin and Brendan
I originally had 11ac as a double definition, with the two meanings of ‘force’. As soon as I’d posted the blog, and before anyone had commented, Gaufrid suggested to me that it was, rather, a cryptic definition. I decided to compromise, calling it both, and waiting to see what other commenters thought. It seems opinions are divided – and I’m still not sure!
Hi brendan and Eileen
I wasn’t very happy with my interpretation – I thought it was the weakest clue in the puzzle (and was responsible for delaying my solution!)
In fact, as BLUNDER was my LOI,I has ??e OF FORCE pencilled in for quite some time before I decided on the last two letters.
had, not has
My final comment on this DD/CD
I think the confusion is the “double meaning” which is in the solution. The force could be either the chief constable’s own aggressive action or the actions of the policemen under his command.
I think that makes this a CD. For a DD the two meaning definitions should be in the clue. (I think so anyway)
Agree CD, but why isn’t it Yoda’s ultimate deterrent? That would at least be more hip.
Thank you, Eileen. 11ac was my LOI, because I had initially entered BLADDER at 4d – as something subject to control! – which led me to try ACE OF CLUBS for 11ac, resulting in a very sluggish NE corner indeed.
After a few years away (and a move to the Pacific coast from the U.S. Midwest that puts me even further behind GMT than I was before), I have recently returned to solving and lurking. My skills are a bit rusty (see above), and it has been a challenge learning the styles of some of the newer Guardian setters, but it is nice to see that Rufus is still, well, Rufus. And even nicer to see so many familiar names commenting here. Thanks to you all.
another enjoyable crossword from reliable rufus. if only they were more frequent.
Welcome back, dagnabit – hope to hear more from you!
Shaar @30
God forbid. Rufus is already the most frequent setter by a long chalk!
The last time I checked (2011 excluding Prize puzzles) the figures were as follows:
Compiler #Puzzles Percentage
Arachne 11 4.23%
Araucaria 28 10.77%
Biggles 1 0.38%
Boatman 7 2.69%
Bonxie 9 3.46%
Brendan 17 6.54%
Brummie 11 4.23%
Chifonie 15 5.77%
Crucible 7 2.69%
Enigmatist 3 1.15%
Gordius 22 8.46%
Logodaedalus 2 0.77%
Orlando 18 6.92%
Pasquale 10 3.85%
Paul 29 11.15%
Philistine 4 1.54%
Puck 10 3.85%
Quantum 2 0.77%
Rover 1 0.38%
Rufus 43 16.54%
Shed 4 1.54%
Tramp 6 2.31%
Remember that he’s a bit “marmite” a lot of people like him but a lot of people also hate him!
Brendan
I promised myself not to get embroiled any more in the ‘too easy’ Rufus debate, but I must take issue with your latest comment.
‘Hate’ is a rather strong word, especially when directed against the setter rather than his puzzles [and when you have yourself described the puzzle as ‘quite pleasant’] and quite uncalled-for, I think.
I haven’t time to do a detailed analysis of the blog of yesterday’s puzzle but I can’t see a significant percentage of adverse comments to justify your claim!
Footnote to Brendan (not that one)’s figures: excluding the Prizes means excluding a sixth of the Guardian cryptics, and Rufus sets none of them at all.
I’m glad to see Alan Connor chose a Rufus clue “Two Girls, One on Each Knee (7)” as the title of his new book on crosswords – a classic clue from a setter who’s come up with far more than his fair share of them.
Uncharacteristically correct part of speech for a Guardian clue there, Herb: ‘Boy and girl found on each knee?’ would be more usual, and so more comforting.
Eileen @33
I have just found your comment and I am yet again surprised by your persistence in misrepresenting “negative Rufus” comments.
“Hate” is obviously a reference to the referenced Marmite advertisement. This is also, again obviously in this sense:
SOED
hate he?t ? verb trans. OE.
…….
2 In weakened sense: have a (strong) distaste for, be unable to endure. Freq. foll. by to do, doing. ME.
T. Hardy Stephen’s wife hated the sea and couldn’t bear the thought of going into a boat. G. B. Shaw Don’t you hate people who have no character ? W. S. Maugham You know how I hate to interfere in other people’s business. G. Vidal I hate being called by my first name by strangers.
My comments, and others, are obviously aimed at the crosswords and not the setter. I have never met him and probably never will although I’m sure he is a “nice chap”.
Please stop trying to make my comments, and those of others, into something they aren’t.
Just for the record I genuinely sigh every time I see that today’s crossword is a “Rufus” and I genuinely believe that he is overrepresented. His style, in my opinion, is dated and too dependent on CDs and DDs.
Herb @34
I only put the “excluding Prize” rider in my post for the sake of accuracy. Of course, most people know that a Rufus is never chosen for a prize for reasons which are, in my opinion, obvious. If I hadn’t stated my sample population I might have been accused of misrepresenting the percentages.
1 across: Has no-one noticed that the capital of Sri Lanka is now Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte?