It looks as if, the way these things turn out, this is the first of Arachne’s puzzles that I’ve written the blog post for since April 2011, which is a great shame. This was a lot of fun to solve, full of wit and inventive clueing as you’d expect. The rubric read:
In honour of an 85th birthday
This turned out to be Stephen Sondheim, who was born on March the 22nd 1930. I don’t know his work very well, I’m afraid, so I may have missed some references below, but I’ve put in Wikipedia links to his works where I’ve noticed them – even just considering those I know, they’re impressively dense. My favourite clue was 19a, closely followed by 3d.
Across
9. Refusal to accept our menu turned out for the best (6,3)
NUMERO UNO
NO = “Refusal” around (OUR MENU)*
Definition: “the best”
10. Edgy psychodrama about free spirit (5)
GYPSY
Hidden in “[Ed]GY PSY[chodrama]”
Definition: “free spirit”
11,23down. Perverse desire harboured by fragrant, funny Fleet Street fiend (7,4)
SWEENEY TODD
YEN = “desire” reversed (not sure about “Perverse” to indicate reversal) in SWEET = “fragrant” + ODD = “funny”
Definition: “Fleet Street fiend”
12. Strong feeling I don’t know nothing, stopping at home (7)
PASSION
PASS = “I don’t know” + O = “nothing” in IN = “at home”
Definition: “Strong feeling”
13. Extremely habitable address for Maria and Chuck (5)
HEAVE
HE = H[abitabl]E = “Extremely habitable” + AVE = “address for Maria” (as in “Ave Maria”) (“Maria” might be a reference to one of the protagonists of “West Side Story”.)
Definition: “Chuck”
14. Leaves limits, l-l-l-leaving husband (4,5)
TREE LINES
“l-l-l” would be THREE LINES, which gives TREE LINES with H = “husband” leaving
Definition: “Leaves limits”
16. Girl on stage reinterpreting hedonism for musical 9 (7,8)
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
HEN = “Girl” after STEP = “stage” followed by (HEDONISM)*
Definition: “musical [NUMERO UNO]”
19. Two idiots stripped Mini’s bumpers off (9)
ASSASSINS
ASS + ASS = “Two idiots” followed by [m]IN[i] = “stripped Mini” followed by S from the apostrophe-S
Definition: “bumpers off” – Lovely! i.e. those who bump people off
21. Flashback to accident provided that recurrent theme (5)
MOTIF
MO = “Flash” (as in “in a flash” / “in a mo”) + [acciden]T = “back to accident” + IF = “provided”
Definition: “recurrent theme”
22. Old female from West Side Story beginning to sing in revue (7)
FOLLIES
O = “Old” + F = “female” reversed (“from West” – although isn’t “from West” the normal reading direction?) + L (“left”) = “Side” + LIE = “Story” + S[ing] = “beginning to sing” (Lovely to have West Side Story, which Sondheim wrote the lyrics for, in this clue for Follies, one of his musicals.)
Definition: “revue”
23. Monkey taunting Martian (7)
TAMARIN
(MARTIAN)*
Definition: “Monkey”
24. Side by side in central Ongar (5)
ALONG (possibly a reference to Merrily We Roll Along?)
Hidden in “[centr]AL ONG[ar]”
Definition: “Side by side”
25. Conservative getting on train (3,6)
OLD SCHOOL
OLD = “getting on” + SCHOOL = “train” (both as verbs)
Definition: “Conservative”
Down
1. 16’s response to theatre administration? (10)
ANESTHESIA
Cryptic definition: I think this is just that ANESTHESIA would be administered in an (operating) theatre, and Sondheim being American would have spelled it like that
2. Current strength of a member, eager to perform (8)
AMPERAGE
A + MP = “member” + (EAGER)*
Definition: “Current strength”
3. Record, including A Little Night Music, for clubbers (6)
TRANCE
TRACE = “Record” around N[ight] = “A Little Night”. (“A Little Night Music” is another Sondheim musical.)
Definition: “Music, for clubbers” (very nice!)
4. Garland head of Johanna (with Purdey cut, oddly) (4)
JUDY
J[ohanna] = “head of Johanna” + [p]U[r]D[e]Y = “Purdey cut, oddly”. (Johanna is a character in “Sweeney Todd”.)
Definition: “Garland” (I think this needs a question mark, personally)
5. Success seldom condemned in United States (10)
COUPLEDOMS
COUP = “Success” + (SELDOM)*
Definition: “United States” – being a couple is a “united state”
6. Regularly engages fat ladies, half-cut, for lunch? (3,5)
EGG SALAD
EGG SA = E[n]G[a]G[e]S[f]A[t] = “Regularly engages fat” followed by LAD[ies] = “ladies, half-cut”
Definition: “for lunch?”
7. Italian way of acclaiming Pacific Overtures — not entirely quietly! (6)
APPIAN
AP = A[cclaiming] P[acific] = “acclaiming Pacific Overtures” followed by PIAN[o] = “not entirefly quietly” (“Pacific Overtures” is another Sondheim musical)
Definition: “Italian way”
8. Fourth letter leaving Maidenhead for Jerusalem? (4)
HYMN
HYMEN = “Maidenhead” without its fourth letter
Definition: “Jerusalem?”
14. Protector of the legend of Venus? (6,4)
TENNIS SHOE
Cryptic definition: “Venus” is Venus Williams, and read “legend” as “leg end”
15. Round, short granny in tattered flimsies (10)
SEMIFINALS
NA[n] = “short granny” in (FLIMSIES)*
Definition: “Round” (a round of a tournament)
17. Plan hit snags in town by the sea (8)
HASTINGS
(HIT SNAGS)*
Definition: “town by the sea”
18. Superficial and needing no introduction, next queen tours city (8)
EXTERIOR
[n]EXT “needing no introduction, next” + ER = “queen” around RIO = “city”
Definition: “Superficial”
20. Now finally bolting down pasty (6)
SALLOW
SWALLOW = “down” (as in “to down a drink”) without [no]W = “now finally”
Definition: “pasty”
21. Musical Bohemian knocking stuffing out of colourless imitators (6)
MIMICS
MIMI = “Musical Bohemian” (Mimi is a character in La Boheme) followed by C[olourles]S = “knocking stuffing out of colourless”
Definition: “imitators”
22. Fight ever after for absent love (4)
FRAY
AY = “ever” after F[o]R = “for” without O = “love”
Definition: “Fight”
Thanks Arachne and mhl for a great crossword and blog respectively!! I thought it was the variety of clues that made this crossword so enjoyable. My favourite was possibly 14d although 14a runs it close. However, if this were not set by everyone’s favourite compiler, I fear there would be howls of anguish at 1d and perhaps 22a. Am I correct in thinking this is the spider-woman’s first Prize?
Thanks for the blog; there were several here that I entered but were not confident on parsing.
You missed Passion.
Sondheim is a favorite of mine (and of most musical-theater geeks). Once Sweeney Todd went in, the theme was obvious, and it was a romp trying to look for Sondheim references.
Sadly missing were any reference to Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Oh, also, there’s a possible reference in 24 ac to the revue Side by Side by Sondheim, whose title derives from song “Side by Side by Side,” which is from the musical Company.
Sorry for the triple post: it looks like my Passion link is broken: Passion.
And I’d meant to mention that back in the days before he became famous, Sondheim moonlighted as a crossword setter! This article has links to some of Sondheim’s puzzles that appeared in New York Magazine.
Thanks mhl. Like mrpenney but without his knowledge I got the theme early via the Fleet Street fiend, and cracked along. One look-up, for the 22A revue, then a slow slog to the finish: COUPLEDOMS. That clue, and the two before it (both 14s) were pretty abstruse, but the whole thing was rewarding, so well done Arachne.
Thanks to Arachne and mhl. Great memories! The first book of cryptics that I purchased was
that referenced by mrpenney. That was about 1980 and it got me hooked on cryptics. Still enjoy
battling the setters.
Cheers…
Thanks mhl for an enlightening blog. There was much to enjoy here but it left me underwhelmed overall: 5, and 14a stumped me completely. I know Stephen Sondheim is meant to be one of those people one admires unreservedly, but my aversion to musical theatre means Sondheim, and anything associated with him, will be of limited appeal to me. Sorry Arachne!
This was a genuine treat, full of wit and invention, but totally fair to those of us whose knowledge of the theme is limited. My last three in were TENNIS SHOE, COUPLEDOMS and TREE LINES – these three took me longer than the rest of the puzzle, but were very clever – liked the SOMDHEIM anagram too. Thanks for the parsing of SALLOW, which I failed to spot.
Thanks to Arachne and mhl
I was quite looking forward to this first prize puzzle set by a woman. Especially as this woman was Arachne.
However at first I was concerned that Arachne had somehow been “dumbed dowm” as the likes of 10a, 12a, 13a etc flew in!!!
Luckily, however, this did not continue for the whole puzzle as things became a little more challenging and entertaining.
I did notice that the puzzle was themed around Sondheim, which was obvious, although none of his works which apparently were appearing as answers were known to me. Luckily they were clued to be solvable without such knowledge. (His work is of course only suitable for lifts and large hotel bars neither of which I regularly frequent. Of course this is only my opinion which is notoriously worthless 😉 )
Coltranesax @1 makes a valid comment about 1d. I assumed that ANESTHESESIA ws the title of some plinky plonk that the “great man” had composed. If it’s not and we’ve not missed something then it is pretty poor.
The 2 gems 14 a & d were superb making this an excellent debut on Saturady for Arachne. Long may she continue.
Thanks to mhl and Arachne
Very many thanks Arachne & mhl.
This was very enjoyable and fell easily into place once Stephen Sondheim was unmasked.
I took my daughters to see ‘West Side Story’ on stage recently. It has worn well.
ANESTHESIA is not administered in a (US) theatre, anesthetic is. Anesthesia is the response to having anesthetic administered.
Thanks for a great blog, mhl.
What a treat! – worth the long wait for an Arachne Prize. I have nothing to add to the words of praise for this puzzle and I can’t pick out a favourite clue.
I interpreted 1dn in the familiar crossword way: 16 and ANESTHESIA are both ‘numbers’ – but I take the point about the American spelling, so you’re probably right.
Many thanks to Arachne for a load of fun.
Since I failed to complete this (5, 14a and 14d missed) my comments will doubtless be taken as sour grapes. So I’ll just say that I didn’t enjoy this puzzle very much.
I meant to say that I thought ‘perverse’ was an excellent reversal indicator. Collins: ‘wayward or contrary… [from Latin perversus – turned the wrong way].
I really enjoyed this but got completely stuck on TREE LINES and TENNIS SHOE – stared at the the clues for hours, to no avail. Many thanks to Arachne and mhl.
Thanks all
Good to see Arachne rather than further Paulian on Saturday.
I enjoyed 7 d and 19 ac but especially 16 ac.
I did not parse follies or 14 ac.
Thanks Arachne and mhl
I didn’t think this was up to Arachne’s usual standard – not as many smiles as usual (though TENNIS SHOE raised a big one!)
I don’t see how the state of “coupledom” can be pluralised (horrible word anyway).”Couples” can be plural, of course, but all couples are in a state of coupledom, not states of coupledoms, surely?
As coltranesax @ 1 says, Arachne is everyone’s favourite setter and I whole-heartedly concur with “everyone”. I wouldn’t have recognised this as Arachne though, because her cryptic grammar is usually strict and this puzzle seems rather more liberal. If it weren’t for the by-line I would have sworn this was Philistine.
In particular, I liked “l-l-l” for THREE LINES but was bothered by the missing apostrophe in “Leaves’ limits”. Ignorable punctuation is one thing but insertable punctuation is, in my opinion, taking things too far. I was also taken by surprise with the separation of “legend” and use of “bolting down” to mean “bolting [from] down”, even though they’re fair enough in retrospect.
22d was my favourite – nice and simple, but it still took me two days to see it. Thanks to Arachne and mhl.
I had some problems with this despite getting the Sondheim link early on.
I didn’t manage to finish it, not helped by entering PENCIL CASE for 14dn. (I was remembering the Venus pencil of my youth)
For 18dn I had “External” = (next) + ER + LA (tours city). I thought the answer would have to be an adjective but, on reflection, I suppose exterior just about passes muster??
And another minor grumble – I wasn’t happy about entering what I regarded as a mis-spelling for 1dn. It might have helped to spell “theatre” as “theater”
Well, Arachne’s OK but I wouldn’t say she was my favourite setter. This, too, was OK. SWEENEY TODD went in quite quickly which gave the theme but,as others have said, a number of others were by no means easy- TREE LINES gave me a lot of trouble but made me smile when I eventually got it. I liked HYMEN and TENNIS SHOE as well. LOI was COUPLEDOMS.
Thanks Arachne.
Upon yet more reflection, I withdraw my comment @ 19 about using “exterior” as an adjective.
I enjoyed this on the whole – it was tough but inventive – but failed to get TREE LINES or COUPLEDOMS. Having seen the answers, I’m amazed anyone did get them, particularly the latter.
There’s hard, and there’s virtually impossible, and I thought these two strayed over the line!
Thanks Arachne, super puzzle!
Thanks mhl, I had to use Google to check on the Sondheim musicals. Eileen @14, you might also like ‘preposterous’ as a reversal indicator that I have had occasion to use.
I really liked Venus’s shoe and the three lines. Perhaps in some parts of Ireland, they do say it as ‘tree lines?’
In 10ac, why does “about” mean hidden in ?
Much thanks Arachne and mhl
I agree with Eileen that ‘perverse’ is a suitable reversal indicator – and moreover I do not think that there would be any outcry at using ‘perverse’ as an anagrind, and what is a reversal but a particular example of an anagram?
I see another Sondheim reference, albeit an oblique one, in 6D, to the song “The Ladies who Lunch” from Company (“I’ll drink to that”).
What I mean is, what part of 10ac says that the answer lies within the first two words ?
I’ll point out (since no-one has mentioned it) that Sondheim himself is a fan of the cryptic crossword. See http://nymag.com/arts/all/features/46798/
It would be nice to think that he solved this particular puzzle on his birthday.
Fantastic puzzle- no surprise from Spider lady
And thanks for blog- I didnt parse “tree lines” at the time. Very sneaky.
poc @27: Indeed. My link up at 4 is to some of Sondheim’s own cryptics.
And Neil @ 26: think of “about” meaning “lying all around.” Many of Sondheim’s shows can be described as edgy psychodramas, but Gypsy certainly isn’t one of them!
Lastly, Brendan @9: Sondheim has always struck me as basically the unholy love child of Cole Porter and Arnold Schoenberg. He’s great when he’s a lot like the former–and a little hard to take when he exhibits his tendencies towards the latter. The famous joke about Wagner–“it’s better than it sounds”–is just as funny, and just as true, about the more abstruse Sondheim stuff.
I will take it from the deafening silence to my questions @24 and 26 and the fact that people are usually very quick to comment when they know the answers to queries that there is no answer and that therefore there is a mistake in 10ac.
Of course, the more likely scenario is that the answer is so obvious that everyone is thinking “who is this idiot”.
Since discovering this site by accident last year whilst recovering from an appendectomy, my understanding of the intricacies of the cryptic crossword has come on leaps and bounds; thank you for all your comments which means that I no longer pull my jumper over my head and run around the house screaming with joy when I complete a Paul. It is becoming less rare because of you all.
Thanks mrpenny. My comment was obviously going to cross with an answer. As I thought, it was the “idiot” reason !
Thanks Arachne and mhl.
I really enjoyed this, but found it very hard and had to wait for the help of the check button.
There is the song, 17d, ‘By the SEA’ from SWEENEY TODD, also wonder about ‘pasty’, 20d!
Very tired after grappling with puzzle, please excuse feeble comment, Captch five – 5 = ?
Having read the official annotated solution on the Guardian web site, I’m totally confused by 20d. Does anyone know whether those parsings are provided by the setters? The one for 20d:
“sallow (business)S/A/L(arge)/LOW”
seems to me to bear no relationship to either the one given here or (more worryingly) the published clue. Am I missing something?
[jennyk, that is one of the reasons I am so tired, I took it to be ‘now finally bolting’ i.e. the W bolting.]
jennyk @33; I think the clue for 20d must have been changed, and the annotation not updated.
Thanks, robi @35. It’s good to know I wasn’t just missing something which was obvious to everyone else.
BTW, for 22a, I agree with mhl that “from West” doesn’t seem to indicate reversal, so I took “West Side” as indicating “left” (as on maps with N at the top). That didn’t leave any indicator for the O F reversal though, as far as I can see.
22a, OF coming from the West would mean the F arriving first, thus giving FO.
Thanks again Arachne, I did like the two ASSASSINS and Venus’s TENNIS SHOE.
mrpenney and poc: a thousand blessings on your heads for providing these links. I’ve been telling my American friends about the 1968 article for years, and even mentioned it in the Guardian comments a couple of times. When I started solving the British cryptics in New York magazine in the late 1970’s (originally reprinted from the Times; they later switched to the Guardian, they offered, for a SASE, tips on how to solve cryptics. I sent a request and received what I guess is the 4/8/68 article. Though I saved it, it was misplaced ages ago. I am so glad to have it again and have just sent it to several people.
A very inventive puzzle – many thanks Arachne for such a tough but enjoyable solve. We knew very little about the theme so had to google to find all the related answers when we had finished!
So pleased also that we came here too – thanks to mhi and all the commenters.
“Music for clubbers”= TRANCE (3 down)? Why. Everyone else seems to understand it, why not me?
keith thomas @ 40
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance_music
hth
Arachne for PM.