Guardian 26,533 by Paul

by

Lovely stuff from Paul, and a couple of new words that went in confidently enough at the end. Favourite 19dn.

Across
1 MACADAM
Road surface touched a river from behind (7)

=”Road surface” made of small broken stones. MAD=”touched”=mentally unsound, plus A, plus CAM=”river”, all reversed (“from behind”)
5 MALEFIC
False claim about electoral fraud starts to get nasty (7)

=”nasty”. (claim)*, around E[lectoral] F[raud]
9 GREASY SPOON
See 20
10 MONOCEROS
Horny stars in movies, or economists looking back? (9)

=”Horny”, a unicorn. Hidden, reversed (“[stars] in… looking back”) inside “movieS OR ECONOMists”
11 SCAREDY-CAT
A mouse of a pussy? (7-3)

“mouse” and “pussy” can both mean ‘coward’.
12 OSLO
Freezing temperature thus encapsulating capital, ultimately, in European city (4)

=”European city”. O=zero=”Freezing temperature”, plus SO=”thus”, around [capita]L
14 CHIANTISHIRE
Greek character with enemies to take on in Tuscany (12)

a facetious name for a part of Tuscany supposedly full of affluent British tourists. CHI=”Greek character”, plus ANTIS=”enemies”, plus HIRE=”take on”
18 PROBATIONARY
Reformed Tory a pain around nick, describing testing on release (12)

=”describing testing on release”. (Tory a pain)* around ROB=”nick”=steal
21 COCK
Mistake not getting up for early bird? (4)

=”early bird”. COCK-up would =”Mistake”, but it’s not getting up
22 MAIDENHAIR
Fern — girl getting shock (10)

=”Fern”. MAIDEN=”girl”, and “shock” can mean a large mass of HAIR
25 BOSTONIAN
European’s taken to US citizen (9)

=”US citizen”. BOSNIAN=”European”, taking TO inside
26 MAFIA
A car endlessly following leader of monstrous criminal organisation (5)

=”criminal organisation”. A FIA[t]=”A car endlessly”, following M[onstrous]
27 RUNCORN
Escape cheese in Cheshire town (7)

=”Cheshire town”. RUN=”Escape” plus CORN=”cheese”=something banal/sentimental
28 MERCURY
Happy to describe copper as metal (7)

=”metal”. MERRY=”Happy”, around CU=the chemical symbol for “copper”
Down
1 MISUSE
Wrong application is filed by brood (6)

=”Wrong application”. IS, filed inside MUSE=”brood”
2 CHORAL
In the pink, Beethoven’s Fifth his ultimate symphony? (6)

Beethoven’s final symphony is known as the CHORAL. CORAL=”pink”, with [Beet]H[ooven]’s fifth letter inside it
3 DUNDERHEAD
Unconscious chap in parent, wally (10)

=”wally”. UNDER=”Unconscious” plus HE=”chap”, both inside DAD=”parent”
4 MUMMY
Preserved body, something to keep well! (5)

=”Preserved body”. MUM=”something to keep”, as one can ‘keep MUM’; plus MY=”well”, interjections expressing surprise
5 MANHATTAN
Hand on lid on brown cocktail (9)

=”cocktail”. MAN=”Hand”=a worker, plus HAT=”lid”, plus TAN=”brown”
6 LOCI
Places I pass going north (4)

=”Places”. I plus COL=mountain “pass”, reversed (“going north”)
7 FORESKIN
Jungle tribe having no time for this delicate matter? (8)

=”delicate matter”. FORES[t]=”Jungle” plus KIN=”tribe”, minus the t[ime]
8 CUSTOMER
Patron wants snooker player to pocket most balls (8)

=”Patron”. CUER=”snooker player”, around (most)*
13 ASTRONOMER
One looking up name inspired by art, or some fake (10)

=”One looking up”. N[ame] taken in (“inspired”) by (art or some)*
15 ANIMATION
I’m in a state, a state of exuberance (9)

=”state of exuberance”. I’M inside A NATION=”a state”
16 SPACE BAR
Box containing one key, a long key (5,3)

=the longest key on most computer keyboards. SPAR=”Box” as a verb, around ACE=”one” plus B=”key” in music
17 MOCCASIN
Reptile, one going on foot? (8)

=”Reptile”, an American pit-viper; =”one going on foot”, a Native American shoe
19 MAN FLU
Almost certainly a cold month, August normally feels less unsettled initially (3,3)

=”Almost certainly a cold”. Initials of M[onth] A[ugust] N[ormally] F[eels] L[ess] U[nsettled]
20,9 GREASY SPOON
Gorilla biting bottom of Britney Spears going ape in cafe (6,5)

=”cafe”. GOON=”Gorilla”=a thug, around ([Britne]y Spears)*
23 DENIM
Material processed underground that’s brought to the surface (5)

=”Material”. MINED=”processed underground”, reversed (“brought to the surface”)
24 LOGO
Symbol to write down on top of orders (4)

=”Symbol”. LOG=”write down”, plus the top letter of O[rders]

47 comments on “Guardian 26,533 by Paul”

  1. Very enjoyable but must be straightforward for me to finish so soon! Thank you Paul and Manehi.

  2. Thanks Paul and manehi
    I too found it enjoyable but quite quickly done. Some I parsed retrospectively, and I didn’t see how MUMMY worked at all. Longest delay was trying to find a Cheshire town that included an actual variety of cheese!
    Favourites were COCK and MOCCASIN.

  3. Thanks Paul and manehi.

    Very enjoyable. My favourites differ: FORESKIN for the punning definition, I would say.

    The only word I didn’t know was CHIANTISHIRE. though I think it rings bells somewhere. MONOCEROS I know from my amateur stargazing.

  4. Well, thanks Paul for managing another enjoyable crossword with amusing anatomical references (we reckon 5)

  6. Fantastic puzzle, I loved all of it. I think two of Paul’s many strengths are his interesting word choices and helpful checkers which never fail to unfold the grid. I found this hard, but I always felt that I was in safe hands.

    MAN FLU, SPACE BAR and CUSTOMER all made me grin when they clicked into place. Many thanks to Paul and manehi.

  7. I thought this was Paul back on top form, and you can count me as another who thought the clue for MAN FLU was excellent. I finished with CHIANTISHIRE, and I’m a little annoyed it took me so long to see it because it was in another puzzle not so long ago.

  8. Thanks Paul and manehi.

    I found this hard, but most enjoyable, even though I needed help with some of the parsing.
    Wasted some time trying to force ESTONIAN into 25a. GREASY SPOON for a cafe was new.
    MONOCEROS was very well hidden, and I liked CHORAL, SPACE BAR and MAN FLU among others.

  9. Excellent puzzle so thanks to Paul and manehi.

    Re 19d, in my experience, there is no way that man flu can be described as “almost certainly a cold” 😉

  10. Thanks Paul & manehi.

    A bit more straightforward than some of his, although I didn’t know my LOI, CHIANTISHIRE.

    My MAN FLU (great clue) was almost certainly NOT a cold. As most people know, the major circulating variety of flu this year was not in the vaccine – the strains have to be guessed (usually based on Australian varieties) months in advance. I quite liked ‘this delicate matter’ also.

  11. Thank you manehi and Paul. Jolly good fun.

    Had to Google CHIANTISHIRE – great word.

    Loved MAN FLU and surprised I haven’t seen it before.

    Other favourites include SCAREDY CAT, MONOCEROS & CUSTOMER.

    Yet again, Paul demonstrates that it’s not necessarily about ‘hard’ or ‘easy’or whether it’s grammatically correct or not; it’s just about fun!

    Thank you, nice week, all.

  12. manehi, as Dave Ellison @3 hinted, Monoceros is a constellation, so I think in 10a “stars” is part of the definition, leaving just “in” as the “hidden” indicator.

    Thank you for the blog, and thanks to Paul for a very enjoyable puzzle! Yes, it was fairly easy (I only failed to parse “mummy” correctly), but I think that’s a good thing for this early in the week. I’m sure there are more mind-bending puzzles to come.

  13. Thanks, manehi.

    Great fun from Paul, with nothing to trouble this solver unduly.

    RUNCORN was my LOI, to my shame, as I used to work there; like muffin @2 I was trying to make a sandwich containing Brie or Edam.

    I agree with jennyk @12 that ‘stars’ in 10a is part of the definition for the relatively dull constellation of Monoceros.

    Favourites were MALEFIC (topical clue?), CHIANTISHIRE, FORESKIN, CUSTOMER, MAN FLU – good to see the return of a bit of ribaldry.

  14. Yet another fan of this witty puzzle. Excellent clueing (although I also couldn’t parse MUMMY). Many thanks to Paul and manehi. Loved MAN FLU.

  15. I wouldn’t say this was very easy, not with a major hold up in the SW corner, but I got there in the end, merrily chortling away at his return to scatology.

    I think the point about MAN FLU is that with the same virus, women would say they have a cold, men would say the flu, and act accordingly. Not that I believe in gender stereotyping in any way. [BTW, is there any reason it’s ‘a’ cold but ‘the’ flu?]

  16. Trailman @15: It is more usual not to use any article with diseases (TB, anthrax, etc) but sometimes a definite article is used: the smallpox, the measles, the flu.

    However, to say that someone is suffering ‘from cold’ or ‘from the cold’ suggests an adverse reaction to temperature rather than a respiratory complaint, which may be why we tend to say ‘a cold’. Unless we’re referring to a specific complaint caught from someone else: ‘I’ve got the cold now’. But I’m sure there is dialectal precedent (Scots?) for the expression ‘he’s got THE cold’ in a more general context.

  17. I liked this, as usual from Paul. “Man Flu” and “Foreskin” are welcome returns to what Paul does best. Likewise MONOCEROS; “horny stars” indeed! I also liked “Denim”; I thought that “brought to the surface” in a down clue—especially one that references mining!—was a clever way of indicating the reversal.

    I had to resort to the “comb the map” technique to get RUNCORN, and I didn’t get MOCCASIN without cheating. In my defense in the latter case, I was asleep not five minutes later. (I did this last night while my husband was watching a rather boring tennis match.)

  18. Inventive and entertaining, but pretty tough by Paul’s standards. Last in was FORESKIN, which I only saw once the crosser from CHIANTISHIRE was in place, and MONOCEROS was unfamiliar but guessable. Liked CHORAL, MAN FLU and MUMMY.

    Thanks to Paul and manehi

  19. Thanks to Paul and manehi

    I needed help in parsing 1d, I was trying to work with issue.

    Hands up if you tried to spell moccasin with one c and two s’s as I did.

    I can’t believe I took so long over 20,9 a classic in my home town,

  20. I do wish Paul would devote more of his efforts into devising devious and clever clues (which he is undoubtedly capable of) and less on making teenage boys snigger.

  21. Thanks all
    Not a lot to comment on except lovely new (to me) word: monoceros and the clever “man flu”.

  22. Cant see why anyone had any problems with @4d. Something you keep is MUM, and well! is MY. First clue I filled in

  23. Ed @22
    Do you actually read the blog? Your posts yesterday and today have simply repeated what the blogger has already said.

  24. I’m rather with Beery Hiker@18. I didn’t find this especially easy. The NE corner took ages. MONOCEROS was new to me. Only after finally getting CUSTOMER did I manage to get the rest. As is so often the case, the ones that stumped me look like childsplay once they were in.
    Thanks Paul

  25. Re 11a I read this also that the mouse would be scared of the cat so thought this was a very clever clue and one of my favourites in an extremely enjoyable crossword which is what the are supposed to be

  26. Well muffin, it rather depends how you view a visit to this board.
    It could be a thorough test of your logical approach to life and lots of time to devote to a long and exhaustive reading plus making copious notes along the way.
    Or it could be an interesting thought enters your head and you leap in and tell us all about it!
    Which are you?

  27. RCW @ 26
    I think if I were visiting a blog, I would actually read the blog – it seems a little impolite otherwise. Ed has obviously read the comments, in order to realise that some of us failed to parse MUMMY, so why not read manehi’s excellent explanation of the answers first?

  28. I’d just like to speak up in favour of this setter’s smuttier offerings. I’m many decades past my teenage years and can still enjoy a spot of scatalogical word play in the great British comic tradition. So keep it up, Paul (fnaar!)

  29. Hi muffin @27

    As a blogger, I’m grateful for your comment. 😉

    On the other hand, though, I’m sometimes exasperated by comments from people who have *only* read the blog and not subsequent comments.

    As I’ve said so many times here, bloggers do not set themselves up as experts. We all, [I think], from time to time, have to call on others for help with solutions, parsings, themes or Ninas we have missed. The blog is surely just a starting point for discussion – and very enjoyable, too!

  31. Hi Eileen
    I agree totally – the site wouldn’t be the same if either blog or comments were missing.

    (btw I really do appreciate how the bloggers here expose themselves (!) every day in their (almost invariably faultless) attempts to explain the crosswords for the rest of us.)

  32. H dear! When I first came here I was thoroughly reprimanded if I dared to criticise a setter’s contribution.
    Now I am told it is impolite (?) to not read the blog.
    Just when exactly did a fascist regime take over?

  38. Eileen @29 – I quite often post my first comment before reading the blog or the comments thoroughly, mostly to avoid conforming too much with groupthink, which is why there is often another one shortly afterwards after I’ve read them. I have some sympathy with RCW too.

  39. Paul back on top form. I also found this a little more difficult than recent offerings from PAul which was most welcome.

    My favourite clue was 8D (CUSTOMER) although there were many more excellent clues.

    Ian SW3 @20

    What’s wrong with making teenage boys snigger? Especially when it makes 60 year olds snigger too. I can’t believe you actually find these harmless pieces of fun offensive?

    Thanks to manehi (whose blog I studied carefully 😉 ) and Paul

  43. Well, I’m not Hoggy and I enjoyed this Paul crossword very much.
    But isn’t 11ac a bit odd?
    Is this a typo?
    Should it perhaps be ‘A mouse or a pussy?’
    Or is it just me?

  45. Sil, It’s “A mouse of a pussy” because it’s more like a cryptic def than a double-def. A scaredy-cat would be literally a scared cat, as timid as a mouse, and thus “a mouse of a pussy.” My take on it, anyway.

  47. BNTO @ 39
    It is not that some of us find smut offensive but sad, relying as it does on a unhealthily repressive and regressive view of sex (or “it” as we are apparently supposed to call it) and body parts. A world that usually relies on attitudes to women that are not at their best. Better not get any more steamed up or my knockers will show. Ooh, I said “knockers”. Snigger.

Comments are closed.