Guardian 26,480 by Chifonie

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A quick, enjoyable solve with very tidy clueing throughout. Favourites 25ac and 1dn. Thanks, Chifonie.

Across
1 CATHAY
A yacht wrecked in China (6)
=”in China”. (A yacht)*
4 SPAWNS
Makes stooge go aboard ship (6)
=”Makes”. PAWN=”stooge”, inside SS=[steam] “ship”
9 ONCE
Previously working with engineer (4)
=”Previously”. ON=”working” plus C[ivil] E[ngineer]
10 CLEAN SLATE
Washes well into the night to get a fresh start (5,5)
=”fresh start”. CLEANS=”Washes”, plus LATE=”well into the night”
11 BOOTEE
Show disapproval of supporter of footwear (6)
=”footwear”, a short boot”. BOO=”Show disapproval”, plus TEE=”supporter” of a golf ball
12 DORMOUSE
Rodent has somewhere to sleep by the river (8)
=”Rodent”. DORM=”somewhere to sleep”, plus OUSE=”river”
13 HEAD START
Ambassador notices sharp edge (4,5)
=”edge” over an opponent. H[is] E[xcellency]=”Ambassador”, plus ADS=”notices”, plus TART=”sharp”
15 PLAY
Pundit initially put down performance (4)
=”performance”. P[undit] plus LAY=”put down”
16 ALSO
Further inside the Royal Society (4)
=”Further”. Hidden in “[Roy]AL SO[ciety]”
17 TEA LADIES
Office workers duck — article passes over (3,6)
=”Office workers”. TEAL=”duck”, plus A=the indefinite “article”, plus DIES=”passes over”
21 JEWELLER
Hector accommodates flourishing craftsman (8)
=”craftsman”. JEER=”Hector”, around WELL=”flourishing”
22 SEDATE
Quarter fruit in a dignified way (6)
=”in a dignified way”. S[outh] E[ast]=”Quarter”, plus DATE=”fruit”
24 SUBSISTENT
Loans ’is temporary accommodation? Managing to survive! (10)
=”Managing to survive”. SUBS, or subsistence money=”Loans”, plus IS, plus TENT=”temporary accommodation”
25 AFAR
A return of service that’s out of reach (4)
=”out of reach”. A, plus a reversal (“return”) of R[oyal] A[ir] F[orce]=”service”
26 SCARAB
Injure a black beetle (6)
=”beetle”. SCAR=”Injure”, plus A, plus B[lack]
27 BOFFIN
Scientist is sick in basket (6)
=”Scientist”. OFF=”sick”, in BIN=”basket”
Down
1 CONDONE
Forgive prisoner? That’s acceptable! (7)
=”Forgive”. CON[vict]=”prisoner”, plus DONE=”That’s acceptable!” when agreeing to an offer
2 THEFT
Newspaper has article on robbery (5)
=”robbery”. F[inancial] T[imes]=”Newspaper”, with THE=the definite “article” on top of it
3 ANCIENT
Old rotten tin can contains cigarette end (7)
=”Old”. (tin can)* around [cigarett]E
5 PENURY
Write lines about universal destitution (6)
=”destitution”. PEN=”Write”, plus R[ailwa]Y=”lines”, both around U[niversal]
6 WELL-OILED
Drunk spouted about petroleum (4-5)
=”Drunk”. WELLED=”spouted”, around OIL=”petroleum”
7 SATISFY
Meet and speak about awful fits (7)
=”Meet” requirements, standards etc. SAY=”speak” around (fits)*
8 TENDER-HEARTED
Kind offer to pick up Edward (6-7)
=”Kind”. TENDER=”offer”, plus HEAR=”pick up”, plus TED=”Edward”
14 DYSPEPSIA
“Upset stomach“, said Pepys in distress (9)
=”Upset stomach”. (said Pepys)*
16 AVENUES
Drives while ringing meeting place (7)
=”Drives”. AS=”while”, around VENUE=”meeting place”
18 LESOTHO
Hostel ruined Oscar in southern Africa (7)
is in southern Africa. (Hostel)* plus O[scar]
19 ENTRAIN
A number without the ability when rising to get on (7)
=”to get on” a train. NINE=”number”, around ART=”ability”, all reversed (“rising”)
20 ELISHA
Priest has upset prophet (6)
=”prophet” [wiki]. ELI=”Priest” [wiki], plus (has)*
23 DWARF
Minimise conflict between Germany and France (5)
=”Minimise”. WAR=”conflict”, between D[eutschland]=”Germany” and F[rance]

41 comments on “Guardian 26,480 by Chifonie”

  2. My only criticism is the using of “loans” for SUB(sistence money) to then clue SUBSISTENT. Otherwise, a fine, easy puzzle that makes me wonder why Chifonie isn’t given the permanent Monday slot.

  3. Thanks Manehi and Chifonie.

    11 across was one of those odd ones where both possible spellings are equally well clued. Option 1 is as per the blog above. Option 2 (which was my first choice, never having seen the option 1 spelling) was ‘BOOTIE’, with ‘BOO’ as above, and ‘TIE’ from railway tie, a supporter for the rails. Just lucky? Or planned that way?

    Otherwise, fun and neat.

  4. Other than not knowing BOFFIN (I plead being an American of the postwar generation), I breezed through this.

  5. Not sure about jeer = hector in 21A. Heckle, yes, but isn’t jeering what one might do in response to being hectored?

  6. Thanks Chifonie and manehi

    Typical neatly clued crossword from this setter which I was able to finish over lunch.

    Like Andrew, I got caught out with BOOTEE (opting for the I as well) – probably more in haste than with logic though !

    Last in was the very clever AFAR with it’s topical (down here now) tennis surface.

  7. Further to Elenem’s @5 comment about hector and jeer, we also weren’t sure whether dwarf could also mean minimise, and that condone means to forgive.
    If you try a sentence such as “The Empire State building dwarfs other buildings” you couldn’t use minimise instead of dwarfs.
    And also if you condone a prisoners behaviour is that the same as forgiving him?
    Perhaps we’re being picky.

  8. Thanks, manehi.

    A mostly straightforward and enjoyable daily cryptic, as others have said. My only niggle would be with SEDATE. Surely ‘in a dignified way’ requires SEDATELY?

    Good work from Chifonie this morning.

  10. Thanks manehi and Chifonie
    An elegant and enjoyable offering as others have said. I too put ‘bootie’ but would agree that the alternative ‘bootee’ is better.

  11. Thanks Chifonie for a fairly simple but enjoyable solve.

    Thanks manehi for a good blog. I tried ‘persistent’ for 24, although it didn’t really parse.

    My Oxford Thesaurus does have jeer=hector (although not hector=jeer!) I liked HEAD START and AFAR.

  12. Shirley ~@7: Chambers gives “forgive” as first meaning for “condone”. I too had BOOTIE, which Chambers gives as an alternative for BOOTEE, and whic I think is just as good.

    Thanks manehi and Chifonie.

  13. Thanks Chifonie and manehi.

    This was a most enjoyable solve, so elegantly clued.

    I particularly liked HEAD START, ALSO, TEA LADIES, DYSPESIA and DWARF.

  14. Thanks both.

    AndrewC @3 me too, well spotted.

    Very tidy, as most have commented, if a little dry for my taste.

    Enjoyed WELL-OILED.

    Nice week, all.

  15. Shirley @7, would “efforts were dwarfed by their rivals’ achievements”, “efforts were minimised by their rivals’ achievements”, work?

  16. I’m another in the BOOTIE camp.

    Though by no means tricky, there was nothing wasted in the clues; economical throughout, especially the charades. 17a is a good example: “duck – article passes over” leads directly to the office workers, once you realise what’s going on, without a single word superfluous.

  20. Thanks, Manehi
    I agree with Kathryn’s Dad @ 8 about 22a. “In a dignified way” indicates an adverb, “sedately”, not an adjective.

  21. Cookie @19, possibly. “Bouff” is certainly “nosh” or “grub” and I’ve heard “bouffer” used for “scoff” or “pig out”.

  22. William @21, have definitely heard two of my sons who are bilingual say “Boff” in response to something that made them feel sick. Certainly know “bouffer”, parents here in France have a hard time trying to stop their children using the verb.

  25. Not much to add. I also had BOOTIE until the last minute- BOOTEE is certainly better. A perfectly competent puzzle. Lacked a bit of oomph though!

  26. It’s unfortunate when you get a compiler who can obviously do things well but who slips up here and there. I had grammaticals at 4 11 and 24 across, 3 18 & 23 down, plus 22 across should be adverbial and 5 down I’m not sure about RY = lines. I think it is always the singular.

    Heigh-ho normal Grauniad mixed box.

  28. Cookie @22.
    I’m pretty sure there’s no connection between the slang verb “bouffer” (to eat) and the interjection “bof” which means something like “who cares?”.

  29. A nice quiptic, but for my taste too easy for a Wednesday. Last in was ENTRAIN.

    Thanks to manehi and Chifonie

  30. Agreed that almost all clues were ‘write-ins’ – but all were ‘write-ins’ with an accompanying smile. You felt you were in the presence of a master even if the answers came easily (I get the same feeling listening to Mozart…but that’s another story!).

    Yes, if Rufus were ever to hang up his CD/DD’s, Chifonie would be a truly delightful fit for the Monday slot.

    SEDATE is definitely a bit odd though. I’m sure the idea must be that the Definition is only the word “dignified” itself, with “in a … way” being a sort of extended link word.

    Many thanks to both.

  31. crosser @28, I believe you have the answer, the French interjection “bof” according to Wiktionary means “so what”, “never mind”, “don’t know”, “big deal”…

  32. I was yet another bootie person, thinking of the railway tie.

    The abbreviation HE for an ambassador was unknown to me, making that the last in. I also don’t know “tea ladies” or “boffin,” but both were unambiguously clued.

    Otherwise, this was clean and fun. Nice to see “duck” refer, for once, to an actual duck rather than the letter O.

  33. Cookie@31.
    Thanks for the confirmation. I see you live in France. So do I, and have done for over 40 years! Ca ne me rajeunit pas, as they say!

  34. [crosser @33, my two younger sons I see belong to the ‘bof generation’, 1970-2000. I have not heard my granddaughter here use the word. Don’t know where Fayol @17 and I got ‘boff’ = ‘to be sick’ from.]

  35. Thanks to manehi for the blog.

    I agree with K’s D@8: the clue 22 requires an adverb as the solution.

    I must have lived well: I went for BOOTEE immediately. 🙂

  36. [Cookie @34. I’ve been puzzling over that. I can only think of a confusion with “barf”, as suggested by William @ 18.]

  37. Found it at last. Sorry, manehi, to have led what seemed to be a wild goose chase through the comments:

    thesaurus.com, ‘boff’, regurgitate, vomit, be sick…

  39. Thanks all
    Like beery I thought this was a little too easy, especially the two-word solutions.
    Last in was 1 down.

  40. Pleasant enough crossword although a little too easy.

    I’m still not convinced that “HEAD START” is equivalent to “EDGE” and of course BOOTIE is an equally good answer for 11A ( tie has at least 2 meanings that equal support), so pot luck for the solver ðŸ™

    Thanks to manehi and Chifonie

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