Guardian 24,706 – Shed
Posted by Ciaran McNulty on May 22nd, 2009
Not really an overall theme today, but a few movie references and some very enjoyable clues.
(X) = inserted
(x) = removed)
* = anagram
“” = homophone
< = reversed
d.d. = double definition
Across
1. WEBSITE. Backwards in hamlETISBEWitched.
5. UPGRADE. U + P.(GRAD).E. Took a while to work this out.
9. NOMAD. DO(MA)N<
10. SUSURRATE. US> + SURR(o.g.)ATE.
11. OVERLANDER. O(VERNAL*)DER.
12. BLOG. B(L)OG.
14. CLEETHORPES. P(salm)CLOSERTHEE*.’Resort’ as def is very cleverly hidden but I’m not sure where TO goes.
18. FLEET STREET. FLEET + STREET.
21. ROOK. (c)ROOK.
22. TERMINATOR. MONTMARTRE* with I replacing M.
25. GODFATHER. GO(D.F.)ATHER(d).
26. OBAMA. 0 + BA + MA. BA and MA are ‘degrees’.
27. TURNOUT. T(URN)OUT.
28. ABSENCE. ABS(EN + C)E. Danny Abse.
Down
1. WINDOW. WI(N)DOW.
2. BUMPER. d.d.
3. INDELICATE. NICEDETAIL*.
4. ESSEN. NESS(i)E<
5. UNSHEATHE. UN + S(HEAT)HE.
6. GIRT. “GERT”.
7. ANAGLYPH. HAPLY* around NAG.
8. ENERGISE. EN(ER)GINE with N replaced by S.
13. PORTENTOUS. POR(TENT)OUS.
15. ENTRECHAT. ENTRE(CH)AT.
16. AFFRIGHT. A(FF)RIGHT.
17. RECORDER. d.d.
19. STRAIN. d.d.
20. ARCADE. “ARC AID”.
23. MARIA. M + ARIA.
24. TACO. CAT< + O.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Thanks for the blog. I really enjoyed this, particularly as I usually find Shed v difficult. Managed to get everything out today, except for ARCADE. I wonder, however, whether the homophone is ARK AID, rather than ARC AID? ARK seems to fit better with ‘Biblical’.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thanks for the blog, Ciaran.
I think you mean ‘Ark Aid’ for 20dn.
I thought this was an excellent puzzle. It wasn’t too difficult – I didn’t need to look up anything at all – but there were so many aha moments. I particularly liked WEBSITE, UPGRADE, SUSURRATE, CLEETHORPES, GODFATHER, ABSENCE, TURNOUT [which could have been infinitely more boringly clued], OBAMA … and that’s only the across clues! As I was going to say, there really are too many to list. Thank you so much, Shed.
[I did wonder about the 'of sorts' in 7dn: I must be missing something.]
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:26 pm
I enjoyed this too, especially ‘ARK AID’ – I can just see Bono standing there with Noah and the kids holding collection tins in front of a half-built ship as they issue dire unheeded warnings about impending climate change! Also the definition in ANAGLYPH was very nice. But why is a WEBSITE an ‘incorporeal presence’? I mean, course it is, but does that define the word?
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Hi Liz: Sorry for the overlap – I typed too much!
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Don’t worry, Eileen! I had many of the same aha moments as you, and I suspect others. I really liked OBAMA. And CLEETHORPES made me laugh.
May 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Eileen, I think ‘of sorts’ is a reference to pieces of type, which can also be called sorts. Is that your understanding Ciaran?
May 22nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Ciaran, PS: it was the computer references [WEBSITE, BLOG, WINDOW] that I noticed.
May 22nd, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Mick H – lovely image, thanks for that. The definition of WEBSITE was admittedly rather vague, but I’ve seen vaguer and it’s a difficult word to define without being blindingly obvious.
Eileen – well spotted. With my other hat on, I was collaborating on a website upgrade when I set this.
May 22nd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Politician at 00? Why does the second “0″ equate to BAMA?
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Paul
0° = 0 degrees = O BA (a degree) MA (a degree)
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Another good one. Brendan, Pasquale and Shed all in one week – we’re being spoiled!
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:09 pm
In the print version it appeared as ‘OO’. Suspecting a misprint I went to the PDF version.
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm
Paul, I think you were working from the print version. The pdf version has it right.
May 22nd, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Yes, I was working from the print version rather than the PDF version – all is explained. Many thanks everyone, Paul.
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
This one completely stumped me! I resisted Fifteensquared until getting on the train and now kicking myself in all manner of ways. To paraphrase Shaun of the Dead I must have had a brain-freeze!
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:01 pm
The last two days have been really excellent crosswords. It is crosswords like this that keep me at it.
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
WEBSITE Rather than a definition, how about Miss Haversham’s parlour, ceiling, hedge in autumn etc?
May 22nd, 2009 at 8:51 pm
You’re right, Andrew and Tom, we’ve been very spoiled. [What's in store for the prize tomorrow?] And I think we’ve been doubly fortunate in these last two days in having setters who’ve added their comments. I hope those who do realise how really gratifying and encouraging this is.
So, if you’re still there, Shed – I didn’t really understand Liz’s suggestion re my query of ‘of sorts [7dn] [sorry, Liz!] …
… and I didn’t know about your UPGRADE
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Eileen — if you’re still there — I’m beginning to think my explanation of 7dn may be far-fetched. But here it goes again. Individual pieces of type in a compositor’s tray, for example, can also be called ’sorts’. So I was wondering whether a low relief (such as a piece of type) might be defined that way. I would be interested if anyone else thought the same. Mick H? The whole puzzle was so satisfying, with barely a word out of place, I’m convinced there is some reason for ‘of sorts’. ‘Glyph’ is also means a ’sculptural mark’ and is another word often used in typography.
Yes, we have been spoiled lately!
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Hi Liz
Yes, I am still here, just, but still confused! Chambers: ‘anaglyph: an ornament in low relief’. For me, that totally explains ‘relief work’, with no need for ‘of sorts’. I know I must be being really dim but I don’t understand your reference to ‘types’, which is why I didn’t respond to it earlier.
But, as you say, such a lovely puzzle!
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:14 pm
My first solve ‘live’ (i.e. not from the pile my friends had so thoughtfully provided for me) upon returning from what had turned into something of a working world tour.
I like Shed a lot, very cool style, and some wonderfully cutting and insightful observations in this, as with all his puzzles.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Somewhat late in the day, I know, but I just wanted to add my vote to the general chorus of approval for this one. Great stuff.
And I liked “incorporeal presence” as a definition.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Um, although I get the OBAMA clue, what does ‘Politician at 0 degrees’ actually mean ?
The idea’s good but the surface eludes me.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:56 am
Eileen, Liz et al (just in case you’re still looking),
My edition of Chambers defines anaglyph as ‘anything in low relief’, which seemed so thoroughly vague I felt I ought to reflect the vagueness in my own definition – hence ‘of sorts’, which I now regret. I’d never come across the word myself before setting this. Liz credits me with more ingenuity than I was using.