The puzzle may b found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/30029.
Maybe it’s allergy season, or maybe this was particularly tough for a Paul – anyway, I struggled, but finally was left with just 26A RHONE unparsed. I’m sure that the wordplay will be supplied as soon as I post. Apart from that, the puzzle is stuffed full of excellent clues.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | WHAT FOR |
Why it’s hard to open where a gap is unclosed (4,3)
|
| An envelope (‘to open’) of H (‘hard’) in WATFOR[d] (‘where a gap is’; Watrord Gap is a low-lying area which has provided a convenient link from the south-east of England to the Midlands, from the Roman Watling Street to the M1 The Gap is named for a nearby village) minus its last letter (‘unclose’). | ||
| 5 | GARAGED |
Kid pushed over, veteran shut up (7)
|
| A charade of GAR, a reversal (‘pushed over’) of RAG (‘kid’, verb, make fun of) plus AGED (‘veteran’, adjective). | ||
| 9 | ORGAN |
For example, brain that’s stopped (5)
|
| Double definition, the second being an oblique reference to the musical instrument with organ stops. | ||
| 10 | BREAK EVEN |
Neither profit nor gain from holiday flat (5,4)
|
| A charade of BREAK (‘holiday’) plus EBEN (‘flat’). | ||
| 11 | PRESENT DAY |
18 needs to be anything but neanderthal (7-3)
|
| An anagram (REFORM, from ’18’) of PARTY (‘the rest of ’18’) plus ‘needs’. | ||
| 12 | BAKU |
Defended by Cuba, Kuwaiti capital (4)
|
| A hidden answer (‘efended by’) in ‘CuBA KUwaiti’, for the capital city of the Republic of Azerbaijan. | ||
| 14 | MADEIRA CAKE |
Sponge back in shower with a bar of soap, having created one earlier (7,4)
|
| A charade of MADE (‘created’) plus I (‘one’) plus R (‘back in showeR‘) plus ‘a’ plus CAKE (‘bar of soap’). | ||
| 18 | REFORM PARTY |
Concerned with supporting Leave (my, that’s extreme) – and now this! (6,5)
|
| A charade of RE (‘concerned with’) plus FOR (‘supporting’) plus MPARTY, an envelope (‘that’s extreme’) of PART (‘leave’) in ‘my’. The Reform Party – Reform UK, that is – was founded as the Brexit Party; hence the capital L ‘Leave’. | ||
| 21 | SOUP |
Ergo ready for liquid lunch? (4)
|
| A charade of SO (‘ergo’) plus UP (‘ready’). | ||
| 22 | WATER NYMPH |
Flier with orbital course, a measure of speed and spirit (5,5)
|
| An envelope (‘orbital’) of TERN (‘flier’) in WAY (‘course’) plus MPH (‘a measure of speed’). | ||
| 25 | ON THE WING |
Flying weight non-negotiable? (2,3,4)
|
| An anagram (-‘negotiable’) of ‘weight’ plus ‘non’-. | ||
| 26 | RHONE |
European river runs where white castle initially located? (5)
|
| A charade of R (‘runs’) plus HONE (H1 – ‘where white castle initially located?). At the start of a game of chess, one of the white rooks (aka castles) resides in the square designated H1; the other is at A1.
I woke up in the wee hours, and the answer came to me out of nowhere (as has happened to me before), but thanks to David @1 who got there first. |
||
| 27 | FARADAY |
Scientist’s spirit broken by school of players (7)
|
| An envelope (‘broken by’) of RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, ‘school of players’) in FAY (‘spirit’, fairy). | ||
| 28 | THERAPY |
18 and he gets counselling (7)
|
| An anagram (REFORM from ’18’) of PARTY (the rest of ’18’) plus ‘he’. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | WHOOPS |
Doctor oversees surgical procedures that went a bit wrong (6)
|
| A charade of WHO (‘Doctor’, long-runnung television programme) plus OPS (‘surgical procedures’). | ||
| 2 | ANGLER |
Riverside waiter, earring perhaps, with shaved head? (6)
|
| A subtraction: [d]ANGLER (‘earring perhaps’) minus its first letter (‘with shaved head’). | ||
| 3 | FINGERMARK |
Smear bit of fish with virus onto vessel (10)
|
| A charade of FIN (‘bit of fish’) plus GERM (‘virus’) plus MARK (‘vessel’). | ||
| 4 |
See 19
|
|
| 5 | GRENADIER |
Guard on visits reading novel (9)
|
| An envelope (‘visits’) of RE (‘on’) in GNADIER, an anagram (‘novel’) of ‘reading’. | ||
| 6 | RAKE |
Romeo in drag? (4)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 7 |
See 24
|
|
| 8 | DENTURES |
A victory proving elusive in daring feats – trap set? (8)
|
| A subtraction: [a]D[v]ENTURES (‘dating feats’) minus A and V (‘a victory proving elusive’), with a cryptic definition. | ||
| 13 | BANYAN TREE |
Nearby supply cut by carpenter, say, European and Asian wood (6,4)
|
| A charade of BANYANTRE, an envelope (‘cut by’) of ANT (‘carpenter, say’) in BANYRE, an anagram (‘supply’ as in supple) of ‘nearby’; plus E (‘European’).. | ||
| 15 | DEPRAVITY |
Absence of moral rectitude with which 18 vied (9)
|
| An anagram (REFORM, from ’18’) of PARTY (‘the rest of ’18’) plus ‘vied’. | ||
| 16 | BRUSH-OFF |
Slight boo-boo at first, skedaddle (5-3)
|
| A charade of B (‘Boo-boo at first’) plus RUSH OFF (‘skedaddle’). | ||
| 17 | AFLUTTER |
Nervous say after a fall, stuffing knocked out (8)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plus FL (‘FalL, stuffing knocked out’) plus UTTER (‘say’). | ||
| 19, 4 | I’M NOT A ROBOT |
It really is me in motorboat at sea! (2,3,1,5)
|
| An anagram (‘at sea’) of ‘in motorboat’. | ||
| 20 | CHEEKY |
Forward – as one’s behind? (6)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 23 | EIGHT |
Cube, elevation skimmed (5)
|
| A subtraction: [h]EIGHT (‘elevation’) minus its first letter (‘skimmed’). | ||
| 24, 7 | DEAD GIVEAWAY |
Easy clue: ‘Funeral director’s special offer?’ (4,8)
|
| Definition and literal interpretation |
H ONE is h1 on a chessboard
My faves: WHAT FOR, ORGAN, REFORM PARTY, WATER NYMPH,
RHONE, I’M NOT A ROBOT and DEAD GIVEAWAY.
Thanks Paul and PeterO.
Not too bad. 24, 7 was funny
Tough but fun. One of the few times I have enjoyed seeing REFORM PARTY and glad it was used to clue DEPRAVITY.
WATER NYMPH, MADEIRA CAKE and GARAGED took some thinking.
Also enjoyed WHAT FOR, RHONE (chess is one of my other hobbies) and the two split clues.
Thanks Paul and PeterO
David @1
You beat me to it, so thanks. I have added the wordplay to the blog.
I started this last night to try and break its back but just kept going because it was so good. I thought the linked clues from REFORM PARTY were just sublime but my favourites were MADEIRA CAKE, ANGLER, DENTURES, BRUSH OFF and the superb I’M NOT A ROBOT. I also took ages to parse RHONE.
A couple of typos in your Watford Gap and BREAK EVEN.
Ta Paul & PeterO.
I think the vessel in 3d is ARK.
Thanks Peter and Paul.
I agree with PeterO, not at all easy. But, on the other hand, did not take very long. I often find this with Paul puzzles. The answers come along regularly, especially once a few crossers are in place, and the parsing comes much later, if at all. Favourites were DENTURES and DEAD GIVEAWAY, both of which raised a smile. Thanks PeterO and Paul
I found this an easier – as distinct from ‘easy’ – Paul, at least in the sense that I completed it. But that completion has its caveats: I needed help with a good few, and came here for much of the parsing. A look at the blog above reminds me just how much I’m not on this setter’s wavelength in many respects, but this was one of his that was enjoyable and worth tackling.
Tough but fair, and very enjoyable; like Staticman @4 I liked seeing REFORM PARTY linked to DEPRAVITY.
You wait ages for one chess related clue… on the repeat of Victoria Coren’s Only Connect the other evening, a team of chessplayers failed to spot the sequence QR QN QB and Q.
Thanks to Paul and PeterO.
Fabulous fun. As is often the case, the last two in were my favourites; DENTURES and WATER NYMPH
Cheers P&P