Thank you to Pasquale. Definitions are underlined in the clues. Once again, sorry for the late blog.
Across
1. Female rushed around – is old female endless help, one lover of nature? (7,2,6)
FRANCIS OF ASSISI : F(abbrev. for “female”) + RAN(moved quickly/rushed on foot) + C(abbrev. for “circa”/around/approximately, used when specifying dates and years) + IS + O(abbrev. for “old”) + F(abbrev. for “female”) + last letter of deleted from(endless) “assist”(to help/aid) + I(Roman numeral for “one”).
Defn: …/animals and the environment.
9. Guide taking temperature at back of place of worship (7)
TEMPLET : T(abbrev. for “temperature”, in physics) placed after(at back of) TEMPLE(a place of worship).
Answer: Alternative spelling of “template”, a guide, model or pattern from which to produce many of the same thing.
10. Bound once more to be rejected? (7)
REFUSED : RE-FUSED(fused/bound once more/again).
11. Animal maybe in field in fine weather (3)
EWE : Hidden in(in) “fine weather”.
12. Give evidence, offering best answer, I fancy (4,7)
BEAR WITNESS : Anagram of(… fancy) BEST ANSWER, I.
13. What could make ladettes be loathsome (10)
DETESTABLE : Anagram of(What could make) LADETTES BE.
15. Check part of plant (4)
STEM : Double defn: 1st: …/to restrain.
18. Honey in kitchen container (4)
DISH : Double defn: 1st: …/something considered excellent, eg. an attractive person.
20. A period in prison, volunteers once joining in with difficulty (2,1,7)
AT A STRETCH : [ A + STRETCH(a time period served in prison) ] containing(… joining in) TA(abbrev. for the once- called Territorial Army, a voluntary reserve unit of the British Army).
23. Joke about race riot disturbed islander (6,5)
PUERTO RICAN : PUN(a joke/play on words) containing(about) anagram of(… disturbed) RACE RIOT.
Defn: … native to Puerto Rico.
25. Energy coming from fruit – that’s normal (3)
PAR : “e”(symbol for “energy” in physics) deleted from(coming from) “pear”(a fruit).
26. Stamp of approval when knight, say, invades country (7)
SENEGAL : SEAL(an official emblem guaranteeing quality/a stamp of approval) containing(when …, invades) [ N(abbrev. for “knight”, in chess notation) + EG(abbrev. for “example gratia”/for example/say) ].
Answer: …, a country in Africa.
27. Fabulous beast in old jokes at Cambridge. say (7)
UNICORN : [UNI CORN](what one might call old jokes/corn at a uni/university such as/say Cambridge in England).
28. Silly nitwit still mad, getting left inside to fight meaningless battle (4,2,9)
TILT AT WINDMILLS : Anagram of(Silly) NITWIT STILL MAD containing(getting … inside) L(abbrev. for “left”).
Defn: …/fighting imaginary enemies, as Don Quixote did.
Down
1. Stupid dad, not completely stupid dad with drug injected (9)
FATHEADED : “father”(for whom one’s familiar term of address is “dad”) minus its last letter(not completely) + anagram of(stupid) DAD containing(with … injected) E(abbrev. for the drug “ecstasy”).
2. Stop hugging woman’s middle for support (7)
ARMREST : ARREST(to stop/to discontinue) containing(hugging) middle letter of(…’s middle) “woman”.
3. Plant produced by a scientific institution needing external funds (8)
CALABASH : [ A + LAB(abbrev. for “laboratory”, a scientific site/institution) ] contained in(needing external) CASH(funds/financial resources).
Plant with fruits:
4. Religious literature mother smuggled out of mountainous island (5)
SUTRA : “ma”(a familiar term for one’s mother) deleted from(smuggled out of) “Sumatra”(a mountainous island, with several volcanoes in Indonesia).
Defn: …/text of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.
5. Food city provided with words before departure (9)
FAREWELLS : FARE(range of food and drink, eg. that found in a restaurant) plus(provided with) WELLS(a city in Somerset, England).
6. Fantastic feast ending with sherry? That should come first! (6)
SAFETY : Anagram of(Fantastic) FEAST + last letter of(ending with) “sherry”.
Answer: …, as in the motto “Safety First”.
7. Survey with page penned by worker? (7)
INSPECT : P(abbrev. for “page’) contained in(penned by) INSECT(an example of which is a worker, one of the castes in a, say, bee or ant colony)
8. Flower displayed by half of businesses (5)
INDUS : 1st 5 letters of(half of) “industries”(classes of businesses that share similar operations, products or services).
Defn: … or “flow-er”/river in India.
14. Back facing a bit of work, with subdued feeling of warmth (9)
AFTERGLOW : AFT(at the back/at the stern of a ship or plane) plus(facing) ERG(a small unit of work, in physics) plus(with) LOW(disheartened/subdued).
16. Airman has transported important Indian women (9)
MAHARANIS : Anagram of(… transported) AIRMAN HAS.
Defn: …, specifically female rulers or the consorts of maharajahs.
17. Form of discrimination getting scorn – my inside’s beginning to stir (8)
CRONYISM : Anagram of(… to stir) [SCORN – MY + 1st letter of(…’s beginning) “inside” ].
19. Tough gangster, ‘bony’ in a particular way (7)
STERNAL : STERN(rigorous/hard) + AL(Capone, American gangster once).
Answer: Relating to the sternum/the breastbone.
21. Work with son – work outside – something needing attention in allotment? (7)
TOPSOIL : [ OP(abbrev. for “opus”/a literary or musical work) plus(with) S(abbrev. for “son”) ] contained in(… outside) TOIL(to work hard).
Defn: The “something”, specifically the uppermost layer of earth in an allotment/small plot of land rented by someone to grow plants.
22. Greek character given time inside – mark of disgrace (6)
STIGMA : SIGMA(the 18th letter/character of the Greek alphabet) containing(given … inside) T(abbrev. for “time”).
23. Submit and rest after work’s over (5)
POSIT : SIT(to lie on top/to rest) placed below(after, in a down clue) reversal of(…’s over) OP(abbrev. for “opus”/a literary or musical work).
Defn: …/put forward something as fact.
24. Mate waving maiden goodbye on Navy vessel (5)
CHURN : “chum”(mate/friend) minus(waving … goodbye) “m”(abbrev. for “maiden”) plus(on) RN(abbrev. for the Royal Navy).
Surely not the first today to thank the Don and scchua? I don’t remember seeing TEMPLET spelt so, and thought 18 weak, but enjoyed the workout.
Never heard of TEMPLET before, but it couldn’t really be anything else. This was fairly clued and enjoyable, with no major standouts for me. Thanks Pasquale and Scchua.
I finished (both Wednesday and Thursday, a good week) so I assume it will be be perceived as on the easy side. I’ve never come across that spelling of template but I remember a colleague pronouncing it as TEMPLET. I liked AT A STRETCH and TILT AT WINDMILLS – an appropriate anagram.
Thanks schuaa and Pasquale, an enjoyable xword. Nothing I couldn’t fill in from the clues though I dnk maharanis or templet.
Thanks Pasquale and scchua
I “checked” TEMPLET with no expectation of it being right, so was pleasantly surprised!
Held up a bit by entering STOICAL at 19d.
Favourite AFTERGLOW after the penny dropped on the parsing.
Thanks for the hints.
Welcome relief after yesterday.
Thanks P.
At the easier end from the Don? Nothing too tricky though wasn’t keen on having work/op used in two clues…
Thanks scchua & Pasquale
This for me was an amenable Pasquale offering, which I really enjoyed steadily solving today. The only obscurity would have to be SUTRA, but then I dimly remembered a copy of the Kama Sutra hidden under the bedcovers when I was early on making new discoveries about the world. Many thanks Pasquale and to Scchua for a wonderfully colourful blog…
Technically a fail for me because I guessed maharinas for 16d which is unfortunately plausible and fits the anagram and crossers.
Templet seemed unlikely to me too, but a quick google did turn it up as an alternative so I was happy with it.
I would have preferred “old work” in the clue for afterglow, because nobody should actually be using ergs as units anymore but I accept I’m just being fussy.
I started this last night but after six answers, I gave up in despair. However with fresh eyes this morning and solving the long clues, it all fell smoothly. Elegant surfaces as ever, I liked BEAR WITNESS, DETESTABLE, PUERTO RICAN, SENEGAL, UNICORN, FATHEAD, INDUS and CRONYISM.
Ta Pasquale & scchua.
Solid. Possibly the first time I’ve ever done a Pasquale and known all the words (bar the alternative spelling of template) although several bubbled up from the depths of memory and were retro-parsed
Cheers P&S
“SUTRA” is new to me, will file that away in case it pops up again. I considered DISH for 18A but rejected it, since it seemed only loosely connected to honey (which I think of as a term of endearment rather than an assessment of attractiveness) and to container (which I think of as a closed item). And I whiffed on STERNAL, putting in “anal” for the last 4 letters (“in a particular way”) and trying to find a word for “tough” to fit the space. Enjoyed the long crossers, which were for the most part very helpful. Thanks to Pasquale and scchua (love the calabash pic!).
After getting very little on the first pass, I filled in the bottom half steadily, the top half more slowly, and finished up in the NW corner. Quite the workout for me, although I got there in the end.
NHO CALABASH nor seen template spelled that way. I wrote in INDUS and stared at it for half a minute before the penny dropped. One of these days I will remember the “flower” trick.
I knew SUTRA from a (terrible) album Donovan (Leitch) released, entitled “Sutras”. Here’s a sample.
The usual smattering of unusual words, although I should have known SUTRA from Kama SUTRA as Ronald @8. I see that Wiktionary gives TEMPLET as archaic and it’s not in the ODE, so I guess no one would use it these days. I liked the good anagrams for BEAR WITNESS and TILT AT WINDMILLS and the (father) and son working at the allotment with TOPSOIL. Once I got INDUS, giving the last i to 1A, it had to be FRANCIS OF ASSISI.
Thanks Pasquale and scchua.
I noticed that Seine is half of businesses. There’s no anagrind, so no problem.
I was left with full crossers in STERNAL, SUTRA and, embarrassingly, FAREWELLS. I got them all without cheating but it took a while. TEMPLET was new to me too.
I liked ARMREST and FATHEADED but found the top half tougher.
Thanks Pasquale ans scchua
Really enjoyable, lovely smooth clues. It was nice to have tilting at windmills today after yesterday’s Indy crossword.
I had “windmills” early on, but did not know the expression “tilt at windmills”, rather knowing fighting windmills. It took me a bit of writing down and crossing off letters to find the remaining letters, and then it could not be anything else than “tilt at”. I was quite pleased when I finally had “francis of assissi” and managed to parse. I could not finf the old volunteers in “at a stretch”. I was looking for volunteers with the abbreviation a.t. instead of t.a. Thanks, Pasquale and Scchua.
I found this mostly quite easy, helped by writing in 1a straightaway, but got stuck on a couple of clues at the end. I couldn’t drag CALABASH or CRONYISM out of my memory and had to look both up to confirm. I have never seen the spelling of TEMPLET before and tried to write in template before realising that it wouldn’t work.
I thought some of the surfaces were a bit clunky but that’s just me.
Favourites FAREWELLS (which like Martin@17 I stared at for a time with all the crossers) TOPSOIL and STERNAL.
Thanks Pasquale and scchua
Fine puzzle, liked TILT AT WINDMILLS. Tx.
Nakamova @13 – I’m with you…HONEY != DISH IMHO…
However, I’m far more tolerant of loose DD’s and homophones than most, so I’m ok with it…
A fun puzzle and a bit of a relief after yesterday’s challenge. Agree with HIYD@22 re Honey / Dish. Thanks to P and S
Seemed on the easier end of Pasquale’s range but made harder for myself by not getting the top and bottom clues early. TILT AT WINDMILLS being completely new to me and was a case of finding any three words from the anagram.
Liked TOPSOIL
Thanks Scchua and Pasquale
Personally, I’m not okay with honey and dish. Can’t setters in a liberal 21st century newspaper leave their outdated misogynist thinking where it belongs, in the past. Seriously, far too often in these crosswords predominantly male setters get away with this nonsense. Thank you, rant over.
For those that may not know Don Manley sets under many Don related names – Duck, Pasquale, Quixote, Bradman, Giovanni, and Izetti— so it’s lovely to see the quixotic self-referential 28ac TILT AT WINDMILLS. Here is Rostropovich playing the coda to Strauss Don Quixote, windmill-tilting is over by this stage of the piece. Great puzzle, took me an enjoyable while, thank you Pasquale and scchua
Comment #27
Thank you Pasquale, and thank you scchua for your colourful blog.
I liked the clue for SAFETY at 6down.
ravenrider@9 – me too! With maharinas.
Not sure I really understand the point made by Maria@25. I’m male, and will sometimes call female friends “honey”. And – though far less plausibly, I’ll admit – they’ll sometimes call me “honey”. Similarly – though in times perhaps long gone now – I think “dish” and “dishy” were used by both women and men. Or have I been watching too many wholesome old films? And have I just reinforced Maria’s point?
Maria @25, Clyde @28: Chambers has one definition of ‘dish’ as ‘A good looking or attractive person’ and Collins, ‘An attractive person.’ Both say it’s informal, neither call it derogatory. Neither say it’s ‘predominantly female’. I don’t think Pasquale was being a misogynist.
An enjoyable puzzle, as always from Pasquale, with great clueing. Thanks Don and scchua!
Hadrian@26. I was delighted when TILT AT WINDMILLS emerged from the 28a clue, especially because of the setter’s other pseudonym. Such a great clue in this delightful puzzle.
Thanks Pasquale and scchua.
Thanks Pasquale. Except for the uncharacteristically awkward surface of 1a I thought this was an excellent crossword. The bottom half fell first for me. One great clue after another including REFUSED, PUERTO RICAN, PAR, SENEGAL, ARMREST, SAFETY, AFTERGLOW, and my COTD, TILT AT WINDMILLS. Thanks scchua for the blog.
Comment #33
Reliably good setter, as evidenced by the refreshing lack of quibbling in the comments section. Didn’t think this his hardest or maybe the old brain was just on a good day. Favourites REFUSED and PUERTO RICAN.
Enjoyable challenge. Top half was easier for me.
New for me: TEMPLET, CALABASH, CHURN = vessel (metal container for milk).
Favourites: SUTRA, MAHARANIS.
Like Amma#3 I can remember what I have always seen as template pronounced TEMPLET, so it was no surprise to confirm it in Chambers after solving. SUTRA, which I did not solve, is an interesting word from Sanskrit meaning thread, so I would guess linked to suture via Latin.
Since reaching my 70s I am occasionally addressed by bar staff, shop workers and bus drivers (all female so far) as lovely and honey, but not DISH. (Brockwell had a similar clue a few days ago.)
Thanks to Pasquale and Scchua.
In my predominantly but not exclusively heterosexual social circles (music and curling) I hear dish used by women to describe attractive men more often than the reverse. And my wife sometimes calls me honey. I think that Maria@28 is 28ing (tilting at windmills). There is plenty of misogyny to be railed against, without fretting over dish and honey in a crossword.
Thanks Pasquale and scchua for a honey of a puzzle and blog.
“5. Food city provided with words before departure (9)“
I’m not convinced about ‘provided with’. It’s an extremely awkward way to say that the food is provided with a city, isn’t it? If we’re really trying to use it like that isn’t it that the city is provided with food which imo gives Wellsfare. Sure I’ve missed something here!
Oh Maria @25, looking for – and finding – offence and sexism in neuter words. He’s a honey/dish, she’s a honey/dish. Even, if you’re into all that woke stuff ‘zit’s a honey/dish.’ Honestly you’ll have a happier life if you don’t assume that everybody is out to offend you. They’re probably not!
#38 – re Maria@25. Thanks for putting us right – always nice to be told how one should feel…
Making my first comment on this blog. I’ve been coming here semi-regularly for a little over a year; thought it about time I showed myself.
When I started attempting cryptics last year, reading the parsings in the posts and discussions in the comments was one of the main ways in which I learned the basics and the not-so-basics. So my thanks to everyone here.
As a non-native speaker (with a strong interest in the English language), it’s striking that this sort of puzzle is unheard of in my country (crosswords are a pastime here, but the cluing is mostly bland).
Today’s puzzle was a welcome reprieve after yesterday: approachable while very enjoyable. Thanks to Pasquale and scchua.
…probably not adding anything particularly relevant to the conversation above, but when I had an hour between changing trains at Derby the lady behind the pub nearby that I bought my pint in addressed me as “Duck”. I thought that was a rather nice term of endearment for someone a little way beyond his three score and ten allotted span…
ronald @41
DUCK was actually my first thought for 18a. I’ve never lived in the Midlands, but someone (Adrian Chiles?) wrote that nearly everyone addresses everyone else as “duck” in some parts of the area.
Found it here
How do you solve a problem like Maria? Tedious.
[AlanC @44
I find that a bit uncharitable.]
Submitted DISH to the check button and was a little disappointed to find it OKed – though only because it seemed an atypically weakish clue rather than due to any implied register.
Be kind.
Having been on the sharp end of remarks myself from time to time, when I’ve been (or been considered to be) sexist, or forgotten to say “them” instead of “him”…
It was qualified by “rant over”.
The greater danger in our troubled times is of alienation between people of good intention but differing perceptions.
Maria we love you. Please don’t be excluded.
muffin @45: so you think it’s OK to accuse our male setters of being misogynistic? I’m disappointed by your comment.
AlanC @48
Recently we have had BENEFACTRESS and poeTESS in puzzles, neither acceptable in the Guardian. Need I say more?
TonyS@29: you might have added that Chambers defines “honey” as both “a term of endearment” and “a person or thing that is excellent, pleasant or delightful (informal)”. Hence the equation of HONEY and DISH, which some queried (including me, until I looked it up). I’ll stay out of the “woke” argument.
DUCK was a frequently used endearment in Sheffield when I worked there in the 1970s.
At the risk of being impertinent….
We’re daily solvers and almost always come here for parsing and to admire the erudition and wit that adorn the blog. But the atmosphere sometimes jars.
Theres a world of difference between establishing and articulating what our (ever evolving) cultural norms are re the usage of words, and implying that people who differ from we consider acceptable are accusatory or woke. We’re all adapting. Steptoe senior played his brutish role to satirise the views of some his viewers, a sort of reductio ad absurdam.
In ten years time – or sooner hopefully – a consensus will have been reached across all strata of society; and other topics will engage and enrage. And we may find ourselves on the “wrong” side. Let’s maintain friendliness above all.
Rant over!
Scotblok@51 – this always happens on this site when someone expresses a wish that the crossword inhabit the same world as the newspaper in not reducing women to a measure of how much one wants to have sex with them. People pile in complaining about others wanting to take offence too easily, but the problem is not being offended but being tired of the reminders that we live in a time when some still think it is normal to make attractiveness a primary characteristic. We are Guardian readers.
AlanC
In case you are missing the point of mine @49, those examples are incontrovertibly misogynistic. Take POETESS for example: poems are written by poets, but describing a woman as a poetess is excusing her for not being quite as good as a male poet.
maria @25 i’ve heard “dishy” used in both male and female contexts. you’re imagining misogyny where it doesn’t exist.
muffin @53: I didn’t miss your point but what shall we do about, for example, Princess and Duchess in future? If you think they are misogynistic terms, then I’ll agree with you?
not keen on joke=pun, never have been. he could’ve put ‘wordplay’ in there instead…
but it’s almost always ‘gag’, & that kept me from seeing the islander for an hour or so.
templet was a new word for me, & indeed I’m grateful at my age for anything new that comes along!
put it in, confident, checked it afterwards. often the way.
had to check the indian princesses & the bone too, but I suspect that this is atrophy rather than ignorance on my part…
maria (25) if that’s bothered you enough to write here…. I mean…. do you write the little warnings they read out on tv channels when they’re running a show or a movie from last century? these words are synonyms in the sort of loose way that makes the whole crossword schtick work, & there’s really no need to conflate this with the views (if there are any) of the setter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Manley
AlanC@55 – bad examples as both duchesses and princesses remained distinguished from dukes and princes in the entitlements they have in misogynistic societal remnants.
VW @57 ‘in not reducing women to a measure of how much one wants to have sex with them’. Seriously, you don’t think certain women talk about men or women in the same way? I don’t condone either btw.
AlanC@58 – not in the Guardian they don’t. And it has been confirmed previously that the crossword is covered by the same standards as the rest of the newspaper.
VowelGobbler@40: you’re most welcome! It’s a second language for me, too, and, alas, here we don’t have cryptics, either.
AlanC
The example that I will definitely forgive is “actress”, because it is relevant when playing a part whether the actor is male or female. Duchess and princess too, to a lesser degree. Whether a poet is male or female is totally irrelevant.
To those offended by words with a female inflection, good luck in getting all those peoples of the world who speak languages with far more evolved grammars than English to rebuild them completely. Linguists say that Polish has from five to seven functional genders, for instance.
I personally dislike both “honey” and “dish” for the same reason that I’m not fond of “envisioned”, and for no other. That is – I believe, perhaps incorrectly – they’re unnecessary imports from the same place.
Whatever, I think that such things are absolutely fine in a crossword, which relies only on the fact of the existence of a given word.
SH 36: I liked the guess at the suture-SUTRA connection.
Thanks one and all.
Catching up after Wednesday’s Paul, completed this a day late. Many really fine clues. Most enjoyable. Among many, my favourite was 6d SAFETY for a great misdirecting surface
Another favourite was 1a FRANCIS OF ASSISI for a lengthy and delightful charade. Mrs Mig is in the order of Franciscans, so will appreciate it, too
Thank you both
ravenrider@9 I had to guess, too, but happened to get it right!
Courage Maria@25, despite the unfortunate pile-on. Although I disagree with you in this case, keep calling out misogyny when you see it! We need regular reminders to do better
Welcome VowelGobbler@40! Looking forward to more of your comments
On to today’s puzzle!
Don’t fight everyone. This is a lovely corner of the internet, and there are probably lots of others like me who have fallen into a very pleasant habit of tilting at the cryptic before bed, then skimming through the answers and appreciative comments on this site. I’m getting better at this thanks to all of you, most of all the setters and bloggers, and it makes my life better.
I too raised an eyebrow at HONEY = DISH, but they are both old-timey slang for an attractive person: “She’s a honey / dish”. When the terms were popular, I think they would have been applied exclusively to women by men.
If I heard someone say that now, I would think they were quite old-fashioned, but plenty of similarly dated slang is found in crosswords.
I would probably also suspect this hypothetical person of harboring retrograde attitudes about the sexes, but to me the terms aren’t nearly offensive enough to object to their use in a crossword. Others may disagree, of course.