Tramp makes a welcome return quite soon after his recent Prize puzzle
… and I’m not complaining – with three of my favourite setters in a row.
Quite a racy puzzle today, one way or another, raising several smiles. I liked the idiomatic expressions in 14ac, 22ac and 13dn and enjoyed working out the long anagrams involved in 9ac and 24ac. (I think Andy Burnham’s name should be familiar to non-UK solvers, in view of the significant by-election due to take place here tomorrow.)
Some other ticks were for MENSWEAR, TRANSACT, EMBRACE, PINOT NOIR, SPOONBILL, ARREARS and SPARROW.
Many thanks to Tramp for an intriguing puzzle.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Put out bin at front – one of two (6)
BOTHER
B[in] + OTHER (one of two)
4 Main house where one might get depressed (6)
KEYPAD
KEY (main) + PAD (house)
9 Perhaps, Labour on holding a poll, finally Andy Burnham is running (6,9)
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
An anagram (running) of ANDY BURNHAM IS round A [pol]L, finally; I am not expecting cries of ‘parochialism’ here: those who are familiar with Tramp’s puzzles know that he is one of those setters who habitually exploit the names of real people in clever clues and would pay a visit to Google, if necessary – a great surface here
Edit: please see comments 13 and 15 for the correct parsing (straight from the horse’s mouth, as it were 😉 ), making for an even better surface
To clarify further – Tramp @15: “Holding” is a farm and the word is part of the definition. “Perhaps, Labour on holding” is meant as “perhaps, work on farm”. I thought people might struggle with this and had a rewrite which was “raising issues in country”, or something.
So the definition is ‘Perhaps Labour on holding’
10 Person sparking up pressing a lighter (6)
FAIRER
FIRER (person sparking up) round A
11 Insect transported via straight banana (8)
PLANTAIN
ANT (insect) in PLAIN (straight)
12 M&S restricting space to show clothing range (8)
MENSWEAR
EN (space, in printing) in M&S + WEAR (show)
14 Stop speaking English – virtually nothing (6)
ENOUGH
E (English) + NOUGH[t] (virtually nothing)
15 Have sex with old females in sack (3-3)
LAY-OFF
LAY (have sex with) + O (old) + FF (females)
18 Supporter on seat in stand getting behind defender (8)
BACKREST
BACK (defender) + REST (stand)
21 Handle of shortened rifle concealed by jacket from tracksuit (8)
TRANSACT
RANSAC[k] (rifle) in T[racksui]T
22 Get lost taking on run in country (6)
NORWAY
R (run) in NO WAY (‘Get lost!)
24 Botched tattoo line, briefly – nearly balls up in this drawing (8,7)
NATIONAL LOTTERY
An anagram (botched) of TATTOO LIN[e] + NEARLY: I initially wrote, “We seem to have another anagram indicator in ‘balls up'”; it was only when I was going back to bed in the early hours that I realised that it was part of the definition, referring to the balls in the Lottery machine – a real pdm / laugh-out-loud moment
25 Only fish by lake close to jetty (6)
SOLELY
SOLE (fish) + L (lake) + {jett]Y
26 Make out while retired women swing (6)
SEESAW
SEE (make out) + a reversal of AS (while) + W (women)
Down
1 Date after chemistry and kinky sex (7)
BONDAGE
BOND (‘chemistry’) + AGE (date)
2 Watch money deposited in bank (5)
TIMER
M (money) in TIER (bank)
3 Blow up balloon (7)
ENLARGE
Double definition, although the two are rather close
5 Semi-naked couple cuddle (7)
EMBRACE
[s]EM[i] + BRACE (couple)
6 Over in beer garden at the back knocking back port wine (5,4)
PINOT NOIR
O (over) in PINT (beer) + [garde]N + a reversal (knocking back) of RIO (port)
7 Love letter’s opening written in bold (7)
DARLING
L[etter] in DARING (bold)
8 Large bottom: cut showing cheek (6)
BUMPER
BUM (bottom) + PER[t] (showing cheek), cut
13 Bird to cuddle bachelor in bed? (9)
SPOONBILL
SPOON (to cuddle) + B (bachelor) + ILL (in bed?)
16 Pair regularly on bender, ultimately they pick up debt (7)
ARREARS
Alternate letters of pAiR + [bende]R + EARS (they pick up)
17 Wash face with this soft soap (7)
FLANNEL
Double definition
18 British PM doesn’t finish campaign (6)
BATTLE
B (British) + ATTLE[e] (Prime Minister
19 Sympathise as Charlie not off jobseeker’s allowance (7)
CONDOLE
C (Charlie) + ON (not off) + DOLE (jobseeker’s allowance)
20 Bird bath with rook pinching top spot off family member (7)
SPARROW
SPA (bath) + R (rook) + [c]ROW (family member)
23 Admires topless chests (5)
RATES
[c]RATES (chests)
MENSWEAR
I took ‘to show’ as WEAR
and ‘clothing range’ as the def.
Thanks Tramp and Eileen.
Thanks Eileen. Another challenge this week. All solved and parsed the same as you although I was slightly hazy on BUMPER.
For efficiency, I’ll echo your picks.
(Oh, I was with KVa on Menswear. )
Thanks also to Tramp
KVa and Martin
Many thanks: one of those that got lost in translation! – I’ll amend it now.
FLANNEL
Often, DD’s are plain.
This one is quite good.
The only clue I didn’t like was enlarge because, as Eileen said, the two definitions are almost the same anyway. There are at least two other possible answers that are as good without the crossers: inflate and explode both came to me before crossers ruled them out, and I am sure there are many more.
I always feel that in the cryptic you should be able to be reasonably confident that your answer is correct if you have parsed the clue correctly. I know others disagree on that.
Ravenrider@5 I had the same false starts with ENLARGE. I do not mind at all when I need the crossers to be sure of a solution as, after all, that is partly the name of the game. The words have to cross! Found today’s puzzle tough and had some worrying moments when I thought I was defeated but it all came out in the wash (with the aide of the flannel and soft soap). Thanks all round.
Enlarge – I thought of old fashioned photos where you would “blow up” shots when printing – as in 1966 film
This took a bit of head-scratching but I got there. Mostly good fu.
Like others I thought the clue for ENLARGE was weak though I did like being reminded of the film Blow-up – thanks Shirl@7.
Unlike others I didn’t like 9a at all and thought it contrived.
Favourites KEYPAD, SPARROW and NATIONAL LOTTERY.
Thanks Tramp and Eileen.
That was all good clean fun. Needed to read the parsing for quite a few of them, many thanks Eileen, and Tramp. Was there a theme? Hmm…
Many thanks, have a great day all.
PhilB@8, I suppose “Labour on holding a poll”, where poll = part of animal’s head or hornless livestock, is a reasonable definition of ‘animal husbandry’. Maybe?
I love Tramp and I fully expect him to come on here and correct me but LAY OFF and ‘sack’ are really not the same thing
Everything other than that superb
I followed every misdirection and invented some of my own. I saw “wallow” for the bath in 20d and wasted time trying to justify “swallow” . Some very cleverly put together surfaces
The def in ANIMAL HUSBANDRY is ‘labour on holding’ ie holding = smallholding/farm
Comment #14
Thanks, Eileen for the super blog.
“Holding” is a farm and the word is part of the definition. “Perhaps, Labour on holding” is meant as “perhaps, work on farm”. I thought people might struggle with this and had a rewrite which was “raising issues in country”, or something.
“Blow up” and “balloon” are to similar, on reflection.
Neil
Nic @10 – I had thoughts along those lines but couldn’t quite ft it together.
Bingy @13 and Sagittarius @14 – that’s it! The ‘on’ had been bothering me.
And now Tramp! – many thanks to all.
I didn’t delete Sagittarius’ comment @ 14 and received no request to moderate it: it echoed Bingy’s @13.
Eileen @17 Probably Sagittarius himself deleted it during the editing window upon seeing Bingy’s. When a commenter does this it leaves a trace that is indistinguishable from a deletion by the blogger or admin.
I enjoyed this immensely, lots of “aha” moments and several clues where the wordplay raised a smile.
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY was brilliant because the surface was an absolute masterclass in redirection; though, I too read “Perhaps, Labour on holding” as the definition (holding=farm, roughly), and I think the wordplay holds even with that taken into the definition.
COD, though, as an avid bird lover, was SPARROW. Just a lovely clue requiring corvid knowledge 🙂
Also enjoyed KEYPAD, SOLELY and ARREARS.
Struggled with CONDOLE – I’d never heard it as a verb outside of the context of condolences – and TRANSACT, but the wordplay for both is entirely fair.
Many thanks Tramp for the puzzle and Eileen for helping me parse some of the trickier wordplay!
Great stuff, chewy but it didn’t melt my brain. Slowed down a bit by an incorrect EXPLODE which probably muddied my thinking for the crossing answers.
Didn’t do the ANIMAL HUSBANDRY anagram but the letters seemed to all be there.
Enjoyed CONDOLE, PINOT NOIR and NATIONAL LOTTERY amongst others
Thanks Tramp and Eileen
A cracker from Tramp – enjoyable all round. I had MERELY instead of SOLELY initially, which fitted the bill perfectly apart from the crossers. Many thanks to Tramp and Eileen, as ever.
Oooh, it’s very glamorous when the puzzle setter turns up to settle a debate! Thanks Tramp.😁❤️👍
Nic @22- agreed! I’m very grateful – I’ve amended the blog.
Tough to get into but made it in the end. I thought the 2 long anagrams were brilliant and I was another who tried explode for 3d. Thanks to Tramp and Eileen.
Not to my taste.
I couldn’t help thinking of Tom Lehrer’s line “… he practiced animal husbandry, until they caught him at it”.
😆🤣🤣
A good puzzle, and an even better solve. Particularly enjoyed the SPOONBILL…
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY and NATIONAL LOTTERY are outstanding. Thankfully, everyone seems positive today about this sexy puzzle.
Ta Neil & Eileen.
I should just add: I wrote this puzzle about two weeks ago. I asked Alan if we could use it before the by-election (tomorrow). I’m grateful to Pangakupu for swapping his slot at the last minute.
Thanks for the kind words.
Neil
There was some lovely stuff here, and chewy in places for me, especially in the NW. I was tickled by SPARROW, FLANNEL, SPOONBILL, PINOT NOIR, the idiomatic expressions and the two long anagrams.
I must admit I thought husbandry was more specifically related to birthing and so thought the definition was more or less Labour (in that sense).
Like Drofle@21 I had MERELY for a while (it was one of my FOI) until it got me completely stuck – at which point I realised it used the lake twice and the fish not at all!
I too was torn between ENLARGE and EXPLODE when I only had the final E checker, which I guess made this the weaker link in the puzzle. In fact the two meanings are further apart for EXPLODE, making that the better solution to the clue IMO. But if course only one answer matched the checkers.
I thought ARREARS was cheeky: a cryptic def as part of wordplay. A nice pdm when parsing that.
Thanks both
Wonderful, although failed to spot the full def in ANIMAL HUSBANDRY.
Loved the double def at FLANNEL, and it reminded me of something I read in a church porch, stipulating that a specified amount of money was to be “distributed equally among the poor of the parish in the form of flannel. ”
Presumably, if the money itself was given, it could have been converted into gin instead of clothes for the baby!
For what it’s worth, Balfour@18 is quite right. I saw the contribution from Bingy@13, who had posted while I was typing, and thought I would simply be duplicating him, so deleted my own comment in the ‘Correction window’. I hadn’t realised it would leave an indelible trace and imply that somebody had posted something that needed moderating. I suspect that may be the background to many of the gaps in the comments list, rather than outbreaks of offensiveness among posters.
Many thanks, Sagittarius (and Balfour) for that clarification. I’ve never been exactly sure of my moderating role as blogger. Even when I do get a request for moderation, the reason is not always clear.
As is so often the case with crosswords that I can’t do (I think I solved three clues), when I read the hints, and so many of the answers are relatively simple, it convinces me that somwhere there is a village missing an idiot.
On to tomorrow…
Thanks both.
This was a struggle – after a first pass through the Across clues, I had exactly one solution. Little by little the bottom half came together and even more slowly the top. I needed so many checks I am tempted to call this a technical DNF despite filling the grid. CONDOLE was new to me, but was a natural deduction (in both senses) from condolences.
On the plus side, I got all the birds in 20D, which were common enough that even I knew them!
Thanks to Eileen and Tramp.
I write DELETED in a post I want to remove.
For 9a I read labour as ‘giving birth’. So….labour on holding = giving birth on farm = animal husbandry.
Got almost none ot this last night, check button got me through.
How does “no way”= “get lody”? To me it means “it can’t be true!”
Does “other” have to be one of two? “I got rid of all the others,” say implies more than that.
Thanks, Tramp and Eileen.
Oh what a relief, I so hope you’re right, Sagittarius @33. There has been such a rash of deletions lately that I thought we must have come under attack from an army of anti-woke trolls.
Valentine @39
Please tidy your room. No way!/Get Lost!
Thanks for the blog , definitely two halves for me . When I put the Downs in I had all of the bottom half and virtually none of the top , hard work on the top corners . TRANSACT is very neat use of rifle , good use of ears in ARREARS , very clever and economical construction for PINOT NOIR
For ENLARGE my thoughts match Ravenrider@5 .
A spectacular IO in the FT today but you will need a few hours .
HoofitYouDonkey (great name)@35:
You’re not alone. Whist I completed today’s bar 1ac (I was trying to get BATTER to fit as there’s usually a two of them at the crease), I was completely at a loss with Vlad yesterday. Can a village have two idiots?
Thanks Tramp & Eileen for a fun workout.
Loved this.
I did, however, spend ages trying to find a mountain range starting M and ending S before the penny dropped for MENSWEAR.
Thanks to Tramp for a super puzzle and Eileen for a super blog 🙂
Nice but difficult puzzle. Poc #26 reminded me of Lehrer at his gory best with
“I hold your hand in mine, dear
I press it to my lips.
I take a healthy bite from
Your dainty fingertips…”
Dredged from an ancient memory.
Thanks both
Thanks Tramp for a challenging, ultimately doable, and hugely satisfying crossword. I particularly enjoyed the wit in so many clues. A few favourites included LAY-OFF, TRANSACT, SEESAW, EMBRACE, and PINOT NOIR. I loved all the misdirection but only after getting the solution 😆 Thanks Eileen for the blog.
Valentine
Other = One of two
Is a direct lift from Chambers
HoofItYouDonkey @35. That’s exactly my thoughts and number of clues solved.
Three village idiots now.
Got off to a bad start by putting in 3d distend. Chambers gives this for both balloon and blow up. Spent ages trying to sort that corner out! Hey ho!
I am afraid I could not get on the setter’s wavelength. I found the puzzle on the difficult side and probably missed much of the humour. Similar to Roz@42, I had the bottom half completed before making progress on the top.
I ticked LAY OFF and needed help to parse SPARROW (I did not see cROW as the family member).
Thanks Tramp and Eileen
Thanks Eileen for elucidating a very tough but fair challenge from Tramp. Like Martyn@50, I was baffled by CROW. Is it just that a crow is a “member” of the corvid “family”?
Coloradan@51 , crow and rook are very closely related , in fact hard to tell them apart at a distance . The best guide is numbers . A rook on its own ( in a pair ) is a crow , a crow in a bunch is a rook .
Hi Coloradan @51 – yes, that’s the way I read it …
… and Martyn @50 – my apologies if you were still puzzled: I took it that you meant ‘at first’, so didn’t respond. 😉
Hello Tramp, do you suppress giggles when writing such gems as 15a, 23d, 1d 13d among others, I really love your crosswords, virtually every clue a collector’s item 😊
Thanks Eileen@53 for checking. I am glad to report that I did understand your explanation. It was when solving that I did not see ROW came from cROW, although I did parse the SPA and R parts.
So saying, in hindsight the clue is a bit cheeky. R for rook is an abbreviation for the chess piece, and not for the bird. So “family member” must mean another chess piece and not another bird. Of course, none of this was in my head when I was solving – I simply did not think beyond “aunt” “gran” etc.
Ah, thanks Roz@52, Eileen@53. It comes together beautifully for me now.
#35 Hoofityoudonkey – i was in exactly the same place as you with this one. Maddening when you see the parsing isn’t it?!
Not a negative comment in sight from the usual doomsayers, must be a record and I imagine the usual suspects must have chewed a lot of fingernails. Chapeau Neil.
Person sparking up? Firer… really. I know this is the very bottom of today’s list but I am getting fed up with Guardian crossword setters. I’ve been solving since the mid 1980s, not always well, I loved Bunthorne, and Auracaria, I admire Paul for carrying the torch. And I’ve been a smoker. Someone who sparks up. My brother is an electrician, someone else who sparks up. Firer isn’t either. In the same way that to sack or fire, which might be done by a firer is very different from being laid off. In ceramics someone who only fills and lights the kiln.
Be smart, devious by all means, trick us, fool us, we come here for this. But don’t make it up.
Quite liked spoonbill. I had broadbill in there for a while. An awkward fit and not quite as elegant 🙂 Great fun after you get a foot in. Thank you!
Tramp wins this round. Several uncracked, for a dnf. For some I was considering the right answer, but held back because I couldn’t parse. All fair, though. I’ll get you next time, Tramp! 🙂
My favourites were 11a PLANTAIN and the “straight banana” (too bad it wasn’t plural, as “bananas” would have been even more misleading), 21a TRANSACT (“Handle”, and “rifle” = RANSAC(k)), 22a NORWAY (“Get lost” = NO WAY)
Thank you both
Yes, I agree with those who found this hard.
I filled in the bottom half before lights out, and coming back this morning worked backwards towards the NW, which I found really tough, mainly through not considering the correct definition for ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. However, once solved some of those there didn’t seem as knotty as first appeared, such as FAIRER.
All in all a great challenge, with lots of fun.
G’day all.
CONDOLE is an archaism, I guess–and opinions divide on those. (I’m pro, on the whole, as long as it’s not incredibly obscure.) The example I can think of comes from Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice, who comes to Longbourn to “condole with” (though actually to gloat over) the family, following Lydia’s shacking up in London with your man.
Re Phil Ramsden @ 63: I didn’t remember that about Mr Collins (one of the greatest jackasses of English literature). Thanks for the reminder!
(Oh, and a side note: I love the use of the phrase “your man”, which reminds me of my time working in Ireland.)
The literary example that came to my mind comes from Hamlet’s uncle, who tells him that “to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness.”
“Condole” is certainly not a common word today, but I don’t think it’s nearly obscure enough to object to its use in a crossword.