I’m standing in for Bridgesong this week, as he takes some well-earned R&R – and after last week’s exertions with Enigmatist, we have a Pangakupu (which is, fittingly*, Maori for ‘word puzzle’…)
I made fairly good progress, solving in a top-down manner for a change, and had quite a bit of the top half done before moving down under. Wherein a bit of historio-geographical GK was required – the ‘party island’ of 26A IBIZA was straightforward enough; I happened to know about 15D THE BOWERY, New York’s version of Skid Row; and for some reason I also knew of the Irish port of DROGHEDA at 17D – maybe it is on the end of the Dart line? However, the theologian St Augustine of 22D HIPPO (Regius) was a little beyond my ken, although he isn’t now!
I enjoyed the surface reads of: 16D AFFLUENT as ‘flush’, with effluent changing its first letter; the FIRST SEA LORD at 18A supporting ‘idle tars’; and 22A SOPHOCLEAN, with the poet eating some wholesome noodle soup – did they have Pot Noodles in Ancient Greece?…
*I say ‘fittingly’, as Pangakupu is also Phi (in the Indy and IQ) and Kcit (EV), and is an Englishman who has been settled in New Zealand for many years now. He often includes a nod to his adopted homeland by slipping a Maori word or two into his puzzles somewhere – maybe in the clues, maybe as an answer, or, as here, in a Nina.
And this puzzle is no exception, with KARAPU appearing down the middle column – which a little Wiki-oogling defines variously as a) a club/society, b) the North wind and/or c) a glove. I couldn’t spot any others, but if there are, or if there is any further significance of this one, I’m sure they/it will be expanded upon below…
(In fact I have been double-Phi’d this week, with EV 1763 under his Kcit moniker, and now this Pangakupu.)
Thanks, as usual, to Pangakupu for a pleasant diversion, and I trust all is clear below…
[The usual disclaimer about playing golf on Saturday morning and non-availability for responding to comments – but they are all appreciated…]
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
| 1A | CHAUCER | Poet’s occasional work about University church (7)
CHA_R (occasional piece of work) around U (university) + CE (Church of England) |
| 5A | CATS-PAW | Minion whips another minion endlessly (4-3)
CATS (whips, lashes) + PAW( |
| 9A | TIE-IN | Male accessory – popular marketing move (3-2)
TIE (predominantly male neck accessory) + IN (popular) |
| 10A | SKARA BRAE | Rakes active around a block turned over in prehistoric site (5,4)
SK_RAE (anag, i.e. active, of RAKES) around A + RA_B (bar, block, turned over) |
| 11A | UNDERSTAND | Get where sports ground security might not find you? (10)
you could hide UNDER the STAND to avoid sports-ground security?! |
| 12A | END | Stop, exhausted, toppling over, nothing less (3)
D( |
| 14A | ABSTRACTEDLY | Leads by running around region unthinkingly? (12)
ABS_EDLY (anag, i.e. running around, of LEADS BY) around TRACT (region) |
| 18A | FIRST SEA LORD | Naval leader: source for support for idle tars, possibly (5,3,4)
anag, i.e. possibly, of S (first letter, or source, of Support) + FOR IDLE TARS |
| 21A | LOG | Taking considerable time, missing new record (3)
LO( |
| 22A | SOPHOCLEAN | Very good noodle soup, wholesome, suitable for a poet (10)
SO (very good) + PHO (Vietnamese noodle soup) + CLEAN (wholesome) |
| 25A | EYE MAKE-UP | Caught one to create mascara? (3,4-2)
EYE (homophone, i.e. caught – I, one, can sound like EYE) + MAKE_UP (create) |
| 26A | IBIZA | Bass in zone 2 recalled area of party island? (5)
Z (zone) + I_I (II, two, Roman numerals) around B (bass) = ZIBI, all recalled to give IBIZ, plus A (area) |
| 27A | TRAGEDY | Getting on in attempt to produce something of Shakespeare? (7)
TR_Y (attempt) around AGED (getting on) |
| 28A | OVEREAT | Finished end of route at gorge (7)
OVER (finished) + E (end of routE) + AT |
| Down | ||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
| 1D | CUT OUT | Stop copper taking on aggressive salesman (3,3)
CU (cuprum, copper) + T_OUT (aggressive salesperson) |
| 2D | AGENDA | Information spiking a US lawyer’s expected work (6)
A + GEN (information) + DA (District Attorney, US lawyer) |
| 3D | CONTRIBUTE | Add something to study, with a lot of attempts to suppress objection (10)
CON (study) + TRI_E( |
| 4D | RESIT | Take another exam? Refuse, dismissing an opening from school (5)
RESI( |
| 5D | CHAIN MAIL | Islands’ postal service getting a source of protection (5,4)
CHAIN (group of islands) + MAIL (postal service) |
| 6D | TRAP | What actor seeks has turned up – something on the stage? (4)
actors are always seeking a PART, tuned up to give TRAP (trap door, something on the stage) |
| 7D | PORTENDS | Indicates remaining bits under computer socket (8)
PORT (computer socket) above ENDS (remaining bits) |
| 8D | WEEKDAYS | No great confusion, we hear, when most are at work (8)
homophone, i.e. we hear – a WEAK DAZE (no great confusion) could sound like WEEK DAYS – when most people are at work! |
| 13D | ATTRACTIVE | Pretty US lawyer, busy imprisoning Republican (10)
ATT (attorney, another US lawyer) + ACTIVE (busy), around (imprisoning) R (Republican) |
| 15D | THE BOWERY | Those people seen around shady area where New York drunks gather (3,6)
THE_Y (those people) seen around BOWER (shady area) |
| 16D | AFFLUENT | Flush sewage after Australian takes over leadership (8)
( [‘flush’ as in wealthy!] |
| 17D | DROGHEDA | Medic to leave, upset, with woozy head? It’s the port (8)
DR (doctor, medic) + OG (go, leave, upset) + HEDA (anag, i.e. woozy, of HEAD) [Drogheda being a port 50km or so north of Dublin] |
| 19D | PETITE | Delicate sex? Mostly safe to accept that (6)
PET_E( |
| 20D | INFANT | Immature supporter interrupting international (6)
IN_T (international) around (interrupted by) FAN (supporter) |
| 23D | HIPPO | River goes under trendy home of theologian (5)
HIP (trendy) over PO (Italian river) [the theologian in question being St Augustine of Hippo (Hippo Regius)] |
| 24D | HATE | Dislike son abandoning expedition (4)
HA( |
Thanks to setter and blogger; light relief after last week’s Enigmatist.
Intrigued by the name I googled Pangakupu and found that he lives over the hill just 80 km (50 miles) from me.
Thanks for stepping in mc_rapper67. This setter has been using Maori ninas to signal the sequence number of his Guardian crosswords. Here we’re at No 52, and we have:
Four suits making up a 52-card deck. (Roz was right.)
taimana (horizontal nina)
diamond
karapu (vertical nina)
club
peti (in 19D: PETIte)
spade
hate (24D)
heart
Bravo Pangakupu
I’ll get my coat!…
Don’t think I’ve managed to complete a Pangakupu puzzle before
Wasn’t easy but got there
Liked: CATS PAW, SKARA BRAE, PORTENDS, CUT OUT, CHAIN MAIL, PETITE
Thanks Pangakapu and mc_rapper67
Can anyone explain where the deletion indicator for TRIES is in 3D? is ‘suppreses’ doing double duty as the deletion and enveloping indicator?
Great puzzle, I didn’t spot the theme
Matt@5:
Like mc_r, I took “a lot of …” to indicate that we need most of the word TRIES –– in fact, all but the last letter.
Hope that’s right!
Beautifully crafted clues, with fine surfaces. 11a UNDERSTAND was funny. 22a SOPHOCLEAN a delightful charade. Many other favourites
Thanks mc_rapper67 for the animated blog, Coloradan@2 for deciphering the code, and Pangakupu for the fun
Taimana = diamond… I think this might also be Pangakupu’s 60th crossword?
It’s really best to read the blog and previous posts before diving in!
I don’t have anything to add. I found this prizeworthy. I saw HIPPO and thought “it must be!” but why? Pretty obscure stuff! Mc_rapper67 might know know. I fear I may forget.
Thanks for the challenge and the blog.
Augustine of Hippo is well known in church circles – I didn’t have to look him up, I even knew his mother’s name was Monica – they are remembered on consecutive days in the CofE calendar.
Thank you to mc_rapper and Pangakupu.
Thanks for the blog , very good Prize puzzle , lots of clever clues . Chopper Sophocles gets yet another reference . ABSTRACTEDLY a very neat construction .
Well done Coloradan@2 , clearly my crystal ball was working well predicting this one . The next one possibly Herbie , the Love-Bug from Saturday morning cinema , or maybe I will be the theme . We had a prime number reference for 47 .
Thanks, mc_rapper67 for covering for me. I completed the puzzle on Saturday during a transatlantic flight but although I am now back home, a combination of IT problems (not to mention jet lag!) would have made it very difficult for me to post a blog. And even if I had, I would not have spotted the ninas or their significance!
Augustine of HIPPO is also well known in philosophical circles – no need to be a churchgoer. And the AFFLUENT clue makes me think of the Aussie series Kath and Kim: “I want to be effluent, Mum” “You are effluent, Kim”. A brilliant bit of cluing, though if you don’t know the show, it would go right over your head. Thanks, Pangakupu and mc…
Thanks Pankakupu and mc-rapper67
Very pleasant puzzle.
You may have heard of DROGHEDA from the infamous actions of Oliver Cromwell.
My sincerest apologies to Martin (and any others) offended by my error at 8. Your passive aggressive snipe is well-noted. Hope I didn’t ruin your weekend too much.
I enjoyed this and found it a lot easier than last week’s. Some lovely clues.
I needed internet help to confirm HIPPO, pho and THE BOWERY.
I visited the amazing SKARA BRAE in pouring rain a few years back. Neolithic landscape and possibly climate in Orkney must have been a lot different from now.
Thanks to Pangakupu and mc_rapper67, and a special mention to Coloradan@2.
Coloradan@2 Amazing. Well done for all that info.
Alex@15. I thought that Martin@9 was being humorous – and helpful – rather than aggressive, with an exclamation mark at the end. I appreciate that it might feel different if you’re the one that it’s aimed at!
Plenty of clever and amusing clues here. The sweetly succinct LOG was my favourite.
A combination of friendly clues and accessible GK made this a very rapid solve for me last Saturday morning. I was left with the memory of a very pleasant experience, which it’s nice to be reminded of after a pummeling by Pasquale and others in the week that has just passed.
Thanks to Pangakupu and mc, and to Coloradan for researching the Maori words (I had the first two but didn’t look any further).
Many thanks, Pangakupu and mc_rapper67. This puzzle SUITED me really well after my unsuccessful struggle with the previous Prize.
Am amazed at the Ninas incorporated in the final grid. What superb compiling. Special thanks to Coloradan@2 for explaining this early, so that others could appreciate Pangakupu’s handiwork.
The CofE church I attended as a teenager is St. Augustine’s – though of Canterbury rather than of Hippo, but my godson the theologian helped me to become aware of the other one.
Very enjoyable: I liked the chap hiding UNDER STAND, SKARA BRAE and the FIRST SEA LORD supporting the idle tars. I haven’t met ATT=attorney before – and why is CHAR an occasional piece of work?
Thanks Pangakupu and mc_rapper67.
Thoroughly enjoyable solve, though my misplaced confidence in writing in UNDERCOVER rather than UNDERSTAND held me up for a while. Missed out on SOPHOCLEAN, thanks to my ignorance of Vietnamese soup . Particularly liked the clueing of CATS-PAW and HATE. Thanks to Pangakupu and mc-r. Also to Coloradan@2 for demonstrating how an excellent puzzle was even better than I had ever imagined
No real problems for me (although the Nina and its significance escaped me as usual) although linking islands to chain in 5d took me a while.
Those not familiar with Augustine might be amused by his famous prayer, “Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.”
Same experience as Sheffield Hatter @20 and a big shout out for Coloradan @2 and Roz with her crystal ball. Hope that she is predicting a sizeable win for KPR today. As muffin states @14, DROGHEDA was a watershed moment for many Irish generations.
Ta Pangakupu & mc_rapper67.
Am I the only one to have found this really tough? I finished it but with lots unparsed. Thanks for the helpful explanations here. I’m still stumped by the idea that ‘very good’ = SO (22D) and can’t find any record of CHAR being occasional work (rather than the person who does it) in 1A. Can anyone help?
Like Gladys@22 and BigMaz@26, I couldn’t really see CHAR as occasional work. Charring may not be required every day … a “daily” … or every week. But other jobs can be like that too. Work is work. So it seemed a little FISHY!
Choldunk@27: Chambers defines CHAR as “1. To do odd jobs of work, 2. To do house-cleaning”.
I found this fairly smooth going for a Prize, with no quibbles. HIPPO was a write-in, though I did have to look up SKARA BRAE.
I had heard of Augustine of Hippo so that one was a write-in for me, although I had to look up exactly where Hippo was located (it’s the modern city of Annaba in northeast Algeria by the way).
Thanks, poc@28. I’d failed to check my Chambers. Mine (2008) even mentions “an occasional piece of work”.
Re 11a – did everyone “get it”?
Like BigMaz@26 I found this hard, though I haven’t completed many prize crosswords before. Got all except PETITE in the end, and I still don’t understand it – why is ‘safe’ a synonym of ‘peter’?
I loved THE BOWERY, AFFLUENT, PORTENDS, SOPHOCLEAN and UNDERSTAND.
AmphiAnna
Peter is a slang word for a safe. Robbers who specialise in breaking into them are termed “petermen”. Turns up quite often in crosswords.
I deduced SKARA BRAE, but forgot to check whether it existed or not, as I’d never heard of it, so technically a DNF for me I suppose.
I found this tough, as I think that a Prize should be.
Thanks each.
Etu
SKARA BRAE is a site well worth visiting. When I went, a friend had told me to bypass the reconstruction and go straight to the actual site – quite right!
I found this easier than most Prizes, although CHAIN MAIL and UNDERSTAND took me a while. Sometimes I don’t think very cryptically, oddly enough. The one I didn’t dare write in because I couldn’t parse it was PETITE. I’ve never come across Peter for safe before.
Having done what Martin @9 suggested, I should have also refreshed before diving in! AmphiAnna@32 got there before me, and muffin@33 had set us straight.
Comment #38
It has been a long time since The Bowery was New York’s Skid Row. Gentrification started in the nineties and I would guess was complete more than twenty years ago. It’s luxury apartments now. No problem with that clue, though.
Despite the climate SKARA BRAE is on my bucket-list, and was FOI. It took me a couple of sessions to get through; after the first I’d filled in the NE & SW but little of the rest. I finished the next day with 4d & 19d still unparsed, so was relieved when the Check button became available to confirm my guesses. NHO _peter_ as a safe, but I have no excuse for the other. I vaguely recalled DROGHEDA from the Civil-War-era incident but looked it up to check the spelling.
Trovatote@6 Thanks! So obvious now…
AlanC @25 , my crystal ball can perform wonders but draws the line at miracles .
Peter is thieves’ slang for a safe. There are various theories as to why, none of them convincing.
Ta P and MC. Didn’t get 22a or 15d. Don’t feel too bad about that, though, because I would never have got them if I had tried any harder. You are not alone BigMaz @26. Excellent work out!
I’m not sure that anyone answered the query from BigMaz@26 about ‘very good’ =SO (in 22a). I saw it as something that might be said after a discussion, a sort of summing up phrase: “So, we’re all agreed we’ll go for a curry”, or “Very good, curry it is!”
Thanks muffin 35.
[There was once a reconstruction of Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain made of foam polystyrene, but only for a few days mercifully.]
sh @45 “The curry was just so” perhaps.
A bit late after a busy weekend, but thanks for all the comments and feedback, and to all who have chipped in with explanations and answers to queries/quibbles…
And chapeau to Coloradan at #2, and anyone else who found all four items – I vaguely remember wondering if TAIMANA might be another Maori word, but the rush to write up and publish the blog clouded that idea.
“That was SO good” = “That was very good”?