This Sunday’s Guardian online cryptic crossword found here …
… which describes itself as “A web-only, cryptic puzzle for beginners and those in a hurry. It is published on theguardian.com every Sunday.” Other than a couple of quibbles, see in the blurb, this seemed to fit the bill.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | WILLOW |
Cry of amazement about unhealthy tree (6)
|
| insertion (about) of WOW (cry of amazement) around (about) ILL (unhealthy) | ||
| 4 | CALIBRE |
Awful liar about bishop in church is bore (7)
|
| anagram (awful) of (LIAR)* around B (bishop from chess) to get ALIBR – inside (in) CE (church – Church of England) | ||
| 9 | ADVANTAGE |
Data vegan compiled to show benefit (9)
|
| anagram (compiled) of (DATA VEGAN)* | ||
| 10 | LIBRA |
Balance left one needing bodily support (5)
|
| charade of L (left) + I (one) + BRA (bodily support) | ||
| 11 | GOLEM |
This person with diary all about robot (5)
|
| reversal (all about) of ME (this person) + LOG (diary) < for this character | ||
| 12 | CONCEALED |
Hidden person in 17, ‘secured’, as you might say (9)
|
| charade of CON (person in prison (17)) + soundalike (as you might say) of “sealed” (secured) | ||
| 13 | ELEANOR |
Lurking in the lea, no respectable girl (7)
|
| hidden word(s) (lurking in) thE LEA NO Respectable | ||
| 15 | RETAIL |
Selling of goods I later reorganised (6)
|
| anagram (reorganised) of (I LATER)* | ||
| 17 | PRISON |
Public Relations is working for detention centre (6)
|
| charade of PR (Public Relations) + IS (from the clue) + ON (working) | ||
| 19 | BURNHAM |
Andy to emulate Alfred with different food? (7)
|
| Cryptic clue – Alfred the Great was known for burning cakes, so the emulation is to BURN + the different food is HAM – for the current UK Prime Minister | ||
| 22 | SPHINCTER |
Muscle ‘pinch’ – rest somehow (9)
|
| anagram (somehow) of (PINCH REST)* | ||
| 24 | IDLED |
I had shown the way and was lazy (5)
|
| charade of I’D (I had) + LED (shown the way) | ||
| 26 | ARISE |
Some ‘Sir’ announced – about to get this command? (5)
|
| hidden reversal (some … about) in somE SIR Announced – and part of the dubbing someone to become a knight or Sir, is the words “Arise, Sir …) | ||
| 27 | COOKHOUSE |
OK, you finally choose new place to eat (9)
|
| anagram of (new) (OK U CHOOSE)* where U is “yoU finally” – with a quibble from me, because I thought the COOKHOUSE was the place to cook, not eat | ||
| 28 | EGGHEAD |
Say, good ambassador takes notice, being studious type (7)
|
| charade of EG (say) + G (good) + HE (ambassador) + AD (notice). HE is an abbreviation for an ambassador, as it stands for His/Her Excellency | ||
| 29 | ADDERS |
Snakes less contented, start to finish (6)
|
| cycling (start to finish) – SADDER (less contented) with the first letter going to the end | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | WRANGLE |
Wife beginning to respect viewpoint in dispute (7)
|
| charade of W (wife) + R (beginning to Respect) + ANGLE (viewpoint) | ||
| 2 | LEVEL |
Flat going south or north (5)
|
| palindrome (going south or north – up and down in a down clue) – so a word meaning “flat” that works in both directions | ||
| 3 | ORNAMENTS |
Decorations – none smart unfortunately (9)
|
| anagram (unfortunately) of (NONE SMART)* | ||
| 4 | CLEANER |
Charlie thinner and less smelly? (7)
|
| charade of C (Charlie – NATO phonetic alphabet) + LEANER (thinner) | ||
| 5 | LILLE |
French city in peril – I’ll 21 (5)
|
| hidden word(s) (in) in periL ILL Escape – where the answer to 21D is Escape | ||
| 6 | BOBSLEIGH |
Robert’s left with Vivien, maybe in racing vehicle (9)
|
| charade of BOB’S (Robert’s) + LEIGH (Vivien – 1913-1967), I think, and I can’t see where the L for left is used | ||
| 7 | ELANDS |
Animals in Eastern territories (6)
|
| charade of E (eastern) + LANDS (territories) | ||
| 8 | DANCER |
The German holding party in Africa, one taking steps to entertain (6)
|
| insertion (holding) of DER (the German) around (holding) ANC ([political] party in Africa) | ||
| 14 | EARTHLING |
Inhabitant of our planet, strangely large and thin (9)
|
| anagram (strangely) of (LARGE + THIN)* | ||
| 16 | TARNISHED |
One hut to the south of lake is discoloured (9)
|
| charade of I (one) + SHED (hut) after (south in a down clue) of TARN (lake) | ||
| 18 | NOTICED |
Seen to be like a cake lacking topping (7)
|
| double definition – NOT ICED (cake lacking topping) | ||
| 19 | BARROW |
Pub next to terraced houses in Cumbrian town (6)
|
| charade of BAR (pub) + ROW (terraced houses) for this Cumbrian town | ||
| 20 | MADNESS |
Mother turning up on site of monster? Stupidity! (7)
|
| reversal (turning up, in a down clue) of DAM < (mother) + NESS ([Loch] site of monster?) – with a question mark as there is a question mark about the Loch Ness monster. | ||
| 21 | ESCAPE |
Getaway from Society, beset by unreal ‘peace’ (6)
|
| anagram (unreal) of (PEACE)* around S (Society, beset by) | ||
| 23 | NIECE |
Relation pleasant with inner energy (5)
|
| insertion (with inner) – NICE (pleasant) with E (energy) inserted (inner) | ||
| 25 | LOUSE |
Nasty person, see, given employment (5)
|
| charade of LO (see) + USE (given employment) |
Good fun. Never heard of Vivien Leigh nor the Cumbrian town. Nor SPHINCTER nor COOKHOUSE. So rather a lot of speed humps for a “quiptic”.
Quick and concise. BURNHAM was the standout clue and I also likes SPHINCTER. Perfect Q.
Ta Pasquale & Shanne.
I assumed that BOB was to the left of LEIGH in the clue but it does seem unnecessary for the surface.
AlanC @3 – because it’s early and isn’t going to complicate things, I’ve completely deleted your duplicate comment. No, I couldn’t see why the left in 6D.
Geoffdownunder @1 – Vivien Leigh starred in Gone with the Wind with Clark Gable, part of film history.
Come to the COOKHOUSE door is the rhythm of one of the bugle calls used in ceremonies (as is taps / Last Post), which is where I know that phrase and those calls are international.
I suspect you’ve clenched your SPHINCTERs at squeaky bum moments, most people have.
I didn’t expect the international solvers to know Barrow-in-Furness, which is why there’s a link to it in the blog.
Breezed through this except for putting CHOPHOUSE in and being unable to parse it. Which made a lot more sense as an eatery to me.
Did not know about Alfred burning cakes, but BURNHAM seemed the only word to fit the crossers to give an Andy. Only other clue to cause me to pause was ARISE as I didn’t spot the reverse hidden.
Pretty sure we already had NOT ICED recently too!
Lobsterdarts @5 – I was with you wanting to answer CHOPHOUSE, but it didn’t parse and for COOKHOUSE I could see the anagram fodder. I check that my answers are correct by “check all” in the app before I blog anything, and was half expecting that one to lose letters, but it didn’t.
Imaginary C is not mistaken: NOTICED was indeed clued in a very similar way, only a day or two back. This is not a criticism of Pasquale: keeping track of such things is an editor’s job…
Otherwise, a pleasing Sunday stroll.
Thank you Pasquale and Shanne
The Cambridge dictionary entry for cookhouse gives several examples that all suggest it is a place to eat, not just cook (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cookhouse).
My online Chambers has a second definition for COOKHOUSE as a military dining hall.
I agree with Shanne and others about the superfluous ‘left’ in BOBSLEIGH.
Otherwise a very nice quiptic level puzzle. I’m non-UK and none of the terms or places were unfamiliar.
Favourite was Alfred and Andy in the cryptic BURNHAM.
Thanks to Shanne and Pasquale.
The explanation about Alfred’s cakes is much appreciated, Shanne! It rings a faint bell but I wouldn’t have gotten there.
I read ARISE as &lit-ish as in the blog, but isn’t “some” doing double duty?
Fun puzzle! Now I can say that my fastest solve in months was a Pasquale. (Shhh )
Thanks P&S!
Tim @9 – the Chambers I use (2003 – reprint of 1995/8) has cookhouse – a building or room for cooking. I checked that Cambridge dictionary definition, and didn’t see that it anywhere said that the soldiers ate in the cookhouse, just that’s where they got their food (and my image was of soldiers sitting around outside eating). I also checked Wikipedia, whiich has a long illustrated article, all showing small buildings for cooking.
Calabar bean @11 – I agree, I think that ARISE is almost a clue as definition – the new random (some) knight is about to be declared as duly dubbed by Arise …
Lovely Quiptic, great blog: thanks Pasquale and Shanne. I too liked Burnham – topical and witty. I also thought TARNISHED was rather good.
I couldn’t parse EGGHEAD as I didn’t remember HE for ambassador and also tried ‘chophouse’ before COOKHOUSE – otherwise all good and enjoyable. I enjoyed it particularly because I struggled with the full cryptics last week and was beginning to lose my enthusiasm!
Thanks Shanne and Pasquale.
Quickest one for me for a while, only being slightly held up by thinking “balance” was fodder in 10A (would BAL be a fair abbreviation?). My brain went straight to COOKHOUSE, which I then reverse engineered and vaguely remembered having heard it used. And I too read 26A as &lit – very nice that it’s a hidden reversal too!
Nice start to the morning, lots to enjoy here. BURNHAM raised a chuckle. LOI GOLEM from wordplay, NHO as robot.
Thanks Pasquale and Shanne.
Shanne@12: Chambers 2011 and 2016 have COOKHOUSE as a military dining hall (as in the online version noted by SueM@10).
Frankly, it’s nice that in the cryptic community there are youngsters (presumably) like GDU @1 who don’t know the stars of GWTW 🙂 .
Hmmm, a golem is not a robot, anymore than a robot is a golem, 11 ac.
Chrome1 @20 – if you read the linked Wiki article for GOLEM, it’s saying that the meaning has now drifted, due to their use in video gaming.
Amazing. No one seems to have had any difficulty with GOLEM, although I have never heard of it. So there was little chance of being able to work out the clue. That’s quite an abstruse piece of general knowledge.
Alex Bell @22 – GOLEM is an occasional word in Quordle and Octordle, but there’s a Golem in the Psalm 139 (Bible). I’ve also come across them in other reading, so it wasn’t totally unknown
GOLEMs have been around since the Middle Ages, and have enjoyed a renaissance in recent years with D&D and the works of Terry Pratchett.
CALIBRE was my LOI as I took some time to get away from bore = drill.
COOKHOUSE was very straightforward as a military dining hall as many have said.
The ‘left’ in BOBSLEIGH is superfluous but just a piece of misdirection I believe, as part of ‘left with’ rather than just ‘with’ which would have worked as well but not been as euphonious.
Basically a write-in, no bad thing on a Sunday.
Re bobsleigh and left. Is it not as in everybody’s gone and bob is left with?
I thought of chophouse and also chowhouse, which appears to be a popular name for eateries without being a recognised term for one. Neither parsed of course, COOKHOUSE made sense.
Overall, very straightforward and enjoyable.
Thanks Pasquale and Shanne.
Another CHOPHOUSE here – it was my last in, or I might have thought about it more carefully. Over too soon, but good fun: I liked Andy and Alfred, WRANGLE and EARTHLING, but my favourite was ARISE.
Lovely quiptic, though I was a DNF, due to bunging in CANCELLED rather than CONCEALED. Can = prison, in which there are indeed cells. I guess I was entering answers unusually rapidly (for me) and didn’t look closely enough at the parsing. I expected to see others here with the same issue, but no, it’s all about COOKHOUSE, which caused me no problems. Thanks, Pasquale and Shanne.
Very enjoyable Quiptic from the Don. Agree with everyone that ‘left’ doesn’t seem needed for the BOBSLEIGH clue. Maybe Pasquale thought it made the surface neater as it’s “Bob is leaving (left) with Vivien (maybe?) in a racing vehicle”, although it doesn’t really make it better IMO. Apart from that I thought the clueing was very precise and spot on for this slot. Thanks to Pasquale, and to Shanne for the blogging.
Very nice quiptic – just right for Sunday. LOI was Golem as it’s new to me. On the other hand I got 20D wrong: I had MADDENS (DENS = where monsters live? Why not? Although why a single monster needs several dens I couldn’t figure out!)
Did no-one else go for CRIABLE at first (as in it was such a bore it made me cry)? Obvisouly didn’t fit with the crossers.
Thanks Pasquale, and Shanne for the excellent blog.
I would quibble that a GOLEM is not exactly a robot, although both are artificial humanoids. I would guess that the dictionary definitions of those two words sound similar enough that Pasquale could argue that they’re synonyms, but one works by magic and the other by machinery.
I was another who tried CHOPHOUSE first, before realizing that it didn’t parse. COOKHOUSE is new to me. Of course I also tried CALIBER first; my brain isn’t always correctly wired to use British spelling here. But I don’t think that should count as a mistake.
Thank you Shanne. I managed (somehow) to finish it, but I couldn’t parse a lof of clues. Never heard of cookhouse or Alfred’s cooking abilities (I kept trying to find a link between Andy Murray and Alfred Nobel :S I had thought of Alfred the great, but made no sense…
Also, I was sure that Golem was wrong, but there you go…
Isn’t “left” in BOBSLEIGH saying a shortened form of Robert’s is wanted, i.e., BOBS? Because Bob isn’t necessarily the synonym for Robert.
I did not have a problem with:
“Robert’s left with Vivien, maybe in racing vehicle”
Otherwise how do you introduce the S in BOBSLEIGH?
The surface reads well and adds a bit of misdirection. Nothing to complain about.
What I don’t like much are clues that do not stand on their own, like this one:
“French city in peril – I’ll 21”
Not a very good clue IMHO.
I was DNF because of ARISE. Pasquale has tricked me by putting “some” and “announced” in the clue, had me looking for the wrong kinds of wordplay.
I knew of the BARROW (now Utqiagvik) in Alaska and figured there must be one in UK. I did not know that “bore” meant CALIBRE.
I answered DANCER, LOUSE, and ADDERS without parsing the clues at all.
Ottawa @35
Slight cheat – the Barrow in England is actually called Barrow-in-Furness (the peninsula at the edge of the Lake District).