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Thanks to Vulcan for today’s puzzle. A very quick solve for me, with only a handful of clues preventing it being a total write-in.
| Across | ||||||||
| 5 | SPOILT | Overindulged, set off pistol (6) PISTOL* |
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| 6 | ALWAYS | Every route announced each time (6) Sounds like “all ways” |
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| 9 | TURKEY | Christmas dinner perhaps a complete failure (6) Double definition |
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| 10 | ETHEREAL | Finally whistle the proper spiritual (8) [whistl]E + THE REAL |
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| 11 | DEAD | Be very afraid of abandoning resistance? Exactly (4) DREAD (be very afraid of) less R[esistance]; “exactly” as in “dead right” |
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| 12 | ROCK BOTTOM | Shock: seat is the lowest possible level (4,6) ROCK (to shock) + BOTTOM (seat) |
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| 13 | SYNDICATION | Small suggestion we hear for simultaneous publication (11) S[mall] + homophone of “indication” |
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| 18 | HOPPING MAD | How angry can a kangaroo be? (7,3) A playful definition |
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| 21 | TOAD | Contemptible type using two hands only occasionally (4) Alternate letters of TwO hAnDs |
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| 22 | PORRIDGE | Time for breakfast (8) Double definition, with porridge and time both being slang for a prison sentence, as in the famous sitcom |
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| 23 | PRIMER | First-rate introduction to reading? (6) PRIME (first-rate) + R[eading], and it’s &lit, with the whole clue as the definition |
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| 24 | EXTEND | Old nurse goes to stretch (6) EX (old) + TEND (to nurse) |
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| 25 | SCREEN | Conceal what is on one’s phone (6) Double definition |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | WORKADAY | Not unusual to have most of the week off? (8) If you only WORK A DAY then you have most of the week off |
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| 2 | PLAYER | Quietly covering for team member (6) P (quietly) + LAYER |
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| 3 | ALPHABET | Almost two letters from Athens, or the lot (8) ALPHA BET[a] – a little weak in my opinion, as the word “alphabet” comes directly from those two Greek letters |
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| 4 | PARROT | One stupidly repeating standard nonsense (6) PAR (standard) + ROT (nonsense) |
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| 5 | SAUCER | The crockery may be flying (6) Double definition |
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| 7 | SEASON | Perhaps salt water in quantity beginning to surge forward (6) SEA (water in quantity) + S[urge] + ON (forward) – a rather trickier clue than most in the puzzle, with “salt” being part of the definition and not part of “sea water” |
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| 8 | BEACHCOMBER | Scavenger who smooths the sand? (11) A barely-cryptic definition |
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| 14 | DING-DONG | The battle of the doorbells? (4-4) Cryptic/double definition |
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| 15 | OUTSIDER | Detour is confusing stranger (8) (DETOUR IS)* |
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| 16 | COYOTE | Wild dog is annoyingly evasive: vote for decapitation (6) COY (annoyingly evasive) + a beheaded [v]OTE |
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| 17 | BALEEN | Enable relaxing – in whalebone? (6) ENABLE* |
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| 19 | PARITY | In Labour, for example, I found equality (6) I in PARTY (e.g. Labour) |
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| 20 | DEPICT | Carefully describe date and time to take in major film (6) EPIC (major film) in D[ate] T[ime] |
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Very nice early Monday workout from Vulcan. Last one in, even with all the crossers in place was SYNDICATION…
I agree with Andrew that this was very quick work with the likes of TURKEY being barely cryptic. I still enjoyed it, as always with Vulcan.
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
Very straightforward, even pre-coffee, with nothing to quibble about. Perfect Monday fare! Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
Only very rarely do I have no quibbles, no “Huh?” list and no NHO list. And it was very enjoyable.
Enjoyable challenge.
Favourites: ALPHABET, EXTEND, BEACHCOMBER, PARITY, DEAD (loi).
I agree with Andrew over ALPHABET, the weakest clue in the puzzle, but yet again marvel at Vulcan’s ability to construct a Monday puzzle with some wit and variation of clue types. I had to look up BALEEN and liked DEPICT. Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew
At the easier end of the spectrum perhaps but really satisfying surfaces in every clue.
Loved the angry roo!
Saw “dead” and “parrot” and hoped that might be a theme but sadly not. Thanks to S&B.
Yep. Quickest Guardian crossword I can recall. LOI was Syndication.
I have found Vulcan’s last 4 or 5 a bit chewier but I was a lot more in tune with this one. I started solving all the acrosses and downs in order as Inwas having such success. A few I had to return to so enough meatier bits to keep it interesting.
Enjoyed WORKADAY and the simple PORRIDGE
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
This puzzle did not support my theory that Vulcan and Imogen are converging in difficulty! Liked PRIMER.
Great fun – no need for searches or guesswork. Thanks for something pitched perfectly at my level.
Good Monday morning fare, helped by a friendly grid. LOI was SPOILT, in hindsight I have no idea why it took me so long to solve the anagram.
Thank you Vulcan.
My favourite clue was the one for BALEEN, with its amusing question mark.
I’m rewatching all of the PORRIDGE episodes at the moment and it never ages. Easiest puzzle in a long time but great fun as ALWAYS.
Ta Vulcan & Andrew
Clyde @14. Is the question mark there because the letters of BALEEN/ENABLE are also found in whalebone? This is a genuine question, I may as well learn something from this.
Good start to the week, a bit more straightforward than some of Vulcan’s previous ones. I liked the SYNDICATION small suggestion, the forward SEASON, and the COYOTE, which didn’t have an anagram of dog.
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
Ticks for SYNDICATION, DEAD & ALPHABET – my reaction to quibbles of this nature is “so what?” But it clearly vexes some people. If ALPHABET and BETA were directly mentioned in the clue I would understand but each to their own
Cheers V&A
Great fun, with BALEEN last in because last night I put in “balena,” which stopped me from putting in SCREEN till this morning, when I saw my error.
Thanks, Vulcan and Andrew.
Martin @16, and Clyde @14, I also queried the ? in 17, unsure whether it’s needed, let alone amusing. Perhaps I’m missing something. TTS&B for an accessible start to the week.
Nice surfaces and a good Monday warmup.
Martin @16 – I hadn’t thought of that – suspect it’s just a curious coincidence …
… and Steppie @20 …
With his question mark, Vulcan was, I think, suggesting that any woman squeezed into a ludicrously tight whalebone corset for the sake of fashion would have found the experience anything but relaxing.
Martin @16 et al, wiki tells me that baleen is known as whalebone, but it’s not bone, so I guess a question mark is appropriate. (And I’ve learnt something – yay!)
Enjoyable start to the week. Spent way too long on SAUCER.
Thanks Andrew and Vulcan.
Whalebone was used in corsets, so I agree with Clyde#22
Clyde @22 ah yes, I see where you’re coming from now. Whalebone corsets didn’t look great for lounging, or lolloping, as we say around here now (see Guardian Cryptic 30,126).
Another fair point Spike @23. Nothing in this puzzle took long, but SAUCER took the longest; I was seeking a general synonym for crockery rather than an example.
Entertaining puzzle. I had to look up BALEEN.
I think it was Soup a while ago who commented that crossword clues are often like jokes. “How angry can a kangaroo be?” could have been straight out of a Christmas cracker.
Many thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
Straight forward despite being a Vulcan puzzle, but then again, it’s Monday so supposed to be easier end of the spectrum I think.
Write-ins apart from WORKADAY and SEASON which took some more lateral thinking.
Enjoyed 18 across
Fun puzzle. Liked the trick in SEASON.
A tad easy, but enjoyable. Thanks.
.This was easy. Got all of them right, couldn’t parse a few due to unfamiliarity. But a perfect and smooth Monday puzzle to ease into the week.. It seemed almost set with one hand tied behind the back!
Thanks both
Could this be the calm before the Enigmatist?
In haste, I wanted a puzzle I could complete quickly so I could get on with my day, including family visits and a celebration of my Dad’s 100th birthday, and this fit the bill perfectly! Very enjoyable, and done in time for me to get going. Sorry, no time to read the blog or the comments — maybe more later…
Thanks Vulcan – Great puzzle – smooth surfaces, plenty of smiles and no groans – a write in for me, albeit by alternating across and down. I always enjoy a straightforward puzzle when I don’t get to it till late, as today. Thanks all.
Happy birthday Mig’s pop, how special is that 🎂
Given that homophones are regularly debated here, I was wondering if someone would say that “yndication” sounds nothing like “indication”. A gentle start but the difficulty level will no doubt rise as the week continues.
Baleen, baleen, baleen BALEEEEEEEEEEN
i’m begging of you please support my chest
[Bevan @37
Channelling your inner Dolly Parton?]
[Bevan @37 🙂
…and various thanks re BALEEN. Now I’ve got an eyeworm re those Plusnet adverts on Dave…
…and three more before Roz?)]
Only the SE caused me any need to tap the brakes. No idea as to from where or when it came into my orbit but the word BALEEN has a vague yet very helpful familiarity. At the point I got it I only had one crosser, TOAD.
Bevan @37 – Tee hee!
Just in time .
Thanks for the blog , just right for a Monday , I thought ALPHABET was fine with neat wordplay .
Enjoy your family day Mig @33 .
AlanC @15 look out for Happy Release , your favourite place in disguise .
Not so easy for me. Held up in SE corner. Please do not let this page become like the intellectual snobbery constantly prevalent on The Guardian?
‘A total write in’ makes those who can only do Guardian cryptics on Mondays, if that, feel like complete failures. Shame on you Andrew.
Mig@33, congratulations to your Dad on his Royal Century (Kingston).
17d BALEEN could have had a double ??, for the reasons cited by Clyde and Spike at 22 & 23. A very good clue in a very good Monday puzzle. It left me anything but hopping mad.
Knox@44, don’t let it bother you. This site is for solvers of all levels, but obviously the bloggers are at a very high level, and their comments on degree of difficulty should be read in that context. As a medium/mediocre solver I find their comments helpful in gauging my own experience with a particular puzzle.
If I were bothered by comments that display superior knowledge or skill, I would never read Roz’s contributions, and I would be missing out on half the fun of this website.
Cellomaniac@45 , the Saturday Guardian had an obituary for Bruno Schrecker . It was in the journal section but I am guessing it is also online .
I did not mention earlier that my phone does not have a SCREEN but it does have a bell and a proper dial .
Knox @44
You are not alone. I am a very slow solver. And this puzzle wasn’t “a total write-in” for me. But eventually the pennies began dropping, and I finished it and felt happy, and began to feel that it was easy, and remembered my chuckles at the angry kangaroo. Maybe it’s natural to feel that it was easy once you’ve finished it.
Knox@44: You put me in mind of Ximenes’ line in Art of the Crossword: “… one learned man asserted that he normally completed his daily crossword while his breakfast egg was boiling: he must surely have liked his eggs, but not his puzzles, hard.”
Like Jacob@13 it took me the longest time to solve the simple anagram for SPOILT. The reason it’s difficult is because of the unusual “LT” at the end, and the reason it seems easy in hindsight is because you’ve already solved it, Jacob!
I was also slow to solve SEASON, probably for the reason mentioned by Andrew in the blog, and SAUCER, because the combination of ‘crockery’ and ‘flying’ made me instantly think of PLATES, although my childhood was not violent and I’ve never eaten in a Greek restaurant. Just susceptible to cliches, I guess.
I do sympathise with Knox@44. I’m an experienced solver but I’ve never, ever had a write in. There’s always something that holds me up, whether it’s struggling for a synonym or just losing concentration. Just keep on plugging away. I agree with Cello@46, and would add that there is nothing of the intellectual snob about Andrew – he’s just very good at crosswords. 🙂 And we’re lucky to have him volunteering his services on this site.
Thanks to setter and blogger, as always.
Much appreciated, Vulcan. May have been a write-in for some, but not for all of us. It’s great to have different levels of cryptic in the Guardian.
I put in a misspelt BALENE instead of BALEEN, and my unease was vindicated by needing to change that to make SCREEN work.
I spent some time over DEPICT, trying to make DETAIL work somehow, with ET – as is usual – as the film, but did wonder about the major during that wrong tree barking fit.
I thought that this was a well-judged set to start the week.
Thanks all.
Knox@44. I personally found all of this outside the SE corner to be easy on my wavelength. But many a puzzle that others have described as simple I’ve struggled with. Indeed, I’ve been doing cryptics for over two decades now, and as I get older, I’m now going backwards, not forwards. I like a Vulcan Monday, a Quiptic, and once upon a time an Everyman, but I no longer have the patience or willingness to sit through, say, a Paul, or even my once-favourite setter Qaos.
Enjoy whatever level you enjoy, and think no further about it.
Knox @44
I feel your pain; the Guardian comments are horrendously dispiriting for useless solvers like me.
I had 22a MORNINGS.
14d I had RING RING.
Those guesses were my closest attempts.
Steffen @54
My daughter had a go after I had finished, and was sure that 14 was BING BONG! She also asked if 22 was MORNINGS.
muffin@55
A long time ago I offered everyone here some of the finest claret ever produced if I could solve an entire crossword (even an ‘easy’ one like this as so many have commented).
I’m afraid you will all die very, very thirsty.
The Saffers
We laughed our heads off when we saw that our unparsed “seacucumber” had to give way to beachcomber.
Knox @44. The first time I plucked up the courage to post here, I said I’d solved the puzzle and “now I’m going to find out how.” One of the regulars (I can’t remember who) castigated me for cheating.
However, that was an exception, it’s not that kind of place. Nobody is saying a puzzle is easy to make you feel bad. I was well below average 5 years ago but I used to see such comments as motivation. I realise now that it wasn’t lack of ability or general knowledge but a dearth of crossword-specific knowledge. This community really helps fill in the gaps.
If someone says the puzzle is too easy, well yes, that’s tedious. If they merely say it was easy, they are either stating what they see as a fact (in my experience Andrew is often wrong about that 😃) or they’re just having their moment. I hope you have plenty of those moments too, whether you tell us or not.
I thought that 17dn (BALEEN) was a mistake, as baleen is not actually bone, but Wikipedia and Spike @23 inform me that the term “whalebone” is used for this stuff, so Vulcan is fine, and I falsely accused him (in my mind).
Brilliant crossword, a lot of fun! I’m a novice learning from my other half, first time we’ve solved a whole puzzle!
Thank you to Martin@58 (and others) for your kind encouragement to us newbies.
Spike @23 and Cellomaniac @45,
I agree – a double ?? after the excellent clue for BALEEN at 17d could be justified. (Though perhaps not encouraged!)
[Roz@47 Thanks for highlighting Bruno Schrecker obituary]
Roz @43: I remember it well and love the reference. Glad the birthday Police didn’t castigate me either.
I saw people commenting that this was an easier crossword, so I thought I’d make the attempt. I’ve been chugging my way through the archives of Quick Cryptics, accompanied by the blogs here (just reached the 6th month point).
This one is my 1st fully completed, full sized puzzle and I feel like a flipping genius!!
Congratulations, ClaireC – first of many!