Garry Gillard > crosswords > solutions > Guardian > 27654
The puzzle is here: https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/27654.
I solved this together with Katherine to whom many thanks for her help. This took half of the afternoon to solve, and half of the evening to annotate, and it's a pity that it has so much of Paul's trademark vulgarity, as well as his brilliance. It's also a pity that almost nobody will read this.
The mess on PARITY is because it seemed obvious at the outset that the answer was PERSON - but it turned out to be much more complicated. As was so much of this.
Definitions in italics.
Across
8 Revealing backside reportedly, kiss partner first? (8) TELLTALE - 'tail' = 'backside', homophone for TALE, following ('at first') TELL, referring to the expression 'kiss and tell' - LOI
9 Useless dad not taken seriously at first (5) PANTS - PA + first letters of the next three words - Pommy slang term for 'bad'
10 Pass over waste container (4) SKIP - dd
11 Wind far, all wrapped up in swelling burst of energy (5,5) SOLAR FLARE (far all)* inside SORE = (a) 'swelling'
12 Furniture item solver suggested? (6) SETTEE - not the setter, the settee (amusing invented word for 'solver')
14 Penning notes on passing back, handyman defender (8) ANTIBODY - OBIT rev. inside ANDY - who is Handy Andy - a cant phrase for a handyman
15 Deepest part of script in story likely to crumble (7) FRIABLE - RI (middle of the word 'script') inside
17 Prowler, male part on parade, initially (7) P,ANTHER
20 Music in middle of performance, played at centre (8) ENTRACTE - (played at)*
22 Drink carrier (6) PORTER - dd - the only easy clue
23 Standard for Morgan perhaps, happy fellow (5,5) JOLLY ROGER - Morgan the Pirate, that is: his standard (flag) being the skull and crossbones
24, 24 down Gloria Gaynor's first and last gig? (8) SWANSONG - Gloria SWANSON + first letter of 'Gaynor' - very nice clue; COD
25 That's one place to go, briefly (2,3) ID EST = I (one) DEST(ination)
26 Together in print and embossed (2,6) IN TANDEM - incl.
Down
1 Tie spoon on last (8) NECKWEAR - 'NECK' = 'spoon', both in antiquated slang + WEAR = last
2 Cricketer in female underwear (4) SLIP - fielding position in cricket, also an old word for a petticoat - which I suppose is also an old word too)
3 Problem with smalls filling up well (6) HASSLE - the 'smalls' are SS, inside HALE = hearty, well
4 Whip under the nether regions, as virago (7) HELLCAT - CAT (whip) under HELL = 'nether regions'
5 Treat Peter to a Trial by Jury, say? (8) OPERETTA - (peter to a)*
6 Touring Berlin, take nipper (5-5) ANKLE-BITER - (berlin take)*
7 Girl riding without support (6) ASTRID - without the E (the final supporting letter) that would make it 'astride' = 'up'
13 Server you rolled up, on which a source of milk and bread (3,7) TEA TROLLEY - TEAT (source of milk) + ROLL (bread) on YE rev. ('rolled up')
16 Cut tatting speed? (8) LACE,RATE
18 Foreign students having secured top grade, time for cheers (8) ELEVATES - A (top grade) + T(ime) inside ELEVES (French - 'foreign' - students)
19 Publisher taking initiative originally in shooting writer? (7) PENGUIN - I(nitiative) inside PEN (writer) GUN (shooting) - the wordplay suggests that a 'pengun' would be a 'shooting writer' - it took us a very long time to see this
21 Knickers ultimately abandoned, sounds about right - for this? (6) NOOKIE - OK (right) inside NOI(s)E - 'sounds' without the S - the last letter of 'knicker's ('ultimately') 'abandoned'
22 Individual opening individual correspondence (6) PARITY - I(ndividual) inside ('opening') PARTY ('individual' - as in the 'party of the first part', etc.) - clever clue
24 See 24 across
KEY to abbreviations/terms/symbols which may have been used
(raga man)* = anagram of 'anagram'
cd = cryptic definition
dd = double definition
incl. = inclusive (hidden word)
def. = definition (synonym, literal)
rev. = reversed
anagind = anagram indicator
homophind = homophone indicator
surface - the apparent meaning of the clue, disguising what's really going on
&lit. - a clue in which the whole clue is the 'definition'
COD = clue of the day (imo); FOI, LOI, first/last one written in
Garry Gillard | New: 31 October, 2018 | Now: 1 November, 2018