GUARDIAN GENIUS No. 76 ARAUCARIA (October)

[crucifernz]

Hi fellow solvers
Need to confirm last couple before deadline Saturday.

20 ACROSS Contradiction, as sun starting in shade (5)

I have T_S_ _

Would be helped if I could get

22 DOWN Draw a distinction between switchboards (7)

_ _ E _ I _ E

This is a jigsaw style puzzle, but as this is the last clue, it must fit the last solution!

Also need to explain wordplay in

19 DOWN Art in tears for such as need no strop (7)

I have KEENEST (meaning sharpest, not needing to be sharpened with a strop)

Thanks in advance. Of course, I may have gone wrong somewhere, but everything fits in the grid.

[kayakamina]

20a Tisn't .......S in TINT

[crucifernz]

Thanks Kayakamina. I guess that makes 22 DOWN 'Tie-line' which has something to do with telephone systems. Do you agree with KEENEST?

[kayakamina]

Keenest looks as if it could be right and I can see ES being 'Art'.

Also to keen is to cry but it doesn't quite fit together.

Let me have a coffee and think about it.

Cheers K

[crucifernz]

I will await the end of your coffee break. I couldn't find any other words to fit the K_E_E_T pattern which made any sense.

[crucifernz]

Hi Kayakamina
In the meantime, the penny has dropped. KEENEST is the archaic THOU form as in THOU ART/THOU KEENEST = THOU CRIEST. Not obvious unless you have some knowledge of Early Modern English, German, the Bible, Shakespeare etc. ... which fortunately I do, or I wouldn't be doing advanced cryptics!

[kayakamina]

Well done!

A bit early in the morning for me, and I only came on to see if the Spectator
was available.

[crucifernz]

I'm also waiting for my weekly Speccie fix- it's usually up by now...

[kayakamina]

Hi Again

I found this link but don't think it is much use to you
http://thespectator.n...om/epaper/viewer.aspx

The crossword is on page 65. It was hardly worth the trouble as it is very easy
and my only query is that there is more than one possible answer for 25d.
Hope you can print it off otherwise someone will post the PDF version.

Cheers K

[turnerjmw]

Morning alll. I agree with those three answers, for what it's worth. But did anyone understand the reference to "Solutions to the remaining clues have their indicated place at the table"? I finished the crossword without following it at all!

[RustyBee]

The theme with the answers having their indicated place at the table was a reference to the periodic table of the elements...

So F-EAST went at 9, as 9 is the atomic number for fluorine (F), NA-STURTIA went at 11, as 11 is the atomic number of sodium (Na) and so on... It made the grid a bit easier to fill in once you had grasped that!