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5ac Crossed lines in hospital department after the best tool (7) ??C?A?E

pickaxe ( a&e being the hospital dept with x - crossed lines inside) a poor clue in my opinion!

Thank you sudokulover - not sure whether I would have got there unaided! Knew a&e had to be there somewhere, but...

Does anyone remember a Guardian puzzle ever being quite as appalling as this one? I may not have done them all but quite a few in the last 55 years or so, and this one takes some beating in my opinion for sheer disappointment value. Possibly subjective but I know I'm not alone! A couple of the setters really need to be relieved of their posts!

On the easy side GK but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I actually struggled with the bottom half (having entered "railway" incorrectly at 28ac). However once I had rethought that it all fell into place quite quickly.

Perhaps I should explain. It's not that it was too easy or too hard, just incredibly unrewarding: I think in a good crossword the clue should keep us wondering for a while, but above all when the solution dawns on us there should be something really witty there to appreciate! It's difficult to talk about or explain (like in that Truss broadcast Boxing Day)but there seems to be "a notable lack of wit" in Paul's puzzles again & again.And it's not that I'm in a bad mood at all! But maybe these things really are very subjective and -- like humour in general-- practically impossible to discuss in any very fruitful way. I'll shut up (for a while)......................

I've only just started it and I'm feeling a bit thick today (been hibernating over Christmas), but I was thrilled to see 'orca' as the answer to 12A. It's the answer I got (wrongly) to one of Paul's genius clues last time and whinged about here. I hope I'm right this time.

Hmm, I guess clues can be a matter of taste...I like a good "surface" and this one has some at 18a/3d/17d and a bit of humour at 22a and 25a.

Having been quite pleased to complete last Saturday's prize Guardian I now feel wrong footed by Paul! Am I right in thinking Underground stations is a theme? Still haven't got 2,1, and 27, 10 without which I think I may as well give up...