Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

I'd previously seen "Pauline" only as referring to Saint Paul.
So perhaps the epithet is a bit ironic, given the somewhat profane nature of his characteristic clues?
Speaking of which, recall that "Paul" was a theme of Brendan's recent Prize crossword No 28,476!

Thanks Geeker,

I've just looked back over it and there is a 'pauli', a 'paulin' and even a 'paulette' - but no Pauline!😡

Phew! Finally finished, 5 being my LOI. I just didn’t see it until I had all the crosses. Being such a struggle, I don’t really know that I have a COD, but 4,15 was rather clever.

I just started my subscription to the Guardian puzzles last month so I missed the Brendan one. I’ll have to go back and find it now.

Hi Brendan

I see 24ac now and have got both 21ac and 7, 19d as the Pauline clues, though the latter took me some time to parse. So, I've finished apart from 4,15. I've got ?I?K-?P ?I?E. It could be many words.

Any ideas please?

I really could not see why it took me so long to get going. The last SW corner went in so easily, though 16d sent me on a red herring to look at the atlas of Beijing for a river. Rest assured, it is a pretty plant.

I can't quite parse 16ac though it was my third one in. FOI 1d closely followed by 1ac and 11ac. LOI will be 4, 15 and COI is 21ac

Hi Roof,

I know what you mean about those 4 letter word clues, I always find those the most difficult.

4/15a - The first 2 words mean "get better" as in 'rally' and the last word is "business" as in 'have a look at our clothing L??? - and all together it means "advance" as in a romantic sense and is something one person might say to another if they wanted to get more closely acquainted 😉😉

....and ...

16a - 3 letter "project" + single letter "ending in failure" - definition is "might sacking come from that".

Thanks Brendan

I think you gave it away then with your L. Finished just in time to eat my evening meal. (Is it dinner or supper?) Then it's Inspector Montelbano at 9.00pm.

It has been a cold and miserable day here in Devon today. 17C on our weather station.

Thanks Roof,

Glad you got it sorted. Pretty much the same here, it's been raining all day - sometimes quite heavily.

Enjoy dinner/supper and Inspector Montelbano:-)

Apologies, yet more inaccuracies...The 2007 reference to "Pauline" is here:
https://www.fifteensquared.net/2007/05/17/guardian-24078paul-rearends/