Financial Times 13,287 / Neo
Posted by Agentzero on January 19th, 2010
This was a quick solve, but with some definite pleasures. Neo has a way of cluing three- and four-part charades with economy and style.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | IDIOTIC I’D (Neo had) I (one) OTIC (of the ears) Amusing! |
| 5 | OCTOPUS OCT[ober] (month) OPUS (work). Collins has as a definition “a powerful influential organisation with far-reaching effects, esp. harmful ones” |
| 9 | LUNGI *([b]ULGIN[g]) (anagram of “bulging content”). This word for a loincloth was new to me, but readily obtainable from the wordplay (with the help of crossers) |
| 10 | WOEBEGONE O (love) in WE BEG (we ask) + ONE (individual) |
| 11 | MAN OF IRON cd, Fe of course being the atomic symbol for iron. |
| 12 | EPSOM hidden in sleEP SO Menelaus |
| 13 | CLIFT C (about) LIFT (withdraw); Montgomery Clift the actor is perhaps best remembered for playing the lead in From Here to Eternity |
| 15 | ISLE OF MAN *(AS ONE FILM) |
| 18 | EVERGREEN dd |
| 19 | GULAG U (acceptable) L (line) in GAG (joke) |
| 21 | STOUT ST (virtuous man) OUT (proud to be gay) |
| 23 | LLANDUDNO L,L (students) AND (with) U (university) *(DON) |
| 25 | FUND OF WIT cd |
| 26 | REALM REAL (silver coin) M[onsieur] (Frenchman) |
| 27 | LARCENY C (cycle) in *(NEARLY) |
| 28 | REYNARD ANY reversed in RE (on) RD (road) |
| Down | |
| 1 | ISLAMIC *(CLAIM IS) |
| 2 | ION ENGINE EN (measure) G (gravity) in IO (satellite) NINE |
| 3 | THIEF Sort of a reverse clue; THIEF + LAD anagrammed makes HATFIELD |
| 4 | COWARDICE CO (company) WAR (fighting) DICE (gamblers) |
| 5 | ODEON OLD EON (time) minus L (Warhol trailer) Nice clue; good surface and deft wordplay |
| 6 | THEME SONG THE MESON (elementary particle) G (good) Unfortunately, this one seems to lack any surface meaning. |
| 7 | PIOUS P (priest) IOUs (promises to pay) |
| 8 | SHERMAN S (small) HER MAN (the one she loves). Not the most common crossword general (Lee), but his opponent |
| 14 | TIGHTROPE TIGHT (firm) ROPE (line) |
| 16 | LANCASTER CAST (thrown) in LANE (road) R (king) |
| 17 | MELODRAMA ME *(OLD) RAM (stuff) A. A lot of wordplay fit nicely into seven words |
| 18 | EASEFUL FU[n] in EASEL (Lowry’s frame) |
| 20 | GROOMED *(MORE DOG) |
| 22 | OWNER DOWNER (depressing experience) minus D (pennies) |
| 23 | LOWRY LOW (blue) RY (line). The definition here is “he painted us very thin;” L.S. Lowry was known for populating his landscapes with small stick-like figures that came to be referred to as “matchstick men.” |
| 24 | DERBY dd; the reference is to EPSOM from 12 across. (Added late - I somehow omitted this explanation from the first posting.) |
January 19th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Hi Agentzero,
could you please explain 25ac FUND OF WIT ? Even Google tells me nothing.
Tx.
January 19th, 2010 at 10:43 am
I really loved this puzzle – it had humour, was a pleasure to solve and had excellent clues.
My favourites were 1a, 11a, 13a, 8d, 14d and 24d.
Neo, thanks for this excellent puzzle. I have been solving your puzzles in the FT for a while and have enjoyed all the ones I’ve attempted. I look forward to your next FT puzzle.
Thanks also to Agentzero who always writes very good reviews.
January 19th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Nathan
Neo is Tees over at the Indie, so more chances to enjoy him.
January 19th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Stunning stuff as ever from Neo. 9a had me in stitches – great to see implied naughtiness rather than the blatant stuff – and there were loads of cracking constructions elsewhere; 10a, 17d, 20d and 23d just a handful of clues with big ticks alongside them.
As Conrad says, check out Tees in the Indie – always a safe bet for really good entertainment.
January 19th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
6d. THEME SONG loosely equivalent to signature tune, if that’s what you mean by surface meaning.
January 19th, 2010 at 5:25 pm
Hi ACP,
FUND OF WIT is a cryptic definition. Someone who is always ready with an amusing remark may be said to have a fund of wit. Also, a fund of wit might punningly refer to a fund of money (backing) for Oscar Wilde (who was a wit).
John French,
No, that’s the definition within the clue. IMHO, in a good clue, the definition and subsidiary indication, taken together, should make up a meaningful English phrase or sentence that seems to be about something else entirely. 5 down, among others, has this quality; 6 down does not.
January 19th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Many thanks for splendid blog, and for generous comments.
Couple of things seem to have been lost in transit: 6 down started life with caps on ‘The Elemental Particle’, which was intended to look a bit like a name a musical group might use. 7 is possibly not the original clue, as until reading the blog I had no idea that P can be clued as ‘priest’ (and I would very likely have dispensed with the ‘has’!).
Many thanks.