Comments on: Financial Times 13,474 / Mudd

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:55:49 +0000

Arthur, I think in 24ac the definition is “Anarchy is so [like that]“, which justifies the adjective.

By: Arthur

Arthur — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:14:05 +0000

I think the clue for 24ac should use Anarchic to match the adjectival nature of lawless.

Otherwise, strictly speaking , the result would be lawlessness.

By: rrc

rrc — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 22:03:57 +0000

thanks for the parsing of 4d

By: smiffy

smiffy — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:26:29 +0000

Hi folks – thanks for stopping by. I’m guessing it’s a rainy day over in Blighty?

During my attempts at smart-arsery, I omitted the parsing for 4D. It’s a reversal of brew (“tea”) in an anagram of “partakes of”. Now updated in the main body above.

Andrew, you are quite right on the role of ‘sprawl’. Shame on me: blog in haste, repent at leisure.

By: rrc

rrc — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:07:59 +0000

Completed this on the Severn Valley Railway Didnt like screwballs /oddballs, and not sure how power breakfast actually works Otherwise a very pleasant way to spend a very damp day!

By: Andrew

Andrew — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:47:10 +0000

Thanks Smiffy. In 15dn, surely “sprawl of” is the anagram indicator; the definition is just “Urban” (giving the adjectival sense of INNER CITY).

22dn – oh yes!

By: tupu

tupu — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:30:40 +0000

Thanks Smiffy and Mudd

I’m new to FT puzzles and was happily tempted by the weather to try this one. I understand Mudd may be none other than Paul whom I am used to seeing in the Guardian.

An enjoyable puzzle. I was nearly tripped up on 26 across mistakenly first plumping for NY instead of Kentucky but otherwise it went straight forwardly. As you say, 16d was generous – almost unbelievably so.

Amoral = unethical in 5a seems slightly
‘iffy’ since it is used in distinction to immoral and there is no similar neutral term for unethical which usually means unscrupulous.

I liked 13 and 14a and 18 but my favourite was 17d.