Financial Times 13,741 by Cincinnus
Posted by Pete Maclean on July 21st, 2011
Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 9
I found this puzzle considerably more tricky than most of Cincinnus’ and just as clever. My clues of the week are 1A (ORANGE-TIP), 1D (OFFER), 19A (MAKINGS) and 2D (ALONGSIDE). There is one clues, 6D (CITE), that seems not as impeccable as Cincinnus’ clues almost always are — or could I be misunderstanding it?
Across
1. ORANGE-TIP – anagram of PIG OR NEAT
6. CATCH – double definition
9. FLORA – double definition
10. SHOOT-EM-UP – TO (to) backwards + EMU (Australian native) in SHOP (store)
11. REGISTERED – double definition
12. ALTO – hidden word
14. SPINOZA – S[hee]P + IN (in) + OZ (Australia) + A (a)
15. SCHEMER – anagram of M[a]RCHESE
17. ICEBERG – GREBE (diver) + C (caught) + I (one) all backwards
19. MAKINGS – MA (graduate) + KINGS (college)
20. PLAY – P (piano) + LAY (song)
22. TRILOBITES – I (island) in anagram of LOST TRIBE
25. ROYAL BLUE – ROYAL (boys — Roy and Al) + BLUE (not happy). I did not understand originally how one got from “boys” to ROYAL but Sil kindly explained in a comment below.
26. RUMBA – anagram of BURMA
27. DUSTY – S[impson] in DUTY (task)
28. ANNOYANCE – anagram of ANYONE CAN
Down
1. OFFER – “off ER” (no longer a royalist)
2. ALONGSIDE – anagram of DO A SINGLE
3. GOALSCORER – GOALS (ends) + CORE (centre) + R (run)
4. TESSERA – ARES (Greek god) + SET (put) all backwards
5. PROFESS – O (old) + F (female) both in PRESS (Fleet Street)
6. CITE – homophone (“site”). I am not happy with this clue. The homophone wordplay seems not quite right.
7. TAMIL – [agen]T + LIMA (capital) backwards
8. HIPPOCRAS – anagram of H (hot) PARIS COP. This I had to look up — never heard of a hippocras before. Turns out to be a drink made from wine mixed with sugar and spices, most notably cinnamon.
13. CHOKEBERRY – OK (fine) + E (European) + B (British) all in CHERRY (fruit)
14. SKIPPERED – KIPPER (fish) in [o]S[t]E[n]D
16. MINUTEMAN – cryptic/double definition
18. GORILLA – RILL (water) in GOA (part of India)
19. MULLEIN – MULL (Scottish island) + EIN (one German)
21. ABYSS – hidden word
23. SHAVE – H (husband) in SAVE (bar)
24. SLAY – homophone (“sleigh”)
July 21st, 2011 at 12:15 am
Thanks once more, Pete.
I think the boys in 25ac are ROY and AL.
Even if CITE (6d) was my last entry – for which, to be fair, I needed my PinC – it is quite obvious at the end of the day.
‘Audibly place’ means a homophone of ‘place’, so a homophone of ‘site’ which leads to ‘cite’ (‘name’).
You parsed it perfectly well yourself, didn’t you?
My Clue of that Day: 20ac (PLAY).
July 21st, 2011 at 1:13 am
D’oh! Of course, Roy and Al. Thanks, Sil.
Right, I had no problem parsing 6d. I just don’t think that audible is a good homophone indicator. “Audible” means loud enough to be heard. I think a homophone indicator should mean “as spoken” or “as heard”. “Aloud” would do but simply “loud” is weak.
July 21st, 2011 at 8:32 am
Thanks for the blog, Pete.
This was an enjoyable solve for me. 17 was my favourite clue.
July 21st, 2011 at 9:33 am
Sorry. Typo! 27 was my foavourite, not 17.
July 21st, 2011 at 11:56 am
Thanks Pete. One needed to be a bit of a botanist for this one, eh?
I didn’t see Roy and Al. I almost wondered whether we had another three clue puzzle. Blue is an Australian argument and I wondered whether royal blue was a ding dong blue.
John
July 21st, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Hi Richard,
Ah, yes, 27A left me with a good smile!
August 6th, 2011 at 11:05 pm
Yes a good and rather more difficult than usual crossword from Cincinnus. My only quibble related to 5dn (Claim made by old female in Fleet Street: PROFESS) where Fleet Street = press is what is required. Quite apart from the fact that there is now I believe very little or even none of the press in Fleet Street, to equate Fleet Street to press seems a bit of a stretch. Yes Fleet Street is (or at any rate was) the home of the press, but it isn’t/wasn’t the press itself.