Comments on: Financial Times 14,256 by Wanderer

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:24:48 +0000

While I did enjoy Wanderer’s debut some time ago, I remember me qualifying his cluing style as “a bit clinical”. And also, that crossword I did not find very particularly hard.

Quelle difference today.
The lower half went in rather smoothly, the upper half caused me a lot of trouble.

Dear Wanderer, whoever you are, what a splendid puzzle this was!!

I couldn’t explain 8,23 but with hindsight (thx to peterj) it is very clever.
Everything’s so precise, while there is still room for non-Ximenean cluing like in 15ac (off = not on).

Wanderer must surely be an experienced setter (elsewhere). If not, then I would say “what a talent”.
I enjoyed this tremendously.

Many thanks to Jed.
But even more to Colin Inman (the FT’s editor) for discovering another first-class setter!

By: Pelham Barton

Pelham Barton — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:55:56 +0000

Thanks Wanderer for a challenging puzzle and Jed for the blog.

1/6ac: I took the answer on trust from the definition. Thanks Gaufrid@1 and paulwaver@2 for shedding light on this. If I have understood correctly, it is an inverse clue taking the wordplay as “lisTENTHere has this”, and then “hidden underclass” as the definition. I think that reading uses all the words of the clue once each.

I also took 27/28ac and 8/23dn on trust but I think these have been fully explained above.

1/14dn: I managed to mis-spell Dame Sybil’s name as Sibyl. This is the sort of example where an anagram does not help.

By: paulwaver

paulwaver — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 14:40:12 +0000

peterj #4 – very impressed, I may need a lie down in a darkened room after this one! I don’t think I’ve seen Wanderer before, has this setter an alter ego?

By: peterj

peterj — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:48:41 +0000

Just dawned on me…

8,23 High-Speed Train (HST) “initially seen” (initials hidden in) “frencHSTation”

By: peterj

peterj — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:34:51 +0000

I think…

27,28 ELDER STATESMAN Perhaps Clinton – Bush, a plant (ELDER) Say (STATE) month in hospital S(M)AN

8,23 I just had down as a slightly weak cryptic clue in that the French were the first to have high speed trains (Tokyo??)

Can’t fathom 1,6 either…

By: paulwaver

paulwaver — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:32:28 +0000

Well done Jed and Wanderer. I think 1,6 is “tenth” hidden (submerged) in “Lis/ten th/ere’s”

Also 27,28 Bush = elder (plant) and “state” = say and month = “m” in “san” = hospital

8,23 haven’t a clue

By: Gaufrid

Gaufrid — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:29:11 +0000

Thanks Jed
1,6 TENTH is SUBMERGED (hidden) in ‘lisTEN THere’s’
27,28 ELDER (bush) STATE (say) M (month) in SAN (hospital) – def. ‘Clinton’
8,23 I think this must just be a cryptic def. as I cannot see any wordplay but I don’t know if the first HIGH-SPEED TRAIN to pass through the Channel Tunnel departed from France.