FT crossword no. 12,785 Set by SATORI, June 4 2008

by

Some clever clues by SATORI.  I especially liked 21a, 7d. and 14d.
Would appreciate comments on 20d.  Boards made me think of theatre, but the anagram seemed clear.

ACROSS

1.    ROSARY – ros(em)ary
4.    SOMBRERO – sombre -r -o ( r for king and o for old )
10.  QUICKSAND – quick (meaning fast or fleet) – s-and (additional)
11.  TONAL – hidden clue
12.  IOTA – alternate letters in iron t-.bar
13.  THUNDERING – th- under-ing (Thing as in the song – Me and Mrs Jones ; we(‘ve) got a thing going on)
15.  ALL-OVER – dd
16.  LEDGER -l-edge-r (left and right )
19.  PARROT – parr-ot (young salmon with <to)
21.  BOWLING – bow-ling (Bow, district of London, with lingo cut short)
23. PROSTHETIC – *the tropics
25. SMUT – s-<tum
27. ARROW- (h)arrow
28. TIT FOR TAT – tit-fort-at
29.  DISORDER – <red ros id ( red rose without final e. ID ))
30.  BRACED – brace -d ( a pair plus old penny)

DOWN

1.   REQUITAL – re-quit-al ( one’s just deserts)
2.   SCINTILLA – * I can still (a spark or twinkling)
3.   RAKE -double definition .
5.   ORDINAL – or-din-al ( ‘second’ is an example of one)
6.   BATTEN DOWN – (dd, if batsman  ten is down , all wickets have gone)
7.   ENNUI- sounds like ‘Henri’ spoken by Jonathan Ross trying to talk French!
                    Henri Cartier-Bresson – famous French Photographer )
8.   OBLIGE  – ob-lig-e (OBE with <gill minus the final ‘l’_
9.   omitted
14. IVORY TOWER – dd ( an ivory can be a tooth as well as a piano key. )
17. ENIGMATIC- *giant mice
18. AGITATED – ag-itat-ed ([Jacques] Tati reversed within aged)
20. TRESTLE – * street with ‘l’ -(not sure of word play, unless the plane
                               is a piece of wood with support,)
21. BLINTZ – bli-n-tz ( a type of pancake popularised in America by Jewish
                                      immigrants and often served on Jewish holidays)
22. omitted
24. ORRIS – (f)or-<sir ( another name of iris or flag)
26. MOOR – dd

 

 

4 comments on “FT crossword no. 12,785 Set by SATORI, June 4 2008”

  1. Re 20A I think it works like this:
    TRE(ST L)E
    Way – ST
    leader of legations – L
    boards, – c/c indicator
    say, plane – TREE
    with – (connector)
    prop – def for word reqd.

  3. I can’t let 7D pass without a tip of the hat to Satori. If only for such audacious lateral thinking skills, in the face of one of the most over-clued words out there.

    I thought the days of encountering a truly original treatment of ENNUI were long gone, but I stand corrected. Cliche-busting at its most impudent; I’d have awarded that clue an interrobang (i.e. ?!) not just a question mark.

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