FT Weekend prize puzzle from December 13
I found this a nicely challenging puzzle although I was left with three clues whose wordplay I did not initially understand. Since the deadline for entries was earlier than usual, I could have published this blog yesterday but I failed to notice in time. My apologies if you were anxiously waiting!
May your yuletide be filled with love and joy and lots of juicy Christmas crosswords!
Across
1. CREDIBILITY GAP – EDIBILITY (fitness as food) + G (good) in CRAP (nonsense)
10. MOURN – MO (way of working) + URN (container)
11. AEROSPACE – AERO (in heaven) + SPACE (room). As in BAE.
12. REDWOOD – anagram of EDW[in] DROOD
13. EFFENDI – EFF (‘F’) + EN (‘N’) + D + I
14. LEEDS – homophone (“leads”)
16. OTHERWISE – THE WISE (the prudent) in OR
18. LADIES MAN – DIES (bows out) in LAMA (priest) + N (knight)
20. EXTOL – EX (former) + TO (to) + L (student)
22. OHMS LAW – anagram of HOW ALMS
25. ON SIGHT – homophone (“on site”)
27. CATHARTIC – CAT (animal) + HART (animal) + I (one) + C (caught)
28. BLADE – double definition
29, 21. BREAD AND BUTTER LETTER – anagram of DEBRETT + DEBRETT + RUN A LA. I was not familiar with this phrase. It means, just as the clue suggests, a thank-you letter from guest to host.
Down
2. ROUNDHEAD – ROUND (circumnavigate) + HEAD (cape)
3. DINGO – “din go”
4. BOARDROOM – BOAR (pig) + R (right) in DOOM (fate)
5. LARGE – anagram of ELGAR
6. TASK FORCE – T (time) + ASK FOR (request) + CE (church)
7. GRAIN – triple definition
8. PRESIDE – [self-]ES[teem] in PRIDE (self-esteem)
9. AMORAL – AMOR (love) + A (a) + L[atin]
15. STEEL BAND – S (south) + ELBA (island) in TEND (are inclined)
17. HANSOM CAB – HANSOM (largely good-looking “handsome”) + CAB (advisory body – Civil Aeronautics Board)
18. INTEGRATE – IN (fashionable) + anagram of TARGET + E (English)
19. LION CUB – ON CU[e] in LIB (movement for equality)
23. MITRE – double definition
24. WITAN – WIT (intelligence) + AN (article). The Witan was a parliament-like assembly in Anglo-Saxon England.
26. SABOT – AS (when) backwards + BOT (fly)
Pete
8d [self-]ES[teem ] in PRIDE – pride = self esteem outside the heart of self-ESteem
19d ON CU[e] in LIB
26d AS (when) reversed BOT (fly)
Aha! Thank you once again, Geoff.
17d I think you will find the advisory body alluded to is the ‘Citizens Advice Bureau’, though this may not be the first thing that occurs to someone located outside the UK.
Ah, yes. I have heard of the Citizens Advice Bureau but, as you say, being an expat in the US, that is not what immediately springs to mind.