Financial Times 13,273 by Cincinnus

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Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 2nd
Here’s another great puzzle from Cincinnus. I especially liked 1A, 29A and 5D. I solved the puzzle fairly quickly except for 19A and 6D which took me a good while. I don’t remember hearing the term “tail-ender” before (6D).

Across
1. CROCODILE TEARS – anagram of O COLD EART CRIES
10. CHASM – CHAS (little boy) + [ter]M
11. RETAINERS – double definition
12. AURALLY – A (a) + U (universal) + RALLY (recovery). Did you think this was a homophone? I did at first but not for long!
13. SMETANA – anagram of STEAM (24) + N (name) + A (a)
14. ERNST – hidden word
16. OMBUDSMAN – OM (order) + BUD (shoot) + ‘NAMS (war-torn countries) backwards
19. OKEY-DOKEY – O (old) + KEY (clue) + [fee]D + O (old) + KEY (clue)
20. ROTOR – palindrome
22. ARTEMIS – I (island) in anagram of STREAM
25. WITNESS – T (time) in WINES (drinks) + S (point)
27. INSURGENT – IN (home) + S[ecretary] + URGENT (pressing)
28. GET ON – double definition
29. GOOD SAMARITAN – anagram of DO ANAGRAM SO ITS

Down
2. REARRANGE – REAR (back) + RANGE (mountains)
3. CAMEL – CAMEL[ot]
4. DIRTY WORK – anagram of ID TRY + WORK (occupation)
5. LOTUS – double definition
6. TAIL-ENDER – TA[x] + I (capital in Icenlandic) + LENDER (bank)
7. ARENA – N (pole) in AREA (region)
8. SUSTAIN – US (American) backwards + STAIN (dirty)
9. SCRAPE – double definition
15. TIDEMARKS – anagram of DIRT MAKES
17. BAYSWATER – DAYS (horses) + WATER (drink)
18. MOTH-EATEN – TOM (cat) backwards + H[is] + EATEN (tucked in)
19. ORATING – “O, rating” (addressing sailor)
21. RESENT – E (east) in anagram of ERNST (14)
23. TASSO – S[ensuou]S in TAO (a religious way). Some might argue that Tao is a philosophical or spiritual way and not a religious way, but it is certainly a way.
24. STEAM – S (second) + TEAM (crew)
26. TIGHT – double definition

4 comments on “Financial Times 13,273 by Cincinnus”

  1. Thanks for the blog Sir.

    This puzzle beat me, but I rather liked 1ac, 4dn and various others.

    I rushed into 22ac putting in ERIS = Goddess, and KAY (for reasons unknown), ‘eriskay’ An Island.
    I then re-looked at it and changed it for ARTEMIS.

    Any who, thanks for explanations as usual I wasn’t a 100% there on this puzzle.

    Good puzzle though!

  2. Thx, Pete, for the Cincinnus blog (as ever).
    Fine crossword of a fine setter.

    Just like you, I found the anagram of 1ac (CROCODILE TEARS) superb.
    I hadn’t heard of TAIL-ENDER (6d) either, but what a clever clue.
    As was, I thought, 19d (ORATING).

    Not so keen on 18d (MOTH-EATEN), because I don’t like the parts of composite clues being clued separately.

    Probably, another Cincinnus this Saturday.

  3. Jake, thanks for the feedback.

    Sil, I did not like 19d! That was because I started out getting it wrong. I filled in PRATING even though it fitted only half of the wordplay. Took me a while to realize that it was ORATING.

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