This is my first blog of GAFF, and I’m afraid it has defeated me, there are two answers I can’t really explain at all. So, any help from the wise would be appreciated.
Nevertheless I enjoyed this crossword very much, lots of clever devices and I picked up some interesting snippets of information along the way. The theme of course is budget day, which I believe is today (I don’t really have much interest in the budget, strange I know for an FT solver, but there you go!)
| Across | ||
| 1 | COCKED HAT | Double definition – the bicorne or tricorne, and ‘knock into a cocked hat’ |
| 6 | See 2 | |
| 9 | APPROVE | AP (son of in Wesh name) PROVE (show) |
| 10 | GEORGIA | The only word I can think of is GEORGIA, but I can’t find any reason it fits the clue. The final stop of the Midnight Train to Georgia. Thanks to crypticsue for this one. |
| 11 | EXTRA | In cricket extras are runs scored by default. Why an extra ‘comes to’ a test match I can’t work out. |
| 12 | OSCILLATE | CILLA Black (TV personality and singer) inside TOES* (limted = contained by) |
| 14 | ILL | Weak = ill. Any help on the word-play? oscILLate (middle of previous solution) – thanks to Eileen |
| 15 | INHERITANCE | (THE AIR)* inside INN followed by ChangE (ends of) |
| 17, 8 | CHANCELLORS STATEMENT | (TO THE SMALL SCREEN CAN’T)* – in which chancellor George Osborne sets out UK fiscal policy for the coming year |
| 19 | VAT | Double definition |
| 20 | MARIJUANA | Don JUAN inside MARIA |
| 22 | MERIT | TIRE (flag) on Mountain reversed |
| 24 | TROUNCE | COUNTER* |
| 26 | INTENSE | Non-EsSENTIal* (loans removed) |
| 27 | X-RAYS | Cryptic definition |
| 28 | BENCHMARK | BENCH (seat) MARK (sign) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | CRAZE | sounds like the Krays |
| 2, 6 across | CAPITAL GAINS | CAPITA (heads) and SIGNAL* |
| 3 | EGOMANIAC | Cryptic definition |
| 4 | HAEMOPHILIA | (HAIL MAry I HOPE)* with RY removed (ry = railway = lines) |
| 5 | TUG | Double definition |
| 6 | GROWL | George Rex and OWL |
| 7 | INGRAIN | leakING RAINcoat |
| 8 | See 17 | |
| 13 | CORPORATION | Corporation tax. A ‘corporation’ is slang for a fat belly, hence ‘body building’. I think there could be other way to parse this clue too, e.g. corporation=’local government body’ and building = ‘makes into’. |
| 14 | INCOME TAX | (TO MEXICAN)* |
| 16 | TEST MATCH | In test match cricket there can be hundreds of overs bowled in five days, not just one. |
| 18 | AUREOLA | EURO* inside A LA (‘as the’ in French) – headlight = halo |
| 19 | VERANDA | A (initial – first letter) follwing aVER (end of claim) and AND. On second thoughts, a better explanation is ‘move the A to the end of AVER AND’ |
| 21 | JINKS | sounds like “jinx” |
| 23 | TWEAK | (TAKE With)* rocky = anagram indicator |
| 25 | EBB | pEBBles – ebb tide and flow tide |
*anagram
Hold mouse over clue number to see clue, click a solution to see its definition.
Thanks, PeeDee.
Re 14ac: ILL is the middle of the previous [last] answer, OSCILLATE.
Doh! Thanks Eileen. Can you explain 10 across?
There is a song called the Midnight Train to Georgia! I did struggle with this mighty themed puzzle with those long anagrams but I got there in the end.
Quite an odd puzzle, but it was nice to see a re levant theme in a puzzle that is not The Independent!
Many thanks, PeeDee, I really struggled with this and, even after completing it correctly (as I have now discovered), I was st a loss to explain some of the solutions until you (among others) removed the mysteries.
I did like OSCILLATE when the penny eventually dropped.
How very topical. It’s just a pity that Gaff failed to mention Elizabeth Taylor, RIP.
Thanks for the blog PeeDee – really needed it. A very entertaining puzzle and I look forward to more by Gaff in the future.
Very tough challenge but I got there in the end. Topper for me was 12a.
I know it’s late, and there’s probably no-one still around, but I just had to comment on this one.
Being relatively new to The FT crossie, I’ve not come across GAFF before. I have to say that I thought this was excellent; just the right level of difficulty (3 pints of Original in the Cherry Tree)without having to resort to electronic aids, some fine surfaces and a large dose of humour in a neatly topical puzzle.
Favourites; 9, 24 & 26a, 3 & 7d; 10a very clever, but cod 4d.
Thanks PeeDee.
A tough but excellent puzzle I thought.Some very clever wordplay and plenty of humour,plus a long anagram,which seems to be a Gaff trademark.This seems to be only the second Gaff puzzle in the FT and looking back at the blog for the last one I see a comment from Hellathwen –
“This puzzle is indeed Gaff’s first puzzle for the FT. He is known under other pseudonyms elsewhere and I am delighted to see his work appear in a daily for the first time. He has been a regular compiler for me as an editor for some years. This is an auspicious debut.”
If you’re here tonight Hellathwen,it would be nice if you could give us a bit more info.This is an equally auspicious follow up!