Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of January 14, 2012
As is sometimes the case with Bradman’s puzzles, I found this one decidedly tricky in spots. I expect I have all the right answers but there are two clues that I do not fully understand the workings of: 27A and 24D. My top clues here are 5D (SPLOTCH) and 16D (LED ASTRAY).
Across
1. THROES – homophone (“throws”)
5. SUNLIGHT – UN (peacekeepers) in SLIGHT (minimal)
9. DOCTORAL – C[hemistry] in DOT (mark) + ORAL (exam)
10. DREAMY – E (energy) + AM (in the morning) both in DRY (dull)
11. BOFFIN – OFF (what’s rotten) in BIN (waste container). A fine surface reading here!
12. TREATISE – TREATIES (paper agreements) with last two letters reversed
14. ANOTHER PLACE – anagram of PARENTAL ECHO. So, ‘house next door’ defines ‘another place’? I am not familiar with such use of the expression ‘another place’ which leaves me wondering how good this clue is.
18. GOLD STANDARD – GOLD (top Olympian) + STANDARD (yellow flag)
22. DOCUMENT – DO (party) + MEN (chaps) in CUT (curtailed)
25. INSECT – IN (attached to) + SECT (religious group)
26. NAUTCH – U (university) in NATCH (as you’d expect to see). Nautch (which I had to look up) is an intricate traditional Indian dance performed by professional dancing girls.
27. APIARIAN – A (a) + PI (holy, slang for pious) + ARIAN (heretic). I was unable to understand the working of this clue until I received some help (see the first comment below). Google told me that there was a heretic named Arias but that still did not fit. What I needed to know was that followers of Arias were called Arians. (Apiarian means to do with bees or beekeeping, hence the buzz.)
28. CLERICAL – CL (class) + ERIC AL (two men)
29. GEYSER – anagram of E[n]ERGYS
Down
2. HOOPOE – HOOP (ring) + O[n]E (one nameless)
3. OUT OF HAND – double definition
4. STRUNG OUT – RUNG (support) in STOUT (sturdy)
5. SPLOTCH – PLOT (scheme) in SCH (school)
6. NUDGE – G (good) in NUDE (as nature intended)
7. ID EST – IDES (the day ruler fell) + T (short time). The ruler here is, of course, Julius Caesar.
8. HOMESICK – anagram of SOME in HICK (parochial countryman)
13. AMP – A (a) + MP (politician)
15. REALIZING – REAL (authentic) + I (one) + ZING (enthusiasm)
16. LED ASTRAY – LEDA’S TRAY (what might have brought food to queen). Leda was a queen of Sparta in Greek mythology.
17. MONORAIL – NO (number) in OR (men, i.e. other ranks) together in MAIL (post) backwards
19. SUM – SUM[p] (bottomless cesspool)
20. NETBALL – anagram of BAT in NELL (king’s mistress)
21. SCRAPE – SCRAP (throw away) + E (drug)
23. UTTER – [p]UTTER (club, president being deposed)
24. ETHIC – ??? An anagram of THE CI[ty] perhaps? ‘Ultimately deficient’ could be the indicator to remove the TY but where is the anagram indication?
Regarding 27A, the followers of that heretic were known as Arians. So “a holy heretic” would be A PI (slang for pious) ARIAN, and the whole word APIARIAN means “pertaining to an apiary”, definitely a place with buzz.
Bob, Thank you for filling me in. I had come across ‘pi’ in this sense before but missed it here.
24d: THI[s] (‘this’ is ultimately deficient) inside EC (postal code of London’s inner city, quite often used in crosswords and nearly always defined by ‘the City’).
Thanks Pete and Bradman.
In 14, I think this is parliamentary slang. A member of the House of Lords might refer to the Commons as ‘another place’ and vice versa. Hence house next door.
Sil, Ah, yes, come to think of it I have seen EC clued like this before. Thanks for the tip.
Wanderer, I did not recall it when thinking about this clue but I do have a memory of “the other place” being used in this sense. But “another place”? That’s new to me.