Financial Times 14,008 by Mudd

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Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 19, 2012

Here’s another somewhat tricky puzzle from Mudd. Clue 8A (POOL CUE) took me a while; it’s a difficult one because pool is more an American than a British game and, without the checked letters, I think it would be hard to feel sure that one had the right answer. My top clues are 15D (TENDERISE) and 17D (SO THERE). So there!

Across
1. VESSEL – double definition
4. CHERUB – ER (Queen) in CHUB (fish)
8. POOL CUE – cryptic definition
9. CRYSTAL – CRY (keen) + anagram of LAST
11. BANANA SKIN – BANANAS (loopy) + KIN (family)
12. TYPE – double definition
13. SWAZI – Z (Zulu) in SWAI[n] (lover endlessly)
14. NITROGEN – O[rganization] in anagram of RENTING
16. PERSONAL – R (right) + SON (issue) together in PEAL (ring)
18. NATTY – homophone (“gnatty”)
20. OMIT – OM (order [of merit]) + IT (it’s for afters)
21. FINGERNAIL – anagram of LEARNING IF
23. RESERVE – double definition
24. LIMEADE – MEAD (drink) in LIE (story)
25. THEORY – HE (man) in TORY (politician)
26. SEETHE – SEE (ecclesiastical domain) + THE (the)

Down
1. VIOLA – (slightly) cryptic definition
2. SULTANA – double/cryptic definition
3. EDUCATION – A[ssignment] in EDUCTION (drawing out)
5. HURON – HUR (Ben) + ON (over)
6. RISOTTO – SOT (drunk) + T[ake] together in RIO (port). Explanation corrected thanks to comment #4.
7. BLASPHEMY – anagram of SHAPELY B[u]M
10. SKINFLINT – SKIN (hide) + STONE (flint)
13. STEAMIEST – anagram of ESTIMATES
15. TENDERISE – TEN (figure) + anagram of RIDES + E (English)
17. SO THERE – THE (article) in SORE (upset)
19. TANGENT – TAN (beat) + GENT (chap). With a nice cryptic definition.
21. FIVER – REV (minister) + IF (provided) all backwards
22. INDIE – IN (popular) + DIE (stop)

5 comments on “Financial Times 14,008 by Mudd”

  1. Failed on
    8a I had ???? ?u?. I thought the second word must be gun but couldn’t think what the first word would be.
    2d Didn’t know that a sultana was also a queen.
    26a I get the the see bit but why is “the” a domain, please?

  2. Ah, yes, I too started out thinking that 8a must be some kind of GUN. I bet most people did. As for 26a, please read the explanation again. ‘The’ is not a domain but is picked up as is from the clue.

  4. For various reasons, I am a bit late to this party.
    Yet, I would like to say something about 6d (RISOTTO) which I parsed slightly different from you, Pete.
    I saw it as: {SOT (drunk) + T (beginning to take)} in RIO (port).

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