A tough puzzle from Monk as always, but everything is there waiting to be found once one figures out where to look. Very enjoyable, thank you Monk.
BURNS NIGHT is hidden down the sides of the grid. I wonder why the editor didn’t save this puzzle until January?
Hold the mouse pointer over any clue number to read the clue.
| Across | ||
| 8 | ATELIER | cAnTeEn (regularly visited, every other letter) LIER (one down, one who lies down) |
| 9 | RYOKAN | Y (variable, maths) OK (fine) in RAN (managed) – a traditional Japanese inn |
| 10 | BANNED | ANN (girl) in BED (asleep, perhaps) |
| 11 | MAESTRO | An Electric (first letters of) in STORM* damaged=anagram |
| 12 | UNBROKEN | ROBE* (exotic=anagram) in (worn by) K (king) in NUN* (anagram=wayward) |
| 13 | GANDHI | G (grand) AND (also) HIgh (tall, only half of) – definition is ‘leader once’ |
| 14 | RECONSOLIDATING | SOLID (hard) in CONTAINER* (repaired=anagram) and G (good) |
| 18 | NUBILE | EBULLIENT* (ebullient=anagram) missing LET – definition is ‘fit for match’, ready to be married |
| 20 | A BIT MUCH | HABIT-CUM* bent=anagram |
| 23 | NIGHTLY | NIGHLY (almost) keeping (locking up) T (time) |
| 24 | PARENT | RE (Royal Engineers) inside (stopping, as in bottle) PANT (to gasp for breath) – definition is ‘rear’ |
| 25 | STRIKE | cryptic definition |
| 26 | REGATTA | wATERGATe* (suspect=anagram) missing its cover (first and last letter) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | GAWAIN | A W (wife) with GAIN (to reach) going round – definition is ‘a table for him and his comrades?’. Gawain is one of the Knights of the Round Table. Something feels a bit strained here to me, the word ’round’ uncomfortably straddles the definition and subsidiary parts. |
| 2 | LEONARDO | LEO (sign of zodiac) NARy (not, almost all of) DO (complete) |
| 3 | DIK-DIK | KID (little beast) raised, twice – an South African antelope |
| 4 | CRIMINAL LAWYERS | CRIMEAN WAR with SILLY bastard=anagram |
| 5 | GREEK GOD | blowinG (final letter) REEK (smoke) on (over) GOD (my, exclamation) – a dish is a good looking person |
| 6 | ROTTEN | ROT (corruption) NET (after tax) returning – definition is ‘very much’, informal |
| 7 | CABOCHON | CHOp (cut, mostly) in (breaking) CArBON (diamond, say) missing R (right) – a polished (rather than cut) gemstone |
| 15 | EQUINITY | INEQUITY* unstable=anagram – definition is ‘stable property’, having the nature horses, found in stables |
| 16 | SCEPTRED | C (caught) in SEPT (one month) RED (radical) – a sceptre is a sign of authority |
| 17 | TEMERITY | T (time, short) and EMERITY sounds like (reported as) emeriti, honorary titles for retired persons |
| 19 | INGRID | IN GRID (entering the answers) |
| 21 | IMPUGN | M (male) PUG (boxer) going inside (breaking) IN |
| 22 | CON-MAN | CON (with) MAN (one on board, chess piece) |
*anagram
See the accuracy! Great stuff from the FT again. Fave Greek god for the hige misdirection!!
Thanks you Monk and Paul Dee
Rowly
I agree, the FT crosswords have been at a consistently high standard recently.
Thanks PeeDee
Re 26A
You probably knew but you need to take off both the first and last letters of (W)atergat(e)*
Thanks ernie, I had not seen that. I had one E too many in my solution.
Thanks PeeDee.
Tough crossword, but as always with Monk a very satisfying solve!
I needed the blog for the explanation of LEONARDO (2d). I think the NAR-bit comes from NAR[y] rather than from NAR[e].
And there is a little typo in the (bold) solution of 17d.
Thanks Sil, I think I was getting confused with ne’er. I can’t see the type in 17d though.
In 17d: you’ve written TIMERITY instead of TEMERITY.
Just a typo.
Thanks, I was looking at 16dn for some reason, couldn’t spot anything!