Financial Times 14,216 – Falcon

Monday Prize Crossword/Jan 21

Once more an immaculately clued crossword by Falcon which can be found here. Not one at the higher end of the spectrum, but just like the Observer’s weekly Everyman – no coincidence, of course – one that will please beginners and more experienced solvers equally alike.

Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.

Across
1	SEAMANSHIP	An emphasis at sea? (10)
		(AN EMPHASIS)*
		Original start to this crossword. Some may call this an &Lit, but I am not sure – the clue as a whole is only an allusion to the answer rather than a definition. That said, I liked it very much (even if ‘sea’ is part of both clue and solution).

6	STAG	Male part shortened (4)
		STAGE (part) minus the final E

9	COTERIE	Group from Great Lake bed shown first (7)
		COT (bed) coming before ERIE (Great Lake)

10	MEMENTO	Souvenir from Rome, men took (7)
		Hidden solution: [Ro]ME MEN TO[ok]

12	SQUEEZE BOX	Clutch case for concertina (7-3)
		SQUEEZE (clutch) + BOX (case)

13	SAG	Decline to show epic that appears endless (3)
		SAGA (epic) minus the final letter

15	OCELOT	Cat in patch of ground by old church (6)
		O (old) CE (church) plus LOT (patch of ground)

16	GLAD RAGS	Jokes about stableman, last to wear best clothes (4,4)
		GAGS (jokes) around {LAD (stableman) + [wea]R}

18	LAWGIVER	Legislator in Volksraad originally appearing in real wig, plaited (8)
		V[olksraad] inside (REAL WIG)*

20	FLACON	Young cow back on bottle (6)
		FLAC (reversal of CALF (young cow)) + ON
		… and the solution is an anagram of the setter’s name, too!

23	RUN	Ladder having last two of steps missing (3)
		RUNGS (steps, of indeed a ladder) minus the last two letters
		Clever clue – very elegant. Also the third one in this puzzle (after 6ac and 13ac) in which a word should be cut off to get the solution.

24	FOLLOW SUIT	Do the same as someone else and pay close attention to businessman (6,4)
		FOLLOW (pay close attention to) SUIT (businessman)

26	GAGARIN	Slightly mad king accompanied by popular cosmonaut (7)
		GAGA (slightly mad) + R (king, Rex) + IN (popular)

27	DRIFTER	Itinerant type in fishing boat (7)
		Double definition

28	RUMP	Meat and drink to head of programming (4)
		RUM (drink) + P[rogramming]

29	PROPAGANDA	Publicity material has right look, reportedly (10)
		Homophone of PROPER (right) GANDER (look)


Down
1	SACK	Rifle fire (4)
		Double definition
		In the clue both ‘rifle’ and ‘fire’ are nouns, but for the solution they should be seen as verbs: ‘to plunder’ and ‘to dismiss (from employment)’, respectively.

2	ANTIQUE	Article, quite new – not this then? (7)
		AN (article) + (QUITE)*

3	AGREE TO DIFFER	Diane’s put in a welcome bid, so end unresolved argument amicably (5,2,6)
		DI (Diane) inside {A + GREET (welcome) + OFFER (bid)}

4	SLEAZY	Disreputable son, good-for-nothing pocketing Ecstasy (6)
		S (son) + {LAZY (good-for-nothing) around E (Ecstacy)}

5	IMMOBILE	Male after one on phone still (8)
		I (one) + M (male) + MOBILE (phone)

7	TUNISIA	SI unit spelt differently – ampere, initially, in this country (7)
		(SI UNIT)* + A[mpere]

8	GEORGE SAND	Novelist in danger, goes abroad (6,4)
		(DANGER GOES)*

11	MIXED BLESSING	By implication, glibness – it has advantages and disadvantages (5,8)
		Reverse anagram: ‘glibness’ could lead to ‘blessing’ when ‘mixed’
		One of my favourites.

14	JOLLY ROGER	Happy chappie produces a flag (5,5)
		JOLLY (happy) + ROGER (chappie)

17	JETLINER	Black passenger ship and plane (8)
		JET (black) + LINER (passenger ship)

19	WINE GUM	Sweet plonk plonker knocked over (4,3)
		WINE (plonk) + GUM (reversal of MUG (plonker))

21	CLINTON	Statesman left in style after start of convention (7)
		{L (left) IN TON (style)} after C[onvention]

22	HOLD-UP	Robbery claim raised (4-2)
		HOLD (claim) + UP (raised)

25	ARIA	Piece of music filed away by librarian (4)
		Hidden solution: [libr]ARIA[n]

1 comment on “Financial Times 14,216 – Falcon”