Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 11, 2013
I am including the clues in my blog this week for the first time. And I again welcome comments on whether people appreciate this or not.
I found this an enjoyable puzzle with three particularly fine clues: 14A (MAMMA MIA), 4D (HANDSOME) and 7D (EGG).
Across
1. Female I punish for changing end (6,2)
FINISH UP – F (female) + anagram of I PUNISH
6. German writer leaves unfinished article (6)
GOETHE – GOE[s] (leaves unfinished) + THE (article)
9. Wear kid (4,2)
HAVE ON – double definition (with ‘kid’ as a verb in the cryptic reading)
10. Demote ambassador after the Queen returns (8)
RELEGATE – ER (the Queen) backwards + LEGATE (ambassador)
11. Printer’s error in publicity poster (4)
TYPO – hidden word
12. Artisan put one inside ornate stamnos (10)
STONEMASON – ONE (one) in anagram of STAMNOS. A stamnos is a small amphora.
14. Mame – twice shortened one, a musical (5,3)
MAMMA MIA – MAM[e] + MAM[e] + I (one) + A (a)
16. Rejected some gin (4)
TRAP – PART (some) backwards
18. Box in last of fights on equal footing (4)
SPAR – [fight]S + PAR (equal footing)
19. Excited? No! (6,2)
TURNED ON – reverse cryptic: NO is on turned
21. Sea creature’s appropriate cry is heard (5,5)
RIGHT WHALE – RIGHT (appropriate) + homophone of “wail” (CRY)
22. Vow – old hat, possibly (4)
OATH – O (old) + anagram of HAT
24. Not working at home on case (8)
INACTION – IN (at home) + ACTION (case — as in a legal case)
26. Husband leaving nurse in leafy glade (6)
ARBOUR – [h]ARBOUR
27. Ineffective bishop in touch with leader of Evangelists (6)
FEEBLE – B (bishop) in FEEL (touch) + E[vangelists]
28. Climbs down – tree rats about (8)
RETREATS – anagram of TREE RATS
Down
2. I, on river, going round large country (5)
ITALY – I (I) + L (large) in TAY (country)
3. I’d murderous foes, on parade for Caesar’s last day? (4,2,5)
IDES OF MARCH – anagram of ID (I’d) + anagram of FOES + MARCH (parade)
4. Generous applause? A little (8)
HANDSOME – HAND (applause) + SOME (a little)
5. Fitness expert having peculiar gym shoe (8,7)
PERSONAL TRAINER – PERSONAL (peculiar) + TRAINER (gym shoe)
6. Good passage in ship (6)
GALLEY – G (good) + ALLEY (passage)
7. Food item, for example, put on top of gammon (3)
EGG – EG (for example) + G[ammon]
8. Stew at office, initially an awkward situation (3,6)
HOT POTATO – HOT POT (stew) + AT (at) + O[ffice]
13. A dry male requiring large drink quickly (2,3,6)
AT THE DOUBLE – A (a) + TT (dry, i.e. teetotal) + HE (male) + DOUBLE (large drink). Brits say “at the double” while Americans prefer “on the double”.
15. Place a pin nervously in device (9)
APPLIANCE – anagram of PLACE A PIN
17. Object after silly sketch (8)
ARTEFACT – anagram of AFTER + ACT (sketch)
20. Hail we suffered, for a short time (6)
AWHILE – anagram of HAIL WE
23. Jeering remark beginning to trouble relative (5)
TAUNT – T[rouble] + AUNT (relative)
25. Swan caught, then died (3)
COB – C (caught) + OB (died). OB is a short form for ‘died’ that comes from the same route as obituary.
Thanks for the blog, Pete. My favourites were HAVE ON and TURNED ON.
It is great to have the clues as well as the answers and parsing – your efforts are much appreciated!
Didn’t have an on day.
Couldn’t get have on or turned on.
A right whale? Never heard of that -is there also a wrong whale or a left whale?
Artifact was the only other one missing
Muffyword, Thanks for commenting and the appreciation. I especially liked TURNED ON as well. Perhaps I should have included it in my list of favourites.
Bamberger, I understand that right whales came to be so-called because whalers considered them to be the right whales to hunt. So, I guess any other whales were wrong whales! But there is no whale actually named wrong.
Although the Saturday FT crossword is a competition puzzle I rarely send it in, even when completed. So I usually have my paper copy (and the clues)to hand when I come to this website.
I thought that this was not one of the harder puzzles although I did have to look up the whale one to see if it was right!
Thanks again, Pete, for the blog.
Thanks for the blog, Pete, and Falcon for the puzzle. Like ernie @4, I found this easy, particularly for a prize puzzle. Indeed, I think I had 18 solved in my first pass. A second time through the clues only left 16a, but I soon recalled that gin = trap (something I´ve never encountered outside of crossword-land.)