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Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 25, 2013
I sailed through most of this puzzle but had some considerable trouble with the bottom-right quadrant. My favourite clues are 9A (TUSSLE) and 25A (THICKO).
Across
1, 4 I’m surprised about ruse devised by dissenting group for planned sequence of events (6,2,6)
COURSE OF ACTION – anagram of RUSE in COO (I’m surprised) + FACTION (dissenting group)
9 Fight America? Let’s worry about it (6)
TUSSLE – US (America) in anagram of LETS
10 Thoughtless impulse this month in Connecticut (8)
INSTINCT – INST (this month) + IN (in) + CT (Connecticut)
12 See 27
13, 15 Hardy work from Gray wandering off: ditch drowned grammar? (3,4,3,7,5)
FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD – anagram of OFF DITCH DROWNED GRAMMAR
18 Poet’s article attracted proposal (6,6)
ANDREW MOTION – AN (article) + DREW (attracted) + MOTION (proposal)
21 A river supplied sea beast coming round in Yorkshire (10)
WHARFEDALE – A (a) + R (river) + FED (supplied) all in WHALE (sea beast)
22 See 19
24 Coastal strip said word for word (8)
LITTORAL – homophone (“literal”)
25 From bumpkin into moron (6)
THICKO – HICK (bumpkin) in TO (in-TO)
26 Treasure short time at home with English three-quarters leading (8)
ENSHRINE – ENS (three-quarters) + S (short) + IN (at home) + E (English)
27, 12 Rest disturbed, and so on, with revolutionary status in the city
STREET CRED – anagram of REST + ETC (and so on) + RED (revolutionary)
Down
1 Beast with a crest in tunnel for burial (8)
CATACOMB – CAT (beast) + A (a) + COMB (crest)
2 Unfinished meal interrupts Sunday work which is likely to wobble (8)
UNSTEADY – TE[a] (unfinished meal) in anagram of SUNDAY
3 See 23
5 Converge and offer successfully with love – and loss (4,8)
FOND FAREWELL – anagram of AND OFFER + WELL (successfully)
6 Gone to town amid sophisticated protective wrapping? (6,4)
COTTON WOOL – anagram of TO TOWN in COOL (sophisticated)
7 Design it expressly to provide light (6)
IGNITE – hidden word
8 Pole to speak with lunatic (6)
NUTTER – N (pole) + UTTER (speak)
11 Obeli pictured in state of enmity (7,5)
DAGGERS DRAWN – DAGGERS (obeli, as in † symbols) + DRAWN (pictured)
14 Finish work on FT’s Conan Doyle tale (4,2,4)
SIGN OF FOUR – SIGN OFF (finish work) + OUR (FT’s). Cinephile takes the liberty, as he often does, of dropping the article from the true title of the Sherlock Holmes’ story “The Sign of Four”.
16 Alternative numbers in river showing split personality? (8)
DIVORCEE – IV OR C (alternative numbers) in DEE (river). I fancy some will think ‘alternative numbers’ is a too-loose way of cluing “4 or 100” in Roman numerals.
17 Erratic aunt messing with Odin? (2,3,3)
IN AND OUT – anagram of AUNT ODIN
19, 22 Hands up when it’s light (6,4)
TWELVE NOON – double definition
20 A large number of opponents may be praying (6)
MANTIS – M (a large number) + ANTIS (opponents)
23, 3 Flashy stuff brought death to lawyer (4,4)
SHOT SILK – double definition. This was the hardest clue for me since I had not heard of “shot silk” — which is a fabric which is made up of silk woven from warp and weft yarns of two or more colours producing an iridescent appearance
Many thanks Pete & Cinephile.
This was another very enjoyable romp but, like you, I had to struggle with the South East corner.
Surely, this must be yet another example of Great Minds Thinking Alike?
Great Minds Thinking Alike, yes indeed.
Thanks Pete for the blog.
re 13 & 15 across
Apparently Thomas Hardy took the title of his novel from a line in Thomas Gray’s 1751 poem ‘Elegy written in a Country Churchyard’ – hence the reference to ‘Gray’ in the clue.
Ah! Thank you, ernie. I was remiss in failing to make any explanation of the “from Gray” part of the clue. I guess I overlooked it because I did not understand the reference.