Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 20, 2013
I rate this a very good puzzle and it took me a good while to complete it. My top clues are 1A (FELT-TIP PEN), 9A (SMUG), 12A (NOT SO BAD), and best of all 5D (PARENTHETICALLY). The most difficult clues for me were 6D (NINETY) and 8D (GURNARD).
ACROSS
1 Writer considered time with murderer lacking credit (4-3,3)
FELT-TIP PEN – FELT (considered) + T (time) + [cr]IPPEN (murderer lacking credit)
7 Impressionist scratching head, running back for plant (4)
SAGE – [d]EGAS backwards
9 Self-satisfied runner? Not half! (4)
SMUG – SMUG[gler]
10 Lyricist learning skill outside small country hotel (6,4)
LORENZ HART – LORE (learning) + NZ (small country) + H (hotel) + ART (skill)
11 Dons backing down about leader of students? (4,2)
PUTS ON – S[tudents] in NOT UP (down) backwards
12 Reasonable notice required by US city in recession (3,2,3)
NOT SO BAD – BOSTON (US city) backwards + AD (notice)
13 Juvenile not finishing cold food (8)
CHILDISH – CHIL[l] (not finishing cold) + DISH (food)
15 Fashion in which cut is announced? (4)
MODE – homophone (“mowed”)
17 Irish moss, for example, carried around by bag lady (4)
ALGA – hidden word
19 Supporter getting turn in ground with cricket side (8)
TRUNNION – anagram (ground) of TURN IN + ON (cricket side)
22 Modern form of erection (8)
NEOTERIC – anagram of ERECTION
23 Financial backers beheaded by European communist (6)
ENGELS – E (European) + [a]NGELS (financial backers beheaded)
25 Colour of swan for all to see in fantastic ballet (6,4)
COBALT BLUE – COB (swan) + U (for all to see) in anagram of BALLET
26 I’m the proprietor of a sound Scottish island (4)
IONA – homophone (“I own a”)
27 Animals celebrated going west (4)
GNUS – SUNG (celebrated) backwards
28 Excellent hand getting sail level (5,5)
ROYAL FLUSH – ROYAL (sail) + FLUSH (level)
DOWN
2 West Country town’s former speaker (7)
EXMOUTH – EX (former) + MOUTH (speaker)
3 What some ancient citizens wore, so to speak? (5)
TOGAS – TO (to) + GAS (speak)
4 The Italian girl rings in a state (8)
ILLINOIS – IL (the Italian) + IN (in) in LOIS (girl)
5 Play the clarinet badly (sic) (15)
PARENTHETICALLY – anagram of PLAY THE CLARINET. With a brilliant definition!
6 Number one gets clear in case of necessity (6)
NINETY – I (one) + NET (clear) together in N[ecessit]Y
7 Theologians terribly solemn about church organ at first (9)
SCHOOLMEN – CH (church) + O[rgan] together in anagram of SOLEMN
8 Sailors piercing screen for fish (7)
GURNARD – RN (sailors, i.e. Royal Navy) in GUARD (screen)
14 Grazing area stops wife entering anyhow (9)
LEASTWAYS – LEA (grazing area) + W (wife) in STAYS (stops)
16 Mournful merriment – false, at last, and true (8)
FUNEREAL – FUN (merriment) + [fals]E + REAL (true)
18 Taken outside, I have to rest (3,4)
LIE DOWN – I (I) in LED (taken) + OWN (have)
20 One’s beginning online reports about new figures (7)
OBLONGS – O[ne] + N (new) in BLOGS (online reports)
21 US president’s misplaced a hole in the ground (6)
CRATER – CARTER (US president) with A misplaced
24 Question for cook (5)
GRILL – double definition
Not so very long ago I was really worried about the whereabouts of our beloved setter.
No Orlando in the Guardian, no Cincinnus for months.
But he’s back.
Yes, Pete, 5d is worth the price of the newspaper alone.
So brilliant!!
And 12ac is not so bad either, indeed.
For 27ac (GNUS) I initially entered RATS.
They are also ‘animals’ and the reversal (Star) fits ‘celebrated’ just as well, don’t they?
Really great crossword by one of the best setters around.
‘don’t they’ should be ‘doesn’t it’, of course.
Re 5D & Sil after Pete, it is indeed!
I wonder whether anyone didn’t try RATS first!
@Peter if you’re referring to 27a then yes I did…
Thanks Pete
Some cryptics I couldn’t see in this one.
I still say Cincinnus spends time in the US. Leastways?
I failed in the NE
7a With no crossing letters , how many would think immediately of Degas?
10a All I had to go on was L?r??? ????. I have never heard of the person (without Mr Google, I have no idea if Lorenz is male or female). Lore =learning is tough in my book and not sure if small country means a geographical small country or use the abbreviation. Whichever, hundreds of possibilities when no checking letters.
15a I never seem to get homophones.
7d Simply didn’t know the word which was also the case for 8d.
Strangely didn’t have much difficulty with the rest of the puzzle.
Well done for solving that pesky NE.
Re 7a: I did not immediately think of Degas; took me a while.
Re 10a: Lorenz Hart is well known, I believe, not so much in his own right but as one member of the team Rodgers and Hart. I had to look up his first name.
Re 7d: I did not know SCHOOLMEN either — had to look it up.
Re 8d: I was vaguely familiar with GURNARD but still needed help to bring it to mind.
Strange; I had no trouble with degas and gurnard, but Dons led me completely astray with the references to students and I simply failed to make to connection with put on.
Struggled with lots of others this time; didn’t have long enough to digest it all.
agree 5d brilliant, and I did get it eventually