Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 27, 2013
This is the first puzzle I have done in a while that I would say is truly hard. I especially had a difficult time with 1A (COINCIDE), 12A (OUTDO), 27A (BRUTALLY), 3D (CANTONESE), 7D (WHIPCORD) and 8D (PURULENT). My favourite clues are 18A (HARLEY STREET) and 19D (FRUGAL) .
ACROSS
1 Correspond in Jersey etc, after encryption? (8)
COINCIDE – IN + CI (Jersey, etc, i.e. Channel Islands) together in CODE (after encryption)
5 Expand, or reduce to smithereens (4,2)
BLOW UP – double definition
10 Part of the head carrying wig’s ending on knot of hair (7)
CHIGNON – [wi]G in CHIN (part of head) + ON (on)
11 More liquid iodine absorbed by athlete (7)
RUNNIER – I (iodine) in RUNNER (athlete)
12 Away from home, rip off top (5)
OUTDO – OUT (away from home) + DO (rip off)
13 Arab ruler should keep quiet, I state, based on experience (9)
EMPIRICAL – P (quiet) in EMIR (Arab ruler) + I (I) + CAL (state, i.e. California)
14 I’d choose, in despicable type, an insect (12)
LEPIDOPTERAN – ID OPT (I’d choose) in LEPER (despicable type) + AN (an)
18 On which many doctors rely, theatres for surgery (6,6)
HARLEY STREET – anagram of RELY THEATRES
21 Clue about son in poor quality securing device (9)
CHINSTRAP – S (son) in HINT (clue) together in CRAP (poor quality)
23 Swear, as dogs bite in the rear (5)
CURSE – CURS (dogs) + [bit]E
24 He takes pains to work out, getting fit (2,5)
IN SHAPE – anagram of HE PAINS
25 Current drink (7)
DRAUGHT – double definition
26 Channel that’s good, say (6)
GUTTER – G (good) + UTTER (say)
27 Bloody boxing routine in savage style (8)
BRUTALLY – RUT (routine) in BALLY (bloody)
DOWN
1 Nuts for bird (6)
CUCKOO – double definition
2 Passport I lost, left out for fools (6)
IDIOTS – ID (passport) + anagram of I [l]OST
3 Chinese bamboo covering shades (9)
CANTONESE – TONES (shades) in CANES (bamboo)
4 Having sensed first in race, I drive casually round end of run – there’s the gong! (6,2,6)
DINNER IS SERVED – anagram of SENSED R[ace] I DRIVE [ru]N. If this is right then ‘casually’ must be the anagram indicator which seems a weak one to me.
6 Recluse, one among opposites (5)
LONER – ONE (one) in LR (opposites, i.e. left/right)
7 Remark about fashionable chenille initially beating fabric? (8)
WHIPCORD – HIP (fashionable) + C[henille] together in WORD (remark)
8 Outside of the law, kick pussy? (8)
PURULENT – RULE (law) in PUNT (kick)
9 Creepy-crawly taking rest under elevated cross-section (8,6)
TRAPDOOR SPIDER – ROOD (cross) + PART (section) backwards + SPIDER (rest, as in snooker)
15 Incisive soldier at the Battle of the Somme? (9)
TRENCHANT – double/cryptic definition
16 Carol eats a bit of horse – revolting! (8)
SHOCKING – HOCK (a bit of horse) in SING (carol)
17 Mad test I ran, a little loco with this? (5,3)
TRAIN SET – anagram of TEST I RAN
19 With fake fur, girl being thrifty (6)
FRUGAL – anagram of FUR + GAL (girl)
20 Signalman’s opening door for guard (6)
SENTRY – S[ignalman] + ENTRY (door)
22 Tool, one of thirteen? (5)
SPADE – double/cryptic definition
I think this is the equivalent of someone booking a skiing holiday in Ellmau and ending up in St Anton. Plenty would enjoy St Anton but only if they were good skiers and if they weren’t they wouldn’t.
I attempt the FT Saturday and Monday Crosswords and Everyman as I have a sporting chance of finishing unaided. If I want a bit more of a challenge-and sometimes I do- I venture to the Times, Grauniad or Independent.
Anyway I solved 1d,2d,5a,11a,12a,19d,20d,23a,24a,25a and came to a grinding halt. Often if I come back later, I solve a few more and so on-but not here. Chignon, lepidopteran and trenchant were all unknown to me.
Was this a Paul or Punk crossword that got misfiled?
Well done Pete!
Well, as I have said before, the commitment to blogging a puzzle serves as a powerful incentive to complete it. And this one was hard in the sense that many clues were tricky but, at least for me, not in the sense that it involved a lot of obscure words. Fortunately I knew CHIGNON and ‘lepidoptera’ (so easily guessed LEPIDOPTERAN). The only word that I don’t remember coming across before is WHIPCORD. I try hard to finish a puzzle without using tools (except a dictionary to check meanings) but do turn to pattern-look-up tools and others when I get stuck. In this case I needed them for 7 and 8 down.
I said it on earlier occasions, to me Mudd has recently geared up a bit, making his Saturday puzzles slightly harder than before.
Until now that wasn’t your experience, Pete, but this one was certainly not the easiest he has written.
I presume you saw the Guardianesque device in 1ac?
“After encryption” something’s “in code” and therefore IN/CI is placed inside “code”.
Thanks, Pete.
Hi Sil, It took me a while as I had not seen it before but I did spot the device you refer to. And I like it. I had no reason to see it as Guardianesque though. Has it been used in Guardian puzzles?
Very satisfying solve. Got halfway and ground to a halt. Doing it pen and paper so about to give up when I realised ‘clue’ at 21ac was HINT not TIP and CHINSTRAP dropped and the remainder unravelled nicely. To Bamberger, I know Trenchant, Chignon, Lepidoptera etc but never heard of Ellmau. Each to his own.
Satisfying, yes. I had never heard of Ellmau either but then I am not a skier.