Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 7, 2013
I found this trickier than the typical Cincinnus puzzle with its somewhat obscure words (MATCHLOCKS and CURASSOW for example). My top clues are 17A (TOOTSIE) and 28D (CRU). I also very much like 29A (ENDURES) and 19D (COMPOSED).
ACROSS
1 Youngster is foremost in modernist art movement (6)
CUBISM – CUB (youngster) + IS (is) + M[odernist]
4 Go forward and go back, meeting resistance in crowd (8)
PROGRESS – GO (go) backwards + R (resistance) together in PRESS (crowd)
10 Payment that isn’t common (7)
ROYALTY – double definition
11 In a dictionary Romney is not mentioned (7)
OMITTED – MITT (Romney) in OED (a dictionary)
12 Decline and fall from grace with king (4)
SINK – SIN (fall from grace) + K (king)
13 Old-fashioned guns are as good as security devices (10)
MATCHLOCKS – MATCH (are as good as) + LOCKS (security devices)
16 Old engineer, retired, beginning to acquire capital (6)
OTTAWA – O (old) + WATT (old engineer) backwards + A[cquire]
17 Toe? So it may be (7)
TOOTSIE – anagram of TOE SO IT
20 House with a shed – one for German feudal tenant (7)
VILLEIN – VILL[a] + EIN (one for German). Very clever use of “with a shed”!
21 Altogether at home with Dorothy’s dog (2,4)
IN TOTO – IN (at home) + TOTO (Dorothy’s dog, from The Wizard of Oz, that is)
24 Vet sitting mongrel in drawer? (10)
VIGNETTIST – anagram of VET SITTING
25 Action taken when backing favourites (4)
STEP – PETS (favourites) backwards
27 Dissatisfaction with loss of filling, in a manner of speaking (7)
DICTION – DI[ssatisfa]CTION
29 Bears stop by river and start to swim (7)
ENDURES – END (stop) + URE (river) + S[wim]
30 Runner more complacent about tail end (8)
SMUGGLER – [tai]L in SMUGGER (more complacent). As we had a few weeks ago, ‘runner’ is a definition in the sense of a rum runner.
31 Page a Brontë daughter pulled to pieces (6)
PANNED – P (page) + ANNE (a Brontë) + D (daughter)
DOWN
1 Bird dog like pig (8)
CURASSOW – CUR (dog) + AS (like) + SOW (pig)
2 Running through marshy area, almost catching fish? (11)
BAYONETTING – BAYO[u] (marshy area almost) + NETTING (catching fish)
3 Only Aretha Franklin’s music is heard (4)
SOLE – homophone (“soul”)
5 Swedes, for example, introducing credit to poor vagrant (4,4)
ROOT CROP – CR (credit) in anagram of TO POOR
6 Screw it in lug-’ole – means of ending debate (10)
GUILLOTINE – anagram of IT IN LUG OLE
7 Scoff when leader is knocked out in preliminary round (3)
EAT – [h]EAT (leader is knocked out in preliminary round)
8 Cruel behaviour is accepted by deplorable male (6)
SADISM – SAD (deplorable) + IS (is) + M (male)
9 Popular musician taking part in Normandy landings (5)
DYLAN – hidden word
14 Engineer on pitch with rare bat (11)
CHIROPTERAN – anagram ON PITCH RARE. By what is probably a coincidence I came across this word only a few days before so did not find this clue as tough as I would have otherwise.
15 Uncomfortably hot? Not a winter’s gale, perhaps (10)
SWELTERING – anagram of WINTERS G[a]LE
18 Not much money for bread – nicker oddly enough (8)
PITTANCE – PITTA (bread) + N[i]C[k]E[r]
19 What Gershwin did is cool (8)
COMPOSED – double definition
22 Girl meets boy – and ducks (6)
EVADES – EVA (girl) + DES (boy)
23 A foursome for bridge with no wear and tear (2,3)
AS NEW – A (a) + SNEW (foursome for bridge)
26 Fancy one almost pushing up the daisies (4)
IDEA – I (one) + DEA[d] (almost pushing up the daisies)
28 Group of workers reported in vineyard (3)
CRU – homophone (“crew”)
Despite trying my best I got less than half out-and on the same Saturday I solved are bar three in the Times in less time.
There were too many clues such as 1d where I look at the answer and think -no would never have got that.
I have spent an hour on this Saturday’s Cincinnus 14424 and only solved 10 clues so I’ve had enough of Cincinnus. I’m finding him too hard and getting little pleasure out of the effort. I’ll stick to the other weekend setters bar Cinephile.
I too found this a pig with words I’d never met before. Under half solved, but I’ll keep plodding on as it is so satisfactory when I do manage to finish. Not done so for a while though. I agree 20ac was a class clue.
I am sorry you folks disliked this puzzle. For me, it was not as enjoyable as the typical Cincinnus but was still a satisfying solve. So far 14,424 is looking similar.