A pleasant and easy outing with Rosa.
I thought this was the easiest puzzle I have blogged in the FT for a long while. Rosa Klebb also sets for the Guardian as Arachne, where she is much more elusive. I think Rosa Klebb must be a sort of Arachne-lite, solveable in a lunchbreak. Personally I like the full-strength version best, but at least this version doesn’t leave you feeling wrung-out and mentally beaten up at the end it. Thanks Rosa.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ASTERISK | Strikes a blow* (8) |
| (STRIKES A)* anagram=blow | ||
| 5 | STATIC | Still in command after brief panic (6) |
| IC (in command) following STATe (panic, briefly) | ||
| 9 | JUNK MAIL | Bodyguard on East Asian boat is post no-one wants (4,4) |
| MAIL (something that protects or guards the body) on JUNK (East Asian boat) | ||
| 10 | TUCK IN | Union reps and relatives eat heartily (4,2) |
| TUC (Trades Union Congress, union reps) and KIN (relatives) | ||
| 12 | CARBONISE | Char performing aerobics round pole (9) |
| AEROBICS* performing=anagram contains (round) N (pole) | ||
| 13 | CHASE | Pursue Charles I of England (5) |
| CHAS (Charles, abbrev) then E (first of England) | ||
| 14 | EDIT | Revise parts of OED itself (4) |
| part of oED ITself | ||
| 16 | SHEBANG | Person associated with bust and boom in business (7) |
| SHE (person associated with bust, someone with a bosom) and BANG (boom) – definition is ‘business’, the matter in hand | ||
| 19 | EXPOUND | Present or former currency (7) |
| EX (former) POUND (currency) – definition is ‘present’, as a verb | ||
| 21 | RING | Call round (4) |
| double definition | ||
| 24 | DEPTH | Seriousness of actor Johnny’s lisping (5) |
| sounds like Depp’s (actor Johnny’s) spoken with a lisp | ||
| 25 | BUCHAREST | Vigorously administer a chest rub in Balkan city (9) |
| (A CHEST RUB)* anagram=vigorously administer | ||
| 27 | SWEDEN | Saw a lost paradise in Scandinavian country (6) |
| SaW (a missing, lost) EDEN (paradise) | ||
| 28 | OCCUPIER | Bra size that is transfixing Oregon resident (8) |
| C CUP (bra size) IE (that is) inside (transfixing, cutting through) OR (Oregon) | ||
| 29 | COYEST | Most reluctant, I agree to get into bed (6) |
| YES (I agree) in COT (bed) | ||
| 30 | GENEROUS | Free intermingling of our genes (8) |
| (OUR GENES)* anagram=intermingling of | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ABJECT | Bachelor in Paris, I engaged in deed of lowest kind (6) |
| B (bachelor) contains (engages) JE (I in French) in ACT (deed) | ||
| 2 | TUNDRA | East End thug turned up in northern waste (6) |
| ‘ARD NUT (thug, spoken like an East-ender) reversed (turned up) | ||
| 3 | ROMEO | Starts skipping from me to lover (5) |
| fROM mE tO missing starting letters | ||
| 4 | SKI LIFT | Way to the top is ultimately perilous when wearing skirt (3,4) |
| S (last of perilous) then IF (when) in (wearing) KILT (a skirt) | ||
| 6 | TRUNCHEON | Chunter on about staff (9) |
| (CHUNTER ON)* anagram=about | ||
| 7 | TAKE AWAY | Minus view on holiday (4,4) |
| TAKE (view, opinion) then AWAY (on holiday) | ||
| 8 | CONVERGE | Meet Charlie by side of road (8) |
| C (Charlie, phonetic alphabet) ON (by) VERGE (side of road) | ||
| 11 | MESS | Pickle, stew or jam (4) |
| triple definition | ||
| 15 | DAUGHTERS | Daddy has three such offspring (9) |
| the letter D (daughter, abbrev) occurs three times in daddy | ||
| 17 | GEODESIC | Setting out 1 Dec, goes shortest way from A to B (8) |
| anagram (setting out) of I (1, Roman numeral) DEC and GOES – a geodesic is a generalisation of a straight line (shortest way from A to B) on a curved space or surface, eg the globe | ||
| 18 | APOPLEXY | Fury as fruit tree is split by old axes (8) |
| APPLE (fruit tree) contains (split by) O (old) then X and Y (axes, on a graph) | ||
| 20 | DUBS | Knights head of dynamic Swiss bank (4) |
| D (head of dynamic) UBS (Swiss financial services company) – definition is ‘knights’ | ||
| 21 | RECYCLE | What Greens do on bike (7) |
| RE (on) CYCLE (bike) | ||
| 22 | MERINO | Ireland is besieged by diminutive female sheep (6) |
| ERIN (Ireland) in (besieged by) MO (woman’s name, diminutive of) – a breed of sheep | ||
| 23 | STARTS | *Thumps heartless jerks (6) |
| STAR (*) ThumpS (heartless, no middle) | ||
| 26 | AMUSE | Pleasantly occupy morning with exercise (5) |
| AM (morning) with USE (exercise) | ||
*anagram
Personally I am not too bothered whether a puzzle is difficult or easy. What is most important for me is that it should entertain and amuse, and I thought this was delightful with lots of inventive cluing. I particularly liked TUNDRA but there were many other sparklers. Thank you Rosa Klebb for whiling away my train journey so pleasantly, and PeeDee for the blog.
I didn’t find this as tricky as the previous Rosa Klebb puzzle, nor as yesterday’s Arachne in the Guardian, but it was still a thoroughly enjoyable solve. Many delightful touches, and I also particularly liked ‘ard nut. Thanks to Ms Klebb and PeeDee.
Hooray for Rosa – my puzzle of the day (with one still to solve). Not difficult but so much fun. Like yesterday’s spider lady, 1A s by too many clues to list. A big thank you to her and PeeDee.
My last two in were 1a & 23d where I thought the online version was missing some rubric about the starred clues -until the penny dropped. For me it is nice to have crosswords that I have a sporting chance of finishing unaided.
I’m a regular reader of fifteen squared and still exploring the foothills of crossword solving – attempting the FT every day and fully completing perhaps 25%. Today’s was one of my successes but in my judgement there are regularly easier FT crosswords. Like others I found this one delightful, full of tricks, turns and blind alleys – and regular smiles. Well done Rosa, and thank you FT for a mixed diet of difficulty and styles.
Thanks Rosa for a very enjoyable puzzle and PeeDee for the blog.
20dn: I think you meant to say Definition is “Knights”.