Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 12, 2014
A fairly run-of-the-mill puzzle this time. My favourite clues are 16a (PILATES), 29a (GREENE) and 7d (TEA CLOTH).
ACROSS
1 Pointer points, showing only the outskirts perhaps (8)
SIGNPOST – anagram of POINTS S[howin]G
5 Shift rod (6)
SWITCH – double definition
9 Everything considered, t helt helot ot? (3,2,3)
ALL IN ALL – “the lot” in “the lot”
10 Music that’s painful? (6)
STRAIN – double definition
12 It’s the other petition (3,6)
SEX APPEAL – SEX (the other) + APPEAL (petition). ‘It’ clues sex appeal. This is good to remember if you have not come across it before.
13 Master in schoolboy’s possession (5)
RULER – double definition
14 Don’t eat like a sprinter (4)
FAST – double definition
16 Many should keep at a system of exercise (7)
PILATES – AT (at) in PILES (many)
19 Attack favourite dog (7)
WHIPPET – WHIP (attack) + PET (favourite)
21 Something to chew on about a Pacific island (4)
GUAM – A (a) + GUM (something to chew on)
24 Taken by police, the registration number (5)
ETHER – hidden word. With a very common cryptic definition.
25 Networker providing reversing tank (9)
FISHERMAN – IF (providing) backwards + SHERMAN (tank)
27 As a symbol, one like a cornet (6)
ICONIC – I (one) + CONIC (like a cornet)
28 Beach that is to disappear in US city (3,5)
SAN DIEGO – SAND (beach) + IE (that is) + GO (disappear)
29 Author a shade elusive in the end (6)
GREENE – GREEN (shade) + [elusiv]E. This refers to Graham Greene, a writer I happened to come across a quote from while solving the puzzle: “Sentimentality — that’s what we call the sentiment we don’t share.”
30 Extremes of greed consuming chap from the FT? Epicure (8)
GOURMAND – OUR MAN (chap from the FT?) in G[ree]D
DOWN
1 Rare box, shame free of meat (6)
SPARSE – SPAR (box) + S[ham]E
2 So many stars appearing loose, not straight about it (6)
GALAXY – LAX (loose) in GAY (not straight about it)
3 Model’s leg in traction? (3-2)
PIN-UP – PIN UP (leg in traction?)
4 Untruth in Father Christmas not entirely obvious (7)
SALIENT – LIE (untruth) in SANT[a] (Father Christmas not entirely)
6 Crustacean felt aware when swimming (5,4)
WATER FLEA – anagram of FELT AWARE
7 Cattle taking half hour off to get drier (3,5)
TEA CLOTH – anagram of CATTLE HO[ur]. I am more used to the term tea towel. Where is tea cloth used?
8 Turn criminal into Nazi killer (8)
HUNTRESS – anagram of TURN in HESS (Nazi)
11 Hit head in short circuit (4)
SLAP – S (short) + LAP (circuit)
15 Distribute ration and pop out (9)
APPORTION – anagram of RATION POP
17 Comprehensive school’s head, sorrowful (8)
SWEEPING – S[chool] + WEEPING (sorrowful)
18 Sob and whine uncontrollably, as bit of a chicken (8)
WISHBONE – anagram of SOB WHINE
20 US president thanks us? (4)
TAFT – TA (thanks) + FT (us?). I don’t see that this clue needs or even benefits from the question mark.
21 Coming in strongest, a potent war force (7)
GESTAPO – hidden word
22 A second president turning up as very simple life-form (6)
AMOEBA – A (a) + MO (second) + ABE (president) backwards
23 Cricket side beginning to hope, veteran waiting to come in (2,4)
ON HOLD – ON (cricket side) + H[ope] + OLD (veteran)
26 Wise guy in tree (5)
ELDER – double definition
I thought that the construction of 9A was rather unusual.
Thanks to Pete and Mudd
Ah, yes. I have seen similar word puzzles before in other contexts but one does not often see such things in a crossword clue.
I read 3dn very slightly differently from you, Pete: if the leg is in traction then the pin is up; I think Mudd wants us to read it as a whole and not split it into pin = leg and in traction? = up.
Wil, I actually did interpret the clue in the manner you indicate but realize that I did not make this clear in my explanation. I will edit the blog to make it so. Thanks.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Picked this one up from the backlog pile :). Pretty straightforward from this setter I thought.
The 9a ding-bat type of clue does seen to come up quite regularly with him now – I think that they are very clever and he usually clearly clues the definition. It did take quite a while to see what was going on … even when the answer was evident from the crossers.
Last one in was HUNTRESS which was also very clever. Was held up for a while in that NE corner after writing in TEA TOWEL and lazily not parsing it fully first.
Also liked the networker / fisherman of 25.