Financial Times 14,624 by Magwitch

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[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 17, 2014

Magwitch is new to me and I have no information about this setter but I found his crossword accessible and relatively easy. (I am assuming Magwitch is a male since the well known use of the name is that of a male character in Dickens’ “Great Expectations”. — And I was wrong: see comment #2 below!). Easy, that is, except for 20a which stumped me for a good while. My favourite clue is 29a (PLAIN CHOCOLATE) and I also especially like 17d (ENERGETIC).

ACROSS
1 Ambassador is one in charge taking on supporter with skill and tact (14)
DIPLOMATICALLY – DIPLOMAT (ambassador is one) + IC (in charge) + ALLY (supporter)
10 Acknowledge not all plead mitigation (5)
ADMIT – hidden word
11 “Remembrance of Things Past” is a long novel about tiresome adolescent initially (9)
NOSTALGIA – T[iresome] A[dolescent] in anagram of IS A LONG
12 Country girl embraces king after empty afternoon (7)
ANDORRA – A[fternoo]N + R (king) in DORA (girl)
13 Former tennis star appearing for football team (7)
EVERTON – [Chris] EVERT (former tennis star) + ON (appearing)
14 Quarrel about concealing Republican tricks (5)
TRAPS – R (Republican) in SPAT (quarrel) backwards
16 No writer finished without fixed deadlines (4-5)
OPEN-ENDED – O (no) + PEN (writer) + ENDED (finished)
19 Permitted a design of any kind you like (9)
FREESTYLE – FREE (permitted) + STYLE (a design)
20 Jar of spawn? (5)
SHOCK – S-HOCK (s-pawn). I was unable to see the wordplay here and have my solving pal Bob to thank for enlightening me. It seems a bit of a stretch to have no indicator that ‘spawn’ has to be split up but the question mark does suggest that something unusual is required.
22 Fix for dad to go back east say (7)
APPOINT – PA (dad) backwards + POINT (east say)
25 Appeal of Guardian leader beat the FT’s! (7)
GLAMOUR – G[uardian] + LAM (beat) + OURS (FT’s)
27 Certain of swindle by half of dentists about front fillings (9)
CONFIDENT – CON (swindle) + FI[llings] + DENT[ists]. I do not like the construction of this clue and wonder if I may have interpreted the wordplay incorrectly.
28 Put together the conclusion after Friday morning (5)
FRAME – FR (Friday) + AM (morning) + [th]E
29 Dark bar makes alcoholic pant with ecstasy (5,9)
PLAIN CHOCOLATE – anagram of ALCOHOLIC PANT + E (ecstasy)

DOWN
2 Unusual item takes in the press etc on the spot (9)
IMMEDIATE – MEDIA (the press etc) in anagram of ITEM
3 Partly assimilate Romanians in the future (5)
LATER – hidden word
4 Required a president mostly propped up by a rightwinger (9)
MANDATORY – MAND[ela] (a president mostly) + A (a) + TORY (rightwinger)
5 A bit of a confused state (5)
TASTE – anagram of STATE
6 Continuous rest during extremely critical first part of written assignment (9)
CEASELESS – EASE (rest) in C[ritica]L + ESS[ay] (first part of written assignment)
7 Head off escape at dawn (5)
LIGHT – [f]LIGHT (head off escape)
8 Longed to say why journalist has a navy sweetheart (7)
YEARNED – Y (say why) + A RN E (a + navy + [sw]E[et]) in ED (journalist)
9 After a short break, worker is available (6)
VACANT – VAC (short break) + ANT (worker)
15 Distrust cop I mixed with in South America previously (9)
SUSPICION – anagram of I COP IN S (south) US (America)
17 Spirited opener has no work to achieve first century (9)
ENERGETIC – [op]ENER + GET (achieve) + I (first) + C (century)
18 Used door at end for keeping smells away (9)
DEODORANT – anagram of DOOR AT END
19 Hat cover protects air cadets (4,3)
FLAT CAP – ATC (air cadets) in FLAP (cover). ATC is the Air Training Corps.
21 Core of vegetable turnover contains peeled turnip (6)
KERNEL – [tu]RN[ip] in LEEK (vegetable) backwards
23 Bear goes back to sleep with Russian’s agreement (5)
PANDA – NAP (sleep) backwards + DA (Russian’s agreement)
24 Support most of the enforcement mechanisms (5)
TEETH – TEE (support) + TH[e]
26 Terrible rise of Washington flu variation (5)
AWFUL – WA (Washington) backwards + anagram of FLU

4 comments on “Financial Times 14,624 by Magwitch”

  1. Pete I think you’re correct about 20ac, although I agree that it does seem inadequate: a mere question mark is perhaps not enough to indicate the splitting of s and pawn. And I also agree with you about 27ac: it does seem that your parsing is correct, although the construction seems to be so dodgy that we may both be missing something; ‘front of fillings’ = fi indeed.

  2. Well, what happens in 20ac (s/pawn) is something Guardian solvers are quite used to nowadays, even though not everyone likes it very much. But this the FT.
    For me, in this particular clue, the question mark is enough – I find it hard to explain why so I won’t.
    [I have to confess I did a similar thing in my Derby Dalibor puzzle, only once (as long as there’s no overdose, you know)]

    I think, “front of fillings” for FI is rather dubious, it meaning only F would be just about ok but FI? Mmm.

    Alltogether, nevertheless, an all right crossword even if not really sparkling.

    And, Magwitch is a woman.
    I’m sure about that because I met her a few months ago.

    Many thanks Pete.

  3. I guessed 20ac (SHOCK) correctly because it means jar. But I too was flummoxed by S-HOCK. Now I’ve seen that particular trick I’ll get it in future, so I’m happy. I enjoyed the puzzle a lot. Thanks, Magwitch and Pete.

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