Financial Times 14,704 by NEO

by

Very entertaining puzzle.

This revealed itself slowly with intricate wordplays and plenty of aha moments when the penny dropped. Thank you NEO for a good start to what was looking like a gloomy day.

All definitions in clues marked like this.
* anagram, + charade, – deletion, <- reversal, DD double definition, CD cryptic definition.

ACROSS
1 Bewildering to notice bachelor eyeing first of guys brought in (4-8) MIND-BOGGLING [notice=MIND + Bachelor + eyeing=OGLING outside Guys]
8 Vessel to carry large and disordered heap (7) CLUTTER [Large inside vessel=CUTTER]
9 Church goes for Ave Maria in obsolete Biblical tongue (7) ARAMAIC [obsolete=ARCHAIC with Ave Maria for ChurcH]
11 How often idiots appear in compound? (7) NITRATE [idiot=NIT RATE]
12 Kelp layer accessed by mate (3,4) SEA PALM [layer=SEAM outside mate=PAL]
13 Model’s current contract (5) IDEAL [current=I + contract=DEAL]
14 Border guards peer excitedly round back of huts, finding criminal (9) DESPERADO [border=DADO outside PEER* outside hutS]
16 Huge star, Turing accepts ban (9) ALDEBARAN [Turing=ALAN outside ban=DEBAR]

Aldebaran
Aldebaran

19 Jolly good chap meets unrefined Labour MP (5) STRAW [jolly good chap=ST + unrefined=RAW]
21 Block that is to restrict motorway flow (7) IMPASSE [that is=IE outside Motorway + flow=PASS]
23 Sons appreciated Miss Harker’s bottom (7) STAMINA [Sons + appreciated=TA + MINA]
24 Compiler high on heroin finds stone tool (7) NEOLITH [compiler=NEO + high=LIT + Heroin]
25 One with 50% IQ? (4-3) HALF-WIT [CD]
26 Related to joints in wooden layer, in detail (12) PARTICULARLY [related to joints=ARTICULAR inside wooden layer=PLY]

DOWN
1 Foreign copper gets doctor free (7) MOUNTIE [doctor=MO + free=UNTIE]
2 Royal partner about to be announced in sport (7) NETBALL [royal partner=NELL outside To Be Announced]
3 One employed to serve purpose in trade (9) BARTENDER [purpose=END inside trade=BARTER]
4 Composer // hit with bottle (5) GLASS [DD]
5 Undesired flow also called good in shelter (7) LEAKAGE [also called=AKA + Good inside shelter=LEE]
6 Falls head over heels once more with artist (7) NIAGARA [once more=AGAIN<- + artist=RA]
7 Check noise of birds from Norway perhaps (12) SCANDINAVIAN [check=SCAN + noise=DIN + of birds=AVIAN]
10 Is it usual to break the law in, say, Australia? (12) COMMONWEALTH [usual=COMMON + THE LAW*]
15 Old steward, with singular sense, left after tea (9) SENESCHAL [SENSE + tea=CHA + Left]
17 Peacemaker has no time for qualification (7) DIPLOMA [peacemaker=DIPLOMAt]
18 Band’s leader to help musician getting low (7) BASSIST [Band + to help=ASSIST]
19 Losing weight? Lines in much printed matter read up (7) SMALLER [lines=LL inside printed matter=REAMS<-]
20 Deceiver from south on street for transport option (7) RAILWAY [deceiver=LIAR<- + street=WAY]
22 Central parts of witches’ wacky moral system (5) ETHIC [wITCHEs]*

 

15 comments on “Financial Times 14,704 by NEO”

  1. Thanks,Bhavan. I too enjoyed it hugely. But — sorry to be thick — I still don’t understand 23ac S-TA-MINA. Thanks again, Neo, for your usual brain-warper.

  4. Thanks Bhavan, and Neo for a very good puzzle which I felt was slightly harder than yo average Neo.

    Good to see our setter stick to his principles in 18d using “Band’s leader” for B. Even the fact that “Bandleader” would have served the surface perhaps better, couldn’t change Neo’s mind! 🙂

  5. HarryS @3
    The 13th def. for ‘bottom’ in both Chambers and Collins is “staying power, stamina” though the latter qualifies it with “(esp of horses)”.

  6. I really enjoyed this one and you get the feel from the clues that our setter enjoyed himself too. Took me a while to spot that the stone tool in 24a didn’t need a ‘me’ or an ‘I’ at the front – d’oh.

    Thanks to Neo and Bhavan

  8. Ximenes would have accepted b=bandleader as bandleader is the leader of a band (unlike redhead, where R is not the leader of the colour red). On the other hand, X would not have allowed “Turing” for “Alan” (as opposed to “Perhaps Turing”, as Turing is only an example of an Alan, not definitive.

    Good puzzle, good blog,I thought.

  9. I agree with the Turing point, but not the bandleader, which doesn’t indicate anything, cryptically! And if you take the logic through, then B is not bandleader, whereas Basie is.

  10. Thanks Gaufrid @5. A new one on me. I don’t think I’d be brave enough to congratulate Mike Tyson in his prime on his tremendous bottom though, even with a dictionary handy. I got it because it couldn’t be anything else but had no idea why. Still, an enjoyable solve. I rudely forgot to thank Neo for that and Bhavan for the blog. So thanks both.

  12. Ah yes: Miss Murray or Mrs Harker is quite right. Rats. Or bats maybe.

    Re bandleader vs band’s leader, I’m staying safe as one grammatical argument I’ve never been able to understand is the one Meic mentions. Personally, as anything in the surface is illusory and/ or arbitrary, I see it as quite wrong to take anything, such as a bandleader, literally (and so discuss any inherent meaning) where it is quite obviously one among however many devices there are that will produce for solvers a single letter. Perhaps some word-wise whizz will sort me out.

    Many thanks to solvers and blogger alike, I’m really glad you enjoyed this. For the record, yes I did enjoy setting it (as with all my offerings).

    Cheers
    Neo

  13. Thanks Bhavan.
    I needed you to explain the wordplay in 2D (netball).
    For 15D (seneschal) presumably the first bit is an anagram (singular) of sense.
    Thanks also to Neo.

  14. Coming to this puzzle very late, but had to say what a gem it was ! I would say “can we have more” but it would only belittle the considerable skill that goes into Neo’s work.

  15. Thanks Neo and Bhavan

    Coming to this even later, jmac … only starting this late last night. My second Neo – enjoyed the first … and enjoyed this one even more.

    Had a Times-ey feel about it, apart from the living people, from what I remember when solving them. Even though it had to be solved as four separate quadrants, one always seemed to be able to make progress through the puzzle.

    Hadn’t seen ‘bottom’ used in this context before and had to go from ‘sea weed’ to ‘sea tang’ before arriving at the correct SEA PALM at 12. Couldn’t parse ARAMAIC, so thanks for that.

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