Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 25, 2014
In spite of having become somewhat accustomed to Magwitch’s cluing style, I found this puzzle difficult, especially the right half, and completed it rather slowly. My top clues are 5a (CAUSES), 25a (OLIVE), 28a (EXPECT) and 7d (STAFF).
ACROSS
1 Inconsiderate to let small cats run wild (8)
TACTLESS – anagram of LET S (small) CATS
5 Has a careful look around university grounds (6)
CAUSES – U (university) in CASES (has a careful look around)
9 Stranger reportedly against surviving without a social worker on the outside (8)
EXTERIOR – EXT[ant] (surviving without a social worker) + ERIOR (homophone of “eerier”)
10 Pretty incredible to keep personnel department in overall control (6)
THRALL – HR (personnel department) in TALL (pretty incredible)
12 Blue Dahlia is really terrific at first but ends stupidly (5)
DIRTY – D[ahlia] I[s] R[eally] T[errific] [stupidl]Y. ‘Blue’ works as a definition in the sense of, for example, a blue movie.
13 Web forecaster announced an overall gain (3,6)
NET PROFIT – NET (web) + PROFIT (homophone of “prophet”)
14 Involved in assisting as pedestrian had difficulty in breathing (6)
GASPED – hidden word
16 Deeply moved by support to bring back Christmas period opening (7)
PIERCED – PIER (support) + DEC[ember) (Christmas period opening) reversed
19 Blow up corrupt general (7)
ENLARGE – anagram of GENERAL
21 Calling about money acquired by returning soldier (6)
CITING – C (about) + TIN (money) in GI (soldier) backwards
23 Confuse u-boats at sea with fake convoy escorts initially (9)
OBFUSCATE – anagram of U BOATS F[ake] C[onvoy} E[scorts]
25 Owl found disembowelled on island by borders of village green (5)
OLIVE – O[w]L + I (island) + V[illag]E
26 Latest news of appointment to a higher position? (6)
UPDATE – UP DATE (appointment to a higher position?)
27 Swarmed over fashionable woman arrested without a top (8)
INFESTED – IN (fashionable) + F (woman) + [arr]ESTED
28 Half of overseas residents have shocking treatment to look forward to (6)
EXPECT – EXP[ats] (half of overseas residents) + ECT (shocking treatment — i.e. electro-convulsive therapy)
29 Paid attention about grade after artist switched degree (8)
REGARDED – RE (about) + GARDE (grade after artist, i.e. RA, switched) + D (degree)
DOWN
1 Essay introduces a conclusion with it (6)
TRENDY – END (conclusion) in TRY (essay)
2 Alarmed at a curlew’s shriek (9)
CATERWAUL – anagram of AT A CURLEW
3 Be concerned with length rather than width of vehicle (5)
LORRY – WORRY (be concerned) with ‘W’ (width) changed to ‘L’ (length)
4 Rejected boy under 20 with no energy (7)
SCORNED – SCOR[e] (20 with no energy) + NED (boy)
6 Hated actual physical injury or gash (9)
ABHORRENT – ABH (actual physical injury — i.e. Actual Bodily Harm) + OR (or) + RENT (gash)
7 Scottish island without a flagpole (5)
STAFF – STAFF[a] (Scottish island without a)
8 I play loudest outside when no-one else is around (8)
SOLITUDE – I (I) in anagram of LOUDEST
11 Dogs could be up for a walk (4)
STEP – PETS (dogs could be) backwards
15 Soldiers I left at the back in charge are hanging on (9)
PARASITIC – PARAS (soldiers) + I (I) + [lef]T + IC (in charge)
17 Made up price with journalist to conceal unfortunate sin (9)
CONSISTED – anagram of SIN in COST (price) + ED (journalist)
18 Single-minded defeated player makes a comeback even in cup tie (8)
RESOLUTE – LOSER (defeated player) backwards + [c]U[p] T[i]E
20 Late morning inspection (4)
EXAM – EX (late) + AM (morning)
21 Tory slims down Europe to get rid of corruption (7)
CLEANSE – C (Tory) + LEANS (slims down) + E (Europe)
22 First off lost power after he was in the lead (6)
HEADED – HE (he) + [f]ADED (first off lost power)
24 FBI agent in court becomes annoyed (3,2)
FED UP – FED (FBI agent) + UP (in court)
25 Last to return a long time after worldclass runner gets back (5)
OMEGA – MO [Farrah] (worldclass runner) backwards + AGE (a long time) backwards
I had exactly the same experience as you Pete, with this crossword.
This was probably the hardest Saturday Prize since, yes, since when.
The left-hand side fell in place relatively smoothly but for the right-hand side I needed help from my PinC aka Beth.
Magwitch is a setter who puts a lot of thought in her often very intricate constructions. Nothing wrong with that.
But she also does things that I do not like very much and , actually, brings the whole thing down.
“Arrested without a top” for ESTED (27ac) is hardly acceptable for me.
She did similar things in her previous puzzle, so she must think this is all right – not for me though.
“… ends stupidly” (12ac) equalling +Y (as the last letter), definitely not OK for me.
MO (25d) for “world-class runner”? Well, I got it but who is she to call him Mo?
E for Europe (in 21d)? Looks obvious but is it? Just try to find it in the dictionaries.
I liked the challenge but I’d wish Magwitch’s clueing style would be a bit less iffy at times.
Meanwhile, well done you, Pete!
“MO (25d) for “world-class runner”? Well, I got it but who is she to call him Mo?”
Mr Farah has been universally known as Mo ever since he rose to fame for his remarkable achievements.
Cruciverbophile, point taken, I withdraw my comment on that clue.
Same experience except that I solved 5a, 7d 13a and 17d on the rhs and that was it.
10a Pretty incredible -=tall is tough
16a I don’t get pierced =deeply moved
21a Calling =citing? Money =tin is obscure
21d Leans =slims down?
25a Having to spot world class runner =mo is obscure
I’m with Sil here -too much iffy stuff
Bamberger, Thanks for your input. I agree that a lot of this stuff is too loose. I did not like ‘pierced’ for “deeply moved”. TIN meaning money is obscure for sure but ‘money’ cluing TIN is something I have come across before in crosswords. Using ‘slims down’ to clue LEANS is, I think, rather clever but still not quite kosher.
Tin = Money is really very common in Crosswordland, not obscure at all.
Chambers gives as a definition for “to pierce”: “to touch or move deeply”. No problems.
The same dictionary gives “to call” as the first defintion for “to cite”. Again, no problems.
The clue with “leans” in it should ideally have had a question mark (but I liked it).
These were not the things that I would call iffy.
I was more referring to the things that happened in 12ac and 27ac.
I have never heard anyone go to a shop and say “Oh dear I’ve forgotten my tin”. I accept there is a school of thought that if a word is in a dictionary it is fair game for a crossword. Cite. “I call that a brown cow” but it would it be peculiar to say “I cite that a brown cow”.
I can’t think of a sentence of pierce in it to mean touch deeply.
I’ll defend obscure here.
I agree on the obscurity of some of the clueing. I failed totally with the right hand side. Thanks for the explanation of “Exterior” which I guessed but couldn’t solve.
Ah, yes, figuring out “Exterior” took me some time!