Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 29, 2014
I don’t remember when I took to a new setter as quickly, as easily and as pleasantly as Redshank. Mind you he is new only to me and to this space. Redshank, real name Duggie Anderson, is actually a well established and prolific compiler. Here he gives us a puzzle with some splendid surfaces (e.g. 1a and 10a) and some very clever clues such as my favourites 2d (UMPTEEN), 5d (IVAN THE TERRIBLE) and 16d (IRISH SEA). Welcome to the Weekend FT spot, Duggie!
ACROSS
1 It’s smutty and gives guest hiccups (10)
SUGGESTIVE – anagram of GIVES GUESTS
7 Feeling of old man with hungry stomach? (4)
PANG – PA (old man) + [hu]NG[ry]. One could also read the entire clue as definition.
9 It’s used to fence in sheep, easily reversed (4)
EPEE – hidden word
10 In a Catholic clergyman it’s wrong (10)
INACCURATE – IN (in) + A (a) + C (Catholic) + CURATE (clergyman)
11 Crippling debts overwhelm one in flat (6)
BEDSIT – I (one) in anagram of DEBTS
12 Too many bosses? Sadly have to pay one to retire (3-5)
TOP HEAVY – anagram of H[a]VE TO PAY
13 Lift restriction on a foreign band’s vocal (8)
UNFREEZE – UN (a foreign) + FREEZE (homophone of “frieze”)
15 Surgical sock fitted in to boot (4)
ALSO – hidden word
17 The party’s over for King Edward, say (4)
SPUD – DUP (the party — i.e. the Democratic Unionist Party, I believe) + S (‘s)
19 Odd atmosphere as topless lady hosts At Home (8)
EERINESS – IN (At Home) in [p]EERESS (topless lady)
22 Service vehicle court case almost thrown out (5,3)
SCOUT CAR – anagram of COURT CAS[e]
23 Irritable son, 30, first to be ejected (6)
SHIRTY – S (son) + [t]HIRTY
25 Sky viewers used them in a brief walk to new base (10)
ASTROLABES – A (a) + STROL[l] (brief walk) + anagram of BASE
26 Send packing for short film (4)
SHOO – SHOO[t] (short film)
27 Model documents describing Oscar (4)
MOSS – O (Oscar) in MSS (documents)
28 Top surgeon’s job, belting round theatre (10)
TREPANNING – REP (theatre) in TANNING (belting). With a great cryptic definition.
DOWN
2 Lots meet up after work at entrance to nightclub (7)
UMPTEEN – anagram of MEET UP + N[ightclub]
3 Reckon pub’s out of the black stuff (5)
GUESS – GU[inn]ESS
4 Labour group vital – it generates capital during depression (5,3)
SHIFT KEY – SHIFT (labour group) + KEY (vital)
5 Tsar: “I haven’t a clue”? (4,3,8)
IVAN THE TERRIBLE – reverse anagram clue for I HAVENT
6 Book passage, avoiding river bar (6)
EXCEPT – EXCE[r]PT
7 Mineral containing carbon in ordinary biscuit, say (9)
PORCELAIN – C (carbon) in ORE (mineral) in PLAIN (ordinary)
8 No change in options for locals (7)
NATIVES – [alter]NATIVES
14 Revolutionaries argued fiercely in some ways (3,6)
RED GUARDS – anagram of ARGUED in RDS (some ways)
16 It has ferries everywhere, fret not! (5,3)
IRISH SEA – anagram of I[t] HAS [fer]RIES. A fine &lit.
18 Was his art misanthropic, as some maintain? (7)
PICASSO – hidden word
20 I had limited time during broadcast to relax (3-4)
SIT DOWN – T (time) in ID (I had limited) in SOWN (broadcast)
21 Old fool cradles English cat (6)
OCELOT – O (old) + E (English) in CLOT (fool)
24 Children’s author all but upset dramatist (5)
IBSEN – [Edith N]esbit backwards (children’s author all but upset)
Excellent as you say and up to his usual standard.
One general off piste question what has happened to cincinnus/Orlando, he used to be a regular setter for the prize in the FT but we have not seen any of his crosswords for some time
Cincinnus (Michael Curl) is greatly missed by many of us here. I think we have had only two of his puzzles in this slot this year while he was once a frequent contributor. And I have no idea of what has happened to him. If someone else does, please let us know.
Another nice crossword by one of my favourite FT setters.
Yet, it wasn’t as testing as some other puzzles by Redshank.
When I saw (the excellent) 5d, I thought “I’ve seen this recently, was it in an IO/Nimrod/Enigmatist? Not sure”.
Must have been a misconception as the two most recent clues similar to this one were in 2013 and 2011.
On 17 Nov 2013 Everyman wrote “I haven’t, by interference, being a Russian leader” and two years earlier, on 7 Sept 2011, Arachne had: “I have ruled as tsar, haven’t I?”.
Redshank had some rather unusual anagram indicators today, e.g. “hiccups” (1ac) and “fiercely” (14d).
I liked the anagram indicator in 2d (“after work”) very much as it makes also sense within the surface.
And what about “everywhere” in IRISH SEA (16d, a nice clue)? It’s probably OK as something like “all over the place”.
I just mentioned the name Arachne, also one of the much missed setters at the moment. I think about a year ago I asked her whether she knew why Michael Curl wasn’t as prominent as he was before. If I remember well, she contacted him and the reason was just that he chose to be a bit more low-profile. Every now and then there is an Orlando in the Guardian, although more Quiptic than regular.
But there are more familiar names that we didn’t see very often in recent months. Brendan in the Guardian, Loroso in the FT, to name two top setters.
Maybe the current invasion of new talent has something to do with it.
Thanks Pete for the blog.
Glad you enjoyed the puzzle!
And thanks to Redshank for another sparkler.
I would never have got shift key and I’ve never heard of ocelot, trepanning or Edith Nesbit. I think the last one is simply unfair. If you don’t know her, you have no chance.
Can’t say as I was take as you were.
Sil, Thanks for the news about Michael Curl. I am not keen on “everywhere” as an anagram indicator.
Bamberger, The SHIFT KEY clue was a difficult one. I knew OCELOT and TREPANNING but not Edith Nesbit. So I agree the last one is a bit unfair, especially since she belongs to a bygone era but I still solved the clue very handily given just the initial I. But then I am a bit of an Ibsen fan.
Excellent I thought. Two things worried me, though: in 5dn what is ‘a clue’ doing? The wordplay seems to be just ‘Tsar: “I haven’t”‘; and in 4dn how is a Labour group a shift? Probably perfectly simple but I can’t see it.
You have a typo at 7dn, Pete. Should be PLAIN.
Wil, Thanks for pointing out that typo, now fixed. I don’t see a problem with ‘a clue’ in 5d. I see it as signifying a clue within the clue. And a shift is a labour group (not a Labour group) in the sense of a group of shift workers who work a particular shift.
Thanks Redshank and Pete
Very late to post here … did do this one just before Christmas (so late to start as well!). I’m another Duggie fan as Redshank and his alter ego in the Guardian.
This was a typical fun solve with a good variety of clue types and a nice difficulty level – finished in the NE corner with ALSO (tricky ha) and PORCELAIN ( hadn’t heard of ‘biscuit’ in that context before).
Hmm … don’t know about describing a clue as unfair … IBSEN is generally well known and without knowing Edith Nesbit, it was pretty straightforward to deduce that this would be the most likely name after inverting IBSEN – then just a quick confirmation with whatever reference material that one has. Nobody is going to know every word that is the answer or makes up a bit of an answer – that doesn’t make it unfair – rather it gives one the opportunity to learn something new !!!