Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 4, 2015
Since I happened to be in Britain at the time (coincidentally on the Isle of Skye — see 15a), I bought a print copy of the FT for the first time in ages and solved this puzzle on the familiar salmon-coloured paper. My clue of the week is 22a (DISRAELI) and I also applaud 5d (KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON). As often with Bradman there is an obscure word among the solutions, 7a (AMBO).
ACROSS
1 Caresser – one very quiet in such a naughty game! (5,5)
STRIP POKER – I (one) + PP (very quiet) together in STROKER (caresser)
7 He-man? Not rector, primarily in the pulpit (4)
AMBO – [r]AMBO (he-man, not rector primarily). AMBO is a word I did not know meaning an oblong pulpit with steps at each end.
9 Pressure brought with stick? (4)
PROD – P (pressure) + ROD (stick)
10 Drunken peer in Berks town to stay out all night? (5,5)
SLEEP ROUGH – anagram of PEER in SLOUGH (Berks town)
11 Ice cream terribly elongated, end out of sight (6)
GELATO – anagram of ELO[n]GAT[ed]
12 Youngsters including a jolly lot in IOW town (8)
YARMOUTH – A (a) + RM (jolly lot, i.e. the Royal Marines) together in YOUTH (youngsters)
13 Philosopher gets stuff for the match, having taken time off (8)
ROUSSEAU – [t]ROUSSEAU (stuff for the match, having taken time off)
15 Whence cometh rain to east of the island (4)
SKYE – SKY (whence cometh rain) + E (east)
17 Wide boy gives bigwigs a going over (4)
SPIV – VIPS (bigwigs) backwards
19 Carts reversing outside joint where craftspeople work (8)
SHIPYARD – HIP (joint) in DRAYS (carts) backwards
22 PM getting ennobled is earl, I’d fancy (8)
DISRAELI – anagram of IS EARL ID
23 Copper and gentleman no longer in contact (3,3)
CUT OFF – CU (copper) + TOFF (gentleman)
25 Turned out to enter after-hours high-street establishment? (10)
LAUNDRETTE – anagram of TURNED in LATE (after-hours)
26 One should maybe beware of this nonsense (4)
BULL – double definition. I first came up with another solution, workable but unlikely — an anagram of THIS.
27 Drill – something tedious (4)
BORE – double definition
28 Economist is absorbed by painter and his work (10)
MONETARIST – IS (is) in MONET ART (painter and his work)
DOWN
2 Weapon depot destroyed when invaded by soldiers (7)
TORPEDO – OR (soldiers) in anagram of DEPOT
3 Country home a detective probes (5)
INDIA – IN (home) + DI (detective) + A (a)
4 Turning up, thrusting type accounts for one easily defeated (8)
PUSHOVER – UP (up) backwards + SHOVER (thrusting type)
5 Refuse to get ruffled? You may not if losing at 1! (4,4,5,2)
KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON – double definition: You may not if losing at strip poker!
6 Engineers left, making a noise (6)
REPORT – RE (engineers) + PORT (left)
7 Loose morals with you acting in flirtatious manner? (9)
AMOROUSLY – anagram of MORALS YOU
8 Prejudice gets grand Tory looking silly (7)
BIGOTRY – BIG (grand) + anagram of TORY
14 African party overwhelmed by harsh division (9)
SEVERANCE – ANC (African party) in SEVERE (harsh)
16 Indians in the distance? Careful! (8)
DISCREET – CREE (Indians) in DIST (the distance)
18 Friend in excellent hospital – operation about to come up (7)
PAISANO – AI (excellent) + SAN (hospital) together on OP (operation) backwards. San is a term that, I think, is little-used these days but which I occasionally heard when I was young. It is an abbreviation for sanatorium.
20 Sir Thomas provides opportunities for some to get prizes (7)
RAFFLES – double definition. Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles is the fellow who invented Singapore. I did not solve this clue as quickly as I might have because I knew him only as Sir Stamford Raffles.
21 Headache sets Margaret on edge (6)
MEGRIM – MEG (Margaret) + RIM (edge)
24 Drum – something prohibited, not quite right (5)
TABOR – TABO[o] (something prohibited, not quite) + R (right)
Thanks Pete and Bradman.
A good all-round puzzle this. A couple of new words for me – megrim and ambo – but precisely clued so straightforward when you know how.
Pete, I think you have a couple of typos in the blog at 13 and 22ac.
Hope you had a pleasant time on the misty Isle – there before the midgies with a bit of luck! I had many soggy holidays there when I was a lad.
I would have thought that 18a & 21 d were the obscure ones -never ever heard of either.
The top half was solved but big gaps in the bottom half.
Also failed on 19a -had s???yard but just couldn’t think of shipyard, 25a , 28a and 16d.
My best effort for some time. Stuck only on 18d, 21d, and 25a. Never heard of Paisano and it isn’t in either of my Chambers or shorter Oxford so never was going to get it. Not heard of megrim either though I got the Meg, but thought it might be reversed and the last three letters.
Skye is wonderful, and Maclean country. I go there often.
Typo in 13a . Should be (t)ROUSSEAU
Thanks, folks — typos now fixed.
I had a fine time on the Misty Isle and an even better one later on Mull in spite of a couple of evenings being quite midgerable.
PAISANO is an Italian word meaning fellow countryman and MEGRIM is an alternative word for migraine. I knew both but should have acknowledged that they are a bit obscure.
Thanks Bradman and Pete
Thought that the Don was in a benevolent setting frame with this one – don’t often get him out in the half hour train ride into work – but did today.
PAISANO was new word for me … and freedictionary.com gives a slang meaning of it for ‘a friend’ or ‘a pal’. ‘Wide boy’ was also a new term.
Was pleased to get both YARMOUTH and SLOUGH without help – so my English geography is slowly improving from doing these puzzles. Knew that AMBO was a part of a church, but couldn’t remember what part (again from crossword history) and knew that MEGRIM was synonymous with ‘migraine’.
Pete, loved your first crack at BULL … you add them together and you have the fuller version of the word !!!