Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of July 18, 2015
We are getting a good variety in our Weekend puzzles these days. I enjoyed this Dogberry, especially the rather duplicitous 31a (WEASEL) which is my clue of the week. I also like the topical reference to Omar Sharif (who died recently) in 22d. There were a few clues that I found challenging such as 25d (ASCOT).
| Across | ||
| 1 | FOSSIL |
Preserved part of ship in protective coating (6)
SS (ship) in FOIL (protective coating) |
| 4 | PANDEMIC |
Serious outbreak of alarm about sea’s return (8)
MED (sea) backwards in PANIC (alarm) |
| 10 | ENAMOUR |
Swept-back hair of solver and setter to inspire passion (7)
MANE (hair) backwards + OUR (solver and setter) |
| 11 | ENTITLE |
Confer right to name (7)
Double definition |
| 12 | KNOB |
Bit of butter, something for a techie to twiddle? (4)
Double definition |
| 13 | SPATCHCOCK |
Stopgap repair about to plug bit of hose squashed flat (10)
PATCH (repair) + C (about) together in SOCK (bit of hose). This clue gave me some trouble. I knew there was a word SPATCHCOCK but I had little idea of what it meant and even looking it up in a dictionary did not immediately convince me that it was the right answer. |
| 15 | STEELY |
Metallic fish in hovel (6)
EEL (fish) in STY (hovel) |
| 16 | BREADTH |
Latitude for sign of life to incorporate deathshead (7)
D[eathshead] in BREATH (sign of life) |
| 20 | SANGRIA |
A grain’s fermented to produce booze (7)
Anagram of A GRAINS |
| 21 | NEBULA |
Unable to generate misty apparition (6)
Anagram of UNABLE |
| 24 | HEARTENING |
Cheering 10 interrupting trial (10)
TEN (10) in HEARING (trial) |
| 26 | GNAT |
Insect’s distinctive flavour going West (4)
TANG (distinctive flavour) reversed |
| 28 | RECLAIM |
Demand return of lace knotted within border (7)
Anagram of LACE in RIM (border) |
| 29 | PLUNDER |
Spoils start of play, left below (7)
P[lay] + L (left) + UNDER (below) |
| 30 | FETCHING |
Attractive female artwork (8)
F (female) + ETCHING (artwork) |
| 31 | WEASEL |
Withstand duplicitous character? (6)
W (with…) + EASEL (…stand) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | FREAKISH |
Peculiar novel involving a thousand and one (8)
A (a) + K (thousand) + I (one) all together in FRESH (novel) |
| 2 | SOAPOPERA |
Deployed oars, protecting a religious leader’s ongoing saga (4,5)
A (a) + POPE (religious leader) in anagram of SOAP |
| 3 | IVOR |
Welshman’s dentine depleted (4)
IVOR[y] (dentine depleted). Ivory does consist of dentine. |
| 5 | APERTURE |
A cheeky flower’s opening (8)
A (a) + PERT (cheeky) + URE (flower) |
| 6 | DITCHWATER |
Direct what comes out – something terribly dull (10)
Anagram of DIRECT WHAT |
| 7 | MOTTO |
Former empire raised without an inspirational phrase (5)
OTTOM[an] (former empire…without AN) backwards (raised) |
| 8 | CREAKY |
Audibly ageing, weep about unopened bill (6)
[b]EAK (unopened bill) in CRY (weep) |
| 9 | TRIPE |
High on drug, showing guts (5)
TRIP (high) + E (drug) |
| 14 | FLIGHT PATH |
Fastest route from France to Hungary receiving gentle sign of approbation? (6,4)
F (France) + LIGHT PAT (gentle sign of approbation) + H (Hungary) |
| 17 | TOURNEDOS |
Agenda involving jar and last bit of hake fillet? (9)
URN (jar) + [hak]E together in TODOS (agenda) |
| 18 | CINNAMON |
Victualling-house in river getting on with flavouring (8)
INN (victualling house) in CAM (river) + ON (on) |
| 19 | PASTORAL |
Rural friend eating mixed roast (8)
Anagram of ROAST in PAL (friend) |
| 22 | SHARIF |
Omar’s blighted ash tree coming up (6)
Anagram of ASH + FIR (tree) backwards (coming up) |
| 23 | INEPT |
Lacking talent, somewhat upset, exact penitence (5)
Reverse hiidden word |
| 25 | ASCOT |
A way to keep company, of course (5)
A (a) + CO (company) in ST (way) |
| 27 | CURE |
Chemist, one wanting one to treat the sick (4)
CUR[i]E (chemist, one wanting) |
Thanks Dogberry and Pete.
I must have been on the right wavelength for this puzzle. Zipped through in in 15 mins at bedtime and 5 to finish off on the train yesterday morning.
Fairly straightforward and no new words for me, and all very well clued.
Like you, I thought Weasel was a fine clue and I particularly liked the anagram for Ditchwater – and the ‘surface’ was strangely clear!
Keep it up.
Had I not being doing this while watching the golf I would have given up with few solved but in the end I got all bar 9d.
If it takes over 5 hours for a round of golf these days, it must have taken me nearly two rounds so I’m in awe Hamish -are you Mark Goodliffe in disguise?
I actually found the top half rather difficult while breezing though the South.
I did certainly not finish this in the Hamish way.
After seeing his comment at the Dante blog [also 15 minutes in bed, 5 minutes on the train] I did wonder.
Where Dante/Rufus uses a lot of double and cryptic defintions, Dogberry seems to rely on charades and envelopes.
Only clue I have something to say about is 27d.
I think there is one ‘one’ too many.
The second ‘one’ should not be there.
Unless “Chemist, one wanting one” means that the first ‘one’ equals ‘Chemist’.
It is probably like that but it does feel like padding.
Enjoyable crossword.
Thanks for your kind words Bamberger.
Doubt me not Sil. I had a similar experience with both. Must have been on the right wavelength.
I’m still 10 days behind and judging by the number of comments it looks like I’m heading for a tough Io to stop me in my tracks.
Sil, I see your point about 27d. The clue would work well (and read better) as “Chemist wanting one to treat the sick (4)”, no?
Well, I think so Pete.
(though it’s not wrong)
And Hamish, have fun with the IO.
(I gave up just over halfway but it was clever)
Thanks Dogberry and Pete
Filled the grid of this in two short sessions – not quite as short as Hamish, but not all that much longer. It took about as long to go through the parsings to double check some of the answers
There were a number of clues that required some deeper thinking to actually get the why. The longest was TRIPE – happily saw the guts part, but coming to terms with HIGH = TRIP took some time to see that it was the noun context of both of them that was required. This meaning of SPATCHCOCK as a verb was unknown to me and as it turns out my parsing was wrong anyway … I had S (stop) gap (space) PATCH (repair) COCK (the valve on a hose that regulates the flow) – this did leave ‘about to plug’ as a little tenuous. Took a while to see that CURIE needed to have the I removed to get CURE. Had to do a bit of searching to find the KNOB of butter. Also took time to track down IVOR as a Welsh name – it does seem to be used right across Britain.
Dull as DITCH WATER was my last one in – not a well used saying that I’ve seen.
Having said all of that, thought that it was a pretty good challenge – and I too have the Io to get done at some point.