Financial Times 15,077 – Dante

by

Monday Prize Crossword / Nov 2, 2015

On the day that the Guardian had a Rufus-less Monday, the FT gave us a typical puzzle from his alter ego.

Did I say typical?  Even by Dante’s standards this crossword was more than heavily relying on double and cryptic definitions.
About half of the clues were in that area.  Still enjoyable though as I do admire the sheer effortlessness of it all (as in 22ac, for example).

Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.

Across
1 PROTAGONISTS
Supporters groan – it stops play (12)

(GROAN + IT STOPS)*    [* = play]
10 UMBRAGE
University doctor’s anger at offence (7)

U (university) + MB (doctor) + RAGE (anger)
11 WICHITA
Kansas city with CIA involvement (7)

(WITH CIA)*    [* = involvement]
12 RIFLE
General carries the sovereign’s weapon (5)

RIFE (general) around L (sovereign, i.e. a pound)
13 PASSES UP
Ignores candidates’ achievements at university (6,2)

PASSES (candidates’ achievements) + UP (at university)
15 EASY STREET
Simple way of affluent living (4,6)

EASY (simple) + STREET (way)
16 WREN
Small bird that flies about in different directions (4)

RE (about) inside W,N (different directions, i.e. West and North)

Yes, a wren is a bird that flies …..
18 MOPE
Complain when doctor introduces exercise (4)

MO (doctor) + PE (exercise)
20 ISOTHERMAL
Hailstorm breaks out around the east – it’s to do with temperature (10)

(HAILSTORM)* around E (the east)    [* = breaks out]
22 STRIKING
Memorable industrial action (8)

Double definition
24 SLANG
Abuse in common parlance (5)

Double definition
26 ENNOBLE
Provide a subject with a title? (7)

Cryptic definition
27 CLIQUES
Their memberships are limited (7)

Cryptic definition
28 PEBBLE-DASHED
Plastered and stoned (6-6)

Double / Cryptic definition
Down
2 REBUFFS
Brushes off and polishes again (7)

Double definition
3 TRAVERSE
Range of new art and poetry (8)

(ART)* + VERSE (poetry)    [* = new]
4 GOES
Turns and leaves (4)

Double definition
5 NEWSAGENTS
They provide regular press hand-outs (10)

Cryptic definition
6 SOCKS
Cuffs may be worn (5)

Double defnition
7 SCISSOR
Cut, doctor is cross (7)

(IS CROSS)*    [* = doctor]
8 QUARTERMASTER
Teacher is after clemency for army officer (13)

QUARTER (clemency) + MASTER (teacher)
9 CAMPANOLOGIST
Bob’s producer? (13)

Cryptic definition

This needs some clarification.  According to the ODE  ‘bob’ is ‘a change of order in bell-ringing’.

Here is where you can listen to some ‘bobs’:  http://tadhill.com/ringing/ .

Mathematicians may find this interesting too.
14 PRISON CELL
In which one takes his time (6,4)

Cryptic definition
17 WET SUITS
Sportsmen assume they help to retain body heat (3,5)

Cryptic definition
19 PARSNIP
Mean to cut vegetable (7)

PAR (mean) + SNIP (cut)
21 MEASURE
I object to a certain action (7)

ME (I, as object) + A + SURE (certain)
23 KEBAB
Food on which Kathleen’s first infant is raised (5)

K[athleen] + EBAB (reversal, indicated by ‘is raised’, of BABE (infant))
25 ACED
Beaten by a single stroke (4)

Cryptic definition

Think tennis.
*anagram

4 comments on “Financial Times 15,077 – Dante”

  1. Thanks Sil.

    Having escaped Rufus in the Grauniad, we had Dante in spades here.

    Far too many ‘is that it?’s for my liking and does MOPE really mean complain?

    But then there are one or two very good clues like WICHITA – simple but neat – and CAMPANOLOGIST – I took a while looking for a hairdresser simile.

    It’s these one or two which mean I will still do this setter’s puzzles.

    So – grudgingly – thanks to you too Dante.

  3. Thanks Dante and Sil

    Did this one earlier than usual to break up the string of ‘hardies’ that had been served up last week. At 13 mins, it was my quickest ever Dante.

    At the time, I didn’t think twice about MOPE for complaint, but having looked up the online Oxford, Collins and Freedictionary entries for both words, there is nothing to link them in any way.

    Finished in the SW with CLIQUES and WET SUITS the last two in.

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