Financial Times 15,128 – Dante

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Monday Prize Crossword / Jan 4, 2016

I know, Dante is not the hardest of setters but this was perhaps my fastest solve ever.

First in was 4ac (SHOEHORN) and from there onwards everything fell in place almost immediately. As 16d (PER) was ambiguous, I saved solving the South-East for ‘later’. Unfortunately, there was one clue that was surely faulty (30ac)?
All in all a crossword of which I thought “it looks like I’ve seen all this before”.
Not terribly enjoyable, I’m afraid. Better next time.

Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.

Across
1 PRECIS Summary is not quite accurate (6)

PRECIS[e] (accurate, not quite)
4 SHOEHORN Something helpful that may get you into Oxford (8)

Cryptic definition
Would you believe, a cryptic definition and my first one in!
9 RECIPE Kitchener’s formula for success? (6)

Cryptic definition
#2
10 SWASTIKA Many Nazis were armed with this (8)

Cryptic definition
#3
11 MEAGRE Many agree it’s new and in short supply (6)

M (many, i.e. 1000 in Roman numerals) + (AGREE)*    [* = it’s new]
12 SENTINEL Guard dispatched one with a half-nelson (8)

SENT (dispatched) + I (one) + NEL[son]
13 TAR Pitch of the road (3)

Double / Cryptic definition
14 DEMEAN Humble cleric takes me in (6)

DEAN (cleric) around ME
17 LOCATES Places drawn roughly to scale (7)

(TO SCALE)*    [* = (drawn) roughly]
21 REPAIR Go about two (6)

RE (about) + PAIR (two)
25 PIE A bird that is after quiet (3)

IE (that is, i.e. id est) coming after P (quiet, i.e. piano)
Short for ‘magpie’.
26 MANDARIN Chinese fruit (8)

Double definition
27 TRAGIC Unfortunate soldier trapped in reversing vehicle (6)

GI (soldier) inside TRAC (reversal of CART (vehicle), indicated by ‘reversing’)
28 RAILLERY Mocking bird with tips of tail blue or grey (8)

RAIL (bird) + [tai]L [blu]E [o]R [gre]Y
29 SHUT UP Reduced to silence when imprisoned (4,2)

Double definition
30 LIEGEMEN Chap from Belgium is a loyal subject (8)

Double definition
I looked at this for ages but I’m afraid the solution should be singular (but it’s not).
31 BEIRUT From around the globe I ruthlessly acquire capital (6)

Hidden solution, indicated by ‘from’:    [around the glo]BE I RUT[hlessly (acquire)]
Down
1 PYRAMIDS PM’s diary sets out high points of NE African tour (8)

(PM’S DIARY)*    [* = sets out]
2 EXCLAIMS Cries on seeing awful climaxes (8)

(CLIMAXES)*    [* = awful]
3 IMPERIAL Risk including a kind of measure (8)

IMPERIL (risk) around A
5 HAWSER Saw distress in her cable (6)

(SAW)* inside HER    [* = distress]
6 ERSATZ Not the genuine article from bankers at Zurich (6)

Hidden solution, again indicated by ‘from’:    [bank]ERS AT Z[urich]
7 ORIENT Possibly tore in from the East (6)

(TORE IN)*    [* = possibly]
8 NEARLY Almost a point too soon (6)

N (a point, i.e. the North) + EARLY (too soon)
12 SALADIN A land is devastated by ancient Muslim warrior (7)

(A LAND IS)*    [* = devastated]
15 NOR Get neither number right (3)

NO (number, i.e. numero) + R (right)
16 PER For the returning traveller (3)

Reversal of REP (traveller), indicated by ‘returning’
I hope I underlined the right thing. PER feels more like ‘for each’.
18 SEARCH ME Examination on this writer I don’t know (6,2)

Double definition
19 DAUGHTER Guard the stupid girl (8)

(GUARD THE)*    [* = stupid]
20 CRACKPOT He’s crazy to pocket ball at end of break (8)

POT (to pocket ball, in snooker) coming after CRACK (break)
22 AMORAL It’s not just perfume that’s upset and left (6)

AMORA (reversal of AROMA (perfume), indicated by ‘upset’) + L (left)
23 ENTIRE The whole country is full of conservationists (6)

EIRE (country) around NT (conservationalists, i.e. National Trust)
24 BAILIE False alibi initially excluded by Scottish magistrate (6)

(ALIBI)* + E[xcluded]    [* = false]
25 PIERCE I creep around and force a way in (6)

(I CREEP)*    [* = around]

*anagram

6 comments on “Financial Times 15,128 – Dante”

  1. The cryptic definitions are annoying. With further elements they would be fine, but on their own … Aaagh!
    Re 31 Ac. What are “around the” and (arguably) “acquire” doing in the clue?

  3. I’m afraid, ernie, that still doesn’t take away the ambiguity of this clue.
    The reversal indicator is still in the middle of the two possible fodders – very annoying.

    As to cryptic definitions, there weren’t that many today.
    And, AndyB, they didn’t stand in my way as the solutions were clear enough.
    I share your feelings about 31ac but ‘strictly speaking’ BEIRUT can be taken from [around the glo]BE I RUT[hlessly acquire].
    As I said, clear enough, but not really elegant.

    I am more annoyed by 30ac.

  4. Thanks Sil and Dante.

    Agree wholly about 16dn and 30ac.

    Started at 1ac and finished with 31ac doing all the crossing downs on the way.

    But of course, Dante’s puzzles are meant to be an encouragement. And on this occasion, I thought that the cryptic/double definitions were unambiguous. So if it weren’t for 30ac, this would have been excellent for its level.

  5. Thanks Dante and Sil

    Pretty straightforward, but didn’t find this his easiest for some reason (probably 7-8 mins behind the fastest that I can complete a Dante). Like all, I had LIEGEMEN written into the grid and LIEGE MAN written beside the clue – not usual to see this sort of error in the FT.

    Finished in the SW corner with BAILIE, RAILLERY and AMORAL the last few in.

  6. Now what about this!

    In my preamble I said: All in all a crossword of which I thought “it looks like I’ve seen all this before”.
    My memory still works fine, it appears.
    The very same puzzle was published on 17 Augustus 2015 [and blogged 10 days later].

    With 30ac being: “Chaps from Belgium are loyal subjects” ……

    Furthermore, seen today’s grid?
    Unless the FT does something about it, it will be another Carte Rosee!

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