Move along, nothing to see here…
A pretty uninspiring puzzle with, as far as I’m aware, no new words or innovative cluing, and no theme or NINA.
(EDIT: It would appear that I’m in a minority here, so I’ll qualify my statement by adding that some of the surfaces were excellent – notably 23ac, 3dn, 7dn and 15dn)
Apart from the unexciting nature of the solve, I only had a couple of minor niggles at 8ac and 14ac.
| Across | ||
| 1 | LATVIA | Starts to look at tracks through the country (6) |
| Initial letters of “Look At Tracks” + VIA (“through”) | ||
| 4 | STATES | Speaks of panic with son (6) |
| STATE (“panic”) + S
State as in “in a state” = “in a panic”. |
||
| 8 | SINNING | Naughty Carol keeps a pub (7) |
| INN in SING
The capital letter on Carol gives me a problem here, as “Carol” and “to carol” are two different things. Could have been solved by putting Carol at the start of the clue (eg Carol keeps a pub – that’s naughty) |
||
| 9 | STINKER | Problem for old Bob the repair man (7) |
| S (“old Bob” = “shilling”) + TINKER | ||
| 11 | SEPULCHRAL | Purcell has developed melancholy (10) |
| *(Purcell has) | ||
| 12 | AGED | Old people imprisoned – many lost (4) |
| (c)AGED | ||
| 13 | GREEN | New information about soldier (5) |
| GEN about R.E. (“soldier”)
R.E. = Royal Engineer |
||
| 14 | CRACKPOT | Weirdo makes illegal drugs (8) |
| CRACK + POT are both illegal drugs.
I may be splitting hairs, but I’d say that the clue should say “illegal drugs make weirdo”. Think of the clue as a sum, with “weirdo” = 4, “crack” = 3, and “pot” = 1. We would say that 1 and 3 makes 4, but we wouldn’t say that 4 makes 1 and 3. |
||
| 16 | MISSPELL | Teacher having gym with students is badly put down (8) |
| MISS (“Teacher”) + P.E. + LL (“students”) | ||
| 18 | PURSE | Money put into academic funds (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | ALSO | Further inside the Royal Society (4) |
| Hidden in “royAL SOciety” | ||
| 21 | CONCERTINA | Harmony in a musical instrument (10) |
| CONCERT + IN A | ||
| 23 | LONG LEG | Fielder’s desire to get on (4,3) |
| LONG + LEG (“on”)
In cricket parlance, “leg” ~ “on”. Long leg is a fielding position behind the batsman, and near the boundary. |
||
| 24 | DEVIATE | Idea vet developed to change (7) |
| *(idea vet) | ||
| 25 | MINUTE | Speechless about batting a short time (6) |
| MUTE about IN | ||
| 26 | STRAIN | Dishonour grips royal family (6) |
| ST(R)AIN | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LOIRE | Learning about current in the river (5) |
| I(“current”) in LORE | ||
| 2 | TONSURE | Give hairstyle that’s in fashion? Certainly! (7) |
| TON (“fashion”) + SURE | ||
| 3 | INNOCENCE | Purity Connie falsely showed once appearing topless (9) |
| *(Connie) + (o)NCE | ||
| 5 | TOTAL | Comprehensive kid gets a quid (5) |
| TOT + A + L (“quid”, as in LSD, pounds shillings and pence) | ||
| 6 | TIN TACK | A small fastening can alter one’s course (3,4) |
| TIN (“can”) + TACK | ||
| 7 | STEVEDORE | Worker’s first wife died in shop (9) |
| EVE + D in STORE | ||
| 10 | CRACKLING | First-rate fish served with pork (9) |
| CRACK (“first-class”) + LING | ||
| 13 | GRILLROOM | Stable hand crosses stream for a place to eat (9) |
| GROOM crosses RILL | ||
| 15 | AT PRESENT | Now for a tango show (2,7) |
| A + T(“tango” in the phonetic alphabet) + PRESENT | ||
| 17 | SLOE GIN | Drunken legions drink this . . . . (4,3) |
| *(legions) | ||
| 19 | RETSINA | . . . . nastier sort of wine (7) |
| *(nastier) | ||
| 21 | CHEST | Box the revolutionary way (5) |
| CHE (Guevara) + ST. (“way”) | ||
| 22 | NOT ON | Impossible idea one’s given up (3,2) |
| NOT(i)ON | ||
*anagram
I actually liked this a lot – gentle start to the FT week, no fireworks but lots of smooth concise surfaces.
For 8a the rule is that we can use false capitalisation, but can’t use lower case where it should be in upper.
In two minds about 14a. If you write out the answer there’s no doubt that it makes the wordplay components. Your view is one shared by most editors though.
I agree with anax @1 – not a very difficult puzzle but very neatly constructed.
Anax
I did say they were minor niggles…
8ac – although acceptable, it would just be tidier to find a way around it.
14ac – I stick by my guns on that one.
I always enjoy Armonie’s gentle elegance — Schubert rather than Stravinsky. But I also enjoy loonapick’s critical conducting. Thanks, both.
I don’t see the relevance of academic in 18.
David @5
I had the same problem. I don’t see it as a double definition (sorry loonapick) but I wondered if pure was academic and money somehow s. Still a bit stuck.
Apart from that I am right with Anax @1.
Thanks Armonie and loonapick
More on the side of loonapick here … I’m an Armonie fan – usually straightforward and elegant. It was the same here, except that it felt like I was eating yesterday’s leftovers rather than a freshly cooked meal. Had seen a majority of these clues before …
Conrad Cork @6
I parsed PURSE the same way.
PURE or ACADEMIC: (of a subject of study) dealing with abstract concepts rather
than practical applications.
The OED gives s as the abbreviation for shilling(s). Austrian currency perhaps.
For a Double definition, I felt that ‘Money’ and ‘Funds’ were too alike.
Yes, Conrad and mike
You’re right, it’s S (shilling) in PURE.
Thanks loonapick and Armonie.
I agree with Brucew’s analysis.
I was OK with 14. Couldn’t really see why PURSE was PURSE but think Mike’s probably got it.
I did have a problem with 23. ‘on’ in the clue means the same as ‘leg’ in the answer. Not much crypticness there!