Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 20, 2016
Oh, Rosa, Rosa, I love you. Who else could come up with a dazzling gem like 26a (NOAH)? Who else could delight me with a cracker like 6d (MEERSCHAUM)? Who else could wow me with clues such as 2d (XYLOPHONE), 3d (NITS) or 19d (EXCHANGE)? Or the simple but brilliant 23d (AITCH)? I am in total enthrall.
NOAH (26a) is my clue of the week, of course. And in case anyone does not know the reference, let me note that an old. much-loved British sitcom called “Open All Hours” featured a character named Albert Arkwright (played by the marvelous Ronnie Barker).
| Across | ||
| 1 | VIXENS | Scolds 5 and 9, wiping face of 10s (6) |
| V (5) + IX (9) + [t]ENS (wiping face of 10s) | ||
| 4 | HELMETED | He’d let me jump wearing protective gear (8) |
| Anagram of HED LET ME | ||
| 10 | HOLSTER | English composer finally wrote chamber piece here (7) |
| HOLST (English composer) + [wrot]E [chambe]R | ||
| 11 | THERAPY | Treatment accepted by mother, a pyromaniac (7) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 12 | MOPE | Feel dejected after daughter falls off scooter (4) |
| MOPE[d] (daughter ‘D’ falls off scooter) | ||
| 13 | ULTRASONIC | Too high to notice top-class cocaine around a nostril, sadly (10) |
| U (top class) + in anagram of A NOSTRIL + C (cocaine) | ||
| 15 | NEOCON | Revolutionary once supported by US right-winger (6) |
| Anagram of ONCE + ON (supported by) | ||
| 16 | COWHIDE | Whip and whip, endlessly breaking regulations (7) |
| WHI[p] in CODE (regulations) | ||
| 20 | BERLIOZ | French composer attaching little weight to Brel after change of heart (7) |
| BERL (Brel after change of heart) + IOZ (little weight, i.e. one ounce) | ||
| 21 | OUTFOX | Beat bout of pox, originally undetected (6) |
| [b]OUT [o]F [p]OX | ||
| 24 | DERMATITIS | Rebellious talking horse is, after mating, in inflamed condition (10) |
| MR ED (talking horse) backwards + AT IT (mating) + IS (is) | ||
| 26 | NOAH | Arkwright is not open all hours at first (4) |
| N[ot] O[pen] A[ll] H[ours] | ||
| 28 | LETTUCE | Leaves you muttering in old Latvian church (7) |
| LETT (old Latvian) + U (homophone “you”) + CE (church) | ||
| 29 | CAPTION | Words accompanying picture of battered Pontiac (7) |
| Anagram of PONTIAC | ||
| 30 | TROUSERS | Thieves and old druggies on outskirts of Towcester (8) |
| T[owceste]R + O (old) + USERS (druggies) | ||
| 31 | CRUSOE | Sailors then picked up castaway (6) |
| Homophone (“crew so”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | VEHEMENT | Forceful macho types wearing check (8) |
| HE MEN (macho types) in VET (check) | ||
| 2 | XYLOPHONE | Axes cut perfect series of wooden bars (9) |
| XY (axes) + LOP (cut) + HONE (perfect) | ||
| 3 | NITS | Individuals scratching head – because of these? (4) |
| [u]NITS (inidividuals scratching heads) | ||
| 5 | EXTERIOR | Following nameless, articulate stranger outside (8) |
| [n]EXT (following nameless) + ERIOR (homophone “eerier”) | ||
| 6 | MEERSCHAUM | Untangling a rum scheme, one of Sherlock’s pleasures (10) |
| Anagram of A RUM SCHEME | ||
| 7 | TRAIN | Groom and attendants study part of bride’s gown (5) |
| Quadruple!! definition. I originally saw this as a triple definition but, as Hamish indicates below, it actually must be a quadruple! | ||
| 8 | DRY ICE | Refrigerator in dirty kitchen periodically emptied (3,3) |
| D[i]R[t]Y [k]I[t]C[h]E[n] | ||
| 9 | PROLE | Supporting the French worker (5) |
| PRO (supporting) + LE (the French) | ||
| 14 | COLLEAGUES | Cello usage upset others in the office (10) |
| Anagram of CELLO USAGE | ||
| 17 | DAFFODILS | On retiring, slipped off Bill Wordsworth’s bloomers (9) |
| SLID (slipped) + OFF (off) + AD (bill) all backwards | ||
| 18 | DOMINEER | Browbeat activist outside colliery (8) |
| MINE (colliery) in DOER (activist) | ||
| 19 | EXCHANGE | Swap halfpennies? (8) |
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | ODD LOT | Informed party picked up small number of shares (3,3) |
| TOLD (informed) + DO (party) all backwards | ||
| 23 | AITCH | A long letter (5) |
| A (a) + ITCH (long) | ||
| 25 | RETRO | Old-fashioned heart of Margaret Roberts (5) |
| Hidden word. “Margaret Roberts” presumably refers to Margaret Thatcher by her maiden name. I had not recognized it as such and, even googling it, failed to make the connection. Thanks to Pelham (see below) for setting me straight. | ||
| 27 | SPAR | Old man found in empty Skinner box (4) |
| PA (old man) in S[kinne]R | ||
Thanks Pete and Rosa.
She certainly knows how to hit the spot with some brilliantly elegant clues like NITS and AITCH with a couple which didn’t drop until the fourth visit – COWHIDE and EXTERIOR.
I had 7dn as a quadruple – to groom, attendants, to study and part of a brides gown.
Definitely agree with you on NOAH – marvellous surface.
I’m right with you Pete, as are no doubt the rest of her not inconsiderable fan club
Thanks Pete and Rosa
With regard to 25dn, to me the name Margaret Roberts suggests someone who was born in Grantham in 1925 and who married Denis Thatcher.
Thanks Pete – so glad you enjoyed it!
As Conrad says, we all love Rosa!
I’ve seen NOAH clued as ‘arkwright’ before – but this extension of it is stunningly brilliant.
Huge thanks, as ever, to Rosa for the glorious romp
As well as the clues that have already been mentioned I also liked 17D (daffodils).
Thanks to Rosa and Pete
An absolute delight. I can’t remember enjoying a crossword more than this one. Noah no doubt will be quoted for years to come. Xylophone was another favourite.
I agree with everyone above — nothing new to add, Dear Rosa. I solved it, but thanks, Pete, for parsing a couple for me.
Rosa is clearly the best setter there is at the moment. This crossword was an absolute gem.
Thank you, Rosa.
Thanks Rosa and Pete
Lovely crossword, but am afraid that she has stung me again – drawing the error with my unparsed RAWHIDE and EXTERNAL (you would think that one would learn – if you can’t parse her answers, then they are most likely wrong !!!)
Lots to like with many of the clues … and now that the surface reading of NOAH has been spelled out for a non-Brit, that is just awesome.
Finished with three across clues in the NW corner – HOLSTER (keep forgetting that HOLST was English), MOPED (not sure why – it looks very straightforward now) and NEOCON (a new word)
Bond, “The best setter at the moment” — indeed, indeed. Thank you. Seems that we have a fond and faithful Rosa appreciation society here. Many thanks, Rosa.
Never heard of thieves being trousers?
Ah, it works for verbs. It may be slang, I am unsure, but one can say “he trousers the jewel” as an equivalent to “he thieves the jewel”. Actually, both seem a bit unusual as one would most commonly say, “he steals the jewel”.