Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 5, 2016
I breezed through this easy but enjoyable puzzle. My clue of the week is 14d (BORDERLINE) and I also like 1d (MASH) and 9d (SCHNAPPS).
| Across | ||
| 1 | MYSTERIOUS | Possibly stymies our secret (10) |
| Anagram of STYMIES OUR | ||
| 6 | HARD | Tough to inflict damage with only half the final number (4) |
| HARM (to inflict damage) with ‘M’ (the final number) changed to ‘D’ (only half, i.e. 500 in Roman numerals). This wordplay is clever but some might question use of ‘the final number’ to indicate the ‘M’ of harm given that the other letters of the word do not represent literal numbers in any system I know. | ||
| 10 | SIREN | It sends a warning to father by name (5) |
| SIRE (father) + N (name) | ||
| 11 | CATACLYSM | Doctor acts calmly after loss of 50 in major disaster (9) |
| Anagram of ACTS CA[l]MLY | ||
| 12 | FAMILIAR | Well-known female storyteller keeps a male friend in Paris (8) |
| F (female) + AMI (male friend in Paris) + LIAR (storyteller) | ||
| 13 | NASAL | Known as Algerian partly through the nose (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 15 | OUTRAGE | Banned newspaper ultimately responsible for gross offence (7) |
| OUT (banned) + RAG (newspaper) + [responsibl]E | ||
| 17 | YUPPIES | Agreement to retain universal payment protection insurance for city careerists (7) |
| U (universal) + PPI (payment protection insurance) together in YES (agreement) | ||
| 19 | DECLARE | Extremely desirable to be concerned about Labour leader’s state (7) |
| D[esirabl]E + L[abour] in CARE (be concerned) | ||
| 21 | AUSTERE | Harsh south wind reaches the east (7) |
| AUSTER (south wind) + E (east) | ||
| 22 | REALM | Army corps to take on largely peaceful province (5) |
| RE (army corps) + [c]ALM (largely peaceful) | ||
| 24 | RAMPAGES | Fits of anger over a politician lead to riots (8) |
| A (a) + MP (politician) together in RAGES (fits of anger) | ||
| 27 | INCENTIVE | Motivation to evict nine after redevelopment (9) |
| Anagram of EVICT NINE | ||
| 28 | TRACE | Discover the origins of truly remarkable expert (5) |
| T[ruly] R[emarkable] + ACE (expert) | ||
| 29 | EATS | Consumes pheasant and pork for example without the head (4) |
| [m]EATS | ||
| 30 | FRUSTRATES | Farah initially deteriorates without speed from blocks (10) |
| F[arah] + RATE (speed) in RUSTS (deteriorates) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MASH | Millions like hot potatoes (4) |
| M (millions) + AS (like) + H (hot) | ||
| 2 | SARCASTIC | Contemptuous racists unfortunately held up bill (9) |
| AC (bill) backwards in anagram of RACISTS | ||
| 3 | ENNUI | Lack of interest shown in turning up in Brunei unnecessarily (5) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 4 | INCLINE | Be disposed to wearing semi- clinging voile at the back (7) |
| IN (wearing) + CLIN[ging] + [voil]E | ||
| 5 | UTTERLY | State on the fringes of legality in all respects (7) |
| UTTER (state) + Legalit]Y | ||
| 7 | ABYSS | Without me foreign embassy is hell (5) |
| Anagram of [em]BASSY. Do we like ‘foreign’ as an anagram indicator? Seems more appropriate for clueing, say, the French for some word. | ||
| 8 | DEMOLISHED | I peel off after protest by left is wrecked (10) |
| DEMO (protest) + L (left) + I (I) + SHED (peel off) | ||
| 9 | SCHNAPPS | Lose temper about church having parsonages emptied of drink (8) |
| CH (church) in SNAP (lose temper) + P[arsonage]S | ||
| 14 | BORDERLINE | British insignia has a stripe on the edge (10) |
| BR (British) + ORDER (insignia) + LINE (stripe) | ||
| 16 | ALARMING | Scary gangster providing weapons (8) |
| AL [capone] (gangster) + ARMING (providing weapons) | ||
| 18 | INELEGANT | Graceless in a gentle fashion (9) |
| Anagram of IN A GENTLE | ||
| 20 | EARLIER | Former monarch supports baron over independence (7) |
| EARL (baron) + I (independence) + ER (monarch) | ||
| 21 | AIMLESS | Lacking purpose on fewer occasions after taking valium regularly (7) |
| [v]A[l]I[u]M + LESS (on fewer occasions) | ||
| 23 | ASCOT | A tie of course (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | ALTER | Change in legal terminology (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 26 | SEES | Reportedly capture places such as Canterbury and York (4) |
| Homophone (“seize”) | ||
Thanks Pete and Magwitch.
I breezed through this too, held up at the end only by trying to work out why 6ac was HARD. I had the same explanation as you Pete – clever but not wholly satisfactory.
I also mused for a while whether a Baron is an Earl at 20dn. Baron is usually the lowest rank of nobility. However, one definition is anyone that sits in the House of Lords – so probably OK.
Otherwise enjoyable but no stand-out clues for me.
Hamish, I also wondered about the appropriateness of ‘baron’ cluing ‘earl’. Delved into a couple of reference works looking for some justification but did not find anything as strong as you did. So, thank you for that.
Thanks Magwitch and Pete
6ac: Chambers has medieval Roman numerals for every letter of the alphabet not used in classical Roman numerals except J, U, and W. I could not see an obvious pattern, and there are some ambiguities and duplication. Apparently H=200, A=50 or 500, R=80. Please note that I am not suggesting that Magwitch should start using these in her clues, but perhaps they justify the reference to “final number”.
20dn: Chambers gives “later [than feudal times] a peer or great lord of the realm generally” under the meanings of baron.
Thanks Magwitch and Pete
I do usually steam through the puzzles of this setter, but this one probably took twice as long as normal caused mainly by two short ones at the end. SEES took me ages – to think cathedrals and not cities. HARD had to be, but didn’t write it in until I’d got my old Roman arithmetic under control – actually liked it a lot when the D (both 500 and penny) had dropped.