Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 28, 2016
This is the second Mudd in a row that I have found fairly difficult. I think Mudd is the master of the double definition and my clue of the week is his splendid example in 21d (BARBER). I also like 2d (VIGILANT) and 5d (GRACE DARLING).
| Across | ||
| 1 | FAVELA | Virtually standard to embrace prayer in shanty town (6) |
| AVE (prayer) in FLA[g] (virtually standard). I do not care for ‘virtually’ cluing a truncation. | ||
| 4 | EGGSHELL | Spurs suffering – some finish! (8) |
| EGGS (spurs) + HELL (suffering) | ||
| 9 | AUGUST | Magnificent summer (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | CAMISOLE | Swimmer beside river, one in undergarment (8) |
| CAM (river) + I (one) + SOLE (swimmer) | ||
| 12 | JOLT | Jerk put minimum of liquor in trifle (4) |
| L[iquor] in JOT (trifle). While I easily came up with the answer to this, I was baffled by the wordplay for a long time thinking that ‘minimum of liquor’ must clue OL (as in zero litres). That however left ‘trifle’ to clue JT and I could not see a way that could work. It did not help that I was unfamiliar with ‘jot’ meaning ‘trifle’. | ||
| 13 | SEVEN | Wonders, perhaps, if head of security needs uniform (5) |
| S[ecurity] + EVEN (uniform) | ||
| 14 | MEGA | A rock knocked over giant (4) |
| A (a) + GEM (rock) all backwards (knocked over) | ||
| 17 | CONSIDERABLE | Major’s Tory party mob half- hearted (12) |
| CON (Tory) + SIDE (party) + RAB[b]LE (mob half-hearted) | ||
| 20 | TUNNEL VISION | Voltaire’s article encapsulated by novelist in surprisingly prejudiced outlook (6,6) |
| UN (Voltaires’s article) in anagram of NOVELIST IN | ||
| 23 | AXLE | Chopper circling top of lift shaft (4) |
| L[ift] in AXE (chopper) | ||
| 24 | STAND | Stomach upset’s back in greyish-yellow! (5) |
| [upse]T in SAND (greyish-yellow) | ||
| 25 | EPIC | Great conclusion to adventure film (4) |
| [adventur]E + PIC (film) | ||
| 28 | BOWL OVER | Shock a fan of the East End? (4,4) |
| BOW LOVER (a fan of the East End?) | ||
| 29 | MARINE | Remain at sea – as one would? (6) |
| Anagram of REMAIN | ||
| 30 | RAREFIED | Reader confused about contrary poem that’s esoteric (8) |
| IF (poem) backwards in anagram of READER | ||
| 31 | MANTIS | Insect is going after male – the female of which more deadly? (6) |
| M (male) + ANT (insect) + IS (is) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FLAPJACK | Sweet thing in state of nerves over sailor (8) |
| FLAP (state of nerves) + JACK (sailor) | ||
| 2 | VIGILANT | Six heavyweight boxing legends initially alert (8) |
| VI (six) + L[egends] in GIANT (heavyweight) | ||
| 3 | LUSH | Palatial boozer (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | GRACE DARLING | Polish treasure for English heroine (5,7) |
| GRACE (polish) + DARLING (treasure) | ||
| 6 | SUIT | Fit in case (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | ELOPED | Northbound daughter heading for escape with European, ran off (6) |
| D (daughter) + E[scape] + POLE (European) all backwards (northbound) | ||
| 8 | LEEWAY | Minute taken up by amateur – that’s slack (6) |
| WEE (minute) backwards (up) in LAY (amateur) | ||
| 11 | HERE AND THERE | Man erred then, a delinquent in various situations (4,3,5) |
| HE (man) + anagram of ERRED THEN A | ||
| 15 | MINUS | A little pessimism in use that’s negative (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 16 | PLAIN | Evident left suffering, it’s suggested? (5) |
| L (left) in PAIN (suffering, it’s suggested) | ||
| 18 | PINPOINT | Find purpose under flag (8) |
| PIN (flag) + POINT (purpose) | ||
| 19 | KNICKERS | Rats in item of clothing (8) |
| Double definition. Both “rats” and “knickers” work as exclamations of exasperation. | ||
| 21 | BARBER | Figaro composer? (6) |
| Double definition — and a very excellent one. Figaro, in opera, was the Barber of Seville and Samual Barber was a composer. | ||
| 22 | FLOWER | River rose, say? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | GOOF | Fluff in endless decay (4) |
| GO OF[f] (endless decay) | ||
| 27 | SAGA | Opening of shooting range, 25 across (4) |
| S[hooting] + AGA (range) | ||
Thanks Pete and Mudd.
I always think that this is one of the hardest grids to tackle with those 4 5-letter words around the middle.
But I found this relatively gentle with no real hold-ups other than GOOF at 26dn which took a while for my brain to fathom.
No special favourites. Just a good all-round puzzle.
I solved the NW , the SE bar 18d but the NE and SE were almost blank.
I’m going to have to totally disagree with you on 21d . The only Figaro I could think of was the French daily and that therefore the composer was something to do with the name for an allegedly famous French editor. Had no idea who the Figaro referred to was or that Barber was a composer. IMO a general knowledge clue that gives you no chance if you don’t know it.
29a did the anagram but didn’t see what it related to! Never mind. Thanks Pete and Mudd.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Found this tough going and not helped at all by a grid that basically gave us five mini puzzles to get started. Still as with all puzzles by this setter – all was fair and gettable.
Only one that I didn’t end up parsing properly was EPIC where I’d opted for another double definition (but with an unexplained ‘conclusion’. Hadn’t heard of the composer, Samuel BARBER before nor of GRACE DARLING but was able to track them down !
Thought that MANTIS was very clever and so was GOOF (after I finally twigged with it!)
Finished in the NE corner with EGGSHELL (very well disguised clue), CAMISOLE (similarly so) and LEEWAY (to make three !)
It seems extraordinary that Mudd, who is such an excellent setter of clues, should use such a dreadful grid. As has been said, you tend towards five mini-puzzles. And those frightful answers with only 40% checking.
Not sure where I stand on the Barber matter. Both pieces of general knowledge are pretty well-known but I would say that wouldn’t I since I knew them.