Radian has given us a puzzle today with mainly common words or phrases in the grid
There seems to be a monetary or financial theme in the grid with entries such as EURO, TANNER, STERLING, DEFLATION, WAGES, TOT UP, TREASURER, GOLD COIN, CROWN, MONEYS and USURY.
I solved 75% of the puzzle fairly quickly but took quite a long time over the last 25%.My last one in was MONEYS. I also took a while to solve WAGES.
My favourite clue today were the ones for HAULAGE and OLOROSO because of the many constituent parts to the wordplay in each clue.
The most common clueing device today was container and contents with seventeen of twenty-nine clues incorporating the technique.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Pick over cold dessert (4-3)
|
CHOICE (pick) containing (over) C (cold) CHO (C) ICE |
CHOC ICE (dessert)
|
|
5
|
Jaguar tours Colorado in special race (7)
|
E-TYPE (model of Jaguar car) containing (tours) CO (Colorado) E (CO) TYPE |
ECOTYPE (group of organisms which have adapted to a particular environment and so have become different from other groups within the species; special race)
|
|
10
|
Coin flipped in old street in Montmartre (4)
|
(O [old] + RUE {French [Montmarte] for ‘street’]) all reversed (flipped) (EUR O)< |
EURO (coin used in many countries of Europe)
|
|
11
|
Growing British failure to win over China (10)
|
B (British) + LOSS (failure to win) + O (over, in cricket) + MING (type of china pottery)
|
BLOSSOMING (growing)
|
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12
|
Sunbed queen installed in Turkey? (6)
|
ANNE (reference Queen ANNE [1665 – 1714]) contained in (installed in) TR (International Vehicle Registration for Turkey) T (ANNE) R |
TANNER (sunbed)
|
|
13
|
Throw around short-term money (8)
|
SLING (throw) containing (around) TERM excluding the final letter [short] M S (TER) LING |
STERLING (British money of standard value)
|
|
14
|
One way of letting down tail end of pants (9)
|
Anagram of (pants) TAIL END OF DEFLATION* |
DEFLATION (a means of letting down)
|
|
16
|
Prosecutes comedians snorting drug (5)
|
WAGS (comedians) containing (snorting) E (ecstasy; drugs) WAG (E) S |
WAGES (engages in; prosecutes)
|
|
17
|
Add to RAM, implying sleepless night ahead? (3,2)
|
TO + TUP (male sheep; ram)
|
TOT UP (add [up])
|
|
19
|
Thailand certain to back banks’ accountant (9)
|
T (International Vehicle Registration for Thailand) + (REAR [back] containing (banks) SURE [certain to]) T REA (SURE) R |
TREASURER (accountant) I’m not sure that TREASURER and ACCOUNTANT are entirely synonymous but both deal with money or the management of money)
|
|
23
|
Historic firm spikes drink for sovereign, say (4,4)
|
(OLD [historic] + CO [company; firm]) contained in (spikes) GIN (drink) G (OLD CO) IN |
GOLD COIN ( a sovereign is often a GOLD COIN)
|
|
24
|
Brief function to host posh relative (6)
|
COSINE (trigonometrical function) excluding the final letter (brief) E containing (to host) U (behaviour of the upper-class; posh) CO (U) SIN |
COUSIN (relative)
|
|
26
|
Salute boy ringing bird near Lima (4,6)
|
YOUTH (boy) containing (ringing) (RHEA [bird] + L {LIMA is the international radio communication codeword for the letter L) YOU (R HEA L) TH |
YOUR HEALTH (phrase used to tribute or salute a person by means of a drink)
|
|
27
|
Hospital department offers immunity to a degree (4)
|
UNIT (hidden word in [to a degree] IMMUNITY)
|
UNIT (term often used to describe a hospital department)
|
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28
|
Rum (European) on board the good ship Venus? (7)
|
(ODD [strange, rum] + E [European]) contained in (on board) (G [good] + SS [steamship]) G (ODD E) SS |
GODDESS (Venues is an example of a GODDESS, in her case the GODDESS of Love)
|
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29
|
Drama writer’s A Pound for a Tot (7)
|
PLAY (drama) + PEN (writer)
|
PLAYPEN (area [pound] where a small child [tot] can amuse him / herself)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
2
|
Chap corners line in precious metals transport (7)
|
HE (referring to a male; chap) containing (corners) (L [line] contained in [in] [AU {chemical symbol for gold; precious metal} + AG {chemical symbol for silver; precious metal}]) H (AU (L) AG) E |
HAULAGE (transport)
|
|
3
|
Government dispute blocks credit note (5)
|
ROW (dispute) contained in (blocks) CN (credit note) C (ROW) N |
CROWN (governing power in a monarchy)
|
|
4
|
Where stripper may be about to expose top of thong? (7)
|
CA (circa; about) + BARE (expose) + T (first letter of [top of] THONG)
|
CABARET (entertainment at a nightclub where a stripper may appear)
|
|
6
|
Roughly display old nut-tree (6)
|
CA (circa; roughly) + SHEW (old spelling of SHOW [display])
|
CASHEW (nut-tree)
|
|
7
|
I’m an adult struggling in foreign state (5,4)
|
Anagram of (struggling) I’M AN ADULT TAMIL NADU* |
TAMIL NADU (Indian [foreign] state)
|
|
8
|
Coppers seize last two of McEwan’s Atonement (7)
|
PENCE (coppers) containing (seize) AN (final two letters of [last two of] McEWAN) PEN (AN) CE |
PENANCE (atonement)
|
|
9
|
Robert, Lucy, Ron and Sue switch positions, et voilà! (4,4,5)
|
BOB (Robert) + an anagram of (switch positions) LUCY RON and SUE BOB‘ S YOUR UNCLE* |
BOB’S YOUR UNCLE (expression denoting the completion of a task or satisfaction with it; VOILÀ is defined as behold, there you are [it’s done!])
|
|
15
|
Cleaned up and left with a 100 heading off to tour Spain (9)
|
L (left) + A + (HUNDRED excluding the first letter [heading off] H containing [to tour] E [International Vehicle Registration for Spain]) L A UND (E) RED |
LAUNDERED (cleaned [up])
|
|
18
|
Loves eating small chocolate over sherry (7)
|
([{O (zero; love score in tennis) + O (zero; love score in tennis)} containing {eating} S {small}] + ROLO [brand name of a chocolate]) all reversed (over) (OLOR O (S) O)< |
OLOROSO (golden-coloured medium-sweet sherry)
|
|
20
|
Everyone devours salmon and booze (7)
|
ALL (everyone) containing (devours) (COHO [Pacific salmon]) AL (COO) L |
ALCOHOL (booze)
|
|
21
|
Building could be certified without arts centre (7)
|
Anagram of (could be) CERTIFIED excluding (without) RT (middle letters of [centre] ARTS) EDIFICE* |
EDIFICE (building)
|
|
22
|
Writer’s society earning single income (6
|
(MY [the writer’s] + S (society]) containing ( earning) ONE (single) M (ONE) Y S |
MONEYS (income)
|
|
25
|
The majority of traditional tracks generate huge interest (5)
|
USU (3 out of 5 [the majority of] letters of USUAL [traditional]) + RY (railway; tracks)
|
USURY (the taking of [now only iniquitous or illegal] interest on a loan)
|
A similar experience, here, struggling over the last few entries. OLOROSO went in from the ‘loves’ part of the clue but I forgot about Rolos so couldn’t parse it. A facepalm moment when I got PLAYPEN, too. HAULAGE was my CoD for the precious metals reference.
Thanks, Radian and Duncan
Where is everybody today?
This was a good challenge in our opinion but an enjoyable solve along the way.
We twigged the theme early on although it didn’t help us with any of the clues.
Thanks to Radian and Duncan.
Very enjoyable. Seemingly effortless but real quality. In 17 I took the reference to the sleepless night ahead to refer to the other meaning of tup.
It was interesting to see the contrast between this and the Guardian crossword on the one hand and the FT on the other.
Just couldn’t get on with this. Gave up with still about half to do.
Very nice. Found it fairly easy for a Radian but by no means a pushover.
Usual story with this setter. No gimmicks – but something very satisfying about the solve – like a smooth blended whisky – rather than (eg) a smokey one.
Pleased to see the rarely needed (normally used to make officialese sound more so) plural of “money” spelt properly at least.
Many thanks both.