Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of November 26, 2016
This puzzle took me some time, as is usually the case with Alberich. My clue of the week is 11a (OLOROSO). Several of the clues have peculiarly British elements (2d, 9d, 12a) which may have proved challenging for solvers elsewhere on the globe.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SWASHBUCKLER | Daredevil sister’s clothing used to be hard to fold (12) |
| WAS (used to be) + H (hard) + BUCKLE (fold) together in SR (sister) | ||
| 10 | VARMINT | Short change given by perfect rascal (7) |
| VAR[y] (short change) + MINT (perfect) | ||
| 11 | OLOROSO | Sadly, daughter lost the sherry (7) |
| [d]OLOROSO | ||
| 12 | RISKY | Run independent broadcaster? That’s uncertain (5) |
| R (run) + I (independent) + SKY (broadcaster) | ||
| 13 | UNDER AGE | Eg R. Benaud bowled out bats for less than 18? (5,3) |
| Anagram (bats) of EG R [b]ENAUD | ||
| 15 | IMPERILLED | Small state captured by force was first to be threatened (10) |
| RI (small state — i.e. Rhode Island) in IMPEL (force) + LED (was first) | ||
| 16 | STYE | In honesty, enthusiasm is swelling (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 18 | HAKA | Dance heralding athletic Kiwi appearances, for starters? (4) |
| H[eralding] A[thletic] K[iwi] A[ppearances] | ||
| 20 | JAW-BREAKER | Judge wants criminal beheaded? It’s hard to say (3-7) |
| J (judge) + [l]AW-BREAKER (criminal beheaded) | ||
| 22 | CONTEMPT | One who’s right to attract disdain (8) |
| CON (one who’s right) + TEMPT (attract) | ||
| 24 | RESAT | Withdrawn weapon was tested again (5) |
| TASER (weapon) backwards | ||
| 26 | SERVILE | Obsequious performance of duty gets pound for Charlie (7) |
| SERVICE (performance of duty) with ‘C’ (Charlie) replaced by ‘L’ (pound) | ||
| 27 | STIRRER | Troublemaker mischievously tries to secure rights (7) |
| RR (rights) in anagram (mischievously) of TRIES | ||
| 28 | DISREPUTABLE | Dodgy hamstring conceals pure sporting talent at first (12) |
| Anagram (sporting) of PURE + T[alent] together in DISABLE (hamstring) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | WORKSOP | At least three opuses identifying northern town (7) |
| WORKS (at least two opuses) + OP (another opus). I think of ‘opera’ as being the standard plural form of ‘opus’ but my Chambers insists that ‘opuses’ is also good. | ||
| 3 | SHIPYARD | Carts overturned carrying fruit for Harland & Wolff? (8) |
| HIP (fruit) in DRAYS (carts) backwards | ||
| 4 | BUTT | Save end of ticket stub (4) |
| BUT (save) + [ticke]T | ||
| 5 | CROWN DERBY | China’s triumph – new revolutionary Communist times (5,5) |
| CROW (triumph) + N (new) + RED (Communist) backwards + BY (times) | ||
| 6 | LOOSE | Fail to get round in – that’s lax (5) |
| O (round) in LOSE (fail) | ||
| 7 | RIOT ACT | Dictator abandoning first desperate measure to keep order (4,3) |
| Anagram of [d]ICTATOR | ||
| 8 | OVERNIGHT CASE | One has brief stay in hospital? It may be packed (9,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | HOME SECRETARY | This writer has confidence in white-haired minister (4,9) |
| ME (this writer) + SECRET (confidence) together in HOARY (white-haired) | ||
| 14 | ALTARPIECE | Religious art needs to change still, so they say (10) |
| Homophone of “alter peace” (change still) | ||
| 17 | GEORGINA | She needs Orange mobile to ring soldier (8) |
| GI (soldier) in anagram (mobile) of ORANGE | ||
| 19 | KINDRED | Congenial sort appearing ashamed? (7) |
| KIND (sort) + RED (appearing ashamed) | ||
| 21 | KESTREL | In part of Hull on vacation, spot river bird (7) |
| S[po]T + R (river) together in KEEL (part of Hull) | ||
| 23 | EXITS | Leaves to be with son at the end (5) |
| EXIST (to be) with ‘S’ (son) moved to the end | ||
| 25 | ESAU | Biblical character of news- value, periodically (4) |
| [n]E[w]S [v]A]l]U[e] | ||
Thanks Alberich and Pete
I also found this week’s Saturday prize not easy, especially around some of the parsing of clues. A few new terms, including the musical direction DOLOROSO, CROWN DERBY porcelain, the shipbuilding company Harland & Wolff and the Northampton town of WORKSOP.
Had to work a bit on determining the word play of OVERNIGHT CASE and SWASHBUCKLER initially, but got there in the end. Liked the clues for HAKA (surface) and KESTREL (misdirection).
Finished at the top with CROWN DERBY and WORKSOP the last couple in.
Got stuck on the SE corner. Thought of Kestrel but couldn’t work out why so it didn’t go in.
Sorry Bruce but Worksop is a Nottinghamshire town, not Northampton, and coming from Nottingham as I do I’d consider it a Midlands town, not Northern, (albeit North Midlands). Is Alberich by any chance Londoncentric? If so he is forgiven as we all know that anything north of Watford is “North” to a Londoner! Though it is north of the Trent, and another definition of “The North” is “north of the Trent” so…..
Apologies Malcolm … must have become cross-eyed as I was writing it up – would only have been copying what I had looked up in a reference which means that my translator (aka aged brain) malfunctioned in the process !!!
@Malcolm, I always thought that the phrase was “North of the Watford Gap” in which case Northampton is (just) on the Southern side. Of course, as a proud Cornishman, you’re all Northerners; even the Londoners.