Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 22, 2017
I found this puzzle somewhat challenging. There were plenty of easy clues but also a few that stumped me for a while especially in the bottom-right quadrant. My clue of the week is 15d (CHAMPAGNE). In this, Goliath uses a homophone that we have seen more than once before but his genius is to include “speech bubbles”. I also especially like 30a (FRAGMENT) which has a nod to Steptoe and Son. When solving his puzzles, it is wise to keep in mind that he often constructs clues like 17d and 24a.
| Across | ||
| 1 | CAPUCHIN | Monk(ey) (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | SHEATH | Keep quiet about warm coat (6) |
| HEAT (warm) in SH (keep quiet) | ||
| 9 | DANDRUFF | Ultimately cod as well as other fish shedding scales (8) |
| [co]D + AND (as well as) + RUFF (other fish) | ||
| 10 | GRATIS | String instrument returned without charge (6) |
| G (string) + SITAR (instrument) backwards (returned) | ||
| 12 | EASTER EGG | Unfairly segregate seasonal fare (6,3) |
| Anagram (unfairly) of SEGREGATE | ||
| 13 | ELITE | Diet drug in top drawer? (5) |
| ‘drug’ clues E (for ecstasy) and therefore ‘diet drug’ clues E-LITE. I originally parsed this clue as a double definition having actually found a diet medication called Elite. However given input from a couple of commenters (thanks Sil and Bruce), I decided I had it wrong. | ||
| 14 | SCOT | Symbolic figure, motherless northerner (4) |
| [ma]SCOT (symbolic figure, motherless) | ||
| 16 | ECHELON | The man’s into clone reproduction in class (7) HE (the man) in anagram (reproduction) of CLONE |
| 19 | FONDANT | Sweet and affectionate worker (7) |
| FOND (affectionate) + ANT (worker) | ||
| 21 | See 3 down | |
| 24 | ICE UP | Freeze alloy with metals to make time capsule (3,2) |
| Anagram (alloy) of [t]I[me] C[a]P[s]U[l]E (time capsule with the letters of METALS removed) | ||
| 25 | RESURFACE | Once more appear sure about farce, perhaps (9) |
| Anagram (about) of SURE + anagram (perhaps) of FARCE | ||
| 27 | IMPUGN | Hang up mirror section, backing challenge (6) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 28 | DISJOINT | The odds on Janis and idiot perhaps to break up (8) |
| Anagram (perhaps) of J[a]N[i]S IDIOT | ||
| 29 | LINTEL | Support from artificial intelligence (6) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 30 | FRAGMENT | Piece in the paper about Steptoe and son (8) |
| RAGMEN (Steptoe and son) in FT (the paper) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CODGER | Oddly, crowd goes last to cheer the old man (6) |
| C[r]O[w]D G[o]E[s] + [chee]R | ||
| 2 | PUNISH | Fine perhaps like some wordplay on the radio (6) |
| Homophone (on the radio) of “punnish” (like some wordplay) | ||
| 3, 21 across | CARPE DIEM | Gather ye rosebuds for another mad recipe (5,4) |
| Anagram (another) of MAD RECIPE | ||
| 4 | INFLECT | Modulate and polllute? (7) |
| INFECT (pollute) with an ‘L’ inserted | ||
| 6 | HORSESHOE | Mustang’s tool may be a lucky thing (9) |
| HORSES (mustang’s) + HOE (tool) | ||
| 7 | ANTHILLS | Hall isn’t built to provide accommodation for colonies (8) |
| Anagram (built) of HALL ISNT | ||
| 8 | HAS-BEENS | Eats greens? We hear they’re no longer effective (3-5) |
| Homophone (we hear) of “has beans” (eats greens) | ||
| 11 | OGLE | Leading optician gets labelled Eagle Eye (4) |
| O[ptician] G[ets] L[abelled] E[agle] | ||
| 15 | CHAMPAGNE | Pretend agony in speech bubbles (9) |
| Homophone (in speech) of SHAM PAIN (pretend agony) | ||
| 17 | OFFICIAL | Proper interaction with threat as article of faith (8) |
| Reverse anagram: ARTICLE OF FAITH is an anagram of OFFICIAL and THREAT | ||
| 18 | UNDERPIN | Nip back after funds were stripped to give support (8) |
| [f]UND[s] [w]ER[e] + NIP (backwards) | ||
| 20 | TERN | Bird in the afternoon (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 21 | DOSSIER | Record of tramp embracing setter (7) |
| I (setter) in DOSSER (tramp) | ||
| 22 | NATIVE | Local green tea infusion (6) |
| T (tea) in NAIVE (green) | ||
| 23 | BEAT IT | Fly like Michael Jackson said (4,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | REJIG | Alter dance again? (5) |
| RE-JIG (dance again) | ||
Thanks Pete for blogging this Goliath puzzle, one that I didn’t find that challenging.
We more or less know what to expect from this setter nowadays.
As to 13ac: I’ve never heard of a drug called ‘elite’.
I’m pretty sure it is E for ‘drug’ plus the addition of Lite as in diet products, so E Lite.
I am not keen on 22d (NATIVE) for two reasons.
Firstly, I don’t see why T = ‘tea’ without some sort of homophone indicator.
And secondly, I don’t like the nounal indicator ‘infusion’.
For the same reason, ‘interaction’ in 17ac is not my cup of T.
The explanation etc of 16ac is missing.
Ah, I should have mentioned in the blog that Elite is a medication that is a multivitamin, mineral, and fatty acid product used to treat or prevent vitamin deficiency before, during, and after pregnancy. I assumed that this was the reference Goliath intended although I could be wrong since this Elite appears to be actually not a drug at all but, as best I understand, a supplement.
I will fix 16ac. Thanks for pointing out my omission.
Thanks Goliath and Pete
Another interesting puzzle from Goliath which took one longish session and another shorter one to get out. His subtraction anagrams, at 24a and 17d, were the last to be parsed – had the answers but just forgot about one of his favourite tricks.
Eventually parsed ELITE the same as Sil and thought that it was quite clever – it did take a while to see all of the same.
Finished in the SE corner with DOSSIER (keep forgetting about the ‘dosser’ term being used as a destitute person sleeping rough), FRAGMENT (clever clue when the penny dropped) and NATIVE (which took some untangling and think that the surface just about justifies the ‘tea’ = T stretch).
Thanks Bruce. I am now convinced that I was wrong about ELITE and have edited the explanation of 13ac.