Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 9, 2017
This was the most challenging puzzle I have solved in a long time. It also proved satisfying with some fine clues. My clue of the week is 13ac (BACKSLASH) and I would also pick out 16ac (EPIGRAM), 25ac (VOWEL) and 21dn (DENTIST). I have quibbles about a couple of clues, such as 22dn (SLINKY).
| Across | ||
| 1 | BENEDICT | Saint in debt, early Christian leaders frantic (8) |
| Anagram (frantic) of IN DEBT E[arly] C[hristian] | ||
| 5 | OPORTO | European city left in good heart (6) |
| PORT (left) in [g]OO[d]. “Oporto” is the English name for the city which the Portuguese call Porto. The English version stems from a misinterpretation of the Portuguese pronunciation of the name with a definite article in front (“o Porto“). | ||
| 9 | DOMINION | Circling island, something spotted, northern territory (8) |
| I (island) in DOMINO (something spotted) + N (northern) | ||
| 10 | AT WILL | A fabric as one wishes (2,4) |
| A (a) + TWILL (fabric) | ||
| 12 | CARGO | This taken on board, cry of frustration after a breakdown? (5) |
| CAR GO (cry of frustration after a breakdown?) | ||
| 13 | BACKSLASH | One leaning to the left supports strike (9) |
| BACKS (supports) + LASH (strike) | ||
| 14 | MURMUR | Sound of discontent, as odds reversed? (6) |
| RUM (odd) + RUM (odd) together backwards (reversed) | ||
| 16 | EPIGRAM | English animals in poem (7) |
| E (English) + PIG RAM (animals) | ||
| 19 | AMONGST | In a day, gloriously, summer term starts (7) |
| A (a) + MON (day) + G[loriously] S[ummer] T[erm] | ||
| 21 | DAMMIT | I’m furious about opening of trade, I tell you! (6) |
| IM (I’m) + MAD (furious) together backwards (about) + T[rade] | ||
| 23 | LEFT BRAIN | Dropped underwear in language centre (4,5) |
| LEFT (dropped) + BRA (underwear) + IN (in) | ||
| 25 | VOWEL | I for one love jerks, wife admitted (5) |
| W (wife) in (admitted) anagram (jerks) of LOVE | ||
| 26 | GLANCE | Glimpse new candied cakes (6) |
| N (new) in (cakes) GLACE (candied) | ||
| 27 | KINGSTON | Island capital, where a great weight put on college (8) |
| KINGS (college) + TON (a great weight). Kingston is, of course, the capital of Jamaica. | ||
| 28 | THEISM | Belief is within people against us? (6) |
| IS (is) in THEM (people against us?) | ||
| 29 | STINGRAY | Swimmer, smart and light (8) |
| STING (smart) + RAY (light) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BODICE | Old things spotted under black vest (6) |
| B (black) + O (old) + DICE (things spotted) | ||
| 2 | NUMERO UNO | Leader, one of the Romans (6,3) |
| Double definition. Surely this is a somewhat poor double definition since both definitions define more or less the same thing? | ||
| 3 | DUNNO | Carried upside-down by matron nude, I’m clueless! (5) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 4 | CLOBBER | Bash things (7) |
| Double definition. I missed this originally but Bruce points out in a comment that “bash things” in the sense of party clothes could also clue CLOBBER in which case we could call this clue an &lit. | ||
| 6 | POTASSIUM | Metal initially in back of truck, for example? (9) |
| [truc]K. K being the chemical symbol for potassium. Perhaps I am being too picky but I wonder about how appropriate ‘initially’ is here. It is true that K as the chemical symbol for potassium comes from the initial letter of Kalium, the neo-Latin name for the element, but the answer to the clue is not KALIUM. | ||
| 7 | RAITA | One filling bad egg with a condiment from India (5) |
| I (one) in (filling) RAT (bad egg) + A (a) | ||
| 8 | OKLAHOMA | Average priest locking up house in US state (8) |
| OK (average) + HO (house) in (locking up) LAMA (priest) | ||
| 11 | ACME | Top wizard pocketing grand (4) |
| M (grand) in (pocketing) ACE (wizard) | ||
| 15 | MEGABUCKS | After lifting of a masterpiece, dashing chaps making lots of cash (9) |
| A GEM (a masterpiece) backwards (after lifting of) + BUCKS (dashing chaps) | ||
| 17 | RAINWATER | When dizzy, errant waif almost drops from the heavens (9) |
| Anagram (when dizzy) of ERRANT WAI[f] | ||
| 18 | FANLIGHT | Lover given easy opening (8) |
| FAN (lover) + LIGHT (easy) | ||
| 20 | THAI | Asian draw announced (4) |
| Homophone (announced) of “tie” (draw) | ||
| 21 | DENTIST | Extractor fan’s last in test I’d devised (7) |
| [fa]N in anagram (devised) of TEST ID with a nice cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | SLINKY | Clinging, several skirts black (6) |
| S[evera]L + INKY (black). I was originally skeptical about the appropriateness of ‘skirts’ here but, as has been pointed out in a comment, ‘skirts’ can mean the same as ‘outskirts’. I still have reservations about the lack of a possessive in the case at hand. | ||
| 24 | FLAME | A hot lover? (5) |
| I suppose we have to call this a cryptic definition although I think it does not exactly fit the bill. Not to say it isn’t a fine clue. | ||
| 25 | VEGAN | Careful eater, new age views primarily turning up (5) |
| N (new) + AGE (age) + V[iews] all backwards (turning up) | ||
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Loved this … JH closer to his Guardian persona than his normal FT one.
Think that you must’ve been in a bit of a grumpy mood …
Collins has skirts – ‘the outer or bordering parts’ – which makes the clue for 22d quite OK to me.
Technically you’re right with the K in potassium – it’s the chemical symbol rather than the initial – but it was an ‘aha’ clue for me, so all was forgiven.
Again you’re technically right with 2d – I’d started to write in NUMBER ONE until the second part set me straight.
Think that the clue for 4d is also an &lit where ‘one could wear their CLOBBER to a bash (party) – thought it was very clever. BACKSLASH was also excellent and my favourite too.
Liked the two ‘spotted’ clues and the ‘them against us’ trick at 28a
The puzzle was harder but one of the best weekend ones for a while.
Well, pooh! If ‘skirts’ can mean ‘the outer or bordering parts’ why do we have the word ‘outskirts’?!? Well I guess I have to retract my criticism and will do so.
I think you make a good observation about 4dn. Thank you!
I had Daylight for 18 down, assuming Day (Doris maybe?) to be a famous lover. And, well “daylight” could describe an opening in some contexts, no?
Ha, I had “Day”light too, for lack of any better ideas…
I thought the second definition of 2d was fine, as in “1 (the number) as the Romans might say it”, not as a ‘leader’.
Custard, Thanks for commenting. I understood the second definition of 2d in this same way but still felt that the two meanings, while distinct, were perhaps too closely bonded. I fancy, for example, that, given one, it would be possible to guess the other. And maybe I am wrong. And maybe the clue is fine anyway.