Financial Times 15,667 by GAFF

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A consummate display of crossword setting wizadry from GAFF .. thanks for an absolute peach of a puzzle.

A ton of clues which were pure cryptic beauties making it absolutely impossible to pick a favorite ..

FF: 10+ DD: 9

Across
7 ONCE-OVER Examination previously completed (4-4)
ONCE (previously) OVER (completed)
8 ON HOLD Stopped waiting for reply (2,4)
double def
11 STIFF Body is the right size to return for fresh start (5)
STIF (reverse of FITS, is the right size) F (Fresh, starting letter)
12 NATURALLY Of course aunt rioted at demonstration (9)
AUNT* RALLY (demonstration)
13 ONE-STEP Teens start popular break- dance (3-4)
TEENS PO (POpular, start) *
14 TAKE OFF Slough’s flying start (4,3)
double def
15 RUSSIAN ROULETTE Challenge ending with death chamber (7,8)
cryptic clue
18 AZIMUTH Angle a half-frame makes with dilapidated hut (7)
A ZIM (frame = ZIMmer, half of) HUT*
20 MISTOOK Nothing approved after film got it wrong (7)
[ O (nothing) OK (approved) ] after MIST (film)
22 HARD LINES Unlucky to be taken by negotiator (4,5)
cryptic def , not much negotiation possible if one were to adopt this approach
23 GRAIN God ensnared a little bit (5)
GRIN (god??) containing A
24 RIP-OFF Wish for no more rotten trickery (3-3)
RIP (wish for no more, rest in peace) OFF (rotten) – yet another clue much to my liking
25 TEASPOON Maybe heaped mash on to peas (8)
ON TO PEAS*
Down
1 HOW’S YOUR FATHER Enquiry about parent’s relations (4,4,6)
cryptic clue
2 ACTIVE Going to rewrite first curriculum vitae (6)
C (first letter, Curriculum) VITAE*
3 CONFETTI Paper’s colourful coverage of wedding (8)
another gem of a cryptic clue
4 PENNY-PINCHING Mean to be like a petty criminal? (5-8)
cryptic clue
5 ANORAK Ex-serviceman or a keen train spotter, maybe (6)
hidden in “..servicemAN OR A Keen..” – didnt know about this definition of the word
6 GOALPOST Bar supporter from football ground (8)
cryptic clue – and a brilliant one at that, for the surface.
9 DAY OF RECKONING A lot of calculation when called to account (3,2,9)
one more masterful cryptic clue
10 STATION MASTER Manager used to steam trains (7,6)
&lit; TO STEAM TRAINS* – excellent clue
16 STIRRUPS Support for jockey in prison over press set-up (8)
STIR (prison) [ reverse of SPUR (press) ]
17 LAST GASP Officer and doctor each held when close to death (4,4)
[LT (officer) GP (doctor)] both containing AS (when) – super clue.
19 UPLIFT Corporate support enjoyed by sporting cups (6)
cryptic clue, corporate here refers to the body (bra~cups / in sports, winning teams would lift up the cup)
21 ORATOR Alternatives include a third rate speaker (6)
{OR OR (alternatives)} containing [ A T (third letter in raTe) ]

*anagram

5 comments on “Financial Times 15,667 by GAFF”

  2. Took a little while, and my first thought for 23a was the same as yours. However after a little pondering I came up with RA (god) inside GIN (ensnared), which is pretty neat!

    Thanks Gaff!

  3. Thanks Gaff and Turbolegs

    Stymied myself in the SE by entering a semi-parsed LAST POST for 17.

    Does Gaff do themes? There seem to be a number of death(-related) references in both clues and (part-)solutions:

    OVER, STIFF, RUSSIAN ROULETTE, RIP, the intersecting ONCE ACTIVE, LAST GASP, DAY OF RECKONING. Or maybe my mind is over-active.

  4. To answer your question Simon, Gaff always does themed crosswords.
    Usually to mark an anniversary of someone or something.
    Just like you, I noticed these death-related words but I left it there.

    Indeed, Turbolegs (and thanks for the blog), this was an enjoyable crossword.
    I cannot agree with you DD score as I found, in particular, the right hand side pretty easy.
    In the SW I left 22ac and 19d open, although I suspected the answers were what they were.
    I cannot say that these two cryptic definitions are very good, the same which can be said of 15ac.
    However, they were amply compensated by the ones at 3d (CONFETTI) and 6d (GOALPOST) which were both magnificent.

    There’s a lot to admire in this puzzle but those who know what I like and what not (including Gaff himself!), will not be surprised that I cannot agree with your FF either.
    Of course, that’s all a personal matter, and, don’t worry, I do not wish to spoil other solvers’ fun.

    So, what’s my problem?
    What happens in 2d (‘first curriculum’ for C) and 21d (‘third rate’ for T) does not have a place in my Book of Crosswords.
    I am also not keen on containment indicators written in the past tense: ‘held’ in 17d does feel uncomfortable to me (but true, I cannot see how to change the clue whilst keeping the surface alive).
    Though Gaff is not the only setter who does it (even Araucaria did it every now and then!), through the years I drifted away from ‘for’ meaning ‘+’ (11ac).
    Finally, I really find ‘start popular’ for PO unacceptable.

    As Matt says, GRAIN (23ac) is pretty neat, even if the clue perhaps needs a question mark.
    I liked the hidden indicator in 5d (ex-, in its meaning of extracted from) but it took a while before the penny dropped.
    Other nice clues were 20ac, 24ac, 25ac and 1d.

    While I may not share TL’s FF:10+ and DD:9, I am happy to go for FF:8 and DD:6.
    Still pretty good, isn’t it?

    Many thanks to Gaff & Turbolegs.

    ps, I am still not used to see a Gaff puzzle without a preamble.
    The first of more?

  5. Thanks Gaff and Turbolegs

    Nice crossword with some innovative tricks being used – liked the LAST GASP one. Didn’t spot the correct parsing of GRAIN which made that a much neater clue than I’d struggled with when I parsed it the same as TL and having the same ??’s.

    Didn’t know about the Zimmer frame until looking it up.

    Thanks Simon, I think that you might be on the money with the theme … and Gaff does usually have themes that he usually announces.

    Finished in the SW corner with the clever RIP-OFF and the humorous UPLIFT as the last couple in.

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