Today’s FT puzzle can be found here.
As I worked my way through the across clues, I originally thought this owuld be a toughie, but the bottom half was markedly easier than the top half, and once some of the longer down answers slotted in, the rest followed fairly quickly.
This was a varied puzzle with a good mixture of clue types. I had one very minor quibble – 14dn could have been improved by not giving almost half of the answer in the clue (EVEN).
I don’t think there’s a theme or a NINA, but happy to be corrected if I’ve missed either.
Thanks, Gurney.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ISRAELITES | Returning group I linked with humorist – South Island believers? (10) |
| <=SET I LEAR S.I. (“group I” linked with (Edward) “Lear” + S(outh) I(slanders)) | ||
| 7 | SAGA | Story – ancient, gripping, action-packed first of all? (4) |
| First of all of S(tory) A(ncient) G(ripping) A(ction-packed) | ||
| 9 | MONK | Member of community using terminals of metro network (4) |
| Terminals of (ie ends of, first and last letters of) M(etr)O N(etwor)K | ||
| 10 | TIE-BREAKER | Note English wave – feature of Wimbledon (3-7) |
| TI (“note”) + E(nglish) + BREAKER (“wave”) | ||
| 11 | ANNEXE | Top class news: river extension (6) |
| A (“top class”) + N + N (new twice, so “news”) + EXE (“river”) | ||
| 12 | HONOLULU | Port house, northern, old, something outstanding (8) |
| Ho(use) + N(orthern) + O(ld) + LULU (“something outstanding”) | ||
| 13 | GRASMERE | German writer finishing off at simple Cumbrian village (8) |
| (Gunter) GRAS(s) (“German writer” with its finish off) + MERE (“simple”) | ||
| 15 | LYNX | Heard golf course feline (4) |
| Homophone of LINKS (“heard golf course”) | ||
| 17 | ACME | Male captivated by superb peak (4) |
| M(ale) captivated by ACE (“superb”) | ||
| 19 | SLAP-DASH | Careless friends going wrong way at father’s hotel (4-4) |
| <=PALS (“friends”, going the wrong way) at DA’S (“father’s”) H(otel) | ||
| 22 | FACELESS | Remote class fee adjusted (8) |
| *(class fee) | ||
| 23 | MENDEL | Some recommend electing genetics pioneer (6) |
| Hidden in “recomMEND ELecting”
Refers to Gregor Mendel, the 19th century scientist regarded as “the father of genetics”. |
||
| 25 | UNFAIRNESS | It’s not just description of brunette? (10) |
| Double definition, the second mildly cryptic. | ||
| 26 | RAIN | Drops painter home (4) |
| R.A. (member of the Royal Academy, so “artist”) + IN (“home”) | ||
| 27 | CLUE | Hint prompt learner’s taken in (4) |
| CUE (“prompt”) with L(earner) taken in | ||
| 28 | LOS ANGELES | City described briefly in French article (3,7) |
| When abbreviated (described briefly), Los Angeles becomes LA (a “French article”) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | SPOONER | So prone to change, his slips provide amusement (7) |
| *(so prone)
Referring, of course, to Crosswordland’s favourite Oxford don, William Archibald Spooner, whose tendency to get his syllables mixed up added the word “spoonerism” to our vocabulary. |
||
| 3 | ANKLE | Removing right cause anger in joint (5) |
| (r)ANKLE (“cause anger”, with “right” removed) | ||
| 4 | LET ME SEE | Unexpectedly meet son in shelter – I must think about it (3,2,3) |
| *(meet s) in LEE (“shelter”) | ||
| 5 | THE THREE SISTERS | Relatively stagy group of Russian origin? (3,5,7) |
| “The Three Sisters”, more commonly translated as “Three Sisters”, is a play by Russian playwright, Anton Chekhov. | ||
| 6 | SARONG | When rising, picked up incorrect article of clothing (6) |
| <=AS (“when”, rising) + homophone of WRONG (indicated by “picked up”) | ||
| 7 | STABLE LAD | Steadfast woman last to go for horsy type? (6,3) |
| STABLE (“steadfast”) + LAD(y) (“woman” with last (letter) gone) | ||
| 8 | GREMLIN | Troublemaker ultimately crowing having supplanted king in citadel (7) |
| (crowin)G supplanted the K(ing) of K-REMLIN (“citadel”) | ||
| 14 | STEVENAGE | Wise to save time even in Herts town (9) |
| SAGE (“wise”) to save T(ime) EVEN | ||
| 16 | PARMESAN | Dairy product of standard expected by writer at hospital (8) |
| PAR (“standard expected”) by ME (“writer”) at SAN(atorium) (“hospital”) | ||
| 18 | CHANNEL | Feature of lunch Anne liked in Bristol maybe (7) |
| Hidden in “lunCH ANNE Liked” | ||
| 20 | STERILE | In second half, Leinster, docile, lacking vitality (7) |
| The second half of the words “LeinSTER“and “docILE“ | ||
| 21 | PETREL | Pique about left winger (6) |
| PET (“pique”) + RE (“about”) + L(eft) | ||
| 24 | NORSE | Runs into facility for discovering ancient language (5) |
| R(uns) into NOSE (“facility for discovering”) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Gurney and loonapick
Good puzzle that took a couple of sittings to complete.
Nice variety of devices used with a few new learnings – the Chekhov play, the father of genetics and the term LULU.
Finished in the NE corner with STABLE LAD, GREMLIN and SAGA (which I’d focused on the first letter of ‘action-packed’ only for way too long).
Did this as a bonus as the G was over so quickly this morning. Like you Loonapick I felt 14d was let down by having EVEN in the clue and solution – even (!) though it was my LOI as I was looking for a synonym. Other than that it was all fine and dandy. Thanks for the blog and to Gurney for the puzzle.
Many thanks, loonapick, for the excellent blog and thanks also to those who commented.
Point re STEVENAGE noted: would just say that I edged to making it easier as it might be unfamiliar to some solvers esp those outside the UK.