The puzzle can be found here.
A straightforward puzzle that I solved in a couple of read-throughs of the clues, with only 9ac giving me pause. I don’t mind the device used in that clue, but some solvers may cry foul.
Thanks, Dogberry.
| Across | ||
| 1 | RACHEL | Woman with pain in both sides (6) |
| ACHE (“pain”) in R(ight) and L(eft) (“both sides”) | ||
| 4 | BLACK DOG | Write online about a hundred heartlessly killed by depression (5,3) |
| BLOG (“write online”) about A C (“hundred”) and K(ille)D, so BL(AC-KD)OG | ||
| 9 | VERNAL | Youthful Robespierre initially incorruptible? (6) |
| R(obespierre) in VENAL (“corruptible”) | ||
| 10 | SPINSTER | Southern playwright embracing actress, finally – she’s unattached (8) |
| S(outhern) + (Harold) PINTER (“playwright”) embracing (actres)S | ||
| 12 | VOCALIST | Casting lots, vicar runs off with singer (8) |
| *(lots vica), where VICA is “vicar” with R(uns) off | ||
| 13 | BRAHMA | Composer curtailed by a Hindu deity (6) |
| BRAHM(s) (“composer”, curtailed) by A | ||
| 15 | LEAD | Principal part of metal (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | UNDERSTUDY | Fallback option being given close consideration (10) |
| Something “given close consideration” could be considered to be under study | ||
| 19 | PLEASANTRY | Fields infiltrating storeroom in jest (10) |
| LEAS (“fields”) infiltrating PANTRY (“storeroom”) | ||
| 20 | IBIS | Wader getting into Garibaldi biscuits (4) |
| HIdden in “garibaldI BIScuits” | ||
| 23 | LECHER | Look lasciviously around church, being the type to do so (6) |
| LEER (“look lasciviously”) about Ch.(urch) | ||
| 25 | JULIENNE | Month during which right to security’s shredded (8) |
| JUNE (“month”) during which LIEN (“right to security”) | ||
| 27 | REPRISAL | Jail’s not on – it impedes genuine vengeance (8) |
| PRIS(on) (“jail”, not on), impeding REAL (“genuine”) | ||
| 28 | ENZYME | Delirium dropping French compiler’s catalyst (6) |
| (fr)ENZY (“delirium”, dropping FR(ench)) + ME (“compiler”, ie Dogberry) | ||
| 29 | WRECKAGE | Pay to keep kings outside City’s ruins (8) |
| WAGE (“pay”) to keep R(ex) and K (“kings”) outside EC (“city” of London), so W(R(EC)K)AGE | ||
| 30 | URCHIN | Waif suddenly moving, both ends missing (6) |
| (l)URCHIN(g) (“suddenly moving”, both ends missing) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | REVIVAL | Comeback by competitor stomaching middle of trite verse (7) |
| RIVAL (“competitor”) stomaching (trit)E V(erse) | ||
| 2 | CORNCRAKE | Rocker can wreck rail (9) |
| *(rocker can) | ||
| 3 | ENABLE | Provide opportunities for the Spanish poison to rise (6) |
| <=EL BANE (“the Spanish poison”, to rise) | ||
| 5 | LOPE | Emulate Mo Farah, given prune juice, finally (4) |
| LOP (“prune”) + (juic)E | ||
| 6 | CONGRESS | House of sex (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | DUTCH | Wife’s brand of courage (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | GERMANY | Infectious article absorbed by country (7) |
| GERMY (“infectious”) with AN (“article”) absorbed | ||
| 11 | ASININE | A bad thing to do in Spain is idiotic (7) |
| A SIN (“a bad thing to do”) + IN + E (“Spain”, international car registration letter) | ||
| 14 | DEFRAUD | East German woman taken in by theologian’s trick (7) |
| E(ast) + FRAU (“German woman”) taken in by D.D. (Doctor of Divinity, so “theologian”) | ||
| 17 | URBAN MYTH | Man hurt by exploding popular fallacy (5,4) |
| *(man hurt by) | ||
| 18 | ASTERISK | Tries out interrupting request for printer’s mark . . . (8) |
| *(tries) interrupting ASK (“request”) | ||
| 19 | PILCROW | . . . and another, turning cheek to bird (7) |
| <=LIP (“cheek”, turning) + CROW (“bird”)
A pilcrow is a mark to indicate “paragraph”. It looks like this – ¶ |
||
| 21 | SHEBEEN | Live amid lustre of drink outlet (7) |
| BE (“live”) amid SHEEN (“lustre”) | ||
| 22 | SINNER | One bound for Hell’s second circle on board (6) |
| S(econd) + INNER (“circle on board”) | ||
| 24 | COPSE | Stiff – right away, gets wood (5) |
| CO(r)PSE (“stiff”, with R(ight) away) | ||
| 26 | FANG | Supporter meeting end of dog’s tooth (4) |
| FAN (“supporter”) meeting (do)G | ||
*anagram
Straightforward at the top and less so at the bottom.
As for the device in 9a, we get quite a lot of that sort of thing in cryptics so it didn’t cause a problem for me
Thanks to Dogberry and loonapick
Thanks, Dogberry and loonapick.
I really enjoyed this – 1ac was one of my favourites, which was a good omen. Others were VOCALIST, LECHER, JULIENNE and URBAN MYTH. And I do like the device used in 9ac – as crypticsue says, we see it quite a lot – and especially here, since ‘The Incorruptible’ was Robespierre’s nickname.
I couldn’t parse my last one in – ORPHAN – @30ac. 😉
I did like house of sex.One of those classic concise clues. Like Rufus under bad influences.
Thanks Dogberry and loonapick
Alerted to the new interactive version, I had a go (trapped in by snow). Very enjoyable, with VERNAL one of my two favourites (along with CORNCRAKE). The trick used is sometimes referred to as “lift and separate”.
I DNF, in fact, as I had an unparsed LAPS instead of LOPE.
I forgot to say that I didn’t know what the paragraph mark was called – I do now!
Thanks to Dogberry and loonapick. I was late getting to the puzzle but then enjoyed it. I did not get CONGRESS, even with all the crossers, and took a while before seeing UNDERSTUDY, but I did get LOPE, my LOI, and did know PILCROW.
I made the same mistake as Eileen, biffing ‘orphan’, having failed to see ‘urchin’ – as usual, should have known better. Old truism, ‘If you can’t parse it, it’s probably wrong.’ Very good to have another interactive puzzle available, – I do hope the FT continue it.
Thanks Dogberry and loonapick
Good puzzle that took a few short sessions on the day and ended up with the same unparsed ORPHAN error as a couple of others. Do like those lift and separate clues, so VERNAL was one of my favourites.
Always struggle trying to remember CONGRESS as that other definition for ‘sex’ – know that it exists but always takes time to finally remember it. Had heard of PILCROW but couldn’t immediately recall the exact meaning of it and had to confirm it.
Finished in the NE corner with GERMANY, that CONGRESS and UNDERSTUDY as the last few in.