Financial Times 15,845 by MUDD

by

Lots to enjoy from this puzzle!

Thanks to Mudd! Favourites were COALITION, GRUNGE and TREMOR.
LOI was GANNET.
We’re not convinced we completely understand 6D, thinking a gatepost is something that separates neighbours maybe? JAYWALKER also makes sense but we think we’re missing a trick in the parsing…

completed grid

Across

1 Bridle has to come down after the other things (8)
RESTRAIN
RAIN (to come down) after REST (the other things)

5 Stand against article (6)
OBJECT
Double definition

10 God, the first of twelve crossword setters (5)
JANUS
JAN (first of twelve, months) + US (crossword setters)

11 Flat pattern, a sort of round mat, originally (9)
APARTMENT
(PATTERN A)* (*sort of) round M[at] (originally)

12 Company, a fired up one, working for union (9)
COALITION
CO (company) + A + LIT (fired up) + I (one) + ON (working)

13 Stand in front of painter covered in cellophane, as elephantine (5)
EASEL
cellophen[E AS EL]ephantine (covered in)

14 Nihilistic music managed to spoil breakfast, looking back (6)
GRUNGE
RUN (managed) in (to spoil) EGG< (breakfast)

15 Ultimately, exit permit is secure (7)
TENABLE
[exi]T (ultimately) + ENABLE (permit)

18 Get lost, as might a bee leaving its hive? (4,3)
BUZZ OFF
Double definition

20 Mistake in novels (abridged) (3-3)
BOO-BOO
BOO[k] BOO[k] (novels, abridged)

22 One of five partners in book (5)
VOWEL
WE (partners) in VOL (book)

24 Bird that’s not a chicken, and not crossing the road! (9)
JAYWALKER
Cryptic definition

25 Philosopher let loose by patrician (9)
ARISTOTLE
(LET)* (*loose) after (by) ARISTO (patrician)

26 Fancy paper on back of card (5)
DREAM
REAM (paper) after (on) [car]D (back of)

27 Babies make a mess (6)
LITTER
Double definition

28 Tender hugs kill criminal (8)
OFFENDER
OFFER (tender) around (hugs) END (kill)

Down

1 Pariah on plane circling Colombian capital (6)
REJECT
RE (on) + (C (Columbian capital) in (circling) JET (plane))

2 Stanza composed aboiut vineyard somewhere in California (5,4)
SANTA CRUZ
(STANZA)* (*composed) about CRU (vineyard)

3 Those who are quick have won this lottery? (7,8)
RUSSIAN ROULETTE
Cryptic definition

4 Think “mother” and “her ruin”? That is about it! (7)
IMAGINE
IE (that is, id est) about (MA (mother) + GIN (her ruin, mother’s ruin = gin))

6 Don’t tell anyone where to find the gatepost? (7,3,3,2)
BETWEEN YOU AND ME
Double definition

7 Chance card game won’t start (5)
EVENS
[s]EVENS (card game, won’t start)

8 Entering digit, hard to believe five hundred added up (8)
TOTALLED
TALL (hard to believe) in (entering) TOE (digit) + D (500)

9 Pig that can fly? (6)
GANNET
Double definition
A gannet is a greedy person, a pig

16 B for buffoon? (9)
BLOCKHEAD
Double definition
B is head of block

17 Especially almighty (5,3)
ABOVE ALL
Double definition

19 Large wraps just ideal for starters, with a strip of grilled and marinated meat (6)
FAJITA
FAT (large) wraps J[ust] I[deal] (for starters) + A

20 Cooking ingredient in reddish- brown paper (7)
BAYLEAF
BAY (reddish-brown) + LEAF (paper)

21 Shake capitals of Italy, Russia and Turkey up (6)
TREMOR
(ROME (capital of Italy) + R[ussia] + T[urkey] (capitals))< (up)

23 Bodily circumference is murder, you might say? (5)
WAIST
Sounds like (you might say) “WASTE” (murder)

 

11 comments on “Financial Times 15,845 by MUDD”

  1. brucew@aus
    #1 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 02:11

    Thanks Mudd and Teacow

    Enjoyable puzzle with his usual clever and witty clues.

    I think that 6d refers to the saying “Between you, me and the gatepost”

    Finished down in the SE corner with BAYLEAF (which confused me for a while as a single word) and OFFENDER the last couple in.

  2. ilippu
    #2 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 04:18

    Thanks Teacow and Mudd.
    Quite nice. Didn’t get GANNET even with crossers, not being sure of ‘pig’ meaning. Liked VOWEL and JANUS

  3. Hovis
    #3 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 06:17

    Also had 6d as a reference to ‘between you, me and the bedpost’. Don’t really understand 24a.

    Not sure I should admit this, but my first thought for 16d was ‘knob end’ but it didn’t fit the enumeration.

    Thanks to Mudd and Teacow.

  4. trenodia
    #4 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 06:49

    @3. Hovis. It follows the children’s jokes about chickens crossing roads. Why did the chiken not cross the road? Because it got run over half-way across.

    Thanks to Mudd and Teacow.

  5. copmus
    #5 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 08:38

    Trenodia@4-probably wrongly attributed to “Gordo” but

    Why did the chicken cross the road?

    Because you didnt cook it long enough.

  6. crypticsue
    #6 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 10:51

    Typically Muddy – lots to enjoy

    Thank you to him and Teacow

  7. john
    #7 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 12:02

    In 14a, I had trouble justifying “run” as past tense. Otherwise a fun solve. Thanks M and J

  8. ACD
    #8 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 14:24

    Thanks to Mudd and Teacow. Very enjoyable. I paused over the gatepost in 6d, the walker in JAYWALKER, and especially the piggish sense of GANNET but had fun with BUZZ OFF and RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

  9. Dutch
    #9 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 16:24

    I also tried ran instead of run first. But I guess it’s fine, the company was run by my uncle.

    I liked the quirky BLOCKHEAD and hovis@3 made me laugh. Also liked TREMOR, VOWEL, TOTALLED.

    Like others I was confused by JAYWALKER.

    many thanks mudd. And Teacow

  10. jmac
    #10 - Mon 30th Apr 18, 18:58

    I remember (from a long time ago) a game called chicken (that I never played) which involved lying in the road for as long as possible before getting out of the way of a car at the last moment. That’s what the clue brought to mind for me.

    Punk on Sunday, Mudd on Monday, what’s going on? Thanks S & B.

  11. cantdocrosswords
    #11 - Tue 1st May 18, 13:39

    “run” is passive past tense for 14a.  Eg “well run”.

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