Financial Times 15,923 by GAFF

by

It’s been a while since we had a Gaff puzzle to blog.

Some lovely clues – all very neatly done. We especially enjoyed the rather tricky JOBSHARE, although it was one of our LOIs. ESCHALOT held us up for a bit although once parsed it seemed perfectly reasonable and well thought out. We also got stuck on ROYAL FERN initially thinking the anagram fodder would be NEARLY NEW. We thought TUNED was slightly dubious with ADJUSTED being both the straight part of the clue and the anagrind.

Overall a great solve! Many thanks to Gaff!

completed grid

Across

1 Circuitry contains item definitely fading (9)
WITHERING
WIRING (circuitry) contains THE (item definitely, definite article)

6 Injures with terrible thrust, removing head (5)
HURTS
([t]HRUST)* (*terrible, removing head)

9 With new Conservative leader, easier to obscure things (9)
ESOTERICA
(C (conservative leader) + EASIER TO)* (*new)

10 What barman calls sound flavour (5)
THYME
“TIME” (what barman calls, sounds like)

11 Snaked around works (6)
KNEADS
(SNAKED)* (*around)

12 Onion key ring and shirt (8)
ESCHALOT
ESC (key) + HALO (ring) + T (shirt)

14 Trace source of government material (5)
GLINT
G[overnment] (source of) + LINT (material)

16 Got the better of new pee and pound (3-5)
ONE-UPPED
(PEE & POUND)* (*new)

19 Apple grower leads rush to split post (3-5)
JOB-SHARE
JOBS (apple grower) + HARE (rush)

20 Part out on a limb having harmony (5)
TONAL
[ou]T ON A L[imb] (part)

22 Believing first team has sport injury (8)
TRUSTING
T (first team) has RU (rugby union, sport) + STING (injury)

24 Tip on lack of sleep (3,3)
NOD OFF
DOFF (tip) on NO (lack of)

27 Left warrant in study (5)
LEARN
L (left) + EARN (warrant)

28 Wags loth to be upset with a cashmere producer (5,4)
SHAWL GOAT
(WAGS LOTH + A)* (*to be upset)

29 Criminal repeatedly employing erroneous defence leads to conviction (5)
CREED
C[riminal] R[epeatedly] E[mploying] E[rroneous] D[efence] (leads to)

30 Stopped drinking broth containing unusual breed (7,2)
SOBERED UP
SOUP (broth) containing (BREED)* (*unusual)

Down

1 Remains at scene of accident (8)
WRECKAGE
Cryptic definition

2 Find time to wander (5)
TROVE
T (time) + ROVE (wander)

3 Improves sweetheart, husbands and boyfriends (9)
EMENDATES
[sw]E[et] (heart) + MEN DATES (husbands and boyfriends)

4 Murdoch maybe used to control pupil (4)
IRIS
Double definition

5 Uncomprehending of what teddy bears used to be (6-4)
GLASSY EYED
Double definition

6 Create an opening (5)
HATCH
Double definition

7 Bog plant for nearly-new arrangement (5,4)
ROYAL FERN
(FOR NEARLY)* (* new arrangement)

8 Protection provided by serious heat haze (6)
SHEATH
[seriou]S HEAT H[aze] (provided by)

13 High bridge features country name surrounded by flowers (5,5)
ROMAN NOSES
(OMAN (country) + N (name)) surrounded by ROSES (flowers)

15 Protect rear end from nasty ulceration (9)
INOCULATE
(ULCE[r]ATION)* (*nasty, without [rea]R end)

17 Steamy novel? (3,6)
POT BOILER

Cryptic definition

A pot boiler is a novel of dubious merit

18 Congratulations! Singer lifts stomach and area above face (5,3)
CLIFF TOP
CLIFF (Congratulations singer) + POT< (stomach, lifted)

21 Type of rabbit Alice hides (6)
ITALIC
[rabb]IT ALIC[e] (hides)

23 Adjusted a lot of dentures (5)
TUNED
(DENTU[res])* (*adjusted, a lot of)

25 Poet eats duck egg (5)
OVOID
OVID (poet) eats O (duck)

26 Habit of soaring crow (4)
GARB
BRAG< (crow, soaring)

 

8 comments on “Financial Times 15,923 by GAFF”

  1. Thanks Gaff and Teacow. Couldn’t parse 19 or 15 so thanks for that Teacow. I was expecting something on this theme today and Gaff made it very non-obvious. Spotted Cathy, Linton, Hareton, Earnshaw and Heathcliff. Is potboiler part of it? And of course the wonderful Withering Hurts which made me chuckle. Any others?

    Diane 1

     

  2. Diane @1

    “Any others?”

    I couldn’t see any more thematic material.

    Just to complete the picture, the crossword is labelled “A birthday puzzle” and today is the bicentenary of Emily Bronte’s birthday. It is also Kate Bush’s 6oth birthday, someone else associated with 1ac/6ac.

  3. Thanks, Teacow – and Gaff, for a clever and witty puzzle. I loved WITHERING HURTS, too.

    And there was I expecting the Beano, after hearing about it on the radio this morning. 😉  I’d forgotten this anniversary, although I’d read about it a week ago.

  4. Thanks Gaff and Teacow

    Enjoyed this – but kicking myself for not seeing the rest of theme after twigging something was going on with WITHERING HURTS (thought that there must have been some famous skit) – the hidden characters were a step too far !

    A couple of new terms in SHAWL GOAT and EMENDATES.  Thought that the JOB SHARE and CLIFFTOP clues were excellent.

    Finished in that SE corner with that CLIFFTOP and NOD OFF (which took a long time to parse) the last couple in.

  5. Thanks to Diane@1 and Gaufrid@2 for pointing out the theme! We went straight to the blogging website this morning and thereby missed the special instruction and theme! It was an even better puzzle then than we had thought…

  6. Thanks for pointing out Withering Hurts. Funny it is the birthday of Kate Bush and Emily Bronte.I think Mr Hatch can be forgotten as its also Buddy Guy’s birthday.

  7. Thanks to Gaff and Teacow. I struggled with but eventually managed to get ROYAL FERN, ROMAN NOSES, and the shawl in SHAWL GOAT, but failed to get JOB SHARER.

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