The PDF version of the puzzle on the FT website is missing some special instructions: six clues lack (similar) definitions
The PDF was missing from the FT website for a long time today so I have only managed to solve the puzzle and write the blog this evening. The undefined answers are all phrases about making haste. Ironic really. I am a little uncertain about which of these are undefined but I think I have the right six.
Thank you Julius, got there in the end!
| Across | ||
| 1 | HIGH SEAS | Working out when most tourists come; there’s wave after wave here (4,4) |
| HIGH SEASon (when most tourists come) missing (out) ON (working) | ||
| 5 | CRIPES | Heavens! Cristiano Ronaldo is perfection (especially scoring headers) (6) |
| first letters (headers) of Christan Ronaldo Is Perfection Especially Scoring | ||
| 9 | REVVED UP | Excited, having 7 in neutral (6,2) |
| double definition | ||
| 10 | FASTER | Father carries folding seat (6) |
| FR (father) contains (carries) anagram (folding) of SEAT | ||
| 12 | LAIRD | Lord Lucan “acted irrationally, ran, disappeared” – initial findings (5) |
| first letters (initial findings) of Lucan Acted Irrationally Ran Disappeared | ||
| 13 | THE WINNER | Victor embraced by Matthew in Nervi (3,6) |
| found inside (embraced by) matTHEW IN NERvi | ||
| 14 | ESTHER | Job followed when her book was finished (6) |
| books of the Bible in order | ||
| 16 | ABYSSES | What followed Percy taking heroin into, like, the pits? (7) |
| BYSShE (what followed Percy is Bysshe Shelly) missing (taking) H (heroine) in AS (like) | ||
| 18 | HOMINID | Man, d’oh! Reversed over little car! (7) |
| D’OH reversed containing (over) MINI (little car) | ||
| 20 | See 11 | |
| 22 | NEW BARNET | On vacation Nadine went out, taking in pub in London (3,6) |
| NadinE (on vacation, vacation is emptying) then anagram (out) of WENT containing (taking in) BAR (pub) – a place in London | ||
| 23 | CUTIE | One gorgeous looking chop, that is (5) |
| CUT (chop) IE (that is) | ||
| 24 | TALLOW | Above average height, overweight (fat) (6) |
| TALL (above average height) then O (over) and W (weight) | ||
| 25 | GO TO TOWN | Splash out, putting dress on Dorothy’s dog . . . . (2,2,4) |
| GOWN (dress) on TOTO (Dorothy’s dog in Wizard of Oz) | ||
| 26 | COYOTE | . . . . Charlie, old English biting, revolting toy dog (6) |
| C (charlie, phonetic alphabet) then OE (Old English) contains (biting) TOY reversed (revolting) | ||
| 27 | STEP ON IT | Parking on one? Let it stand outside (4,2,2) |
| P (parking) on ON I (one) inside (with…outside) STET (let it stand, printers note) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HURTLE | Damaged lecturer’s European career (6) |
| HURT (damage) L (lecturer) has E (European) | ||
| 2 | GIVE IT SOME WELLY | I visit US soldier (retd.); we’ll mosey around (4,2,4,5) |
| I inside (visits) GI VET (US soldier, retired) then WE’LL containing (with…around) MOSEY | ||
| 3 | SPEED | Drug pushed a fair bit here? (5) |
| double/cryptic definition | ||
| 4 | AGUTTER | Great aunt got rid of a new Spinning Jenny (7) |
| anagram (spinning) of GREAT aUnT missing (got rid of) A N (new) – actress Jenny Agutter | ||
| 6 | REALITY TV | Vicar touring Italy, with time to make fact-based programme (7,2) |
| REV contains (touring) anagram (around) of ITALY with T (time) – a very flattering definition! | ||
| 7 | PUT ONES FOOT DOWN | Display the stamp of authority? (3,4,4,4) |
| cryptic definition | ||
| 8 | SURPRISE | Certainly, spin is bound to shock (8) |
| SURE (certainly) contains (…bound) PR (spin) IS | ||
| 11, 20 across | GET A MOVE ON | Friend retires during Gove’s appearance (3,1,4,2) |
| MATE (friend) reversed (retires) inside (during) GOVE ON (Gove’s appearance) | ||
| 15 | See 19 | |
| 17 | PHONETIC | Chopin composition, showcasing French and representative of the language (8) |
| anagram (composition) of CHOPIN contains (showcasing) ET (and, French) | ||
| 19, 15 | DON’T HANG ABOUT | Order to stop before German Autobahn crash (4,4,5) |
| DON’T (order to stop) then anagram (crash) of G (German) and AUTOBAHN | ||
| 20 | METE OUT | Julius, English solicitor, about to dispense justice? (7) |
| ME (Julius) E (English) and TOUT (solicitor) – I suspect there is a misprint in the letter count here | ||
| 21 | PEANUT | Gym rat guzzles a source of protein (6) |
| PE NUT (gym rat) contains (guzzles) A | ||
| 23 | CHOMP | Tory back-bencher going outside House for a bite (5) |
| CO (Conservative) MP (back bencher perhaps) contains (outside) H (house) | ||
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
Thanks Julius and PeeDee
It’s a shame about the editing errors, bad for setter and solver alike.
For 23, I think it’s “C MP” (Tory back-bencher) ‘outside’ HO (house).
And in 2, the second part is an anagram of WE’LL and MOSEY, not simply an inclusion.
Thanks PeeDee.
Fully agree with what Simon said in his second line. (And with that in the second part of his post too).
I couldn’t find 20d, being fooled by the incorrect enumeration.
6d seems to be REV around (ITALY+T)* although there is no anagram (not ‘around’, anyway) unless it is ‘to make’.
I have a couple of other niggles but I will keep them to myself today.
Wonder what Lopetegui’s men think of 8ac ….. !
Did you see that PHONETIC is also an anagram of ‘Pinochet’? [or is that a chestnut?]
Many thanks to (as I said) PeeDee & the rather unlucky Julius.
Errors in the puzzle, newspaper and blog! You just can’t get the staff these days…
Fortunately I saw the setter’s tweet about the missing special instruction before tackling this, and worked out that 20 must have been enumerated incorrectly because the solution became obvious from the definition and crossers. Still quite an enjoyable solve.
Thanks to Julius and PeeDee
I took ‘to make’ as the anagram indicator in 6d as well but don’t like it.
Yes, Hovis, but it suggests ((REV aroun ITALY) + T)* and I don’t think that is what Julius meant.
Maybe he meant to write ‘touring around Italy…’, as suggested in the blog? I’d be happy with that.
I’m confused now. The clue doesn’t say ‘touring around‘, only ‘touring’.
Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought these were your words but they’re not.
Anyway, what’s not in the clue is not in the clue.
You may be happy with it but, in that case, the anagram indicator would be in a, let’s say, inelegant position. Just about.
PeeDee, thanks for your sterling efforts to get the blog up last night. For one reason or another, this doesn’t seem to be my finest hour and I’m sorry for anyone who was confused by the absence of SI and the wrong enumeration at 20d.
Thanks Julius and PeeDee
Fortunately, I’d had a look at the day summary on FifteenSquared and saw PeeDee’s note about the missing instruction before I’d started and was appreciative for that.
Still found it pretty solid going despite getting STEP ON IT and PUT THE FOOT DOWN quite early on and understanding what the instruction was about. Had no holdup with METE OUT, it just had to be – can’t remember if I actually looked at the enumeration that closely until I’d written it in.
A few new terms for me – the ‘Jenny actress’, the part of ‘North London’, and the phrase GIVE IT SOME WELLY. ABYSSES which was my last one in was the hardest and had nearly given up on trying to parse it until Mr Shelley popped into my brain finally and thought how very clever.
Really liked the clues for HIGH SEAS and PEANUT.