Financial Times 16,025 by CRUX

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Some great clues this morning! A pleasant and challenging start to the week from Crux.

Admittedly there were a few clues that did not sit well with us. AT WHAT TIME for example seems rather arbitrary. OFFRAMPS also wasn’t one of our favourites. However others were very cleverly constructed and took us a good deal of engagement to parse. We particularly enjoyed STRESS, LAIR, ARMAGNAC and COMMA. Ended in the South East corner.

Thanks to Crux for a very enjoyable challenge!

completed grid

Across

1 Conked out in the engine room? Most unlikely! (2,4)
ON DECK
(CONKED)* (*out)

4 Loosening reins holding little Henry will help his breathing (8)
INHALERS
(REINS)* (*loosening) holding HAL (little Henry)

10, 11 Save from drowning, perhaps, one out of her depth? (4,3,2,5)
FISH OUT OF WATER
Double definition

12 Broadcasts put on by the pretentious (4)
AIRS
Double definition

13 Checks made by coach during breaktimes (10)
RESTRAINTS
TRAIN (coach) during RESTS (breaktimes)

15 Prisoner initially let out gives the magic word? (6)
PLEASE
P[risoner] (initially) + LEASE (let out)

16 Leader is cut from rabble- rousing publication (7)
EDITION
[s]EDITION (leader is cut from rabble-rousing)

20 Two articles on painting, essentially (2,5)
AT HEART
A + THE (two articles) + ART (painting)

21 This mud generally gives a dirty mark (6)
SMUDGE
[thi]S MUD GE[nerally]

24 Persevere, without lawyers, to expose media mogul (5,5)
PRESS BARON
PRESS ON (persevere) without BAR (lawyers)

26 Where to hide from landlord when penniless (4)
LAIR
LAIR[d] (landlord when penniless, d as an abbreviation for penny was used until decimalisation in 1971)

28 Old-fashioned couple interrupt our final lesson (7)
OUTWORN
TWO (couple) interrupt OUR + [lesso]N (final)

29 More than one Italian 17 (7)
MAESTRI
Cryptic definition

30 Diplomacy secures the right answer. . . . so carry on (8)
TRANSACT
TACT (diplomancy) secures (R (right) + ANS (answer))

31 A novel about doctor and saint (6)
ANDREW
A NEW (a novel) about DR (doctor)

Down

1 Drivers in US may take them to avoid congestion (3-5)
OFF RAMPS
Cryptic definition

2 Detective, heading south-east, is put off the track (9)
DISORIENT
DI (detective) + S[outh] (heading) + ORIENT (east)

3 What cuts should do for Wally (4)
CLOT
Double definition

5 Could be 12 in a more literary style (8)
NOONTIDE
Cryptic definition

6 When 5 may be the answer (2,4,4)
AT WHAT TIME
Double definition

7 Consumed by ecstasy, given a perfect score (5)
EATEN
E (ecstasy) + A TEN (a perfect score)

8 Accent associated with central 13 (6)
STRESS
Associated with [re]STRAIN[ts] (central 13)

9 She’s not completely above the law (5)
ETHEL
[abov]E THE L[aw] (not completely)

14 When some cats, it’s said, make “catty” remarks (10)
ASPERSIONS
AS (when) + “PERSIANS” (cats, it’s said)

17 That famous painter, Mr Chips? (3,6)
OLD MASTER
Double definition

18 Anagram possibly about brandy (8)
ARMAGNAC
(ANAGRAM)* (*possibly) + C (about)

19 Stern opinion rarely encountered vis-à-vis oneself (4,4)
REAR VIEW
REAR (stern) + VIEW (opinion)

22 Mushroom found in a super yogurt, oddly (6)
SPROUT
S[u]P[e]R [y]O[g]U[r]T (oddly)

23 Butterfly spotted here, literally (5)
COMMA
Spotted here (,) literally

25 More like one of the crowd (5)
EXTRA
Double definition

27 Foreign and English churchman (4)
DEAN
(AND)* (*foreign) + E (English)

4 comments on “Financial Times 16,025 by CRUX”

  1. Wasn’t keen on 6d either. Had PRESTO in 25a for a while, until I got 14d which I liked very much. Recalled 23d from the depth, having come across it a while ago in a Guardian puzzle.

    Thanks to Crux and Teacow.

  2. Thanks to Crux and Teacow. I struggled a lot here, especially in the SE where I missed COMMA (which now I too remember having seen before – colon also) and therefore failed to get MAESTRI.

  3. Harder than Vulcan today. FOI 8d.Got 23d from a Times puzzle in the past. COD 27d. LOI 1d from my Oxford when l looked up words beginning with ‘off’.Never heard of it.

  4. Thanks Crux and Teacow

    On the tougher side for this setter and could only finish half over breakfast and finished off with a sitting just as long a bit later.  Even though AIRS was my first one in, it was that NW corner that provided the most trouble.

    Liked the doubt that was sewn with the use of the numerals in 17a, 5d, 6d and 8d.  Thought that the definition of PLEASE was very good as well.

    Had the WATER part of 10,11 quite early on, but getting the rest took ages and it was my third to last in.  Didn’t see the now obvious CLOT until getting it as the penultimate entry.  ON DECK was the last.

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