Alberich offers up today’s FT fare.
An excellent puzzle full of clever clues and devices, which made some of the parsing a challenge. I actually wrote in TONGUE TWISTER and CZECH REPUBLIC and left the parsing until I’d completed the rest of the puzzle, but worked them out fairly quickly on my return to them.
Thanks, Alberich.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MODERN | Right in fashion and new? (6) |
| R (right) in MODE (“fashion”) + N (new) and &lit. | ||
| 4 | STOCKPOT | English town expels river vessel (8) |
| STOCKPO(r)T (“English town” expelling R (river)) | ||
| 9 | ROAST | Joint account centrally held by revolutionary despot (5) |
| A (account) centrally held by <=TSAR (revolutionary “despot”) | ||
| 10 | CONTAINER | Can, say, criminal retain spoils? (9) |
| CON (“criominal”) + *(retain) | ||
| 11 | GERMANE | European and oriental could be closely related (7) |
| GERMAN (“European”) + E (eastern, so “oriental”) | ||
| 12 | UPBRAID | Revolting woven fabric for carpet (7) |
| UP (“revolting”) + BRAID (“woven fabric”) | ||
| 13 | LUTE | Fellow quits one instrument for another (4) |
| (f)LUTE (“instrument” with F (fellow) having quit) | ||
| 14 | RHETORIC | Playing concerto’s finale, Richter displays eloquence (8) |
| *(richter o) where the O is the finale of (concert)O | ||
| 17 | CREPERIE | Eating place mostly edged by lake (8) |
| CREP(t) (mostly “edged”) by (Lake) ERIE | ||
| 19 | WANE | Only some saw an evident decline (4) |
| Hidden in [only some] “saW AN Evident” | ||
| 22 | TABLEAU | Expert stops Greek character making a scene (7) |
| ABLE (“expert”) stops TAU (“Greek character”) | ||
| 24 | TUMBLER | One walking unsteadily is denied second glass (7) |
| (s)TUMBLER (“one walking unsteadily” with S (second) denied) | ||
| 25 | STRAGGLER | Lag, with rest beginning to gain ground? Taking run, he will! (9) |
| *(lag rest G) (where G is [beginning to] G(ain)), taking R (run) and &lit. | ||
| 26 | OUTDO | Surpass United in no-score draw (5) |
| UTD (United) in 0-0 (“no-score draw) | ||
| 27 | SENTENCE | One’s lacking in awareness and judgment (8) |
| SENT(i)ENCE (“awareness” with I (“one”) lacking) | ||
| 28 | WEBERN | Austrian composer or German one, note (6) |
| (Carl Maria von) WEBER (“German composer”) + N (note)
Anton Webern was an Austrian composer, active in the first half of the twentieth century. |
||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MARIGOLD | Annual publication of long standing admits ruin, oddly (8) |
| MAG (“publication”) + OLD (“of long standing”) admits R(u)I(n) [oddly] | ||
| 2 | DIACRITIC | I’d upset a judge? Could be grave (9) |
| <=I’D [upset] A CRITIC (“judge”) | ||
| 3 | RITUAL | Educated woman introducing university lecturer’s opening ceremony (6) |
| RITA (“educated woman” as in Educating Rita, the Willy Russell play) introducing U (university) + L(ecturer) [opening] | ||
| 5 | TONGUE-TWISTER | Uttering it, ultimately we so will struggle? (6-7) |
| *(uttering T we so) where the T is (i)T [ultimately] and &lit. | ||
| 6 | CHAMBER | Fossilised resin is located under church hall (7) |
| AMBER (“fossilised resin”) is located under CH (church) | ||
| 7 | PANDA | Animal defining the borders of Patagonia? (5) |
| The borders of P(atagoni)A are P AND A | ||
| 8 | TIRADE | One occupies business address that’s heated (6) |
| I (“one”) occupies TRADE (“business”) | ||
| 10 | CZECH REPUBLIC | Country club possibly accepts one after vocal snub by representative (5,8) |
| *(club) accepts I (“one”) after homophone of [vocal] CHECK (“snub”) by REP (representative) | ||
| 15 | CHARLOTTE | She’s a tart (9) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | BEAR DOWN | Press statement suggesting Teddy’s fallen? (4,4) |
| If “Teddy’s fallen”, the “statemen in the press” (if it merited such coverage) may well be BEAR DOWN | ||
| 18 | EPERGNE | Green PE pants could be centrepiece for table (7) |
| *(green pe) | ||
| 20 | STASIS | Secret police succeeded, making arrest (6) |
| STASI (“secret police”) + S (succeeded) | ||
| 21 | IMPOSE | Setter’s attitude is to take advantage (6) |
| I’M (“setter’s”) + POSE (“attitude”) | ||
| 23 | BYRON | Rising aristocrat penning lines as poet (5) |
| <=NOB [rising] “aristocrat” penning RY. (railway, so “lines”) | ||
*anagram
Very enjoyable. No real problems here. I’ve only met DIACRITIC & EPERGNE in cryptics but, fortunately, remembered both. The flute/lute clue has been used quite a few times. I’ve also seen 28a at least twice before but still struggled to remember the answer and needed all the crossers before I got it.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick for the clear blog.
An excellent puzzle which yielded gradually. 10d is perhaps a nod to his domicile as I believe he lives there.
Thanks Alberich & loonapick.
Minor typo in 9 across – should be: O (accOunt centrally) held by <=TSAR
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick. I’m a day late because 1) I had a busy day yesterday and 2) I did poorly on my first try. Today I filled in the rest but failed with WEBERN.
Thanks Alberich and loonapick
Nice catchup puzzle that I did as over a cup of coffee (slowly drunk to accommodate the time needed). Found the same two long clues difficult to parse as you – didn’t end up getting CZECH REPUBLIC but did figure out the clever TONGUE TWISTER.
No real standout clues and finished in the NE corner with STOCKPOT (after having to check up there was such a place as STOCKPORT), UPBRAID and TIRADE.