A puzzle which would almost have been perfect for beginners…
…I say almost because I think it is let down by 26ac and to a lesser extent by 22ac.
Otherwise, this was an excellent puzzle with a good range of cryptic devices on display and tight, clean surfaces which a beginner woukd appreciate. The vocabulary was not too challenging with only RACEME, COSTARDS and MARMOREAL standing out as not being everday words.
Thanks, Orense.
| Across | ||
| 1 | EMOTICON | Economist planned to ignore small figure on screen (8) |
| *(economit) which is ECONOMI(s)T with S (small) ignored | ||
| 6 | RACEME | People with me get a flower arrangement (6) |
| RACE (“people”) with ME | ||
| 9 | SPIKES | Ship carrying cargo of fish skewers (6) |
| SS (steam”ship”) carrying cargo of PIKE (“fish”) | ||
| 10 | UNTOWARD | Unit dismissing one old part of hospital is inconvenient (8) |
| UN(i)T (dismissing I (one)) + O (old) + WARD (“part of hospital”) | ||
| 11 | MEMO | Note from doctor following case of malpractice (4) |
| MO (Medical Officer, so “doctor”) following [case of] M(alpractic)E | ||
| 12 | ABERATTION | Republican limit attached to old president must be an anomaly (10) |
| R (Republican) + RATION (“limit”) attached to ABE (Lincoln, “old president”) | ||
| 14 | DAFFODIL | Cover rage after turning to accept Foreign Office bloomer (8) |
| <=LID FAD (“cover” + “rage”, after turning) to accept F.O. (Foreign Office) | ||
| 16 | REEF | Admire efforts to circumvent danger to shipping? (4) |
| Hidden in “admiRE EFforts” | ||
| 18 | OPEN | Exposed duck enclosure (4) |
| O (“duck” in cricket) + PEN (“enclosure”) | ||
| 19 | CURTAILS | Restricts dog ends (8) |
| CUR (“dog”) + TAILS (“ends”) | ||
| 21 | ENTERTAINS | Creates an interest (10) |
| *(an interest) and &lit. | ||
| 22 | EASE | The simplicity of executing rental agreement (4) |
| (L)EASE (“rental agreement” beheaded i.e. executed)
I am personally not a fan of “executed” being used in this way, as beheading is only one form of execution. |
||
| 24 | CONFETTI | Paper that comes out after the match? (8) |
| Cryptic definition – for “match” think “wedding”. | ||
| 26 | RAILED | Complained bitterly, having to suffer in debt (6) |
| AIL (“to suffer”) in RED (“debt”)
This one doesn’t work for me, as the phrase for being in debt is “in THE red”, not simply “in red” |
||
| 27 | ENTREE | Admission granted for course (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | EMERGENT | Budding setter’s back, with hesitation, information and time (8) |
| <=ME (“setter” back) with ER (“hesitation”) + GEN (“information”) and T (time) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | MAPLE | Mike left in parrot’s tree (5) |
| M (Mike) + L (left) in APE (“parrot”) | ||
| 3 | TAKE OFFENCE | Resent income of criminal dealer (4,7) |
| TAKE (“income”) + OF FENCE (“criminal dealer”) | ||
| 4 | COSTARDS | Expense when crossing road for apples (8) |
| COST (“expense”) + AS (“when”) crossing RD (road) | ||
| 5 | NOUVELLE CUISINE | Developed useful on-line vice without fine cooking such as this (8,7) |
| *(useul online vice) where USE(f)UL is without F (fine) | ||
| 6 | RETURN | Vote in engineers and go (6) |
| R.E. (Royal “Engineers”) + TURN (“go”) | ||
| 7 | COW | Company women overcome with awe (3) |
| Co. (company) + W (women) | ||
| 8 | MARMOREAL | Cause further damage on unprotected wall of marble (9) |
| MAR MORE (“cause further damage”) on [unprotected] (w)AL(l) | ||
| 13 | THREATENING | Ominous obsession surrounding soldiers with neat display (11) |
| THING (“obsession”) surrounding R.E. (Royal Engineers, so “soldiers”) + *(neat), so TH(R.E.-ATEN)ING | ||
| 15 | ALPENHORN | Driver’s warning after a student writer finds instrument (9) |
| HORN (“driver’s warning”) after A L (learner, so “student”) PEN (“writer’) | ||
| 17 | PRESERVE | Maintain power and propriety of manner (8) |
| P (power) and RESERVE (“propriety of manner”) | ||
| 20 | STATUE | Standing with no right for representation in stone (6) |
| STATU(r)E (“standing” with no R (right)) | ||
| 23 | STERN | Back in register nowadays (5) |
| Hidden in “regiSTER Nowadays” | ||
| 25 | FAR | Nowhere near force raised (3) |
| <=R.A.F. (Royal Air “Force”, raised) | ||
*anagram
A quick but fairly humdrum solve for me. Didn’t mind the use of ‘execution’ in 22a. Part of the fun of cryptics is to get the correct meaning of a word with multiple meanings but I get your point. I wasn’t too bothered with RAILED either but it is a bit weak.
You have a typo in 12a with spelling of ABERRATION.
Didn’t know MARMOREAL or first meaning of ENTREE (as opposed to ‘entry’). It appears to be a legal term.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick.
There was enough in this, with the uncommon words you’ve mentioned, to present a challenge and it was a bit harder than I remember Orense’s previous offering a few weeks ago as having been. I take your point about 22a and 26a, but I must admit that neither jarred too much with me during the solve.
Good practice for the presumably STERNer tests ahead this upcoming weekend.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick. A quick but enjoyable solve. I was slowed down a bit with ALPENHORN because for “driver’s warning” I started with “fore” thinking of golf and with my LOI, EMOTICON, I initially missed “planned” as an anagram indicator.
Thanks Orense and loonapick.
I prefer to use pencil and paper when solving crosswords. It may be my printer,
but the version I obtain from ‘Download crossword PDF’ at http://www.ft.com has flaws:
the clue numbers in the grid are tiny and practically illegible.
Anyone else having this problem?
Yes, it’s the same problem of very faint numbers in the grid for me here in Kenya. Otherwise an easy puzzle for experienced solvers.
Thanks for the reply, Chadwick. Not just me!
Mike04 & Chadwick Ongara, please read Gaufrid’s reply to a similar post from me two days ago.
The FT has changed the way that it includes the grid in the pdf file (….) The new grid is a raster image (Jpeg or similar) and, if this has been saved at lower quality in order to reduce the file size, it would explain the blurred grid numbers (which I have also noticed).
Before solving just overwrite the numbers with a black pen to make them clearer. It takes only a minute and it works for me.
Thanks Sil. I missed the exchange of views and explanation provided on Tuesday.
The PDF grid itself is quite small. I think I might have to make an enlargement before overwriting
with a black pen. Wish the product was more solver-friendly…
Mike, when using IE it opens itself in Adobe in full screen. In Chrome, you will have to expand the grid to A4 first (there is an on-screen button for that) and then click on the grid and choose Print.
If you use any other browser, I cannot help you.
That said, I justed printed off (in Chrome) today’s Redshank and the clue numbers are visible!
Friday 7 December
Sil, I use Microsoft Edge. Like you, I had no printing problems today.
On yesterday’s Orense, I tried the ‘Open with Internet Explorer’ option with a 150% enlargement.
Thanks very much for the tip. Now there’s room for your ‘Overwrite with a black pen’ option!
Happy crosswording, Mike.
Thanks Orense and loonapick
As stated a puzzle that was on the easier side that I eked out the solving time for whilst watching a television programme (not something that I often do). Again like others, I take your point regarding 22a and 26a, but they didn’t impact me either.
Finished in the NE corner with ABSRRATION and MARMOREAL (which was a new term for me).