Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 2, 2019
I polished off this puzzle in two short sessions. My clue of the week is 2d (TONSORIAL) with 11ac (SPACESUIT) runner-up. My last-in was the tricky 5dn (TRANSIT).
| Across | ||
| 1 | POTTYMOUTH | I swear a lot is beginning to unravel in crazy creature of the night? (10) |
| U[nravel] in (in) POTTY (crazy) + MOTH (creature of the night) | ||
| 6 | STAB | Shot hits from behind (4) |
| BATS (hits) reversed (from behind) | ||
| 10 | PANEL | Board finding solution finally in spring, after recession (5) |
| [solutio]N in (in) LEAP (spring) backwards (after recession) | ||
| 11 | SPACESUIT | Spring cuties modelled out-of- this-world costume? (9) |
| SPA (spring) + anagram (modelled) of CUTIES | ||
| 12 | NOWADAYS | Currently no piles of cash, always being squeezed (8) |
| AY (always) in (being squeezed) NO WADS (no piles of cash) | ||
| 13 | THERE | Word of comfort entering another election (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 15 | NOISOME | Unpleasant feeling, centre moving back a little towards the left (7) |
| EMOTION (feeling) with the ‘T’ (centre) changed to ‘S’ (moving back a little, i.e. in the alphabet) backwards (to the left) | ||
| 17 | TEA BAGS | Many following dictation of letter, those in hot water? (3,4) |
| Homophone (dictation) of T + BAGS (many) | ||
| 19 | WOLFRAM | Force on bolt, greyish-white metal (7) |
| WOLF (bolt) + RAM (force) | ||
| 21 | SUNBEAM | Ray, tabloid supporter (7) |
| SUN (tabloid) + BEAM (supporter) | ||
| 22 | ROLES | Parts carried by Chinese lorry in reverse (5) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 24 | HEAD-BUTT | Attack top and bottom (4-4) |
| HEAD (top) + BUTT (bottom) | ||
| 27 | BUFFET CAR | Polish crate off in dining carriage (6,3) |
| BUFF (polish) + anagram (off) of CRATE | ||
| 28 | IN USE | Busy career’s not beginning to inspire us (2,3) |
| US (us) in (to inspire) [l]INE (career’s not beginning) | ||
| 29 | EARL | Noble thing of great worth, heading off (4) |
| [p]EARL (thing of great worth heading off) | ||
| 30 | SNOWFLAKES | Those are cold, cold-blooded animals, crushing unfortunate fowl (10) |
| Anagram (unfortunate) of FOWL in (crushing) SNAKES (cold-blooded animals) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | POPE | Pontificating leader in writer? (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | TONSORIAL | Remarkably, no tailors using scissors for work? (9) |
| Anagram (remarkably) of NO TAILORS | ||
| 3 | YALTA | A river rising to consume lake in Crimean resort (5) |
| A (a) + L (lake) in (to consume) TAY (river) | ||
| 4 | ON STAGE | Figure punched by male, playing a part? (2,5) |
| STAG (male)in (punched by) ONE (figure) | ||
| 5 | TRANSIT | Movement in capsized craft isn’t surprising (7) |
| ART (craft) backwards (capsized) + anagram (surprising) of ISNT | ||
| 7 | TAUPE | A shade underestimated at the outset, breaking record (5) |
| U[nderestimated] in (breaking) TAPE (record) | ||
| 8 | BOTHERSOME | Trying to stuff the king into chest, European (10) |
| THE (the) + R (king) together in (to stuff) BOSOM (chest) + E (European) | ||
| 9 | RESTRAIN | Limit on air (8) |
| RE (ON) + STRAIN (air) | ||
| 14 | ANSWERABLE | Taking reponsibility for a state in Australia, a rebel reforms (10) |
| A (a) + NSW (state in Australia, i.e. New South Wales) + anagram (reforms) of A REBEL | ||
| 16 | OGRESSES | Scary women travel northward, hair shaved on top (8) |
| GO (travel) backwards (northward) + [t]RESSES (hair shaved on top) | ||
| 18 | AWESTRUCK | A way to go with fight, lost for words (9) |
| A (a) + WEST (way) + RUCK (fight) | ||
| 20 | MOHICAN | Slicing through beef, trim thick type of cut (7) |
| [t]HIC[k] in (slicing through) MOAN (beef) | ||
| 21 | SPARROW | Bird: squealing female catching salmon (7) |
| PARR (salmon) in (catching) SOW (squealing female) | ||
| 23 | LIFER | Most essential part of ruling judge overturned, as convict given longest sentence (5) |
| [ru]LI[ng] + REF (judge) backwards (overturned) | ||
| 25 | BRILL | Marvellous swimmer (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | PEWS | Seats almost cleaned up (4) |
| SWEP[t] (almost cleaned) backwards (up) | ||
I got stuck in the extreme NE corner.
6ac. I have trouble understanding why”STAB” equals “SHOT” . Ah yes get it, as in “have a stab at” same as “have a shot at”. Too clever for me!
Never heard of pottymouth so didn’t complete it, but learnt a new word. Thanks mudd and Pete.
I have heard ‘pottymouth’ used only a couple of times and it is a word I do not care for.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Found this one quite taxing for some reason – taking four sessions across a couple of days to get out. Looking back over it now, there doesn’t seem to be any reason why it should have been so. I know that I too was held up in the top of the grid finishing in the NW corner with NOWADAYS, ON STAGE and that POTTYMOUTH the last few in.
Seemed to be mostly charades with the clues with some clever misdirection in some of the definitions. A head-slapping moment when NSW presented itself as the Australian state – that clue would’ve been pretty much a gimme if I’d seen it in a local puzzle, but for some reason the same logic took longer here.
SPACESUIT was my favourite for the day.
But I keep falling for the misdirection! Even putting ‘beef’ in 20D had me thinking butchery rather than haircut.