Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of May 4, 2019
I finished this puzzle in one session, not an especially short session though. Interesting to see two successive clues (1ac and 4ac) with a definition in common. My favourite is 18dn (SWEAR IN).
| Across | ||
| 1 | THRASH | Hit hard, hospital in wreck (6) |
| H (hospital) in (in) TRASH (wreck) | ||
| 4 | HAMMERED | Hit hard, drunk (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | LAPSE | By the sound of it, circuits failing (5) |
| Homophone (by the sound of it) of LAPS (circuits) | ||
| 10 | PARENTING | Being a mum say, evidently exhausted with respect to feeds (9) |
| RE (with respect to) in (feeds) PANTING (evidently exhausted) | ||
| 11 | SUBLIME | Retired American Lord not entirely noble (7) |
| US (American) backwards (retired) + BLIME[y] (Lord not entirely) | ||
| 12 | COGNATE | Correct once tag connected (7) |
| Anagram (correct) ONCE TAG | ||
| 13 | AXIS | Central Line, a number westbound (4) |
| A (a) + SIX (number) backwards (westbound) | ||
| 14 | LEONARDO | Bacon endlessly inspiring one new artist (8) |
| Anagram (new) of ONE in (inspiring) LARDO[n] (bacon endlessly) | ||
| 17 | HISTORIC | Significant this novel, or one chapter (8) |
| Anagram (novel) of THIS + OR (or) + I (one) + C (chapter) | ||
| 19 | SHOT | Photograph completely gone (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | OBSCENE | Offensive view attributed to leaders of our brotherhood (7) |
| O[ur] B[rotherhood] + SCENE (view) | ||
| 24 | LITERAL | Misprint 51 later corrected (7) |
| LI (51) + anagram (corrected) of LATER. I was suprised to see ‘misprint’ apparently defining LITERAL but learned that this is entirely appropriate. ‘Literal’, as a noun, can mean a mistake in printed matter resulting from mechanical failures. | ||
| 25 | DOWNRIGHT | Not up left? Absolutely! (9) |
| DOWN (not up) + RIGHT (not left) | ||
| 26 | PRIVY | Aware of somewhere to go (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | SERENITY | Calm required, entire sherry emptied out! (8) |
| Anagram (out) of ENTIRE S[herr]Y. ‘Required’ seems to be, well, not required! Am I reading it wrongly? Well, maybe ‘required’ is intended as the anagram indicator? But then ‘out’ becomes superfluous. | ||
| 28 | GATEAU | Something to get through, a posh cake (6) |
| GATE (something to get through) + A (a) + U (posh) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | TALISMAN | Lucky thing beginning to train wild animals (8) |
| T[rain] + anagram (wild) of ANIMALS | ||
| 2 | REPUBLISH | Enjoy embracing local issue again (9) |
| PUB (local) in (embracing) RELISH (enjoy) | ||
| 3 | STEP IN | Mug punched by head of police, intervene (4,2) |
| P[olice] in (punched by) STEIN (mug) | ||
| 5 | AFRICAN VIOLET | Plant leaf Victorian, withered (7,6) |
| Anagram (withered) of LEAF VICTORIAN | ||
| 6 | MANAGER | Trough containing a head (7) |
| A (a) in (containing) MANGER (trough) | ||
| 7 | RAITA | Indian dish, almost a crown, served up (5) |
| A TIAR[a] (almost a crown) backwards (served up) | ||
| 8 | DEGREE | Level rising higher, house ends in river (6) |
| [risin]G [highe]R [hous]E in (in) DEE (river) | ||
| 10 | PIECES OF EIGHT | Treasured bits in octets? (6,2,5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 15 | OTHERWISE | If not white, rose hybridised (9) |
| Anagram (hybridised) of WHITE ROSE | ||
| 16 | I TELL YOU | Promise to wrap the box? It’s a given! (1,4,3) |
| TELLY (the box) in (to wrap) IOU (promise) | ||
| 18 | SWEAR IN | Offence including fray, prepare to deliver evidence (5,2) |
| WEAR (fray) in SIN (offence) | ||
| 20 | HORDES | Many stores, we hear? (6) |
| Homophone (we hear?) of HOARDS (stores) | ||
| 21 | UTOPIA | Out to make good a perfect place (6) |
| Anagram (to make) of OUT + PI (good) + A (a) | ||
| 23 | SEWER | Channel showing every western ever recorded, initially (5) |
| S[howing] E[very] W[estern] E[ver] R[ecorded] | ||
Thanks to Mudd and Pete. I’m another who had trouble equating misprint with LITERAL, but eventually I decided that the “out” in 27ac was part of a phrase (“emptied out”) and “required” set it up.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Was either in the zone or this was one of the easier Mudd’s for a while, taking about half of the normal time to get it done. Must have whizzed through so quickly that didn’t notice the two clues with the ‘hit hard’ for the definition.
Nothing else really of note and finished in the NW corner with TALISMAN and SUBLIME the last couple in.
Much as brucew@2 says, although I did notice the two hit hards. I also didn’t know that meaning of LITERAL so thanks for explaining that and the rest of the blog Pete, and to Mudd for the puzzle.
I finished it so it must have been an easier Mudd. I’ve been struggling with him lately.