Financial Times 16,255 by VELIA

by

An enjoyable puzzle from Velia.

Nice and easy with some good anagrams and a few double definitions. My only minor gripes would be 22a which isn’t very precise – the clue implies something to sit on and the “degree” I suppose conjures up the idea of a student which is arguably the type to sit on a beanbag? Oh well, I’ll take it. 23d also a bit of a stretch for my liking but understandable… 1d I admit having to look up, not being aware of the Count’s name.

Otherwise a smooth and enjoyable solve with nothing holding me up too long. Favourites include the cleverly misleading TOMATOES, EXOTICA and CONSORTED. Thanks to Velia!

completed grid

Across

1 The head of Cameron Diaz is swirling, filled with love signs (6)
ZODIAC
C[ameron] (the head of) + (DIAZ)* (*is swirling) filled with O (love)

4, 9 Bungling pair connected somehow (8,5)
ACCIDENT PRONE
(PAIR CONNECTED)* (*somehow)

10 Mixed with criminal type – journalist! (9)
CONSORTED
CON SORT (criminal type) + ED (journalist)

11 Unusual items of smut in which Romeo is dumped for a kiss (7)
EXOTICA
EROTICA (items of smut) in which R (Romeo) is dumped for a X (kiss)

12 Take off writer’s idiotic top near gallery (7)
IMITATE
I’M (writer’s) + I[diotic] (top) near TATE (gellery)

13 What the leaders of Iran spouted about Yemen (1,3)
I SAY
I[ran] S[pouted] A[bout] Y[emen] (the leaders of)

14 Pollen may be found in everything potentially green (8)
ALLERGEN
ALL (everything) + (GREEN)* (*potentially)

17 Islander’s surprised expression captured by artist (8)
TAHITIAN
AH (surprised expression) captured by TITIAN (artist)

19 See 3

22 Began working to secure degree having sat on this? (7)
BEANBAG
(BEGAN)* (*working) to secure BA (degree)

24 Repeat item briefly before judge (7)
ITERATE
ITE[m] (briefly) before RATE (judge)

25 Agreed to probe injured retina or other ophthalmic complaint (9)
EYESTRAIN
YES (agreed) to probe (RETINA)* (*injured)

26 Thoughtless window dressing (5)
BLIND
Double definition

27 Fruit that could be cherry or plum (8)
TOMATOES
Cryptic definition
Cherry and plum are types of tomato

28 Cash in and save (6)
REDEEM
Double definition

Down

1 Led this group for German Count (8)
ZEPPELIN

Cryptic definition
Led Zeppelin is a musical group, and Zeppelin is the name of the German Count who invented the dirigible

2 Smelly stuff strangely not adored (9)
DEODORANT
(NOT ADORED)* (*strangely)

3, 19 First-rate jerk biting chemical compound (6,4)
ACETIC ACID
ACE (first-rate) + TIC (jerk) + ACID (biting)

5 Review payment (13)
CONSIDERATION
Double definition

6 Problem in groin is pressing (7)
IRONING
(IN GROIN)* (*problem)

7 Actor is 16 (5)
EXTRA
Double definition

8 It’s back, passed on then cleared up (6)
TIDIED
(IT)< (<back) + DIED (passed on)

10 Gove mostly cleared rat problem – that’s life! (6-2-5)
CRADLE TO GRAVE
(GOVE CLEARE[d] (mostly) RAT)* (*problem)

15 Right, I go into busy canteen to get fruit (9)
NECTARINE
R (right) + I into (CANTEEN)* (*busy)

16 PS damn dude’s bonkers (8)
ADDENDUM
(DAMN DUDE)* (*bonkers)

18 Practice appearing in natural environment (7)
HABITAT
HABIT (practice) + AT (appearing)

20 Something is miserable losing head for love (6)
OBJECT
ABJECT (miserable) losing A (head) for O (love)

21 Net left in-between, confusing beginner (6)
NEWBIE
(I[n] B[et]WEEN)* (NET left, *confusing)

23 Top players had breakfast? (1,4)
A TEAM
ATE A.M. (had breakfast)

7 comments on “Financial Times 16,255 by VELIA”

  1. Mostly very easy but, for me, this is an excellent example of how to construct a cryptic at this level. Lots of nice surfaces, some humour and a handful of more difficult clueing, such as those for OBJECT & NEWBIE.

    In the blog for 10d, it should say anagram is of GOV CLEARED. In 18d, I had AT = “appearing in”.

    Thanks to Velia and Teacow.

  2. Thanks to Velia and Teacow. Easy, but lots of fun. I took a while parsing NEWBIE and enjoyed CRADLE-TO-GRAVE when I got it. TAHITIAN-Tahiti has appeared several times in the past two weeks (that combination of letters must be handy for a setter).

  3. All that Hovis said but I’d go even further and declare this a beauty of its type. Not at all hard but almost every clue had me humming, ‘Yup, neat.’
    Velia is a new setter me but as far as I’m concerned s/he can keep ‘em comIng if they’re all going to be as elegant as this.
    Thanks very much.

  5. If someone would tell me today that Velia is the setter who we also know as Matilda in the Guardian Quiptic series, I wouldn’t be surprised.

    The puzzles of both setters have the same feelgood factor.

    They feel good, indeed!

    The only thing that (s)he today should have avoided is using O = ‘love’ twice (in 1ac and 20d).

    Otherwise full marks.

    Thanks to our blogging combo Teacow* and Velia (although some at the Guardian website think a thank-you to the setter is inappropriate)

    * = a musical group? 🙂   Feels like you’re saying a musical combo. Don’t tell John Paul Jones!

     

  6. I’d echo the views of Grant Baynham @3 and Hovis @1.  I finished this relatively quickly but am not at all accomplished at this, but think it was an excellent work out and would hope that those more accomplished than me would also have enjoyed the variety and humour; and carrying challenging yet accessible crosswords seems a laudable goal to me.

  7. Thanks Velia and Teacow

    By the clock this would have seemed an easy puzzle, but it is not how it felt when I had written the last clue in.  Found it totally entertaining and most of the clues had some good thinking required to get the answer, with a couple of gimmes thrown in for good measure.

    Think that my favoruite would have had to be ZEPPELIN – didn’t immediately know the German count, but it had to be.  That was my third to last one in.

    Finished down in the SW corner with the very clever double / cryptic definitioned BLIND and the subtraction anagram to get NEWBIE.

    A very enjoyable puzzle to kick off the week.

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