Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of October 12, 2019
A curious, although perhaps barely significant, thing about this puzzle is that, while there are no three-letter answers, the answers include no fewer than 11 three-letter words (ALL, AND, BAD, EGG, GET, HAT, JOB, OFF, PUT, SET and THE).
My clue of the week is 1ac (BACKLESS) and I also especially like 10ac (SEXTET), 24ac (PRIMAL), 8dn (PUT-UP JOB) and 21dn (BAD EGG).
| Across | ||
| 1 | BACKLESS | As may be a dres? (8) |
| I am unsure how to categorize this other than as an &Lit but I think it’s a great clue. | ||
| 5 | TOSS-UP | Decent chance drunkard has returned with drink (4-2) |
| SOT (drunkard) backwards (has returned) + SUP (drink) | ||
| 9 | NARROWED | Finally politician moved apace, and came to the point (8) |
| [politicia]N + ARROWED (moved apace) | ||
| 10 | SEXTET | Ten in group, film four fewer? (6) |
| X (ten) in SET (group) + ET (film) | ||
| 11 | GARMENTS | Clothes German designed way back (8) |
| Anagram (designed) of GERMAN + ST (way) backwards (back) | ||
| 12 | PASS UP | Ignore young setter perhaps inhaling dope (4,2) |
| ASS (dope) in (inhaling) PUP (young setter perhaps) | ||
| 14 | GET-UP-AND-GO | Leave drive (3-2-3-2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | ALL THE RAGE | In leather gal gyrates (3,3,4) |
| Anagram (gyrates) of LEATHER GAL | ||
| 22 | CONFAB | Party great for talk (6) |
| CON (party) + FAB (great) | ||
| 23 | BROUHAHA | Fuss kicked up by relative, uncle initially laughing (8) |
| BRO (relative) + U[ncle] + HAHA (laughing) | ||
| 24 | PRIMAL | First mate biting lip (6) |
| RIM (lip) in (biting) PAL (mate) | ||
| 25 | SABOTAGE | Wave abates, go for wreck (8) |
| Anagram (wave) of ABATES GO | ||
| 26 | NEGATE | Deny worried by information on reflection (6) |
| GEN (information) backwards (on reflection) + ATE (worried) | ||
| 27 | STIFLING | Smart clothes provided on third of July – very hot (8) |
| IF (provided) + [ju]L[y] together in (clothes) STING (smart) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BENIGN | Charitable nation welcoming Ghanian leader (6) |
| G[hanian] in (welcoming) BENIN (nation) | ||
| 2 | CURARE | Copper, unusual poison (6) |
| CU (copper) + RARE (unusual) | ||
| 3 | LOOKER | Lovely eye (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | SWEETHEART | Precious weather set to change (10) |
| Anagram (to change) of WEATHER SET | ||
| 6 | OPERA HAT | A part he built under head of organisation that’s designed to collapse (5,3) |
| O[rganization] + anagram (built) of A PART HE. An opera hat is a type of top hat that is collapsible through a spring system, intended for less spacious venues. | ||
| 7 | SET ASIDE | Earmark tourist destination in which trouble kicking off (3,5) |
| T[rouble] in (in which) SEASIDE (tourist destination) | ||
| 8 | PUT-UP JOB | Fix building work? (3-2,3) |
| PUT-UP (building) + JOB (work) | ||
| 13 | JUGGERNAUT | Vessel near tug at sea, destructive force (10) |
| JUG (vessel) + anagram (at sea) of NEAR TUG | ||
| 15 | SAUCEPAN | Pot: range holds one filled with last of tofu (8) |
| [tof]U in (filled with) ACE (one) in (holds) SPAN (range) | ||
| 16 | PLANKING | Arrangement best for floorboards (8) |
| PLAN (arrangement) + KING (best) | ||
| 17 | PHEASANT | Hard to enter provincial game (8) |
| H (hard) in (to enter) PEASANT (provincial) | ||
| 19 | PUT OFF | Smoke rings to do later (3,3) |
| TO (to) in (rings) PUFF (smoke) | ||
| 20 | SALAMI | Meat product animal, a sausage’s bagged up (6) |
| Reverse (up) hidden word (bagged) | ||
| 21 | BAD EGG | Crook offered goods (3,3) |
| BADE (offered) + GG (goods) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Did this one on the Monday after publication and basically finished it on the day, but that was with an unparsed BACKLASH in at 1a. It was only later after going through my final parsing check that I was able to pick up the correct BACKLESS with a very loud penny clanging !! Can see some letter overwrites in the SW corner that I can’t discern, but obviously there was something wrong going in there as well initially.
A good solid workout and finished down in that SW corner with CONFAB and PLANKING (which was very clever with the second or third definition of KING that I could think of) the last couple in.
Thanks to Mudd and Pete. I did not find this one as daunting as the recent Monk puzzle though I did struggle until I finally pieced out BACKLESS. Also, “arrowed” as moved rapidly was new to me (and to my spell-checker).