Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 8, 2020
I found this puzzle atypical for Mudd and also impressive and possibly even innovative.
I quickly guessed the two clues with long answers, 1 (SCIENCE-FICTION) and 29 (FINANCIAL TIMES), but took some time to figure out how they work. They make a clever pair with their wordplay leading (in a conventional way) not to the ultimate answer but to an abbreviation of the answer. I do not recall a clue like this before and wonder if Mudd has come up with something new. It does mean that the clue is indirect but a small and easy amount of indirectness is widely considered to be acceptable. Indeed, a small amount of indirectness can go a long way! If this is new, it is nothing momentous, not a new clue type at a fundamental level but a new twist that I think should be applauded and welcomed. And, if it is not new, then please pardon my lack of scope.
My other favourites are 16ac (IN FASHION), 19ac (TOP BANANA), 25ac (EARPLUG) and 8dn (NINEPIN).
| Across | ||
| 1 | SCIENCE-FICTION | Literary genre in terrific story briefly recalled? (7-7) |
| SCI-FI as a reverse hidden word | ||
| 10 | CARPI | One after fish bones (5) |
| CARP (fish) + I (one). The carpus is a bone of the human wrist that lends its name to carpal tunnel syndrome. | ||
| 11 | SINGLETON | One in a suit – wearing vest? (9) |
| SINGLET-ON (wearing vest?) | ||
| 12 | LASAGNA | A dip covered in lemon rind on a dish (7) |
| A (a) + SAG (dip) in (covered in) L[emo]N + A (a) | ||
| 13 | HEN COOP | Cook once stuffing spring chickens in here (3,4) |
| Anagrem (cook) of ONCE in (stuffing) HOP (spring) | ||
| 14 | TWANG | Sound of plucking pheasant now gonna mean crowing ends (5) |
| [pheasan]T [no]W [gonn]A [mea]N [crowin]G. Not a good clue for Spooner. | ||
| 16 | IN FASHION | Hot Finnish sauna ultimately designed to inspire love (2,7) |
| O (love) in (to inspire) anagram (designed) of FINNISH [saun]A | ||
| 19 | TOP BANANA | Leader has to lead a fool (3,6) |
| TO (to) + PB (lead) + A (a) + NANA (fool) | ||
| 20 | RISER | Part of step is elevated, initially, between rivers (5) |
| IS (is) + E[levated] together in (between) RR (rivers) | ||
| 22 | CALL OUT | Challenge a Liberal in power (4,3) |
| A (a) + L (Liberal) together in (in) CLOUT (power) | ||
| 25 | EARPLUG | Silencer that’s soft put in pair of listeners? (7) |
| P (soft) in (in) EAR LUG (pair of listeners) | ||
| 27 | ORANGUTAN | Blooming cages chimed with an ape (9) |
| RANG (chimed) in (cages) OUT (blooming) + AN (an) | ||
| 28 | BENIN | Mountain surrounded by country (5) |
| BEN (mountain) + IN (surrounded by) | ||
| 29 | FINANCIAL TIMES | Crime not taking the newspaper (9,5) |
| [the]FT (crime not taking the) | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | CARD SHARP | A dodgy dealer? (4,5) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 3 | EYING | Looking at investment of money in grants (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 4 | COSTA RICA | Nation source of drug, big name I imported (5,4) |
| STAR (big name) + I (I) together in (imported) COCA (source of drug) | ||
| 5 | FINCH | Bird finds worm under calf’s bottom (5) |
| [cal]F + INCH (worm) | ||
| 6 | COLONISER | Person settling close in, or abroad (9) |
| Anagram (abroad) of CLOSE IN OR | ||
| 7 | INTRO | Opening notes, interviewer needing to review objectives, primarily (5) |
| I[nterviewer] N[eeding] T[o] R[eview] O[bjectives] | ||
| 8 | NINEPIN | Bowler aims to hit one over square leg (7) |
| NINE (square) + PIN (leg) | ||
| 9 | OCELOT | Duck kept by old, old Briton for cat (6) |
| O (duck) in (kept by) O (old) + CELT (old Briton) | ||
| 15 | GLAMORGAN | Not entirely happy Welshman in historical county (9) |
| GLA[d] (not entirely happy) + MORGAN (Welshman) | ||
| 17 | FRATERNAL | Father and a bird most of all related (9) |
| FR (father) + A (a) + TERN (bird) + AL[l] | ||
| 18 | INSOLENCE | Front part of shoe nicked, oddly (9) |
| INSOLE (part of shoe) + N[i]C[k]E[d] | ||
| 19 | TICK OFF | Departing after second lecture (4,3) |
| TICK (second) + OFF (departing) | ||
| 21 | RAGING | Spirit suppressed by newspaper, on the warpath (6) |
| GIN (spirit) in (suppressed by) RAG (newspaper) | ||
| 23 | LEARN | Pick up (literally) a king penguin, finally (5) |
| LEAR (a king) + [pengui]N | ||
| 24 | TUTTI | All together expressing disapproval, no good avoiding it (5) |
| TUTTI[ng] (expressing disapproval, NG avoiding it) | ||
| 26 | RABBI | Religious teacher, brothers’ father dismissing Old Testament in religious instruction (5) |
| ABB[ot] (brothers’ father dismissing Old Testament) in RI (religious instruction) | ||
29a. This clue struck a chord with me and some searching showed that Mudd had somewhat used the device before. It was in one of your puzzles FT 16,052 posted on 10 January 2019 (How time flies!)
THEFT This is pilfering! (5)
THE FT (this)
Thank you both.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
I’m sure that I’ve seen the SCI-FI trick done similarly to this before, perhaps in a Times puzzle. Got to say that I did enjoy both of these clue types here.
A lot of other enjoyable clues throughout the puzzle had had to alter my spellings for LASAGNA (A for E) and ORANGUTAN (U for A) during the solve. Took a while to properly parse TOP BANANA and TUTTI (both very clever after finally seeing them).
Finished with three shorties down the bottom – that TUTTI, RABBI and BENIN after a shorter than it felt time.
Mudd has become one of my favorite setters. HEN COOP might be my favorite clue. Thanks Pete for explaining FINANCIAL TIMES.
Yes, Mudd’s my preferred weekend chum. My favourite this time was SINGLET ON, which made me laugh. Thanks, Pete and Mudd.
Like others I really enjoyed this and generally do enjoy this setter’s puzzles, in his other guises too. 1a was my favourite clue in ages, but I’m afraid I was less impressed by 29a, which I felt needed a hint – like ‘briefly’ in 1a – towards the wordplay’s trick.
Anyway, I’m now off to wallow in today’s Mudd!
Thanks to all.
I was held up in the bottom right quadrant EARPLUG. I had EARBUDS reading ‘Listeners’ as the definition and plural.
First cryptic I’ve attempted in 5 years or so. Good stuff though.
Thanks for the blog.
Jake.