Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 22, 2020
Here we have a fairly typical Mudd with several excellent double definitions, my favourites being 3dn (AJAR) and 5dn (PRESENT). My clue of the week is the &Lit. 8dn (SEDATE).
| Across | ||
| 1 | LIBYAN | Travelling west, I left, with the assistance of an African (6) |
| I (I) + L (left) together backwards (travelling west) + BY (with the assistance of) + AN (an) | ||
| 4 | SPURIOUS | Dodgy inspection of unmentionables starts in one side of London (8) |
| I[nspection] O[f] U[nmentionable] in (in) SPURS (one side of London). ‘Spurs’ here is the nickname of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. | ||
| 10 | VANDALISE | Damage also inside case (9) |
| AND (also) in (inside) VALISE (case) | ||
| 11 | CHARD | Vegetable ending in salad behind fish (5) |
| CHAR (fish) + [sala]D | ||
| 12 | TACK | Pin down boat’s course (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | HOVERCRAFT | This travels on water: for the car, very different (10) |
| Anagram (different) of FOR THE CAR V (very). Strictly speaking, a hovercraft travels on a cushion of air, usually over water but possibly over land too. The clue is close enough though. | ||
| 15 | RAIMENT | Plan to cut payment for clothing (7) |
| AIM (plan) in (to cut) RENT (payment) | ||
| 16 | TRUMPS | Top suit belonging to president? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | CANTAB | Label on vessel for Cambridge (6) |
| CAN (vessel) + TAB (label). ‘Cantab’ is, I believe, an abbreviation of the Latin name for Cambridge. It is often used to denote degrees obtained at Cambridge University. | ||
| 21 | JUST NOW | Town upset by gravy a few moments ago (4,3) |
| JUS (gravy) + anagram (upset) of TOWN | ||
| 23 | TARDIGRADE | A darter, dig out tiny creature (10) |
| Anagram (out) of A DARTER DIG. According to Wikipedia, tardigrades, known colloquially as water bears or moss piglets, are a phylum of water-dwelling eight-legged segmented micro-animals. I have a vague memory of coming across the word in a crossword before. | ||
| 25 | LIVE | Be sinful in retirement (4) |
| EVIL (sinful) backwards (in retirement) | ||
| 27 | THONG | Band needing thumbthing thung? (5) |
| Lispy SONG | ||
| 28 | TWENTY-ONE | Number was taken away: that goes into ten, almost (6-3) |
| WENT (was taken away) + YON (that) in (goes into) TE[n] | ||
| 29 | SATURDAY | Most of tongue covered in Malaysian food for twenty-four hours (8) |
| URD[u] (most of tongue) in (covered in) SATAY (Malaysian food) | ||
| 30 | OBJECT | Aim to complain (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LAVATORY | Burning issue with politician in privy chamber (8) |
| LAVA (burning issue) + TORY (politician) | ||
| 2 | BONE CHINA | Fragile stuff on beach in fragments (4,5) |
| Anagram (fragments) of ON BEACH IN | ||
| 3 | AJAR | Open a pot (4) |
| A (a) + JAR (pot) | ||
| 5 | PRESENT | What’s given here (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | RACECOURSE | Track – a resource that’s built around circuit, primarily (10) |
| C[ircuit] in anagram (that’s built) of A RESOURCE | ||
| 7 | OMAHA | Found up in Utah, a Mormon US city (5) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 8 | SEDATE | Somewhat composed, at ease? (6) |
| Hidden word &Lit. | ||
| 9 | PIG OUT | Gorge: place in which I travel (3,3) |
| I (I) + GO (travel) together in PUT (place) | ||
| 14 | LEFT-WINGER | Player in red? (4-6) |
| The consensus is that this a double definition although I think a case might be made for its being a cryptic definition. | ||
| 17 | PANTIHOSE | Hope stain comes out in underwear (9) |
| Anagram (comes out) of HOPE STAIN. PANTYHOSE is the more common spelling by far but PANTIHOSE seems to be used a significant amount too. | ||
| 18 | SWEETEST | Most delightful little river on which swan initially sits (8) |
| S[wan] + WEE (little) + TEST (river) | ||
| 20 | BIRETTA | Bishop has one on extremely tight, a square cap (7) |
| B (bishop) + I (one) + RE (on) + T[igh]T + A (a) | ||
| 21 | JUDGES | Rules on book (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | STATUS | Information about university rank (6) |
| U (university) in (about) STATS (information) | ||
| 24 | ROOST | Part of tree including second branch, perhaps? (5) |
| S (second) in (including) ROOT (part of tree) | ||
| 26 | STAB | Shot wound (4) |
| Double definition | ||
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Entertaining puzzle as ever from Mudd which I was getting through quite comfortably until slowing down with the SW corner. 1d brought a wry smile in the way that this setter has a good knack of doing.
Had 14d as another double definition after shrugging off the Man U kit. Had to puzzle on the play with TWENTY ONE for a while.
Finished with that TARDIGRADE (which I can’t remember coming across before), STATUS (which wasn’t as hard as I made it) and my favourite of the lot when I finally got THONG !!
PIGOUT, THONG and STATUS were especially neat, I thought. I failed to parse SATURDAY, but the solution was obvious from the crossers, so no complaint here. Thanks, Mudd and Pete for the excellent entertainment.
Thanks to Pete and Mudd
For 28a I think it’s “was taken away” = “went”, and “yon” = “that”
In 2d I assume “fragments” is being used as a verb
14a I took as a DD
Tardigrades are fascinating creatures.
Dansar, Thank you. Now I see it your way, I am satisfied that I got 28a wrong and have corrected the explanation.
Although I agree with Dansar@3 in most respects, I disagree about 2d: surely it’s ‘on beach in’ which is ‘in fragments’, and so ‘fragments’ is a noun not a verb. Otherwise ‘in’ would be rather an encumbrance and the clue would possibly even be unsound, rather than the good clue I think it is.
Sorry, just read my post, which is nonsense. Dansar is quite right.
I wish one could delete posts one regrets.
As always Mudd provides great amusement. Looking back I ticked 25, 29, 30, 1d, and 9 as esp. clever. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Late again! I still haven’t got used to the FT’s prize puzzle blogs getting posted midweek rather than weekends. I don’t think to check until I settle down on Sunday morning with this weekend’s offering.
This puzzle had me flummoxed for a long while, but it was all of my own doing: because having _ _ _ _ – _ I _ G _ R already in 14d, I confidently entered BELL-RINGER – thinking ‘red’ must refer to the aprons worn by the Sally Army’s bell-ringing volunteers – then the E from 15a confirmed it must surely be right. Wrong! I eventually figured out 19a and so the penny finally dropped on my mistake, but it cost me more time than the rest of the puzzle combined.
The rest was lots of fun, as usual.
Thanks to all.