Financial Times 16,438 by FALCON

8 comments on “Financial Times 16,438 by FALCON”

1. In case anybody else is wondering about “as” = “what” in 13a, the example in my Collins is “I did as I was told”.

   Didn’t find this up to Falcon’s usual standard but enjoyable overall.

   I particularly dislike clues such as that for VANITY FAIR. I feel that the cryptic fodder should help solvers get the answer even if they are unfamiliar with the novel – here the clue is barely cryptic.

   Thanks to Teacow and Falcon.

2. Thanks Teacow.
   I agree with Hovis about 14dn. Please could someone tell me why Pawnbroker = Uncle?
   Thanks.

3. Thanks Hovis for the as/what clarification — I was too lazy to look it up.  But I did lookup Vanity Fair to confirm the Rebecca Sharp thing — I guess either you know it or you don’t.  I didn’t. Uncle=pawnbroker because Chambers says so — haven’t found a convincing derivation though.

4. Thanks to both. I was held up for a while having confidently entered “CRUDe” for 6a, as being “ingrained dirt”. I did not solve 17d even recognizing the need for a “q”, I entered “query pot” with no confidence and could not understand the need for “Australian”. I do now, as UK  is now metric.

5. Thanks Falcon and Teacow

   A good lunchtime solve with this one and a couple that I had to think a bit harder through and a couple that I had to look up and check afterwards.

   Afraid to admit that I’ve never heard of a QUART POT – from the definition of it, sounds like another name for what I know as a billy !  Assumed that there would be a character called ‘Sharp’ in Thackeray’s VANITY FAIR and had to look it up – must admit that was looking for something more in the clue though !  Liked the doubly defined NAPOLEON even if it was a bit of a gimme.

   Finished up in the NW corner with JASMINE, AGEING and ALAS the last few in.

6. Thanks to Falcon and Teacow. Easy but very enjoyable. I needed all the crossers to get TURTLENECK my LOI. RED SKY AT NIGHT called to mind the sailor’s axiom followed  by “sailor’s delight, red sky in the morning sailors take warning.”

7. ACD @6
   It is a shepherd’s delight where I come from.
   Last letter I filled in was a ‘Z’, but I failed to spot the pangram. Never read or watched Vanity Fair, so had no idea what Sharp was all about.
   Finally, came across Manchester in the Independent just yesterday.

8. You wait ages for a pangram and then two come along at once! (Silvanus’ puzzle in today’s Indy was a pangram too.)

   Thanks, Falcon and Teacow.

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