Financial Times 16,450 by HAMILTON

by

Tough stuff for a Tuesday, I thought. Not that the the days are currently much differentiated…

Being a chess-player and Zsa-Zsa fan, I got off to a flying start in the top left, expecting at least a pangram, what with all those Zs. Then I came to a juddering halt…

Ah, well, I got there in the end, despite finding some of the ‘filler’ words a bit iffy this morning.
I’ve become a Hamilton fan over the years but I have to say this one was more of a grind than usual.
Good moments though, so thanks to him.
Keep on keeping on, everyone.

completed grid

 

Across
1 ZUGZWANG Start zig-zagging around premier university ground and fret about game blockade (8)
‘Starts’ of Z(ig) & Z(agging) around starts (‘premier’) of U{niversity} G{round}, then reversal (‘about’) of GNAW (‘fret’). Phew.
6 SHREWD Knowing Kate has diamonds (6)
If you don’t know that the character ‘Kate’ is ‘The Shrew’ in ‘The Taming…’ thereof by William Shakespeare, then you’re screwed. Followed by D[iamonds].
9 EDWARD One guy with another dependant (6)
ED is a guy, a WARD is a dependant and there you go. It works, if you scratch your head long enough.
10 TEAMMATE Drink took two minutes in reaching fellow man (8)
TEA (‘drink’) + ATE (‘took’) with 2x M[inutes] in it, innit.
11, 22 GEMSTONE Admirable people pitch for baguette (8)
GEMS (‘admirable people’) + TONE (‘pitch’), a ‘baguette’ being a square-cut gemstone. You knew that.
12 CANDELABRA Surprisingly clean ad for supporter of lamp-stands (10)
Anagram (‘surprisingly’) of CLEAN AD then BRA (‘supporter’ for something).
14 VLOGGERS It’s a sign to foresters making short films (8)
I think it’s a V-sign + LOGGERS (‘foresters’), but your guess is as good as mine as to where the def is.
16   See 18
18, 16 HERBARIA Man in Berlin receives degree on Iowa’s plant collections (8)
HER.R (a ‘man in Berlin’) includes BA (‘degree’) then I[ow]A.
19 AARDWOLF Animal is 50% anteater and 100% carnivore! (8)
Half of AARDvark + all of WOLF. A bit duplicitous, I fancy.
21 UNFRIENDLY Not the type of greeting to expect in Tonga? (10)
Cryptic def, Tonga being one of the Friendly Islands, of course, and the subject of Flanders’ & Swann’s shortest song, which I commend to the company.
22   See 11
24 NARRATOR The 3 R’s? No ta, a poor reflection on reporter (8)
Anagram (‘poor’) of 3xR+ NO TA  A.
26 ANYHOW A US city Doctor Who finds haphazardly (6)
A + N[ew] Y[ork] + anagram (‘doctor’) of WHO.
27 STODGY Dirty place houses nothing chief exec finds dull (6)
ST.Y (a ‘dirty place’) includes 0 + D[irector] G[eneral] (‘chief exec’).
28 PRESUMED Supposed to have taken liberties (8)
Double definition.
Down
2 UNDUE Not owing what’s excessive (5)
And again.
3 ZSA ZSA GABOR Two African countries twice go and bar awkward actress (3,3,5)
Z = Zambia, SA = South Africa, both x2, then an anagram (‘awkward’) of GO + BAR. Loved Zsa Zsa in ‘Green Acres’, the 60s sitcom whose theme tune (which she sang) I remember word for word.
4 ADDICTED Hooked on play for the educated involving theologian and I (8)
ACT (‘play’) + ED[ucated] includes DD (‘theologian’) + I.
5 GOT ONES DANDER UP Having ensured panto dog was performing, became somewhat cross (3,4,6,2)
Anagram (‘was performing’)  of ENSURED PANTO DOG.
6 STACEY The girl having time for one in the Seychelles (6)
T[ime] + ACE (‘one’) in SeYchelles. Correct, I think, but a bit ho-hum.
7, 25 RAMROD Morning run out in the road for disciplinarian (6)
RoaD includes AM + R[un] O[ut] (in cricket).
8 WATER MILL Spooner says adhesive is to pass down to riverside works (5,4)
Spoonerism (I hate ’em) of mortar + will (to ‘pass down’ after death).
13 AWAY WITH YOU Second person is off first? I don’t believe it! (4,4,3)
Cryptic playfulness around ‘you’ as 2nd person pronoun. ‘First’ seems a bit unnecessary.
15 LIE IN WAIT Hide alleged responsibility for late morning initially (3,2,4)
LIE-IN (‘late morning’) + WEIGHT (‘responsibilty’), sort-of homophonically.
17 TRAYBAKE No limit to marketability when employed making sweetmeat (8)
Anagram (‘when employed’) of ‘mARKETABilitY’ without letters of ‘LIMIT’.
20 SENTRY Guard for stripper’s lead appearance (6)
1st of Stripper + ENTRY (‘appearance’).
23 NOOSE Ring shortly to return to Spain (5)
SOON, reversed, + E[spana].
25   See 7

*anagram

17 comments on “Financial Times 16,450 by HAMILTON”

  1. Thanks for the blog and to Hamilton for a good puzzle. In Green Acres, it was Eva Gabor who played Lisa (“good-bye city life!”). I think v-log, or video blog, probably grew into the word vlogger, for a short film of the same type, although I did find any dictionary justification for this.

  2. Gave up halfway through this. Seeing the solutions, I’m not surprised. Terrible clueing I thought. Z Z for start (not even starts) zig-zagging, ED & EDWARD are the same guy, to me VLOGGERS are those that make the films but ub may be correct, ZSA for two African countries, STACEY for the girl, and so on. Am I being cranky?

  4. This was hard going. ZUGZWANG, TRAYBAKE and AARDWOLF – what a trifecta. Or easy I suppose if you’re a chess-playing pastry chef with an interest in zoology. And the pastry chef bit wouldn’t have helped with the ‘baguette’ either; you needed to be a lapidarist too.

    Still, a difficult one like this is good for the soul, so mustn’t whinge. I liked the reminder of ZSA ZSA GABOR – the world could do with a few more eternally positive people like her at the moment.

    Thanks to Hamilton and Grant

  5. A toughie for me today. Almost finished it, but failed on STACEY and GEMS. As per usual, the Spooner doesn’t work for me.

  6. Hovis, at least you made it to half way! I think this was well beyond tough. Thanks and congratulations to Grant for bringing light to a very dark place.

  7. This took me at least twice as long as today’s Imogen in the Guardian.
    And when you see the name Hamilton you know you’re in for some quirkiness.
    Here there were quite a few things that belong to the category ‘my pet hates’.
    But it didn’t prevent me from finishing the crossword (which most solvers think is what it’s all about).

    Well, I couldn’t get STACEY (6d) but that was mainly because I took the Internet domain name for the Seychelles (SC) instead of the IVR code.
    However, also because for Hamilton ‘time for one’ means ‘T + ACE’.
    By the way, a thing that he did on a few other occasions as well:
    In 12ac, 4d and probably also in 15d (why would you otherwise use ‘initially’?).

    I agree with Hovis’s objections and would like to add a couple more.
    Using ‘premier university ground’ for ‘UG’ is similar to ‘first class’ for ‘C’ – yes, of these pet hates.
    While the surface needs it, for me no past tense in an indicator: 5d’s ‘was performing’ is the wrong cryptic grammar.
    But I know, many solvers don’t care.

    Enough clues that I enjoyed, too many that were a bit iffy.
    Many thanks to Grant & Hamilton.

  8. I didn’t like “start zig-zagging” producing Z,Z either.  And vlogs would be short films, vlogging would be making short films — I can’t see vloggers being anything other than people who vlog.  Oh well.

    thanks H and G (though… you liked Green Acres? for real? I guess it has a certain camp appeal.

  9. Thanks for the blog, Grant Baynham.
    I should have given up on this after 1ac. Unfortunately I persisted and it has ruined my afternoon.

  10. And another objection: in 17dn there is no indication that the letters of ‘limit’ have to be taken from different places in ‘marketability’.

    But we just about got there after a struggle.  Somehow GEMSTONE evaded us despite seeing the ‘jewel’ definition of ‘baguette’ in the dictionary, all we could think of was ‘keystone’ which didn’t seem quite right.

    Some good clues, though; we liked SHREWD

    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  12. Hovis@2 If you’re being cranky then so am I because I share your sentiments. Too many obscure words, too few constructions that were satisfying. ANYHOW was fun, this crossword wasn’t. Thanks Grant for shedding light on so many I missed.

  13. allan_c @11:
    You could (I say, you could) see 17dn as:
    “no LIMIT in (MARKETABILITY)*” which then e.g. is “no LIMIT in TRAYBAKELIMIT”.
    That would be all right, no second anagram indicator needed.

    ILAN CARON @8:
    I think 14ac should be seen as:
    “(wordplay for answer) making short movies”,
    in which then the answer replaces the wordplay within the surface.
    This gives “VLOGGERS making short movies” (which is a valid statement).
    I don’t like it very much but I have seen such a ‘construction’ before, it’s probably OK.
    The unfortunate thing, though, is that the word ‘making’ suggests that
    the ‘wordplay’ is making ‘short films’ – however, the latter is not the definition.
    No, not ideal.

  15. Actually love ‘em when you have to learn new words and understand devious setters minds. Certainly helps pass the time in strict NZ lockdown.
    Thanks to Hamilton for deviousness and new words and to Grant for adding humour to the elucidation!

  16. Gave up long before the end, and pleased I did so.

    Thanks to all above for explaining the mysteries of this puzzle and to a few of you for making me laugh out loud.

    “I don’t Adam and Eve it” is Cockney rhyming slang for “I don’t believe it”. So I was convinced Adam and Eve was something to do with the answer to 13 down. Especially as Adam fitted with the crossers!

    Hmmmm

  17. Thanks Hamilton and Grant
    I do like the quirkiness of this fellow. I do the occasional Times puzzle to get the feelin of total correctness (well mostly) in a solve.
    Had to letter search ZUGZWANG – unusual word and quite a tough word play, so probs a little unfair for an ‘early-in-the-week’ daily puzzle.
    Took over the hour and a half to get out with half of that time dedicated to getting TRAYBAKE as the last one in. Headslapped myself when I finally twigged to the subtraction anagram trick.

Comments are closed.