Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of April 4, 2020
This was my quickest solve in a long time starting with 1ac which hit me instantly. My favourite clues are 7dn (SCORE), 17dn (CARTHORSE), 18dn (TIP AND RUN) and 26dn (CRACK).
Due to Covid-19, many crosswords that are normally prize puzzles have been relegated to ordinary, non-prize puzzles. And the FT Weekend crossword is one. The powers that be at FifteenSquared decided that we would publish solutions for such puzzles on the normal timetable and I am happy to go along with that.
| Across | ||
| 1 | AS FAR AS I CAN SEE | That’s the extent of my vision, to the best of my knowledge (2,3,2,1,3,3) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | HARED | Close to paintbrush a colour ran (5) |
| [paintbrus]H + A (a) + RED (colour) | ||
| 11 | ENDOSCOPE | Death thus returning, manage to find private investigator? (9) |
| END (death) + SO (thus) backwards (returning) + COPE (manage) with a very nice cryptic definition | ||
| 12 | LIP-READ | Promotion essential to story and commercial – see what I’m saying? (3-4) |
| PR (promotion) in (essential to) LIE (story) + AD (commercial) | ||
| 13 | EARNEST | Serious film about composer, humourless ultimately (7) |
| ARNE (composer) + [humourles]S together in (about) ET (film) | ||
| 14 | IDLER | Sloth is dawdling, leaving exceptional runners always at the front (5) |
| I[s] D[awdling] L[eaving] E[excpetional] R[unners] | ||
| 16 | ESCALATOR | Steps taken automatically to seal car off (9) |
| Anagram (off) of TO SEAL CAR with a cryptic definition that seems a bit stretchy to me | ||
| 19 | SUBEDITOR | Berth secured by gallant newspaper worker (9) |
| BED (berth) in (secured by) SUITOR (gallant) | ||
| 20 | ALPHA | Old character I see that pens record (5) |
| LP (record) in (pens) AHA (I see) | ||
| 22 | IMPEACH | One million, lovely charge (7) |
| I (one) + M (million) + PEACH (lovely) | ||
| 25 | HACKNEY | London borough cut Japanese funds back (7) |
| HACK (cut) + YEN (Japanese funds) backwards (back) | ||
| 27 | DRUM MAJOR | Leader on the march beat old PM (4,5) |
| DRUM (beat) + MAJOR (old PM) | ||
| 28 | AORTA | Vessel in amphora or tankard (5) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 29 | GROUND-BREAKING | New – as a hoe? (6-8) |
| Double definition. Well, a hoe would fit better as a ground-breaker | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | STRIP CLUB | Band on strike in sleazy establishment (5,4) |
| STRIP (band) + CLUB (strike) | ||
| 3 | ADDLE | Turn seat, dropping head (5) |
| [s]ADDLE (seat dropping head) | ||
| 4 | AMENDMENT | Reform Act gutless, get better people involved (9) |
| MEND (get better) + MEN (people) together in (involved) A[c]T | ||
| 5 | INDIE | Trendy: check out music genre (5) |
| IN (trendy) + DIE (check out) | ||
| 6 | AUSTRALIA | A lake in one nation – or another? (9) |
| A (a) + L (lake) together in (in) AUSTRIA (one nation) | ||
| 7 | SCORE | Scratch record (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | EVENTER | Flat terrain, not wet, for rider (7) |
| EVEN (flat) + TER[rain] (not wet) | ||
| 9 | CHILLI | Potential burner nippy, we hear? (6) |
| Homophone (we hear) of CHILLY (nippy) | ||
| 15 | RED SALMON | Last of silver medals forced on swimmer (3,6) |
| [silve]R + anagram (forced) of MEDALS + ON (on). I do not remember hearing of Red Salmon before but I now learn that it is an alternative name for what I know as Sockeye Salmon. | ||
| 17 | CARTHORSE | Drawing animal, short novel in mind (9) |
| Anagram (novel) of SHORT in (in) CARE (mind) | ||
| 18 | TIP AND RUN | Turn pad in silly game like cricket (3,3,3) |
| Anagram (silly) of TURN PAD IN
Tip and run is a game that is indeed like cricket but with the rule that, if the batsman hits the ball, he/she is obliged to run. I played it a few times myself as a boy.l |
||
| 19 | SHINDIG | Minding language, outsiders in stag party (7) |
| HINDI (language) in (minding) S[ta]G | ||
| 21 | ANYWAY | All the same, a street where yellow cab drives? (6) |
| A (a) + NY (where yellow cab drives) + WAY (street) | ||
| 23 | PLUTO | Set to inspire love primarily, love god! (5) |
| L (ove) in (to inspire) PUT (set) + O (love) | ||
| 24 | HIJAB | Welcome use of needle, making Muslim garment (5) |
| HI (welcome) + JAB (use of needle) | ||
| 26 | CRACK | Drug expert (5) |
| Double definition | ||
I’m getting used to Mudd but for the life of me I couldn’t see 9dn. A mental block!
Enjoyed this with favorites inc. LIP-READ, ALPHA, AMENDMENT, INDIE, ANYWAY, and PLUTO. Failed to get EVENTER, a new word for me. Thanks Mudd and Pete.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
It was a much easier challenge than what he normally delivers, finished in about half the normal time – and likewise, 1a was an immediate write in. Still some really nice clues to be found – my favourite was ANYWAY just for the brilliant surface reading.
Thought that ‘as a hoe’ would be GROUND-BREAKING, in the same sense ‘as a shovel’ when they were being used.
Finished down the bottom just from working top to bottom with HIJAB and CRACK the last two in.