Financial Times 16,572 by ARTEXLEN

by

A fine Artexlen puzzle.

Short of time this morning, so can't really do this justice at the moment, but this was a fantastic puzzle, keeping up the standard that has been shown across the papers this week.

My favourites were 21dn and 24ac.

Thanks, Artexlen.

ACROSS
1 POPLAR Centrepiece cut from big tree (6)
 

[centrepiece cut from] POP(u)LAR ("big")
4 SCABBARD Rat overturned dull case for weapon (8)
 

SCAB ("rat") + <=DRAB ("dull", overturned)
9 CHOIR Picked up some sheets for singers (5)
 

Homophone [picked up] of QUIRE ("some sheets" of paper)
10 FOMENTING Encouraging, pieces in gift with no plastic (9)
 

MEN (chess "pieces") in *(gift no) [anag:plastic]
11 ETCHING Impression of wretch in gallows (7)
 

Hidden in [of] "wETCH IN Gallows"
12 LONGEST Most extensive record about knight is French (7)
 

LOG ("record") about N (knight, in chess notation) + EST ("is in "French")
13 EMIT Utter spell backwards (4)
 

<=TIME ("spell", backwards)
14 PREMISES Parking neglectful outside European place of business (8)
 

P (parking) + REMISS ("neglectful") outside E (European)
17 EXCUSING Pardoning cross Conservative interrupting eccentric genius (8)
 

X (cross) + C (Conservative) interrupting *(genius) [anag:eccentric]
19 BARE Exposed support in auditorium (4)
 

Homophone [in auditorium] of BEAR ("support")
22 ALGEBRA System to calculate area with large underwear (7)
 

A (area) with Lge. (large) BRA ("underwear")
24 ANISEED I judge filling with strong flavour (7)
 

I + SEE ("judge") filling AND ("with")
25 INTENSIFY Female inside is ninety struggling for fuel (9)
 

F (female) inside *(is ninety) [anag:struggling]
26 ERICA Very nice day to totally strip plant (5)
 

[to totally strip] (v)ER(y) (n)IC(e) (d)A(y)

Erica is a genus of flowering plants.
27 FRONTAGE Facade from father presumably acting, missing son (8)
 

Fr. (father) + ON (s)TAGE ("presumably acting, missing S (son))
28 STREAK Tears about end of rock band (6)
 

*(tears) [anag:about] + [end of] (roc)K
DOWN
1 PACKETED Article for nothing, taken in wrapping (8)
 

P(o>A)CKETED ("taken" with A ("article") for (i.e. instead of) O (nothing))
2 PROACTIVE Taking the initiative, reinterpreted voice part (9)
 

*(voice part) [anag:reinterpreted]
3 ADROIT Notice one amongst cobblers that’s skilled (6)
 

AD ("notice") + I (one) amongst ROT ("cobblers")
5 COMPLIMENTARY Eulogistic report comprising place north of Italy (13)
 

COMMENTARY ("report") comprising Pl. (place) north of I (Italy)
6 BANANAS Maybe bunch of relatives half-heartedly supporting graduate (7)
 

NA(n)NAS ("relatives", half-heartedly) supporting BA (Bachelor of Arts, so "graduate")

The "half-heartedly" isn't necessary here. Nanas (grandmothers) is perfectly acceptable for "relatives".

7 ALIVE Still with us, a disease on the ascent (5)
 

A + <=EVIL ("disease", on the ascent)
8 DIGITS Appreciate IT with small pointers, perhaps (6)
 

DIG ("appreciate") + IT + S (small)
10 FIGURE SKATING Numbers on ruler spanning bounds of ancient sport (6,7)
 

FIGURES ("numbers") on KING ("ruler") spanning [bounds of] A(ncien)T
15 STATESIDE Test ideas swimming across the pond (9)
 

*(test ideas) [anag:swimming]
16 FEEDBACK Pass ball to defender for reaction (8)
 

FEED ("pass ball to") + BACK ("defender" in football)
18 CABINET Ministers dwelling over case of entrapment (7)
 

CABIN ("dwelling") over [case of] E(ntrapmen)T
20 TARIFF Row about a king’s duty (6)
 

TIFF ("row") about A + R (Rex, so "king")
21 DIVERT Deflect act to get foul rat disembowelled (6)
 

DIVE ("act to get foul") + R(a)T [disembowelled]
23 GET-GO Scrambled egg to start in California (3-2)
 

*(egg to) [anag:scrambled]

According to Chambers, this is an American term, thus the "in California" in the clue, but other dictionaries don't make that distinction. It seems perfectly OK in UK English, and is a term I have heard regularly over here.

10 comments on “Financial Times 16,572 by ARTEXLEN”

  2. Really enjoyed this. Some out-there definitions slowed me down somewhat but, if anything, added to the enjoyment.

    I remember watching an episode of Modern Life Is Goodish where Dave Gorman (a.k.a. Bluth) revealed a large number of web posts of people writing “From the gecko” instead of “From the get go”. How many were tongue-in-cheek, I wouldn’t hesitate to guess. I also don’t think it is particularly American.

    Despite the sad surface, my favourite was INTENSIFY for the misleading definition.

    Thanks to Artexlen and loonapick.

  3. Copmus @ 1, Lge and Lg are both in Chambers for Large. Strangely, L isn’t!

    Hovis @ 2, I don’t know if Gorman also mentioned “without further adieu”, and “whala” instead of voilà! Hundreds of examples on the internet.

  4. Lots of fun to be had today thanks to Artexlen. I, like, totally dig DIGITS, GET-GO, DIVERT and BANANAS. The ‘large’ issue also had me wondering at the parsing of ALGEBRA. Needed Loonapick’s blog to see ‘men’ for pieces and ‘rot’ in ADROIT but otherwise, a grid that seemed tough at first was a steady solve after all. Thanks both.

  5. I enjoyed this too, with the NW corner holding out LONGEST – the tricky PACKETED was my last in. There’s a first time for everything I suppose and I don’t remember seeing LGE for ‘large’ before either, so something to watch for the future.

    Favourite bit was the ‘act to get foul’ in DIVERT.

    Thanks to Artexlen and loonapick

  6. Thanks Artelexen for one of my favourite crosswords this week. Enjoyed POPLAR, DIGITS, FIGURE SKATING, CABINET, and DIVERT in particular. Thanks Loonapick for parsing — I never got PACKETED and didn’t understand ANISEED though I knew that had to be correct.

  8. A satisfying solve although several entries, e.g. ANISEED and ALIVE were guessed first and parsed later.

    Thanks, Artexlen and loonapick.

  9. Thanks, Artexelen and loonapick. I also didn’t get PACKETED; thanks for explanation and for parsing COMPLIMENTARY. Favorites were GET-GO, CHOIR and STATESIDE, but all well-done and a good solve.

  10. Thanks Artexlen and loonapick
    Another excellent offering from this setter which I didn’t find as hard as he can be to fill the grid, nevertheless bringing on some lateral thinking for some definitions and leaving some work to be done with unravelling the wordplay. For some reason COMPLIMENTARY was one thst I couldn’t parse properly.
    Did like working out FIGURE SKATING and DIVERT.
    Finished with those two long clues and FOMENTING in last.

Comments are closed.