Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of September 12, 2020
This proved to be my slowest solve in ages with the bottom-right quadrant being the part that challenged me most. My favourite clue is 16ac (HEBREWS) and I also especially like 21ac (ANGOLA) which cleverly involves two former Portuguese colonies.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | INSULT | Slight fractures at the back, until mended (6) |
| Anagram (mended) of [fracture]S UNTIL | ||
| 4 | MALTREAT | Small nation carrying on with leader in tyrant, bully (8) |
| RE (on) in (carrying) MALTA (small nation) + T[yrant] | ||
| 10 | TAUNTON | Don’t stop being provocative in West Country town (7) |
| TAUNT ON (don’t stop being provocative). Taunton is a town in the area of England called The West Country. | ||
| 11 | CLUSTER | Fifty in general, small group (7) |
| L (fifty) in (in) CUSTER (general) | ||
| 12 | MIDI | Skirt Mudd had, Mudd is returning (4) |
| ID (Mudd had) + IM (Mudd is) all backwards (is returning) | ||
| 13 | BEHIND BARS | Where drinks may be served in prison (6,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | TOILET | Where one goes to, one allowed (6) |
| TO (to) + I (one) + LET (allowed) | ||
| 16 | HEBREWS | What might one say about beer maker in book? (7) |
| HE BREWS (what might one say about beer maker). Hebrews is a book of the bible. | ||
| 20 | HEARING | Hard having explosion of rage in audition (7) |
| H (hard) + anagram (explosion of) RAGE IN | ||
| 21 | ANGOLA | Country life’s beginning in an Indian state (6) |
| L[ife] in AN (an) + GOA (Indian state) | ||
| 24 | PARTICULAR | Certain specification (10) |
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | YEAH | A little stye a hindrance, certainly (4) |
| Hidden word | ||
| 28 | HOTSHOT | So cold’s cold then, for expert? (7) |
| HOT’S HOT (so cold’s cold then) | ||
| 29 | CANZONE | Area behind container for air (7) |
| CAN (container) + ZONE (area). My Chambers defines ‘canzone’ as “a song or air resembling, but less elaborate than, a madrigal”. I am sure that I have come across the word before but it did not come to mind when I needed it and I solved this clue using a pattern-matching tool. | ||
| 30 | TURRETED | Rubbish uttered about king looking like a castle? (8) |
| R (king) in (about) anagram (rubbish) of UTTERED | ||
| 31 | WHEEZE | Gasp! Great idea! (6) |
| Double definition with the second one referring to a particularly British usage of the word to mean a clever or amusing scheme, idea, or trick. In my schooldays a particularly cunning idea might be called a super wheeze. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | INTIMATE | Convict admitting thieving idiots originally thick as thieves! (8) |
| T[hieving] I[diots] in (admitting) INMATE (convict) | ||
| 2 | SOUNDBITE | Memorable statement on debut is broadcast (9) |
| Anagram (broadcast) of ON DEBUT IS | ||
| 3 | LOTS | Send up part of ballast, old bags (4) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 5 | ARCHIVES | Line written on skin condition for the records (8) |
| ARC (line) + HIVES (skin condition) | ||
| 6 | THUNDERING | Very noisy creature beneath cracks (10) |
| UNDER (beneath) in (cracks) THING (creature) | ||
| 7 | EXTRA | Old form of transport drops in more (5) |
| EX (old) + TRA[in] (form of transport drops in) | ||
| 8 | THRUSH | Bird in the cut grass (6) |
| TH (the cut) + RUSH (grass) | ||
| 9 | ONSET | Beginning – ready to act? (5) |
| ON SET (ready to act?) | ||
| 14 | BEAR WITH ME | Wait a bit where struggling to rescue maiden (4,4,2) |
| M (maiden, as in cricket scoring) in (to rescue) anagram (struggling) of A BIT WHERE | ||
| 17 | WHOLESOME | Complete, certain proportion nice (9) |
| WHOLE (complete) + SOME (certain proportion) | ||
| 18 | UNSUBTLE | Obvious blues nut improvised (8) |
| Anagram (improvised) of BLUES NUT | ||
| 19 | CASHMERE | Money, only material (8) |
| CASH (money) + MERE (only) | ||
| 22 | UPSHOT | Conclusion done, go (6) |
| UP (done) + SHOT (go) | ||
| 23 | MATCH | Lighter tie (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 25 | ROTOR | Turner Prize so stressful for artists, every second (5) |
| [p]R[ize] [s]O [s]T[ressful] [f]O[r] [a]R[tists] | ||
| 27 | INCH | Worm bird initially ignored (4) |
| [f]INCH (bird initially ignored) | ||
For me, Mudd puzzles seem to alternate between good cop/bad cop: this week was good cop, at least for the left half of the grid.
Still, I needed the entire weekend to work out a few stubborn hold-outs like WHOLESOME. Even with all the crossers, ‘wholesome’ did not spring to mind for ‘nice’ and still wondered whether it or ‘complete’ was the definition. CANZONE was another – I’d penned in an unparsed CANTATA but an obvious CASHMERE meant this was wrong so had to go fishing.
But there was so much to like: INSULT, HEBREWS, TAUNTON and WHEEZE, one of those clever double definitions Mudd does so well.
Also really liked the echoing UPSHOT/HOTSHOT (so that’s how it parsed!) And the two hidden clues, 3d and 26ac, which were well disguised.
Thanks very much to Mudd and Pete.
I lately equate Mudd with paul’s second label made from younger vines-ie quite doable for a newbee.
the first label has mostly been good of late.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
This was a tough Mudd puzzle taking almost double my average time for an FT crossword – probably caused by some uncommon words for me (WHEEZE in this context, CANZONE), some trickily hidden definitions (21a, 20a, 7d, 17d and 22d) and some torturous word play (6d, 17d, 25d and 27d).
Having said that, it was a very enjoyable challenge and especially liked his trademark type clue in UPSHOT and the clever device with ROTOR (which took ages to twig on to).
Also finished in the SW corner with WHEEZE and INCH the last couple in.
How, exactly, does ‘to rescue’ indicate an insertion — As in 14d?
Aphid, perhaps “rescue” as in “grab hold of” ? Just my thought.
I was stuck on four clues in the SE corner, 29,31, 23, 27. I went to the wrong school.
I likes 12 as my favourite clue.
Like everyone else, I was stuck with the bottom left corner – Canzone! Who knew? I liked 10a and 16a as puns worthy of the requisite groan.