Jason provides this morning's FT crossword.
A first pass of the across clues yielded a handful of entries, enough to make the down clues very straightforward. Getting the two long answers then meant that the remaining across solutions slotted in quite quickly too. I was held up a bit by PANACHE as it took me a while to see NAP backwards as "back down".
Thanks, Jason.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MASSACRE | Butcher’s service, outstanding, Queen admitted (8) |
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MASS ("service") + ACE ("outstanding") with R (regina, so "queen") admitted |
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| 5 | ASKING | Lying in the warm sun without top and grilling (6) |
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(b)ASKING ("lying in the warm sun" without top) |
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| 10 | MOCHA | Instant tea drink (5) |
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MO ("instant") + CHA ("tea") |
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| 11 | EMOTICONS | Economist put out images with feeling (9) |
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*(economist) [anag:put out] |
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| 12 | EXPENSIVE | Dear one left dreamy (9) |
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EX ("one" who has "left") + PENSIVE ("dreamy") |
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| 13 | MAYBE | Spring month starts from broaching every possibility (5) |
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MAY ("spring month") + [starts from] B(roaching) E(very) |
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| 14 | RAGTAG | Disorganised kid with it (6) |
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RAG ("kid", as in "make fun of") + TAG ("it", as in the children's game) |
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| 15 | PANACHE | Back down craving theatrical style? (7) |
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[back] <=NAP ("down") + ACHE ("craving") |
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| 18 | PITCHER | I chuck jug (7) |
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Double definition |
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| 20 | FACING | Looking at female playing a hole in one (6) |
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F (female) + ACING ("playing a hole in on") |
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| 22 | APING | A report of nearby sub taking off (5) |
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A + PING ("report of nearby sub" in sonar) |
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| 24 | MOONSHINE | Homes in on distilled hooch (9) |
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*(homes in on) [anag:distilled] |
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| 25 | IMITATION | Sham check on budget Left and Right blocked (9) |
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(l)IMIT ("check") on (r)ATION with L and R blocked |
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| 26 | USAGE | Trump’s country, for example, rejected practice (5) |
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USA ("Trump's country") + <= E.G. ("for example", rejected) |
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| 27 | GEMINI | Twins, perhaps, diamond in one (6) |
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GEM ("perhaps, diamond") + IN + I (one) |
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| 28 | VEHEMENT | Hot hunks in check (8) |
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HE-MEN ("hunks") in VET ("check") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MEMBER | One in the club to recall blackballing the first couple (6) |
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(re)MEMBER ("to recall", blackballing the first couple (of letters)) |
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| 2 | SYCOPHANT | Who acts with phony crawling? (9) |
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*(acts phony) [anag:crawling] and &lit. |
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| 3 | AGAINST THE GRAIN | Not in favour of whisky, say — contrary to expectations (7,3,5) |
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AGAINST ("not in favour of") + WHISKY ("the grain") |
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| 4 | REELING | Staggering call involving slippery sort (7) |
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RING ("call") involving EEL ("slippery sort") |
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| 6 | SWIMMING COSTUME | Trunks which could make some cut? (8,7) |
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A reverse anagram – *(some cut) would give COSTUME with the anagrind being SWIMMING |
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| 7 | IRONY | Press unknown literary technique? (5) |
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IRON ("press") + Y ("unknown" in matheamtics) |
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| 8 | GAS METER | Waffle clock? This accounts for its consumption (3,5) |
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GAS ("waffle") + METER ("clock") |
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| 9 | BO-PEEP | Game flockmistress who’s slack? (2-4) |
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Double definition, the second mildly cryptic as Little BO-PEEP lost her sheep, which suggests a certain level of slackness in her shepherding abilities |
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| 16 | CANDIDATE | Throw away fruit I had brought in as competitor (9) |
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CAN ("throw away") + DATE ("fruit") with I'D ("I had") brought in |
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| 17 | UPDATING | Revamping courting for social climbers? (8) |
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Social climbers may date posher people, so UP-DATING |
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| 19 | REMAIN | Stay on channel (6) |
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RE ("on") + MAIN ("channel", or body of water) |
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| 20 | FLOUNCE | Flop like a fluid cat? (7) |
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Fl. (fluid) + OUNCE (snow leopard, so "cat") |
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| 21 | DEFEAT | Worst or best of excellent scoff (6) |
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DEF ("excellent") + EAT ("scoff") |
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| 23 | IDIOM | Peculiar turn of phrase from top plod in Isle of Man (5) |
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DI (detective inspector, so "top plod") in IOM (Isle of Man) |
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An enjoyable romp for the most part but came to grief on the LOI, 21d. A number of candidates crossed my mind, none of which I could parse, so I came here for the solution.
Liked 2d for its surface, the clever 10a and the two long clues. FLOUNCE at 2d is an interesting one given that it can mean moving in a jaunty way or the exact opposite in this case. Also found the parsing of 28a amusing.
Thanks to Jason and Loonapick.
Interestingly, there is almost an identical clue and answer in the Times Quick Cryptic today – and in exactly the same position in the grid too. I won’t spoil it by saying which one though. Is Jason an alternate for Orpheus?
Thanks to Jason and loonapick. I enjoyed this puzzle, though I did not parse pan-nap and, even with all the crossers. took a while spotting VEHEMENT.
Thanks Jason and loonapick
A good coffee-time puzzle that had some barbs in the tail. Ended up messing up the parsing of 25a – though that the Left and Right meant taking the perimeter letters from [L]IMITATION[S] for ‘check on budget’ and didn’t equate TAG to ‘it’ in 14a and needed the blog for clarification there.
Had to get MOONSHINE before noticing that it was an anagram and appreciated unravelling the word play of VEHEMENT.
Finished in the NW corner with MEMBER and MASSACRE the last couple in.
Thanks to L and J. I do have one query though – in 9d, the game used to be call peep-bo, at least it was the last time I played it (admittedly a long time ago!). Didn’t spoil the fun though.
*called
This was OK, but 21 down doesn’t work for me at all. I simply do not understand the parsing of it.