Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 19, 2020
This puzzle was a very unusual one for me in that there was one clue that I was completely unable to explain, 3dn (KNOCK). In addition I did not fully understand the wordplay of another clue, 2dn (DICKY-BIRD). Fortunately commenters here have filled me in on what I missed. Thank you Gurney and Martyn.
And I believe there is a typo in 21ac.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SIDEKICK | Associate team with potency (8) |
| SIDE (team) + KICK (potency) | ||
| 5 | CHOPIN | Cut up in fast waltzer? (6) |
| CHOP (cut up) + IN (in) | ||
| 9 | RECKONED | Corked wine not half appalling, it’s considered (8) |
| Anagram (appalling) of CORKED [wi]NE | ||
| 10 | PROTEA | Shrub for brew (6) |
| PRO (for) + TEA (brew) | ||
| 12 | KAYAK | Boat that may roll over, just the same? (5) |
| Palindrome (over just the same) | ||
| 13 | SPARE TYRE | Thin exhaust, did you say? One’s at the back of car (5,4) |
| SPARE (thin) + homophone (did you say) of TIRE (exhaust) | ||
| 14 | WIZARD | Ace speller (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | PEACHES | Fruit cheapest when cut badly (7) |
| Anagram (badly) of CHEAPES[t] | ||
| 19 | UNDOING | Admitting murder, gun used in downfall (7) |
| DO IN (murder) in (admitting) anagram (used) of GUN | ||
| 21 | BAKING | Still of cook filling container with blood (6) |
| KIN (blood) in (filling) BAG (container). There must be a typo in the clue because, surely, the definition should be “skill of cook”. | ||
| 23 | FRONT DOOR | Opener for Durham’s opening, or not when unreliable? (5,4) |
| Anagram (when unreliable) of FOR D[urham] OR NOT | ||
| 25 | SAY-SO | Permission, for example, like that (3-2) |
| SAY (for example) + SO (like that) | ||
| 26 | GRITTY | Hard-hitting, with hard bits? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | MACARONI | Italian food carried back by Bedouin, or a Cameroonian (8) |
| Reverse hidden word | ||
| 28 | THEMED | The sea full of similar elements (6) |
| THE (the) + MED (sea) | ||
| 29 | WESLEYAN | Methodist law seen to change around end of May (8) |
| [ma]Y in (around) anagram (to change) of LAW SEEN | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | STRIKE | Down tools in box (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | DICKY-BIRD | Shaky time for little singer? (5- 4) |
| DICKY (shaky) + BIRD (time, an in a prison term) | ||
| 3 | KNOCK | Criticise every run collected by batsman (5) |
| Double definition with the second being a cricket term that describes a total score by a batsman. | ||
| 4 | CREASED | Crinkly crisps, two-thirds off, reduced (7) |
| CR[isps] + EASED (reduced) | ||
| 6 | HORSEBACK | Broke: cash generation riding on this? (9) |
| Anagram (generation) of BROKE CASH | ||
| 7 | POTTY | Crazy target of very young trainer? (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | NEAR EAST | Transcontinental region, northern area set for redevelopment (4,4) |
| Anagram (for redevelopment) of N AREA SET | ||
| 11 | LAMP | Lighter grip, head released (4) |
| [c]LAMP (grip, head released) | ||
| 15 | ARISTOTLE | Child in Israel infuriated old teacher (9) |
| TOT (child) in (in) anagram (infuriated) of ISRAEL | ||
| 17 | HUNKY-DORY | Fine, big fish (5-4) |
| HUNKY (big) + DORY (fish) | ||
| 18 | BUNFIGHT | Party disagreement occurring when hot and cross, perhaps? (8) |
| BUN (when hot and cross, perhaps) + FIGHT (disagreement). ‘Bunfight’ is an informal British term for a party, particularly a tea party I believe. I had come across it before but I took some help to solve this clue. | ||
| 20 | GOOF | Mistake: err briefly (4) |
| GO OF[f] (err briefly) | ||
| 21 | BARRAGE | Shower soap, perhaps, latest fashion (7) |
| BAR (soap perhaps) + RAGE (latest fashion) | ||
| 22 | MOTION | Proposal as a gesture? (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | ON ICE | Awaiting settlement, everything horrible? (2,3) |
| O NICE (as one might say ironically when everything is very much not nice) | ||
| 25 | STALL | Place for a lower seat (5) |
| Double definition with the first using ‘lower’ to refer to a cow | ||
KNOCK is a cricket term to describe a total score by a batsman so it’s a double definition, I think
In 2 Down, bird = time in prison, a UK term
Thanks Pete and Mudd
While I managed to solve every clue, I found it a real slog with little reward. There were too many double definitions and double entrendres for my liking, and clues I just did not understand. I feel I am in good company, now I see even Pete did not understand some clues.
in addition to BIRD and “Still of cook”, I have never heard BUNFIGHT used to mean a party (I thought of BUNFIGHT as the answer to “party disagreement”), and I would have thought a person using a POTTY was a trainee, not a trainer, in 7 down. I would be interested to hear how BIRD is used is used in a sentence.
Finally, I agree that KNOCK can mean score in cricket (it can also mean innings)
Best wishes for the new year.
Oh, and could O NICE in 24 down mean “zero nice”, meaning “everything horrible”?
I’d be lying if I said ‘still of cook’ was my only problem! Still, was pleased to get ‘knock’ and later confirm it was a cricketing term. Liked SPARE TYRE and MACARONI but this was a toughie I couldn’t finish.
Can’t win ’em all.
Thanks Mudd and Pete for your insights.
Glad I was in good company in getting stuck on DICKY-BIRD and BUNFIGHT.
Thanks Mudd. Enjoyed POTTY, HUNKY-DORY (could have been clued “fine Bowie record”), and UNDOING. I guess with UNDOING on the brain I entered “gunfight” instead of BUNFIGHT, an unfamiliar term to me. Thanks Pete for parsing.
Thanks for the work out Mudd and Pete for his usual elucidations.
Gurney@1&2 is correct with his interpretations for 2&3d. Pete, I think you are right about the misprint in 21a as I couldn’t make sense of it as it was. I fancy we have seen THEMED done exactly that way earlier in the year. We always talked about the after match function as a BUNFIGHT because everyone made a rush for the food.
Finally, the new year has dawned fine and warm here – may that be a portent for the rest of it.
I agree with Gurney and Mystogre. Enjoyed seeing GRITTY as I’m in Philadelphia and am a big hockey fan–Gritty is the mascot that the Flyers came up with a few seasons ago; he took the city and the hockey world by storm since the Flyers would be one of the last clubs you’d imagine would bring in a performing mascot.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Was able to get through this one in about average time – hadn’t seen DICKY BIRD beyond the whimsical cricket umpire before, but was aware of the term for ‘prison time’ and the cricketing term was also common in commentary during a match. BUNFIGHT as a party needed to be checked. Took some time to be convinced that GO OFF was to ‘err’ – ‘go off the rails’ would make sense. I think that the ‘trainer of the very young’ would have the POTTY as the ‘target’.
Anyway, other than the typo at 21a, I quite enjoyed untangling the rest of the grid as I’m a fan of this setter’s double definitions. Finished in the SW corner with ON ICE, FRONT DOOR and that GOOF as the last few in.