Financial Times 16,691 by Redshank

10 comments on “Financial Times 16,691 by Redshank”

1. I had a similar experience to Pete – off to a flying start, and then the going got tough. Bottom right was my main problem too, but I had a few clues in other locations that also required extra thought.

   For example, I have never heard “purchase” used to mean ADHESION as in 17 d – energy yes, adhesion no. BALEEN was a new one to me and it took for ever to get to the answer. It looks simple in hindsight, but SAFARI also took a long time to crack. And, I had to rely on the letters from the cross words to get to BIRD OF PREY.

   I must admit, nothing stood out as a favourite, but I did enjoy the puzzle overall – several very clever clues and good variety. Thank you Redshank for the puzzle and Pete for the solution

2. Really enjoyed this weekend appearance from Redshank. Like Pete and Martyn, I slowed in the SE corner, LOI being BALEEN which I did know but had spent a long time considering ‘bodice'(a).
   I’d agree with Pete that COSMETIC was a great surface. I also liked ROUND THE BEND, EGG NOG and HOBBY (the latter may be a small bird of prey but if you’re a swallow, it may as well be an eagle!)
   Just thought the surface of 5d was a missed opportunity for some, er, alliteration. But that is no criticism as this was a thoroughly entertaining solve.
   Thanks to Redshank and Pete (only now do I get cede/seed as a ‘fancied competitor’ – must be the paucity of decent tennis action!)

3. An excellent crossword — the &Lit COSMETIC, AU PAIR, BALEEN, SIDE DISH, and CANNON FODDER (great surface) represent all that I enjoy in cryptic puzzles. There wasn’t a bad clue in the bunch. Thanks Redshank and to Pete for the blog.

4. I join in the praise for all the favourite clues listed. I really enjoyed this puzzle, especially constructing BALEEN from the wordplay for a word I’d never heard of.

   Re 6dn: as Diane says, a hobby is a small species of falcon and to stoop (of a bird of prey) means to swoop, making this a clever clue, I thought.

   Many thanks to Redshank for another lovely puzzle and to Pete for a great blog.

5. Thanks Redshank and Pete
   Another who thoroughly enjoyed this puzzle and another who ended up in the SE corner with BALEEN (which I had heard of, but still enjoyed the clever way of putting it together) and PARA the last couple in.
   Have seen the HOBBY, not in wildlife so much, but quite a few times in various crosswords over time. Agree with the favourites with COSMETIC the pick of the bunch.

6. A challenging but fun and fair puzzle. Thanks to Redshank and to Pete. I do think, however, that there’s a typo in Pete’s explanation of 17d. The anagrind is “cook”, not “doctor “. Otherwise, great explanations.

7. As others have said, some tricky clues in the SE corner, which took longer than the first three-quarters of the grid. BALEEN and ADHESION were last in, the latter being difficult to equate with ‘purchase’, and I needed this blog to get ‘sound tips’ for NOISE upwards. Doh!

   Favourite was BIRD OF PREY, with the ‘stoop’ of falconry, as Eileen has mentioned. I can remember as a boy when some of my friends had Subbuteo sets, what a surprise it was to come across the word in a bird book as the Latin name for a ‘hobby’ (meaning a small buzzard, apparently). This little bit of serendipity has fixed itself in my memory and made this clue easy to solve but also a delight.

   Thanks to Redshank and Pete.

8. A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, so thanks Redshank.
   Thanks for unpacking the clues Pete. I also found ADHESION the one that gave me the most trouble. But I loved BIRD OF PREY – it is such a clever clue as others have mentioned.

9. Boxers skip rope to keep their footwork light so they can move in and out of range quickly and with clumsiness. I do my fighting with swords but we fencers skip rope too.

10. Lots of clever wordplay here. Got BIRD OF PREY from the crossers but the parsing stumped me. Thanks Pete for explaining and Redshank for the challenge.

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