Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 6, 2021
My first-in was the brilliant 21 (HYPHENATED), a clue that stands as my favourite in this puzzle. I worked quickly through most of the rest of the puzzle but then got stuck for a long time with 11 and 14 because, as I slowly came to realise, I had a wrong answer for 15. Other gems here are 6 (EAST OF EDEN), 18 (SPELLCHECKER) and 27 (EIGHTY) for its definition.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PHRASE |
Expression becomes worn out in speech (6)
|
| Homophone (in speech) of “frays” (becomes worn out) | ||
| 4 | SPLENDID |
Fine backsliding pickpockets in advance? On the contrary (8)
|
| LEND (advance) in (in) DIPS (pickpockets) backwards (backsliding) | ||
| 9 | ESCROW |
College dons poorer after returning money held in third party account? (6)
|
| C (college) in (dons) WORSE (poorer) all backwards (after returning) | ||
| 10 | EMISSARY |
Envoy from Middle East backed Syria’s reforming (8)
|
| ME (Middle East) backwards (backed) + anagram (reforming) of SYRIAS | ||
| 12 | LOUT |
Hob is left exposed (4)
|
| L (left) + OUT (exposed). ‘Hob’ can refer to a rustic or a lout in American English. | ||
| 13 | COME TO PASS |
Happen to get the highest marks? A case of success (4,2,4)
|
| COME TOP (get the highest marks) + A (a) + S[ucces]S | ||
| 15 | DISCONTENTED |
Failed to tackle small matter, being unhappy (12)
|
| S (small) + CONTENT (matter) together in (to tackle) DIED (failed) | ||
| 18 | SPELLCHECKER |
Program helps clerk correct entries, initially mistyped (12)
|
| Anagram (mistyped) of HELPS CLERK C[orrect] E[rrors] | ||
| 21 | HYPHENATED |
Deny Heath worried about power like Douglas-Home? (10)
|
| P (power) in (about) anagram (worried) of DENY HEATH | ||
| 22 | ARUM |
Lily Allen’s first drink (4)
|
| A[llen] + RUM (drink) | ||
| 24 | CARLISLE |
Man maybe after transport around large city (8)
|
| L (large) in (around) CAR (transport) + ISLE (Man maybe) | ||
| 25 | BOVINE |
Born sheepish or bullish? (6)
|
| B (born) + OVINE (sheepish) | ||
| 26 | INSANITY |
Elected fool into authority? That’s madness (8)
|
| IN (elected) + NIT (fool) in (into) SAY (authority) | ||
| 27 | EIGHTY |
Serious to lose wicket, having score less than 100 (6)
|
| [w]EIGHTY (serious to lose wicket). Some solvers may need a reminder that ‘score’ can mean twenty. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PRECLUDE |
Eliminate chapter in introduction (8)
|
| C (chapter) in (in) PRELUDE (introduction) | ||
| 2 | RECOURSE |
On route finds resort (8)
|
| RE (on) + COURSE (route) | ||
| 3 | SHOE |
School regularly needs English trainer? (4)
|
| S[c]H[o]O[l] + E (English) | ||
| 5 | PUMPERNICKEL |
One responsible for inflation wants a little money for bread (12)
|
| PUMPER (one responsible for inflation) + NICKEL (a little money) | ||
| 6 | EAST OF EDEN |
Sent a Defoe novel, or another book (4,2,4)
|
| Anagram (novel) of SENT A DEFOE | ||
| 7 | DRAMAS |
Plays shots, eclipsing Australia’s opener (6)
|
| A[ustralia] in (eclipsing) DRAMS (shots) | ||
| 8 | DRYISH |
Rather dull lines penned by beauty (6)
|
| RY (lines, as in railway) in (penned by) DISH (beauty) | ||
| 11 | POSTAL BALLOT |
British contributing to a poll’s total when travelling around – using this? (6,6)
|
| B (British) in anagram (when travelling around) of A POLLS TOTAL | ||
| 14 | COMPLEXION |
Place in New Mexico reflected no character (10)
|
| PL (place) in (in) anagram (new) of MEXICO + NO (no) backwards (reflected) | ||
| 16 | SKIRMISH |
Moving him risks a fight (8)
|
| Anagram (moving) of HIM RISKS | ||
| 17 | TRUMPERY |
Attempt to grab seat close to ringside? Rubbish! (8)
|
| RUMP (seat) + [ringsid]E together in TRY (attempt) | ||
| 19 | CHICHI |
Greek character appears twice as fussy (6)
|
| CHI (Greek character) + CHI (appears twice) | ||
| 20 | SPORTS |
More than one good fellow’s temper’s rising (6)
|
| STROP (fellow’s temper…) + S (…s) all backwards (rising). I needed help with this one as I did not know this use of ‘strop’. | ||
| 23 | YOGI |
One Gentile upset follower of Hindu philosophy (4)
|
| I (one) + GOY (Gentile) backwards (upset) |
I found this rather difficult – the result of so many long answers, and quite a collection of words & expressions that were new to me (nit, goy, chichi, etc).
My favourite was COMPLEXION, particularly given how many times I tried to find a word with PLACE between N and M. I also liked BOVINE and HYPHENATED for their simple deviousness.
I do have a question: what is the function of “on the contrary” in 4ac? The words before the question mark seem enough to create the answer.
Thank you Pete for the blog, and Alberich for a tough, but enjoyable puzzle.
Martyn @1
Re your question.
backsliding pickpockets in advance – SPID (rev of DIPS) inserted in LEND
On the contrary – the other about
So LEND inserted in SPID
SP(LEND)ID
pl read
the other way round
It may be worth explicitly saying in blog that the “score” in 27a refers to the number 20. It was alluded to in the intro but it’s possible some may miss this double meaning.
Hovis@4
Maybe Pete thought the word was well-known from its use in Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.
I think in 20d the definition is ” More than one good fellow” and “strops” is just tempers. I can’t see how ” More than one” on its own can clue “sports”, whereas a “good fellow” is a good sport.
I put “Brussels” in 24 ac for no good reason and that messed up the SW corner for me.
Hovis, Thank you for suggesting that. I have added an apposite note in the explanation of 27a. I am afraid that I simply assumed that the numeric meaning of ‘score’ was generally known. However, when I think about it, Lincoln’s Gettysburg address surely comes to mind.
Malcolm, Thank you for pointing out my error in the definition of 20. It stemmed from an early misunderstanding of how the clue worked.
I thought that, as usual, I’d put my copy out for recycling but I’ve just found it. It’s just such a long time – and other puzzles – between solve and blog with the FT that I have difficulty remembering my experience, which is a pity, as Alberich is one of my favourite setters,
I see that I had ticks against 13ac COME TO PASS, 18ac SPELLCHECKER, 21ac HYPHENATED, 6dn EAST OF EDEN, 14dn COMPLEXION, and 20dn SPORTS – I love the word ‘strop’. As for 27ac, I (literally) momentarily wondered ‘Why did he choose EIGHTY?’ and then the ‘score’ penny dropped – so that was a favourite, too.
Many thanks to Alberich for a most enjoyable puzzle and Pete for a fine blog.
@Rishi
Thank you for your response. I actually thought of the construct you described, but decided it couldn’t mean that, it could only mean turn the word around. So much for that! I am still relatively new to this, and really appreciate your expert guidance.
Thanks Alberich and Pete
Found this quite challenging across three sittings last weekend. Missed on the parsing of COME TO PASS and failed to see the finesse of ‘score less than 100’ at 27d (probably makes it the best clue of a very good lot).
Don’t know that I’ve ever come across CHICHI before, nor ‘hob’ as a LOUT. EAST OF EDEN is a book that I haven’t read, but this clue led me to read the interesting plot line in Wiki.
Finished in the NW corner with ESCROW (a word that have always remembered when a software supplier was required to keep its code in such when I was working for one of the major banks here), that LOUT and RECOURSE the last one in.
Apologies for returning to 4d, but I thought ‘in’ looks a little redundant: ‘in advance’ and ‘advance’ are two different things and that threw me off a bit. And brucew, ‘East of Eden’ is truly a great book, with what must be the most chilling villain in literature.