Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of February 27, 2021
Last weekend’s puzzle was an unusually quick solve for me and this one turned out likewise. My favourite clues are 6 (HOIST), 13 (GHOST TOWN), 14 (CARNEGIE HALL) and 16 (SCREAMER).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TEA CHEST |
River carrying long container (3,5)
|
| ACHE (long) in (carrying) TEST (river) | ||
| 5 | SHUT UP |
Silence in jail (4,2)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | MAESTRI |
Shuffle same three aces (7)
|
| Anagram (shuffle) of SAME + TRI (three) | ||
| 11 | TRIDENT |
Lift in explosive missile (7)
|
| RIDE (lift) in (in) TNT (explosive) | ||
| 12 | LASSO |
Catcher in baseball as sound? (5)
|
| Hidden word (in) | ||
| 13 | GHOST TOWN |
Company in outskirts of Gosport requiring private, quiet location (5,4)
|
| HOST (company) in (in) G[ospor]T + OWN (private) | ||
| 14 | CARNEGIE HALL |
Engineer here calling to save a US concert venue (8,4)
|
| A (a) in (to save) anagram (engineer) of HERE CALLING | ||
| 18 | CARTOON STRIP |
Jane was one actor playing on with band (7,5)
|
| Anagram (playing) of ACTOR + ON (on) + STRIP (band)
I do not recall ever coming across it before but Wikipedia confirms that “Jane” was a comic strip created and drawn by Norman Pett exclusively for The Daily Mirror from 5 December 1932 to 10 October 1959. |
||
| 21 | ENTERITIS |
Key that has been identified for problem inside? (9)
|
| ENTER (key, as on a keyboard) + IT IS (that has been identified) | ||
| 23 | CATER |
Feed mog last scraps of fine dinner (5)
|
| CAT (mog) + [fin]E [dinne]R | ||
| 24 | MUSICAL |
Show false claim about American (7)
|
| US (American) in (about) anagram (false) of CLAIM | ||
| 25 | UMPTEEN |
Quite a few men put out about failure, ultimately (7)
|
| [failur]E in (about) anagram (out) of MEN PUT | ||
| 26 | RESIDE |
Stay on plane (6)
|
| RE (on) + SIDE (plane, as in a flat surface) | ||
| 27 | CHILEANS |
South American people Greek character added to lists (8)
|
| CHI (Greek character) + LEANS (lists) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TEMPLE |
Church in delicate place? (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | AGEISM |
Dislike of the old, blurry images (6)
|
| Anagram (blurry) of IMAGES | ||
| 3 | HOT POTATO |
Problem, one baking in jacket? (3,6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | STINGING NETTLE |
Smart,.fashionable gent let loose, irritating thing (8,6)
|
| STING (smart) + IN (fashionable) + anagram (loose) of GENT LET | ||
| 6 | HOIST |
Not a soul in this broken down lift (5)
|
| O (not a soul) in (in) anagram (broken down) of THIS | ||
| 7 | TEETOTAL |
Dry cart tipped over in shade (8)
|
| TOTE (cart) backwards (tipped over) in (in) TEAL (shade) | ||
| 8 | PATENTLY |
Work needed to secure a temporary home, it’s obvious (8)
|
| A (a) + TENT (temporary home) together in (to secure) PLY (work) | ||
| 9 | I THOUGHT AS MUCH |
Hottish chum taking half of August off – that’s no surprise (1,7,2,4)
|
| Anagram (off) of HOTTISH CHUM AUG | ||
| 15 | EPISCOPAL |
Massive gem cut by second of bishops (9)
|
| S (second) in (cut by) EPIC (massive) + OPAL (gem) | ||
| 16 | SCREAMER |
Sick originally, milk substitute upset baby? (8)
|
| S[ick] + CREAMER (milk substitute) | ||
| 17 | PROTESTS |
Objects for experiments (8)
|
| PRO (for) + TESTS (experiments) | ||
| 19 | ATHENA |
Deity in Gaia, the nature goddess (6)
|
| Hidden word (in) | ||
| 20 | URANUS |
Planet getting warmer as rage unleashed, initially, after uprising (6)
|
| SUN (warmer) + A[s] R[age] U[nleashed] all backwards (after uprising) | ||
| 22 | RACED |
Player finally beaten at tennis, ran (5)
|
| [playe]R + ACED (beaten at tennis) |
A most satisfying solve and a write-in requiring no special knowledge. Even the unheard-of cartoon, “Jane”, could be parsed once I realised I needed a word to accompany “strip”.
I particularly enjoyed nutting out the lengthy anagrams at 4d and 9d. AGEISM, ATHENA, CHILEANS and SCREAMER were my top picks.
The SW corner was last to fall but 10a proved most stubborn. Needed all the crossers, especially the ‘i’ which suggested an Italian word, and then the parsing finally clicked. Just sad it was all over too quickly!
Thanks to Mudd and Pete.
I am in awe of Peta and Diane for finding this easy. I completely filled the pink page with many, varying letter combinations, as I struggled with several clues.
I got there in the end, but could not parse TRIDENT and TEMPLE, needing the crosswords for the answer. Speaking of which, as much as I admire Mudd, I would not describe the TEMPLE as a delicate place, and my ideas of stinging and SMARTing are very different. Unlike the Brits and veteran solvers in the crowd, I needed the internet to confirm there is a river called TEST.
Now I understand it, I admire the devious quality of 11 down, TRIDENT, and I agree with Pete and Diane on the other favourites.
Thank you Pete, and thank you Mudd
Martyn, it took a good six months of solving the FT’s grids before I could claim any consistency and I still often struggle but I’m used to the house style by now – and have favourite setters whose wavelength I can follow – though it often depends on my mood on any given day as to whether I finish! Pete, on the other hand, is a cognoscento, and as such, is fully deserving of your awe!
Whoops, cognoscente!
I have usually become comfortable with Mudd, even though it still takes several sessions to finish. On this occasion I did all except 26 and 22 where I had possibles but just couldn’t parse them.
Martyn, you must have a tough head if your temple is not delicate. When I hit mine it hurts!
I hate to admit it but when I was young we had the Daily Mirror, so “Jane” as a strip was no problem at all.
Oh and in British english “sting” and “smart” are very interchangeable. If one grazes ones knuckle it can both sting and smart.
Thanks Mudd and Pete
Did most of over a coffee and after 40 minutes, still had a few to finish in the SW corner. Later that night was able to quickly polish them off, with RESIDE (simples in hindsight), SCREAMER (took a while to see the cream substitute) and JANE (that I hadn’t heard of, but reading up on it, see that it was quite a salacious comic strip, made into movies and a television series where our heroine had a habit of slipping out of most of her clothes).
Liked HOIST (for the innovative definition for O), TRIDENT (for its smooth surface and construction) and the good double definition for SHUT UP.
Thanks Mudd, that was stimulating as usual. Favourites included HOIST, EPISCOPAL, and SCREAMER. Thanks Pete for the blog.
Thanks, Mudd and Pete. I solved this in two sessions – TEETOTAL and GHOST TOWN were last in. I also didn’t recognize TEST as a river. Favorite was ENTERITIS – “‘Enter’ it is!” (like “Sam I am”). I figured JANE had to be some cartoon I hadn’t heard of. Also liked CARNEGIE HALL.