Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of March 20, 2021
I completed the top half of this puzzle before getting a single answer in the lower half. Then the bottom took some time with 24ac (BERET) my last-in. My favourites are 18 (BISECT) and 20 (DITHERY).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MATERIALISING |
Making appearance, friend is boxing boxer in ring (13)
|
| MATE (friend) + ALI (boxer) in (boxing) IS in (in) RING | ||
| 9 | TURBANS |
Headwear goes over graduate (7)
|
| BA (graduate) in (over) TURNS (goes) | ||
| 10 | POPCORN |
Fare that’s substance of dad jokes? (7)
|
| POP (dad) + CORN (jokes) | ||
| 11 | HUSKY |
Reportedly, fish important for dog (5)
|
| Homophone of “huss” (fish) + “key” (important)
‘Huss’ refers to the flesh of the European dogfish, when used as food. |
||
| 12 | GUILLEMOT |
Bird from lake caught by cunning cat turning (9)
|
| L (lake) in (caught by) GUILE (cunning) + TOM (cat) backwards (turning) | ||
| 13 | WOODSMEN |
Bad news, doom for fellers, perhaps (8)
|
| Anagram (bad) of NEWS DOOM | ||
| 15 | VILIFY |
Somewhat civil, if you knock (6)
|
| Hidden word (somewhat) | ||
| 18 | BODICE |
Bishop spotted cubes on old garment (6)
|
| B (bishop) + O (old) + DICE (spotted cubes) | ||
| 19 | TALENTED |
Ace fast stuffing cuddly toy to be gifted (8)
|
| A (ace) + LENT (fast) in (stuffing) TED (cuddly toy) | ||
| 22 | SUFFERING |
Distress as criminal fires gun outside loudly (9)
|
| F (loudly) in (outside) anagram (criminal) of FIRES GUN | ||
| 24 | BERET |
Tile is about splitting risk (5)
|
| RE (about) in (splitting) BET (risk)
‘Tile’ is old-fashioned British slang for a hat. This is a good one to keep in mind as it appears occasionally in crosswords. |
||
| 25 | CONFIRM |
Fix fiddle with timber beginning to mould (7)
|
| CON (fiddle) + FIR (timber) + M[ould] | ||
| 26 | INSPIRE |
Enthuse one gutted niece holding tears back (7)
|
| I (one) + RIPS (tears) backwards (back) in (holding) N[iec]E | ||
| 27 | EVERY WHICH WAY |
Reach view why turbulent year’s all over for Trump (5,5,3)
|
| Anagram (turbulent) of REACH VIEW WHY + Y (year)
The definition seems loose but I am guessing it refers to Donald Trump’s facing several potential troubles now he is out of The White House. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MATTHEW |
Mother with dry chop for boy (7)
|
| MA (mother) + TT (dry, as in teetotal) + HEW (chop) | ||
| 2 | THRESHOLD |
Hammer Thor’s held making entry (9)
|
| Anagram (hammer) of THORS HELD | ||
| 3 | READY |
Cash examined with naked eye (5)
|
| READ (examined) + [e]Y[e]
This reminds me of The Importance of Being Earnest when Lady Bracknell asks for cucumber sandwiches and Lane, the butler, explains that there were no cucumbers to be had, “not even for ready money”. |
||
| 4 | ASSIGNED |
Named idiot regularly ringing journalist (8)
|
| ASS (idiot) + [r]I[n]G[i]N[g] + ED (journalist) | ||
| 5 | IMPAIR |
Harm creature of folklore, fairy getting wings removed (6)
|
| IMP (creature of folklore) + [f]AIR[y] | ||
| 6 | IMPULSIVE |
Nasty lump is on this writer’s rash (9)
|
| Anagram (nasty) of LUMP IS + IVE (this writer’s) | ||
| 7 | GLOOM |
Despondency of Grand Master drawing in game (5)
|
| LOO (game) in (drawing in) GM (Grand Master)
Loo, which we have seen here before, is a card game that was popular in the 17th century. |
||
| 8 | KNOTTY |
Hard king stuck-up, shaking head (6)
|
| K (king) + [s]NOTTY (stuck-up, shaking head) | ||
| 14 | SECRETIVE |
Enigmatic south-eastern island hiding activity at centre (9)
|
| SE (south-eastern) + [act]IV[ity] in (hiding) CRETE (island) | ||
| 16 | INTERVIEW |
Put in grave challenge with appraisal (9)
|
| INTER (put in grave) + VIE (challenge) + W (with) | ||
| 17 | LANGUISH |
Sink a gin, drunk with lush (8)
|
| Anagram (drunk) of A GIN LUSH | ||
| 18 | BISECT |
Purchase German booze we’re told to divide (6)
|
| Homophone (we’re told) of “buy Sekt” (purchase German booze)
Sekt is a sparkling wine of Germany. |
||
| 20 | DITHERY |
Indecisive replacing article in journal with another (7)
|
| DIARY (journal) with the A replaced by THE (replacing one article with another) | ||
| 21 | DISMAY |
Upset and sad I’m terribly unknown (6)
|
| Anagram (terribly) of SAD IM + Y (unknown) | ||
| 23 | FENCE |
Enclose space in fine church (5)
|
| F (fine) + EN (space) + CE (church) | ||
| 24 | BASIC |
Crude language (5)
|
| Double definition
BASIC is a very simple programming language that was popular in the early days of computing and which evolved into Microsoft’s Visual Basic, a language still used today. |
Thanks very much Pete, I didn’t know there was a game called LOO but luckily the clue was very clear, and thanks to this site I am now familiar with TILE and EN which would otherwise have had me scratching my head.
I had the same question mark over the definition in EVERY WHICH WAY (kept thinking of those Clint Eastwood films) but otherwise enjoyed the succinct clueing and smooth surfaces, SUFFERING was a good example (clued differently but just as nicely in a recent Cyclops) and I liked DITHERY too but I think my favourite was GUILLEMOT.
Thanks Artexlen – first time I have done of of his and I will try to look out for more (also in Indie according to his bio on here).
Thanks Pete and Artexlen.
A most enjoyable puzzle.
I think I’ve managed to parse 27ac. According to Chambers, every which way is an American phrase meaning in every direction. So for Trump as an American it would mean all over
Hi Pete,
I think your answer to 27A should read: …REACH VIEW WHY + Y (year). I appreciate your explanations every week.
Regards, Brian
Annie@2, thank you for your research and insight, as a result of which my admiration for the clue, thanks to what I now recognise as the misdirection of the surface, has shot up.
Great puzzle.. just to add to Gazzh@1 & 4 n Annie@2.. that was the exact reference in those Clint films! All over the place, but not loose… it seems like weeks ago but I seem to remember really enjoying DITHERY n GUILLEMOT also.. LOO was new to me..
Thanks Artexlen n Pete Maclean
Thanks Artexlen and Pete
Nice puzzle and a little easier than normal from him. Had the opposite experience to the blog, starting with FENCE and finishing the bottom before ending up in the NE corner with POPCORN and KNOTTY the last coiple in. Had 27a as outlined by Annie@2.
HUSS and SEKT were the new learnings from the puzzle.
Clever constructions and neat surfaces when looking back at them after finishing.
Brian, Thank you for that correction to 27ac.
Regarding the definition of 27ac, I never took “every which way” to be a particularly American expression. And Collins does not suggest that it is. However now I certainly understand how Annie and Bruce interpret the clue. Thank you.
A most gratifying crossword — if there were a contest, I could have entered because I had a rare completion without error. In any event I particularly liked MATERIALISING, WOODSMEN, and DITHERY. Thanks to both.
I am glad that I am not the only person to not understand 27AC. It was the only clue I was comfortable with at the end of the day. It took some work, but I got there!
I am happy (and somewhat surprised) that I remembered LOO from previous puzzles, and 7 came relatively easily.
But, there were a large number of “learning opportunities” too. I had never heard of tile, for hat, so BERET took some work. Other new words were “Ready” – ready cash, yes, but never before READY by itself; GUILLEMOT; TT for teetotaller, HUSS, and BODICE for garment – I only knew the modern use. EN for space is another new word in my new crossword vocabulary. I will get there eventually!
Thanks Pete and Artexlen
Oh, I meant to write 27AC was the only clue I was NOT comfortable with.
And, I have an alternative theory about EVERY WHICH WAY. Could “trump” refer to a card game where the trump wins no matter what (every which way), and could “all over” signify the placement of Y at the end of the word? I do realise the clue has a capital T for Trump, but………..
As an American, I agree completely with the parsing of 27ac by Annie@2.