Financial Times 16,773 by BUCCANEER

14 comments on “Financial Times 16,773 by BUCCANEER”

1. Thanks Turbolegs and Buccaneer. Excellent puzzle.
   RECIT was LOI.
   Treat to see this setter in this avatar for FT.
   Seen ‘Brahms and Liszt’ device before.
   Too many likes to list, 8d raised a chuckle.

2. The usual enjoyable workout from Buccaneer.

   Failed to complete, missing Récit and Bartend. Never met the former and, strangely, the latter is not in Chambers (but “bartender” is).

   Favourites were HYPERVENTILATE & EMPATHY.

   It may be worth mentioning in the blog for 10a that WORST & BEST as verbs can both mean “defeat”. Personally, I only learnt that meaning for “worst” via cryptics.

3. V. enjoyable as expected from Buccaneer. I didn’t know ‘demob happy’ either but it wasn’t hard to get both from wordplay and by imagining how a demobbed soldier would feel. I was held up for a while by SHEEPFOLD, thinking of an ‘album’ as an LP rather than an EP, and by RESPECT, my last in.

   Favourites were the WORST and ‘Best?’ and EMPATHY, both for the risqué surface and the not so obvious definition.

   Thanks to Buccaneer and Turbolegs

4. Sheer class!

5. Thanks Buccaneer and Turbolegs

   27ac: I think this needs to be MA in [RANCH NO]*, partly to account for the word “in” in the clue, but mainly to avoid an indirect anagram.

6. What copmus said – many thanks to Buccaneer and Turbolegs.

7. I too agree with what Copmus said

   Many thanks to Buccaneer and Turbolegs

8. Count me among Buccaneer’s admirers. Not too many gimmes for me today but plenty to enjoy including CHAGRIN and HOT-AIR BALLOONS.
   Thanks to the setter and Turbolegs.

9. Another fine puzzle from Buccaneer. I thought WORST was very weak until I saw Hovis’ comment @2 – I should have known better than to think B would set a weak clue. Lots of ticks with the long anagram my favourite. RECIT was new for me too. Thanks to setter and blogger.

10. I was banjaxed by having put in DRAY OF ALE for 2d. In my defence, a dray can carry much more ale than a mere yard can hold!

11. Everything fell into place eventually although we were held up in the NE corner as we initially had ‘nomen’ (on< + men) for 5dn till we got RESPECT. Sound clueing throughout, including for BARTEND, although we don't like the word – possibly a lazy back-formation from 'bartender'. We did notice, though, 'back' used twice to indicate the last letter of a word.
    A very enjoyable solve with several highlights such as LEMON DROP, STOLLEN, GAMUT, EMPATHY and PEPPERONI.
    Thanks, Buccaneer and Turbolegs.

12. Thanks Buccaneer. Solved this first-class crossword slowly over the day. Never got RECIT. Many favourites including ELVIS, BARTEND, and INNISFREE. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.

13. A quick solve for me tonight, didn’t use any aids until my very last one, 19a, where I gave up and used a word wizard which gave me the only word that would fit in with the 5 crossers already in place.

14. Thanks Buccaneer and Turbolegs
    This one was on the backlog and only got to it this weekend. Was worth the wait – he certainly is a welcome addition to the FT setter stable!
    Began with the contronym at 10a and worked the way around the grid from that NW corner. A good mix of seeing the definition and working out the wordplay and conversely working out the answer from the word play which I always like.
    Didn’t know of the term ‘demob-happy’ and only through crosswords had ever come across the term ‘demob’ some time ago.
    Finished in the SW corner with the curious BARTEND, the previously unknown RECIT and SCAMP the last one in.

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