Non-prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of June 12, 2021
A typically brilliant puzzle from Goliath and one I completed rather quickly. My first-in was 1ac (SHERPA) and my last 24 (LIMEADE). My favourite is 12 (TRAM) and I also applaud 9 (RAMEKIN), 10 (APHRODITE) and 16 (KNOTWEED). Thank you, Goliath.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SHERPA |
Guide the woman entering Jacuzzi? (6)
|
| HER (the woman) in (entering) SPA (Jacuzzi) | ||
| 4 | TEACUP |
Unusual precaution to remove every bit of iron crockery (6)
|
| Anagram (unusual) of P[r]ECAUT[ion] | ||
| 8, 11 | GROCERS APOSTROPHE |
Apple’s one example of the processor or gap generator (7,10)
|
| Anagram (generator) of THE PROCESSOR OR GAP
Non-Brits may be unaware of the term ‘grocer’s apostrophe’. It comes from the once common practice among British grocers of pluralizing the names of loose things they sold using an apostrophe and an ‘S’ instead of just an ‘S’. I am unsure if this curious habit is still seen today. |
||
| 9 | RAMEKIN |
Bowl: right make, wrong home (7)
|
| R (right) + anagram (wrong) of MAKE + IN (home) | ||
| 11 |
See 8
|
|
| 12 | TRAM |
What’s needed to ride around Melbourne, primarily (4)
|
| T[o] R[ide] A[round] M[elbourne]
I have ridden around Melbourne by tram. There is a line called the Tourist Tram that makes a circuit of the inner city. |
||
| 13 | MUSED |
Would have been tickled with a thought (5)
|
| [a]MUSED (would have been tickled with A) | ||
| 14 | RAMIFIED |
Stuff provided that is essentially cedar with branches (8)
|
| RAM (stuff) + IF (provided) + IE (that is) + [ce]D[ar] | ||
| 16 | KNOTWEED |
Possible end to Kew Garden scourge (8)
|
| Anagram (possible) of END TO KEW | ||
| 18 | DADDY |
Within 24 hours, theologian will be a father (5)
|
| DD (theologian) in (within) DAY (24 hours) | ||
| 20 |
See 1 down
|
|
| 21 | SATURNALIA |
Australian Reform Party (10)
|
| Anagram (reform) of AUSTRALIA | ||
| 23, 26 | BIFOCAL LENSES |
Announcement of purchase and return of rings may be seen inside visual aids (7,6)
|
| BI (announcement of purchase, i.e. homophone of “buy”) + OF (of) backwards (return) + anagram (may be) of SEEN in (inside) CALLS (rings) | ||
| 24 | LIMEADE |
Tell stories imbibing one drink and another (7)
|
| MEAD (one drink) in (imbibing) LIE (tell stories) | ||
| 25 | YIELDS |
Pyrite glides evenly and returns (6)
|
| [p]Y[r]I[t]E [g]L[i]D[s] | ||
| 26 |
See 23
|
|
| DOWN | ||
| 1, 20 | SCRAPYARD |
Defunct vehicles here go metric? (9)
|
| SCRAP YARD (go metric) | ||
| 2 | EXCUSES |
Justifies the start of casual employment in sex work (7)
|
| C[asual] + USE (employment) together in (in) anagram (work) of SEX | ||
| 3 | PARTRIDGE |
Some edge shown in game (9)
|
| PART (some) + RIDGE (edge) | ||
| 5 | ELATE |
Delight in the rise of average talent (5)
|
| Reverse (the rise of) hidden word (in) | ||
| 6, 19 | CHEST OF DRAWERS |
Dresser for the bosom of artists? (5,2,7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 7 | PHILATELY |
Collector’s pursuit of hip replacement not long ago (9)
|
| Anagram (replacement) of HIP + LATELY (not long ago) | ||
| 10 | APHRODITE |
Beauty found in rubbish tip? Oh dear! (9)
|
| Anagram (rubbish) of TIP OH DEAR | ||
| 13 | MENDACITY |
Telling fibs, incorrectly named Liverpool? (9)
|
| Anagram (incorrectly) of NAMED + A CITY (Liverpool?) | ||
| 15 | MODERNIZE |
Sailors being underway, viewers heard update (9)
|
| MODE (way) + RN (sailors) + IZE (homophone of “eyes”) | ||
| 17 | TADPOLE |
Little European frog potentially (7)
|
| TAD (little) + POLE (European) | ||
| 19 |
See 6
|
|
| 21 | STAID |
Conservative help propping up vacated seat (5)
|
| S[ea]T + AID (help) | ||
| 22 | INDUS |
Try to escape from hard work to find the river (5)
|
| INDUS[try] (try to escape from hard work) |
There are a lot of tick marks on my pink paper, indicating clues that I liked. Adding to Pete’s list, I also admired MUSED, MODERNIZE and TADPOLE. SATURNALIA for Australian always tickles me, too.
As IZE in MODERNIZE is a homophone, I wonder whether the FT would accept both MODERNIZE and MODERNISE as the answer?
A few clues demanded a struggle from me, so I did not find it the breeze that Pete describes. But, I agree that it was quite a brilliant puzzle, and send hearty thanks to Goliath. And, of course, thanks to Pete for the blog (and showing me how to parse BIFOCAL LENSES)
I’m another admirer, with ticks for 8 11, 13, 2 and 6 19. Well done Goliath!
A welcome return for Goliath’s breezy brand of humour.
Super nimble wordplay and subtle misdirection such as that for the ‘Kew Garden scourge’ in 16a.
Loved the surfaces of TEACUP, SCRAPYARD and MUSED. The anagrams were a treat this weekend, particularly the lengthy ones producing punctuation and furniture and the devilishly well disguised APHRODITE.
The correct parsing of BIFOCAL LENSES eluded me too but liked it once my thoughts
moved away from flip charts and the like.
Hearty thanks to Goliath and Pete.
Having read “Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” by Lynne Truss, this non-Brit had no problem with GROCERS APOSTROPHE. It was one of my favourite clues along with RAMEKIN, MUSED, and EXCUSES, the latter for its amusing surface. I missed RAMIFIED and MODERNISE and did not understand BIFOCAL LENSES so thanks Pete for explaining. Thanks Goliath for a super puzzle.
[Now that COVID has been contained will “non-prize” crosswords become prize crosswords again?]
Thanks for a super blog. This crossword has become my Monday treat. I will add CHEST OF DRAWERS to the clues mentioned above. The GROCERS APOSTROPHE is still going strong in our market.
( You need an N on AUSTRALIA , sorry to nitpick )
Agreed: an excellent, enjoyable puzzle. Favourite was BIFOCAL LENSES, beautifully constructed and eminently solvable once I stopped thinking of contact lenses…
Thank you all for the comments. I too have read “Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” by Lynne Truss.
>>Now that COVID has been contained will “non-prize” crosswords become prize crosswords again?]
I have no word on this.
Thanks, Goliath and Pete. Very enjoyable puzzle. Left side hung me up at first because I put FANCY for 13a (“tickle my fancy” and synonym for thought?), but once I realized it was MUSED all fell into place.
I’ve seen grocer’s apostrophes here occasionally, including signs like “Metal’s” at a scrap yard and “Sandwich’s” at a deli. Didn’t know it was actually a custom – is it? Always looked to me like they didn’t know or care.
Thanks Goliath and Pete. A great way to spend time.
Pete, trams are a major public transport throughout Melbourne and the city is well known for them in this part of the world. If you want a city with a (singular) tourist tramline, try Christchurch.
KNOTWEED seems suddenly popular.
Thanks Goliath and Pete
Took a bit longer than normal to complete this, although there were distractions. Some really clever constructions and the longer anagrams were a pleasure to unravel.
Liked the two references to Australia – with the anagram @ 21 and the mention of the trams that we locals love (when needing to get around the CBD) and hate (when driving cars along their route in the suburbs). Smiled at the CHEST OF DRAWERS clue.
Finished with PARTRIDGE, APRHODITE (trickily disguised anagram) and the unknown GROCER’S APOSTROPHE as the last one in.