Neo is today's FT setter.
My first pass through the across clues yielded enough answers to allow me to solve almost all of the down clues in one pass, with only CODPIECES holding out, even though it is really the only word that fit the pattern of crossers. A second pass through the across answers led me to complete the puzzle very quickly. I am not sure that I have satisfactorily parsed HAIRPIN BEND, as I can't think of an example of BEND = WHEEL, but I may just be missing obvious.
I think the puzzle could have benefitted from a little editing – ART was clued twice by the synonymous CUNNING (in PARTIAL and ART DECO), and, if I were the editor, I would have wanted AIL to be reclued as Neo's clue must be the most used clue in crossword history.
However, to end on a more positive note, there were some good clues in here as well, with my favourites being those for IMITATE and ELBOW-ROOM.
Thanks, Neo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ADDICTION |
Supplement taken around clubs creates unhealthy need (9)
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ADDITION ("supplement") taken around C (clubs) |
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| 6 | THONG |
Band in hotel criminal guild protects (5)
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TONG (Chinese "criminal guild") protects H (hotel) |
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| 9 | DELOUSE |
Tortured soul immersed in river to purify (7)
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*(soul) [anag:tortured] immersed in (River) DEE |
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| 10 | PARTIAL |
Biased mate cunning one roped in (7)
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PAL ("mate") with ART ("cunning") + I (one) roped in |
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| 11 | REMIT |
Frenchman in bank about to send cash (5)
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M (monsieur, so "Frenchman") in <=TIER ("bank", about) |
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| 12 | ELBOW-ROOM |
Romeo in bits without line to submit in play (5-4)
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*(romeo) [anag:in bits] without L (line) + BOW ("to submit") |
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| 14 | AGA |
Turkish commander edges away from infidel (3)
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[edges away from] (p)AGA(n) |
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| 15 | HARPSICHORD |
Puzzling over piano, choirs retuned instrument (11)
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HARD ("puzzling") over P +*(choirs) [anag:retuned] |
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| 17 | HAIRPIN BEND |
Grip wheel and make turn here (7,4)
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HAIRPIN ("grip") + BEND ("wheel") Not sure I have the parsing correct here, was I can't think of an example of "bend" and "wheel" being synonymous? |
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| 19 | AIL |
Beer they say makes you sicken (3)
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Homophone [they say] of ALE ("beer") |
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| 20 | ELISABETH |
Beatles reformed to involve one hot girl (9)
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*(beatles) [anag:reformed] to involve I (one) + H (hot) |
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| 22 | INTER |
Start denied playwright in Bury (5)
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[start denied] (p)INTER ("playwright) |
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| 24 | IDAHOAN |
Some American naiad running round house (7)
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*(naiad) [anag:running] round Ho. (house) |
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| 26 | UNCLEAN |
Morally impure relative Jane undressed (7)
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UNCLE ("relative") + (j)AN(e) [undressed] |
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| 27 | SCENE |
Embarrassing display observed we hear (5)
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Homophone [we hear] of SEEN ("observed") |
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| 28 | LODESTONE |
Attractive sort, see good chap over in valley (9)
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LO ("see") + St. (saint, so "good chap") + O (over) in DENE ("valley"), so LO-DE(ST-O)NE |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ALDER |
Tree more bare: bark initially removed (5)
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(b)ALDER ("more bare" with B(ark) [initially] removed) |
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| 2 | DILEMMA |
Puzzle upset cover girl (7)
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[upset] <=LID ("cover") + EMMA ("girl") |
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| 3 | COURTSHIP |
Royal household cool about second romance (9)
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COURT ("royal household") + HIP ("cool") about S (second) |
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| 4 | ILE-DE-FRANCE |
One freelanced working in European location (3-2-6)
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I (one) + *(freelanced) [anag:working] Ile-de-France is the region of France in which Paris is situated. |
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| 5 | NAP |
Surface on cloth sends pot wrong way (3)
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<=PAN ("pot") [wrong way] |
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| 6 | THROW |
Chuck cover over furniture (5)
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Double definition |
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| 7 | ORINOCO |
Gold coin forged — nothing for this banker (7)
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OR ("gold") + *(coin) [anag:forged] + O (nothing) The "banker" in the clue is my least favourite way of clueing a river. |
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| 8 | GOLD MEDAL |
Lass circling ancient sea gets first prize (4,5)
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GAL ("lass") circling OLD ("ancient") + MED (Sea) |
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| 13 | BASSET-HOUND |
Dog plus horse seen in spring (6-5)
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ASSET ("plus") + H (horse) seen in BOUND ("spring") |
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| 14 | ATHLETICS |
Castle hit – destroyed for sport (9)
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*(castle hit) [anag:destroyed] |
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| 16 | CODPIECES |
Fraud articles for those affording personal cover? (9)
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COD ("fraud") + PIECES ("articles") |
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| 18 | IMITATE |
Do I lie with another having embraced sex appeal? (7)
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I + MATE ("lie with another") having embraced IT ("sex appeal") |
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| 19 | ART DECO |
Cunning Italian author entertains duke in style (3,4)
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ART ("cunning") + (Umberto) ECO ("Italian author") entertains D (duke) |
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| 21 | ABODE |
Person in attendance cleared out home (5)
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BOD ("person") in A(ttendanc)E [cleared out] |
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| 23 | RINSE |
Tint from crimper in Sevenoaks (5)
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Hidden in [from] "crimpeR IN SEvenoaks" |
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| 25 | NIL |
Raul Sanguineti beaten all ends up for nothing (3)
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[all ends] of (rau)L (sanguinet)I (beate)N [up], so LIN > NIL |
Like Loonapick, a first pass yielded most of the answers in today’s grid but the bottom left corner left me scratching my head over IMITATE (‘do’ as the definition just didn’t occur to me) and ABODE. I also raised an eyebrow at the second use of ‘art’.
That said, I enjoyed this and found much to like: the anagram at 4d, the misleading DELOUSE (Dee, Ouse…), 8d, 12a,15a and the bawdy 16d. Still on the subject on rivers, Neo is not alone is using ‘banker’ for ‘river’. It’s just another of those words like ‘supply’, ‘bloomer’, ‘flower’ and ‘number’ which I’ve learned to treat with suspicion!
Thanks to Neo and Loonapick for clarification.
Thanks Loonapick and Neo
17ac: I think bend and wheel have equivalent meanings as intransitive verbs, meaning to change direction.
Thanks to Neo and loonapick. I too got most of the answers on my first pass but then had trouble linking ELBOW-ROOM to play and BEND to wheel, did not parse LODESTONE, and did not get IMITATE until I finally worked out IDAHOAN.
I agree with Pelham Barton on “wheel” – that’s how I parsed it. Also a bit disappointed by the two “cunnings” both meaning “art” and not sure about “play” for “elbow-room” , but I guess we have to allow setters some latitude…..Otherwise an OK but not particularly distinguished puzzle, I thought.
Chambers gives ‘range or scope’ as a definition for ‘play’, as in ‘give full play to the imagination’.
Most of this went in fairly quickly but I could not parse IMITATE, CODPIECES, THONG, or LODESTONE. While enjoyable I found this crossword a bit below the usual quality I expect from Neo/Tees. Favourite clue was BASSET HOUND. Thanks to both.
Thanks to Neo for an enjoyable solve and to loonapick for explaining 6A, 12A and 28A. Still think 12A a bit obscure but hey ho…
IMITATE was our LOI; it was one of those times when you think/know the answer can’t be anything else but you just can’t parse it until suddenly the penny drops. If anyone’s still in the dark ‘do’ is ‘imitate’ as in whenyou might ask an impressionist ‘can you do Boris Johnson?’
We found this a little disappointing, with the repetition of ‘cunning’ and the clue for 17 didn’t quite click with us.
On the other hand we liked HARPSICHORD and ÎLE DE FRANCE.
Thanks, Neo and loonapick.
I feel play = room for movement.. as in ‘there’s a lot of play in that joint.’. which is exactly equal to elbow-room… cavalry n infantry used to wheel around in Henty books all the time.. implying a rapid change of direction… so no argument there either.. i shared slight disappointment on doubling up of cunning.. but there was lots of nice stuff there also.. as already mentioned..
Thanks Neo n loonapick
Thanks Neo and loonapick
On the easier end of Neo’s difficulty spectrum, I thought. Didn’t pick up on the two ARTs and had no difficulty with ‘play’=ELBOW ROOM (common term here) and ‘wheel’ for BEND. My challenges were with ‘grip’ = HAIRPIN, until I found the British term ‘hairgrip’ and ‘do’ = IMITATE (needing a dictionary scan to find a meaning that I was aware of after seeing the examples).
Had the most fun in untangling the word play of IMITATE.
Finished in the SE corner with LODESTONE and CODPIECES.